Day of Deliverance.

CHAPTER 37 (The Great Controversy)

Deliverance of the Saints

It was at midnight that God chose to deliver his people.  As the wicked were mocking around them, suddenly the sun appeared, shining in his strength, and the moon stood still.  The wicked beheld the scene with amazement.  Signs and wonders followed in quick succession.  Everything seemed turned out of its natural course.  The saints beheld the tokens of their deliverance with solemn joy.

The streams ceased to flow.  Dark, heavy clouds came up, and clashed against each other.  But there was one clear place of settled glory, from whence came the voice of God, like many waters, which shook the heavens and the earth.  There was a mighty earthquake.  The graves were shaken open, and those who had died in faith under the third angel's message, keeping the Sabbath, came forth from their dusty beds, glorified, to hear the covenant of peace that God was to make with those who had kept his law.

The sky opened and shut, and was in commotion.  The mountains shook like a reed in the wind, and cast out ragged rocks all around.  The sea boiled like a pot, and cast out stones upon the land.  And as God spake the day and hour of Jesus' coming, and delivered the everlasting covenant to his people, he spake one sentence, and then paused, while the words were rolling through the earth.  The Israel of God stood with their eyes fixed upwards, listening to the words as they came from the mouth of Jehovah, and rolled through the earth like peals of loudest thunder.  It was awfully solemn.  At the end of every sentence the saints shouted, Glory! Hallelujah!  Their countenances were lighted up with the glory of God; and they shone with the glory as did Moses' face when he came down from Sinai.  The wicked could not look on them for the glory.  And when the never-ending blessing was pronounced on those who had honored God, in keeping his Sabbath holy, there was a mighty shout of victory over the beast, and over his image.

Then commenced the jubilee, when the land should rest.  I saw the pious slave rise in triumph and victory, and shake off the chains that bound him, while his wicked master was in confusion, and knew not what to do; for the wicked could not understand the words of the voice of God.  Soon appeared the great white cloud.  On it sat the Son of man.

This cloud when it first appeared in the distance, looked very small.  The angel said that it was the sign of the Son of man.  And as the cloud approached nearer to the earth, we could behold the excellent glory and majesty of Jesus as he rode forth to conquer.  A holy retinue of angels, with their bright, glittering crowns upon their heads, escorted him on his way.  No language can describe the glory of the scene.  The living cloud of majesty, and unsurpassed glory, came still nearer, and we could clearly behold the lovely person of Jesus.  He did not wear a crown of thorns; but a crown of glory decked his holy brow.  Upon his vesture and thigh was a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, his feet had the appearance of fine brass, and his voice sounded like many musical instruments.  His countenance was as bright as the noon-day sun.  The earth trembled before him, and the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Those who a little before would have destroyed God's faithful children from the earth, had to witness the glory of God which rested upon them.  They had seen them glorified.  And amid all the terrible scenes they had heard the voices of the saints in joyful strains, saying, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us.  The earth mightily shook as the voice of the Son of God called forth the sleeping saints.  They responded to the call, and came forth clothed with glorious immortality, crying, Victory! victory! over death and the grave.  O death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?  Then the living saints, and the resurrected ones, raised their voices in a long, transporting shout of victory.  Those sickly bodies that had gone down into the grave came up in immortal health and vigor.  The living saints were changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and caught up with the resurrected ones, and together they meet their Lord in the air.  O what a glorious meeting.  Friends whom death had separated, were united, never more to part.

On either side of the cloudy chariot were wings, and beneath it were living wheels; and as the cloudy chariot rolled upward, the wheels cried, Holy, and the wings, as they moved, cried, Holy, and the retinue of holy angels around the cloud cried, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.  And the saints in the cloud cried, Glory, Alleluia.  And the chariot rolled upward to the holy city.  Before entering the holy city, the saints were arranged in a perfect square, with Jesus in the midst.  He was head and shoulders high above the saints, and head and shoulders above the angels.  His majestic form, and lovely countenance, could be seen by all in the square.

See Exodus 34:29-30; 2Kings 2:11; Isaiah 25:9; 1Corinthians 15:51-55; 1Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 1:13-16, 6:14-17, 19:16

Exo 34:29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. 

Exo 34:30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 

2Ki 2:11  And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 

Isa 25:9  And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. 

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

Rev 1:13  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 

Rev 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 

Rev 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 

Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 

Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 

Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 

Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 

Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.