Biblical Evidence for Hiram Edson's Cornfield Vision?

[Pavel Mosko]

When October 23, 1844, dawned and the little group of Millerites huddled in Edson’s farm had managed to check the first outpouring of grief, Edson led the way to his barn. Here they gathered and spent the morning in prayer. After this season of prayer, Edson, accompanied by his friend Owen Crosier, decided to make a trip across his cornfield. They wanted to visit some of their Millerite neighbors and encourage them. As they were making their way across the field Edson stopped short and seemed to stare straight ahead. Puzzled, Crosier pulled to an abrupt stop behind him calling out “Brother Edson, what are you stopping for?”

To which Edson replied, “God is answering our morning prayer, giving light regarding our disappointment”. Edson later explained that as he was walking he felt as if a hand was laid on his shoulder and he seemed to have a vision of the heavenly sanctuary where he saw that Jesus had that very day entered into the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary to begin the work of judgment."

https://lineagejourney.com/read/hiram-edson-the-farmer-in-the-cornfield/


I am skeptical that there is any good "Biblical" justification for this vision that becomes the inspirational source for the "Investigative Judgement" of Seventh Day Adventism. Specifically speaking in the Bible, Christ is seated on the Throne in Heaven with the Father, and the Holy Spirit. While he does act as a mediator and Intercessor that is likely less literal or metaphorical, but if it is literal that can be done from "The Throne Room" that we see in Revelation, Ezekiel etc. The Throne room doubles as a temple it literally is depicted as having an altar and the incense smoke that wafts up are "the prayer of the saints" per the book of Revelation.


Now there are scriptures related to the Tabernacle and Temple, where saint Paul and God in the book of Exodus mentions that the original tabernacle and temple "were a copy of the original heavenly one." But I don't see why this would be a major reason for putting together a Doctrine like the "Investigative Judgment". Not when such duties are likely to be metaphorical or if literal, could be taking place some place "off camera" so to speak from the Throne Room that we see in the visions of biblical prophets.


Where am I biblically wrong in my assumptions and interpretations asserting the basic traditional Christian Meta Narrative regarding the priesthood role of Christ? (Christ stays in the Temple / Throne Room till he returns to Earth at the end of the Age in the Second Coming to Judge the Living and the Dead).

I am actually wondering if this foundational vision is more rooted in the soul of Hiram (his emotional / psychological state) as a kind of "Confirmation Bias" stress relieving hallucination because of his emotional state from "the Great Disappointment" or maybe from a diabolical source that wants to lead people astray because the confirming Biblical evidence seems weak.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I recall when the bible says, pay attention if what they say actually happens. If it does not happen, do not fear/listen to them. This applies to the great disappointment and figurative fulfillments.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

I recall when the bible says, pay attention if what they say actually happens. If it does not happen, do not fear/listen to them. This applies to the great disappointment and figurative fulfillments.

I think I agree on the negative side of things because that is what the Bible says in Deuteronomy with

DEUTERONOMY 18:22
KJ21
when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him.


There still is a possibility of something on the positive side of things that Jesus did in fact something invisibly in heaven. Now I think that is very unlikely, and there needs to be some real good proof or justification to believe something that is purely from a vision that has big ramifications and cannot really be tested objectively. You get into a serious Gnostic dilemma. I occasionally encountered this problem in the charismatic movement where certain practices like "Spiritual Mapping" were touted, and other teachings concerning demons e.g. some people taught you could pick up a stray demon like a flea from coming into contact with someone, or people giving prophecies etc. where you realize it is likely the word is coming from their own soul or is being colored at least by their own personal emotional baggage.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Inspiration for this thread comes from a video I watched this week incidentally.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

I think I agree on the negative side of things because that is what the Bible says in Deuteronomy with

DEUTERONOMY 18:22
KJ21
when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously; thou shalt not be afraid of him.


There still is a possibility of something on the positive side of things that Jesus did in fact something invisibly in heaven. Now I think that is very unlikely, and there needs to be some real good proof or justification to believe something that is purely from a vision that has big ramifications and cannot really be tested objectively. You get into a serious Gnostic dilemma. I occasionally encountered this problem in the charismatic movement where certain practices like "Spiritual Mapping" were touted, and other teachings concerning demons e.g. some people taught you could pick up a stray demon like a flea from coming into contact with someone, or people giving prophecies etc. where you realize it is likely the word is coming from their own soul or is being colored at least by their own personal emotional baggage.

Yes, if there is a non-zero chance of it being a prophecy, then it must be examined.

Scripture memory recalls a passage about a "puffed up vision"

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Yes, if there is a non-zero chance of it being a prophecy, then it must be examined.

Scripture memory recalls a passage about a "puffed up vision"

A little off topic, but it has been an area of concern for me in the charismatic movement when people get really into their visions, talking about them at length for a long-time during sermons, and the vision itself is the entire message, rather than just something that illustrates some Biblical passage or principle. The bottom video is the best example of this I have ever seen.

There is a scripture I am having trouble finding with various key word searches. I think it is in reference to the super apostles, or false prophets, but it is like how they go on and on about their visions and revelations. It reminds of certain folks like the guy below and certain modern prophets that started various churches and movements.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

A little off topic, but it has been an area of concern for me in the charismatic movement when people get really into their visions, talking about them at length for a long-time during sermons, and the vision itself is the entire message, rather than just something that illustrates some Biblical passage or principle. The bottom video is the best example of this I have ever seen.

There is a scripture I am having trouble finding with various key word searches. I think it is in reference to the super apostles, or false prophets, but it is like how they go on and on about their visions and revelations. It reminds of certain folks like the guy below and certain modern prophets that started various churches and movements.

I recall the days when a charismatic church was mostly song and dance, and a 15 minute message.

So hearing it's all about a vision instead of bible teaching does not surprise me.

 

[BobRyan]

Now there are scriptures related to the Tabernacle and Temple, where saint Paul and God in the book of Exodus mentions that the original tabernacle and temple "were a copy of the original heavenly one." But I don't see why this would be a major reason for putting together a Doctrine like the "Investigative Judgment". Not when such duties are likely to be metaphorical or if literal, could be taking place some place "off camera" so to speak from the Throne Room that we see in the visions of biblical prophets.


Where am I biblically wrong in my assumptions and interpretations asserting the basic traditional Christian Meta Narrative regarding the priesthood role of Christ? (Christ stays in the Temple / Throne Room till he returns to Earth at the end of the Age in the Second Coming to Judge the Living and the Dead).

Let's look at the basics.

First a dose of reality in that no Bible study on this topic by SDAs relies on any statement, conviction, POV of Edson as its source. It is strictly based on scripture and history confirming scripture. You should be looking at the actual Bible topic instead of Edson since Edson is not the authority/proof for any of it.

So this will means we are reading the actual Bible - not simply creative writing about why you or I think we are correct.

1. Jesus stood apart from the Jewish traditions of his day that dictated that the Messiah should have an entirely different mission than did Christ. So that means in true Mark 7:6-13 Jesus slam hammers the tradition of the jewish magesterium of his day - no matter that they claimed it was infallibly correct. And He did so - "sola scriptura" as we see in Mark 7. A very good model for us to follow.

2. Daniel 7 ALONE gives us the pre-advent judgment where there is a court room judging the saints and the entire time the judgment is going on in heaven - the saints are being persecuted. In that chapter we are told that only at the conclusion of that judgment in heaven does persecution of the saints end. We are also told that Jesus is in a very key role for that judgment (in fact Christ said all judgment has been handed over to Him).

3. Almost every reference to Judgment in the New Testament - places it in the future to the New Testament writers. So we know from Dan 7 that it completes prior to the coming of Christ -- prior to the rapture - prior to the saints receiving the kingdom and we know from texts like Rom 2:16 and 2 Cor 5:10 that the judgment is future to the NT days of Paul.

4. Romans 2:4-16 gives a lot of detail about the case where names pass in that judgment and the case where they fail.

5. Daniel 9 uses day-for-year apocolapytic time (70 weeks = 490 days in apocalyptic time = 490 literal years) which accurately predicts the first coming of Christ - 458 B.C. as the start date and 34 A.D. as the end of that 490 year timeline. All apocaylptic time uses the same exact day-for year timeline.

6. Dan 8 has 2300 days - which then are in fact 2300 years. And it's start date is given in Dan 9... 458 B.C. Dan 8 ends in 1844 given that its start date is given in Dan 9 as 458 B.C. What is more Dan 8 has the same little horn problem as Dan 7 and it has the same issue with the saints being persecuted by that little horn. It has the same solution as well.
What Dan 7 call "The judgment" the court sits for judgment, Dan 8 calls "the sanctuary shall be cleansed". The two chapters describe the same problem and they give different aspects of the same solution to that problem.

7. Rev 15:8 says the ministry in the heavenly sanctuary ends so that the Rev 16 seven plagues can happen. The plagues end with the Rev 19 rapture/appearing of Christ.

Notice that there is never a reference here - to anything Hiram Edson ever claimed to have seen. It is not based on "The word of Hiram Edson" or any statement that Edson ever made. ... as it turns out. If ten people were to say today "I just had a vision/dream of Christ going into the sanctuary at His ascension and the Judgment of Dan 7 starting in 1844 and ending in Rev 15:8" it would not cause us to switch our doctrinal study away from the texts just listed and toward those ten people.

A little off topic, but it has been an area of concern for me in the charismatic movement when people get really into their visions,

You may not be that interested in what the bible says on this topic - but at least you can be comforted by knowing that as SDAs our doctrine is not based on any trust at all in what Hiram Edson thought. It is all based on what scripture says. But if your interest is to keep a certain distance from scripture then you might not enjoy looking into the Bible evidence for this teaching.

 

[BobRyan]

Where am I biblically wrong in my assumptions and interpretations asserting the basic traditional Christian Meta Narrative regarding the priesthood role of Christ? (Christ stays in the Temple / Throne Room till he returns to Earth at the end of the Age in the Second Coming

That part of your view is correct.