{"chapter_no":"18","chapter_title":"A River and an Ocean","book_id":"2","book_name":"The Story of James","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"277","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":3,"page_content":"

 <\/p>

Chapter 18<\/p>

A River and an Ocean<\/h1><\/p>

 <\/p>

James sees a vision of the tree of life, but from the perspective of the <\/i>wicked standing on the <\/i>other
side of the river—In a second dream, James finds himself all alone amidst the stormy waters of a great <\/i>
ocean<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

Having heard her son's testimony, Carole was touched. The Spirit had already touched
the hearts of others in the room and had finally reached hers. She looked upon James with
fondness, and with a greater love than ever before, appreciating his concern for a somewhat
modest list of sins. <\/p>

 <\/p>

What a fine boy he is! <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

He <\/i>surely <\/i>learned a valuable lesson through all of this. <\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

Maybe this<\/i> was a blessing from God after all?<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

James, for his part, was just getting warmed up. He quickly got started again in his
storytelling before anyone could stop him.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“The next thing I remember from that morning is that I was pretty exhausted and fell
asleep. While I was asleep, I had two very important dreams. <\/p>

 <\/p>

\"I'd like to share those with you now if it's okay?”<\/p>

 <\/p>

All nodded for James to proceed. <\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

The First Dream<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

“In the first dream, I was in a setting like that of Lehi’s dream of the Book of Mormon. I
saw everything––the tree of life, the iron rod, the large field, a great and spacious building, the
mist of darkness, and a large multitude of people moving forward. There was one difference,
however. It was all of you––Mom, Dad, Russ, Craig, Paula and Casey––who were moving along
the pathway towards the tree, and I could see how happy you were there. But I was on the other
side of the river. I wanted to be with you, but there was a great divide between us––a filthy river.
The nightmare I was experiencing in the hospital room had been extended into my dreams.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“I stood there watching all of you for what seemed like hours, but I wasn't alone in my
suffering. There was a vast multitude of people around me, all of whom I could sense were
feeling just like I was. I felt sadness for them. It was unbearable to me that any person would
have to suffer like this, separated from the blessings of eternal life. These men and women were
children of God just like me and their souls were equally precious. But as it turned out, it was
these feelings of love inside of me that caused something wonderful to happen! As I forgot about
my own circumstances and was filled with compassion for others, my heart changed. I was
happy and at peace again.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Then, suddenly, the place where I had been standing had changed. I stood alongside all
of you next to the tree of life on the other side. Feeling hungry, I immediately partook of the fruit
from the tree and feasted upon it. It was so delicious! I had never tasted anything so wonderful
before!<\/p>

 <\/p>

“Okay, so that was the first dream. <\/p>

 <\/p>

\"Let me now share with you the other one.\"<\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

The Second Dream<\/i><\/p>

 <\/p>

“In the second dream, I was alone in the water of a great sea or ocean. Dark clouds and
the fierce winds of a storm created large and powerful waves all around me. I was doing all I
could to save myself, trying to stay afloat as the waves crashed down upon me. But I hoped and
prayed with all my heart that I might be saved, putting my faith in Jesus Christ to deliver me.
When I did this, the storm calmed, the winds subsided, and I was no longer afraid. Rays of light
filtered down through an opening in the clouds, and looking up into this light, I was able to see
directly into heaven and behold the throne of God. It was glorious! The beauty of the heavens
was unspeakable! Even there, alone in a vast ocean, the Lord had been mindful of me, knowing
exactly who I was and where I was.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

“Encompassed by the light, the Savior descended from the sky above until he was
standing upon the waves just a few feet from me. His countenance was radiant; his silhouette
was ablaze, like a flash of lightning upon the waters, in perfect contrast to the dark and turbulent
waters that had almost engulfed me. Reaching out his hand, he raised me up from the sea. From
there, we ascended together through the rays of light into heaven.”<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

James smiled. <\/p>

 <\/p>

“That was the second dream.<\/p>

 <\/p>

“As I awoke, and as I recalled this beautiful dream, a knowledge of Jesus Christ, the
Savior, and His Atonement for all of us, filled my mind more powerfully than ever before. <\/p>

“It was then that the nurse came in to the room, and shortly afterward, all of you came in
to see me for the first time after the accident.”<\/p>

 <\/p>

James looked around the room again to see everyone's reaction. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Paula, in tears, came over close to him and gave him a hug. She was followed by her
younger sister, then his mother and father, and lastly, his older brothers. <\/p>"}