Bipolar WINTER. Samuel David Steiner

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СКАЧАТЬ I tell you, I first need to know that you are committed. Will you continue to lead your people with the same passion you have always had?”

      “Yes,” he said, straightening. “Of course, I will.”

      “Good, because I do not believe you were wrong at all.”

      A glimmer of hope flickered inside him. “I was not wrong?” To have cost the lives of so many had been such a crushing disappointment, but if there were a chance he had been right, Miller would have a new lease on life.

      “No,” she said. “I believe Christ was indeed here on October 22nd, but He did not make Himself known. The event you predicted did in fact occur, just not as expected. And now we need to proceed forward.”

      “You saw this in a vision?”

      She nodded.

      “And?” Miller asked, his excitement returning. “What is the next step?”

      Ellen leaned forward to look him directly in his eye. “We need to gather all our people in one place and have a conference. I also need to study all the papers you have given me in depth.”

      “How will we organize such a meeting?” Miller asked.

      “The word has already been spread. We will meet mid-April in Albany.”

      He shook his head in disbelief. “You never cease to amaze me.”

      She smiled then stood to pace before the fireplace, the papers still clutched in her hands. “There is one question I have, though.”

      “Yes?”

      “You actually met William Morgan, correct?”

      “That is correct.”

      “And his wife?”

      He nodded. “Yes. On the one occasion that I dined with Morgan, his wife, Lucinda, and their two children were there.”

      “Do you know what happened to her when Morgan died?”

      Confused, Miller shook his head. “I never thought about it.”

      “She married Joseph Smith.” She turned to face him.

      Miller’s eyebrows rose. “The heretic who called himself a prophet? Founder of the Mormons?”

      “Yes.”

      “But her husband hated Smith almost as much as I did,” he said in disbelief.

      “It was an odd choice, I grant you,” she said, shaking her head.

      “I believe Joseph Smith was a Freemason, too.”Why would Morgan’s widow marry a man associated with the secret society Morgan had tried to expose? It does not make sense.

      She nodded. “And a polygamist. Lucinda was his third wife.”

      William thought for a moment. The union seemed calculated to him, but to what end he had no idea. What would Lucinda Morgan possibly have to gain? Or maybe, it was Smith who had something to gain.

      Ellen flipped through the pages in her hands, drawing her friend’s attention. “I often wondered why Morgan chose to give me the papers instead of passing them on to his family,” he said. “I do not even know how he came to possess them in the first place.” Certainly the Catholic Church would not want such sensitive documents falling into the wrong hands.

      “I believe he had a reason,” she said, beginning to pace again. “We can assume no one knows he gave them to you, but I still think we should be cautious. Now that I possess them, they will find new purpose and will likely attract new attention as we build our church.” She stopped and turned to face him. “We will need to proceed carefully.”

      William Miller and Ellen Harmon presented a united front at the Albany Conference. Sixty-one people attended, but not everyone agreed with the new direction. Those who followed Miller and Harmon that day became the first members of their new church.

      Having done what he was destined to do, Miller kept to himself, praying constantly in his final days. He also spent a fair amount of time studying the Bible, reporting to Ellen what he had learned during her frequent visits to his farm in Low Hampton.

      A week before Christmas 1849, Ellen arrived at Miller’s home for her usual visit. They sipped cups of tea in front of the fire as they shared recent discoveries and discussed the church’s progress.

      Ellen set down her cup and took William’s hand in hers. “Your time on Earth is almost over,” she said softly.

      Miller felt a chill creep up his spine, and he nodded. “I sense it, too.”

      Rubbing his arm fondly, she said, “As time passes, I feel more secure in my safety. I do not think anyone knows I have the papers. Or if they do, they do not care.”

      “Keep vigilant,” he said. “I am not so sure they are not watching you.”

      “I promise to be careful.” She gave him a soft smile. “But remember, I am protected.”

      “That you are.” He knew without a doubt that God would not call her home until her work was completed.

      “I had another vision three days ago,” she said, leaning into him as if sharing a secret with her best friend.

      He looked at her, the excitement he felt every time she shared one of her visions with him returning. “And what was it?”

      “The Lord Jesus came to me and guided me up to the heavens. There, He showed me His intentions for our church.”

      “What did He show you?”

      “There are many details, but two I want to share with you today. One is Sabbath keeping. We must not only observe the true seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the day of rest and worship, but we must make it a purpose of our new church. Our Lord and Savior was very clear about that.”

      Miller nodded. “It is what the Bible states.”

      “Yes, and we are the messengers. It is our purpose to see God’s Will done on Earth. We are the Sabbath keepers. In fact, our church name will guide our people and be a constant reminder of this doctrine. We shall be known as the Seventh-day Adventists.”

      Miller sighed in relief. He had feared he would not see the completion of their goal before his time came. Yet, here he was, witnessing the birth of something important in the hands of this young woman. “It is the seventh church of Septem Montes.”

      “Yes,” she said. “We will need to lay out the fundamental beliefs of our church, and it will take time to form, but in the end, we will be the leader of all Christian faiths.”

      He nodded then took another sip of tea. “What was the other point you wanted to tell me from your vision?”

      Ellen took his hands in hers. "As I said before, you were right. October 22, 1844 was a pivotal point for every man, woman, and child here on Earth. It marked СКАЧАТЬ