Many books have been published about "1888," but it is rare to find a simple review of the history. The only totally credible account is found in Ellen White's observa tions. She was a first-hand witness whose mind was guided by the Holy Spirit. What was happening couldn't be understood except by prophetic insight. She discerned significance in "1888" history that none of her contemporaries could see clearly. She tells us over a hundred times that it went over their heads much as Christ's ministry went over the heads of the Jewish leaders. A few salient points:
- "The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones" who had something no other minister has been said to have-"heavenly credentials" (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 91, written 1896). No other messengers in our history rate those solemn recorded endorsements.
- They were two young ministers from the West Coast, delegates to the 1888 General Conference Session in Minneapolis- moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim "the third angel's message" in a new light none of their brethren had ever before perceived as such Good News. In humble low-key presentations, the two young "messengers" showed that the true heart or essence of "the third angel's message" is not a fear-motivated old covenant legalism, but a welcome message of grace much more abounding. It added up to a more mature view of justification by faith, based on the kind of faith that "works" and produces a holy, righteous life.
What made Ellen White's heart rejoice when she first heard the message was that something was happening. Proclaiming that kind of faith made people become obedient to all the commandments of God. She saw something she hadn't seen in 45 years-the message would give sinners (plenty of them in the church!) the gift of repentance, would blot out sins, and would prepare them to meet Jesus and not be ashamed in His presence.
After the message had done its work within the church, it would spill out to the world at large. What the ancient prophets and apostles had longed for was about to happen!
- The two messengers majored in Romans and Galatians, but presented Paul's message in a fresh light that went beyond what the 16th century Reformers were able in their day to grasp. Jones and Waggoner did not seek to belittle obedience to God's holy law; rather their message reconciled hearts to God and thus reconciled lives to His holy law. That's why obedience resulted from within, not imposed by a fear motivation. It was powerful. In that little season after Minneapolis when the people had a chance to hear it, the message worked miracles. Ellen White was ecstatic because at last justification by faith, properly presented, would motivate people to keep the Sabbath apart from the usual laborious work needed to convince andmotivate them.
The reason why the two messengers saw justification by faith in a fresh light is that they joined that truth with the unique Seventh-day Adventist idea of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, an idea that none of the early Reformers nor Sunday keepers of the day had thought of. It had to be unique-righteousness by faith in this cosmic Day of Atonement.
Both truths came together like a tide from two rivers joining that can float great vessels to sea. These fresh truths that neither the 16th century Reformers nor their Protestant or Roman Catholic contemporaries could grasp were what Ellen White called "big ideas." (A problem developed when it became apparent to Ellen White that not many even of Seventh-day Adventists in the 1888 era grasped the idea of the Day of Atonement; fewer do today.)
- Youth were especially drawn to the "1888 message" (the term embraces not only what the two "special messengers" taught at Minneapolis but also during the time of Ellen White's continuing endorsements for about a decade following). Youth had never perceived the "third angel's message" as being such Good News. It gripped their hearts.
- Far from being dry theology, the message was seen as living truth. The record says that revival/reformation results among lay members and younger pastors in the months following the 1888 Conference were impressive. Ellen White together with Jones and Waggoner visited camp meetings, and everywhere they went the refreshment followed. There were distinct, "most marked" "manifestations" of the Holy Spirit. She was overjoyed; that mighty fourth angel of Revelation 18 had descended and had started his mission! She could not sleep at night for joy. The dreary decades of pioneer work from 1844 to 1888 were now to be rewarded with triumph for the work, and for the church. The world was about to be lightened at last with the glory of the message. The Early Writings prophecies were in process of fulfillment. If you had been in her place you would have rejoiced too.
- As a phenomenon, at the same time the United States Senate and Congress were stirred with clamors for a national Sunday law. Never since has the crisis seemed to be nearer. The same two who brought the beginning of the latter rain were providentially cast in a role to defend the American Constitutional principle of religious liberty. Jones went to Washington and moved the Senate with an impassioned plea for loyalty to the Constitution, and virtually single-handedly defeated a national Sunday law. Waggoner contributed articles for publication. If the American public knew this history, they would erect a statue to Jones and Waggoner on the Mall. We have had a century-plus of religious liberty, largely the fruit of their labor at a time when the government was on the verge of repudiating the First Amendment. Their triumph in Washington was seen as a heavenly endorsement that impressed church members.
Ellen White, supporting Jones and Waggoner, wrote articles and numerous letters endorsing their message. The laity listened. Never had their hearts been so deeply stirred.
But an Unforeseen Tragedy Entered the Picture
- The Revelation "dragon" who is "wroth with the woman" infiltrated the Conference at Minneapolis and in the years following. For the first time in our denominational history the leadership "in a great degree" and "in a great measure" resisted a message that came from God. We read that they "kept it away from the people" and "from the world." God had mysteriously passed by the gray-haired stalwarts in high office and had bestowed His Spirit upon two young upstarts. Unprecedented in Adventism in two ways-the great extent of God's blessings from heaven, and the great extent of our human unbelief.
Those members and young pastors whose hearts at first responded faced a problem. Why should opposition emanate from the church's headquarters in Battle Creek and in the church paper, the Review and Herald? The sincere people were perplexed and did not know what to do. Their hearts were moved, but their heads were bewildered by this stream of antagonism from the highest offices in Battle Creek. In 1891, contrary to the Lord's leading (says Ellen White), she was "exiled" toAustralia on a "missionary" assignment. True, for nearly a decade God richly blessed her missionary work there, but the movement promoting the latter rain and the loud cry at home was severely curtailed.
Waggoner found himself shipped off to England the next year, when both he and Jones needed the constant close personal fellowship and counsel that only Ellen White could give them. It was such a crisis as the church had never before faced.
The End Result
Nearly a decade after the all-important Minneapolis Conference Ellen White was forced to declare: "By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world" (Selected Messages, Book One, pp. 234, 235; 1896).
That pretty well sums up the history, written in retrospect after the early revivals had been blocked and almost nullified by official opposition.
Heaven was forced to withdraw the precious latter rain and loud cry gift. Since then, no serious effort has been made to recover or proclaim the actual message that she endorsed so highly. Plenty of people proclaim what they call "righteousness by faith" but it has often been assumed that we don't need what "the Lord in His great mercy sent" to us. Evangelical concepts borrowed from the Sundaykeeping churches take its place. In other words, we are "rich and increased with goods." The question many are asking is, Must we await some future generation? With terrorism being now the prime concern of the world, should we postpone until future generations what the Holy Spirit wanted so much to give us?
The 1888 history has been clarified by much research on the part of numerous denominational historians and scholars. The record of the past is indelibly etched. No one can change it. There is now general agreement on the main facts.
Recognizing the widespread hunger to understand, the Trustees of the Ellen G. White Estate in recent years released everything that Ellen White wrote about the episode-sermons, talks, articles, and even personal letters. These are found in the four-volume set of The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials-1,821 pages published by The Ellen G. White Estate. There is no longer any reason for perplexity about how she felt toward the message, or about the truth of its history or about its content.
But an even more important question awaits us.