The Great Second Advent Movement: Its Rise and Progress

Miss Harmon Accepts the Sabbath

Elder Bates was keeping the Sabbath, and urged its importance. Miss Harmon did not at that time feel its importance, and thought Elder Bates erred in dwelling upon the fourth commandment more than upon the other nine. But the Lord gave her a view of the heavenly sanctuary. The temple of God was opened in heaven, and she was shown the ark of God with the mercy-seat covering it. Two angels stood, one at either end of the ark, with their wings spread over the mercy-seat, and their faces turned toward it. This, her accompanying angel informed her, represented all the heavenly host looking with reverential awe toward the law of God which had been written by the finger of God. Jesus raised the cover of the ark, and she beheld the tables of stone on which the ten commandments were written. She was amazed as she saw the fourth commandment in the very center of the ten precepts, with a soft halo of light encircling it. The angel said, “It is the only one of the ten which defines the living God who created the heavens and the earth and all things that are therein. When the foundations of the earth were laid, then was also laid the foundation of the Sabbath.” She was shown that if the true Sabbath had been kept, there would never have been an infidel or an atheist. The observance of the Sabbath would have preserved the world from idolatry. GSAM 255.3

The fourth commandment had been trampled upon, therefore we are called to repair the breach in the law, and to plead for the down trodden Sabbath. The man of sin, who exalted himself above God, and thought to change times and laws, brought about the change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. In doing this he made a breach in the law of God. GSAM 256.1

Just prior to the great day of God a message is sent forth to warn the people to come back to their allegiance to the law of God which anti-Christ has broken down. Attention must be called to the breach in the law by teaching and example. She was also shown that the third angel of Revelation 14, proclaiming the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, represents the people who receive this message, and raised the voice of warning to the world to keep the commandments of God and his law as the apple of the eye, and that in response to this warning many would embrace the Sabbath of the Lord. ⁶ GSAM 256.2

This experience of Miss Harmon and Elder Bates was in harmony with the Lord’s method of working. The attention of both Miss Harmon and Elder White was called to the Sabbath question by Elder Bates, who presented to them from the Scriptures the claims of the unchangeable law of God. Although Miss Harmon had been blessed with special manifestations from the Lord for about eighteen months, nothing on this subject had been previously shown her. Now the Lord’s time had come, as believers were being raised up to keep his law, to impart light to them through the gift of prophecy, and thus, by his own way of working, the third angel’s message, “the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ,” were brought together. GSAM 256.3