An Unforgettable Scene

My father was a great believer that God answered prayer. He often told how God answered his prayer when as a young man he tried desperately to overcome his drinking habits before he became an Adventist. He was a plasterer by trade, working in the Los Angeles area. Each night as he returned to his home after his workday, he had a habit of spending time at a saloon, located at the corner where he got off the streetcar.

As the days went by, he realized that he was well on the road to becoming an alcoholic. Listening to his mother’s prayers convinced him that God could help him. So one day he asked God to help him not to stop at the saloon that night when he got off the streetcar. He even decided to help himself by riding the streetcar one block further to avoid walking by the saloon where he always stopped.

He did not realize that the devil had a saloon on the next corner also. Those were the days when the entrance door to the saloon was composed of two half-doors, allowing the liquor aroma to pass over and under the door and out to the sidewalk. As he started to walk by, he was compelled by the smell to enter. He didn’t want to; he had determined not to; but his feet took him to the door automatically.

His hands pushed the door in. Suddenly he remembered his morning prayer for help and again he cried out within his heart, "God! Help me!" Instantly, God opened his eyes and what he saw, he never forgot to his dying day! For over the bar he saw an evil angel hovering in the air above, controlling a dozen or more men who were drinking at the bar.

He was captivated by this magnificent creature, about fifteen feet in length, as it lay in the air above the bar. For a moment he was spellbound until this evil angel turned from the men and looked him square in the eyes. He became terrified as he beheld such an evil face and especially the devilish look in his evil eyes.

Dad realized if he joined the men at the bar, this devil would completely control him to as he was controlling all of the other men. Quickly he turned around and walked away; Never again to enter any saloon; Never again to take a drink.

How often have I heard my father praise God for answering his prayer. In just a few months, he became a baptized Seventh-day Adventist ever faithful to the message, with the hope that he would live to see Jesus come and beloved, I know that he will, although he is now asleep in Jesus. For God has told us that all who die faithful to the 3 angel’s message will arise in that special resurrection to see Jesus come.

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