“Case by Casebolt” is an ongoing series examining the prophetic interpretations that Ellen White appropriated from William Miller.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://spectrummagazine.org/node/12333
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://spectrummagazine.org/node/12333
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Thanks for this article. This illustrates the problem of fanatical language in the Great Awakenings of the 1800’s - they tended to try to shoe-horn-pick-and-choose ancient scripture writings to support and prove their personal hobbyhorses. They start making money, getting power and influence, then there’s no turning back. Happens today, most glaringly in infomercial entertain-news, getting the crowds hyped up for single issue items. We can look back and say “they really didn’t think that through”, but hey, we still do it. Babylon= money, power, and predation. Never ends (well, okay, it WILL end one day).
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I am reading “Father Miller’s Daughter” and it is a real eye-opener. There Millerites and proto-SDAs were locked in feedback loops feeding off each other’s ideas. Little wonder the mess turned out like it did.
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After reading the seven articles I sense that being unlearned in biblical exposition leaves one without any proper grasp of the Scripture. It is heavily emphasized that Miller and most everyone in the movement were unschooled in biblical interpretation principles and thus it all led to the eventual breakdown of the movement. It also seems to suggest that Miller’s movement was but a form of misplaced enthusiasm endorsed by EGW, but in no way was a movement led by God.
I would have liked to see Mr. Casebolt place Miller in his context in that his views of Jssus’ return in the mid 1840’s were not solely his. There were other learned and unlearned , preachers, evangelists, and missionaries across the globe that were coming to conclusions about Jesus’ arrival mostly within the 1840’s. There was even a sect in Islam that had their promised mahdi arriving in 1844.
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It’s a good thing the church doesn’t do that anymore! 
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One can’t help but wonder why the SDA Church administrative structure continues to promote and excuses the obvious errors in the "Spirit of Prophecy ", ie; EGW, and not repudiate her position as a “spiritual guide” for the church based on gross prophetic predictions.
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@timteichman addressed this question in another thread:
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” - Upton Sinclair.
In the case of SDA church leaders and pastors, it seems clear that they must continue to not understand science and other realities in order to keep their jobs.
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For the sake of the prophet/profit.
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I don’t wonder at all…it will collapse without her as the foundation. To drastically reduce her role, or the importance of her as the SOP, well…it’s going to fall.
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So how many of you readers think that Snow’s date-setting midnight cry was a glorious light coming from Christ’s glorious right arm? How many of you knew that Ellen White castigated all those who objected to Snow’s date-setting labelling them insincere scoffers, when Miller himself and the other top Millerite preachers repudiated date-setting the day-- that not until Oct 6, 1844 did Miller and Himes cave into to their followers pressure to support the proclamation that Christ would come by Oct 22, 1844???
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Mr. Clark You mention "obvious errors in the “Spirit of Prophecy”; however, you have not provided any reference in support of this statement. Through study and observation of current affairs, I have found the following to be quite on target.
The Prophetic prophecies of Daniel 11-12 and Rev 14:6-9. Now working on Rev 18:4 as we note the developments as noted in Rev 13:11-14 and with the understanding we review Rev 13:18 and praying, for the stamina and the Holy Spirit as we review and consider Rev 13:13-17. Many in the world and even in the church are blind to the current events and their correlation to the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy. From the GC chpt 39: Heretofore, those who presented the truths of the third angel’s message have often been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. It has been confidently declared that this land could never become other than what it has been—the defender of religious freedom. But [606] as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the event so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect that it could not have had before…Thus the message of the third angel will be proclaimed. As the time comes for it to be given with the greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments, leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power—all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred. Thousands upon thousands will listen who have never heard words like these. In amazement they [607] hear the testimony that Babylon is the church, fallen because of her errors and sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to her from heaven. As the people go to their former teachers with the eager inquiry, Are these things so? the ministers present fables, prophesy smooth things, to soothe their fears and quiet the awakened conscience. But since many refuse to be satisfied with the mere authority of men and demand a plain “Thus saith the Lord,” the popular ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their authority is questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan and stir up the sin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute those who proclaim it.
As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called to God’s downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: “Show us from the word of God our error”—the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God. Thus light will be brought before thousands who otherwise would know nothing of these truths. [608]
The above was noted from the Great Controversy by EGW with the pages as noted above.
As a second point you have not addressed the issues within the religious community that target the shaking within the church due to the manny issues and the decision by Ted Wilson regarding religious preference of conscience as related to the covid shot and the many people including SDA’s that due to Conscience refused and became statistics due to the loss of personal freedoms as dictated by the Amerian Government.
I don’t believe a thing about that 1844 deluded movement headed by Miller and strongly endorsed by Ellen White. The very elect were deceived!
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I don’t believe Adventism-or any other organized religion-is “god’s remnant church”.
The way I see it, god cares about individuals not institutions.
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My focus was on the 1844 group and Adventists, not Christians in general.
Would you allow me to answer your question about the spirit of prophecy ‘errors’? Especially from GC ch. 39 where there’s considerable plagiarism
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The book Great Controversy came out of a little “dream” by a young girl encouraged by excited adults around her, then expanded, expanded, and expanded over the years. A team of experienced writers and editors were called in to “find” material on historical topics to create/fill out whole chapters and scenarios, making sure the SDA church figured strongly in the final scenes. Sure, it was/is filled with errors (though the modern “versions” have been somewhat corrected to avoid total embarrassment), even though these errors could be attributed to the “gleaners” on the editorial team and not the cited EGW “author”. And then let’s require every sabbatarian home to purchase one! We need more money so let’s expand the book again! New versions! New covers! New compilations!
It’s like those old Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movies when they said “Hey kids, let’s do a show!”
That particular book is such a fiasco, and yet the General Conference pins on it the hope of “finishing the work!”. Sigh…
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I think this describes the scenario precisely.
Further, I suspect EGW was kept in a state of arrested development for the rest of her life by her “handlers”, in her family and the extended GC family, who only used her “gift” to rubber stamp their ideas and profit from her less than prophetic prognostications.
According to Canright, she once tried to reverse the roles and told her husband that she’d received a message critical of him from her “spirit guide” which “divine message” he wadded up and threw in the fireplace with an admonishment that she never again try to pull her tricks on him.
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