The Miller movement of 1844 and earlier was characterized by great manifestations of spiritual power. The same in an even larger measure was true of the first decades of the Seventh-day Adventist movement. They were years of marvelous revivals. In these efforts Mrs. White always took a prominent part. In a book published years ago entitled The Eminent and Self-made Men of Michigan, the author, in paying a glowing tribute to Mrs. White, says:FSG 115.1

“On revival occasions she is always the most effective speaker. She has frequently spoken to immense audiences in the large cities on her favorite themes, and has always been received with great favor on one occasion in Massachusetts, twenty thousand persons listened to her with close attention for more than an hour.”—Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 326.FSG 115.2

We cannot quote at length on this, but we give the following account of a series of meetings in Iowa to illustrate the power of those early revival days:FSG 115.3

“We reached Wawkon Wednesday night, and found nearly all of the Sabbath-keepers sorry that we had come. Much prejudice existed against us, for much had been said concerning us calculated to injure our influence. We knew that the Lord had sent us, and that He would there take the work into His own hands. Satan had put his hand in among the company at Wawkon, to mould their minds to suit himself.FSG 115.4

“Our earnest prayers went up to God for Him to work and reveal His power, and we felt like patiently waiting His salvation. At an evening meeting I was taken off in vision, the power of God fell upon the company. Every one was constrained to acknowledge that it was of God. I related what the Lord gave me for that people, which was, ‘Return unto Me, and I will return unto thee, and heal all thy backslidings. Tear down the rubbish from the door of thy heart, and open the door, and I will come in and sup with thee and thou with Me.’FSG 116.1

“I saw that if they would clear the way, and confess their wrongs, Jesus would walk through our midst in power. Sr. L. began to confess in a clear, decided manner, and said she thought they had got away where we could not find them; but she was glad that we had come. As she confessed, the flood-gates of heaven seemed suddenly opened, I was prostrated by the power of God. Sr. H. N. S. fell from her chair helpless. It seemed to be an awful, yet glorious place. I had no strength for two hours, but seemed to be wrapped in the glory of God. A great work was accomplished that night. The meeting held past midnight.FSG 116.2

“The next day the meeting commenced where it left off the night before. All who had been blessed ret4ined the blessing. They had not slept much, for the Spirit of God rested upon them through the night, and they came with it to the meeting. Confessions were made of their disunion of feelings with us, their wrong feelings, and their backslidden state. Others were slain by the power of God that day. Our meeting continued without intermission from ten o’clock AM until five o’clock PM Brother I. N. A. was prostrated by the power of God, and lay helpless some time. He felt thankful, he said, that we had come, and believed that the Lord had sent us.FSG 116.3

“In the evening the labor left us who had come to the place, and the brethren and sisters in Wawkon had the burden rolled upon them, and they labored for each other with zeal and with the power of God upon them. Countenances that looked sad when we came to the place, now shone with the heavenly anointing. It seemed that angels from heaven were passing from one to the other in the room, to finish the good work which had commenced. Bro. J. N. L., who had left the work to which God had called him, and had begun to work at his trade, cried out, that he had laid up his hammer, that he had driven the last nail. We soon bid our brethren in Wawkon farewell, and started on our homeward journey. Brother J. N. L. was again at liberty to labor in the gospel field.”—Spiritual Gifts 2:219-221.FSG 116.4

The experience related here is only one instance out of many. For more than twenty years Elder and Mrs. White traveled nearly all the time from church to church and from conference to conference. The chief part of their labors consisted of revival work to reclaim the backsliders, to rescue sinners, and to build up the remnant in deep spiritual experiences. This active revival work under God really built the Adventist Church as a stable spiritual force.FSG 117.1

The Birth of the Church

The American Revival Became the World-wide Advent Church