thanks to God. And on the 12th of May, 1828, I heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first.
This occurred at a time when the enslavers were beating, raping, breaking apart families, making examples of slaves or destroying family units by selling people. A time when the black man had no rights. For Nat Turner to stand up to enslavers and kill them was pretty bold. He knew the consequence of being caught would be death. I can't imagine a time that death would be better than life or the drive for vengeance so strong that the choice of killing is made.