Shut-door theology

Shut-door theology was a belief held by the group that became the Seventh-day Adventist Church from 1844 to approximately 1854. It held that as William Miller had given the final call for salvation, all who did not accept his message were lost. The door of salvation was shut, hence the term "Shut Door". This belief led to the formation of the investigative judgment belief, which forms one of the official 28 Fundamentals beliefs today.

History

When Jesus did not arrive the Shut door Adventists, later the seventh-day Adventists, had to explain the delay. The theory of the investigative judgment was formed in order to explain why Jesus had not come: the sanctuary needed to be cleansed and a review of the records in heaven needed to be completed before Christ would appear. Those believing in the Shut door theory did not believe it necessary or possible to reach out to the lost, who had rejected Miller's final call. Salvation was only open to those who had accepted the message of William Miller.

The groundwork for the theory came from a William Miller quote published in the December 11, 1844 Advent Herald: "We have done our work in warning sinners, and in trying to awake a formal church. God, in his providence has shut the door; and we can only stir one another up to be patient; and be diligent to make our calling and election sure."

In January 1845, editors Apollos Hale of the "Advent Herald" and Joseph Turner of "The Hope of Israel" further developed this thought, eventually coming to believe that on October 22, 1844, every man's destiny was forever sealed, using as their basis. The term "shut door" came from Jesus' parable of the Bridegroom and the Virgins: "and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." () The Adventists believed that Jesus' return was imminent.

Ellen White early on in her ministry as a prophet had visions supporting the belief in the Shut door. Despite her earlier affirmations, beginning in November of 1848, she had a vision in which she saw the Three Angels' Messages "like streams of light... clear round the world." As the Millerite movement had not been significantly multinational, her vision clearly showed that new converts could be made to the movement.

In a 1849 vision, White heard Christ tell her that the door that had been shut was the door to the Holy Place of the Sanctuary. This meant that the Sabbath message, which had previously been unknown to most Christians, would now be a test of faith. However, the Adventists were then unsure of Ellen White's prophetic status, and did not accept the visions as a divinely inspired denouncement of shut-door theory.

Gradually, individuals who had no prior connection with Adventism converted to the church. This seemed to be a clear violation of the shut door theory, and by 1854, religious leaders and most Adventists were ready to accept that the shut-door theory was false.

See also

* Seventh-day Adventist theology
* History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

References

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External links

Ellen G. White Estate website:
* [http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/faq-unus.html#unusual-section-g Unusual statements of Ellen White]
* " [http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/shutsdae.html Open and Shut Door] " from the "Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia", second revised edition, 11:249–252
* [http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/Advent.html Advent Experience] by George Ide Butler, a reprint of "Review and Herald" articles
* " [http://www.whiteestate.org/books/mol/Chapt44.html The Shut Door—A Case Study] ", chapter 44 in "Messenger of the Lord" by Herbert E. Douglass
* " [http://www.whiteestate.org/issues/shutdoor.html The 'Shut Door' Documents] " compiled by Robert W. Olson, 1982

Other:
* "Adventist Currents" 1:4 (July 1984)