A view given me June 27th

Said my accompanying angel, «Time is almost finished. Do ye reflect the lovely image of Jesus as ye should?» Then I was pointed to the earth, and saw that there would have to be a getting ready among those who have of late embraced the third angel’s message. Said the angel, «Get ready, get ready, get ready. Ye will have to die a greater death to the world than ye have ever yet died.» I saw that there was a great work to do for them, and but little time to do it in.

Then I saw that the seven last plagues were soon to be poured out upon those who have no shelter, yet the world regard them no more than they would so many drops of water that were about to fall. Then I was made capable to endure the awful sight of the seven last plagues, the wrath of God. I saw that his anger was dreadful and terrible, and if he should stretch forth his hand, or lift it in anger, the inhabitants of the world would be as though they never had been, or would suffer the incurable sores and withering plagues that would come upon them, and they would find no deliverance, but be destroyed by them.

Terror seized me, and I fell upon my face before the angel, and begged of him to cause the sight to be removed, to hide it from me, for the sight was too dreadful. Then I realized, as never before, the importance of searching the word of God carefully, to know how to escape the plagues that are declared in that word shall come on all the ungodly who shall worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in their foreheads or hands. It was a great wonder to me that any one could transgress the law of God, and tread down his Holy Sabbath, when such awful threatenings and denunciations were against them.

The Pope has changed the day of rest from the seventh to the first day, and has thought to change the very commandment that was given to cause man to remember his Creator, so that the nations might not forget God. He has thought to change the greatest commandment in the decalogue, and thus make himself equal with God, or even exalt himself above God. I saw that God is unchangeable, therefore his law is immutable; but the Pope had exalted himself above God, in seeking to change his immutable precepts of holiness, justice and goodness. He has trampled under foot God’s Sanctified Day, and put in its place one of the six laboring days, on his own authority. And the whole nation has followed after the beast, and every week they «rob God» of his Holy Time. The Pope has made a breach in the holy law of God, but I saw that the time had fully come for this breach to be made up by the people of God, and the waste places built up.

I plead before the angel that God would save his people who had gone astray, to save them for his mercy’s sake. I saw that those who continued to break the Holy Sabbath, when the plagues begin to fall, will not open their mouths to plead those excuses that they now make to get rid of it. Their mouths will be closed while the plagues are falling, and the great Law-giver is requiring justice of those who have had his holy law in derision, and have called it «a curse to man,» «miserable,» «rickety,» &c. And when they feel the iron grasp of this law, taking hold of them, these expressions will appear before them in living characters, and they will then realize the sin of having that law in derision, that the word of God calls, «holy, just, and good.»

Then I was pointed to the glory of heaven, to the treasure laid up for the faithful. Every thing was lovely and glorious. The angels would sing a lovely song, then they would cease singing, and take their crowns from their heads and cast them glittering at the feet of the lovely Jesus, and with melodious voices cry, «Glory, Alleluia.» I joined with them in their songs of praise and honor to the Lamb, and every time I opened my mouth to praise him, I felt an unutterable sense of glory that surrounded me. It was a far more, an exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Said the angel, «The little remnant who love God and keep his commandments, and are faithful to the end, will enjoy this glory, and ever be in the presence of Jesus, and sing with the holy angels.»

Then my eyes were taken from the glory, and I was pointed to the remnant on the earth. Said the angel to them, «Will ye shun the seven last plagues? Will ye go to glory, and enjoy all that God has prepared for those that love him, and are willing to suffer for his sake? If so, ye must die that ye may live. Get ready, get ready, get ready. Ye must have a greater preparation than ye now have, for the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Sacrifice all to God. Lay all upon his altar, self, property and all, a living sacrifice. It will take all to enter glory. Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven where no thief can approach or rust corrupt. Ye must be partakers of Christ’s sufferings here, if ye would be partakers with him of his glory hereafter.»

Heaven will be cheap enough, if we obtain it through suffering. We must deny self all along the way, die to self daily, and have Jesus alone appear, and have his glory continually in view. I saw that those who of late have embraced the truth would have to know what it was to suffer for Christ’s sake. That they would have trials to pass through that would be keen and cutting, in order that they may be purified, and fitted through suffering to receive the seal of the living God, pass through the time of trouble, and see the King in his beauty, and dwell in the presence of God, and in the society of pure and holy angels.

As I saw what we must be to inherit glory, and then saw how much Jesus had suffered for us to obtain for us so rich an inheritance, I prayed that we might be baptized into Christ’s sufferings, that we might not shrink at trials, but bear them with patience and joy, knowing what Jesus had suffered, that we might through his poverty and sufferings be made rich. Said the angel, «Deny self, ye must step fast.» I saw that some of us have had time to get the truth, and to advance step by step, and every step we have taken has given us strength to take the next. But now time is almost finished, and what we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few months. And they will have to unlearn much, and learn again. And those who will not receive the mark of the beast and his image, when the decree goes forth, must have decision now to say, nay, we will not regard the institution of the beast.