A Prophetic Use of Scripture

It has been recognized that if we consider Ellen G. White’s biblical hermeneutic, “her use of Scripture comports both with the way in which later inspired writers of the Bible made use of earlier inspired writings and with sound contemporary biblical scholarship.” ^{68Cottrell, “Ellen G. White’s Use of the Bible,” 149. Cf. also Gerhard Pfandl, “Ellen G. White and Hermeneutics,” 314; see also Clinton Wahlen, “The Use of Scripture by Bible Writers” (chapter 4, above).} In this sense one can say that Ellen G. White uses Scripture not just homiletically or in a pastoral sense, as any other counselor or preacher might do. Rather, she uses Scripture with prophetic guidance and insight. This involves a variety of different aspects.GOP 313.2

Often she employs Scripture in a fairly straightforward exposition, where her use is factual and historical, in the sense that she affirms the historicity and trustworthy factual description of biblical events. ^{69Cf., for instance, her description of the worldwide flood during Noah’s time (E. G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, 90ff.) or the event of the exodus from Egypt (idem, Patriarchs and Prophets, 281ff.), both of which are highly disputed in modern critical scholarship.} Frequently, when she narrates a biblical event or discusses a passage of Scripture, she makes a direct quotation of that passage. ^{70Cf., for instance, The Desire of Ages (Oakland: Pacific Press®, 1898), 114, where she speaks about Jesus being let into the wilderness by the Spirit.} This factual and historical use of Scripture may be seen especially in such works as Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, where Christ’s major sermons are recorded; or Christ’s Object Lessons, where she deals with Christ’s parables; or in her books Patriarchs and Prophets, Prophets and Kings, The Desire of Ages, and The Acts of the Apostles, where she deals with the biblical history of people and events from Creation to the New Testament church. It is not uncommon in her exposition of Scripture to find confirmation of some details that are reported in some Gospels or biblical books but not in others, thus confirming and strengthening what the Bible says in some places even though it is not mentioned in others. Because of her prophetic giftedness she even provides additional factual information on some details of the biblical record that go beyond what the biblical writers have stated, while avoiding any contradiction of the biblical text. ^{71For instance, when she describes the scenes when the apostle Paul stood before Nero, defending his faith, in Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press®, 1911), 492-497. Or when she describes the situation of the people of Israel when they were leaving Egypt (idem, Patriarchs and Prophets, 283, 284), or when Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt (idem, The Desire of Ages, 65). Similarly, her description of what happened in heaven when the cosmic conflict between Satan and God began is another prominent example of this phenomenon, where she provides further prophetic insights into biblical statements that are much more terse (cf. Rev. 12:1-9 and Ellen G. White’s description in much greater detail in idem, Patriarchs and Prophets, 33-43; idem, Spiritual Gifts, [vol. 1] [Battle Creek, Mich.: James White, 1858], 17-18; idem, The Great Controversy, passim).} At times she provides information where the biblical text is silent. ^{72For example, when she states that the book of Hebrews was written by the apostle Paul (cf. E. G. White, The Great Controversy, 347, 411; idem, Patriarchs and Prophets, 357).}GOP 313.3