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Chapter 64
The Second Resurrection
THEN Jesus and all the retinue of holy angels, and all the redeemed saints, left the city.
The angels surrounded their Commander and escorted Him on His way, and the train of
redeemed saints followed. Then, in terrible, fearful majesty, Jesus called forth the
wicked dead; and they came up with the same feeble, sickly bodies that went into the
grave. What a spectacle! What a scene! At the first resurrection all came forth in
immortal bloom, but at the second the marks of the curse are visible on all. The kings and
noblemen of the earth, the mean and low, the learned and unlearned, come forth together.
All behold the Son of man; and those very men who despised and mocked Him, who put the
crown of thorns upon His sacred brow and smote Him with the reed, behold Him in all His
kingly majesty. Those who spat upon Him in the hour of His trial now turn from His
piercing gaze and from the glory of His countenance. Those who drove the nails through His
hands and feet now look upon the marks of His crucifixion. Those who thrust the spear into
His side behold the marks of their cruelty on His body. And they know that He is the very
one whom they crucified and derided in His expiring agony. And then there arises one long
protracted wail of agony, as they flee to hide from the presence of the King of kings and
Lord of lords.
All are seeking to hide in the rocks, to shield themselves from the terrible glory of Him
whom they once despised. And, overwhelmed and pained with His majesty and exceeding glory,
they with one accord raise their voices, and with terrible distinctness exclaim,
"Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!"
Then Jesus and the holy angels, accompanied by all the saints, again go to the city, and
the bitter lamentations and wailings of the doomed wicked fill the air. Then I saw that
Satan again commenced his work. He passed around among his subjects and made the weak and
feeble strong, and told them that he and his angels were powerful. He pointed to the
countless millions who had been raised. There were mighty warriors and kings who were well
skilled in battle and who had conquered kingdoms. And there were mighty giants and valiant
men who had never lost a battle. There was the proud, ambitious Napoleon, whose approach
had caused kingdoms to tremble. There stood men of lofty stature and dignified bearing,
who had fallen in battle while thirsting to conquer.
As they come forth from their graves, they resume the current of their thoughts where it
ceased in death. They possess the same desire to conquer which ruled when they fell. Satan
consults with his angels, and then with those kings and conquerors and mighty men. Then he
looks over the vast army, and tells them that the company in the city is small and feeble,
and that they can go up and take it, and cast out its inhabitants, and possess its riches
and glory themselves.
Satan succeeds in deceiving them, and all immediately begin to prepare themselves for
battle. There are many skillful men in that vast army, and they construct all kinds of
implements of war. Then with Satan at their head, the multitude move on. Kings and
warriors follow close after Satan, and the multitude follow after in companies. Each
company has its leader, and order is observed as they march over the broken surface of the
earth to the Holy City. Jesus closes the gates of the city, and this vast army surround
it, and place themselves in battle array, expecting a fierce conflict.
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