Heavenly Visions

“SO IT WAS.”

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

THESE words were used by Pharaoh’s chief butler when commending Joseph to the king of Egypt as one who could interpret his dreams. He said: “We told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me be restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.” Genesis 41:12, 13. After hearing the facts stated by the chief butler, there seemed to be no question with Pharaoh but that Joseph would give him a correct interpretation of his dream, which so troubled him; and when the interpretation was given, he had no doubt that the thing would come to pass just as had been told him. He said to Joseph, “Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art.” Verse 39. HEVI 46.1

If a heathen king could discern that the power to tell what would take place was proof of divine guidance, surely those professing faith in God and his working should recognize it. The Lord himself reasons with his people respecting the manifestation of his foresight, in these words: “I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Thou has heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created now and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.” Isaiah 48:3-7. HEVI 46.2

The Lord’s revelation of what he would do was through his prophets (“surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7); and when the thing predicted came to pass, he expected all who professed to be his people to acknowledge it as proof that he spoke the word, and that the instrument through whom he spoke was one of his true prophets. This principle is just as true in these modern days as in ancient times, and should be kept in mind when studying the instruction given by Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, to “prove all things” that come in the form of “prophesyings.” HEVI 46.3

As a further application of this rule, we call attention to the prediction made by Sister White, in a vision given in Oswego, New York, June 20, 1855. It related to what was then called “the Messenger Party,” which consisted of certain disaffected ones, who, having left our ranks, began a united opposition to the visions, claiming that, when rid of them, the third angel’s message would at once “go with a loud cry.” This party printed a paper called the Messenger of Truth. From this the party was named. They claimed to have more preachers than were left with us, and tauntingly said to our ministers, “We will follow up and get all your converts.” One by the name of Drew put it in these words, “You go ahead and shake the bush, and we will follow up, and catch all the birds.” The conflict was fierce, and the opposition bitter. As expressed of them by another, “There is nothing to which they will not stoop; and they are never likely to be out of scandal with which to assail those who have incurred their displeasure.” HEVI 46.4

Until the Lord spoke directly concerning this party, our leading ministers considered it duty to answer the scandalous falsehoods that were published in the Messenger of Truth. Elders White, Waggoner, Cornell, and Frisbie, and the writer counseled together, and had arranged to write a reply to the malicious fabrications, each taking a separate line of attack. Just at this time the vision (the writer being present) was given in Oswego. HEVI 46.5

After coming out of the vision, Sister White, speaking to Elder White and me, said, “You brethren are mistaken as to your duty to answer the slanderous writings of the Messenger. It is only a trick of the enemy to divert you from using your time in spreading the truth. When you answer one of their lies, they will manufacture two more. The Lord says to let them alone, and go on with your work as if there was no such people on the earth, and in less than six weeks they will be at war among themselves. The candid ones among them will see their error and come back. The Messenger company will go to pieces, and their paper go down, while the third angel’s message will advance more rapidly than ever. When their paper goes down, you will find that our ranks have doubled.” HEVI 46.6

And “so it was.” We let them alone, and made no reference to them nor their work in the review. First they complained, then they growled, and dared us for battle. In less than four weeks some of their financial supporters left them, and the dissension and fight was on among themselves. The cause of present truth advanced in every phase of its work. A statement made in the REVIEW, Jan. 14, 1858, just after the Messenger paper “breathed its last,” having had a sickly existence of about three years, shows how accurately the prediction made in the Oswego vision was fulfilled. Speaking of the result of the Messenger work, the writer said: “At the time of the disaffection, when the effort was made to break down the REVIEW, the church property at the Office was worth only seven hundred dollars. Since, it has increased to five thousand dollars. Then, there were about one thousand paying subscribers; now, there are two thousand, besides quite a ‘free’ list.” As the number of paying subscribers to the REVIEW had exactly doubled, so the number of believers had increased more than twofold. HEVI 47.1

If, in the statement made by the Lord’s servant, a heathen king could see proof that he was “a man in whom the Spirit of God is,” should we not, as believers in the Bible and the living God, be as ready to acknowledge God’s Spirit in the instruction he gives in these last days through his own humble instrument? The Review and Herald, November 21, 1899. HEVI 47.2