Life sketches of ellen g. white

anything further concerning this doctrine; but during this
time my mind had been much exercised upon the subject. When
I heard it preached, I believed it to be the truth. From
the time that light in regard to the sleep of the dead
dawned upon my mind, the mystery that had enshrouded the
resurrection vanished, and the great event itself assumed a
new and sublime importance. My mind had often been
disturbed by its efforts to reconcile the immediate reward
or punishment of the dead with the undoubted fact of a
future resurrection and judgment. If at death the soul
entered upon eternal happiness or misery, where was the
need of a resurrection of the poor moldering body? p. 49,
Para. 5, [LS15].
But this new and beautiful faith taught me the reason why
inspired writers had dwelt so much upon the resurrection of
the body; it was because the entire being was slumbering in
the grave. I could now clearly perceive the fallacy of our
former position on this question. p. 50, Para. 1, [LS15].
The Pastor's Visit -- Our family were all deeply
interested in the doctrine of the Lord's soon coming. My
father had stood as one of the pillars of the Methodist
church. He had acted as exhorter, and as leader of meetings
held in homes at a distance from the city. However, the
Methodist minister made us a special visit, and took the
occasion to inform us that our faith and Methodism could
not agree. He did not inquire our reasons for believing as
we did, nor make any reference to the Bible in order to
convince us of our error; but he stated that we had adopted
a new and strange belief that the Methodist church could
not accept. p. 50, Para. 2, [LS15].
My father replied that he must be mistaken in calling this
a new and strange doctrine; that Christ Himself, in His
teachings to His disciples, had preached His second advent.
He had said: "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also." John 14:2, 3. When He was taken up
to heaven, as His faithful followers stood gazing after
their vanishing Lord, "behold, two men stood by them in
white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner
as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1:10, 11. p. 50,