Ellen Gould White
What does Ellen White write about...
Ellen Gould White über: "How does Ellen Harmon describe the day of the expected return of Jesus in 1844?"
Answer
Ellen Harmon (later White) originally describes the believers in 1844 as a joyful community, full of longing and with “sweet expectation” awaiting the arrival of their Lord. However, when the time passed and Jesus did not appear, a period of severe disappointment, deep sorrow, and distress followed, which is compared to the experience of Jesus’ disciples at the tomb.
Although the calculations of the prophetic periods were correct, the believers were mistaken about the event; Jesus entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary instead of returning to earth. While the world and nominal Christians mocked the disappointed, they were gradually led from their distress to new light and hope through the study of Scripture and divine comfort.
The Disappointment and the Misunderstanding of the Sanctuary
»Jesus did not come to earth as the waiting, joyful crowd had expected, to cleanse the sanctuary by purifying the earth with fire. I saw that they were correct in their calculation of the prophetic periods; the prophetic time ended in 1844, and Jesus entered the Most Holy Place at the close of the days to cleanse the sanctuary. Their error was in not understanding what the sanctuary was and what kind of cleansing it entailed.«
God’s Purpose and the Testing of Faith
»I saw God’s people looking joyfully in expectation of their Lord. But God intended to test them. His hand covered a mistake in the calculation of the prophetic periods. Those who were watching for their Lord did not discover this error... God wanted His people to encounter a disappointment. The time passed, and those who had looked at their Savior with joyful expectation were sad and discouraged.«
Comparison with the Experience of the First Disciples
»Similarly, I saw that Jesus regarded the disappointed who had waited for His coming with deepest compassion; and He sent His angels to direct their minds to where He was. He showed them that this earth is not the sanctuary, but that He must enter the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to obtain atonement for His people... The disappointment of the first disciples well represents the disappointment of those who expected their Lord in 1844.«
World’s Mockery and the Search for New Light
»Many continued to search in the Scriptures, re-examined the evidence of their faith, and carefully studied the prophecies to obtain further light. The biblical testimony supporting their position seemed clear and convincing... And although the believers could not explain their disappointment, they felt certain that God had guided them in their previous experience.«
The Significance of Mocking the Disappointed
»They saw many who bore the name Christians turn away with scorn and mockery from those who had been disappointed. When the words fell from the mockers’ lips: “You have not yet ascended!”, an angel wrote them down. The angel said: “They have offended God.” ... those who have mocked and scoffed at the notion of the saints’ ascension will be visited by God’s plagues.«
- Difference between 1843 and 1844 prophecy
- Meaning of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary
- The experience of the great disappointment Ellen White
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
