Manuscript Releases, vol. 2 [Nos. 97-161]

MR No. 141—A Vivid View of Future Events

[Release requested to be published in the Review and Herald.]

[Mrs. White's presentation of the views given her of the age-long conflict between Christ and His angels and Satan and his angels was a work in which she was, from time to time, engaged from early life to the close of her ministry. Again and again certain of the scenes were portrayed before her in vivid representations. To this she made reference in 1911, “While writing the manuscript of Great Controversy I was often conscious of the presence of the angels of God and many times the scenes about which I was writing were presented to me anew in visions of the night so that they were fresh and vivid in my mind.”—Letter 56, 1900. (Notes and Papers, page 134.) 2MR 207.1

One such scene which was presented to her on several occasions was that of the deliverance of the saints just before the second coming of Christ. An early presentation of this is found in Early Writings, 285-288, and it is presented again in the familiar chapter in The Great Controversy, 635-652, under the title of “God's People Delivered.” 2MR 207.2

In 1911 Elder W. C. White stated, “While Mother was writing this book [Great Controversy], many of the scenes were presented to her over and over again in visions of the night. The deliverance of God's people, as given in chapter 40, was repeated three times, and on two occasions, once at her home in Healdsburg, and once at the St. Helena Sanitarium, members of her family sleeping in nearby rooms, were awakened from sleep by a clear, musical cry, “They come! They come!” (See The Great Controversy, 636.) 2MR 207.3

On Sunday, January 20, 1884, while spending a few days at the St. Helena Sanitarium, Mrs. White penned a letter to two of the leading ministers of the denomination, George I. Butler, president of the General Conference, and S. N. Haskell, a worker of large experience, in which she described one of these presentations which was made to her on Friday night, January 18. That which follows is a vivid description of this experience.—A. L. White.] 2MR 207.4

Friday night several heard my voice exclaiming, “Look, look!” Whether I was dreaming or in vision, I cannot tell. I slept alone. The time of trouble was upon us. I saw our people in great distress, weeping and praying, pleading the sure promises of God, while the wicked were all around us, mocking us and threatening to destroy us. They ridiculed our feebleness, they mocked at the smallness of our numbers, and taunted us with words calculated to cut deep. They charged us with taking an independent position from all the rest of the world. They had cut off our resources so that we could not buy or sell, and they referred to our abject poverty and stricken condition. They could not see how we could live without the world. We were dependent on the world, and we must concede to the customs, practices, and laws of the world, or go out of it. If we were the only people in the world whom the Lord favored, the appearances were awfully against us. 2MR 207.5

They declared that they had the truth, that miracles were among them; that angels from heaven talked with them and walked with them, that great power and signs and wonders were performed among them, and that this was the temporal millennium they had been expecting so long. The whole world was converted and in harmony with the sunday law, and this little feeble people stood out in defiance of the laws of the land and the law of God, and claimed to be the only ones right on the earth. 2MR 208.1

They declared, “The angels from heaven have spoken to us,” Referring to those whom Satan personated that had died and they claimed had gone to heaven. “You will bear the testimony of the heavenly messengers.” They sneered, they mocked, they derided and abused the sorrowing ones. There was much more but I have not time to write it. 2MR 208.2

But while anguish was upon the loyal and true who would not worship the beast or his image and accept and revere an idol sabbath, one said, “Look up! Look up!” Every eye was lifted, and the heavens seemed to part as a scroll when it is rolled together, and as stephen looked into heaven, we looked. The mockers were taunting and reviling us, and boasting of what they intended to do to us if we continued obstinate in holding fast our faith. But now we were as those who heard them not; we were gazing upon a scene that shut out everything else. 2MR 208.3

There stood revealed the throne of God; around it were ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands upon thousands, and close about the throne were the martyrs. Among this number I saw the very ones who were so recently in such abject misery, whom the world knew not, whom the world hated and despised. A voice said, “Jesus, who is seated upon the throne, has so loved man that he gave his life a sacrifice to redeem him from the power of Satan, and to exalt him to his throne. He who is above all powers, he who has the greatest influence in heaven and in earth, he to whom every soul is indebted for every favor he has received, was meek and lowly in disposition, holy, harmless, and undefiled in life. He was obedient to all his father's commandments. Wickedness has filled the earth; it is defiled under the inhabitants thereof. The high places of the powers of earth have been polluted with corruption and base idolatries; but the time has come when righteousness shall receive the palm of victory and triumph. Those who were accounted by the world as weak and unworthy, those who were defenseless against the cruelty of men, shall be crowned conquerors and more than conquerors.” 2MR 208.4

[Revelation 7:9-17, Quoted.] 2MR 209.1

They are before the throne enjoying the sunless splendors of eternal day, not as a scattered, feeble company, to suffer by the Satanic passions of a rebellious world, expressing the sentiments, the doctrines, and the counsels of demons. Strong and terrible have become the masters of iniquity in the world under the control of Satan, but strong is the Lord God who judgeth babylon. The just have no longer anything to fear from force or fraud as long as they are loyal and true. A mightier than the strong man armed is set for their defense. All power and greatness and excellence of character will be given to those who have believed and stood in defense of the truth, standing up and firmly defending the laws of God. 2MR 209.2

Another heavenly being exclaimed with firm and musical voice, “They have come out of great tribulation. They have walked in the fiery furnace in the world, heated intensely by the passions and caprices of men who would enforce upon them the worship of the beast and his image, who would compel them to be disloyal to the God of heaven. They have come from the mountains, from the rocks, from the dens and caves of the earth, from dungeons, from prisons, from secret councils, from the torture chamber, from hovels, from garrets. They have passed through sore affliction, deep self-denial, and deep disappointment. They are no longer to be the sport and ridicule of wicked men. They are to be no longer mean and sorrowful in the eyes of those who despise them. Remove the filthy garments from them, with which wicked men have delighted to clothe them. Give them a change of raiment, even the white robes of righteousness, and set a fair mitre upon their heads.” 2MR 210.1

They were clothed in richer robes than earthly beings had ever worn; they were crowned with diadems of glory such as human beings had never seen. The days of suffering, of reproach, of want, of hunger, are no more; weeping is past. Then they break forth in songs, loud, clear, and musical; they wave the palm branches of victory, and exclaim, “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” 2MR 210.2

Oh, May God endue us with his spirit and make us strong in his strength! In that great day of supreme and final triumph it will be seen that the righteous were strong, and that wickedness in all its forms and with all its pride was a weak and miserable failure and defeat. We will cling close to Jesus, we will trust him, we will seek his grace and his great salvation. We must hide in Jesus, for he is a covert from the storm, a present help in time of trouble.—Letter 6, 1884, pp. 1-4. (To G. I. Butler and S. N. Haskell, January 20, 1884.) 2MR 210.3

Released August 29, 1962.