Ignoring the Prophetic Word

There is a human tendency toward not taking God’s word as seriously as one should. It was the problem of the antediluvians (Hebrews 11:7), the contemporaries of Jesus (Matthew 23:29–36), and those running the Battle Creek Sanitarium at the turn of the twentieth century. In early 1900, Ellen White stated that “the Lord took Dr. Kellogg in hand to do a special work,” but under his leadership, the Battle Creek Sanitarium was losing its original identity.16 On February 18, 1902, the sanitarium was destroyed by fire, and Mrs. White identified the tragedy as God’s judgment.

Two days later, she warned, “A solemn responsibility rests upon those who have had charge of the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Will they build up in Battle Creek a mammoth institution, or will they carry out the purpose of God by making plants in many places?”17 Disregarding Ellen White’s warnings, Dr. Kellogg and his associates decided to rebuild an even larger sanitarium in Battle Creek. All of the circumstances seemed to favor their decision, including the overall popularity of the plan, financial benefits to both Adventist and non-Adventist communities, and massive sales of Kellogg’s book, The Living Temple. So, on Sunday, May 11, 1902, an estimated ten thousand persons witnessed the cornerstone of the new Battle Creek Sanitarium being laid.

Soon, however, unfulfilled promises and financial crises showed that it was much easier to plan the sanitarium project than to finance it.

The publication of The Living Temple was controversial from the very start, and Dr. Kellogg increasingly distanced himself from the thinking and the leadership of the church. Eventually, he took absolute control of the sanitarium, and on November 10, 1907, he was disfellowshiped from the Battle Creek Tabernacle.

Just as the antediluvians could have saved their lives by heeding Noah’s prophetic warnings, many headaches related to the Battle Creek Sanitarium could have been avoided by following Ellen White’s prophetic counsels.

Remember, the prophetic word might not seem the most logical or practical to us; but in the long run, it is always the best and most trustworthy!