57. Revelation 14 and Rome “Alone”

Ford states, “In 1911 the word ‘alone’ was inserted on page 383 of The Great Controversy, changing the meaning considerably. The argument in the changed sentence of page 383 now does not make sense” (Ford, Page 691). Is Mrs. White’s interpretation of Revelation 14:8 in The Great Controversy unclear?QSEW 51.6

In 1888, Ellen White wrote:QSEW 52.1

“The message of Revelation 14 announcing the fall of Babylon, must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the Judgment, it must be given in the last days, therefore it cannot refer to the Romish Church, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation, in a message which is yet future, the people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon. According to this Scripture, many of God’s people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith.”—The Great Controversy, 383, 1888 edition.QSEW 52.2

W. W. Prescott asked how “Babylon” in Revelation 14 could apply to Protestantism when “Babylon” in Revelation 17 applied to Roman Catholicism. (See W. W. Prescott to W. C. White, April 26, 1910.) To eliminate any possible misunderstanding, Ellen White added the word “alone” to her 1911 edition of the book. The key sentence now reads, “Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries” (The Great Controversy, 383, 1911 edition). Prescott was delighted with the added word and said so at the 1919 Bible Conference. We leave it to the reader, studying the full context of the chapter and the book, to judge whether the changed sentence was appropriate.QSEW 52.3