Visions From 1844 to 1863 White allegedly experienced between 100 and 200 visions, typically in public places and meeting halls. She experienced her first vision soon after the
Millerite Great Disappointment of 1844. She said she had one that led to the writing of
The Great Controversy at an Ohio funeral service held on a Sunday afternoon in March 1858, in the Lovett's Grove (now
Bowling Green, Ohio) public school. This was an alleged vision of the ages-long conflict between Christ and his angels and Satan and his angels.
Physical phenomena during visions J. N. Loughborough, who had seen Ellen G. White in vision 50 times since 1852, and her husband, James White, listed several physical characteristics that marked the visions: • "In passing into vision, she gives three enrapturing shouts of 'Glory!' which echo and re-echo, the second, and especially the third, fainter but more thrilling than the first, the voice resembling that of one quite a distance from you, and just going out of hearing." • For a few moments
she would swoon, having no strength. Then she would be instantly
filled with superhuman strength, sometimes rising to her feet and walking about the room. She frequently moved her hands, arms, and head in gestures that were free and graceful. But to whatever position she moved a hand or arm, it could not be hindered nor controlled by even the strongest person. In 1845, she held her parents' 18.5 pound family Bible in her outstretched left hand for half an hour. She weighed 80 pounds at the time. •
She did not breathe during the entire period of a vision that ranged
from fifteen minutes to three hours. Yet, her pulse beat regularly and her countenance remained pleasant as in the natural state. •
Her eyes were always open without blinking; her head was raised, looking upward with a pleasant expression as if staring intently at some distant object. Several physicians, at different times, conducted tests to check her lack of breathing and other physical phenomena. • She was utterly
unconscious of everything transpiring around her, and viewed herself as removed from this world, and in the presence of heavenly beings. • When she came out of vision, all seemed total darkness whether in the daytime or a well-lighted room at night. She would exclaim with a long-drawn sigh, as she took her first natural breath, "D-a-r-k." She was then limp and strengthless. Martha Amadon added: "There was never an excitement among those present during a vision; nothing caused fear. It was a solemn, quiet scene."
First vision In December 1844, White experienced her first vision during a prayer meeting at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Haines in
Portland, Maine, on the end of Danforth Street just before Vaughan’s bridge, which crossed the Fore River. The site became an industrial area by the end of the 1800s. Ellen White described the occasion: At this time I visited one of our Advent sisters, and in the morning we bowed around the family altar. It was not an exciting occasion, and there were but five of us present, all females. While praying, the power of God came upon me as I never had felt it before, and I was wrapt up in a vision of God's glory, and seemed to be rising higher and higher from the earth and was shown something of the travels of the Advent people to the Holy City ... In this vision the "Advent people" were traveling a high and dangerous path towards the city of New Jerusalem [heaven]. Their path was lit from the path's beginning by a bright light "which an angel told me was the midnight cry." Some of the travelers grew weary and were encouraged by Jesus; others denied the light, the light behind them went out, and they fell "off the path into the dark and wicked world below." The vision continued with a portrayal of Christ's second coming, following which the Advent people entered the
New Jerusalem; and ended with her returning to earth feeling lonely, desolate and longing for that "better world." As Godfrey T. Anderson said, "In effect, the vision assured the Advent believers of eventual triumph despite the immediate despair into which they had plunged."
Second and third visions White’s second vision was about a week after the first. Again there were five females present in the house praying. The vision was a depiction of the trials that she would have to go through and the commission to relate to others what had been revealed to her. The third vision took place at the home of Robert Harmon, Sr., during a season of prayer. (See "Public testimony" below for her description.)
Fifth and sixteenth visions In February 1845, White allegedly experienced her fifth vision in
Exeter, Maine. It was known as the "Bridegroom" vision. Together with the sixteenth vision, the "New Earth" vision, the visions "gave continued meaning to the October 1844 experience and supported the developing sanctuary rationale. Additionally they played an important role in countering the spiritualizing views of many fanatical Adventists by portraying the Father and Jesus as literal beings and heaven as a physical place."
Otsego vision On June 6, 1863, in
Otsego, Michigan she experienced a vision about health and disease. The vision dealt with the responsibility to care for one's health. In time she was shown that
vegetarianism, as was described in Genesis 1:29, would help protect health. The message, however, because of her extensive travels during the 19th century and the lack of vegetarian food, her view was not absolute. Vegetarianism was popular in
Portland, Maine during her childhood. She became committed herself to vegetarianism in January 1894 when she was at the Brighton camp meeting near
Melbourne, Australia.
Public testimony Fearing people would not accept her testimony, White did not initially share her visions with the wider Millerite community. In a meeting at her parents' home she received in her third vision what she regarded as confirmation of her ministry: While praying, the thick darkness that had enveloped me was scattered, a bright light, like a ball of fire, came towards me, and as it fell upon me, my strength was taken away. I seemed to be in the presence of Jesus and the angels. Again it was repeated, 'Make known to others what I have revealed to you.' Before the Disappointment and before her first vision, White had given her testimony in public meetings and in her regular Methodist class meetings in private homes. I arranged meetings with my young friends, some of whom were considerably older than myself, and a few were married persons. A number of them were vain and thoughtless; my experience sounded to them like an idle tale, and they did not heed my entreaties. But I determined that my efforts should never cease till these dear souls, for whom I had so great an interest, yielded to God. Several entire nights were spent by me in earnest prayer for those whom I had sought out and brought together for the purpose of laboring and praying with them. News of her visions spread and White was soon traveling and speaking to groups of Millerite followers in Maine and the surrounding area. Her visions were not publicized further afield until January 24, 1846, when her account of the first vision: "Letter From Sister Harmon" was published in
The Day-Star, a Millerite paper published in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Enoch Jacobs. White had written to Jacobs to encourage him and, although she stated the letter was not written for publication, Jacobs printed it anyway. Through the next few years it was republished in various forms and is included as part of her first book,
A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White, published in 1851. Two Millerites claimed to have had visions prior to White –
William Ellis Foy (1818–1893), and
Hazen Foss (1819–1893), the brother of White's brother-in-law. Adventists believe the prophetic gift offered to these two men was passed on to White when they rejected it.
Middle life White described the vision experience as involving a bright light which would surround her, and she felt herself in the presence of Jesus or angels who would show her events (historical and future) and places (on earth, in heaven, or other planets). The transcriptions of White's visions generally contain
theology,
prophecy, or personal counsels to individuals or to
Adventist leaders. One of the best examples of her personal counsels is found in a 9-volume series of books entitled
Testimonies for the Church, which contain edited testimonies published for the general edification of the church. The spoken and written versions of her visions played a significant part in establishing and shaping the organizational structure of the emerging Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her visions and writings continue to be used by church leaders in developing the church's policies and for
devotional reading. On March 14, 1858, at Lovett's Grove, near
Bowling Green, Ohio, White received a vision while attending a funeral service. Regarding that day, James White wrote that "God manifested His power in a wonderful manner," adding that "several had decided to keep the Lord's Sabbath and go with the people of God." In writing about the vision, Ellen herself stated that she received practical instruction for church members, and more significantly, a cosmic sweep of the conflict "between Christ and His angels, and Satan and his angels." Ellen White would expand upon this great controversy theme, which would eventually culminate in the
Conflict of the Ages series. ==Personality and public persona==