The Third, Prophetic, Shut Door

The Third, Prophetic, “Shut Door” (Rev 3:7)

            The topic of the Shut Door has been, frankly, due to prevailing misunderstandings, an “embarrassing” one in the history of Seventh-day Adventism. That mainly stems from the fact that it is the one teaching/understanding where early Adventist all had to express that they had been somewhat wrong, even in “error”, in their prior understanding on what was then such a decisive and divisive issue. (See this document by the White Estate for a developmental history of this topic amongst early Adventists/SDA’s). The fact of the matter is that these early Adventist were actually pointedly wrong in the extent to which they had believed that the (first understood) Shut Door (a.k.a. the “Midnight Cry’s” Shut Door (Matt 25:1-13)) applied, and not merely because they had believed that there had then been a “Shut Door” event (i.e., a demarcating point in time that enduringly separated the aware “just” from the equally aware/knowing “unjust”).[1] As EGW correctively said in 1883 (Ms. 4 = 1SM 63-64):

“Those who did not see the light, had not the guilt of its rejection. It was only the class who had despised the light from heaven that the Spirit of God could not reach. And this class included, as I have stated, both those who refused to accept the message when it was presented to them, and also those who, having received it, afterward renounced their faith. These might have a form of godliness, and profess to be followers of Christ; but having no living connection with God, they would be taken captive by the delusions of Satan. These two classes are brought to view in the vision [her first vision EW 14ff]--those who declared the light which they had followed a delusion, and the wicked of the world who, having rejected the light, had been rejected of God. No reference is made to those who had not seen the light, and therefore were not guilty of its rejection.”

            The history of the change in understanding of SDA’s will not be (re-)made here, one can see this in the above linked White Estate document which was presented in chronological order,[2] rather what will here be emphasized, and further developed, is the fact that, in a vision in March 1849, recorded in EW 42-45, EGW was clearly shown a second, distinct “shut door”, which implicitly, but clearly showed that the understanding of the “Shut Door” was not limited to what had been preached (and later confirmed as valid) during the Midnight Cry/Seventh Month movement leading up to October 22, 1844. Indeed in that 1849 vision, two more “doors” (actually a veils/curtains) were introduced, with one being the door of the first apartment in the Heavenly Sanctuary, which it was shown that Jesus “shut” leaving certain professed believers out, and with Him then opening the door of the second apartment, the Most Holy Place. Before delving into the implications of that vision, it is here significant to see that EGW from then also came to see and understand that the “Shut Door” could have, and had had, many occurrences in Biblical History. Towards substantiating this understanding she cites (also in 1SM 63), that:

[1]“There was a shut door in Noah's day. There was at that time a withdrawal of the Spirit of God from the sinful race that perished in the waters of the Flood. God Himself gave the shut-door message to Noah:

"My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years" (Gen. 6:3).

[2] There was a shut door in the days of Abraham. Mercy ceased to plead with the inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot, with his wife and two daughters, were consumed by the fire sent down from heaven.

[3] There was a shut door in Christ's day. The Son of God declared to the unbelieving Jews of that generation, "Your house is left unto you desolate" (Matt. 23:38).

[4] Looking down the stream of time to the last days, the same infinite power proclaimed through John:

"These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth" (Rev. 3:7).”

             It is not clear from this SOP statement if that was an exhaustive list (paramountly, GC-significant[3]) of “shut doors” in the Bible, however it is significant that, given that they all involved a direct, even at time, in Person, intervention/action of God, with also all involving God’s professed people having to make a choice that would either advance them in faith to what God had promised, or intended to provide, for them, their safety and their future prosperity (see e.g., Luke 19:42), or remaining with the now condemned and greatly/unsalvageably degenerated status quo and suffering the same adverse consequences and/or destructive fate as the rest of those who would remain in this  “darkness.” Indeed, the Flood and the destruction of Sodom, came to have great typological pertinent application to people for the rest of time (see Luke 17:26-30; 2 Pet 2:5-6ff). Interestingly enough with those three mentioned “doors” by EGW with, a fourth, the Midnight Cry Door and a subsequent (fifth) one revealed from the March 24, 1849 vision (EW 42-45, 86.1), the first apartment door, with the second apartment door (= sixth door), as it will be shown, thematically falling under the light of the applicably #4-#6 Rev 3:7 door, and the understanding a seventh a final one to be the ultimate close of probation door at the very end of time when, then, all of the world will be involved in this separation, and which, like Noah’s Door, will occur a little while before Christ’s Glorious appearance in the sky, there indeed are an inherently, symbolically significant mention of seven “Shut Doors” in the Great Controversy development, with the last four (3+1) being explicitly and substantively “prophetic”. Prophetically speaking, that last door falls under the Other/Fourth Angel/Loud Cry Movement. (See below for more on this latter point).

            The fact that EGW’s three explicitly mentioned “Shut Doors” in the Bible may be part of a comprehensively exhaustive listing of 7 types of probationary levels ‘i.e., 7 bar levels in God’s judgments,’ is seen through a closer look at those mentioned Shut Doors.

[1] Door of Noah’s Days - The most basic concept of right and wrong is understood to be in regards to violence done towards another, especially an act of murder. And so as the most prominent problem with the Antediluvians was that ‘they had filled the earth with violence’ (Gen 6:13), they had therefore crossed this first, most basic, level of self-condemnatory acts, whether or not they cognitively knew of the Creator God. And thus they had gone beyond this first rung of God’s probation.

[2] Door of Sodom and Gomorrah - As Paul states in Rom 1:26-27, a second level of God’s probation, also applicable to people who do not cognitively know of the Creator God, is in regard to acts that go against what is objectively clearly “natural”. And so under this category, most prominently, falls acts of sexual perversion, which was the chief sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. And also within this category of perversions is the gross sin of ‘living in abundance and choosing to let other known people suffer and die of vital needs that could be met by such hoarded and/or selfishly spent’ wealth (see Ezek 16:49-50). And so those who may not be “violent”, per se, towards other, but instead practice this second level of ‘unnatural things’, including being greedy and selfish, come to also self-condemn themselves and are beyond this probation level of God.

[3] Door of the Gospel - With the most basic and comprehensive reprehensive acts in regards to all human having been covered by the first two probationary levels/door, from this point on, God’s probationary levels take on a more overt religious nature. And so this third door hinges on the acceptance or rejection of the basic Gospel message; which was actually the pointed object of the Old Testament.

[4] Midnight Cry Door - The Midnight Cry Door is the First Prophetic Door and just like the Parable of the Ten Virgin served to show who had really been preparing to meet their professedly-loved Lord, even if they all fell asleep, the Fourth Door of the Midnight Cry served to show who really ‘loved the appearing of their Lord.’

            The next Three Doors [5]-[7] are the still three further levels which God expects His professed people who "love His appearing" to attain. Knowingly ignoring the Full Truths contained within each of these doors will result in a close of probation for those who refuse to walk through them. These doors are discussed in more detail next.

The Shut Doors and “Darkness”

            It is significant to see that EGW and early Adventist came to see the notion of “darkness” as being inextricably linked with the “Shut Door” from the first vision of EGW in December of 1844, when it was then shown to her that the Midnight Cry was both a God-ordained experience and also an “enduring light” for those who remained on this now narrow and elevated path towards God’s Holy City. Those who scoffed at, and rejected that “Light”, and also did not keep their eyes on Jesus, suddenly had it go “out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and got their eyes off the mark and lost sight of Jesus, and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below.” The SOP then also adds that: “It was just as impossible for them to get on the path again and go to the City, as all the wicked world which God had rejected.” (EW 14, 15).

            In 1SM 74, this “darkness” notion is also made in regards to the Sanctuary apartment Door event which was linked to the Second Angel’s message and started in October 1844, evidently with the Divine revelation to Hiram Edson on the morning after the Great Disappointment that revealed that the Sanctuary was in Heaven. (See Loughborough, Great Second Advent Movement, 193).

The First 3 Prophetic Shut Doors and the 3 Angel’s Messages

First Angel’s Message

            This all leads into a discussion of the observed, developed pattern that the first 3 “prophetic” Shut Doors were each distinctly/pointedly associated (i.e., came to pass) with each full (i.e., through proper understanding) proclamation of one of the 3 Angel’s Message. So while the Millerites had been preaching the ‘hour of God’s judgement’ (believed to be the Second Coming from the late 1830's, it was not until this message was Biblically rightly understood to be temporally associated with the Jewish ‘Tenth day of the Seventh Month’ Day of Atonement feast, which as to take place on October 22, 1844 that year, that this became a concrete and binding “Shut Door” message. Those who, for various peripheral and non-exegetical (i.e., not Biblically/spiritually deep enough) spurious reasons (see GC 370-374), rejected that substantively non-disputed Bible-based understanding found themselves to be in darkness, outside of this First Prophetic Door.

Second Angel’s Message

            Similarly, while it was partially rightly said that the Second Angel’s Message was also preached during the Second Advent Movement, with a call to leave the ‘“fallen Churches” which rejected this Biblical movement,’ it clearly was not fully preached then, i.e., as this message was to be later fully understood, since many of the Advent Believers, including those who would later form the SDA Church, still firmly believed in most of the “Babylonian” teachings of the Catholic and “daughter” Protestant Churches (Rev 17:3-7), namely Sunday Sacredness, Conscious Life After Death, Eternally Burning Hell, etc. So it really was not until after October 22, 1844, that the Second Angel’s Message started to be “fully” proclaimed, with the First having ended with the passing of that time. This fuller understanding indeed began to occur with the October 23, 1844 revelation to Hiram Edson on the Heavenly Sanctuary. From then on, this Message began to purify these still faithful Advent Believers from the past doctrinal errors that had entered, and been established in the Church during the Great Apostasy.

            Indeed, as it will later be topically discussed, as the Sanctuary, and pointedly here, the first apartment is to purify God’s people through the imparting of “blessed bread” (= the word of God) in the Table of Showbread ministration, which then serves to restore the properly Outreaching Light of God’s People as represented in the Seven Lamp Candlestick ministration (cf. e.g., Rev 1:20; 2:5), all to then make their prayers towards what is yet to be discovered in what is contained in the second apartment, the Most Holy Place, acceptable before God, in now the Altar of Incense ministration. So there indeed was a second clear “Shut Door” demarcation now amongst these surviving Advent Believers which, historically, did indeed result in a separation between those who had indeed ‘gone through the first door’ by having held onto an Advent Faith even after the October 22 disappointment, but then refused to accept the various Biblical truths that were being discovered by a group of those believers, now increasingly being rallied and guided by the manifestation of the prophetic gift in Ellen White. To this day this marked separation is still clearly seen in various denominations which have all stemmed and then branched off from that general “Adventist” group (see here). Indeed none of these, but Seventh-day Adventists, came to discover the key lost teachings of God’s Church which chiefly include was are known as the five distinctive Truths of Adventism, namely: The Sabbath, Sanctuary, Spirit of Prophecy, (Manner of) Second Coming and State of the Dead. With such major and anchoring Truths, this SDA group came to be (more than less) purified from the inherited errors and teachings of Babylon, both Mother and Daughters.

Third Angel’s Message

            The Third Angel’s Message was initially first preached merely as “the patience of the saints” (Rev 14:12) around the October 22, 1844 time. However its unlocking truth, the Seventh-day Sabbath, was not yet discovered and not accepted until ca. 2 years after that 1844 time (with Joseph Bates), and then almost immediately confirmed as indeed being the truth in a December 1846 vision of EGW (LS 95, 96). Also in that vision, it was seen how the Sabbath applied in the Third Angel’s message, and as historian J.N. Loughborough recounts, it was from then on that this Message began to be fully preached by that SOP-led group of Adventists (p. 257).

The Third, Prophetic Shut Door

            Getting right to the point here, what is presently, most significant about this history of various occurrences of Shut Doors and also their link to the Three Angel’s Message (i.e., with the First 3 Prophetic Shut Doors), is that, as discussed (see here), with the prophetically foreseen fuller, Spiritual understanding of God’s Sabbath to be done by particularly those who already understand and observed its literal/Letter of the Law binding claim, which is made manifest in providing spiritual and physical “rest and healing” to those in the world who are in such, even vital, needs (= Isa 58), indeed as our advanced technological and knowledge day and age currently, more than ever, can allow for this to be fully done, here comes to be the point in prophetic time when the Second Apartment door will become “Shut” to, here SDA’s rejecting this “advanced/fuller Sabbath” truth. Case in point, the “Letter of the Law” understanding of the Sabbath in 1846 really did not cause a “Shut Door” fallout/demarcation to transpire when it was discovered and followed then. That is because the Sabbath was wholly believed by those who had previously accepted the other restored truths during the full Second Angel’s Message developments, including the Sanctuary and the Spirit of Prophecy. So whereas, the First Apartment Door, (the Second Shut Door) when it was subsequently also Shut, had caused an observably marked separation in the “Adventist” group; this Third Door which was then almost immediately opened and revealed the Truths of God’s Law and Sabbath has yet to be so “Shut”. However, with now this crucial Spiritual Truth of what God intends His Law and Sabbath to fully be (cf. here) and thus how it is to tangibly impact His professed People, it is indeed at this time, when this Truth has manifestly now fully discovered, (i.e., sufficiently by various SDA Leaders) that this Third, Prophetic Door is beginning to be Shut. And when this “Shutting” is done, it will result in a marked separation amongst SDA’s who, pointedly, continue to believe that: ‘living and performing God’s work according to spurious and evil Capitalistic principles is perfectly acceptable’ vs. those who will know and seek to replace this ungodly, man-made, and artificially limiting and hampering system with the socio-economic principles which God had established and enduringly expressed in His Word, principles that were both brought back to light in Christ’s Ministry and then later re-emphasized in the SOP in addressing the prevailing needs and issues of her [EGW’s] time. (See e.g., Welfare Ministry (WM) 28-65ff; COL 62-69). (Important: See more on this present development in the SDA Church in this commentary).

            In her listing of Shut Doors in the Bible, EGW, manifestly under inspiration, cited the “door” mentioned in Rev 3:7. Summarily said here, this is the Davidic door, unlocked by a key given to those who form the most blessed and approved, faithful Philadelphia Church (Rev 3:7-13). The following Laodicean Church, despite it enjoying the riches and blessings that were made possible by the Philadelphian Church, is really, God’s aberration of what He expects His Church to be/become. Succinctly said here, but explained more fully in this post, that Third Door in Rev 3:7 is, through the now applicable Eschatological Development of Bible Prophecies, the same as the one in Rev 4:1 (2SAT 97.4) which is the starting point of “things which are to come.” Indeed the Most Holy Place, which is beyond that Third Door, is representative of the Throne Room of God. It is also not coincidental that in the Laodicean Message, Jesus is seen as knocking on a Shut Door, seeking to “enter and sup” with those beyond the door. As seen in the allusive post-resurrection episode on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-27), it is to the great advantage of people to have Jesus ‘travel along side them’ and then ‘abide and sup/break bread with them’, for it is then that He can, and will, confirm such most needed and enlightening knowledge (Luke 24:28-32). Even so, Jesus, as shown in both Luke 24:28 and Rev 3:20; despite knowing what He can, and will/would do for such still confused, and in the dark, believers, will not force His way into their midst. As seen in these two related episodes, it is those believers, who, having by then, already been made aware of several truths which they “burningly” know upon hearing and pondering them, to be both True and Beneficial for their situation (Rev 3:18), and thus binding to them (Rev 3:19), who are to do the righteous (i.e., “right”) thing in this situation and invite Jesus to come within their midst. Even, acceptably, if merely through a temporally-based motive of caringly/concernedly meeting a manifest physical need of Christ (e.g., ‘a physical restoration, and shelter for the night’ Luke 24:28-29), a need that Jesus actually really did not vitally need (vs. 31b - no mention that He ate the bread he broke and did not stay after this deliberate eye-opening breaking of this bread). So, as Jesus fully knew, these believers would really just be helping themselves by opening the door to their home to Him and inviting Him into their midst. (See DA 489.4-5 = RH, November 2, 1886 par. 5 =LDE 49.1)

           

Close of Probation and a Fourth, Prophetic Door

            It is commonly, and thematically, Biblically understood that there will be another, final “Shut Door” when probation will irreversibly be closed for the entire world. This will be after all peoples in the end will have made a choice for the Seal of God, or for the Mark of the Beast. As stated above that would thus come to make it a symbolically-significant, Seven Shut Doors covering this entire Great Controversy.

            This Final, Seventh Door will prophetically transpire under the Loud Cry Movement which itself can be Biblically/Prophetically seen and understood to be a conflation of all of the previous Shut Door Messages leading to this Final Warning, to be heralded to the entire world, and in the countering light of an heightened presence/manifestation of the Devil variously trying to defeat this Triumphing Advance of the Gospel Work of God.

            Nonetheless it is the Sixth Shut Door (Rev 3:7), which completes the understanding of God’s Law and His Sabbath, that will contribute to the initiating of this Loud Cry/Final Warning. And currently, the “fuller” understanding of God’s Sabbath is indeed resulting in a ‘Door Shutting’ upon, pointedly, Seventh-day Adventists (cf. 1 Pet 4:17) who understand and/or should have been diligent to understand this Biblical, Sabbatical Truth currently being proclaimed. A Message, when understood and tangibly accepted is fitting those who thus walk through this door to be ready, through the ensuing outpouring of the Latter Rain, to make this Final Proclamation. (EW 271, 272).

The Three Prophetic Doors and the Tabernacle Complex

            In the study of the Shut Door message in the SOP and Bible, the following in regards to how these First Three Prophetic Doors apply in the Sanctuary Complex can be seen and understood.

Temple Courtyard

            A First Prophetic Door occurred in connection with the Midnight Cry Movement which separated Christian Believers who had valid and actionable knowledge of, but rejected, the ‘hour of God’s judgement’ message. Symbolically speaking, this door was for access to the courtyard of God’s Tabernacle complex and those who accepted it, entered this courtyard and thus allowed the Sacrifice of Christ, which was to be typologically made in that courtyard’s altar, to be fully/efficaciously applied/confirmed in their life. Those who rejected it, remained outside of the courtyard and also were deprived of the benefits of this sacrifice which they all professed to believe in. It was indeed in such a symbolic representation that those who rejected this message were prophetically to be as “salvifically” lost and in darkness as the heathen in the world. (EW 14.1). However, as already seen, whereas that courtyard’s door became shut to them, it was still opened for unbelievers who had not had this chance to hear and understand this First Message.

Holy Place

            With God now having a faithful group of fully pardoned/justified believers following this ca. October 22, 1844 demarcation, now came the time to re-establish God’s True Church on Earth to begin to do the sanctification works that were symbolically depicted in the first apartment Sanctuary Ministry. However here, another “sifting door” would come to be, as the Second Angel’s Message was then to be fully proclaimed and applied. So, as already stated above, those who accepted the major doctrines that were restored amongst God’s people, came to pass through this door, becoming the SDA Church, while those who rejected it, remained in the courtyard, continuing merely as an “Adventist” group, and later forming various denominations (e.g., Churches of God (GC & 7th Day), Christadelphians, Advent Christian Church, United Seventh-Day Brethren, etc.).

Most Holy Place

            Now those in this Holy Place of the Sanctuary, were soon able to see within the veil into the Most Holy Place and accepted the alluringly shining forth Light of the Law of God and Sabbath truth which literally unlocked and/or sealed the proper understanding of virtually all of the prophecies of the Bible. As already stated, no marked/sharp demarcation occurred with this group here because those who accepted this ultimate, new Truth on the Ten Commandments and Sabbath, had been the ones who had already, through diligent Bible Study, accepted many of the other sanctifying teachings made manifest during the time of the Second Angel Message which continued to grow to its full light as they had then moved through the door into the Holy Place; -indeed having begun to perceive these distinctive truths, while they had still been in the Courtyard, peering in, as it were, through the open door of first apartment. In a similar way, those now in that first apartment, namely SDA’s have seen and begun to follow the Light of Truth being seen from beyond the door of the Second Apartment, however that light had not yet reached it full glory yet. Only the ‘Letter of the Law’ aspect of God’s Commandment had, and up to until very recently, been seen and/or understood by SDAs. The deeper, Spiritual aspect of God’s Law and Sabbath was still to be understood. (Cf. EGW’s related Mark of the Beast statement at the beginning of this post). So truly, it is those from the SDA Church, who will obey these binding claims of this advancing Biblical Light, which perfectly harmonize with the Gospel Message and Mandate of Jesus Christ (e.g., Luke 10:25-37; Matt 25:31-46), who will be the ones who actually go through this still open door. (Rev 3:7; 4:1). Those who refuse to advance in this Light will, though remaining, even as (organizationally) is, in the first apartment, but in now (relative) darkness, especially with the Light of God’s Presence (= “Truth”), which could fill the entire Sanctuary grounds were it not for the limiting walls and doors that were set up for this shielding and containment purpose, being then only shining in its fullest light in the Most Holy Place, and upon those therein, with its Door of access then being tightly, and “unopenably” to some most, Shut; -and with Satan himself (=EW 54.2-56.1), “most ensnaringly” (i.e., through an instilled, even more tacit, deference to the (Capitalistic) Economy =EW 266-269) then leading their, thought-to-be, most Godly, but preferentially/artificially limited and incomplete, and thus imperfect, yet then, actually also more humanitarian works. (MB 136.4).

The Shaking and the Third, Prophetic Shut Door

            It is interesting to see that the notions of “darkness” and a “demarcating seperation amongst professed believers of God” are both seen in the “Shaking Event” that is indeed to ‘sift God’s Church of False, Spurious, Nominal, and Lukewarm professed believers.’ Like in EGW’s first vision, it is revealed that in this Shaking Event, ‘these careless and indifferent ones who did not join with those who prized victory and salvation enough to perseveringly plead and agonize for it, did not obtain it, and they were left behind in darkness, and their places were immediately filled by others taking hold of the truth and coming into the ranks. (EW 271.1). So it is indeed seen that this (Sixth) Shut Door will only apply to those who could, and should, have perfected and readily seized the opportunity to come into this Light (Rev 3:19b), and not to others who did not have this same chance.

The Time of this Third, Prophetic Shut Door

            It is generally believed that the Shaking Event will fully transpire when the Mark of the Beast is set up, i.e., with, (“Historically” [vs. Eschatologically] -speaking) the formal passing of a Sunday Law. EGW’s statement in 5T 81.1, is often cited (indeed as the only relatable SOP passage) to support this timing understanding as she says there that:

“The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. All who assume the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ's righteousness, will appear in the shame of their own nakedness.”  {5T 81.1}

            This “Mark of the Beast” test is here clearly correlated to the notions involved in the Shaking Event, however, when the deeper spiritual issues are understood about the Mark of the Beast, involving more than just merely, Letter-of-the-Lawly, Sunday Sacredness, but also, and actually, pointedly, in this now Eschatological wave of prophetic fulfillments, the adherence to Capitalism and its pervasive socio-economic principles vs. God’s Sabbatical principles, it is then seen that, the now spiritual, Mark of the Beast test is indeed currently being “urged” upon the Church. Indeed many are knowingly, in opposition to this Fuller Sabbath Message, refusing to wholly turn to God’s Sabbatical principles, fearing that they will forfeit their amassed personal and denominational wealth, on top of a fear of losing their “accepted” social and “political-correctness” status in society, thus conversely inherently becoming the object of the derision and insults of Capitalists, which if/when such wide-ranging, Sabbatical (Isa 58) socio-economic reforms and outreach will come to tangibly affect Capitalist, formal and legal measures will surely be taken to maintain their capitalistic, selfish and individualistic way of life. Thus those who are observing God’s laws and principles here will potentially be cornered into a situation where they either “go along” with this widely accepted system of the world or be marginalized, if not overtly “punished” and thus left at the perils of their life or subjected to even deathly sanctions, not being able to “buy nor sell” (Rev 13:16-17), -at least, as marginalizingly done by many Western Powers to today’s (Economically) Communist Countries (i.e., Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, and decreasingly, Russia [and tellingly enough, indifferently not to (Politically) Communist China) in common/prominent markets.

            All this to say that this Shaking Event will come to pass in a way that most SDA’s, namely those who refuse to advance in the fuller Light of God’s Law and Sabbath, and thus the True Gospel of Jesus Christ, will vehemently reject and/or never see. This Light will have been ‘removed from their path’ with the transpiring of this Third Prophetic (and GC Sixth) Shut Door.

Notes
[1] Nonetheless this error was really not their fault, nor even malicious or prideful on their part, because they had the paramount belief that the end of the world was soon to occur, even in the proximate time after the passing of October 22, 1844, so they had the understanding that this “Shut Door” was the world’s final ‘Close of Probation.’ (Rev 22:11). God’s later revelations showed them that time would go on and also that some others would have a (first) chance to hear and be converted in this message.

            Also going by a Biblical understanding of the Topic of ‘God and the Future’, this permitted ‘Belief in the Imminent End’ was because God knew that He indeed could make this come to pass if circumstances on earth allowed/necessitated for it to be done. This was also the case with the Apostolic Church (i.e., up to, and until, the passing of the 70 A.D. end. Given the NT Church’s shortcoming and failure then, as seen in the writings of Paul and also the (also literally applicable) messages to the 7 Churches in Revelation, the Second Coming was then also delayed, and the Historical wave of Prophetic Fulfillment was allowed to ensue.).

[2] It must be stated that in that White Estate document, which was “compiled, with occasional commentary,” by Robert W. Olson in 1982, the term “door” is many times inferentially understood and explicitly stated as such, where the underlying SOP passage does not actually, explicitly mention a “door”. However, in those SOP statements, that explicit “door” understanding can indeed be drawn from what is related in the context, and thus loosely refers to: ‘such points in time that cause a marked division in a group where some, figuratively went through a door, while others refused to, and remained “outside”, -a “door” which then became unopenably “shut” to those who had refused to pass through it.’

[3] In this 10-19-2013 sermon, Stephen Bohr cites some different supposed “Shut Doors” than what EGW has listed here, namely in regards to the Amorites (Gen 15:15-16) [01:01:11ff]; Babylon (Dan 5) [01:05:52ff]; and OT [Israel]/Jerusalem (2 Chr 36:15-16, 17-19) [01:11:39ff]; then in NT History times: the RCC/Holy Roman Empire (Dan 7) [01:24:20ff]; and: modern/contemporary times: Protestantism & Capitalist America [01:27:07ff], but I am still seeing that all of these added examples still lack the “present/prominent, fork-in-the-road choice” element stated later here, where God’s people, (and when they are actually involved at all), then have to choose whether to follow after God or remain in the doomed vessel. In other words, by the time these cited “doors” by Bohr were shut, that “decision” by any righteous people of God in those entities would have had to long ago been made.

            OT Israel/Jerusalem - It must also be specifically stressed that in the case of OT Jerusalem, their fate in the Babylonian Captivity, or the earlier Assyrian Invasion for the Northern Kingdom, was not actually “final”, but only a momentary judgement by God as he was always planning to, most graciously, restore them. So a “Shut Door” (i.e., which cannot be reopened) for (OT) Israel, indeed only came around at the time of the First Century Gospel proclamation, and indeed then was Ethnic Israel no longer God’s Israel.

            Spiritually likewise, in regards to the then ensuing Spiritual Israel, their doors which had allowed them to be considered as God’s Israel since Apostolic times began to be, as presented in this post here, successively “Shut” with each effectuated proclamation of the Three Angels Message, with the Third Message having actually, as it has increased in Light (=Rev 7:1-3, cf. here), extending down through our day since it first began to be proclaimed in 1846 (LS 96.1-4|905 JNL, GSAM 255.1-257.1; EW 254.1ff). Once its “Full Sabbatical” (Isa 58; WM 23-63; EW 85.2-3) work is finally done (EW 279.1ff), then will that Old NT Israel, of which the SDA Church is currently only one tribe (Judah) be, as done in 34 A.D., formally replaced by a Church Triumphant Remnant from it (=Rev 7:4-8).

            So, in conclusion, I am still seeing here that the additional “shut doors” claimed by Bohr lack both the instant pivotalness, wide-reaching salvational implication  and/or utter finality than what the, manifestly significant 7 Shut Door presented in this blog post all contain.