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Ellen G. White and Her Critics

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James White on Door of Mercy

A few months later James White, the editor, discusses at length the shut door. He comes to the point where he speaks of Christ’s shutting the door of the holy and passing into the most holy, and observes: “Now we may see that the only place for the shut door was in 1844.” We quote in full from this point onward to the end of his article: EGWC 601.3

“But says the objector—‘The door of mercy will not be closed until Jesus comes.’ We do not read of such a door as ‘the door of mercy’ in the Bible; neither do we teach that such a door was shut in 1844. God’s ‘mercy endureth for ever.’ See Psalm 136; 106:1; 118:1. He is still merciful to his saints, and ever will be; and Jesus is still their advocate and priest. But the sinner, to whom Jesus had stretched out his arms all the day long, and who had rejected the offers of salvation, was left without an advocate, when Jesus passed from the Holy Place, and shut that door in 1844. The professed church, who rejected the truth, was also rejected, and smitten with blindness, and now, ‘with their flocks and with their herds’ they go ‘to seek the Lord’ as still an advocate for sinners; but, says the prophet, [Hosea 6, 7,] ‘they shall not find him; he hath WITHDRAWN HIMSELF from them. They have dealt treacherously against the Lord; for they have begotten strange children.’ EGWC 601.4

“The reason why they do not find the Lord is simply this, they seek him where he is not; ‘he hath withdrawn himself’ to the Most Holy Place. The prophet of God calls their man-made converts, ‘STRANGE CHILDREN;’ ‘now shall a month devour them, and their portions,’ EGWC 601.5

“Says the objector—‘I believe that Jesus is still on the mercy-seat.’ In answer to this oft repeated assertion, let me say; Jesus never was on the mercy-seat, and never will be. The mercy seat is in the Most Holy Place, where Jesus entered at the end of the 2300 days. It’s position is upon the ark of the ten commandments; and over it are the cherubims of glory. Before the mercy-seat stands our Great High Priest pleading his blood for Israel. EGWC 601.6

“If the door (represented by the door in the parable) is not to be shut until Jesus descends from heaven in flames of fire, then where will be the knocking, and saying ‘Lord, Lord, open unto us’? It is evident that the door is shut prior to the second advent, and that unbelievers are ignorant of the fact of its being shut; therefore they knock at the shut door, and say, [‘]Lord Lord, open unto us.’ When the great day of God’s wrath is come, and unbelievers are apprised of their lost situation, they will not knock, with a hope of being admitted, no, no; but they will flee to rocks and mountains for shelter. See Isa. if, 19-21; Revelation 6:15-17. Now their prayer is, ‘Lord, Lord, OPEN UNTO US;’ but then their prayer will be to ‘rocks and mountains,’ ‘FALL ON US, and HIDE us FROM the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.’ EGWC 601.7

“It is impossible to harmonize such portions of the Word as Isa. if, 19-21; Revelation 6:15-17, with the idea of the shut-door, and knocking being at, and after the advent. The 2300 days and cleansing the Sanctuary of Daniel 8:13, 14, the parable of the ten virgins, and other parallel portions of Scripture clearly fix the shut door in 1844. This view establishes our holy advent experience in the past, gives certainty to the ‘blessed hope’ of very soon seeing Jesus, and causes our path to shine ‘more and more unto the perfect day.’ Amen.”—The Present Truth, May 1850, p. 79. (Emphasis his.) EGWC 602.1