Basic HTML Version
34
Early Writings
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 bright. Some crowns appeared heavy with stars, while others had
but few. All were perfectly satisfied with their crowns. And they
were all clothed with a glorious white mantle from their shoulders
[17]
to their feet. Angels were all about us as we marched over the sea of
glass to the gate of the city. Jesus raised His mighty, glorious arm,
laid hold of the pearly gate, swung it back on its glittering hinges,
and said to us, “You have washed your robes in My blood, stood
stiffly for My truth, enter in.” We all marched in and felt that we had
a perfect right in the city.
Here we saw the tree of life and the throne of God. Out of the
throne came a pure river of water, and on either side of the river
was the tree of life. On one side of the river was a trunk of a tree,
and a trunk on the other side of the river, both of pure, transparent
gold. At first I thought I saw two trees. I looked again, and saw that
they were united at the top in one tree. So it was the tree of life on
either side of the river of life. Its branches bowed to the place where
we stood, and the fruit was glorious; it looked like gold mixed with
silver.