God gave me a [vision] the evening of the 16th. I saw that when the Lord said heaven He meant heaven and when He said earth, He meant earth in giving the signs as recorded by Matt. Mark and Luke.1EGWLM 138.4

I saw that the powers of heaven are the sun, moon and stars. They rule in the heavens. I saw that the powers of earth are those who bear rule on earth. I saw that the powers of heaven will be shaken at the voice of God. Then the sun, moon, and stars will be moved out of their places. They will not fall or pass away, but be shaken by the voice of God.1EGWLM 138.5

Dark, heavy clouds came up and clashed against each other; the atmosphere parted and rolled back, then we could see the open space in Orion¹

This is the first and only specific mention of an “open space” in Orion in Ellen White's writings. Several noted astronomers had reported “openings” in the Great Nebula in Orion, a fact seen by subsequent Adventist writers as confirming Ellen White's vision. Thus, Christian Huygens, in the seventeenth century, interpreted certain dark areas of the nebula as “an opening in the sky.” Likewise, most nineteenth-century astronomers interpreted starless, dark portions of the Orion Nebula as “tubes through which we may look into the remotest depths of space” (Alexander von Humboldt, in Sprengel and Martz, Review, Apr. 1, 1976, p. 10). However, by the early twentieth century “these blank areas in the sky were discovered to be opaque clouds of dust and gas situated between the earth and the most distant stars” (ibid.), not openings leading to the depths of space. These later scientific discoveries do not, of course, disprove the description given in the vision that the new Jerusalem pictured by John as “coming down from God out of heaven” (Rev. 21:2) will make its entrance into our galaxy and view by way of the constellation Orion.

The best historical survey of the intersection of science and theology as regards Ellen White's Orion vision is found in Merton E. Sprengel and Dowell E. Martz, “Orion Revisited,” Review, Mar. 25, 1976, pp. 4-7; idem, “How Open Is Orion's Open Space?” Review, Apr. 1, 1976, pp. 9-11; idem, “Does the ‘Open Space’ Exist Today?” Review, Apr. 8, 1976, pp. 6-8.

from whence came the voice of God. I saw that the Holy City will come down through that open space. I saw that the powers of earth are now being shaken. The Lord showed me that things came in order—war, and rumors of war—sword, famine, and pestilence are first to shake the powers of earth, then the voice of God will shake the heavens and earth—the sun, moon, and stars and this planet also. I saw that the shaking of nations in Europe is not the shaking of the powers of heaven as some teach, but it is the shaking of the powers of earth.^{2
The last sentence provides a key to understanding this document. Some Adventists interpreted the revolutionary ferment sweeping through Europe in 1848 in which a string of monarchs were overthrown as fulfilling Christ's prediction in Luke 21:26 that “the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” They also noted that this event is the last of the signs enumerated by Christ in this passage before the coming of the Son of man: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then they shall see the Son of man coming” (verses 25-27). Thus D. Crary wrote in the Adventist Bible Advocate of the 1848 events as “this sweeping tornado, which like an electric shock, has passed over Europe” and concludes that this is the event “which the Saviour gave as the last sign of his coming, ‘The powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.’” The extent to which Sabbatarian Adventists shared this interpretation is not known, but the fact that the vision contradicts it suggests that it was an issue among them, also.
The obvious difficulty with this interpretation is that it is hard to see why European powers in 1848 should be described as “the powers that are in heaven.” Some Advocate articles and letters argued that “the powers of heaven” simply meant “the powers and kingdoms of this world,” whereas others held that the two are clearly distinguished in the Bible. For J. B. Cook “the heaven” is as distinct from “the earth” in the Bible “as the Creator is from the creature.” We should not “confound heaven and earth!”
The debate over the meaning of “heaven” and “earth” in the Bible and over Christ's expression “the shaking of the powers of heaven” in the context of the 1848 revolutions clearly provides the context for Ellen White's statements in this vision. Thus the opening sentences seek to define these terms, and the last sentence concludes that “the shaking of the powers of heaven” applies not to the current crisis in Europe but to future events, when “the voice of God will shake the heavens and earth—the sun, moon, and stars and this planet also.”
See: D. Crary, “The Powers That Are in Heaven Shall Be Shaken,” Bible Advocate, June 1, 1848, p. 116; H. L. Smith, “The Powers of Heaven Shall Be Shaken,” Bible Advocate, June 8, 1848, pp. 123, 124; H. H. Gross, “Signs of This Time,” Bible Advocate, June 8, 1848, p. 127; J. B. Cook, “The Opening Heavens,” Bible Advocate, June 15, 1848, p. 133.}1EGWLM 138.6

In hope.1EGWLM 139.1

Ms 1, 1848

Ms 2, 1849