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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]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]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
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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 of (paramountly, GC-
significant[3]3) “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
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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.
3
Second Advent Movement, 193).
4
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.
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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)
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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).
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.).
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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 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.
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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.
Weblinks
http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/shutdoor.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.ca/2012/04/the-lord-of-sabbath.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventist
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2009/11/sealing-of-gods-people-part-2-ezekiel-9.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2010/12/unrolling-of-scroll.html
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http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2010/01/real-outpouring-of-holy-spirit.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2010/11/shaking-in-it-biblical-context.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-preview-god-all-mighty.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2010/01/theological-views-commentary.html#rattling
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2009/11/sealing-of-gods-people-part-2-ezekiel-9.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2011/06/coming-of-sealing-angel.html
http://www.adventistonline.com/xn/detail/1451550:Comment:1278563
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2008/07/biblical-interpretation-of-daniels-70.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2009/10/church-triumphant.html
http://njkproject.blogspot.com/2009/11/daniel-11-text.html
Notes
1. [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. [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
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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. [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.
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