The Incredible Vision

Memory Gem: “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14:4).

On a Sunday afternoon in Lovett’s grove, Ohio, James White had just finished giving a funeral sermon. Ellen, his wife, stepped to the front of the little schoolhouse where the funeral had been held. She wanted to offer her own words of encouragement. But God had something special planned for this moment in history.

Ellen suddenly went into vision, something she’d done many times before. In this vision God showed her scenes from the invisible battle taking place between Jesus and Satan. She saw how Satan had once been a respected angel in heaven, along with how he’d sinned and been cast to earth. As Ellen remained in vision, scenes passed before her. She saw Jesus’ death on Calvary, and how Sunday would replace the true Sabbath as God’s special day. Ellen was also shown how Satan would try to trick people into thinking dead people went straight to heaven, and that they could talk with these “departed” loved ones!

Finally after two hours, Ellen’s vision ended—but not before God told her something else. She was to write out this vision, which would become known as the “great controversy” vision. God also told her that Satan would try to stop her from sharing what she’d seen in vision. As people left the schoolhouse, some said, “We have seen strange things today!”

Soon James and Ellen White left Ohio and headed for Jackson, Michigan, to visit their friends the Palmers. Shortly after they arrived at the Palmers’ home, something happened to Ellen. Later she wrote about it this way: “A strange, cold sensation struck my heart, passed over my head, and down my right side. . . . I tried to use my left arm and limb, but they were perfectly useless.”¹

Satan was already trying to stop Ellen from writing out the vision! But thanks to prayer, Ellen slowly got better. She later wrote, “I was shown in vision that in the sudden attack at Jackson, Satan intended to take my life, in order to hinder the work I was about to write; but angels of God were sent to my rescue.”² “The Lord heard and answered the faithful prayers of His children, and the power of Satan was broken.”³ Eventually Ellen was able to finish writing out the entire vision. You can read what she wrote in a book called The Great Controversy.

Today, thanks to the gift of prophecy God gave to Ellen White, God’s end-time people know a lot about how to be ready when Jesus comes again. It’s a special gift to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But the special insights God gave to Ellen White don’t belong to just one group of people. They’re meant to be shared with the whole world! What an amazing privilege to play a part in making such a difference to others, not only in this lifetime, but forever!

¹ Ellen G. White, Life Sketches of Ellen G. White (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1915), p. 162.
² Ibid. p. 163.
³ Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts (Battle Creek, Mich.: James White, 1860), vol. 2, p. 272.

Think it through

• What would you say if someone told you Ellen White was no longer important?
• Who do you think was most important in Ellen White’s life? Why?

Do it!

Buy or ask for someone to give you Steps to Jesus, a kid-friendly version of Ellen White’s book Steps to Christ.Read a few paragraphs each night before you go to bed. It will help you learn to love Jesus more.

Find a few especially meaningful sentences in Steps to Jesus, or another Ellen White book. Write the sentences or print them on a computer printer. Cut out small cards from cardboard and glue the sentences on the cardboard. Decorate
the cards. You might “laminate” them by placing clear shipping tape on both sides and trimming the edges. Keeps the cards in a special place (consider making a little cardboard “card keeper” for them). Enjoy reading these encouraging quotes from time to time. You might even wish to memorize a few of these special thoughts from God’s end-time messenger, Ellen White.

Keep a written journal of especially meaningful things that Ellen White wrote or said. If you wish, include drawings that illustrate the important points