Visions in Judaism and Visions in Adventism compared

by koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungbook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

30 December 2009

Judaism was influenced by extra-biblical sources which were composed after the first century CE and mostly in the Middle Ages focussing on mysticism. What unfold to us here, is that certain groups among Jews pay special attention to a phenomenon that is described by secular analysts as mysticism. They claim to find encouragement in the vision of Ezechiel in chapter 1 and based on that special vision, they have the desire to be also completely belonging to God and actually leave this earth, travel through the other worlds until they reach the very abode of God. In order to experience the same as Ezechiel, they build themselves a theological structure or universe-map and navigational gestures and actions a human has to do in order to go on this trip. A book that analyzed this phenomenon among Jews is that of Gershom Scholem, Major trends in Jewish mysticism; Sh. A. Singer, Medieval Jewish Mysticism (1971);

Jewish sources through the centuries (post-Christian era) built a system of prayer styles, prayer gestures, taboos that led to a movement that followed these guides to become Jewish mystics. The texts have a strong moralistic and halakhic trend. At the base of the mystical experience is the strong desire after piety and keeping the law. The mystical texts are from the Talmud and Hekhalot literature. There are works by Jewish mystics in Germany, Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg and Eleazer of Worms. There is the Zohar and the works of mystics like Vital, De Vidas, Azikri and Ergas who followed Lurianic Kabbalah. Besht is also important since he is the founder of the Hasidim movement. What occupies our attention in this writing, is the live and work of the Hasidim mystic Israel ben Eliezer or Ba'al Shem Tov or Besht as he was known.

Ba'al Shem Tov or Besht lived 1700-1760 BCE, which is in the wake of the deadly wound (see Revelation 13) of the Roman Catholic church reign of 1260 years ending in 1798 with Napoleon's general arresting the pope at the Vatican.

His brother in law was in Palestine, Rabbi Abraham Gershom of Kutow. Besht wrote to him a letter that is very action. In fact, the letter is about the visions that Besht had during his mystical experience and what we intend to do here is to compare the visions of Besht in this letter of published in 1771, dated in 1750 about visions in 1746 and 1749 with that of Ellen Harmon [White]'s first vision in December of 1844.

Vision in Judaism

Vision of Ba'al Shem Tov in 1746

Text of Besht's letter

"For on the day of the New Year of the year 5507 (= September 1746) I engaged in an ascent of the soul, as you know I do, and I saw wondrous things in that vision that I had never before seen since the day I attained to maturity. That which I saw and learned in my ascent it is impossible to describe or to relate even from mouth to mouth. But as I returned to the lower Garden of Eden I saw many souls, both of the living and the dead, those known to me and those unknown. They were more than could be counted and they ran to and fro from world to world through the path provided by that column known to the adepts in the hidden science. They were all in such a state of great rapture that the mouth would be worn out if it attempted to describe it and the physical ear too indelicate to hear it. Many of the wicked repented of their sins and were pardoned, for it was a time of much grace. In my eyes, too, it was a great marvel that the repentance was accepted of so many whom you know. They also enjoyed great rapture and ascended, as mentioned above. All of them entreated me to my embarrassment saying:, 'The Lord has given your honor great understanding to grasp these matters.' Their rapture was so great that I resolved to ascend together with them. Then I saw in the vision that Samael [in the Amoraic period onward it was the name for Satan in Judaism (see Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah: 385-388] went up to act the achieved what he had set out to do, namely, a decree of dread seized me and I took my life in my hands. I requested my teacher to come with me since there is a great danger in the ascent to the higher worlds and since such high ascents. I went higher step by step until I entered the palace of the Messiah [the Messiah resides in Paradise until He is ready to come down to earth] wherein [the seven Shepherds is based on a misreading of Micah 5:4 and named as Adam, Seth, Methuselah, David, Abraham, Jacob and Moses]. There I witnessed great rejoicing and could not fathom the reason for it so I thought that, God forbid, the rejoicing was over my own departure from this world. But I was afterwards informed that I was not yet to die since they took great delight on high when, through their Torah, I perform unifications here below. To this day I am unaware of the reason for that rejoicing. I asked the Messiah: 'When will the Messiah come?' and He replied: 'You will know of it revealed to the world, and when your teaching becomes famous and revealed in the world, and when that which I have taught you and you have comprehended will spread abroad so that others, too, will be capable of performing unifications and having soul ascents as you do. Then with all the kelippot be consumed and it will be a time of grace and salvation.' I was astonished to hear this and greatly distressed that it would take such a long time, for when will such a thing be possible? Yet my mind was set at rest in that I learned there three special charms and three holy names and these are easy to grasp and to expound so that I thought to myself, it is possible by this means for all my colleagues to attain to the stages and categories to which I have attained, that is to say, they, too, will be able to engage in ascents of the soul and learn to comprehend as I have done. But no permission was given to me to reveal this secret for the rest of my life. I did request that I be allowed to teach it to you but no permission at all was given to me and I am , duty bound on oath to keep the secret.

However, this I can tell you and may God be your help. Let you ways be set before the Lord and never be moved, especially in the Holy Land. Whenever you offer your prayers and whenever you study, have the intention of unifying a divine name in every word and with every utterance of you lips. For there are worlds, souls and divinity in every letter. These ascend to become united one with the other and then the letters are combined in order to form a word so that there is complete unification with the divine. Allow your soul to be embraced by them at each of the above stages. Thus, all worlds become united and they ascend so the immeasurable rapture and the greatest delight is experienced. You can understand this on the analogy of raptures of bride and bridegroom in miniature in the physical world. How much more so at this most elevated stage!

God will undoubtedly be your help and whenever you turn you will be successful and prosper. Give to the wise and he will become even wiser. Also pray for me, with this intention in mind, that I should be worthy of being gathered into the inheritance of the Lord (=the Holy Land) while still alive and pray too, on behalf of all the remnant still in the diaspora. . . ."

Source:

(From the Mystical Epistle of the Ba'al Shem Tov)

Vision in Adventism

Vision of Ellen Harmon (White) December 1844

Text of Ellen Harmon

"From this time, up to December, 1844, my joys, trials, and disappointments were like those of my dear Advent friends around me. At this time I visited one of our Advent sisters,  and in the morning we bowed around the family altar. It was not an exciting occasion, and there were but five of us present, all women. While I was praying, the power of God came upon me as I had never felt it before. I was wrapped in a vision of God's glory, and seemed  to be rising higher and higher from the earth, and was shown something of the travels of the Advent people to the Holy City, as narrated below.

My First Vision

As God has shown me the travels of the Advent people to the Holy City and the rich reward to be given those who wait the return of their Lord from the wedding, it may be my duty to  give you a short sketch of what God has revealed to me. The dear saints have many trials  to pass through. But our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, will work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory--while we look not at the things which are  seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are  eternal. I have tried to bring back a good report and a few grapes from the heavenly Canaan, for which many would stone me, as the congregation bade stone Caleb and Joshua  for their report. (Num. 14:10.) But I declare to you, my brethren and sisters in the Lord, it is a goodly land, and we are well able to go up and possess it.

While I was praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, "Look again, and look a little higher." At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were travelling to the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the  path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some  grew weary, and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His  arm came a light which waved over the Advent band, and they shouted, "Alleluia!" Others rashly denied the light behind them and said that it was not God that had led them out so  far. The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark  and wicked world below. Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us  the day and hour of Jesus' coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses' did when he came down from Mount Sinai.

The 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalem, and a glorious star containing Jesus' new name. At our happy, holy state  the wicked were enraged, and would rush violently up to lay hands on us to thrust us into prison, when we would stretch forth the hand in the name of the Lord, and they would fall helpless to the ground. Then it was that the synagogue of Satan knew that God had loved us who could wash one another's feet and salute the brethren with a holy kiss, and they worshiped at our feet.

Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon  it sat the Son of man. His hair was white and curly and lay on His shoulders; and upon His head were many crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in His right hand was a sharp sickle; in His left, a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched His children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that God had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried out, "Who shall be able to stand? Is my robe spotless?" Then the angels ceased to sing, and there was some time of awful silence, when Jesus spoke: "Those who have clean hands and pure hearts shall be able to stand; My grace is sufficient for you." At this our faces lighted up, and joy filled every heart. And the angels struck a note higher and sang again, while the cloud drew still nearer the earth.

Then Jesus' silver trumpet sounded, as He descended on the cloud, wrapped in flames of fire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints, then raised His eyes and hands to heaven, and cried, "Awake! awake! awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise." Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality. The 144,000 shouted, "Alleluia!" as they recognised their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.

We all entered the cloud together, and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought the crowns, and with His own right hand placed them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory. Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square. Some of them had very bright crowns, others not so bright. Some crowns appeared heavy with stars, while others had but perfectly satisfied with their crowns. And they were all clothed with a glorious white mantle from their shoulders to their feet. Angels were all about us as we marched over the sea of glass to the gate of the city. Jesus raised His mighty, glorious arm, laid hold of the pearly gate, swung it back on its glittering hinges, and said to us, "You have washed your robes in My blood, stood stiffly for My truth, enter in." We all marched in and felt that we had a  perfect right in the city.

Here we saw the tree of life and the throne of God. Out of the throne came a pure river of water, and on either side of the river was the tree of life. On one side of the river was a trunk of a tree, and a trunk on the other side of the river, both of pure, transparent gold.  At first I thought I saw two trees. I looked again, and saw that they were united at the top in one tree. So it was the tree of life on either side of the river of life. Its branches bowed to the place where we stood, and the fruit was glorious; it looked like gold mixed with silver.

We all went under the tree and sat down to look at the glory of the place, when Brethren Fitch and Stockman, who had preached the gospel of the kingdom, and whom God had laid in the grave to save them, came up to us and asked us what we had passed through while they were sleeping. We tried to call up our greatest trials, but they looked so small compared with the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that surrounded us that  we could not speak them out, and we all cried out, "Alleluia, heaven is cheap enough!" and we touched our glorious harps and made heaven's arches ring.

With Jesus at our head we all descended from the city down to this earth, on a great and mighty mountain, which could not bear Jesus up, and it parted asunder, and there was a mighty plain. Then we looked up and saw the great city, with twelve foundations, and twelve gates, three on each side, and an angel at each gate. We all cried out, "The city, the great city, it's coming, it's coming down from God out of heaven," and it came and settled on the place where we stood. Then we began to look at the glorious things outside of the city. There I saw most glorious houses, that had the appearance of silver, supported by  four pillars set with pearls most glorious to behold. These were to be inhabited by the saints. In each was a golden shelf. I saw many of the saints go into the houses, take off  their glittering crowns and lay them on the shelf, then go out into the field by the houses to do something with the earth; not as we have to do with the earth here; no, no. A glorious light shone all about their heads, and they were continually shouting and offering praises to God.

I saw another field full of all kinds of flowers, and as I plucked them, I cried out, "They will never fade." Next I saw a field of tall grass, most glorious to behold; it was living green and had a reflection of silver and gold, as it waved proudly to the glory of King Jesus. Then we  entered a field full of all kinds of beasts--the lion, the lamb, the leopard, and the wolf, all together in perfect union. We passed through the midst of them, and they followed on peaceably after. Then we entered a wood, not like the dark woods we have here; no, no;  but light, and all over glorious; the branches of the trees moved to and fro, and we all cried out, "We will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods." We passed through the woods, for we were on our way to Mount Zion.

As we were travelling along, we met a company who also were gazing at the glories of the  place. I noticed red as a border on their garments; their crowns were brilliant; their robes were pure white. As we greeted them, I asked Jesus who they were. He said they were martyrs that had been slain for Him. With them was an innumerable company of little ones;  they also had a hem of red on their garments. Mount Zion was just before us, and on the mount was a glorious temple, and about it were seven other mountains, on which grew roses and lilies. And I saw the little ones climb, or, if they chose, use their little wings and fly, to the top of the mountains and pluck the never-fading flowers. There were all kinds of trees around the temple to beautify the place: the box, the pine, the fir, the oil, the myrtle, the pomegranate, and the fig tree bowed down with the weight of its timely figs--these made the place all over glorious. And as we were about to enter the holy temple, Jesus raised His lovely voice and said, "Only the 144,000 enter this place," and we shouted, "Alleluia."

This temple was supported by seven pillars, all of transparent gold, set with pearls most glorious. The wonderful things I there saw I cannot describe. Oh, that I could talk in the language of Canaan, then could I tell a little of the glory of the better world. I saw there tables of stone in which the names of the 144,000 were engraved in letters of gold. After we beheld the glory of the temple, we went out, and Jesus left us and went to the city. Soon  we heard His lovely voice again, saying, "Come, My people, you have come out of great  tribulation, and done My will; suffered for Me; come in to supper, for I will gird Myself, and serve you." We shouted, "Alleluia! glory!" and entered into the city. And I saw a table of pure silver; it was many miles in length, yet our eyes could extend over it. I saw the fruit  of the tree of life, the manna, almonds, figs, pomegranates, grapes, and many other kinds of fruit. I asked Jesus to let me eat of the fruit. He said, "Not now. Those who eat of the fruit of this land go back to earth no more. But in a little while, if faithful, you shall both eat of the fruit of the tree of life and drink of the water of the fountain." And He said, "You must go back to the earth again and relate to others what I have revealed to you." Then an angel bore me gently down to this dark world. Sometimes I think I can stay here no longer; all things of earth look so dreary. I feel very lonely here, for I have seen a better land. Oh, that I had wings like a dove, then would I fly away and be at rest! -

After I came out of vision, everything looked changed; a gloom was spread over all that I beheld. Oh, how dark this world looked to me. I wept when I found myself here, and felt  homesick. I had seen a better world, and it had spoiled this for me. I told the view to our little band in Portland, who then fully believed it to be of God. That was a powerful time.  The solemnity of eternity rested upon us. About one week after this the Lord gave me another view and showed me the trials I must pass through, and that I must go and relate to others what He had revealed to me, and that I should meet with great opposition and suffer  anguish of spirit by going. But said the angel, "The grace of God is sufficient for you; He will hold you up."

After I came out of this vision, I was exceedingly troubled. My health was very poor, and I was but seventeen years old. I knew that many had fallen through exaltation, and I knew that if I in any way became exalted, God would leave me, and I should surely be lost. I went to the Lord in prayer and begged Him to lay the burden on someone else. It seemed to me that I could not bear it. I lay upon my face a long time, and all the light I could get was, "Make known to others what I have revealed to you."

Source: 

http://www.ellenwhitedefend.com/Books-EGW/ew/ew1.htm

From Early Writings under the heading "Experience and Views" we have the recorded  vision of Ellen White (Harmon) when she was 17 years old.

Her soul was thirsting for salvation but she did not know how to obtain it. She was hungering and thirsting for full salvation, an enitre conformity to the will of God".

van wyk notes:

1. The morpho-geography of the universe of Ba'al Shem Tov and Ellen Harmon differ. Whereas Besht saw seven worlds with the seventh one as that of the Messiah, Ellen White saw only one. The doctrine of seven heavens is extra-biblical and the closest one can come to it is Paul's mention of three heavens, cloud heaven, blue sky heaven and the abode of God.

2. The Messiah in Ba'al Shem Tov is in His palace in the seventh heaven while in Ellen Harmon (White)'s vision the Messiah is active navigating the saints through the last periods of world's history.

3. Satan has access to heaven to go and mislead people in Ba'al Shem Tov's universe and worlds in the upper sphere. In Ellen White's geography, the events are actually taking place on earth but the road is a symbolic road to the New Jerusalem in heaven.

4. While the wicked in Ba'al Shem Tov's vision had access to the Garden of Eden and after conversion of their sins and grace of forgiveness bestowed on them, they could travel to higher worlds, in Ellen Harmon's vision the wicked cannot go outside this sphere or this sinful world. Of course, in the vision she had as a seventeen year old girl, she saw the wicked on the same road as the living saints but some grew tired of waiting so long to reach the New Jerusalem. Darkness covered their feet as they take their eyes off from Christ the navigator, but some were help again. However, some fell off the road and returned to the darkness of the earth. Ellen Harmon's vision is a kind of pilgrims progress path not in the afterlife but during this world history. People do not physically leave this world. In Ba'al Shem Tov's vision the people's souls living and dead meet in the Garden of Eden.

5. The doctrine of evil (dead or alive) going to heaven after this life is extra-biblical. Ba'al Shem Tov and mystical exegetes of the Bible actually misread the Hebrew text of the consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition by concocting a continuous theology and existence of Satan's rebellion in Heaven explained in Isaiah 14:12 and Ezechiel 28 and Daniel 8:10-12; Zechariah and Job 1. The doctrine that Satan had continuous access to heaven is extra-biblical. Satan lost his entrance to heaven at the cross of calvary when Christ died in 31 CE. It was the heaviest blow against Satan with the death of Christ on human behalf.

6. The doctrine that Abraham, Adam, Seth, David, Methusalah and Jacob is in heaven is extra-biblical. Moses is and here Ba'al Shem Tov is correct. Adventism only recognize Moses, Elijah and Henoch to be in heaven since the consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition explicitly states it to be the case. The Bible text do not support the transport of souls to heaven after their death. Here Ba'al Shem Tov is contrary to the Masoretic text.

7. The baggage of Ba'al Shem Tov is the long history of Jewish mysticism that had designed the extra-biblical morpho-geography of heavenly worlds. The manner of reaching there was also designed by earlier mystics and mystical sources. They wrongly based it on Ezechiel 1 and self-construct a modus operandi of attaining it. Ellen Harmon did not design her vision or premeditated how to achieve visions. It Seventh Day Adventism, no other leader or person was recognized for visions than Ellen Harmon. If Ellen White did not focus on the content of the Bible as the sole rule of right or wrong, her early visions would not have lasted long.

8. If one looks at the content and description in this vision of the Messiah of Ellen Harmon, it is similar than biblical passages and descriptions of Christ in Daniel 7 and Revelation. The point is this that with Ba'al Shem Tov the descriptions are not corresponding to the content of either the Old or New Testaments, thus the Bible. In fact, it contradicts the consonantal text of the Masoretic tradition. There is nowhere in this Hebrew text any hint that Abraham or Adam or Seth went to heaven. 

9. Like Ba'al Shem Tov so also Ellen Harmon wished that she could be completely connected to God and thus the desire for piety was the same by both individuals. Both had visions but in the case of Ellen Harmon the content of the vision corresponds to known imagery in the Bible, Old and New Testaments. That is not the case of Ba'al Shem Tov whos imagery is based upon self-construct extra-biblical imaginations. This leads to many contradictory statements that is unacceptable for the fundamentalistic biblical reader.

10. It is not enough that a person is honest, desiring piety. Pagans do it also. What is needed is that one's honesty and piety is biblically based and corresponds, without any contradiction, the doctrines, messages and descriptions of the Bible.

11. In the case of Ba'al Shem Tov, he was instructed not to tell anyone that there will be a delay in the coming of the Messiah. In Ellen Harmon, she was to tell everyone what she saw.

12. The delay doctrine of the Hasidim mystics of Ba'al Shem Tov, namely that the Messiah will not come until the message is spread all over the world is very similar to Adventism who also sees the delay simply because the message [gospel or three angels messages] should be preached all over the world.

13. In both the Ba'al Shem Tov and Ellen Harmon the time of the coming of the Messiah or Christ was important.

14. The divinity of letters of the alphabet as Ba'al Shem Tov saw it, is bound up with Middle Age mysticism and compares very well with the linguistic theory of Hinduism of Panini through Ferdinand de Saussure, Leonard Bloomfield and Noam Chomski. There is no such doctrine in the Bible and neither in Ellen Harmon White or Adventism.