The human person

Sometimes people will claim that they have a message from God when in fact what they say is the product of their own imagination, neither from God nor from Satan. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has had a number of such persons in their ranks, for example, Anna Garmire, Anna C. (Phillips) Rice, Margaret Rowen, ^{5R. W. Schwarz, Light Bearers to the Remnant (Boise, ID: Pacific Press®, 1979), 256, 450.} and more recently, Jeanine Sautron. ^{6See the shelf document of the Ellen G. White Estate titled “Jeanine Sautron’s ‘Dreams and Visions’ ” (May 1990).} Ellen White was at times accused of falsely claiming divine inspiration for her writings. Her visions, it was said, were due to hysteria and epilepsy. ^{7Delbert H. Hodder, “Visions or Partial-Complex Seizures?” Evangelica 2, no. 5 (November 1981): 35; Molleurus Couperus, “The Significance of Ellen White’s Head Injury” Adventist Currents 1, no. 6 (June 1985): 31. For a response to these allegations, see Donald I. Peterson, Visions or Seizures: Was Ellen White the Victim of Epilepsy? (Boise, ID: Pacific Press®, 1988).} However, the supernatural phenomena associated with her visions have been so extensively documented^{8George I. Butler testified, “While she is in vision, her breathing entirely ceases. No breath ever escapes her nostrils or lips when in this condition. This has been proved by many witnesses, among them physicians of skill, and themselves unbelievers in the vision, on some occasions being appointed by a public congregation for the purpose.” “Visions and Prophecy,” Review and Herald, June 9, 1874. For a collection of eyewitness accounts, see John N. Loughborough, The Great Second Advent Movement (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing, 1905), 204-210.} that in her case the visions could come only from God or from Satan. ^{9Ellen White herself wrote in 1876, “My work for the past thirty years bears the stamp of God or the stamp of the enemy. There is no halfway work in the matter. The Testimonies are of the Spirit of God, or of the devil.” Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press®, 1948), 4:230.} While in vision, she was utterly unconscious of everything transpiring around her; she did not breathe during her visions, which lasted from a few minutes to more than four hours. This was repeatedly proven by closing the mouth and nostrils by hand. ^{10D. T. Bourdeau, Battle Creek, MI, February 4, 1891, quoted in Carlyle B. Haynes, The Gift of Prophecy (Nashville, TN: Southern Publishing, 1931), 154, 155; see also Herbert E. Douglass, Messenger of the Lord (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press®, 1998), 135-137.} Her husband, James White, wrote in 1868,UEGW 230.2

Immediately on entering vision, her muscles become rigid, and joints fixed, so far as any external force can influence them. At the same time her movements and gestures, which are frequent, are free and graceful, and cannot be hindered nor controlled by the strongest person.UEGW 230.3

On coming out of vision, whether in the day-time or a well-lighted room at night, all is total darkness. Her power to distinguish even the most brilliant objects, held within a few inches of the eyes, returns but gradually, sometimes not being fully established for three hours. This has continued for the past twenty years; yet her eyesight is not in the least impaired. ^{11James White, Life Incidents, in Connection With the Great Advent Movement, as Illustrated by the Three Angels of Revelation XIV (Battle Creek, MI: Seventh-day Adventist Publishing, 1868), 272.}UEGW 230.4

J. N. Loughborough at the General Conference in 1893 testified, “I have seen Sister White in vision about fifty times. . . . She has been examined while in vision by skillful physicians, and we have testimonials from them which declare that the phenomena of her visions are beyond their comprehension.” ^{12J. N. Loughborough, “The Studies of the Testimonies,” General Conference Bulletin, January 29, 1893, 19, 20.}UEGW 230.5