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The Descent of the Lord and the Last Trumpet
We have written of the visions of the return of Christ as related to the wicked. There were equally clear visions relating to the saints. Adullam saw the heavens open and the Lord descend in glory attended by His angels. On either side and following the Lord was this great army of attendants in white. Those in front blew beautiful trumpets as with the blast of trumpets the Lord and His army descended in perfect order, every one keeping in his proper place and rank. As the Lord thus descended toward the earth there were wonderful visions of the
We have written of the visions of the return of Christ as related to the graves burst open as from an explosion. Bodies came out of the graves and were suddenly clothed upon by the heavenly tabernacle of the resurrection glory life. In some cases bones were seen to come together as the children expressed it in Chinese idiom: "one bone from the east and one from the west." These scattered bones, having become clothed with flesh and transformed into the resurrection body, were caught up to meet the Lord in the air. [19] One boy saw a funeral procession where a Christian was being carried to his burial. On the way to the burial ground the trumpet sounded, the Lord descended, the coffin opened, the dead sat up, arose transformed, and ascended into the air.
I have already told how our children had visions of some of our Adullam people already dead and now in heaven, clothed in white and enjoying Paradise and of their seeing the saints of old clothed in white. The Scripture teaches that between death and the resurrection the saints have spiritual bodies and that the saints are clothed in white before the time of the resurrection. [20] When I cross-questioned the children as to how they knew whether the saints they saw in heaven had been resurrected or not, they said they did not know until the angels told them that they saw only the souls of the saints and that their bodies had not been resurrected. I questioned and cross-questioned in some of these matters and always got a uniform testimony: the children always saw the saints in white; the saints never had wings; all of the angels had wings; there was no difficulty in distinguishing between saints and angels.
In summary, then, Adullam saw the saints in white now in heaven, with access to Paradise, and enjoying the fellowship of Christ and the angels; they saw the descent of the Lord with "all his holy ones"—all his angels—at the sounding of the last trumpet; they saw the resurrection and transformation of the bodies of the saints and their ascent into the air. They also saw the marriage supper of the Lamb. [21]
Great tables were spread in Paradise in the midst of its magnificent trees, its wonderful flowers with enchanting fragrance, its glorious birds of every plumage that sang their carols of praise, where all redeemed animal and vegetable creation was one harmonious, spirit-filled, God-praising whole. Here, then, in this indescribable Paradise of God in open spaces were spread the tables for the great marriage supper. Angels and the glorified saints skipped about everywhere playing harps, blowing trumpets, singing, and praising the Lord. Some of the children acted out these scenes before us. They hurried to their jewel bedecked home to get their harp or trumpet and joined the spirit inspired music of the greatest of all festival scenes, the climax of all the hopes of the ages. Great companies sang, and danced, and praised the King. Others hurried about preparing the tables or the seats and carrying the golden dishes of food.
There was abundance of food, everything having flavor of its own, exceeding anything that could be imagined.
When all was ready, the call was sent forth and the saints of all past ages gathered around the tables to celebrate the wedding of the King's Great Son. The consummation of all their hopes, the realization of all highest joy in heaven itself, came to its highest point when the harlot, the beggar, the sinner, and the one-time off-scourings of the earth came from the east and the west and sat down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at this festal table in the Kingdom of God. [22] As all arose and expectantly reached its greatest height, the Son Himself came in and sat down at the tables surrounded by his blood-bought and white robe clad bride the redeemed of every nation, and tribe, and tongue and drank with them the fruit of the vine. [23]
The New Heaven and the New Earth.
A few were privileged to have visions of the new heaven and the new earth.
The New Heaven was so filled with Shekina glory that the children could not carefully look into it.
The New Jerusalem, the city four-square, occupied the central position in the New Earth. They saw the celestial city with its Paradise as it is now, but descended upon the New Earth. The whole New Earth was much like the Paradise that is now and will then still be in the city of God, the Bride of the Lamb. [24] It was the earth God wanted for His children, more than restored by Him who is more than Conqueror. It was the New Heaven and the New Earth that had passed through the new birth [25] and that will never pass away, the earth where God will again pitch his tent with men, where he will forever be called their God and they shall all and always be His Children. Amen.
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