Chapter 7—My First Vision
It was not long after the passing of the time in 1844 that my first
vision was given me. I was visiting a dear sister in Christ, whose heart
was knit with mine; five of us, all women, were kneeling quietly at the
family altar. While we were praying, the power of God came upon
me as I had never felt it before. I seemed to be surrounded with light,
and to be rising higher and higher from the earth. 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
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my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the
world. On this path the advent people were traveling toward the city.
Behind them, at the beginning of the path, was a bright light which
an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the
path, that their feet might not stumble. Jesus Himself went just before
His people to lead them forward, and as long as they kept their eyes
fixed on Him, 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,
from which came a light that waved over the advent band; and they
shouted: “Alleluia!” Others rashly denied the light behind them, and
said 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 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 spake the time, He poured
upon us the Holy Spirit, and our faces began to light up and shine with
the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount
Sinai.
The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their fore-
heads were the words God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star con-
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