I had never heard of Ellen White being given a vison that she could not tell about, so this is interesting. She went to a series of meetings in Salamanca, New York, in November 1890, and during a meeting felt ill so went to pray for strength and her health when she says in her own words:
“I had not uttered a word when the whole room seemed filled with a soft, silvery light, and my pain of disappointment and discouragement was removed. I was filled with comfort and hope—the peace of Christ.”
Then she was given a vision and gained her strength and was healed, rested. When the General Conference session opened the following year, March 1891, Ellen White was asked to speak to and went to recount the vision of Salamanca in 1890, but each time she held back. The events of the vision would simply leave her mind, so she said, “Of this, I shall have more to say later.” All those assembled had noticed that she was unable to call the vision to mind.
That night, after the close of the General Conference session, a small group of men met in one of the offices in the Review and Herald building. At the meeting were representatives of the publishing house that issued The American Sentinel. Also present were representatives of the Religious Liberty Association. They met to discuss and settle a vexing question: the editorial policy of The American Sentinel. The door was locked, and all agreed that the door would stay locked until the question was settled.
A little before 3:00 on Sunday morning the meeting ended in a deadlock, with those representing religious liberty insisting that unless Pacific Press agrees to their demands and drops the terms “Seventh-day Adventist” and “the Sabbath” from the columns of that paper, they would no longer use it as the mouthpiece of the Religious Liberty Association. That meant the paper would cease to exist. Their meeting at a stalemate, they unlocked the door, and the men went to their rooms.
At the time, Ellen White was aroused from sleep and instructed that she must go to the workers’ meeting at 5:30 and present what was shown to her at Salamanca.
She arose quickly and wrote for about two hours what had been shown to her at Salamanca. “In the vision,” she said, “I seemed to be in Battle Creek. I was taken to the Review and Herald office, and the angel messenger bade me, ‘Follow me.’ I was taken to a room where a group of men were earnestly discussing a matter. There was a zeal manifest, but not according to knowledge.”
She told how they were discussing the editorial policy of The American Sentinel. She said, “I saw one of the men take a copy of the Sentinel, hold it high over his head, and say, ‘Unless these articles on the Sabbath and the Second Advent come out of this paper, we can no longer use it as the organ of the Religious Liberty Association.’”
Ellen White spoke for an hour, describing the meeting that had been shown to her in vision months before, and giving counsel based on that revelation. Then she sat down...
The General Conference president didn’t know what to think of her comments. He had never heard of any such meeting. But they didn’t have to wait long for an explanation. A man stood in the back of the room and began to speak:
“I was in that meeting last night.”
“Last night!” Ellen White exclaimed, “Last night? I thought that meeting took place months ago, when it was shown to me in vision.”
“I was in that meeting last night,” he said, “and I am the man who made the remarks about the articles in the paper, while holding it over my head. I’m sorry to say that I was on the wrong side, but I take this opportunity to place myself on the right side.” Then he sat down.
Another man stood to speak, the president of the Religious Liberty Association. Note his words: “I was in that meeting. Last night after the close of the conference some of us met in my office, where we locked ourselves in and there discussed the questions and the matter presented to us this morning. We remained in that room until 3:00 this morning. If I should begin to give a description of what took place and the personal attitude of those in the room, I could not give it as exactly and as correctly as it has been given by Sister White. I now see that I was in error and that the position that I took was not correct. From the light given this morning, I acknowledge that I was wrong.”
Others spoke that day. Everyone in the meeting the night before stood and bore his testimony, saying that Ellen White had accurately described the meeting and the attitude of those in the room.
Before that meeting closed that Sunday morning, the Religious Liberty group gathered together and rescinded the action they had taken only a few hours before.... The Vision That Could Not Be Told - Adventist Review
“I had not uttered a word when the whole room seemed filled with a soft, silvery light, and my pain of disappointment and discouragement was removed. I was filled with comfort and hope—the peace of Christ.”
Then she was given a vision and gained her strength and was healed, rested. When the General Conference session opened the following year, March 1891, Ellen White was asked to speak to and went to recount the vision of Salamanca in 1890, but each time she held back. The events of the vision would simply leave her mind, so she said, “Of this, I shall have more to say later.” All those assembled had noticed that she was unable to call the vision to mind.
That night, after the close of the General Conference session, a small group of men met in one of the offices in the Review and Herald building. At the meeting were representatives of the publishing house that issued The American Sentinel. Also present were representatives of the Religious Liberty Association. They met to discuss and settle a vexing question: the editorial policy of The American Sentinel. The door was locked, and all agreed that the door would stay locked until the question was settled.
A little before 3:00 on Sunday morning the meeting ended in a deadlock, with those representing religious liberty insisting that unless Pacific Press agrees to their demands and drops the terms “Seventh-day Adventist” and “the Sabbath” from the columns of that paper, they would no longer use it as the mouthpiece of the Religious Liberty Association. That meant the paper would cease to exist. Their meeting at a stalemate, they unlocked the door, and the men went to their rooms.
At the time, Ellen White was aroused from sleep and instructed that she must go to the workers’ meeting at 5:30 and present what was shown to her at Salamanca.
She arose quickly and wrote for about two hours what had been shown to her at Salamanca. “In the vision,” she said, “I seemed to be in Battle Creek. I was taken to the Review and Herald office, and the angel messenger bade me, ‘Follow me.’ I was taken to a room where a group of men were earnestly discussing a matter. There was a zeal manifest, but not according to knowledge.”
She told how they were discussing the editorial policy of The American Sentinel. She said, “I saw one of the men take a copy of the Sentinel, hold it high over his head, and say, ‘Unless these articles on the Sabbath and the Second Advent come out of this paper, we can no longer use it as the organ of the Religious Liberty Association.’”
Ellen White spoke for an hour, describing the meeting that had been shown to her in vision months before, and giving counsel based on that revelation. Then she sat down...
The General Conference president didn’t know what to think of her comments. He had never heard of any such meeting. But they didn’t have to wait long for an explanation. A man stood in the back of the room and began to speak:
“I was in that meeting last night.”
“Last night!” Ellen White exclaimed, “Last night? I thought that meeting took place months ago, when it was shown to me in vision.”
“I was in that meeting last night,” he said, “and I am the man who made the remarks about the articles in the paper, while holding it over my head. I’m sorry to say that I was on the wrong side, but I take this opportunity to place myself on the right side.” Then he sat down.
Another man stood to speak, the president of the Religious Liberty Association. Note his words: “I was in that meeting. Last night after the close of the conference some of us met in my office, where we locked ourselves in and there discussed the questions and the matter presented to us this morning. We remained in that room until 3:00 this morning. If I should begin to give a description of what took place and the personal attitude of those in the room, I could not give it as exactly and as correctly as it has been given by Sister White. I now see that I was in error and that the position that I took was not correct. From the light given this morning, I acknowledge that I was wrong.”
Others spoke that day. Everyone in the meeting the night before stood and bore his testimony, saying that Ellen White had accurately described the meeting and the attitude of those in the room.
Before that meeting closed that Sunday morning, the Religious Liberty group gathered together and rescinded the action they had taken only a few hours before.... The Vision That Could Not Be Told - Adventist Review
