Ellen Chat Conversation

Ellen White wrote *The Spirit of Prophecy* series in the 1870s and 1880s, which means it was written approximately **140-150 years ago**. The documents show she was actively working on Volume 2 in 1876, completing it that year after intense effort. The historical record reveals the timeline clearly. In May 1876, Ellen White wrote from Oakland, California, expressing relief that once she finished the manuscript for *Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. II*, her part would be done (MR728 17). By October of that same year, she was in Battle Creek, Michigan, in the very worst drive and hurry getting off my Volume Two, Spirit of Prophecywith three new forms already printed (MR728 18). She anticipated completing the book within four weeks, which would "remove from my mind a great burden of care" (MR728 18). The completion came in November 1876, when "on November 15, after completing Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. II (on the life of Jesus), Ellen White and her husband returned to Oakland" (7MR 289). This four-volume series was later expanded into what became the five-volume *Conflict of the Ages* series that many readers know today. Ellen White herself acknowledged the challenges in producing these works. She explained that she had been shown "years ago that we should not delay publishing the important light given me because I could not prepare the matter perfectly" (3SM 96.2). Her husband James was often very sick and unable to provide the editorial help she needed, which caused delays in putting before the people what had been given to her in vision (3SM 96.2). --- 💡 **You might also want to explore:** • What was the relationship between *The Spirit of Prophecy* series and the later *Conflict of the Ages* series? • How did Ellen White describe the process of receiving and writing down her visions? • What did Ellen White say about the continuing importance of her writings even after her death? --- 📚 **thousands of passages found** containing these search terms — [Explore in Full-Text Search](/advanced-search?q=Can+you+please+remind+me+how+long+ago+did+Ellen+write+her+book+the+spirit+of+prophecy)