From Vision to Printed Page Season 2 | Episode 41
If a prophet is a mouthpiece for God,
does that mean that everything they say comes directly from Him?
Did prophets act as scribes for God,
writing out every word exactly as it was relayed to them?
Does God inspire the thought or the word?
And how exactly does a thought, an idea, an instruction, or counsel
get from the mind of God to the prophet,
and then to the printed page that you and I hold in our hands and read?
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Ellen White had a public ministry of 70 years,
during which she had over 2,000 visions and dreams.
During the first 40 years, most of these happened in a public forum
where she manifested signs
such as the lack of breathing and superhuman strength.
During the last 30 years,
most of these happened as dreams during the night.
But how did they get to the printed page?
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The first stage was to write down what she had seen.
Oftentimes she was given a broad sweep of history or a current situation
and then it was left up to her
to use her own words and expressions to relay the message that she had seen.
She said, 'Although I am as dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord
in writing my views as I am in receiving them,
yet the words I employ in describing what I have seen are my own,
unless they be spoken to me by an angel,
which I always endorse in marks of quotation.
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After Ellen had written things out, it was then passed to her assistant
who would type multiple copies of the manuscript on carbon paper.
As they were doing this,
if they needed to adjust the grammar, spelling, or punctuation
to improve the quality of the language
without changing the meaning of the text, then they would.
Ellen White, commenting on this, said,
'The reports that are circulated that any of my helpers
are permitted to add matter
or change the meaning of the messages I write out are not true.
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A copy of this would then be given to Ellen White and she would review it
to make sure that it conformed to what she had intended.
She then had the opportunity to make additional edits, called interlineations,
as these would be written between the lines.
A copy of the manuscript would then be revised and read again and again,
with additional changes made if need be.
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The third stage in the process
would be when either Ellen White or church leaders
felt the need for a book, article, or publication on a given topic.
Ellen White and her assistants
would then begin the process of compiling the publication,
either by Ellen White writing again,
or by compiling the existing letters and manuscripts on a given topic.
A galley proof would then be made.
This was a preliminary printing of the book
with especially wide margins
to allow for any edits or changes to be made.
The manuscript was then reviewed
by the book committee of the publishing house.
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Following the approval of the galley proof,
the final step in the process was the printing of the book.
The printing plates were prepared, and then the printing would commence.
Nothing appeared in print
without careful and meticulous preparation.
The manuscript was thoroughly reviewed
to ensure that the intended message was the message that was relayed.
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The prophetic gift was given to lead and guide God's church.
It was not intended to be a stick to beat people with,
though at times the counsel can be pointed and sharp.
Two constant themes throughout Ellen White's writings
are the Bible and Jesus.
She always sought to uplift both of these, and she wrote,
'I want you to read your Bible
and see the matchless charms of Christ.
I want you to fall in love with the man of Calvary.'
We have a more sure word of prophecy.
May it be a light to us shining in a dark place,
guiding us back to God's Word
and showing the love of Jesus to us.