One of the most important early publishings in adventist history was the "Word to the little flock", words uttered by Ellen G White, soon to be prophetess of Adventism,tract published by her husband and co leader,James White.
It is in this tract that "EG"(as I shall refer to her)first expounded the doctrine of the Sabbath, a doctrine as important to Adventists as the doctrine of The Work is to the JWs.
But at the end of this tract an incident is mentioned about which much conflict arose,an incident of interest to apostate Adventists.
James white mentions it in his comments at the end of the tract.
It is the famous "Solar system" vision of E G White...
What happened was that back at this early stage of Adventism, there was only a little kernal of believers, and attending meetings was a man called Bates. Bates was a sea captain, quite wealthy, highly respected,what a useful recruit he would be!
EG knew that Bates was obsessed with astronomy and to help Bates along in his conversion God himself gave EG a vision of the Solar system, flew her around the planets and she described her adventures, live, while in vision, for all to hear.
Bates was so impressed he signed his life over to the church.
Here is how J.N.Loughborough recounts the incident in his Standard Adventist work "The great Second Advent Movement"....
Quote:
"One evening at the conference above mentioned (Topsham,Maine,1846)
In the presence of Captain Bates,who was yet undecided,Mrs White
while in vision,began to talk about the stars,giving a glowing description of the rosy tinted belts which she saw across the surface of some planet,and added, "I see 4 moons".
"Oh!" said Bates,"she is viewing Jupiter".
Then, having made motions as though she were travelling through space,she began giving descriptions of the belts and rings in their ever varying beauty,and said,"I see 7 moons".
Bates said "She is describing Saturn".....
This was sufficient,and accomplished its purpose,Elder Bates was convinced,and became a firm believer in the visions".
End of quote.
Now a problem arose with this vision some time later.
At the time of the vision the number of moons of each of the planets was correct. Unfortunately, astronomers later discovered that both Jupiter and Saturn both had more moons than she said.
How to explain the problem, and still keep Mrs White sacrosanct as the infallible channel of God?
Here is what Francis D Nichol (A chief Adventist apologist) says in his book "Ellen G White and her critics" This book was published in 1951. A hundred years after the event....
Quote:
"In the passage describing Saturn Mrs White did not speak of Saturn by name".
End quote.
Bates and everyone present ASSUMED she was talking about Saturn.
Indeed her own husband assumed the same thing and published his understanding in "little flock".
But James White is not the channel. Hes only the publisher of her utterances.
Nichol next says:
quote:
"Having 7 moons.The facts are that Mrs White,speaking of that world,which she identified only as a place that Enoch was visiting,does not use the restrictive turn 'ONLY 7 moons' "
end quote.
Nichol then ,in language to verbose to quote here, explains it as a "present truth" understanding.
The upshot of the whole thing is that everyone present,including James White, Bates and Loughborough had to adjust their thinking to understand that it was only a "present truth" understanding so as to maintain the infallibility of the channel.
E G White never said it.
And even if she DID say it, it was only "present truth".