Following the Biblical Command to Test the Prophets (1 John 4:1)
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world
(1 John 4:1 NKJV).
Scripture does not ask believers to accept a prophet's claims on trust. It commands them to test those claims. Seventh-day Adventists hold that Ellen G. White met the biblical qualifications of a prophet. Below, her life and writings are measured against seven tests drawn from Scripture itself.
Each verdict links to the full documentation.
Seven biblical tests. The basis for each verdict is documented in full on its own page.
| # | The Test | Basis of the Verdict | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prophecies Must Be Fulfilled | Eleven documented failed predictions. It takes only one to disqualify a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). | Fail |
| 2 | No Falsehoods in Their Visions | The shut door of salvation, the sealing time, tall inhabitants of Jupiter, a temple in heaven, and a physical body for Satan. | Fail |
| 3 | Cannot Steal the Writings of Others | The Veltman study and Rea's parallels establish extensive undisclosed copying (Jeremiah 23:30). | Fail |
| 4 | Cannot Contradict the Word of God | Documented contradictions, additions to Scripture, and passages redirected to support SDA doctrine. | Fail |
| 5 | Must Bear Good Fruit | Good fruit exists and is not denied. The evidence indicates the bad substantially outweighed it. | Fail |
| 6 | Must Encourage and Build Up Others | Her treatment of critics, her harsh testimonies, and the case of her own son Edson (1 Corinthians 14:3). | Fail |
| 7 | Must Acknowledge Paul's Commands | Paul forbid judging people by food or drink. Paul forbid the preaching of a false gospel. | Fail |
Seven tests applied. Seven tests failed. Scripture requires only one failure to settle the question.
Scripture is emphatic that false prophets would come, and equally emphatic that believers are responsible for testing them. Before examining Ellen White, this page establishes the biblical mandate and where the seven tests come from.
Faced with the biblical tests, Adventist writers have proposed alternatives: that she confessed Christ came in the flesh, that her writings are inspirational, that she performed supernatural feats, that she was ahead of science. Six such tests are examined and weighed.
Sooner or later, every child grows up and realizes that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy are myths. It is not our fault we believed those stories. We were told to believe them by the people we trusted most.
You may have started reading as a believer in Ellen White. You believed what you were told by those you trusted. You believed it because you had been told half the story, the half that made her appear to be a prophet.
You may be upset. You may be disappointed. You may be asking yourself how you could have believed it. It is not your fault. You were doing the best you could with the information you were given. You cannot change the past, but you can change what you do next.
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).
