Prophetic Insights

Frequently Ellen White recognized people that she had seen in vision. At times, rather startling experiences took place. Once, after hearing only a voice in vision she recognized the voice when she heard the man personally and gave him a message. While preaching, at Bushnell, Michigan, and Washington, New Hampshire, she gave counsel to individuals in her audience she had never seen. Letters were often sent long distances that arrived at exactly the time needed. In all of these instances the counsel was accurate.WDEGWB 2.5

When she arrived at Basel, Switzerland in 1885, she recognized the headquarters building from vision. At the printing room she gave counsel to a man recognized from vision. As she planned for expansion of The Great Controversy while in Europe, her son tells of an experience often repeated:WDEGWB 2.6

Mother’s contact with European people had brought to her mind scores of things that had been presented to her in vision during past years, some of them two or three times, and other scenes many times. Her seeing of historic places and her contact with the people refreshed her memory (Selected Messages 3:438).

He mentions one specific instance:WDEGWB 2.7

I was with Mother when we visited Zurich and I well remember how thoroughly her mind was aroused by seeing the old cathedral and the market place, and she spoke of them as they were in the days of Zwingli (Selected Messages 3:465).

And so there were visions. Yet seeing people and places was important too. Such personal observation helped her to give the counsel that was needed. It also provided a framework at times for her historical writing.WDEGWB 3.1