After man fell into sin, God provided a remedy by agreeing to send His Son to die as a ransom for mankind. The first prophecy was given to God’s people in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” And ever after the Spirit of Prophecy has been manifested amongst God’s people. The gift of prophecy has always been in the church of God.  As we near the end of time, the Spirit of Prophecy is still active, most recently through the ministry of Ellen G. White.

From July 30, 2015 to August 2, 2015, in Cedartown, Georgia, at the General Conference Headquarters, a symposium on the Spirit of Prophecy was held, with the focus being the life and ministry of Ellen G. White.

Brother Idel Suarez introduced the Symposium on Thursday morning by giving a brief sketch of the life of Ellen G. White. Ellen Harmon was born on November 26, 1927 in Gorham, Maine into a family of eight children. As a child she had a traumatic experience. She was leaving school with her twin sister, Elizabeth, when an older student threw a rock at her breaking her nose. She withdrew from school as her hand would shake when she tried to write. The teacher sent her home. In 1840 she was converted and in December of 1844 she had her first vision. On August 30, 1846 she married James White. A few months later she asked her husband to rebaptize her; she was already a messenger for Lord.

During her 70 years she wrote 25 million words. Twenty-six books were published in her lifetime. Today over 115 books are available, of which she is the author. She had four children, two which died prematurely. Henry passed away at the age of 16 and she lost the youngest when he was just a few months old. She lived in three difference continents, Europe, Australia, and the United States of America. In her lifetime she had many struggles and was widowed at the age of 53.

Several other presentations were given regarding the family and home life of Ellen G. White. Her father was a hat maker and she helped him so that she could earn some money to give to missionary work.

Ellen White was inspired to make some prophetical predictions, such as the burning of the Battle Creek Sanitarium and publishing house. She also prophesied this reform movement. Sister Raquel Orce shared many of the scientific and medical discoveries that she wrote about, long before they had been discovered by modern day scientists. There were approximately 145 such predictions in her writings.

During the symposium, various speakers presented topics related to the Spirit of Prophecy throughout history.

Brother Parmenas Shirima spoke of the nature of inspiration. Ellen White was inspired by God. Inspiration means, “God’s method of influencing and directing the minds of men in the process of making them channels of divine revelation.” God used different methods to inspire His servants, such as visions, dreams, and a spirit of understanding, to give an insight into the mysteries of God. Others were guided to record events and historical incidents. While inspired, their human personality was not blotted out. An important aspect of inspiration was also predictive prophecy. This is the greatest attestation of divine inspiration. As God’s church we must be inspired and do His will.

Brother Larry Watts presented the subject of Hermeneutical Principles of the Spirit of Prophecy. We need to seek to understand what the words are saying. It may sound simple but it is not as easy as it sounds. For example, regarding the Sermon on the Mount, we need to go to the mountain with Jesus and sit on the mountainside and try to understand what He is saying in context at that time. Similarly with the writings of Ellen G. White, we need to understand what is being said in the context of the time.

One accusation that is brought against the writings of Ellen G. White is the accusation of plagiarism. Brother Douglas Francis gave a presentation defending the Spirit of Prophecy. While it is true that she did borrow from other authors, the copyright laws were different in that time than they are today.  Often she experienced inadequacy in putting divine thoughts into human language and when she found in the writings of another a correct representation of that idea, she used their writings. And also, in books like The Great Controversy, she used historical events which were not revealed in vision but she felt they would help in understanding the concepts for the readers. She also used some doctrinal writings of fellow workers who worked jointly with her in developing doctrines.

Brother Addin Ajucum and his wife Lorena gave a historical account of the development of the writing of the nine volumes of The Testimonies for the Church. These were originally many pamphlets and testimonies written to specific people and churches which were combined to form volumes as a help to all members in the church. The development of The Great Controversy was presented by Brother Prudent Katide and Brother Parmenas Shirima shared the history behind the writing of The Desire of Ages, which was written when she was in Australia.

Brother Joel Barnedo gave an account of the history of the Spirit of Prophecy in the Bible. The Spirit of Prophecy has ever been present in God’s church.

Many other interesting subjects were presented such as, whether the writings of Ellen G. White are Homiletic, The relationship between the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, The Great Visions of Ellen G. White, her messages to young people, the Sabbath truth in her life, her dreams before being called, miracles in her life, her health, her world, and her family.

New light was not given through the Spirit of Prophecy that contradicted the Bible. Ever throughout her ministry, Ellen White exalted the Bible and pointed to the Bible as the most important rule of the Christian’s life. The Spirit of Prophecy was given to help people understand biblical truth. The Bible is the rule of faith and practice. It is the inspired word of God. If people cling to Bible and follow its rule of practice they will not be lost. In it we find comfort guidance and counsel. It is suited for all human needs, whether rich or poor, and for all ages. The truth of God is found in Bible. It speaks of the will of God, it is our highest education book.  Ellen White never centred attention on herself but on the Lord and the scriptures.

Friday morning had the angels of heaven singing as three young people made their covenant with the Lord in baptism.  Sister Joanne Francis (daughter of Brother Douglas Francis) along with the two eldest children of Brother Pablo Hunger, Damaris and Cadmiel, gave their lives to the service of the Lord. These three young people have grown up in the faith and have made their decision to continue on in the service of the Lord. Baptism is a very importance ordinance and is necessary for salvation. Jesus says, he who believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16). The Lord needs young people with their youthful energy to carry on His work. Let us pray for these youth that they can remain as pillars in the house of God.

Ellen G. White was timid and, due to the experiences of others, she feared pride. Brother Larry Watts shared with us how she discussed her concerns with the angels. The angel said that if she was in danger of becoming proud she would be afflicted with sickness.  There are many times in her life when she was quite sick, but the Lord preserved her in many ways. She had regular headaches after her accident, she had tuberculosis at one time, she had a stroke, she slipped and fell on some ice and sprained an ankle, needing to use crutches for six weeks. After this, rheumatism set in on both her ankles and it afflicted her until her death. When she was in Australia she was sick for 11 months with what she called malaria. She had fever and was in constant pain. Ellen White stated that this was the worst suffering in her life. There was little she could do and at first did not feel she could bear the inactivity. She fretted over it. However, the Lord was very near to her. She did not complain but took comfort in the sweet presence of Jesus. In all of this there was a cheerful side because she felt the sacred presence of Jesus close to her heart. She said that these months of suffering were some of the happiest months in her life due to the presence of Jesus. She was ever thankful for that experience as it brought her closer to her Lord and Saviour. She experienced other illnesses at various times.  Many times the doctors gave her up to death and many people witnessed miraculous changes in her health.

One thing to note is that she never used her physical afflictions as a means of gaining the pity of others. When people saw her determination to do her work during suffering they took courage. Through her suffering she saw the affliction and the love of God. It all helped her to see what Jesus went through.

Ellen G. White was faithful until her death. She passed away while living in Elmshaven, California on July 16, 1915. The Spirit of the Lord continues to work through the Church of God, and may we all do our part in the work of the Lord. We can take courage from the life and ministry of those that have gone before us. We have a message for the world. Jesus is the Saviour of the world. He is not the Saviour of only a certain group of people. The whole world is in need of Christ. And the Spirit of God will lead those together into one family (church), who are willing to follow the Lord, wherever He leads them. Amen.