My First Vision
[THIS
VIEW WAS GIVEN SOON AFTER THE GREAT ADVENT DISAPPOINTMENT IN 1844, AND WAS FIRST
PUBLISHED IN 1846. ONLY A FEW OF THE EVENTS OF THE FUTURE WERE SEEN AT THAT
TIME. LATER VIEWS HAVE BEEN MORE FULL. SEE ALSO APPENDIX.]
While I was praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me, and I
seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to
look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice
said to me, "Look again, and look a little higher." At this I raised my eyes,
and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path
the Advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the farther end of
the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the
path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along
the path and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble. If they
kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the
city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and said the city was a great
way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage
them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His arm came a light which
waved over the Advent band, and they shouted, "Alleluia!" Others rashly denied
the light behind them and said that it was not God that had led them out so far.
The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they
stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down
into the dark and wicked world below. Soon we [SEE APPENDIX.] heard the voice of
God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus' coming.
The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood
the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake.
When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began
to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses' did when he came down
from Mount Sinai. {EW 14.1}
The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On
their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing
Jesus' new name. At our happy, holy state the wicked were enraged,
and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we
would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and they would fall
helpless to the ground. Then it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God
had loved us who could wash one another's feet and salute the brethren with a
holy kiss, and they worshiped at our feet. {EW 15.1}
