We had a sweet, interesting meeting with the brethren and sisters at Topsham, Me. [Maine]. The Spirit of God rested upon us, and I was taken off in the Spirit.1EGWLM 160.5

I saw that the commandments of God and the shut door³

See: Introductory article “The ‘Shut Door’ and Ellen White's Visions”; EGWEnc, s.v. “Shut Door.”

could not be separated. I saw that the time for the commandments of God to shine out to His people was when the door was opened in the inner apartment of the heavenly sanctuary where the ark is containing the commandments. This door was not opened until Jesus’ mediation was finished in the outer apartment of the sanctuary in 1844.1EGWLM 160.6

Then Jesus rose up and shut the door in the outer apartment and opened the holy; and the faith of Israel now reaches within the second veil where Jesus now stands by the ark. I saw that Jesus had shut the door in the Holy Place, and no man can open it. And that He had opened the door in the Most Holy place, and no man can shut it. And that since Jesus has opened the door in the Most Holy place, the commandments have been shining out and God has been testing His people on the holy Sabbath.⁴

A link between the Sabbath and the sanctuary had been proposed by Joseph Bates as early as 1846 and shown to Ellen White in her April 3, 1847, vision. This vision of March 1849, however, in addition to confirming earlier study and revelation, is of interest since for the first time the imagery of Revelation 3:7 (“he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; … behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it”) is used to describe Christ's transition in 1844 from the holy place to the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. Thus the concept of a shut door is not used in the context of the Bridegroom parable of Matthew 25, as it had been used earlier, but in the context of the division between the holy place and Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary.

See: Joseph Bates, The Opening Heavens, p. 36; Ellen G. White, Lt 1, 1847 (Apr. 7).

1EGWLM 160.7

I saw that the test on the Sabbath could not come until the mediation of Jesus in the Holy was finished, and He had passed within the second veil. Therefore Christians who died before the seventh month 1844, and had not kept the Sabbath, rest in hope; for there was no condemnation until the true light on the Sabbath came. I saw that Satan was tempting God's people on this point because so many good Christians had died in the hope, and had not kept the true Sabbath.1EGWLM 161.1

I saw that our adversaries had been trying to open the door in the outer apartment and to close the door in the inner apartment where the ark is containing the two tablets of stone on which were written the ten commandments by God's own finger.⁵

That is, they had tried to divert attention from the claims of the Ten Commandments, especially the Sabbath commandment, and perhaps the sanctuary's two-phased ministry. For a study of anti-Sabbatarian articles published during the previous two years, particularly in the columns of The Bible Advocate, see Merlin Burt, “Sabbatarian Adventism From 1844 to 1849,” pp. 326-342.

I saw that Satan was using every device in this time to keep the minds of God's people from present truth and cause them to waver. I saw a covering that God was drawing over His people to protect them in the time of trouble, and every soul that was decided on the truth was to be covered with this covering of Almighty God. Satan knew this and was also at work in mighty power.1EGWLM 161.2

I saw that the mysterious knocking in N.Y. [New York] was the power of Satan clothed in a religious garb to lull the deceived to more security and to draw the minds of God's people, if possible, to look at that and cause them to doubt the teachings of God among His people.⁶

This is the earliest extant warning by Ellen White regarding the claims of the Fox sisters of Hydesville, New York, who from March 1848 professed to have contacted the spirits of the dead through rappings (i.e., “mysterious knocking”) in their house. After their first public demonstrations of spirit communication in Rochester, New York, in November 1849, public interest grew very rapidly. Many who became Spiritualists broke with their churches. Probably the most high-profile casualty from Seventh-day Adventist ranks to the Spiritualists was Moses Hull, a minister and writer who defected in 1863.

See: Bret E. Carroll, Spiritualism in Antebellum America, pp. 46-62; SDAE, s.v. “Moses Hull”; James R. Nix, “The Life and Work of Moses Hull”; EGWEnc, s.v. “Moses Hull,” “Spiritualism.”

I saw that Satan was working through agents in a number of ways. He was at work through ministers who had rejected God's truth, and had been given over to strong delusions to believe a lie that they might be damned.^{7
Paraphrase of 2 Thess. 2:11, 12: “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”} While they are preaching or praying some would fall prostrate and helpless; not by the power of the Holy Ghost, no, no; but by the power of Satan breathed on these agents and through them to the people.1EGWLM 161.3

I saw some professed Adventists who had rejected present truth while preaching, praying, or in private conversation used mesmerism to gain adherents; and the people would rejoice, thinking it was the power of God; and some that used it were so far in the darkness and deception of the devil that they thought it was the power of God given them to exercise.⁸

Mesmerism had become very popular in America by the 1840s, but little is known about its level of penetration among (first-day) Adventists. One or two specific names of Adventist ministers thought to be involved in mesmerism are mentioned in contemporary Sabbatarian sources. According to J. N. Andrews, a certain P. A. Smith claimed that he “could heal people by Mesmerism, and do other wonders.” Joseph Turner, prominent Millerite Adventist minister and editor, was identified by both Ellen White and Joseph Bates as being involved with mesmerism. In one of the more vivid passages of her 1860 autobiography Ellen White recalled a meeting in 1845 at which Turner “had his hand up to his face, and was looking through his fingers, his eyes intently fixed on me.” In 1848 Bates charged Turner with using his “mesmeric influence” on “some of the dear sisters” and suggested that mesmerism was involved in Turner's revival meetings in New Bedford, Massachusetts, charges that were subsequently angrily rejected by Turner.

See: J. N. Andrews, “Reply to Mary A. Seymour,” Review, Mar. 2, 1852, p. 102; Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts [vol. 2], p. 63; Joseph Bates, A Vindication of the Seventh-Day Sabbath, pp. 16, 17; James White to Stockbridge Howland, July 2, 1848; Merlin Burt, “Sabbatarian Adventism From 1844 to 1849,” pp. 140-146, 349, 350; EGWEnc, s.v. “Hypnosis and Mesmerism.” For a recent study of the intersection of mesmerism and religion in mid-nineteenth-century America, see Ann Taves, Fits, Trances, & Visions, pp. 119-165.

I saw that these men had made God altogether such a one as themselves and valued His power as a thing of naught. I saw that some of these agents of the devil were affecting the bodies of those that they could not deceive and draw from the present truth.^{9
For a discussion of the expression “present truth,” see Alberto R. Timm, The Sanctuary and the Three Angels’ Messages, pp. 115, 116, 122-129, 243-252; EGWEnc, s.v. “Present Truth.”} Some of these were even trying to affect some of the saints unto death.^{10
Further light is thrown on this somewhat obscure passage in Ms 7, 1849, dated just a few weeks earlier, concerning Elvira Hastings. In a vision Ellen White was shown a certain unnamed person whom “Satan used … as an agent to affect and afflict Sister Hastings” “unto death.” The closeness in the language of the two passages and the proximity in time between them clearly suggest that Elvira Hastings was one of those referred to in this passage as being affected by an agent of Satan. See note 5 in Ms 7, 1849 (Mar. 11), for further discussion regarding the possible identification of the “agent” affecting Elvira Hastings.} Oh, that all could get a view of it as God revealed it unto me,—that they might know more of the wiles of Satan so as to be on their guard.1EGWLM 162.1

I saw that Satan was at work in these ways to distract, draw away, and deceive God's people just now in this sealing time.¹¹

See: EGWEnc, s.v. “Seal of God.”

I saw some who were not standing stiffly, their knees were trembling, their feet were sliding because they were not planted on the present truth, and the covering of Almighty God could not be drawn over them while they were thus trembling. Satan was trying his every art to hold them where they were until the sealing was over, and the covering drawn over God's people, and they were left without protection in the time of slaughter. God has begun to draw the covering over His people, therefore it will very soon be drawn over all those who are to have a shelter in the day of the Lord.1EGWLM 162.2

I saw that as God worked in power for His people; Satan would also work, and that the mysterious knocking, and signs and wonders of Satan and false reformations would increase and spread. The reformations that were shown me were not reformations from error to truth; no, no; but from bad to worse, for those who professed a change of heart had only wrapped about them a religious garb which covered up the iniquity of a vile heart. Some appeared to have been really converted so as to deceive God's people. But if their hearts could be seen they would appear as black as ever.¹²

For a study of early Sabbatarian Adventists’ attitudes to religious revivals, see P. Gerard Damsteegt, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission, pp. 184-186.

My accompanying angel bade me to look for the travail of soul for sinners as used to be. I looked, but could not see it, for the time of their salvation is passed.^{13
Some have interpreted the phrase “the time of their salvation is passed” to refer to the “sinners” in the previous sentence and concluded that the vision takes the radical position that there can be no more conversions (Canright, Lindén). That this conclusion is not necessary has been argued by others mainly on two grounds:
• An equally plausible reading of this manuscript is that the statement “the time of their salvation is passed” refers specifically to those mentioned earlier who had “rejected God's truth” and “rejected present truth” (Nichol). Ellen White herself, in a comment made in 1854, explains that this expression “relates more particularly to those who have heard and rejected the light of the Advent doctrine.”
• Even if “the time of their salvation is passed” does refer to “sinners,” it has been argued that the word “sinners” is used by Ellen White and other contemporary Sabbatarian Adventists in the restricted sense of those who had willfully rejected the gospel and/or the Advent message. They recognized that there were “honest souls” who were not guilty of willful rejection and who would yet take their stand with God's people (Poehler).
See: D. M. Canright, Seventh-Day Adventism Renounced, p. 145; Ingemar Lindén, 1844 and the Shut Door Problem, pp. 56, 57; Francis D. Nichol, Ellen G. White and Her Critics, pp. 227, 228; Ellen G. White, Supplement to the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White, p. 4 (Early Writings, p. 45); Rolf J. Poehler, “‘… and the Door Was Shut,’” pp. 126-130; introductory article “The ‘Shut Door’ and Ellen White's Visions”; EGWEnc, s.v. “Shut Door.”}1EGWLM 163.1

Lt 4, 1849

Lt 5, 1849