Circumstances of the Visions

While the work of one who claims to speak for God must meet the sure tests of the Word of God—“by their fruits ye shall know them,” “to the law and to the testimony,” the fulfillment of the predictions, etc. yet the circumstances of the visions invariably constitute a point of interest in connection with the manifestation of the gift of prophecy. While such do not rightfully form a test, the circumstances of some of the visions did indeed supply confirmatory evidence of great weight. We might divide these manifestations into three general groups:EGWMR 5.6

1. Visions given in public, and accompanied by the marked physical phenomena.EGWMR 5.7

2. Visions given during the hours of the night, often referred to as prophetic dreams.EGWMR 5.8

3. Visions given during periods of prayer or writing, unaccompanied by physical phenomena.EGWMR 6.1

Without placing undue stress on the physical phenomena which at times accompanied the visions, it is proper that we should examine this factor, which to eyewitnesses in our pioneer days constituted convincing testimony as one part of a body of evidences. Very feelingly, as she addressed an Australian audience, Mrs. White spoke of the time when, in December, 1844, the “gleams of the glory of God” first came to her:EGWMR 6.2

“They thought that I was dead, and there they watched and cried and prayed so long, but to me it was heaven, it was life, and then the world was spread out before me and I saw darkness like the pall of death.EGWMR 6.3

“What did it mean? I could see no light. Then I saw a little glimmer of light and then another, and these lights increased and grew brighter, and multiplied and grew stronger and stronger till they were the light of the world. These were the believers in Jesus Christ....EGWMR 6.4

“I never thought that I should come to the world again. When my breath came again to my body. I could not hear anything. Everything was dark. The light and glory that my eyes had rested upon had eclipsed the light and thus it was for many hours. Then gradually I began to recognize the light, and I asked where I was.EGWMR 6.5

“You are right here in my house,” said the owner of the house.EGWMR 6.6

“What, here? I here? ‘Do you not know about it?’ Then it all came back to me. Is this to be my home? Have I come here again? Oh, the weight and the burden which came upon my soul.”—E. G. White Manuscript 16, 1894.EGWMR 6.7