Tongues in The Seventh-day Adventist Church - History - Early Counterfeit Incidents in Adventistism

Early Counterfeit Incidents in Adventistism

The first counterfeit instance in regards to a doctrine issue occurred in 1848. James White recorded the incident writing "There has been some division as to the time of beginning the Sabbath. Some commenced at sundown. Most, however, at 6 P.M. A week ago Sabbath we made this a subject of prayer. The Holy Ghost came down, Brother Chamberlain was filled with the power. In this state he cried out in an unknown tongue. The interpretation followed which was this: 'Give me the chalk, Give me the chalk.' Well, thought I, if there is none in the house then I shall doubt this, but in a moment a brother took down a good piece of chalk. Brother Chamberlain took it and in the power he drew a figure on the floor."

Brother Chamberlain then gave his own interpretation to his unknown tongue and the drawing...

This represents Jesus' words, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day?' This figure represents the day or the last half of the day. Daylight is half gone when the sun is south or halfway from each horizon, at 12 o'clock. Now go each way six hours and you will get the twelve-hour day. At any time of year the day ends at 6 P.M. Here is where the Sabbath begins at 6 P.M. Satan would get us from this time. But let us stand fast in the Sabbath as God has given it to us and Brother Bates.

— Brother Chamberlain's words as recorded by James White - Letter to "My Dear Brother," July 2, 1848, written from Berlin, Connecticut.

This experience carried weight with the believers and they continued to observe the beginning of the Sabbath at six o'clock. Later on, through a study of the Bible, this incident was later discovered as a counterfeit manifestation of the gift of tongues. In the summer of 1855, James White urged J.N. Andrews to investigate the Sabbath commencement issue. After several weeks of a "careful investigation of the Scriptures, (he) demonstrated from nine texts in the Old Testament and two texts in the New that the Sabbath began at sundown. Andrews' conclusions were read at the conference in Battle Creek, November, 1855, and, from the scriptural evidence set forth, those present accepted the responsibility of shifting from six o'clock to sundown as the time to begin the Sabbath."

There are four documented cases of people claiming to speak in tongues in the early history of the Adventist church, according to Arthur White:

  • The first was in 1847 when Brother Chamberlain claimed to interpret Brother Ralph's message in an unknown tongue.
  • The second was in 1848 when Brother Chamberlain claimed to speak in an unknown tongue. (mentioned above)
  • The third was in 1849, when Brother Ralph claimed to speak in a tongue, which was interpreted that S. W. Rhodes should be retrieved, so Ralph and Hiram Edson went. When they met him, Ralph again "spoke in a new tongue, and gave the interpretation in power".
  • The fourth claim was in 1851 at the church of East Bethel, Vermont.

Arthur White states "There is no record of Ellen White's giving explicit support to, or placing her endorsement upon, these ecstatic experiences with unknown tongues, although she was an eyewitness to three of the four."

There have also been other counterfeit claims. In June 1853 on her trip to Vergennes, Michigan, Ellen White rebuked a certain "Mrs. A." who "professes to talk with tongues, but she is deceived. She does not talk the language she claims to speak. In fact, she does not talk any language. If all the nations of the earth were together, and should hear her talk, no one of them would know what she says; for she merely goes over a lot of meaningless gibberish." The woman claimed to speak the local Native American language.

"At a meeting she held the next day, this woman spoke on the subject of holiness, and during her talk broke out again in the unknown tongue. An Indian who had been invited to come in to hear her speak his language jumped to his feet, declaring: "Very bad Indian that! Very bad Indian that!" When asked what the woman said, he declared: "Nothing; she talk no Indian."

A few days later in the presence of an Indian interpreter who knew 17 of the languages, she spoke and prayed in her gibberish, and he declared that she had not uttered a single Indian word. Her influence was short lived, not only because of this experience, but because of the disclosure (from one of Ellen White's visions) that the man with whom she traveled and lived was not her husband. This in time was confessed."

Read more about this topic:  Tongues In The Seventh-day Adventist Church, History

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