Exposing Adventism - The World Trade Center Vision That Ellen White Did Not Have

Ellen White wrote in Testimonies that she had the following vision:

On one occasion, when in New York City, I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These buildings were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify the owners and builders. Higher and still higher these buildings rose, and in them the most costly material was used. Those to whom these buildings belonged were not asking themselves: "How can we best glorify God?" The Lord was not in their thoughts.

I thought: "Oh, that those who are thus investing their means could see their course as God sees it! They are piling up magnificent buildings, but how foolish in the sight of the Ruler of the universe is their planning and devising. They are not studying with all the powers of heart and mind how they may glorify God. They have lost sight of this, the first duty of man."

As these lofty buildings went up, the owners rejoiced with ambitious pride that they had money to use in gratifying self and provoking the envy of their neighbors. Much of the money that they thus invested had been obtained through exaction, through grinding down the poor. They forgot that in heaven an account of every business transaction is kept; every unjust deal, every fraudulent act, is there recorded. The time is coming when in their fraud and insolence men will reach a point that the Lord will not permit them to pass, and they will learn that there is a limit to the forbearance of Jehovah.

The scene that next passed before me was an alarm of fire. Men looked at the lofty and supposedly fire-proof buildings and said: "They are perfectly safe." But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The firemen were unable to operate the engines. (Testimonies, Vol. 9, pp. 12-13)

When the World Trade Center was attacked many Adventists immediately tried to apply Ellen White's prophecy to this event. There are numerous reasons why this vision does not apply.

As jda3324 noted:

1. She refers to the owners of the building as extortionist and grinding down of the poor. There is some indication she was talking about tenement housing. The Twin towers were commercial buildings that housed some of the wealthiest companies in the world. They were anything but poor.
2. To be a prophecy she would have to included the strike on the Pentagon as that event was one and the same.
3. Many people over the years including Jean Dixon have made very similar claims regarding New York City.
4. Ellen White claims it is fire the destroys the building, but not the cause of the fire which to me was much more significant. They were hit by 100 ton missiles guided by human terrorist. It just seems that Ellen White's so-called prophecy is very vague and lacking.
5. The last line gives it away. She said the "firemen were unable to operate the engines" This was not so. There were some that were crushed from the collapse, but up to that time they operated quite well and the firemen continued with other machines after the collapse.
6. You would have to conclude she was talking about the typical 6 story tenement because the fire engines would be needed to put out the fire. In the Twin Towers collapse the fire engines were used for transportation of men and equipment. They were not used for fire suppression.
7. Her direct mention of firemen should have brought a comment on the great loss of life by those very same firemen.

Robert Sanders, of TruthOrFables.com, observed:

1. If you will notice in EGWs prophecy she did not see jet planes crashing into the buildings by terrorists. She only saw an alarm of fire. This is a big difference.
2. The buildings did not consume as made of pitch as described by EGW. The report tells us that the heat from the jet fuel weakened the interior steel supports, which caused the building to fold in on itself and the weight of the upper floors caused the building to collapse to the ground. Mrs. White said the NY buildings burned up like pitch. If this is a prediction of the WTC attacks, then why did it take NY City about 8 months, working around the clock, to haul all the debris from the site? When "pitch" burns up, there is not much left except for some smoke and maybe a little ash. If those towers burned up like pitch, then the cleanup should have been really quick since there would be little left to haul off.
3. EGW said it was God's punishment of the owners of the buildings. The owners of the WORLD TRADE CENTER were not private persons, but the New York Port Authorities. This was a terrorist act, not God's punishment of the NY Port Authorities.
4. EGW said, "the firemen were unable to operate the engines." Some fire engines were destroyed by the falling debris from the twin towers, but other fire engines did pour water on the buildings. This proves that this was not a vision of EGW.

The White Estate even acknowledged that "Ellen White made no prediction concerning the destruction of a twin-towered building in New York or any other place in the world."

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, brought shock and horror to the citizens of the United States of America and to many others. The sympathies and prayers of Seventh-day Adventists are with all who have been affected by the tragic happenings of that day. In view of those events, we are reminded of what Ellen White wrote concerning the need to share the good news of the Gospel and Christ's soon return to the millions who live and work in our world's large cities--many of whom are spiritually unprepared for the troubles and destruction coming on the world in the last days.

Contrary to unsubstantiated reports, Ellen White made no prediction concerning the destruction of a twin-towered building in New York or any other place in the world. She did foresee great disasters of various kinds resulting in the loss of magnificent buildings and many lives in the large cities before Jesus' return. She spoke of demonic forces exercising their power in earthquakes, fires, and other calamities. She also warned that the time will come when defiant rejection of God's Spirit will result in the complete removal of His restraining power over such destructive elements in the earth.

Here is where truth is stranger than fiction. In spite of this denial, the White Estate and Southwest Adventist University jointly awarded a $1000 first-place prize for a painting of Ellen White having a Word Trade Center vision that she did not have!

In the August 2002 issue of the Seventh-day Adventist Mid-America Outlook pp. 21,22, a journal published by the SDA Mid-America Union Conference, they reported:

" …The Gift of Prophecy Art Contest was sponsored jointly with the EGW White Estate and Southwestern Adventist University. Submissions were judged on accurately depicting a subject from the writings of Ellen White."

"Paula Albright was awarded the first prize of $1000 dollars in the 18-30 category for painting which was inspired by passages in Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9. Her paintings will be exhibited at the Meadows Faller at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Tex, and at the offices of the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Springs, Md."

The painting by Paula Albright shows Ellen White lying on a bed in vision with the American flag draped over her body and the World Trade Center on fire with smoke rolling out of the buildings from the jet airliners that crashed into them.

Once again we can see how official Seventh-day Adventist publications continue to promote deception with the blessing and sponsorship of the Ellen G. White Estate.

As Robert Sanders, of TruthorFables.com noted:

The honest thing for the EGW Estate and the SDA Mid-American Conference to do is to let Paula Albright know that her painting was not true and "accurate" and let her keep the $1000 for her effort. It was not her fault she was misled by her church to believe EGW was a prophet. 

• Why did Paula Albright draw a picture of Ellen White that was not true? We should give her the benefit of the doubt that she is truly "White-washed" and believes that the World Trade Center attack was a fulfillment of a vision by Ellen White.
• The Seventh-day Adventist Mid-America Conference said the contest was judged on "accuracy". Where is the accuracy in this painting?
• The White Estate denounced the World Trade Center attack by saying that it was not a fulfillment of a vision by Ellen White. Why was an award granted for a painting that did not accurately depict Ellen White having such a vision? Was not the Seventh-day Adventist Mid-America Conference also aware that Ellen White did not have the World Trade Center vision? They surely should have known, as they are part of the Seventh-day Adventist system. It would have been unbelievable that the Ellen G. White Estate did not enlighten them.
• Is the White Estate really going to hang this painting, which they admit is not true on the walls of the Seventh-day Adventist headquarters? If they do, we will be able to see their dishonesty.
• Is the Ellen G. White Estate collecting false items to go along with the Ellen G. White "heavy Bible," she was supposed to hold out in vision for hours? There is also a memorial plaque at Ellen G. White's grave saying she had 2000 visions. This also is a fable and cannot be proved.