Chapter 4—November-December, 1844

Ellen Harmon Gave Up Her View That the Door Was Shut.

At the time I had the vision of the midnight cry I had given it up in the past and thought it future, as also most of the band had.—Ellen G. White Letter 3, 1847, written July 13, 1847 to Joseph Bates.SDD 3.4

The “midnight cry” (Matthew 25:6) was the powerful proclamation of Christ’s imminent return made by the Millerites from August 12 to October 22, 1844. When Christ did not return on October 22, as anticipated, the Millerites at first thought that human probation had closed on that date. Christ’s glorious second advent was expected in a few weeks’ time at the most.SDD 3.5

However, when time continued into the month of December, most of the advent “band” in Portland, Maine, where Ellen Harmon lived, gave up their confidence in the Millerite interpretation of Daniel 8:14, Matthew 25:6, and related texts. Apparently for several weeks late in November and early in December, 1844, Ellen Harmon looked upon the Millerite computations as one big mistake. She concluded that the door of mercy had not been shut, after all, on October 22.SDD 3.6