Chapter 16—February, 1845

In Her February, 1845, Vision Ellen Harmon Saw Both an Open and a Shut Door As Christ Entered the Holy of Holies.

Writing to J. N. Loughborough under date of August 24, 1874, Ellen White stated:SDD 11.1

It was on my first journey east to relate my visions that the precious light in regard to the heavenly sanctuary was opened before me and I was shown the open and shut door. We believed that the Lord was soon to come in the clouds of heaven. I was shown that there was a great work to be done in the world for those who had not had the light and rejected it. Our brethren could not understand this with our faith in the immediate appearing of Christ. Some accused me of saying that my Lord delayeth His coming, especially the fanatical ones. I saw that in ’44 God had opened a door and no man could shut it, and shut a door and no man could open it. Those who rejected the light which was brought to the world by the message of the second angel went into darkness, and how great was that darkness.—Letter 2, 1874; Selected Messages 1:74.