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Counsels for the Church
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 [those who chose to follow 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.
Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had
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appeared, about half as large as a man’s hand, which we all knew was
the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the
cloud as it drew nearer and became lighter, glorious, and still more
glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like
fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand
angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man. His
hair was white and curly and lay on His shoulders; and upon His head
were many crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in His right
hand was a sharp sickle; in His left, a silver trumpet. His eyes were as
a flame of fire, which searched His children through and through. Then
all faces gathered paleness, and those that God had rejected gathered
blackness. Then we all cried out, “Who shall be able to stand? Is my
robe spotless?” Then the angels ceased to sing, and there was some
time of awful silence, when Jesus spoke: “Those who have clean hands
and pure hearts shall be able to stand; My grace is sufficient for you.”
At this our faces lighted up, and joy filled every heart. And the angels
struck a note higher and sang again, while the cloud drew still nearer
the earth.
Then Jesus’ silver trumpet sounded, as He descended on the cloud,
wrapped in flames of fire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping
saints, then raised His eyes and hands to heaven, and cried, “Awake!
awake! awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise.” Then there was a
mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed
with immortality. The 144,000 shouted, “Alleluia!” as they recognized
their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same
moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet
the Lord in the air.
We all entered the cloud together, and were seven days ascending
to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought the crowns, and with His own
right hand placed them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and
palms of victory. Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a
perfect square. Some of them had very bright crowns, others not so