New Hampshire Fires First Shot Of Civil War by passing Resolution

The following email was forwarded to me… I thought it might be of interest to some viewers of this blog

— On Wed, 6/16/10, Kuerno De Chivo <kuernodec….@….com >
From: Kuerno De Chivo <kuernodec….@….com>
Subject: New Hampshire (not Texas) Fires First Shot Of Civil War?
To:
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, 11:13 PM
This is pretty incredible.  As I did my last news search for the night I found this article (over a week old).
Let’s see if they really put any teeth behind this as the intention is surprisingly clear!

http://69.84.25.250/blogger/post/New-Hampshire-Fires-First-Shot-Of-Civil-War-by-passing-Resolution-Immediately-Voiding-Several-Federal-Laws.aspx

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html

New Hampshire Fires First Shot Of Civil War by passing  Resolution Immediately Voiding Several Federal Laws,

Threatens Counterstrike Against Federal “Breach Of Peace”

6/6/2010 Posted By Pat Dollard.

The New Hampshire state legislature took an unbelievably bold step Monday by introducing a resolution to declare certain actions by the federal government to completely totally void and warning that certain future acts will be viewed as a “breach of peace” with the states themselves that risks nullifying the Constitution.”

This act by New Hampshire is a clear warning to the federal government that they could face being stripped of their power by the States (presumably through civil war!).

The remarkable document outlines with perfect clarity, some basics long forgotten. For instance, it reminds Congress “That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever;. . . . . therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force;”

Federal gun crime laws? Void. Federal drug crime laws? Void. The gazzillion other federal criminal laws that deal with anything other than the specific enumerated crimes? ALL VOID.

One would think that if any lawyer anywhere in the entire country was worth his salt, all federal criminal trials would have ended years ago. This seems to prove that most lawyers are dullards.

New Hampshire deals a complete death blow to the pending federal hate crimes legislation by pointing out “That, therefore, all acts of Congress of the United States which do abridge the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, are not law, but are altogether void, and of no force;

. . . . .”
Later in the Resolution, New Hampshire makes clear what the feds are now risking if they proceed further: The removal of all powers from the federal government by the States!

Quoting directly from the Resolution: [“That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:

I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.

II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.

III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.

IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.

V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.

VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually. Any future government of the United States of America shall require ratification of three quarters of the States seeking to form a government of the United States of America and shall not be binding upon any State not seeking to form such a government; and That copies of this resolution be transmitted by the house clerk to the President of the United States, each member of the United States Congress, and the presiding officers of each State’s legislature.”]

Searching for the Holy Order and 23 High Priests- Part Two

By OneWhoIsWatching
www.threewatches.blogspot.com

In part one of this article we reviewed corroborating accounts of the calling of Lyman Wight and others to the High Priesthood of Melchizedek and his testimony of the Father and the Son.

He was the first Elder in this dispensation to be given the Holy Priesthood after the order of the Son of God, which has been named after Melchizedek, a great High Priest who established Zion and translated his people.

As we saw from the testimony provided, the spirit in Joseph would reveal who God wanted to ordain and then the spirit within Lyman would ordain that person. Lyman ordained 16 people including Joseph and Sidney. Joseph ordained Lyman and the remaining elders of the 23 who were ordained. Some were called by the voice of the Lord out of heaven and others were chosen by the voice of the Lord out of heaven.

The Man of Sin is Revealed

Shortly after Lyman Wight was filled with the Spirit and had the heavens opened to him, bearing witness of the Father and the Son, the spirit of Satan entered the room and possessed several of the brethren.

Interestingly, according to some of the testimony given, various people at the conference struggled with possession and evil spirits for the next two days!

“Joseph put his hands on Harvey Whitlock and Ordained him to the high Priesthood he turned as black as Lyman was white his fingers was set like Claws he went round the Room and showed his hands and tried to speak his eyes was in the shape of Ovil Oes. [Spelling?]

Hyrum Smith said Joseph that is not of God Joseph said do not speak against this I will not believe said Hyrum unless you inquire if God owns it Joseph bowed his head a short time got up and Commanded Satan to leave Harvey laying his hands upon his head at the same time.

At that very instant an Old man said to way two hundread and fourteen pounds sitting in the window turned a complete summersett in the house and came his back across a bench and lay helpless Joseph told Lyman to cast Satan out he did.

The man’s name was Leman Copley formaly a Shaker The evil spirit left him and as quick as lightning Harvey Green fell bound and screamed like a Panther.

Satan was cast out of him but imediately entered so I heared it continued all day and the greater part of the knight“. (Levi Handcock)

Here is the recollection of Ezra Booth;

“Another Elder, who had been ordained to the same office as Wight, at the bidding of Smith, stepped upon the floor. Then ensued a scene, of which you can form no adequate conception; and which, I would forbear relating, did not the truth require it.

The Elder moved upon the floor, his legs inclining to a bend; one shoulder elevated above the other, upon which the head seemed disposed to recline, his arms partly extended; his hands partly clenched; his mouth partly open, and contracted in the shape of an italic O;

his eyes assumed a wild ferocious cast, and his whole appearance presented a frightful object to the view of the beholder.— “Speak, Brother Harvey” said Smith. But Harvey intimated by signs, that his power of articulation was in a state of suspense, and that he was unable to speak.

Some conjectured that Harvey was possessed of the devil, but Smith said, “the Lord binds in order to set at liberty.”

After different opinions had been given, and there had been much confusion, Smith learnt by the spirit, that Harvey was under a diabolical influence, and that Satan had bound him; and he commanded the unclean spirit to come out of him.

It now became clearly manifest, that “the man of sin was revealed,” for the express purpose that the elders should become acquainted with the devices of Satan; and after that they would possess knowledge sufficient to manage him. This, Smith declared to be a miracle, and his success in this case, encouraged him to work other and different miracles.” (Ezra Booth)

John Whitmer’s recollection is consistent with the others;

“While the Lord poured out his spirit upon his servants, the Devil took occation to make known his power. He bound Harvey Whitlock <and John Murdock> > so that he could not speak and others were affected, but the Lord showed to Joseph the Seer the design of this thing, he commanded the devil in the name of Christ and he departed to our joy and comfort”

Zebedee Coltrin recalled;

“Harvey Whitlock was ordained next with the same promise but after his ordination, when standing on his feet, he seemed paralyzed. His mouth was drawn into the shape of an italic O, and his arm was stretched out as if nailed to a cross. Joseph rebuked the power that had seized him, and it left him”

Philo Dibble recalled;

“Then Harvey Whitlock stepped into the middle of the room with his arms crossed, bound by the power of Satan, and his mouth twisted unshapely. Hyrum Smith arose and declared that there was an evil spirit in the room. Joseph said, “Don’t be too hasty,” and Hyrum sat down.

Hyrum rose the second time, saying,

“I know my duty and will do it,” and stepping to Harvey, commanded the evil spirits to leave him, but the spirits did not obey, Joseph then approached Harvey and asked him if he believed in God. Then we saw a change in Harvey”

The above accounts of this event seem to highlight both the powers of light and darkness that were manifest during the first bestowal of this highest priesthood.

Great miracles and the opening of the heavens and the testimony of Jesus Christ took place.

Conversely, as promised, the “man of sin” was revealed. The power of Satan was revealed in great power and those who had been given the priesthood and were faithful, now had power to discern and overcome evil spirits.

The Dynamics of Ego

Statements from leaders of the church in later years would indicate that jealousies and contentions would eventually evolve and manifest themselves as a result of this event. One can only imagine the amount of pressure everyone felt, realizing that those who were “worthy” would receive the endowment of the highest priesthood while everyone else watched.

Additionally, some of the Elders had a hard time accepting the experience as being from God and “some doubting took place“.

John Corrill makes reference of this in his reminiscence of the event;

“… there was a revelation received, requiring the prophet to call the elders together, that they might receive an endowment. This was done, and the meeting took place some time in June.

About fifty elders met, which was about all the elders that then belonged to the church. The meeting was conducted by Smith. Some curious things took place. The same visionary and marvellous spirits spoken of before, got hold of some of the elders;

it threw one from his seat to the floor; it bound another, so that for some time he could not use his limbs nor speak; and some other curious effects were experienced, but, by a mighty exertion, in the name of the Lord, it was exposed and shown to be from an evil source.

The Melchizedek priesthood was then for the first time introduced, and conferred on several of the elders. In this chiefly consisted the endowment—it being a new order—and bestowed authority.

However, some doubting took place among the elders, and considerable conversation was held on the subject. The elders not fairly understanding the nature of the endowments, it took some time to reconcile all their feelings.”

Doubts about the High Priesthood

Some characterized this holy event as not being of God, claiming that the New Testament and Book of Mormon Churches never had High Priests in them.

Oliver Cowdery and his brother in law David Whitmer became very jealous of Sidney Rigdon when he joined the Church and became so influential. They felt he had undue influence over Joseph Smith and that he was the instigator of this event.

Below are the remarks of David Whitmer after he left the church. He is among those who eventually rejected the introduction of the Highest Priesthood;

“The next grievous error which crept into the church was in ordaining high priests in June, 1831. This error was introduced at the instigation of Sydney Rigdon. The office of high priests was never spoken of, a revelation would always come just as they desired it. Rigdon finally persuaded Brother Joseph and never thought of being established in the church until Rigdon came in.

Remember that we had been preaching from August 1829, until June, 1831—almost two years—and had baptized about 2,000 members into the Church of Christ, and had not one high priest. During 1829, several times we were told by Brother Joseph that an elder was the highest office in the church….

In Kirkland, Ohio, in 1831, Rigdon would expound the Old Testament scriptures of the Bible and Book of Mormon (in his way) to Joseph, concerning the priesthood, high priests, etc., and would persuade Brother Joseph to inquire of the Lord about this doctrine, and of course to believe that the high priests which had such great power in ancient times, should be in the Church of Christ to-day. He had Brother Joseph inquire of the Lord about it, and they received an answer according to their erring desires..

High Priests were only in the church before Christ; and to have this office in the “Church of Christ” is not according to the teachings of Christ in either of the sacred books: Christ himself is our great and last High Priest.

Brethren—I will tell you one thing which alone should settle this matter in your minds; it is this: you cannot find in the New Testament part of the Bible or Book of Mormon where one single high priest was ever in the Church of Christ. It is a grievous sin to have such an office in the church. As well might you add to the teachings of Christ—circumcision—offering up the sacrifice of animals—or break the ordinances of Christ in any other way by going back to the old law of Moses..

In Kirtland, Ohio, in June, 1831,… the first High Priests were ordained…. When they were ordained, right there at the time, the devil caught and bound Harvey Whitlock so he could not speak, his face twisted into demon-like shape. Also John Murdock and others were caught by the devil in a similar manner. Now brethren, do you not see that the displeasure of the Lord was upon their proceedings, in ordaining High Priests? Of course it was” (An address to All Believers in Christ)

Whitmer brings up a great point about no High Priests being present in the New Testament Church. However what he didn’t grasp is that Joseph Smith was not just restoring the New Testament Church of Christ.

He was restoring many of the Old Testament priesthood gifts and preparing the Saints to establish Zion, just as it had been prophesied in the book of Mormon. He was doing just as the High Priest Enoch did with his people, just as the High Priest Melchizedek did with his people, just as the High Priest Jesus Christ did with the Nephites.

In order for the Church of Christ to establish Zion, the office of high Priest needed to be restored.

Brigham Young, like David Whitmer is another that struggled with the concept of a third and “highest” priesthood.

He had been comfortable with the first two priesthoods that had been restored in 1829. He was in a dubious position 3 ½ years after the martyrdom when he and the twelve created a first Presidency, having himself never been ordained a High Priest!

Undoubtedly, he was under intense pressure to explain how he could claim to be president over the Church and the High Priesthood when in fact, he had never been ordained a high priest.

He made the following statement;

“Now will it cause some of you to marvel that I was not ordained a High Priest before I was ordained an apostle? It was William McLellin who told Joseph that I and Heber were not ordained High Priests, and wanted to know if it should not be done.

Said Joseph, “Will you insult the priesthood? Is that all the knowledge you have of the office of an Apostle? Do you not know that the man who receives the apostleship receives all the keys that ever were, or that can be conferred upon mortal man?

When a man is ordained to be an Apostle, his Priesthood is without beginning of days, or end of life, like the Priesthood of Melchizedek; for it was his Priesthood that was spoken of in this language, and not the man. Ref Here

Brigham Young’s reminiscence that Joseph smith made the above remark and the claim that the Apostleship holds all the keys that ever were, is not consistent with the events that transpired in the history of the church or the teachings of Joseph Smith, or the scriptures.

Of course, it was not Joseph’s perogative to give the highest priesthood to Brigham or any other man. That priesthood is not given on the basis of lineage or according to “the will of man”. God alone determines who he wants to give that priesthood to.

Brigham makes it sound like an amazing thing that he could be ordained an apostle first, and therefore have no need to be ordained a high priest, priesthood, however, the simple fact of the matter is the Joseph Smith was an apostle in 1829 BEFORE the highest priesthood was conferred in 1831, yet God still saw a need to call Joseph Smith to be ordained a high priest, proving that there is more priesthood authority than that of the apostleship.

Joseph Smith made it clear that the office of High Priest indeed held a greater priesthood than that of a prophet or Apostle;

“That of Melchizedek who had still greater power even power of an endless life of which was our Lord Jesus Christ which also Abraham obtained by the offering of his son Isaac which was not the power of a Prophet nor apostle nor patriarch only, but of King & Priest to God to open the windows of heaven and pour out the peace & Law of endless Life to man &No man can attain to the Joint heirship with Jesus Christ with out being administered to by one having the same power and authority of Melchizedek.” Words of Joseph Smith 245

Clearly, what Brigham Young taught about the priesthood was not accurate or congruent with what the Prophet Joseph Smith had revealed. Although the Apostolic Priesthood holds all the keys necessary to govern the Church and dispense the ordinances of salvation, it is not as great as the priesthood that Melchizedek held.

This event that took place at the first conference held in Kirtland Ohio was very disruptive. Not only did it demonstrate the literal power of the the man of sin, it challenged the existing doctrine of the priesthood.

Additionally, one can only imagine the dynamics that took place between so many strong personalities and the egos involved in experiencing this amazing event.

Keep in mind that the promise had been made that those who were worthy would be given the high priesthood.

What kind of pressure would that put on those attending?

How would you feel if you were one of the ones attending that got passed over for the endowment of High Priesthood? Would that mean that you were not worthy?

What if you were one of the ones that became possessed? Does that mean you are less righteous than others? Or was that experience an endowment in and of itself that gifts a person with discernment?

Lots of questions come to mind as one reviews the listing of those who are present and who were called to the High Priesthood and what transpired that day.

Why does this event create indigestion for many LDS scholars, authors and members?

One possible reason is that it contradicts our current two levels of priesthood belief system that has been perpetuated in the Church down to this very day.

David Whitmer brings up a very important point when he said; “During 1829, several times we were told by Brother Joseph that an elder was the highest priesthood office in the church..“

That statement was true at the time Joseph made it prior to the restoration of the Highest Priesthood at the Morley Farm. Things changed when the highest priesthood was restored. Yet even today it is taught in the Church that the Apostolic Priesthood is the greatest priesthood there is.

Another possible reason that the restoration of the highest priesthood causes indigestion is that several of the elders ordained to the High Priesthood almost immediately rejected the fulness of the gospel and the priesthood they had been given, and became critics of Joseph Smith and the Church. Others fell away later.

That is disturbing.

Yet, as we are told in the Book of Mormon, there must be opposition in all things.

The falling away of some who were called to the high priesthood gives greater insight into the Lords declaration that some were called and some were chosen.

Lyman Wight, however, had the heavens opened to him, testifies of God the Father and his Son and then spends the remainder of Joseph Smiths ministry as one of Joseph’s most loyal associates and passionate witnesses of Christ and the LDS restoration movement. With that resume, he then rejects Brigham Young’s leadership.

It is surprising that he was not considered an obvious candidate to lead the church during the succession crisis.

The fact that Lyman had been ordained to the Highest Priesthood and had seen the Father and the Son, while Brigham had not been so privileged seemed to be lost upon the majority of the Saints at the time of the succession issue. It did however, apparently seem significant to Lyman, who seems to have had very little regard for Brigham.

That reason alone would cause some to want to downplay the significance of this event and the role that Lyman Wight played in the work of the Lord up to the time of the Martyrdom.

But there are other issues pertaining to the restoration of the office of the High Priest that are curious as well.

What about high profile Elders who played such an important role in very early stages of the restoration such as William Smith, Levi Hancock, Orson Pratt, Zebedee Coltrin and Newel Knight that were present but passed over for the Highest Priesthood?

What about Zebedee Coltrin, who would eventually see God and Christ while attending the school of the prophets, why was he passed over? Was he later born of due time like Paul? BTW, the school of the prophets was not introduced until AFTER the HIGH PRIESTHOOD was introduced! Indeed these men were the designated prophets for which the school was instituted.

Apparently, Oliver Cowdery, one of the three witnesses and co-presidents of the Church, was not even present at this meeting, how odd it that? (was he to be the 24^th High Priest to complete the quorum?)

How is it possible that word went out about this meeting enabling elders from the east, south, north and west to gather, yet Oliver could not be there?

Although the Far West Record records David Whitmer as being present, he apparently denies having been present in one of his later writings. Is his name in the Far West Record just a mistake made by some of the clerks, including his own brother who was the conference historian? If so, it is very strange that his name is listed in the Far West Record and stranger still that he is called as one of the Elders who is to travel to Missouri in section 52, the day after the conference is completed.

Curiously, Martin Harris, another of the three witnesses, who the Lord had previously referred to as a “wicked man” in one of the revelations, is the only one of the three witnesses that was ordained a High Priest on that occasion!

Of the 23 that were ordained High Priests, all had previously been ordained Elders except for Martin Harris who had been ordained a Priest… this takes on even greater significance when one remembers that his two brethren of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Oliver and David had previously been called by revelation to choose and ordain the 12 apostles.

Was there a reason why Oliver and David should not have the highest priesthood in their stewardship in calling the Twelve Apostles? Since the quorum of the Twelve were going to take the preparatory gospel to the dispersed of Judah, one has to wonder.

How strange that Martin is ordained a High Priest, yet is not invited to participate with Oliver and David who were not High Priests, in choosing the Twelve Apostles!

What about Brigham Young?

Why was he missing when the Highest Priesthood was revealed at the Morley Farm?

It is interesting to note that Brigham Young learned about the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Church of Christ and the fulness of the gospel in 1830, about the same time that Lyman Wight did. Yet Brigham Young did not participate in this great event at the Morley Farm because it took him two years to think things over before joining the church.

Young was eventually drawn to Mormonism after reading the Book of Mormon shortly after its publication in 1830. Samuel Smith, brother to the Prophet Joseph, tracted through the area where the Young family lived with a knapsack of the newly printed scripture.

Two of these copies made their way into the hands of Brigham’s siblings and began to circulate through the family.

Brigham Young later reminisced his lengthy conversion process;

“When the [B]ook of Mormon was first printed, it came to my hands in two or three weeks afterwards. Did I believe, on the first intimation of it? . . . ‘Hold on,’ says I. . . . ‘Wait a little while; what is the doctrine of the book, and of the revelations the Lord has given? Let me apply my heart to them. . . . I considered it to be my right to know for myself, as much as any man on earth. I examined the matter studiously for two years before I made up my mind to receive that book. . . . I wished time sufficient to prove all things for myself.” He later recalled: “I was not baptized on hearing the first sermon, nor the second, nor during the first year of my acquaintance with this work.”

Besides studying the Book of Mormon, Brigham wanted to learn the character of those who professed to believe in it. He apparently found it important to judge the messengers as well as the message;

“I watched to see whether good common sense was manifest; and if they had that, I wanted them to present it in accordance with the Scriptures. . . . [W]hen I had ripened everything in my mind, I drank it in, and not till then.”

We can only assume that Brigham’s absence at the special conference and God’s unwillingness to have him ordained to the highest priesthood in later years was all part of Gods plan for him.

Perhaps one of the most curious things about this event is the order in which people were called and ordained to the High Priesthood. We know that God is a God of order. The very first man ordained obviously had a very significant position in this newly ordained quorum of High Priests. It seems probably that he would be the president of the quorum.

The fact that Lyman Wight was the first to be ordained to the High Priesthood and the first to have the heavens parted and to testify of seeing the Father and the Son after his ordination, instead of Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery or Sidney Rigdon is very, very significant!

Here is Lyman’s reminiscence of the event;

“On the 4th of June 1831, a conference was held at Kirtland, <Ohio> represented by all the above mamed [named] branches; Joseph Smith our modern Prophet presided; and here I again saw the visible manifestations of the power of God as plain as could have been on the day of pentecost and here for the first time I saw the Melchisedec priesthood introduced into the church of Jesus Christ as anciently; whereunto I was ordained under the hands of Joseph Smith, and I then ordainded Joseph and Sidney and sixteen others such as he chose unto the same priesthood. The spirit of God was made manifest to the heeling of the sick, cast<ing> out devils, speaking in unknown tongues, discerning of spirits, and prophesying with mighty power, After the two days the conference broke up receiving the revelation which appointed 28 elders their Mission to Missouri”

Lyman Wight is one of the best kept secrets of the restoration movement.

Few members of the Church have any comprehension of who he was and the sacrifices he made for the kingdom.

If you have not taken the time to familiarize yourself this amazing disciple of Christ who became known as the “Wild Ram of the Mountains” and who was given the cryptic title and military/priesthood title of “baneemy” in one of the revelations, please click here. He is among the first laborers of the last kingdom that will be returning soon. I strongly suggest you get to know him.

He probably expended more energy in trying to live the law of consecration for the duration of his life than any other personality in the movement. In a revelation given after his ordination as a high Priest the Lord said;

“And again, I say unto you that it is my will that my servant Lyman Wight should continue in preaching for Zion, in the spirit of meekness, confessing me before the world; and I will bear him up as on eagles’ wings; and he shall beget glory and honor to himself and unto my name.” Doctrine and Covenants 84: 21-26)

This revelation reminds us that the high priests were called to “preach for Zion”

If there is one major theme interwoven throughout Wight’s life-long ministry, it was his continual personal attempt to live consecration and facilitate others to do it.

He was passionate about living it and was quite critical of other leaders growing out of the succession debate such as Strang, Thompson and Young for their inability to personally live consecration, as well as their acquisition of wealth which he felt was extracted from their followers.

One writer made the following observation about Wight;

“There is one significant thing about Lyman Wight’s community efforts, which deserves attention because of its extreme rarity in Utopian experiments. Wight, as acknowledged leader, never desired or sought temporal or spiritual advantage over his fellows.

When he received letters from Strang, “King James I, president of the church”; from Brigham Young, telling of ecclesiastical honors acquired since the death of Joseph, and Thompson with his many titles, he was wont to sign his answer with profound sarcasm, “Lyman Wight, and nothing else.”

In scathing denunciation of those who he thought were acquiring wealth at the expense of their brethren, he wrote of the Melchisedec priesthood:

‘But those who aspire after this priesthood, and seek to obtain it while rolling in luxuries, and seeking the applause of men, I would simply ask them these questions, Have you drunk of the cup whereof Christ drank, and have you been baptized with the baptism wherewith he was baptized?

Have you followed the commandment that he gave to the young man and sold all that thou hadst, and give it to the poor?

Have you sold the last coat you had, and traveled in your shirt sleeves sooner than you would see the poor left to the ravages of a ruthless mob?

Have you traveled on foot hundreds and hundreds of miles and sought a place for the Saints to camp at, night after night, that they might seclude themselves from the hands of wicked and evil designing men, and then roll yourself in a blanket, and lay yourself in an open prairie, under the open canopy of heaven, in the cold night dews?

If you have not done all these, you have not yet fulfilled the saying of the Saviour where he says, If you would be greatest you must first become the least and servant of all….I again ask, when did the church flourish?

When the Nephites that dwelt upon this land did not call “aught they possessed their own; but it all belonged to the Lord.”

When did the people mourn and lament, and howl and weep?

I answer, when their priests were lifted up in the pride of their hearts, to the wearing of fine apparel and oppressing the poor and the hireling in his wages, riding in fine carriages, with cushioned seats, bristled carpets, leaving the poor to work out their own salvation among those who are their vital enemies; while the rich and opulent were permitted to increase in opulence by tithing and wringing from the hands of the peasant his hard-earnings.”

Lyman Wight was one of the few personalities that  practiced what he preached… and one of the few that other leaders with strong personalities could not intimidate or control. His boss was a Jewish Carpenter!

The timing of the special conference at the Morley Farm is very significant. We must remember that it was the first conference of the church in Kirtland. The church was in its infancy and had just migrated to Kirtland as a result of the Lord’s admonition to gather there so that he could give them the law of consecration and an endowment which would enable them to escape the power of the enemy;

“And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless— Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high”

It is amazing to realize that today the Saints are in a scattered condition among the gentiles and are now at the mercy of secret combinations because we failed back then to live consecration and enjoy the protective priesthood hedge that was being offered.

The LAW of consecration was given to the Saints shortly after they arrived in Kirtland on January 2^nd 1831. This law is what will enable the Saints to establish Zion once they are endowed again with the highest priesthood. That is why it is called the law of the celestial kingdom and it is the law upon which Zion is built;

“And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself.” D&C 105: 5, 32, 34

Now, in this first conference of the Church held just two months after the law of the Gospel was given, the Lord was restoring the priesthood that Enoch and Melchizedek held. Why? So that the Saints could be gathered, sanctified and establish Zion just as the people of Enoch and Melchizedek did.

Having detailed what happened at the special conference having to do with the restoration of the Highest Priesthood and the revealing of the “man of sin“, we need to review the content in sections 52 through 65 now that we have the proper context for these revelations.

Amazingly, section 52 which is given the day after the conference ended, and was specifically addressing the conference attendees, begins by saying;

“Behold, thus saith the Lord unto the elders whom he hath called and chosen in these last days, by the voice of his spirit- saying: I, the Lord, will make known unto you what I will that ye shall do from this time until the next conference, which shall be held in Missouri, upon the land which I will consecrate unto my people, which are a remnant of Jacob, and those who are heirs according to the covenant”

How many times have you read section 52 without realizing that those elders who had just been called and chosen were the 23 High Priests that had just receive the Melchizedek Priesthood?

Context is critical. Read this section now with the information you have just read about this amazing conference at the Morley Farm and it will become much more meaningfully to you!

In part three we will briefly review sections 52-65 in the context of what had just happened at that conference.

Following that, we will address the seriousness of the failure on the part of the Saints to successfully consecrate and establish Zion.

We, Latter day Saints, have been lulled into a sleepy state of believing that our inability to ultimately live the law of consecration back at that period of time was unfortunate, but not really that big of a deal.

We just assume that things moved forward without any significant consequences. I even had a visitor to one of my blogs postulate that the law of consecration is optional. He opined that one can still repent and be baptized and make it into the celestial kingdom without choosing to live the higher law of consecration.

In part three of this article we are going to have a sobering reality check. We are going to review what God has told the church about the law of consecration. We are going to find out that it is not optional and the consequences upon the church for not living it were immediate and harsh, with long reaching ramifications that continue to affect the posterity of the Saints unto the third and fourth generation.

To be continued…

Searching for the Holy Order and 23 High Priests- Part One

By OneWhoIsWatching
www.threewatches.blogspot.com

From JST Exodus 34 we learn that as a result of the wickedness and idolatry of the children of Israel Moses breaks the first set of plates that contained the higher law and he was commanded to hew two other tablets containing the lesser law;

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two other tables of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon them also, the words of the law, according as they were written at the first on the tables which thou brakest; but it shall not be according to the first, for I will take away the priesthood out of their midst; therefore my holy order, and the ordinances thereof, shall not go before them; for my presence shall not go up in their midst, lest I destroy them.” Exodus 34: 1-2, 14

From this and modern revelation we can surmise that the fulness of the Gospel and the LAW OF ZION sometimes referred to as GOSPEL LAW and the LAW OF CONSECRATION as contained in section 42 of the D&C, was contained in the first set of plates that Moses broke.

We are also informed that it is the Holy Order of the Priesthood according to the Son of God that must administer the LAW of ZION and ESTABLISH ZION.

Section 84 provides additional clarity pertaining to the holy order or highest portion of the Priesthood that was taken out of the midst of the Children of Israel.

“Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;

But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also;

And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;

Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until john, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb.”

It is evident that Moses was endeavoring to implement the LAW OF CONSECRATION, sanctify his people and establish ZION just as Enoch and Melchizedek had done among their peoples.

As a result of the rebelliousness of the people, Moses was taken out of their midst along with the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, the higher law and the ability to establish Zion..

Old Testament Prophets however prophesied that in the latter days, the Highest Priesthood would be restored and Zion would be re-established after becoming “captive” for a period of time;.

“Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” href=”http://scriptures.lds.org/en/isa/52/1#1″>Isa. 52: 1

Providing additional clarity and context the prophet responded to a question about the above verses;

“Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion—and what people had Isaiah reference to?

He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost.” href=”http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/113/7-8#7″>D&C 113: 7-8

It appears from ancient and modern scripture that God will send one like Moses to bring again Zion in the end times. He will enable the daughter of Zion who had previously lost the priesthood power to redeem Zion to put on their former strength and complete the final establishment of Zion!

If someone were to ask you to name the most significant events in the history of the Church between 1830 and 1836 what would you say?

Before studying this topic in depth, I would have suggested

• The visitations of John the Baptist and Peter, James and John to restore the lesser and higher priesthood in 1829?
• The vision now known as section 76, wherein the three degrees of glory were revealed to Joseph and Sidney in 1832?
• The Pentecostal outpourings of the spirit during the dedicatory services at the Kirtland Temple in 1836?
• The appearance of Moses, Elias, Elijah and Jesus Christ to Joseph and Oliver in 1836?

However, I would submit to you that there is another event that took place in 1831 that rivals all of the amazing events listed above.

Curiously, it is not covered in lesson manuals nearly as often, or spoken of as frequently by LDS scholars and the details are not as widely known among members of the church.

I am speaking about the restoration of the Highest Priesthood upon the earth in 1831 at the Morley Farm in Kirtland Ohio.

On that occasion 23 priesthood holders were ordained to the High Priesthood after the Holy order of God according to the voice of God out of the heavens. It appears they were ordained to the same High Priesthood that Melchizedek and Enoch had been ordained to. Even the same priesthood that is required to establish Zion.

As we shall see as this story unfolds, it appears the restoration of this priesthood upon the earth in 1831 was necessary for the establishment of Zion. That is why Section 52 was given the day after this conference, detailing the commission God gave to these High Priests and other Elders to travel to Jackson County and begin the holy order of consecration at the designated place, even the center stake of Zion. Shortly after that, those not commanded to plant themselves in Zion were to also establish the holy order of the law of consecration in Kirtland.

In late spring of 1831 Joseph Smith called a conference in Kirtland, Ohio. Without any known previous recorded revelation directing the Prophet Joseph Smith to ordain individuals to the office of high priest, the office was restored and bestowed upon 22 elders and one priest.

Joseph Smith said, “…the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood was manifested and conferred for the first time upon several of the Elders. It was clearly evident that the Lord gave us power in proportion to the work to be done, and strength according to the race set before us, and grace and help as our needs required.” History of The Church, 1:175-177

Several others including Lyman Wight stated that the Melchizedek priesthood was bestowed for the first in this dispensatin time at that conference.

Church apologists such as Elder B.H. Roberts and others conclude that the statement made by the prophet and others concerning the bestowal of the “Melchizedek Priesthood for the first time” is not accurate and that it the special conference deals with the restoration of the “office” of high priest for the first time, not the bestowal of the “Melchizedek Priesthood” for the first time. (History of The Church,1:176)

As we review the events pertaining to this special conference in the context of ancient and modern scripture and the words of those involved in it we shall be better prepared to determine if Joseph Smith, Lyman Wight and others were correct in his declaration that the Melchizedek Priesthood was being bestowed for the first time in this dispensation.

This controversial event that took place at the Morley Farm created a lot of indigestion for several leaders of the Church back at that time and, I suspect, based on the lack of interest in this event in contemporary lesson manuals, articles and books by LDS gospel scholars, it continues to create indigestion for some clear up to today.

A few years ago on one of my pilgrimages to Kirtland, while talking to a guide, he confided in me that there was a “secret document” circulating around, in the possession of some of the tour guides that listed who the 23 people were that were called and ordained to the high priesthood on that fateful day.

The list graded each of the 23 as either an “F” for “faithful” or “A” for “Apostate”.

The apostates were then categorized into one of three sub-categories depending, according to the creator of the document, on how much light they had previously received and how far they fell, judging by how much they eventually persecuted Joseph Smith and the Church, and, ultimately, whether they supported Brigham Young during and after the succession crises.

The secrecy of the document intrigued me and I pleaded with him to obtain a copy of it for me which he did.

I didn’t really see the significance of the event back then so I simply cataloged the document for future reference.

Recently, as I have been studying some priesthood issues, it occurred to me how significant that event was and I desired to review the document.

Unfortunately I could not find it so I tried to find out who these 23 men were by googling the topic. To my surprise, I was not able to easily find who these 23 High Priests were on the internet by simply doing key word searches. (and I am not too shabby with key word searches)

I then called the Visitors Center in Kirtland Ohio and asked the tour guides. They were not aware of the document I had previously obtained from their predecessors and did not have any record of who the 23 High Priests were.

They did, however, give me the phone number of the Visitors Center at the Morley Farm. I called there and asked the guide.

He did not know either and he commented how strange it is that such information its not easily found and that the event that took place there at the Morley Farm is not as highly profiled as the visitations of John the Baptist and Peter James and John, the vision Joseph and Sidney had in section 76 or the visitation of Christ and Moses, Elijah and Elias in the Kirtland Temple.

He asked me to send him the names of the 23 High Priests if I ever found out who they were.

Still not wanting to go through the many religious documents that I have collected over the years in search of the missing document, I decided to simply go to the greatest source of information I had pertaining to the early history of the Church in Kirtland Ohio. I dug out my book entitled “Joseph Smiths Kirtland”, a book I highly recommend. This book is one of my prized possessions because it details so many of the incredible Pentecostal events that took place in Kirtland.

It was written by Karl Anderson, a member of the church who, as I recall, was a stake president in the Kirtland area and who has spent much of his life researching the events that took place in Kirtland Ohio. He is affectionately referred to a “Mr. Kirtland” by some members of the church.

To my surprise and utter amazement, the book did not list the 23 High Priests, in fact, it didn’t even detail the events that took place on the occasion in which the ordinations of the first High Priests in this dispensation that took place at the Morley Farm!

Very strange indeed!

Luckily, I eventually found the missing document I had obtained in Kirtland. Since finding it, I have been informed that the names of all the priesthood leaders attending the conference and the names of the 23 men given the High Priesthood are contained in the Far West Record. I was able to get a copy of that and verify that the names in the document that I had been given were accurate.

You can view a copy of the transcript of the Far West Record as well as the document I obtained in Kirtland by clicking here.

In part one and part two of this post I want to summarize from seven credible corroborating historical sources what took place on that remarkable day and also the dynamics that may have been taking place between the strong personalities involved.

Fortunately we have a pretty good record of what transpired from the diaries and journal entries of Levi Hancock, Ezra Booth, Zebedee Coltrin, Philo Dibble, John Whitmer, John Murdock, John Corrill and Lyman Wight.

John Whitmer was the conference clerk.

Admittedly, Ezra Booth and John Corrill had apostatized by the time they wrote their remarks and became skeptics and enemies of Joseph Smith and the Church. Ezra Booth’s remarks are tainted a little bit from his bias which, in my opinion makes his recollection just as important as the others in getting a balanced corroboration of testimony of what took place on that occasion.

In future parts of this series, we will review the role that the third and highest priesthood was to play in implementing the law of consecration and establishing Zion.

I will also detail what we learn about the three different divisions of priesthood from this event and other teachings of the scriptures and the words of Joseph Smith.

I will use this event and a discourse on priesthood given by Joseph Smith as a context in which the concept of priesthood can be viewed and the three different levels of priesthood can be examined.

The results of this summary and the implications of what was taking place at that conference at the Morley Farm may surprise you. It may challenge your current assumptions about the priesthood. Most importantly, we can learn from history what to expect in the prophetic future, when the first laborers of the last kingdom return.

Here is a brief outline of what happened during the first part of at that amazing conference.

According to John Whitmer, a conference was called by Joseph Smith which promised a “blessing” if the Elders were faithful.

“June 3, 1831. A general conference was called, and a blessing promised, if the elders were faithful, and humble before him. Therefore the elders assembled from the East, and the West, from the North and the South. And also many members.”

Others remembered the “blessing” that was to be poured out as being referred to as an “endowment“. This is the early and more accurate use of the term endowment in LDS theology;

“… About this time Solomon Came to see me and brought Zebedee Coltrin along he held some metings and wanted I should go to Kirtland with him we started the latter part of May got there by the Last of the month I lerned that on the fourth of June there was to be an indowment of some Elders” Levi Hancock

Others described the promised events as the beginning of the “great and mighty work” and that it would involve the “work of miracles“. (spelling corrections from these accounts have not been made. Many of these good people spell the same way I do!)

“As the 4th of June last was appointed for the sessions of the conference, it was ascertained, that that was the time specified, when the great and mighty work was to be commenced, and such was the confidence of some, that knowledge superceded their faith, and they did not hesitate to declare themselves perfectly assured that the work of miracles would commence at the ensuing conference. With such strong assurances, and with the most elevated expectations, the conference assembled at the time appointed. To give, if possible, energy to expectation, Smith, the day before the conference, professing to be filled with the spirit of prophecy, declared, that “not three days should pass away, before some should see their Savior, face to face.” (Ezra Booth)

In his introduction, the Prophet likened the kingdom of God to a grain of a mustard seed and that some would live to see it put forth its branches.

He prophesied that some of those present would become martyrs.

“The fourth of June came and we all met in a little string of Buildings under the hill nere Isaac Morleys in Kirtland Geauga County Ohio we all went to a school house on the hill about one fourth of a mile asending nearly all the way it was builded of logs they was filled with slab benches here the elders were seated . the meeting was opened as usual Joseph began to speak he said that the kingdom that Christ spoke of that was like a grain of musterd seed was now before him and some should see it put forth its branches And the angels of heaven would some day come like Birds to its branches just as the Saviour had said and Some of you shall live to see it come with great glory some of you must die for the testimony of this work” (Levi handcock)

Philo dibble testified that in Joseph’s opening remarks he prophesied that there were some in their midst that would see the heavens opened and bear record of the coming of the Son of Man before the conference came to a close.

The Prophet also prophesied that the “Man of Sin” would be revealed during the conference as well.

“I saw Joseph Smith the Prophet when he first came to Kirtland, and was with him in the first conference held in that place, which was in a small school house. When he arose in our midst he said that before the conference closed there were those present who should see the heavens open and bear record of the coming of the Son of Man, and that the man of sin should be revealed”

Apparently Joseph had prophesied of these events the previous day as well. John Whitmer notes that “Joseph Smith Jr. Prophecied the day Previous that the man of Sin should be revealed”

According to Ezra booth, the Prophet cautioned those in attendance in his preliminary remarks to “not be overcome with surprise”

According to Jared Carter, Joseph Smith, who was not a gifted speaker, became a talented speaker as he became filled with Spirit;

“Before this [i.e., June 6, 1831] was that memorable day when God first gave the fullness of the high priesthood to the elders of the Church of Christ. At the interview, Brother Joseph, notwithstanding he is not naturally talented for a speaker yet he was filled with the power of the Holy Ghost so that he spoke as I never heard man speak for God, by the power of the Holy Ghost spoke in him and marvelous was the display of the power of the spirit among the elders present..” Journal of Jared Carter, typescript copy, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah

John Whitmer noted that;

“The Lord made manifest to Joseph that it was necessary that such of the elders as were considered worthy, should be ordained to the high priesthood.”

Lyman Wight becomes the First High Priest of this Dispensation

Next, Lyman Wight takes the spotlight as the first man in this dispensation to be ordained to the High Priesthood after the order of the Son of God, also referred to as the highest division of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

This of course seems contradictory to those who thought that the “higher” priesthood that Joseph and Oliver had previously received by Peter James and John, which included the calling of Apostles, was the highest division of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

As we will see in later parts of this article, there are three divisions of the priesthood;

1- The “lesser” priesthood (Aaronic or Levitical, named after Aaron)
2- The “Higher” priesthood (Patriarchal named after Abraham & Moses)
3- The “Highest” priesthood (Named after Melchizedek)

Joseph Smith has stated that “all priesthood is Melchizedek”, nevertheless, there was obviously a higher division of priesthood than what Joseph and Oliver had received previously from Peter James and John.

According to section 84, the lesser priesthood after the order of Aaron and the higher priesthood after the order of Abraham and Moses are the two priesthoods necessary to govern the church, dispense the ordinances of salvation and reveal the mystery of Godliness.

Those two priesthoods are bestowed according to lineage and/or according to the “will of man”.

The highest priesthood which is called the Melchizedek Priesthood which was bestowed anciently and at the Morley Farm however, according to the scriptures, is not given based on a man’s lineage nor is it given according to the will of man. Rather, it is given according to the voice of God out of the heavens as we shall see from the following accounts of this amazing event that happened at the Morley Farm.

“And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will..” (see href=”http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jst/4″>JST Gen. 14: 25-40 )

Opening events during the Conference at Morley’s Farm-

First let us review the recollection of Ezra Booth who states that Lyman Wight was the first to be ordained to the High Priesthood and to be given the honor of ordaining 16 of the 23 men who would be given the high priesthood, including Joseph and Sidney. It was Joseph’s privilege and responsibility to have it revealed to him from God who should be ordained to the high priesthood;

“He then laid his hands on the head of Elder Wight, who had participated largely in the warm feeling of his leader, and ordained him to the High Priesthood. He was set apart for the service of the Indians, and was ordained to the gift of tongues, healing the sick, casting out devils, and discerning spirits and in like manner he ordained several others;

and then called upon Wight to take the floor Wight arose, and presented a pale countenance, a fierce look, with his arms extended, and his hands cramped back, the whole system agitated, and a very unpleasant object to look upon.

He exhibited himself as an instance of the great power of God, and called upon those around him “if you want to see a sign, look at me.” He then stepped upon a bench, and declared with a loud voice, he saw the Savior… It, however, procured Wight the authority to ordain the rest. So said the spirit, and so said Smith. The spirit in Smith selected those to be ordained, and the spirit in Wight ordained them…”.

Here is the recollection of John Witmer regarding the ordination of Lyman Wight

“After he had prophecied, he laid his hands upon Lyman Wight (h) (swh) [and ordained him] to the High Priesthood after the holy order of God. And the Spirit [blank] fell upon Lyman and he prophecied concerning the coming of Christ He said that there were some in this congregation that should live until the Savior shoud decend from heaven with a shout, with all the holy angels with him.

He said the coming of the Savior should be like the Sun rising in the east and will cover the whole earth. So will the coming of the Son of man be. Yea, he will appear in his brightness and consume all before him. And the hills will be laid low, and valies be exalted, and the crooked be made straight, and the rough Smooth. And some of my brethren Shall suffer marterdom for the sake of the religion of Jesus Christ and seal the testimony of Jesus with their blood He saw the hevans opened, and the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the Father, Making intercession for his brethren, the Saints He said that God would work a work in these last days that tongue cannot express, and the mind {of} is not capable to conceive.

The glory of the Lord shone around At this conferen[c]e these were ordained to the high priesthood, namely Lyman Wight (h) (swh), Sidney Rigdon, John Murdock, Reynolds Cahoon, Harvey Whitlock, and Hyrum Smith were ordained by Lyman Wight excet S Joseph Smith Jr except Sidney Rigdon. The following [were ordained] by Lyman Wight by commandment. Parley P. Pratt (h), Thomas B. Marsh (h), Isaac Morley, Edward Partridge, Joseph Wakefield, Ezra Thayer, Martin Harris, Ezra Booth who denied the faith, Harvey Whitlock denied the faith, also Joseph Wakefield, Joseph Smith Sr., Joseph Smith Jr., John Whitmer. [In the Far West Record, Sidney Rigdon is ordained by Lyman Wight.

Levi Hancock recalled that Joseph “looked at Lyman Wight and said you shall see the Lord and met him nere the Corner of the house and laid his hands upon him and blessed him with the visions of heaven he then stepped out on the floor and said I now see God, and Jesus Christ at his right hand let them kill me, I should not feel death as I am now”

Zebedee Coltrine stated; “Then Lyman Wight was ordained a High Priest. Joseph told him he should see the heavens opened and after he was ordained he stood on his feet and testified that he could see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”

Following this conference, the majority of the 23 High Priests would be called upon to travel to Jackson County, preaching the gospel along the way. As Elder Wight traveled on this mission and others he would inform people that “he was a preacher of the gospel after the order of Melchizedek”

In the next part of this article we shall consider the dramatic turn of events at this special conference that took place after Lyman Wight was ordained and bore witness of the Father and Son. After that, the power of the adversary was displayed and the “Man of Sin” was revealed.

To be continued…

[ click here for journal and diary references of the seven witnesses who provided testimonies about the events that took place at the special conference ]

We have found the Messias!

Seven Seals and the Paradisaical Millennium
The 8,000 Year Time Line of the Earth
By OneWhoIsWatching www.threewatches.blogspot.com

I suppose one of the most stirring passages of scripture that characterizes the spirit of watching is found in the 1^st Chapter of the Gospel of John.

There were  two disciples of John the Baptist that were with him on the occasion that John saw Christ and said “Behold the Son of God”.  At that point, these two disciples left John and began following Christ.

“Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

These passages are exquisite to me every time I think about them. Can one comprehend what Andrew must have been feeling when he finally found the Messiah he had been waiting and watching for?

Can we comprehend how he felt as he was able to share the good news with his brother Peter who had also been watching for the Messiah?

Can we imagine what Peter must have been thinking and feeling when those words penetrated him?

The story line continues;

“The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

What would it have been like to be Philip or Nathaniel?

Interestingly enough, during the 2nd watch, then Edward Partridge, one who had also been waiting and watching, traveled to meet the Lords Seer, the Lord compared Edward to Nathaniel of old;

“And again, I have called my servant Edward Partridge; and I give a commandment, that he should be appointed by the voice of the church, and ordained a bishop unto the church, to leave his merchandise and to spend all his time in the labors of the church; To see to all things as it shall be appointed unto him in my laws in the day that I shall give them. And this because his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathanael of old, in whom there is no guile.” D&C 41: 11

It appears that it was somewhat common knowledge among the Jews that a Messiah was to soon make his appearance. Even the remnants of the other tribes of Israel who were looked down upon by the Jews seemed to understand that it was the appointed time for the Messiah to appear as demonstrated by the Samarian woman at the well, who, when conversing with Christ acknowledged;

“I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.” John 4: 25

It is truly amazing that after the 400 years of the heavens being closed since Malachi, that there was a group of believers who had studied the prophecies and were found waiting and watching for the Messiah and his forerunner.

It is not clear how the small group of watchers knew how they stood in time, whether it was mainly from personal revelation, from searching the scriptures, from the signs of the times, from the preaching of John the Baptist…  or a combination of all of the above.

I am reminded however of the words of Daniel who had been searching in the “books” to understand various time lines and where he stood in time;

“In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” (Dan 9:2)

The scriptures are filled with time line related prophecies and the continual reminder of the importance for believers in all three watches to understand where they stand in time relative to the prophecies to be fulfilled in the day they live.

Yet most of the Jews were encompassed about in the cares of the world.

Interestingly, although many of the Jews embraced Christ as a prophet initially, they eventually allowed their corrupt and jealous leaders to turn them against Him.

There was only a small remnant that were earnestly waiting and watching in anticipatory zeal along with Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathaniel. They were actively looking for him, and he was looking for each of them.

I love the scripture that says Jesus went forth to Galilee and “findeth Philip”.

The Savior said; “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me..”

My wife mentioned in a previous blog about how I became obsessed with doing scriptural word searches using infobases and other word crunching software back in the 1980’s, however she did not mention why I became so obsessed.

It all began in about September or October of 1988 when a friend named Eric who I had not seen for a few years, knocked on the door of my new home in Holiday Utah and told me he had a video I needed to see. It was about the “seven seals” and the “prophetic time line of the earth”.

That was a topic I had always had a keen interest in. I dropped everything and viewed it with great interest… little did I know that my life and my priorities were about to change dramatically.

In the video, a “Brother Nelson” (who was a young insurance salesman) was giving a seminar on the time line of the earth. He quoted many of the time line related scriptures found in the Book of Revelation and section 77 of the D&C.

I had previously read several articles about the seven thousand year time line including a 1983 Ensign article and I had been amazed at how incongruent all of the information I had seen had been with the revealed word of God.

The book of Revelation makes it clear that after the first six thousand years are fulfilled, the seventh seal opens and an hour of judgment takes place, following the hour of judgment, the millennium begins. Following the millennium, a little season takes place before the earth is celestialized. Clearly, the entire time line as revealed in the scriptures could not possibly fit into a seven thousand year time period.

The novel thing about the time line theory being promoted in the video by “Brother Nelson” was what I will refer to as the “overlap” theory.

In short, the theory proposed that the sixth seal and the seventh seal overlapped each other and that the seventh seal began before the sixth seal finished.

Eric and I went to the next scheduled time line seminar to hear the time line presentation in person. While watching the video, I had had a strong impression that that the person who had originated the overlap interpretation was actually someone other than Brother Nelson. After attending a live presentation I asked Brother Nelson if he would be kind enough to give me the contact information of the person who had originated the theory and taught him what he was teaching.

My question surprised him because he was teaching the information as if he had discovered the concepts of the theory from the scriptures himself, but with a little further prodding he finally gave me the name and phone number of a “Brother Edmonds” who lived in Mapleton Utah.

Eric and I contacted Brother Edmonds and requested a meeting with him. If my aging memory serves me correctly, we sat spell bound from about 4 PM to about 4 Am in his living room as he shared with us his version of the divine time line of the earth and the associated prophesies of the last days.

We then returned the following day and had another all night session.

Brother Edmonds was an elderly mam who had been a convert to the Church. As I recall, he was part Indian. I would describe him as fascinating, passionate, eccentric and fanatic… all in a good way. He had a very harsh warning for those who had not prepared temporally for the judgments that were about to hit the world.

He had a self contained retreat that could function off the grid. He had developed an apparatus for generating his own electricity and a large barracks filled with food storage, clothing and survival equipment. He was financially independent and was somewhat of an alchemist who had developed a secret process for refining gold.

Brother Edmonds claimed to have been very close personal friends with President Joseph Fielding Smith and other prophets of the Church. He claimed that the divine time line, including the overlap theory which he taught had been taught to him by President Smith.

As Brother Edmonds shared the parable of the goodman of the house who was to be watching lest the thief come and break in, etc., the message penetrated my heart in such a way that changed my life forever. I feel as it I have been sleeping with one eye open ever since!

That  was the experience 21 years ago that got me searching the scriptures in a much deeper way than I have ever searched them before.

Following that experience I purchased some scripture searching software and became obsessed with doing key word, key phrase and key topic searches. There were days I would spend 8- 10 hours at a time following the various search strings I was working on.

Although the topics I began with was that of the divine time line of the earth and end times prophecy, I soon found that every topic I would search would lead me to several other gospel topics and on and on. The more I learned, the more I realized how little I knew! I have now studied enough to realize I know NOTHING! lol

In the weeks following my initial visit with Brother Edmonds I began researching what President Joseph Fielding Smith had written about the divine time line of the earth.

After reading what he said in Doctrines of Salvation, I was shocked to find that President Smith had taught something quite different than what Brother Edmonds was teaching. To my surprise, President Smith did not teach about the overlapping of the sixth and seventh seal and a seven thousand year timeline, in fact, he taught that the divine time line actually consisted of eight thousand years instead of seven thousand years!

“We have evidence beyond dispute that Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden about 6,000 years ago, or perhaps a short time less. It is possible using bible chronology and that given by the Lord in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants to figure this almost accurately… Moreover, our Savior came in the meridian of time… This means that it was about half way from the beginning of “time” to the end of “time”. Anyone who desires can figure it for himself that our Lord came about 4,000 years from the time of the fall. The millennium is to come some time following the 2,000 years following to 2,000 years after his coming. then there is to be the millennium for 1,000 years, and following that a “little season” the length of which is not revealed but which may bring “time to its end about 8,000 years from the beginning.” (Page79-81 Volume One Doctrines of Salvation See also the thesis of Arch Bishop Ussher who spent his life studying the time line of the earth from a literal interpretation of the Bible)

President Smith taught, according to my interpretation of his writings and in conjunction with the word searches I have done, that the seven seals mentioned in the book of Revelation did not represent the entire time line of the earth.. it only had reference to the seven thousand year portion of temporal time that the earth is passing through but he revealed that during the seventh seal, the earth would leave temporal time and go into eternity where it would experience a paradisaical millennium. It would leave this telestial order shortly after the seventh seal begins and go into a paradisaical (terrestrial) order. It would be gone from our telestial reckoning of time for the space of a thousand years and then it would return back to temporal time and finish the remainder of the seventh seal in temporal time.

He taught that the paradisaical millennium that takes place in eternity was separate and distinct from each of the seven millenniums that take place in temporal time.

I returned to brother Edmonds and confronted him about the apparent discrepancy between his interpretation of the time line vs the interpretation provided by President Smith in Doctrines of Salvation.

Although it was not my intent to challenge his sincerity or integrity, I fear that is how he perceived the grilling he was getting. His response was not a pleasant one. It resulted in an unpleasant exchange between the two of us…  we parted ways on a rather sour note, never to see each other in this life again.

I must say however that I feel eternally indebted to Brother Edmonds for his passion about prophecy and for instilling in me a desire to know where I stand in time and the importance of having the spirit of watching and waiting.

He has since passed on, but I shall always be grateful that he was the catalyst for a profound and defining experience in my life.

Needless to say, the time line being presented by Brother Nelson and Brother Edmonds created  no small stir among many people back at that time.

There have since been several groups that have created their own variations of that time line, or were inspired to create different theories altogether, some of them have promoted their own time line videos.

At the time that all of this fuss was taking place, there were rumors about the general authority, under whose stewardship Mapleton Utah,  fell, who was Paul H. Dunn, meeting Brother Edmonds and also with Brother Nelson and warning them to tone things down and to not circulate inaccurate information.

Apparently church headquarters was getting lots of calls and letters from members of the church who were beginning to panic about the perilous time they felt we were entering into.

In an effort to sort things out in my own mind on these issues and to see if the church had an official position on the matter, I wrote a letter to Elder Dunn inquiring about the time line doctrine being taught by Brother Edmonds and the discrepancies I had found between his teachings and those written by President Smith. I included a diagram of my own interpretation of the timeline for his review.

I was curious to know what the official position of the Church was on the time line of the Church.

He was kind enough to respond to my inquiry and to provide a copy of a letter he had recently received from brother Nelson.

At the time, I found it disconcerting that Brother Dunn would commend me for coming to the “proper source” on such doctrinal matters while failing to respond to the doctrinal observations and questions I asked.

As a heretic that tends to be somewhat of a non-conformist, I have tried to find discrepancies in the general nine part time line taught by president Smith as I have searched the scriptures. After 21 years, I have yet to find a major discrepancy in it. In my opinion, his general time line interpretation fits perfectly with every time line statement in the scriptures. Below is my interpretation of the time line based on the scriptures and the writings of President Smith.

1-     1^st Seal (one thousand years)

2-     2^nd Seal (second thousand years)

3-     3^rd Seal (third thousand years)

4-     4^th Seal (fourth thousand years

MIDDLE OF TIME

5-     5^th Seal (fifth thousand years)

6-     6^th Seal (sixth thousand years)

7-     Beginning of the 7^th Seal (Hour of Judgment/Redemption+ possibly about 41 years although the days will be cut short)

8-     Paradisaical Millennium (“There shall be time no longer” the earth leaves temporal time for the “space of 1,000 years”

9-     Remainder of the 7^th Seal (“Little Season” possibly about 959 years)

The above time line which is patterned after the writings of president Smith and many of the time line related prophecies, solves many of the discrepancies found in many of the articles written about the seven seals. Aside from the fact that the time line of the earth revealed in the scriptures cannot possibly fit into a 7,000 year period, another of the glaring discrepancies that most articles pertaining to the seven seals creates, has to do with the term “meridian”.

President Smith taught that the term meridian, as used in this context, means “middle’ and “high point” of time. As you can see from the proposed time line spoken of by President Smith, the coming of Christ did in fact take place in the middle of time;

If the above scenario is anywhere close to being correct, we are very close to the end of the sixth seal… and very close to the events spoken of by Christ that will take place in the last generation of probationary time (which take place before the seventh seal opens)

Of course Joseph Smith and many of the other general authorities from earlier times have been warning the Saints for a long time that we are getting near to the end of the six thousand year period spoken of in the scriptures, but perhaps one of the most disruptive scriptural interpretations derived from the Edmonds time line presentations is found in section 20 of the D&C;

“The rise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April— ” D&C 20:

The reason this scripture is so disruptive is because in the past, the six thousand year period was spoken of in a vague context, taking for granted that our current calendar is not completely accurate and that we didn’t know the exact date of Christ’s birth, hence we don’t know when the six thousand year period comes to an end and we therefore don’t know exactly where we stand in time.

However a literal rendering of section 20 enables us to identify with pinpoint accuracy when the fall of Adam, the birth of Christ, the atonement of Christ and the end of the sixth seal takes place!

In essence, it tells us where we stand in time!

But can we take those passages in section 20 literally?

In another post I addressed the fascinating history behind section 20 and pointed out that it was actually written by Oliver Cowdery, not Joseph Smith. There is some disputation upon whether or not it should be consider an inspired writing or an actual revelation. In later years historical documents have surfaced that indicate that it was in fact a direct revelation from God.

Apparently President Kimball did take section 20 literally. On Easter Sunday April 6^th 1980 he made the following statement;

“My brothers and sisters, today we not only celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the organization of the Church, but also the greatest event in human history since the birth of Christ on this day 1,980 years ago. Today is Easter Sunday” (May 1980 Ensign)

Harold B Lee also apparently agreed with the proposition contained in section 20 verse one;

“This is the annual conference of the Church. April 6, 1973, is a particularly significant date because it commemorates not only the anniversary of the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this dispensation, but also the anniversary of the birth of the Savior, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ…” (ref)

When does the Sixth Seal End?

Recently I was asked by a friend, “Why didn’t anything happen on April 6^th 2000?”

His question was based on the following assumptions;

1-  1- The Meridian (or Middle) of time is marked by the Birth of Christ

2-   2- The probationary period of mankind is six thousand years

3-   3- Section 20 reveals that our current calendar is correct to within a few months stating that on April 6^th 1830, it had been 1830 years since the birth of Christ.

Based on the above assumptions, the end of the sixth seal would have been April 6^th 2000. For this reason some people were anticipating that something might happen on that date.

Although I agree with President Smiths nine period chronology of the divine time line and with his definition of “Meridian” meaning middle and high point of time, I disagree with the assumption some people make when they identify the birth of Christ as the “coming of Christ” . I think this is an erroneous application of the term meridian.

Edmonds identified the birth of Christ with the scriptural phrase “coming of Christ”. he felt that the birth of Christ was a prophetic marker pointing to the middle or high point of time.

I am going to suggest that the middle of time and the high point of time was not the birth of Christ, rather it was the Atonement of Christ. (or possibly half way between the birth and atonement of Christ)

Notice the curious scripture found in the Pearl of Great Price;

And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying: When shall the day of the Lord come? When shall the blood of the Righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified and have eternal life? And the Lord said: It shall be in the meridian of time, in the days of wickedness and vengeance. And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.” Moses 7

It appears to me that the meridian of time is being linked with the day of the Lord which is clearly identified by the wickedness of those who shed the sanctifying blood of the righteous Savior. Clearly the emphasis pertaining to the events associated with his coming in the MERIDIAN of time is being placed on the crucifixion and the atonement of Christ, not his birth!

It is understandable that one would think that Christ has delayed the time of the end of probation and his return in glory in the beginning of the seventh seal if one assumes that the meridian of time is based on the birth of Christ. But I would suggest that is a false premise.

IF the following suppositions are true, then the end of the sixth seal would be closer to April 6th 2033 than to April 6th 2000;

·       probationary time does consist of six thousand years

·       section 20 is accurate in validating what the true calendar is

·       the term Meridian does have reference to the middle and high point of the divine     time line

·       the high point of time was in fact the atonement of Christ

Of course we know that the events of the last generation leading up to the end of probationary time, as described by Christ in Matthew 24 must take place sometime during the last biblical generation of the sixth seal.

That would possibly mean that the last 40 year generation of the probationary period before the judgment which takes place in the beginning of the seventh seal, would have possibly begun in 1993 and will possibly end in 2033, or some time sooner since we not that things will be cut short!

Obviously, the events mentioned in Matthew 24 don’t necessarily begin when the generation begins, they simply take place sometime during that generation. Additionally, they are all completed before the entire generation expires for we are told that those days will be shortened;

“And except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake, according to the covenant, those days shall be shortened.” JS-M 1: 20

The thought that the last generation might have begun back in 1993 is an awesome thought to ponder.

The thought that we are currently living in the tail end of the six thousand years is really not a far stretch, after all, as pointed out earlier, President Smith declared that we are nearly at the end of the first six thousand years period. Joseph Smith also declared that those living in his day were living close to the end of the six thousand years;

“The world has had a fair trial for six thousand years; the Lord will try the seventh thousand Himself..” TPSJ 5:252

If those living at the time of Joseph Smith were nearing the end of the six thousand year period, then we know that we are even closer to it!

The comments from Joseph smith would indicate that section 20 could be accurate.

Joseph Fielding Smith has since echoed those sentiments with even more specificity;

“We have evidence beyond dispute that Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden about 6,000 years ago, or perhaps a short time less. It is possible for us, by using the Bible chronology and that given by the Lord in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants to figure this almost accurately.” Doctrines of Salvation

Ezra Taft Benson also felt we were close to the end of the six thousand year probationary period:

“For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming…” (ETB, Spoken to a gathering of youth in Southern California after he became President of the Church)

Ezra Taft Benson also made the following comments to a youth group:

“Youth of Zion, do you realize you are living in the days of the fulfillment of these signs and wonders? You are among those who will see many of these prophecies fulfilled. Just as certain as was the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jews, so shall these words of the Savior be certain to your generation.

We know not the day nor the hour of His coming, but of this you may feel assured: You stand close to the great day of the Lord! In His words of modern revelation, we say to you, “Seek the face of the Lord, always” (D&C 101:38).

Could it really be possible that we are already living during the last generation of probationary time?

1993 was a year to remember for many people, for many reasons.

Just to jog your memory, the most popular show was “60 minutes”, and the academy award for the best picture that year was given to “Schindler’s List”. That year the Nobel Peace prize was awarded to Nelson Mandela .

The most popular fiction that year was “The Bridges of Madison County”  starring Clint Eastwood, written by  Robert James Waller.

The four most popular Nonfiction books that year were written by an eccentric conservative political talk radio host who would gain such popularity that he would affect politics in a huge way, a degenerate sex pervert who would have been jailed for his antics in the previous generation, but with the downward trend in morals has become worshipped and revered by men and women alike, a stand up comedian that would create an award winning sitcom based on nothing, and a disenfranchised Latter day Saint who claimed to have died and seen the after life, creating her own quasi-new age religion mingled with bits and pieces of Mormon Doctrine;
1.”See I Told You” … Rush Limbaugh
2.”Private Parts” … Howard Stern
3.”Seinlanguage” … Jerry Seinfeld
4.”Embraced by the Light” … Betty J. Eddie with Curtis Taylor

Such were the latter day movers and shakers shaping the thoughts of our present generation in 1993. Those were the books being embraced by a depraved nation with darkened minds.

If indeed 1993 was the beginning of the last 40 year generation of probationary time, it is not unreasonable to suspect that a very significant event might have taken place that year as a prophetic marker indicating where we stand in time.

I have listed below, some of the major events that took place that year. There is one of them in particular that I find to be very significant.

How about you?

Do you find anything in the  following list to be a significant prophetic event? Or are you aware of another event that took place in 1993 that is not on the list that might have been significant?

• The Great Blizzard of 1993 strikes the eastern U.S., bringing record snowfall and other severe weather all the way from Cuba to Québec.
• The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993
• The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.
• The World Wide Web is born at CERN.
• John Paxson‘s 3-point shot in Game 6 of the NBA Finals helps the Chicago Bulls, and their third consecutive championship. secure a 99-98 win over the Phoenix Suns.
  
• U.S. President Bill Clinton announces his ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell‘ policy regarding gays in the American military.
• The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers flood large portions of the American Midwest.
• LDS Apostles offered their sacrifices and oblations in the Kirtland Temple for the first time in over 140 years
• Waco seige in Texas.
• First World Trade Center bombing. Terrorists detonate bomb in underground car park.
• A seven year peace treaty signed between Israel and PLO. .
• The HAARP Program ( which stands for “High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program” was created. The HAARP Program is jointly managed by the US Air Force and the US Navy. Though the military denies the allegations, scientific evidence shows that HAARP can cause earthquakes (and other devastations). Russia and the U.S. have already signed treaties agreeing not to use the weather as weaponry against each other.

Assuming that 1993 was the beginning of the last forty year generation of probationary time, those who are watching have great cause to be very anticipatory.

We are now over 1/3 the way through the last generation in the sixth seal during which the preparatory event for the Lords Second coming in glory will take place before the final judgments in the beginning of the seventh seal will take place.

While many believing Mormons, Protestants and Catholics are  watching for the judgments to take place in the opening of the seventh seal and the second coming of the Lord in glory, those who understand the three watch doctrine realize that the Marvelous Work and a Wonder must first take place BEFORE the seventh seal can begin.

Our Father Adam and the Seer and the Spokesman and the rest of the first laborers of the last kingdom must first make their appearance to seal up the righteous and the wicked.

During this time the Savior will return to the vineyard in secret. All of this must happen BEFORE the judgments of the seventh seal and the second coming in glory can take place.

The return of the servants and the testimony of the Servants to the world will be followed by the testimony of earthquakes and the voice of thunderings and the voice of lightnings and the voice of tempests and voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. (See section 88)

As we watch in anticipation for the events to take place, the Lord has given many signs of the times for us to be watching for. Additionally there are other keys to help us understand what is to take place in the near future.

Among them, the dates that revelations took place in the D&C can possibly be very helpful.

Understanding the feasts of Israel and the meaning and sequence behind them and how they related to prophecy can be very helpful.

Perhaps another key was given in section 59

On August 7th 1831 the Lord said;

“Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;

Nevertheless thy vow shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.

And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.”

Although that revelation was given on a Sunday, verifying that the Lords Sabbath day is indeed on Sunday during this period time, it is interesting to note that it was also given on a NEW MOON!

Hence, the statements from Isaiah and other prophets about the significance of the New Moon are still very applicable. It may be helpful to keep your eyes on the New Moon dates coming up.

This site is very helpful for researching past New Moon dates as well as future ones- Phases of the Moon Calendar

We live in amazing times.

Are you waiting and watching?

Will you be one of the ones that they find, just as the Lord found Philip?

Perhaps you will be one of the first to find them.

Perhaps you, like Andrew, will have the privilege of seeking out your beloved brother or sister and declaring “I have found them! The Servants have returned!”

Perhaps just as Philip found Nathanial, you will find your fellow believers and declare;

“I have found those who have been identified in the scriptures as the first laborers of the last kingdom, they have returned just as the Lord God of Israel has promised!”

“Behold the Time has Fully Come”

“Behold the Time has Fully Come”
By OneWhoIsWatching www.threewatches.blogspot.com

On April 3^rd 1836 Jesus Christ, the Jehovah of the Old Testament suddenly and secretly appeared in the Kirtland Temple to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

While standing upon the Ark of the Covenant, suspended in mid air, the Savior of the world declared;

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.  Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.

Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to my name. For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.

Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.

Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.

And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people. Even so. Amen.” ( D&C 110 See also Exod 25:22)

Following that declaration and the transferring of the keys of the gathering of Israel from Moses and the dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham by Elias, Elijah the Prophet appeared and made the following declaration;

“Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi– testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come- To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse- Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.”

The declaration of Elijah the prophet in the above passages appears to be declaring two things;

1) The prophecy pertaining to Elijah the Prophet contained in Malachi had just recently been fulfilled-

2) The keys to the dispensation of the great and dreadful day of the Lord had been committed to Joseph and Oliver. (That future dispensation has also been revealed as the dispensation of the fulness of times. See D&C 27: 13, D&C 121: 31, D&C 124: 41, D&C 128: 18, 20)

Following this amazing series of visitations Joseph and Oliver had their scribe, Warren Cowdery, (Olivers brother), write down a brief description of the event into a journal.

During the remaining eight years of Joseph’s life, there is no evidence of a public disclosure of this most sacred event by any of these three individuals.

Joseph even gave a public discourse on the future appearance of Elias, Elijah and Messiah without taking the opportunity of disclosing what had already happened or attempting to build upon what had taken place in the Kirtland Temple with Elias, Elijah and Messiah.

It would be decades before the Kirtland Temple visitation would be revealed to the Saints in an article in the Deseret News and a full Biblical generation of 40 years before it would find its way into the canonized revelations in the D&C.

So what event spoken of by Malachi had FULLY COME to pass by April of 1836?

Some LDS scholars believe that the very appearance and declaration by Elijah the Prophet in the Kirtland Temple was the fulfilling of the Malachi’s prophecy but we know that cannot be the case.

We know this because the Angel Moroni gave Joseph Smith a more inspired version of the prophecy revealing that Elijah needed to reveal the priesthood through a physical ordinance by hand, and such an event did not take place pertaining to the visit of Elijah the prophet during the Kirtland Temple visitation;

“..Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord..”

It is very important to note that the revealing of the priesthood was to take place by hand, not just by verbal declaration.

With this in mind, others assume that perhaps the appearance of John the Baptist to Joseph and Oliver wherein he laid his hands on them and ordained them to the priesthood must have been the fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy that Elijah was referring to..

One could actually make a very strong case for that deduction given the fact that the New Testament identifies John the Baptist as the one coming in the spirit of Elijah that Malachi spoke of. (another interpretation could be the fact that he identified Christ, the great High Priest as the Messiah, and then baptized him by hand)

Nevertheless, Isaiah and the inspired version of the Bible reveal that the prophecy by Malachi was to have multiple fulfillment’s, with two separate prophets that come in the spirit and calling of Elijah.

The JST version of the NT identifies John the Baptist as Elijah the preparer who was to first come and prepare the way. But it reveals that in the end times there would be a second prophet coming who was referred to as Elijah the restorer.

Hence, the declaration of Elijah the prophet in the Kirtland Temple was clearly not referring to the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood by the hand of John the Baptist which had occurred in 1829 as a preparatory act in restoring the church of Christ to the earth.

So if John the Baptist is Elijah the preparer, who is Elijah the restorer?

And when did Elijah the restorer reveal the priesthood by hand indicating the time had fully come of which Malachi prophesied about?

Clearly it would have to have taken place between the time John the Baptist restored the Aaronic priesthood in 1829 and the visitations in the Kirtland Temple in 1836.

The Purpose of this paper is to document exactly what the prophecy of Malachi was referring to, who Elijah the restorer is and exactly when the revealing of the priesthood by hand took place. (and who the rightful holder of the priesthood is that is spoken of by the ancient prophets)

By doing key word, key phrase and key concept searches, it appears that the act of revealing of the priesthood may include the act of revealing who the Davidic King would be in the third watch, or, in other words,  He whose right it is to reign over the kingdom and dispense the priesthood throughout the kingdom.

When the great overturning of the wicked rulers and their kingdom of iniquity take place, the profane wicked prince of Israel will be dethroned and a literal descendant of David, He whose right it is to rule, will be crowned to reign in behalf of Christ until Christ comes in his glory;

“And thou, profane ^awicked prince of Israel, whose ^bday is come, when iniquity shall have an end,  Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the ^adiadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is ^blow, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.” Ezek. 21: 27 (See also D&C 58: 22)

Regarding this topic, the Prophet Joseph Smith once taught;

“… the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and will be given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage.” (Doctrinal History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 253.)

I am suggesting that Elijah the restorer is the descendant of King David spoken of by Joseph Smith and many of the ancient prophets, who has the priesthood right to reign.

Let us first review the prophesy in Malachi as it reads in the King James Version;

” For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

It is a great blessing to have the additional information that has been revealed during the laying of the foundation of the LDS restoration pertaining to those passages through the Book of Mormon, the D&C and the Inspired Version of the Bible and other teachings.

We will review the additional light that God has revealed about those passages and then we will use this information to create an amalgamated text of Malachi’ prophecy.

Then we will identify exactly who Elijah the Restorer is and when he revealed the Priesthood by hand indicating that the time of the fulfillment of the prophecy had fully come. We shall see that just as Elijah the preparer had a type and a literal fulfillment of the prophesy, Elijah the restorer does too;

Listing of additional things revealed pertaining to Malach 4

1- Isaiah prophesies of the mission of Elijah and Christ reveals that every prophecy of Isaiah will have a dual fulfillment; One fulfillment prior to his visit to the Nephites and one fulfillment after his visit to the Nephites; “The ^avoice of him that crieth in the wilderness, ^bPrepare ye the ^cway of the Lord, make straight in the desert a ^dhighway for our God”. ( Isaiah prophecies about the coming of Elijah see Isa. 40: 3) “…for great are the words of ^bIsaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; ^atherefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles. And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.” (Christ reveals that all things Isaiah spoke of have been and shall be… they apply to the Jews and to the Gentiles 3^rd Nephi)

2- According to the Inspired Version of the Bible there are actually two Elijahs, a preparer and a restorer; The inspired version reveals that there are actually two prophets that come in the calling of Elijah (which is spelled Elias in the New Testament) The first Elijah comes to prepare the way, the second comes in the last days to restore all things.   JST Matt. 11: 13-15 15 And if ye will receive it, verily, he was the Elias, who was for to come and prepare all things.   JST Matt. 17: 10-14 “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things, as the prophets have written. And again I say unto you that Elias has come already, concerning whom it is written, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and they knew him not, and have done unto him, whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. But I say unto you, Who is Elias? Behold, this is Elias, whom I send to prepare the way before me. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist, and also of another who should come and restore all things, as it is written by the prophets.

3- JS History tells us that Elijah will “plant” in the hearts of the children the promises of the fathers;

“…After telling me these things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of ^aMalachi; and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy, though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he quoted it thus: For behold, the ^aday cometh that shall ^bburn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as ^cstubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the ^cLord. He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.

4- Section 98 informs us that the terms “fathers” and “children” also apply to “Prophets” and “Jews” “Therefore, ^arenounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to ^bturn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children; And again, the hearts of the ^aJews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews; lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me.”  D&C 98: 17

5- Joseph Smith taught that the word “turn” means “bind” or “seal”. “I wish you to understand this subject, for it is important; and if you will receive it, this is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah. …”Now comes the point. What is this office and work of Elijah? It is one of the greatest and most important subjects that God has revealed. He should send Elijah to seal the children to the fathers, and the fathers to the children.”  ” History of the Church, 6:251-53 “”How shall God come to the rescue of this generation? He will send Elijah the prophet. … Elijah shall reveal the covenants to seal the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers” History of the Church, 5:555; Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the ^asealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the ^bkeys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of ^cknowledge.

15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their ^asalvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made ^bperfect.

16 And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

17 And again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the ^arestoration of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold, I will send you ^bElijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.I might have rendered a ^aplainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a ^bcurse unless there is a welding ^clink of some kind or other between the fathers and the ^dchildren, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the ^ebaptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the ^ffulness of times (See section 128)

6- We learn from the appearance of Moroni that it is Gods Servants that will burn the wicked; Moroni reveals, in the Joseph Smith History tells us that “they” who come shall burn them. JS-H 1: 37

7- We know from other prophesies that the word “Lest” means “Before” or “In preparation for”; The dictionary indicates that “lest” some times means “That not”; other times it means “for fear that”, or in other words, “because of” or “in preparation for”. We know that it has to do with the second definition because the scriptures make it clear in multiple places that the earth WILL be smitten with a curse. The point is that Elijah needs to come to prepare and gather the righteous before the curse goes forth, otherwise all of the inhabitants of the earth, including the righteous would be destroyed. (See the prophesied blessing and the cursing in Deut. 30: 1, 19 Also Isaiah’s prophecy that the curse will devour the earth in Isa. 24: 6 etc.)

8- 3rd Nephi reveals that the word “Sun” should be translated “Son” (although both are applicable since the Sun gets it light from Christ); 3 Ne. 25: 2.

Using the information noted above, here is my amalgamated version of the prophesy contained in Malachi;

” For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: for they that come shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, who is to restore all things before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And during the 2nd watch he shall first plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and in the 3rd watch the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers and he will bind and seal the heart of the Prophets to the Jews, and the heart of the Jews to the Prophets, in preparation for when I come and smite the earth with a curse. If it were not for the return of Elijah the restorer, the whole earth, including the righteous would be utterly wasted at his coming” (Amalgamation and interpretation of the  text of the prophecy in Mal 4 by the Watcher.. changes in red)

There are some amazing things revealed in this prophecy!

Among them is the fact that Elijah the restorer will first prepare the fathers and the children, the Jews and the Prophets by planting a desire in their hearts. Then at the appointed time, he will seal or bind them up before the curse goes forth;

“Q What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east, Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse?

A We are to understand by the angel ascending from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels having the everlasting gospel, saying: Hurt not he earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things.”

Notice the related promise that the restorer and his fellow servants will go forth to prepare the Saints by binding up the law and sealing the testimony;

“Therefore, tarry ye, and labor diligently, that you may be perfected in your ministry to go forth among the ^aGentiles for the last time, as many as the mouth of the Lord shall name, to ^bbind up the law and ^cseal up the testimony, and to prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come”  D&C 88: 84

Of course the modern version of this prophesy in section 88 pertaining to the binding up of the law and the sealing of the testimony is in part, a take-off of Isaiah 8.

These passages reveal that when the Davidic Servant returns, who holds the right of priesthood, will be a stumbling block and a rock of offense to both of the kingdoms of Israel that will have become united in the latter days, both the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah who have gathered unto the gospel covenant. While a remnant will be saved, many will stumble and fall and be snared and taken;

“And he shall be for a ^asanctuary; but for a ^bstone of ^cstumbling and for a ^drock of ^eoffence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a ^fsnare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. ^aBind up the testimony, ^bseal the ^claw among my disciples.” Isa. 8: 16

Of course, Isaiah and section 88 are prophesying about the time of the cursing and the blessing that Moses prophesied about. ( See Deuteronomy 28-32)

But getting back on topic, who is Elijah the Restorer?

To identify this person we need to go back to the early part of the LDS restoration movement when a fellow by the name of Oliver Cowdery and others were commissioned by the Lord to take the gospel message to another branch of the house of Israel, even the Lamanites.

Oliver was also commissioned to help identify and ordain the 12 apostles that would take the gospel message to foreign lands to gather the dispersed of Judah and the outcasts of Israel, two other branches of the Olive Tree.

Oliver was playing a key role in helping to fulfill the prophesies contained in the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees given by the prophet Zenos. I was reminded the other day by a friend in Utah Valley that the name “Oliver” means “Olive Tree”. What a coincidence!)

In section 6 of the D&C, we read thus:

“And now behold I give unto you (O. Cowdery), and also unto my servant Joseph, the keys of this gift, which shall bring to light this ministry.”

What ministry is the Lord referring to?

It appears that the Lord was referring to a separate, existing ministry from the ministry that Joseph and Oliver were involved in… it was the ministry which was to finish the work of bringing to pass the restoration of Israel, and through these means prepare the way for the coming of Christ.

This is truly amazing. The Lord was not giving Joseph and Oliver the keys of this ministry, he was giving them the privilege and calling of bringing an existing preparatory ministry to light!

Shortly after Joseph and Oliver receive this promise that they will be the ones to bring an existing ministry to light, a revelation comes through Joseph for Oliver and others to go on a mission to the Lamanites.

During the mission Oliver and his companions pay a call to Sidney Rigdon and encourage him to read the Book of Mormon.

Within a short period of time, Rigdon has joined the Church, been the means of preparing hundreds of others to come into the church. He meets Joseph Smith for the first time in December of 1830. During that visit, the revelation currently known as section 35 is given in which the Lord reveals that Sidney is the one who is like John the Baptist (Elijah the preparer)

“Behold, verily, verily I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard thy prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things. Behold thou wast sent forth even as John, to prepare the way before me and before Elijah which should come.”

On the surface, this passage is amazingly clear, yet if we drill down a little further, we see an amazing cryptic message embedded into it.

The passage informs us that Bishop Rigdon’s previous ministry was typological of John the Baptists. It was a preparatory ministry… and, as we have pointed out,  John the Baptist was Elijah the preparer who prepared the way for Christ and also prepared the way for the restoration of the Gospel in the 2^nd watch.

However, the passage goes on to inform us that Rigdon would in the future, do a greater work. He would have a greater ministry. He would eventually do GREAT THINGS… even as the apostles of old.  The implication is that Rigdon’s next work would be that of restorer.

Verses 7&8 provide greater clarity to the future work that Sidney will do in the 3^rd watch,  they say;

“And it shall come to pass that there shall be a great work in the land, even among the Gentiles, for their folly and their abominations shall be made manifest in the eyes of all people. For I am God and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs and wonders unto all those who believe on my name.”

Now, getting back to the cryptic aspect of the passages;

“thou wast sent forth even as John, to prepare the way before me and before Elijah which should come.”

So, we have Joseph Smith who is identifying Sidney Rigdon and the priesthood by which he conducted his ministry!

I believe that is a shadow fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi.

Modern revelation reveals that Sidney had been sent to do a preparatory work before the greater work of Elijah the Restorer was to be done. He was first doing a preparatory work but later elijah the Restoreer would reveal the fulness of the priesthood which would bring about a greater work.

It becomes evident that Sidney will be playing a very important part of the greater work and will be working in conjunction with the Lords Seer. .

So, here we have the Lord declaring that Sidney has just finished a preparatory ministry similar to the ministry of John the Baptist, and that he would do GREAT THINGS in a GREATER WORK during the folly of the Gentiles at a future time.

But what about revealing the priesthood by hand?

We know from the angel Moroni that the latter day Elijah the restorer would reveal the priesthood by HAND, or in other words, just as John the Baptist revealed the priesthood by giving it to Joseph and Oliver by the laying on of hands, he who was to come in the spirit and calling of Elijah the prophet in the latter days would also reveal the priesthood ordination, by the laying on of hands.

This is where section 36 becomes hugely important because it provides an explanation of how God himself ordains his servants by hand, through the principle of “divine investiture”, or “divine possession”.

Following the revelation that the Lord gave to Sidney Rigdon, a revelation was given to his friend, Edward Partridge, who had come with him to meet Joseph Smith. In it, the Lord says;

“..and I will lay my hand upon you [Edward Partridge] by the hand of my Servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom.” (D&C 36:2)

There is an incredible type of how God ordains people.

It was an event similar to this that Elijah the Prophet was acknowledging and declaring in the Kirtland Temple on April 3^rd 1836. He was acknowledging that in fulfillment of Malachi’s prophesy, He who would come in the calling of Elijah the Restorer had already revealed the priesthood in preparation for the eventual curse that would be poured out upon the earth.

We know from section 6 that Rigdon will eventually do great things when the great work begins. His past and future ministries had now been brought to light, by revelation, as a result of Joseph and Oliver who had been called to do so.

Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith were told that they had the keys of the gift which should bring to light this ministry;

“And now I command you, that if you have good desires-a desire to lay up treasures for yourself in heaven-then shall you assist in bringing to light, with your gift, those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity. And now, behold, I give unto you, and also unto my servant Joseph, the keys of this gift, which shall bring to light this ministry; and in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”

Joseph and Oliver were given the gift and the calling to bring to light an existing ministry! A separate one from their own. They were to identify the ministry (and minister) that was currently doing a work! And then they were to assist him when the folly of the gentiles takes place in the 3rd watch!

Lets review what happens after Joseph and Oliver are given the promise of bring an existing ministry to light;

1) The Lord calls Oliver Cowdery, Parley Pratt and others on a mission to the lamanites. During the mission they take a Book of Mormon to Sidney Rigdon who declares it to be a revelation from God.

2) Oliver Cowdery baptizes Rigdon.

3) Rigdon visits Joseph Smith during their first meeting… the first time they ever met, Joseph pronounces a blessing upon Sidneys head and the Lord identifies Sidney as the one like John the Baptist who had previously been sent forth doing a work that was a preparatory work.

4) Shortly thereafter the Lord identifies (through the Prophet Joseph Smith) Sidney Rigdon as the Spokesman from the loins of Judah prophesied about in the Book of Mormon and the JST version of Genesis.

What is a ministry?

According the Webster-

Ecclesiastical function; agency or service of a minister of the gospel or clergyman in the modern church, or of priests, apostles and evangelists in the ancient. Acts 1. Rom.12. 2 Tim.4. Num.4.

Did Joseph and Oliver use the keys they had been given to bring to light the existing ministry and the existing minister who God had previously called to do a preparatory work?

YES!

Please remember that anciently, King David had a seer who worked in concert with him;

“All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office. ”

Are we seeing a pattern here? The priests had to come before King David and Samuel the Seer to be ordained. Remember how the Lord said in the D&C that all those who would go forth to preach the gospel must come before Sidney and Joseph?

Joseph had just translated the Book of Mormon with the help of Oliver as his scribe and Oliver had just been given the promise that at a future time he would get to translate ancient records as well… hence, Oliver also had, or would be given the gift of translation at a future time.

So what exactly was the gift promised to Joseph and Oliver that would enable them to bring to light the existing ministry of he who would come in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet?

It was the gift of translation!

How did the gift of translation help to identify Sidney Rigdons calling?

Perhaps two of the most important sections of scripture identifying Sidney’s calling are 2 Ne. 3: 17-18 in the Book of Mormon and JST Gen. 50: 24-38 in the Bible. Both of these records came forth through the miraculous gift of translation.

Both of these speak about the “Spokesman” and his ministry and provide a point of reference for latter day revelation to refer to when revealing who Sidney is. Sections 100 and 124 identify Sidney Rigdon to be the Spokesman prophesied about in 2^nd Nephi and JST 50;

“And it is expedient in me that you, my servant Sidney, should be a spokesman unto this people; yea, verily, I will ordain you unto this calling, even to be a spokesman unto my servant Joseph.” D&C 100: 9, 11

Certainly the gift of translation that brought forth the Book of Mormon and the inspired version of the Bible (JST) containing prophecies about Rigdons ministry as the spokesman for the one like Moses is part of what the Lord was referring to when he spoke of the gift that Joseph and Oliver had been given.

Furthermore, the revelation in section 6 begins by stating that a Marvelous Work was about to come forth verifying that it had not yet begun!

It was referring of course to a future time.. to the 3^rd watch.

I wonder if in the 3^rd watch, perhaps Joseph and or Oliver will translate additional records that will shed further light and testimony on the past and future ministries of Sidney Rigdon, Gods Spokesman, and Joseph the Seer, even Elijah the Restorer.

It is remarkable that on this, the new moon of the first month of the transitional year in which the Marvelous Work is very possibly to begin, over 100 elders and other leaders of indigenous tribes in America and other countries have gathered together in a gathering they refer to as “the return of the ancestors“.

Their message to the world is that ;

“we have entered into a very special time in history… It began on October 24 when the blue sphere appeared in the solar system marking.. the end of time”

“there is great change about to happen on earth”

According to one of their spokesmen;

“These elders are coming from all over for ceremony and for prayer. Prayer for themselves and for the world and for all of us.. this is not just an ordinary ceremony this is a ceremony of extreme power because of the timing, because of what it is about and the true meaning behind this of the returning of the ancestors, it talking about the time when the stars open up to us, when the people who actually created the human race re-appear on earth”

How is it possible that so many fragmented tribes of differing beliefs, traditions and in some cases different languages could come together in a united ceremony believing that their ancestors are going to return to teach them wisdom?

The words of the angel Moroni seem very appropriate here;

“And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.”

Although the 1^st mission of Oliver Cowdery to the Lamanites appeared to be a failure at the time, something obviously took place during the restoration movement with regard to the Lamanites. Elijah the prophet apparently planted something in the hearts of the descendants of these great people.

The Lord has promised that;

“…my ^awork shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the ^btestimony of the Jews, even so shall the ^cknowledge of a ^dSavior come unto my people-

And to the ^aNephites, and the Jacobites, and the Josephites, and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers-

And this ^atestimony shall come to the knowledge of the ^bLamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, who ^cdwindled in unbelief because of the ^diniquity of their fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their ^ebrethren the Nephites, because of their ^finiquities and their abominations.

And for this very ^apurpose are these ^bplates ^cpreserved, which contain these records-that the ^dpromises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his ^epeople;

And that the ^aLamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the ^bpromises of the Lord, and that they may ^cbelieve the gospel and ^drely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be ^eglorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen.”

[editorial note: At that conference the leading elders from the various tribes held their special meetings behind closed doors. Even though they invited the gentiles to come and join in the general festivities, the gentiles were no allowed to sit in the leadership counsels of the leading elders of the various Indian tribes that were participating.]

We know the Lamanites are going to come to a knowledge of who they are and who God is. The Lord has also promised that  “the Lamanites shall ^bblossom as the rose.”

The words of the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple also seem appropriate at this time that the indigenous tribes have become humble and looking for guidance from their ancestors from the dead;

“And cause that the ^aremnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be ^bconverted from their wild and savage condition to the fulness of the everlasting gospel;

And the poor and the meek shall have the gospel preached unto them, and they shall be looking forth for the time of my coming, for it is nigh at hand-
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 35:15)

The 400 year period shown to Father Abraham has now expired. It is time for the final warning and judgment of this wicked nation.

The time for Elijah the restorer and his fellow servants to seal up of the righteous is about to take place.

So, what event was Elijah the prophet referring to when he made his declaration in the Kirtland Temple? Did Joseph the Seer (Elijah the Restorer) fulfill it when he identified the ministry of Sidney Rigdon?

No. That was a shaddow fulfillment.

In an upcoming article, we will review an incredible event that took place at the Morley Farm in June of 1831 wherein God revealed the greatest priesthood through Joseph Smith… and then bestowed it by hand upon Lyman Wight. At that conference 23 newly ordained high priests received the fulness of the priesthood of Melchezedeki for the first time in this dispensation!

I suspect we have not seen the last of brother Oliver. The Lord has said;

“…for I have given unto him power to ^dbuild up my ^echurch among the ^fLamanites..”

Nor have we seen the last of brother Sidney or brother Lyman.

And we certainly haven’t seen the last of Elijah the Restorer!

The Fulness of the Father

The Celestial Cloning of the Gods
by OneWhoIsWatching. www.threewatches.blogspot.com
[Editorial Note: I have been meaning to blog about this topic for sometime but have procrastinated. I hurriedly put this post together before leaving to go to Logan today. I plan on adding more to this post in the days to come. I will gladly accept any content from readers that supports this premise and would love to include it in this post. A very important foundational part of the doctrine contained herein, which explains how the male and female genders interrelate and how the man is not without the woman neither the woman without the man in the Lord, may be found in the literal interpretation of the creation story as provided in JST Genesis and related scriptures. For additional info pertaining to the doctrine of composite beings click here. As always, credible documentation to the contrary and comments from skeptics are welcome as well.]

We live in a world that instills in us a love and desire to be different. We love our uniqueness. We take great pride in our individuality… our separateness from others if you will.

We love our freedom of choice, our agency.

The world we live in is an ego driven world where the self centered natural man takes credit for his own accomplishments and covets his separateness from his fellow man and from God.

The natural man has a natural desire to excel above others. Hence we live in a world of class distinction.

We must remember however that Satan is the God of this world and everyone in it until a person repents and begins worshipping the only true God. Until we become a new creature of the Holy Ghost,  we are carnal sensual and devilish creatures. The purpose of the Gospel is to bring about a mighty change wherein we become new creatures;

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  2^nd Cor

“For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” Mosiah 27

Hence our existence here is at best a distorted typological glimpse of the hereafter. Some speculate how life in the hereafter will be based on how life is here, yet this is not accurate.

It is therefore not surprising that the concept of sameness, equal-ness and oneness is repugnant to the natural man. It is a disconcerting thought to those who are carnal sensual and devilish.

The doctrine I want to address may well be considered a mystery in the sense that many members of the Church are not familiar with it or not very knowledgeable about it, however it is not necessarily one of the mysteries that has never been revealed by the prophets.

It is not one of the deeper mysteries which has been hid up and reserved to come forth for the first time when the marvelous work rolls forth. It is simply one of those doctrines that the masses tend to shy away from because it does not resonate with most people, in fact it can feel downright uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, I am going to show from the scriptures and from the teachings of the latter day Seer and the latter day Spokesman that;

There is only one perfection in the celestial kingdom, anything that differs from it is not perfect. When someone receives the fulness of the Father they are transformed in the express image of the Father and possess the same mind and glory as the Father.

Exalted beings in the highest glory are exactly identical to each other physically, mentally and spiritually. Their actions and thoughts are exactly the same. They even have the same mind, which is the Holy Ghost.

As a young boy in Sunday School my teachers, when speaking about the appearance of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith in the grove would often hold up a picture depicting Jesus Christ as a younger man with brown hair standing next to the Father who was an older man with white hair. When I went on my mission in 1973 the missionary flip chart also showed a similar picture depicting a younger Jesus with brown hair and an elderly Father with white hair. That picture is shown below;

Years later I found it curious that the church started using different pictures of the Father and the Son showing them to be identical. I don’t know what caused them to change pictures but interestingly enough, according to the description of Joseph Smith, the Father and the Son “exactly resembled” each other.

In one of the accounts of the first vision the prophet Joseph Smith described the Father and the Son as exactly resembling each other in features and likeness;

“whose brightness and glory defy all description” and who “exactly resembled each other in features and likeness: (JS—H 1:17; Wentworth Letter, Backman, p. 169)

In another interesting account provided by the Prophet Joseph Smith, he told of seeing the Twelve Apostles after they had been glorified and he noted that;

“He saw that they all had beautiful heads of hair and all looked alike.” (Autobiography of Vilate Kimball)

Years later, Sidney Rigdon Spokesman and Joseph Smith the Seer prepared and the information contained in “Lectures on Faith” to the school of the prophets. The main purpose of Lectures on Faith is to increase faith in God, teach the deepers things about the nature and character of God and to enable those with faith to see God.

The content within the lectures teaches that Christ and all those who become perfected will  be TRANSFORMED INTO THE EXPRESS IMAGE OF CHRIST AND THE FATHER AND POSSESS THE SAME MIND AND GLORY AS THE FATHER.

Lectures on Faith teaches that if you ever saw two beings that differed from each other in any way, you could know for sure that at least one of them was not a perfected being. There is only one perfection and anything that differs from that perfection is obviously not perfect.

I have provided numerous excerpts from the Lectures below;

“And he being the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and having overcome, received a fulness of the glory of the Father-possessing the same mind with the Father, which mind is the Holy Spirit,”

“…The Father and the Son possessing the same mind, the same wisdom, glory, power and fulness: Filling all in all–the Son being filled with the fulness of the Mind, glory and power, or, in other words, the Spirit, glory and power of the Father–possessing all knowledge and glory, and the same kingdom: sitting at the right hand of power, in the express image and likeness of the Father–a Mediator for man–being filled with the fulness of the Mind of the Father, or, in other words, the Spirit of the Father: which Spirit is shed forth upon all who believe on his name and keep his commandments:

and all those who keep his commandments shall grow up from grace to grace, and become heirs of the heavenly kingdom, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ; possessing the same mind, being transformed into the same image or likeness, even the express image of him who fills all in all: being filled with the fulness of his glory, and become one in him, even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one.”

“Q. Do the Father and the Son possess the same mind?
A. They do

Q. Does the believer in Christ Jesus, through the gift of the Spirit, become one with the Father and the Son, as the Father and the Son are one?
A. They do. John 17: 20,21. Neither pray I for these (the apostles) alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

“..let us ask, where shall we find a prototype into whose likeness we may be assimilated, in order that we may be made partakers of life and salvation? or in other words, where shall we find a saved being? for if we can find a saved being, we may ascertain, without much difficulty, what all others must be, in order to be saved – they must be like that individual or they cannot be saved:

we think, that it will not be a matter of dispute, that two beings, who are unlike each other, cannot both be saved; for whatever constitutes the salvation of one, will constitute the salvation of every creature which will be saved: and if we find one saved being in all existence, we may see what all others must be, or else not be saved.

We ask, then, where is the prototype? or where is the saved being? We conclude as to the answer of this question there will be no dispute among those who believe the bible, that it is Christ: all will agree in this that he is the prototype or standard of salvation, or in other words, that he is a saved being. And if we should continue our interrogation, and ask how it is that he is saved, the answer would be, because he is a just and holy being; and if he were any thing different from what he is he would not be saved; for his salvation depends on his being precisely what he is and nothing else;

for if it were possible for him to change in the least degree, so sure he would fail of salvation and lose all his dominion, power, authority and glory, which constitutes salvation; for salvation consists in the glory, authority, majesty, power and dominion which Jehovah possesses, and in nothing else; and no being can possess it but himself or one like him: Thus says John, in his first epistle, 3:2 and 3: Behold, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not appear what we shall be; but we know, that when he shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And any man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.–Why purify himself as he is pure? because, if they do not they cannot be like him.”

“That he proposed to make them like unto himself; and he was like the Father, the great prototype of all saved beings: And for any portion of the human family to be assimulated into their likeness is to be saved; and to be unlike them is to be destroyed: and on this hinge turns the door of salvation.”

The above passages out of Lectures on Faith may seem a bit mystical and extreme. However, I would point out two things about them;

1) The principles and concepts contained in the Lectures on Faith produced results. Several accounts by and about participants of the school of the prophets used this sacred information to unlock the heavens. One of the most incredible testimonies that was recorded was that of Zebedee Coltrin who participated in the school. He was one of several people who also saw Jesus Christ and bore testimony of it. His vision took place a year after section 76 was given.

2) The other observation about the Lectures on Faith is that it is completely consistent with the New Testament! Some of these verses will be provided below.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what weshall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is .” 1 Jn. 3: 2

“I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one  in the Father, as the Father is onein me, that we may be one. ” D&C 35: 2

The above verses in modern revelation are building upon the intercessory prayer that Christ offered in the New Testament;

” I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that theymay be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17

Divine Investiture

Despite talks by modern leaders to the contrary, there is nothing wrong with worshipping Jesus Christ. He is the God that atoned for our sins and he is one with the father. The Nephites worshipped him when Christ visited them and he did not rebuke them for doing it.

There is a most interesting account in the 19^th and 22^nd chapters of the Book of Revelation where a personage that apparently looked exactly like Christ and spake as if he was Christ, appeared to John the Revelator to reveal things to him.

Thinking the messenger was Christ, John knelt down to worship him but was quickly rebuked by the angel who acknowledged that he was a fellow servant of John. He commanded John to worship God;

“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage super of the lamb.  And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of  prophecy….

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true… Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”

Realizing that the plan of salvation is calculated to transform the repentant man into the exact image and likeness of Christ and his Father, and infusing us with all of their attributes, powers and former accomplishments, let us now review various aspects of the scriptures to see if perhaps there is a deeper meaning and significance to some of them.

When the Lord began speaking to the Saints through the Prophet Joseph Smith in the 1800’s the underlying theme was quite a paradigm shift to the thinking of the world.

Oneness

In one of the earlier revelations the Lord commands the Saints to be ONE;

“I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” (Section 38)

A surface interpretation of that scripture might incline someone to assume that God is simply encouraging his people to be united in a common cause and faith, however the previous statements from the Spokesman and the Seer suggest that there is a more ultimate and literal state being alluded to than just the attainment of a common cause and faith in mortality.

Equality

Again, in modern scripture, the Lord commands his people to be EQUAL.

Yes, he is referring to their current temporal condition; however, the goal of being equal temporally in this life is typological to our ultimate state of being in the eternal world.

“And behold, none are exempt from this law who belong to the church of the living God.. Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.” (Section 70)

“They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace..And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.” (Section 76)

“That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things. For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things” (Section 78)

Celestial Imaging

Again, in light of what the Seer and the Spokesman have revealed about the literal reality of the saved person being transformed into the exact image and likeness of the Father, let us look at a few more statements in the scriptures;

“And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this …I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?” Alma 5

Enticing of the Spirit- Yielding- Submission
Becoming a Prisoner of Christ

Some people speculate that in the highest glory within the Celestial Kingdom there will be differences of opinion between the various inhabitants and that there is some kind of necessity in having some type of common consent among the inhabitants before God can do his will.

The scriptures and the words of the prophets seem to challenge this notion. There cannot be any contention or disagreement among exalted and perfected beings. Indeed, the gospel of Jesus Christ is calculated to take away our imperfect individuality and take away our personal ego and personal will. All exalted beings are in perfect harmony with each other having the same mind… even the mind of the Holy Ghost.

Just as the Savior said “not my will but thine” and allowed his will to be swallowed up in the will of the father, each of us who enter into the straight gate will, through the grace of God and by the power of the holy ghost need to shed our egos and our separate will and allow our independent will to be swallowed up in the will of the father. We must use our agency to freely give up our agency;

“Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.”  Mosiah 15: 7

The Apostle Paul speaks of being made a minister unto the Gentiles through the mysterious grace of Christ which made him a “Prisoner of Christ”.  He uses the term prisoner which is unusual because the term prisoner usually has a negative connotation to it.

Nevertheless some prisoners are taken into custody against their own will while others freely surrender themselves. Paul seems to fall into both categories. Initially it appears he was spiritually abducted long enough to have his spiritual eyes opened. After that, he freely surrendered himself to the higher authority.

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ” Eph 3

“but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man and becometh a Saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” Mosiah 3

With the deeper understanding that those who achieve Godhood are transformed into the image of God and how their mind is piloted by the  Holy Spirit as their ultimate guide. It becomes apparent that that agency is not an eternal entitlement but rather a temporary gift. One that brings forth the condemnation of man if not used wisely.

While it is important to exercise agency to choose light over the darkness during probation, perhaps the most important and last choice that we will use our agency to make, is to freely give up our agency and allow our will to be swallowed up in the will of the Father.

It is interesting that the Kingdom of Heaven appears to have hierarchy in relationship to the three kingdoms of glory however, within the highest kingdom there does not seem to be a traditional kingdom hierarchy with regard to knowledge and power since all of the Saints in that kingdom are made equal with Christ

“And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him.” (Section 88)

Indeed, the oath and covenant of the priesthood informs us that all of the previous attributes,  powers and accomplishments of Christ and the Father who have gone before us are inherited by everyone who becomes exalted:

“And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord; For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father; And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.” (Section 84)

From this we find that we are infused with the same glory and accomplishments of all of Christ and his Father, each of whom had inherited the same from their fathers that went before them and so on. Therefore each person that becomes exalted inherits the fulness of the attributes, power and accomplishments of all the Gods who came before them.

Satan the Great Counterfeit

It is important to realize that God allows sons of Perditions to gain temporary entrance into the pre-existent celestial realms so that he can use them to separate the various intelligences and create division and war prior to the mortal probation however it is interesting to note that they don’t enter in by the same gate that the righteous enter in. Notice the following observation by Christ;

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” (John 10)

It is erroneous to teach that Lucifer was at one time a righteous man who became exalted through the approved plan of progression and then fell from his exaltation. He was simply a very smart and crafty individual that God allowed to climb up through the back door so that God could use him to fulfill his purposes. He functions on borrowed light for a season.

Notice the following assurance by Christ that those who enter in at the gate through Him shall never fall;

“whoso cometh in at the gate and ^eclimbeth up by me shall never fall”  (Moses 7)

Paul warns us that Satan and his minions have the ability to transform themselves. Satan transforms himself into an angel of light from time to time. Even false apostles have the ability to transform themselves into the image of the true apostles of light. With this warning, it is almost incomprehensible that one of the foundational claims coming out of the succession crisis of the LDS restoration movement is the account of a transformation

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” 2nd Cor

Summary

To summarize, when a person accepts the fulness of the Gospel and becomes meek and submissive and childlike, willing to submit himself to the laws of God and to allow his self will to be swallowed up in the will of the Father, he will receive the baptism of fire which will make a new creature out of him.

This prepares him to receive of the fulness of the Father and to be transformed into the express image of the father, possessing the same mind and glory as the Father.

Why is this important to understand?

Because we have been commanded to seek the face of God and to truly know him. We have been commanded to gain a better understanding of the nature and character of God. We have been commanded to understand who and what we worship;

“And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my beloved Son. And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;

And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him. And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fulness of the record of John.

I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorfied in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace. And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn;  D&C 93

Seven Shepherds and an Angel

Seven Shepherds and an Angel
By OneWhoIsWatching www.threewatches.blogspot.com

There are numerous channels by which personal revelation comes to each of us.

When studying and searching the scriptures, my wife provides one of these conduits for me.

She brings many things to my attention that I don’t catch… possibly this is because of her simple childlike faith and unassuming nature. It is probably also because she doesn’t allow preconceived notions to color her view of the scriptures. Of course the main reason is that she has been blessed with a spiritual gift in this area.

I will sometimes share a principle or some knowledge with her and then she will turn around at a later time and show me how to use that knowledge as a key to unlock additional knowledge. I sometimes refer to her as a Sibyl.  (“…women of antiquity reputed to posses powers of prophecy or divination… a female prophet…”)

While studying prophecy years ago I showed her Rev 12:14 and told her that some prophecy scholars believed that the word “time” = “one year”, the word “times” = “two years” and the phrase “half a time” = ½ year” hence, the Church would be nourished for 3 ½ years at some point in time:

“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”

She quietly cataloged that information. It would come up many years later in a scripture study.

Fast forward several years later…. we were studying Micah and noticing how he refers to the Seven Shepherds that are upon the earth at the time that invading armies come into the latter day land of Israel. This is also the general time period when the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles and among many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest to tread them down.

We wondered if these seven shepherds were the same seven servants of God mentioned in the 3^rd and 4^th chapter of Zechariah which are referred to as the seven eyes of the Lord who run to and fro in the whole earth.

We also wondered if these seven Shepherds that acted as the eyes of the Lord running to and fro in all the world could be the seven angels which had the seven trumpets and prepared themselves to sound in Rev 8 and/or the seven thunders that uttered their voices in Rev 10 or the seven angels having the seven last plagues that bring judgment upon the whore in Rev 15, 16 & 17 etc.

We could not help but wonder if these seven angelic beings lived on this earth in mortality prior to their missions in the last generation… in the 3^rd Watch….And if so, is it possible that they had been part of the LDS restoration movement?

Possibly they were the first laborers in the last kingdom that lived during the Kirtland, Jackson County and Nauvoo eras of the Church.

We were aware of the LDS fundamentalist beliefs that there had been a secret quorum of six Apostles/High Priests functioning under the direction of Joseph Smith which makes a quorum of 7 Apostles. This cryptic Quorum was also known as the Friends of God.

This tradition, as with many corrupted legends and traditions, appears to originate from a true principle/event. It appears to come from the revelation known as section 84 of the D&C which states in the first verse:

“A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high” (D&C 84:1)

We found it very strange that the entry of this revelation into the history of the Church and the Doctrine and Covenants did not document who the six other elders were yet it did document how many elders were present… very curious.

It seemed odd to us that such an important revelation containing very specific promises to and about these six elders who had the higher priesthood confirmed upon them by the voice of God out of heaven would not bother to document who these elders were.

We perused various historical documents attempting to verify exactly who these six elders were but it is not an easy task to get an identity of these six players.

In section 88 these six elders are referred to as the “first elders” of the Church and the “first laborers in the last kingdom”.

In section 88 the Lord commands those who are not the first elders of the Church to continue laboring in the vineyard but he promises the first elders that he will send them into the vineyard again at a later time to bind up the law, seal up the testimony and prepare the Saints for the hour of judgment which is to come.

We thought that it would be fun to search section 84 to see if this quorum of Apostles will have a role in the 3^rd Watch when the dispensation of the fullness of times and the Marvelous Work are ushered in.

It is worth noting that section 88 was given several years before the quorum of the 12 Apostles were called, Joseph Smith and these six elders were referred to as apostles by the Lord. He even calls them his friends. A favored status that few people other than Abraham ever achieved in the scriptures:

“And as I said unto mine apostles, even so I say unto you, for you are mine apostles, even God’s high priests; ye are they whom my Father hath given me; ye are my friends.”

The thought that these brethren might return as a quorum to play an important role in the winding up scenes was intriguing to us.

As we poured over section 84 searching for hidden treasures of knowledge pertaining to the events of the very last days we were ecstatic when we read the incredible unconditional promise that Bishop Newel K. Whitney will return to warn the inhabitants of New York, Albany and Boston of the desolation and utter abolishment that await them if they reject the gospel.

Every time I hear of reports about nuclear suitcase bombs that have been strategically hidden in major cities like these and orchestrated terrorist attacks that are going to be taking place, I can’t help but think of this incredible promise and associated prophecy given to Bishop Whitney. He will come back and warn the people in these cities.

I think this warning must take place before major desolation takes place.

The Lord then gives an unconditional prophecy that the rest of the first Elders being spoken to in this revelation will also “go to the great and notable cities and villages reproving the world in righteousness of all their unrighteous and ungodly deeds setting forth clearly and understandably the desolation of abomination in the last days”

And then the Lord reveals this most remarkable promise to these First Elders who are the First Laborers of the Last Kingdom:

“For with YOU saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms; I will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall tremble..”

The Lord who knows all things and cannot lie… the Lord who has infinite foreknowledge because all time, past, present and future is continually before his eyes, promised these specific brethren that they would be the ones to return to the vineyard at the time of the last generation to shake the earth and bring down the kingdoms of the world!

While we were pondering these amazing promises and studying this section my wife and I began pondering the following verses:

“And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief and because you have treated lightly the things you have received. Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.  And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.”

We were aware of the several statements President Benson had made concerning the above verses and that he had inferred that the church was still under condemnation.

Dallin H. Oaks had given a talk at the Church Educational system Satellite fireside on June 1993 and had quoted President Benson regarding these verses. He claimed that President Benson had declared that the Saints had brought the whole Church under condemnation and that it was still under condemnation:

” President Benson had been stressing the reading of the Book of Mormon. Repeatedly he had quoted these verses from the Doctrine and Covenants, including the Lord’s statement that the Saints’ conduct had “brought the whole church under condemnation” (D&C 84:55). In that temple meeting, President Benson reread those statements and declared, “This condemnation has not been lifted, nor will it be until we repent.”

As we pondered the verses in section 84, it occurred to me that a the word of God was not saying that the conduct of all of the Saints in the Church had brought the whole church under condemnation, but rather God was saying it was the unbelief and vanity of those specific Apostles that had brought the whole church under condemnation! This revelation was being directed specifically to the first elders to whom the revelation was being given: “And YOUR minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief and because you have treated lightly the things you have received. Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.  And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.”

As I was making this observation, my wife was making an additional one. She said something to the effect of:

“Yes, I agree. Those specific Elders brought the Church under condemnation… And it appears that the Lord gave these specific apostles’ another revelation two years before he had given them this one. In that revelation he must have told them some things they took lightly… perhaps it was difficult for them to believe some of the things he had told them.”

I was really taken back by her observation. “How did you divine that deduction from those verses?” I asked. “What makes you think the Lord had given Joseph Smith and these six Apostles a revelation two years prior to section 84?”

“That’s what it says” she replied. “Remember how the prophetic definition of the word “times” = two years?”

I looked at the verses again in context of how the word “times” was used in Rev 12:14 and then I realized what she was seeing:

“And your minds in times past [two years ago] have been darkened because of unbelief and because you have treated lightly the things you have received. Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.  And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.”

I was shocked at her interpretation and began chiding her: “What have you been smoking? That is a HUGE stretch… Just because the word “times” had a prophetic interpretation in the vision of St John 2,000 years ago, in the New Testament, that does not mean that the same word would have the same definition in modern revelation!”

Finally, after brow-beating her for a while I decided to really drive my point home by showing her how easy it would be to prove that there was no revelation directed through Joseph Smith to six elders two years prior to section 84.

I said to her:

“If your interpretation is correct, it would be easy to prove because such a revelation would be important enough to canonize in the Doctrine and Covenants. Such a revelation would clearly be directed to Joseph Smith and six elders just as section 84 was, and it would undoubtedly contain prophetic information about their ministry”

I then went to the beginning of section 84 to verify what month and year the revelation was given. It was given in September of 1832. I then turned to the beginning of the Doctrine and Covenants to view the “Chronological Order of the Contents” section. I noticed that four revelations had been given two years prior to section 84. Section 28, 29, 30, and 31 were all given in September of 1830.

I then turned to section 28 to see if it was addressed to six elders… Just as I thought, it was given directly to Oliver Cowdery… no other elders were involved in receiving the revelation.

I then turned to section 29 and looked at the section heading. What I saw sent chills up my spine…

“Revelation through Joseph Smith Jr. in the presence of six elders”

Unbe-freakin-lieveable!

Again, the identity of these six elders is withheld… why? Why did Joseph Smith choose to withhold the identity of these chosen servants yet document the number of them that God was talking to?

I didn’t have much time for ingesting much humble pie at that moment as my wife and I were both quite anxious to devour section 29 to see what the Lord had revealed to Joseph Smith and these six elders! We were hoping that this section would reveal additional information regarding the role of these seven apostles during the 3rd Watch.

When we got to verses 7 & 8 we could hardly believe our eyes:

“And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect: for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of the this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.”

Wow…

These first laborers of the last kingdom will return to the earth as ministering angels to gather the elect to prepare them against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the earth!

Could it possibly be that Joseph Smith and these six elders that will give the final warning, gather the elect and bring about the fall of the kingdoms of the world are the ones being referred to in Zechariah, Micah and the Book of Revelation?

Are these the ones that run to and fro in all the world as the eyes of the Lord?

Are these the Seven Shepherds that are the “peace” when God’s Promised Land is invaded by foreign armies and the remnants of the land tread down the unrepentant gentiles as a lion among sheep?

What an incredible thought, that Joseph Smith and the first elders of the Church would return to the earth to gather the elect.

Notice the promise given in Matthew 24 that before Christ returns in his glory he will send his angles to gather the elect:

“For the Son of Man shall come and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together the remainder of the his elect from the four winds and from one end of heaven to the other…” (JST Matt 1:37)

Just as Gabriel returned to the earth as a ministering angel to minister to the father of John the Baptist, just as Moses and Elijah returned to the earth to minister to Christ at the Mount of Transfiguration and just as John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John returned to the earth as ministering angels to minister to Joseph and Oliver, priesthood keys were given to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. These keys enable them and the other first laborers of the last kingdom to return to this earth to minister unto all those who are found waiting, watching and willing.

Do you believe in angels?

I do..

I am married to one.

[Editorial note: It is not uncommon for the Lord to use the key words within differing sections of the four standard works to point to each other and help those who are searching to connect the dots, particularly when both sections of scripture are speaking about the same topic. Therefore it is possible if not likely that the 3 ½ year period of time spoken of in Revelation 12 is literally or typologically related to the last gathering that is to be done by the first laborers of the last kingdom.

I want to clarify that section 84 is actually a composite of two separate revelations given on consecutive days, the 22nd and 23rd of September. On the first day there were six elders present, on the following day, it is not clear if there were additional elders that were invited to participate in the promises the Lord was making to the leading elders of the Church.

The first laborers of the last kingdom more than likely consisted of more than just those seven elders being addressed during the revelation given on the first day. Interestingly enough, it appears according to the “Historical Development of the Doctrine and Covenants by Woodford that in the original manuscript of the second part of the revelation given on the 23rd, the following phrase was included and has since been taken out:

“The 23rd day of September AD 1832 Eleven High Priests save one”.

It is not clear what this statement is referring to. It could be referring to  the fact that Judas would be missing when the 12 Apostle from New Testament times return to judge Israel. Another possibility is the implication that four additional Elders were present on the 23rd bringing the total count to 11 and one member of the quorum of the 12 was not present.

There is evidence to suggest that the quorum of seven was part of a quorum of 12 Apostles that had been chosen by the Lord by 1832. This quorum appears to have more power and authority than the quorum chosen by the three witnesses. In fact at least two of the three witnesses were very likely part of the first, mystical quorum of the 12.

From historical sources it appears that there was some type of quorum of special witnesses long before the three witnesses was commanded to choose another quorum of the twelve:

“It was also announced that “twelve chosen witnesses, had been allowed to see the gold plates” (The life of David Marks, pg.340).  Also, there were newspaper references from 1829-1831 to twelve apostles in Mormonism.  September 1829 a Palmyra newspaper noted:  “the number of the gold bible apostles is said to be complete.”  (Palmyra Reflector, 23 September 1829. The issues of 19 April and 1, 22 June 1830 also make reference to Mormon apostles.)”  Mormon Hierachy: Origins of Power by Quinn]

One last thing on note pertaining to section 84, in the original manuscripts of the revelation it states that John the Baptist had been baptized from the womb, not at the age of eight days. This is consistent with the various scriptures stating that he was the transmigration of Elijah the Prophet and had previously been baptized before being born into the world as John the Baptist.]

The Bridegroom Tarried…

The Bridegroom Tarried …

September 11^th….A literal interpretation of the Parable of the Ten Virgins

© Sept 2006 Onewhoiswatching www.threewatches.blogspot.com

On August 16^th 1834, Joseph Smith wrote a letter to Lyman Wight and the brethren on the High Council in Missouri telling them that the spirit had informed him that the leaders of the Church in Zion must use-

“every effort to prevail on the churches to gather to those regions and situate themselves to be in readiness to move into Jackson Co. in two years from the Eleventh of September next which is the appointed time for the redemption of Zion“.

Giving a set time when the redemption of Zion was to take place was quite a bold thing to do!

Critics of the Latter-day Saints often refer to these statements in the letter to demonstrate that Joseph Smith was a false prophet since the redemption of Zion never took place at the appointed time.

If one reads the entire letter and puts his statements in context it is clear that Joseph Smith was not prophesying that Zion would be redeemed on that date, but rather he was giving a conditional promise from the Lord based on obedience.

IF the Saints were faithful in exerting themselves, the redemption of the Saints would be accomplished on September 11 1836. On the other hand, if they failed in this attempt, they would be scourged!

In the letter he warned them that;

“if we don’t exert ourselves to the utmost in gathering up the strength of the Lords house that this thing may be accomplished behold there remaineth a scourge.”

It is interesting that church historians and gospel scholars have very little to say about Joseph Smiths declaration prior to the failure of the Saints to redeem Zion at the appointed time. Most Latter-day Saints are unfamiliar with this quote.

If we as Latter-day Saints really believe that Joseph Smith was acting under the influence of the spirit and that God really had designated the appointed time and place for the redemption of Zion it seems likely that prophets from previous dispensations would have uttered prophetic statements about it.

I would submit to you that Old Testament prophets did make reference to this event in the LDS restoration movement and in fact, Christ himself offered a parable that would profile the restored church of God in the later days.

The remarkable thing about the appointed time of September 11^th 1836 for the redemption of Zion is that while it is used in anti-Mormon literature to discredit Joseph Smith and the restoration movement, it actually provides one of the most compelling prophetic arguments for identifying the Church of Christ that Joseph Smith restored as the people of God that are depicted in the parable of the Ten Virgins!

The purpose of this paper is to submit that in fact Joseph Smith was acting prophetically when identifying the appointed time and place for the redemption of Zion during that generation in the 2nd Watch.

If indeed this hypothesis is true, his statement and the related events of LDS Church History have huge implications and they would actually identify the literal fulfillment of the parable of the Ten Virgins and explain WHY the Bridegroom tarried… providing a powerful historical witness that the Church of Christ that was restored to the earth by Joseph Smith was indeed the true Church of Christ!

Prophetic utterances in Isaiah appear to have been referring to the Kirtland Saints and the passing of the appointed time of redemption in some of his writings:

“…when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not… I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.” Isa 50:2

As we have discussed before, virtually all prophecies have at least a dual fulfillment and sometimes more than two fulfillments. Modern Revelation reiterates the words of Isaiah and informs us they refer to at least two specific and separate events in religious history that take place prior to the Second Coming. Notice the response of the Lord in the scripture above from Isaiah and compare it to the scripture below in the D&C. Does this not apply to the unfaithful Saints in all three watches?

“In that day when I came unto mine own, [LDS Restoration Movement?] no man among you received me, and you were driven out. When I called again [time of the Marvelous Work?] there was none of you to answer; yet my arm was not shortened at all that I could not redeem, neither my power to deliver….And this shall ye have of my hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow. Behold, and lo, there are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were sent unto you ye received them not.” D&C 133:66-71

Isaiah also speaks of an unsuccessful attempt in harvesting fruit in his vineyard:

“What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” Isa 5:4

Again, latter-day revelation provides clarification to the words of Isaiah by explaining the parable of the wheat and tares. The redemption of Zion at the time the foundation was being laid in Kirtland and Jackson needed to be delayed because wild grapes (tares) were among the natural grapes (wheat) See section 86

The date that Joseph Smith gave for the redemption of Zion coincides with the word of the Lord in section 64 which was also given on September 11th, in 1831:

“…I the Lord will to retain a strong hold in the land of Kirtland, for the space of five years in the which I will not overthrow the wicked, that thereby I may save some. And after that day, I the Lord will not hold any guilty that shall go with an open heart up to the land of Zion ; for I, the Lord require the hearts of the children of men.”

We see from section 64 that three years prior to the letter Joseph Smith wrote to the brethren in Zion, the Lord had revealed that Kirtland would no longer remain a stronghold for the members of the church after September 11^th 1836 and that if any were to enter the land of Zion at that appointed time, they would not be held guilty for their actions.

Section 64 is an amazing prophecy. How could anyone have known that Kirtland would remain as a spiritual and temporal stronghold for the Saints for 5 years and that after that, apostasy would break out?

Little did the Saints realize that after that period of time, they would fail to redeem Zion, enemies of the church would prevail, the Temple would be defiled, the stronghold would be dissolved and the Saints would need to flee from Kirtland?

Needless to say, the redemption of Zion never materialized on September 11^th 1836.. A feeble attempt at restoring the Saints to their lands in Jackson County had taken place in the form of “Zions Camp” in 1832 but it failed in it’s mission and the Saints ultimately failed to find their redemption at the appointed time in Jackson County, four years after the Zions Camp episode.

The hopes of the Saints were dashed. The appointed time came and went and Zion was not redeemed.

One could postulate that the scourging pronounced upon the Saints in the letter and some of the revelations, took place in the form of the persecutions they experienced as they were driven by their enemies from Kirtland, Far West, Nauvoo and eventually the trek to Utah. Others would argue that the scourging upon the Saints is yet a future event… or at least a dual fulfillment.

September 11th 1836 appears to have been the apex of the restoration movement. Just months before that appointed time, the Savior appeared to Joseph and Oliver to accept the temple. A strong case can be made for the possibility that the failure of the Saints to redeem Zion by the appointed time was one of the major things that resulted in the closing of the heavens.

The prophet Isaiah notes that the wickedness of the Latter-day Saints in closing their eyes and rejecting the words of the prophets results in the covering of the eyes of the seers:

“For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.” (Book of Mormon version of Isaiah 29:10)

It is an amazing concept that when God’s people reject God’s prophets, God will cover the eyes of the Prophet and sometimes even use that prophet to lead the people into further delusion.

The following chart illustrates the closing of the heavens during the restoration movement after the defiling of the Kirtland Temple and the failure of the Saints to consecrate.

During the first eight years of Joseph Smiths public ministry he received over 100 revelations that were canonized.

He only received about 12 revelations after September 11th 1836, during the remaining eight years prior to the martyrdom. Of those 12 revelations, one was section 112 which announced that the whole world (including the Saints) had been overcome by gross darkness and all flesh had become corrupt.

Another was section 124 which announced that the higher priesthood had been lost and promised the Saints that they would not be moved out of Nauvoo if they were obedient.

No canonized revelations were received by him during the last three years of his life. Even his brother Hyrum who the Lord called to be a co-President of the Church and eventually his successor, did not receive any canonized revelations during those last years. Was that because God made a mistake in picking Hyrum? Was it because Hyrum was disobedient? It is much more likely because the Saints had rejected the words of Joseph and Hyrum and because the Saints had rejected Hyrum as Joseph Smith’s successor.

(Click on the graphic to enlarge)

The revelations highlighted in yellow contained strong language concerning the importance of living the law of consecration and the consequences of not living it.

If we were to take the parable of the Ten Virgins literally, it would appear to be a prophecy about a group of believers who receive an invitation from Christ to come and be united with him.

Although the parable begins partway through the story line with the virgins going forth to the marriage, it is obvious that an invitation had previously been extended to the Saints who, in the parable are depicted as ten virgins.

A wedding invitation must have an appointed place and an appointed time in order for all of the guests to congregate together at the same time for the marriage feast and ceremony.

The parable informs us however that the Bridegroom tarried and did not show up at the appointed time.

Sometime after the appointed time, all of the virgins eventually fell asleep without realizing the blessings of the marriage reunion with Christ on this earth.

Although some might postulate that the falling asleep of the ten virgins’ represents spiritual digression or apostasy from the truth, ( Rom 11:8, Isa 29:10, Matt 13:14, 2 Ne 16:10, 15:27, 27:6,9) a stronger scriptural case can be made that sleep in this context represents death.

A strong biblical euphemism for death is sleep. In Matthew we are told that the graves were opened; (Matt 27:52) and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, Paul explains that many had died for taking the Passover unworthily:

“For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” (1 Cor 11:30)

He uses this euphemism similarly in Acts:

“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption” (Acts 13:36)

In Corinthians he states:

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” (Cor 15:20)

Latter day revelation supports the biblical reverences above:

“But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud …” (D&C 45:45-46)

” they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven.” (D&C 88:97)

“I saw Father Adam and Abraham and my father and my mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept;” (D&C 137:5)

It is not uncommon for prophetic scriptural words to have multiple layered meanings. There is a strong probability that both definitions of the term sleep apply in this parable. The Virgins appear to have gone into a spiritual digression and eventually died without making it to the wedding. The interpretation that seems to have the greatest relevance in the prophetic context and seems to be the primary definition is that of death.

Perhaps the most pertinent and compelling key in discerning that the primary meaning of sleep is death, is provided in section 86, wherein keys to understanding the parable of the wheat and the tares are given by the Lord.

” …the field was the world, and the apostles were the sowers of the seed; And after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the tares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness.”

The Cry is Made by the Davidic Servant

Sometime after falling asleep however, the parable tells us a cry was made which raised the sleeping virgins from the dead. This is consistent with Davidic Servant texts wherein Gods last Witness who holds the Keys of the kingdom returns to the vineyard to prepare the way of the Lord. He makes the loud cry and awakes the sleeping virgins from the sleep of death. ( and apostasy?)

The mysterious resurrection of the sleeping virgins that takes place just prior to the second coming is spoken of in many places in the Old and New Testament. One account is in Daniel;

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Perhaps one of the most vivid accounts of people awaking from death when the last watchman lifts his voice upon the mountains is contained in the 52^nd chapter of Isaiah.

“Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion…Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down… loose thyself from the bands of thy neck…, O captive daughter of Zion.”

This Chapter speaks about the Davidic Servant with the marred visage and the other watchmen that publish good tidings and bring again Zion at the time that people are coming forth out of their graves.

If we were to search all of the Christian religions to see if there was a movement in religious history that fits the pattern and storyline of this parable, we would need to find a group that literally claimed revelation from Christ inviting them to the Marriage.

Their prophet would need to have publicly announced an appointed place where the great marriage would take place and an appointed time that the marriage would take place. Furthermore they, as a group would need to have gone forth to meet Christ at the appointed time and place and then failed in the attempt causing the Bridegroom to tarry!

If such a religious movement could be found to fit that description, it would need to be a matter of public record that the Bridegroom tarried and failed to come at the appointed time and the Saints of that generation lingered and eventually all passed away without realizing their dream of uniting with the Bridegroom in mortality.

I would submit that the Church of Christ that was restored to the earth by the Prophet Joseph Smith  is the only Church on the face of the earth that can document the parable of the Ten Virgins within their own religious history.

He shall come in the first watch, in the second and again in the third.

In section 45 the Lord gave further clarity to the events of the last generation that are contained in Matthew 24, however he revealed that greater information pertaining to the end times would be provided once the inspired translation was completed. (Section 45:60-62) Latter-day Saints have been given critical information pertaining to the second coming of Christ that no other Christian religion has! We need to do is search the inspired version for this cryptic information.

In addition to the further clarity of Matthew 24 provided in the inspired translation, other mysteries about the coming of Christ are also revealed in other chapters as well. Let us now consider some of the secrets that the JST reveals about the end times.

In the inspired version of Matthew 21 We are informed that Christ mystically visits the world in secret, like a thief in the night three different times prior to his final coming in Glory.

Each of these gospel dispensations is referred to as a watch. We are informed that the first watch was in the meridian of time during Christ’s earthly ministry when the Jews were expecting a messianic military leader to come in power and free them from the bondage of a foreign tax collector, typological to Moses and the Children of Israel.

Only the LDS restoration movement and the ancient and modern scriptures they brought forth, clearly identifies and explains what the other two watches refer to.

Here is an excerpt from the inspired version which gives additional information about the three watches, showing that the second watch is when the gospel is restored through the gentiles and that the gentiles ultimately reject the gospel just as the Jews did. Finally, the third watch is the Marvelous Work when the Lord returns to reign in his vineyard:

“Behold, there was a certain householder, who planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it; and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did unto them likewise. But last of all, he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

And Jesus said unto them, When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will destroy those miserable, wicked men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord’s doings, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof [The gentile church and kingdom will bring forth the same wicked fruits as the Jewish church and kingdom brought forth] . For whosoever shall fall on this stone, shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. And they said among themselves, Shall this man think that he alone can spoil this great kingdom?

And they were angry with him But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they learned that the multitude took him for a prophet. And now his disciples came to him, and Jesus said unto them, Marvel ye at the words of the parable which I spake unto them?

Verily, I say unto you, I am the stone, and those wicked ones reject me. I am the head of the corner. These Jews shall fall upon me, and shall be broken.

And the kingdom of God shall be taken from them [The Jews], and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof; (meaning the Gentiles.)

Wherefore, on whomsoever this stone shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. And when the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, he will destroy those miserable, wicked men, and will let [ during the second watch the vineyard is leased to wicked rulers- they have the legal right to preside for a time but are destroyed when the Lord returnes in the third watch] again his vineyard unto other husbandmen, even in the last days, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

And then understood they the parable which he spake unto them, that the Gentiles should be destroyed also, when the Lord should descend out of heaven to reign in his vineyard, which is the earth and the inhabitants thereof.” (Mat 21 & JST Mat 21)

Christ’s coming during the first watch in the meridian of time was not recognized by the Jewish nation because they had inaccurate expectations. They were not found watching and waiting.

A Second watch (dispensation) was to take place prior to the last watch. It was the LDS restoration movement herein the Saints failed to redeem Zion.

The Third and final Watch (dispensation) is about to be ushered in. It is referred to as the dispensation of the fulness of times. Isaiah refers to it as the Marvelous Work and a Wonder.

…Fall on them like a stone

Adding further clarity to the doctrine of three watches taught in JST Luke, the inspired version of Matthew explains that the first watch represented the preaching of the gospel to the Jewish Church and Kingdom. It informs us that within a very short time the Jewish nation rejected the light so the gospel was taken from the Jews to the Gentiles. It further explains that the Second watch represents the Gospel being preached to the Gentiles:

“Let your loins be girded about and have your lights burning; That ye yourselves may be like unto men who wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

Verily I say unto you, Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching; for he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

For, behold, he cometh in the first watch of the night, and he shall also come in the second watch, and again he shall come in the third watch.

And verily I say unto you, He hath already come, [in the meridian of time] as it is written of him; and again when he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, blessed are those servants when he cometh, that he shall find so doing; For the Lord of those servants shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

And now, verily I say these things unto you, that ye may know this, that the coming of the Lord is as a thief in the night. And it is like unto a man who is an householder, who, if he watcheth not his goods, the thief cometh in an hour of which he is not aware, and taketh his goods, and divideth them among his fellows.

And they said among themselves, If the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through and the loss of his goods.

And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speaketh thou this parable unto us, or unto all? And the Lord said, I speak unto those whom the Lord shall make rulers over his household, to give his children their portion of meat in due season.

And they said, Who then is that faithful and wise servant? And the Lord said unto them, It is that servant who watcheth, to impart his portion of meat in due season. [watching for the appointed time to consecrate]

Blessed be that servant whom his Lord shall find, when he cometh, so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

But the evil servant is he who is not found watching. And if that servant is not found watching, he will say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants, and the maidens, and to eat, and drink, and to be drunken. The Lord of that servant will come in a day he looketh not for, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him down, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

And that servant who knew his Lord’s will, and prepared not for his Lord’s coming, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not his Lord’s will, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom the Lord has committed much, of him will men ask the more.” (See Luke 12:35 & JST Luke 12:41-57)

We are informed that the Gentiles bring forth the same evil fruits that the Jews brought forth in the first watch.

Typological to the first watch, the Gospel light is rejected by the Gentiles and goes forth to the Jews during the second watch.

Finally in the third watch, the gospel light shines upon the Gentiles again and then goes to the Jews. The third watch is referred to in other scriptures as the strange act, the marvelous work, the fullness of times, the time of refreshing and the times of restitution of all things.

Within one generation after the Jews of the first watch reject the gospel, their church and kingdom is destroyed. It appears, from latter-day revelation that in the second watch, the Lord destroys the Gentiles church and kingdom after four generations.( D&C 98:46, 103:26, 105:30, 124:50,52)

The throwing down of the gentile Church and the destruction of the gentile nations of the earth takes place at about the time that the gospel light shines forth in the third and final watch… when the marvelous work comes forth.

From these two sections in the inspired version we are informed that there would be three separate and distinct gospel dispensations leading up to the Second Coming in Glory:

The meridian dispensation

The latter-day restoration of the Church

The Dispensation and the Marvelous Work dispensation.

The first shall be last and the last shall be first

“And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” (1 Nephi 13:42 See also Jacob 5:63 & Ether 13:12)

First Watch: The Gospel is first preached to the Jews then lastly to the Gentiles

Second Watch: The Gospel is first preached to the Gentiles lastly to the Jews

Third Watch: The Gospel is first preached to the Gentiles lastly to the Jews

The Jews were the first to receive the gospel in the first watch. They are the last to receive it in the last watch. The Gentiles are the last to receive it in the first watch but are the first to receive it in the last watch. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.

We know from scripture that the foundation movement (when the church was restored to the earth in the 1830s) represents the second watch mentioned in the inspired version of Mark. The Marvelous Work that precedes the Second Coming represents the third watch.

First Watch: Christ comes mystically to his vineyard during meridian of time

Second Watch: Christ comes mystically to his vineyard to lay the foundation for the third watch in the 1800″s

Third Watch: 4 Generations later, Christ comes mystically to his vineyard to bring about the Marvelous Work

Christ’s coming in secret, in the third watch will culminate in Christ’s coming in glory, not likened unto a thief in the night; a more correct analogy would be as a robber in the full light of day.

Joseph Smith clearly understood and taught that at the time that the tribulations of the last generation mentioned in Matthew 24 take place; a new dispensation of the gospel would be committed to God’s last witness. A different dispensation than the one given to Joseph Smith to restore the church:

“…I shall read the 24th. ch of Matthew and give it a litteral rendering and reading, and when it is rightly understood it will be edifying (he then read & translated it from the German) I thought the very oddity of its rendering would be edifying any how-“And it will preached be; the Gospel of the Kingdom in the whole world, to a witness over all people, and then will the end come.” 5 I will now read it in German-(which he did, and many Germans who were present said he translated it correct) the Savior said, when those tribulations should take place, it should be committed to a man, who should be a witness over the whole world, the keys of knowledge, power, and revelations, should be revealed to a witness who should hold the testimony to the world; 6 it has always been my province to dig up hidden mysteries, new things, for my hearers-just at the time when some men think that I have no right to the keys of the Priesthood 7 just at that time, I have the greatest right-the Germans are an exalted people. the old German translators are the most correct; most honest of any of the translators, and therefore I get testimony to bear me out in the revelations that I have preached for the last 14 years-the old German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew translations all say it is true, they cannot be impeached, and therefore I am in good company-all the testimony is, that the Lord in the last days would commit the keys of the Priesthood to a witness over all people-has the Gospel of the Kingdom commenced in the last days? and will God take it from the man, until he takes him, himself? 8 I have read it precisely as the words flowed from the lips of Jesus Christ-John the Revelator saw an angel flying thro’ the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, &c. 9 the Scripture is ready to be fulfilled when great wars, famines, pestilence, great distress, judgements, &c are ready to be poured out on the Inhabitants of the Earth-John saw the angel having the holy Priesthood who should preach the everlasting gospel to all nations,-God had an angel, a special messenger, ordained, & prepared for that purpose in the last days-Woe! Woe! be to that man, or set of men, who lift up their hands against God and his Witness in these last days. 10-for they shall deceive almost the very chosen ones-my apostate enemies say that I have been a true prophet-& I had rather be a fallen true prophet, than a false prophet” (12 May 1844, Thomas Bullock Report)

This explains why section 45 tells us that at the time of the very last dispensation, (third watch) the times of the gentiles needs to come in AGAIN even though the times of the gentiles had previously come in during the 2^nd watch:

“and when the times of the Gentiles comes in, a light will shine forth among those who sit in darkness and it shall be the fullness of my gospel, but they receive it not for they perceive not the light and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men”

An understanding that Christ comes three different times, during three different dispensations as a thief in the night prior to his coming in glory is essential in understanding the parable of the Ten Virgins. The parable is speaking about the virgins being invited to the wedding feast during the second watch but the wedding is delayed until the third and final watch.

At the appointed time, the Bridegroom tarries and the feast is delayed and the Saints of the second watch miss out on the marriage at the appointed time and eventually die off or fall asleep.

When the cry is made in the third watch, the sleeping virgins wake up and the wise virgins go into the marriage where they find a place of refuge during a time of great distress.

We know from multiple prophecies that the call goes forth at a time when great wars are about to take place.

Latter day revelation makes it clear that the Latter Day Saints represent the ten virgins in the parable:

“Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom—” (33:17)

Latter-day Saint leaders have also stated that the parable of the ten virgins makes exclusive reference to the Latter-day Saints:

“I believe that the Ten Virgins represent the people of the Church of Jesus Christ and not the rank and file of the world. All of the virgins, wise and foolish, had accepted the invitation to the wedding supper; they had knowledge of the program and had been warned of the important day to come.” Spencer W. Kimball. “In the last days, before the Son of Man comes, his church is likened unto ten virgins, all of whom have accepted the gospel invitation to attend the marriage feast of the Lamb. But the bridegroom delays his coming.” Bruce R. McConkie

Realizing that the parable of the Ten Virgins begins with the virgins of the Second Watch missing their appointment with the bridegroom and going to sleep until they arise to enter into the wedding feast at the time of the third watch, let us now analyze the major points of the parable to see if the Latter-day Saints can really provide a religious historical movement that could meet the requirements to fulfill this parable.

1- Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened to…

What exactly is the Kingdom of Heaven being likened to in this parable? Many people assume that the answer is given in the first verse and therefore they assume that the kingdom of Heaven is being likened to Ten Virgins; however this cannot be the case. Certainly the foolish virgins cannot represent what the kingdom of heaven is like. The answer is clarified later in the parable.

The scriptures teach that God refers to his kingdom on earth as the Kingdom of God and to his kingdom in Heaven as the Kingdom of Heaven. We also know that we are to pray for his kingdom to come on earth preparatory to his second coming in glory. The Lords prayer in the New Testament includes the phrase, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

The same prayer that Christ taught the Nephites excludes the phrase Thy kingdom come and simply petitions thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The reason that verse was not included in the Lords prayer in the Book of Mormon appears to be because he was in the act of setting up his kingdom on earth among the Nephites and it was therefore no longer necessary to pray for it to come.

Christ set up the law of Consecration among the Nephite Nation which is also known as Celestial Law and the Law of Zion. This is why they were not required to pray for the return of Christ’s kingdom as the New Testament disciples were. Because of the Book of Mormon and modern revelation, Latter-day Saints have an understanding of the obscure New Testament scriptures that inform us that the New Testament Church held all things in common after the crucifixion.

While Christians pass these verses off as intriguing but not significant to the gospel, Latter-days Saints understand that consecration is a required aspect of the gospel for the organized church of Christ. We shall see as we progress in the parable that the polarization that takes place at the end of time between the forces of good and evil include the choosing between two very different economies.

Modern revelation informs us that at the Second Coming, the Zion from earth below is caught up to be united with Christ and the city of Zion from above. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the fathers cannot be saved without the children neither the children without the fathers. In other words, the Old Testament patriarchal fathers suspended in Enoch’s Zion cannot ultimately progress in their exaltation and receive their final salvation until they are reunited with the children of Zion from the meridian dispensation and the last dispensation which includes the dispensation of the fullness of times. This would include the righteous Saints in the meridian of time, the righteous Nephites, the righteous Saints at the time the church was restored through Joseph Smith and all of the righteous up to our time. Verse 1 & verse 10 of the Parable of the Ten Virgins teach that the kingdom of heaven is likened to the marriage of Christ to the wise virgins that awake and arise from the dust. Additional information in the scriptures informs us that Christ has the city of Enoch with him when he comes to the marriage. The marriage is the reuniting of Zion from above with Zion from beneath at Christ’s coming.

2- Which went forth to meet the Bridegroom…

Again, it is apparent the parable begins part way through the storyline. We know that you must first receive an invitation before you may go forth to a marriage feast. The fact that the virgins were going forth to meet the Bridegroom at the marriage feast indicates that they had received an invitation. An invitation to a wedding feast has an appointed time as previously demonstrated, and an appointed place (51:7).

Any church claiming to be the true church mentioned in this parable would need to be able to demonstrate through their history and from their revelations that they had indeed been invited to the marriage feast, that he had given them an appointed time and an appointed place. They would also need to demonstrate as we will see later on in the parable that the Bridegroom tarried at the appointed time and that the marriage feast was postponed to a later time!

3- And five of them were wise and five of them were foolish…

We have been informed by leaders of the Church that the ten virgins refer to the portion of Latter-day Saints that have a testimony of Jesus Christ and were going forth to the marriage. This indicates that only half of the believing portion of the Virgins will make it to the marriage feast.

4- The Wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps

Of those that believe in Christ and have intentions of being included in the marriage, half of them are wise and have taken oil in their lamps. We are informed in modern revelation that having oil in your lamp refers to taking the Holy Spirit as your guide, receiving the truth and not being deceived.

5- While the Bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept

The bride groom tarried! He delayed his arrival and did not show up at the appointed time! Very few Mormons are very familiar with their own church history and the significance of many of the events of the restoration movement. In 1831, AFTER the restoration of the church and the restoration of the priesthood & the saving ordinances of the gospel, the Lord gave a revelation commanding the church to go to the Ohio where he would give them the LAW!

It seems odd that there was still a law that needed to be revealed and lived AFTER the church had been restored and the ordinances of salvation had already been given. It seems stranger yet that the law needed to be received at a designated geographical place. After the Church moved to Kirtland Ohio and received the LAW of the Celestial Kingdom, they were informed that Jackson County Missouri was also a holy place, even the appointed place where Zion was to be established and where the Saints needed to go to meet the Savior.

Zion to be Redeemed on September 11th

Specific geographical areas were identified as holy places and constituted important parts of LDS church doctrine in the revelations God gave to the Saints. In a revelation given on September 11 1831, the Lord revealed that Kirtland was to be a stronghold for the Saints for five years. According to this revelation the stronghold in Kirtland would come to an end on September 11, 1836. On August 16^th 1834 Joseph Smith publicly stated to the Saints that the Saints needed to be ready to move to Jackson County Missouri by September 11 1836 because it is the appointed time for the redemption of Zion.

When September 11^th 1836 arrived, the Saints had failed to establish Zion in Jackson County Missouri and they were forced to flee from Kirtland, as it was no longer a safe stronghold and refuge from enemies of the church.

Although anti-Mormon literature criticizes Joseph Smith as being a false prophet since Zion was not redeemed in 1836 at the appointed time, it should be remembered that Joseph Smith never prophesied that Zion would be established on that date, he simply stated that September 11 1836 was the appointed time, predicated on the Saints faithfulness in establishing Zion based on the principles of the law of consecration.

Despite the spin that is put on the historical events by critics and historical revisionists, the failure of the Church to establish Zion at the appointed place and at the appointed time is an astonishing fulfillment of the parable of the Ten Virgins. Not only does it fulfill that part of the parable where the Bridegroom tarries, it even explains why he tarries! Indeed the Bridegroom postpones the wedding feast because the invited guests are not faithful in living the higher law and gathering to Jackson County. The Bridegroom doesn’t come because the Bride fails to show up!

It is ironic that critics ridicule the church for this failed event when in fact it provides one of the most amazing biblical proofs of the validity of the Latter-day Saint foundation movement!

The bridegroom delayed the marriage because the work was hindered

“Verily verily I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and HINDER them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings. And the iniquity and transgression of my HOLY LAWS and COMMANDMENTS I will visit upon the heads of those who HINDERED my work, unto the THIRD and FOURTH GENERATION, so long as they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord God. Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name, in Jackson County, Missouri, and were HINDERED by their enemies, saith the Lord your God. And I will answer JUDGMENT, WRATH, and INDIGNATION, WAILING and ANGUISH, and GNASHING of TEETH upon their heads, unto the THIRD and FOURTH GENERATION, so long as they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord your God.” (See section 124)

According to the 1828 Websters Dictionary Hindered means Stopped; impeded; obstructed; retarded.

In addition to enemies of the church hindering the work, the Lord revealed that Zion was not redeemed because of transgressions of his people:

“Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now. But behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil and do not impart of their substance; as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them and are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom and Zion cannot be build up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself” (105:2-5)

Clearly the work was stopped for a time because of the unfaithfulness of the church and the enemies of the church both from within and outside of the Church.

The Work is “Cut Short in Righteousness”

It may seem strange that right after the glorious manifestations at the Kirtland Temple and the righteousness surrounding the related events that the work of the Lord was cut short but it was prophesied-

“For thus saith the Lord, I will cut my work short in righteousness, for the days come that I will send forth judgment unto victory.” (52:11)

Websters Definition of “to cut short”: To hinder from proceeding by sudden interruption.

LDS history makes it clear why the Bridegroom tarried. The work was suddenly hindered and cut short…. but what exactly does the parable mean when it says that ALL of the virgins slept after the Bridegroom failed to meet them at the appointed time?

According to latter-day revelation and the parable of the wheat and the tares in section 64, the primary meaning of the prophetic term sleep means, death. (86:3) It is a historical fact that all of the Saints of that generation died off between the appointed time when the Bridegroom tarried and the actual wedding feast that is yet to take place at a future time… in the 3rd Watch.

The secondary meaning of sleep as used in the parable appears to be apostasy.

And after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the tares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness. (86:3)

Modern revelation refers to the church as coming out of the wilderness when it comes out of the darkness of apostasy. Notice how modern revelation identifies the church beginning to come out of the wilderness in 1830 just before the church is restored. Then in 1830, it has come out of the wilderness. Finally in 1836 the Lord reveals that the church will come out of the wilderness again at a future time!

1829– In this the beginning of the rising up and the coming forth of my church out of the wilderness 5:15)

1830- this church have I established and called forth out of the wilderness. (33:5)

1836- That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners; (109:73

Latter-day revelation makes specific mention of the fact that the Lords work had been delayed for two reasons. First because of the transgressions of the Saints when they first went to Jackson County and secondly because of enemies of the church who hindered the work by persecuting the Saints and forcing them to leave Jackson. (5:15)

5- At midnight there was a cry made, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him

In an article on the internet by a fringe Catholic group, they refer to the parable of the ten virgins and very astutely identify the apocalyptic messenger flying through the heavens in the Book of Revelation as the one who makes the midnight cry, warning the virgins to wake up and prepare for the Bridegroom. Other protestant websites make the same profound observation. Unfortunately, protestants and Catholics have no way of knowing who the apocalyptic messenger flying in the midst of heaven is, only those believing in the Latter-day restoration movement have the key of knowledge to know who the messenger of the Lord is that holds the key of David.

6 Go ye rather to them that buy and sell…

We have already identified that much of this parable has to do with Gods Celestial Economy and the establishment of Zion based on the law of consecration. At the time that the forces of good and evil are warring with each other on the earth during the 3^rd and final watch, preparatory to the Second Coming in Glory, the fall of Babylon the great is immanent and the second beast kingdom is coming into power.

This is a time of great division and testing. People must choose between Babylon’s capitalism, greed and class distinction vs Zion’s consecration and equality. Those that have not taken the Holy Ghost as their guide are not able to overcome the beast and his kingdom and are not allowed into the wedding feast but rather are instructed to go to those who buy and sell. This is a direct reference to those who take upon themselves the mark of the beast so that they can continue relying on the arm of flesh and participating in Satan’s economy/slavery.

The Book of Mormon refers to this period time in which people will either choose to labor for MONEY or for ZION. Those that labor for money will perish.

7- And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Remarkably, latter-day revelation tells us that the Latter-day Saints restoration movement was instrumental in laying the foundation preparatory to the feast of fat things of the supper of the Lord that takes place at the marriage of the Lamb!

Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come; And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand; And also that a feast of fat things might be prepared for the poor; yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the well refined, that the earth may know that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail; Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited. First, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble And after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.

The above scripture has a cryptic meaning embedded within it. Will you be numbered among the rich and learned?

The remarkable thing about Joseph Smiths conditional promise about the appointed time of September 11^th 1836 for the redemption of Zion is that it legitimizes the restored Church.

It actually provides one of the most compelling prophetic arguments for identifying the Church of Christ that the Lord restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith as the people of God that were depicted in the parable of the Ten Virgins!

(Numbers and dates are integral in how and when God communicates to us. Dates have significant meanings. You can actually study gospel topics in the D&C according to dates that events and revelations took place. There are certain dates upon which religious events repeatedly take place. April 6th is such a date. September 21-22 in another. It is no coincidence that section section 64 was given on September 11 1831. It is no coincidence that the appointed time for the redemption of Zion was September 11 1836. It is interesting to note that Sept 11th has become a day associated with murder, destruction and Gods wrath. There are probably over 20 major events in history including the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the Fall of the Twin Towers that fall on this ominous date. Is this just a coincidence? Will there be future prophetic events on this date?)

Why have ye transfigured the Holy Word of God?

Why have ye transfigured the Holy Word of God?
By OneWhoIsWatching www.threewatches.blogspot.com

In the 8^th chapter of Mormon the Prophet Moroni speaks of the sacred records that he has been entrusted with that were to come forth at a future time.

He notes that a Prophet will bring them forth by the power of God with an eye single to the glory of God:

“For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord. And blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.”  (Mormon 8:15)

He then promises that those who accept it when it first comes forth shall know of greater things:

“And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.”

When I think of the greater things that are promised to the righteous… I cannot help but think not only of the sealed portion of the plates that will come forth to those of the gentiles that repent, but also I am reminded that the more righteous portion of the Saints that were blessed with visions and spiritual manifestations after accepting the Book of Mormon when it came forth among the gentiles.

There was a small portion of the Saints that embraced the truth whole heartedly and accepted the gospel by entering into the waters of baptism and receiving the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost. A notable example would be Zebedee Coltrin who was one of several early converts that experienced the greater things in Kirtland. For a detailed listing of those who were blessed to have visions and to see God or Christ, “Joseph Smith’s Kirtland” by Anderson is a must read.

In the 8th chapter of Mormon, Moroni reveals that the Lord allowed him to see into the future and view the LDS restoration movement that took place at the time that the Book of Mormon came forth.

It appears that he was allowed to see the restoration of the Church of Christ in 1830.

As with virtually all prophesies, the ones contained in Mormon 8 will have a dual fulfillment. Many items contained therein are applicable to both the 1^st commission in the 2^nd Watch and the 2^nd commission in the 3^rd Watch. However the primary, literal fulfillment appears to take place in the 1^st commission when the Book of Mormon first came forth among the Gentiles and the Church was restored to the earth. That is the context that we shall use for the purposes of this article:

“Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.  Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.”

Moroni was shown the future events pertaining to those Saints who accepted the Book of Mormon when it was translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith and it came forth among the Gentiles.

After Christ shows Moroni what the Saints of the restoration did, he was appalled at what he saw and he characterized the Saints as people who walk after the pride of their hearts…. Unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, strifes, malice and all manner of iniquities.

“For behold ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.”

So excruciating was the content of the vision given to the Prophet Moroni that he was led to exclaim:

“O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? (Mormon 8:38)

What a sobering rebuke to the first generation of Saints that accepted the Book of Mormon and joined the restored Church at the time the Book of Mormon came forth

We are left to wonder what Moroni saw and what he was referring to…

I wonder if Moroni observed that the Saints failed to redeem Zion in Jackson County.

I wonder it he observed the declaration of the Lord in section 84 that the Saints fell under condemnation in Kirtland for taking lightly the Book of Mormon and the other revelations which included the law of consecration, which were brought forth by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

I wonder if Moroni witnessed that the Saints of the restoration failed to live the law of consecration as contained in section 42 in Kirtland after being commanded to live it.

I wonder if he saw all of the events in the early days of the restoration including the fact that the Saints failed to fund the publishing of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible which needed to be done for the salvation of the Church.

I shudder to think that he saw the fight that broke out in the Lords Holy Temple in Kirtland between some of the leading Elders of the Church and the apostasy that resulted in up to 50% of the Saints leaving the Church when the Kirtland Safety Society Failed. Some have estimated that about 30% of the leadership of the Church apostatized at that time.

In the words of Joseph Smith; “No quorum in the Church was entirely exempt from the influence of those false spirits who are striving against me for the mastery; even some of the Twelve were so far lost to their high and responsible calling as to begin to take sides secretly with the enemy”.

Perhaps Moroni saw the Lords declaration in section 112 of the doctrine and Covenants shortly after the Kirtland apostasy that all flesh had become corrupted and the entire world was in gross darkness.

After the Temple was defiled Moroni might possibly have seen the Saints flee to Far West and other places as they plundered and took the spoils of the non-believing gentiles along the way feeling justified because of the unjust acts that had taken place against them in Kirtland and Jackson Co. (The autobiography of John D Lee and other diaries provide documentation that the Saints were desperate at this time and doing things they would not normally do)

I wonder if Moroni witnessed the long arm of God’s mercy extended unto the Saints giving them yet another chance to have that which had been lost,as a result of the Kirtland apostasy, restored if they would repent and be obedient in completing the construction of the Nauvoo Temple by the appointed time.

The Lord promised the Saints that if they were obedient in Nauvoo, they would not be moved out of their place. But the Prophet Joseph Smith warned the Saints:

“If the Temple and Nauvoo House are not finished you must run away..” (Words of Joseph Smith pg 179)

The Lords warning was a little more ominous. He warned in section 124 that if they failed to finish the temple by the appointed time they would be rejected as a Church with their dead…

I wonder if Moroni saw the First Presidency and the 12 Apostles plead with the Saints in Nauvoo to consecrate their time and substance to the building of the temple and petition the Saints for funds to publish the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.

I wonder if he observed that many of the Saints were more concerned about other things such as building their own homes and building Masonic temples. I wonder if Moroni saw many of the early Saints swapping secret hand shakes, swearing by their throats and entering into secret oaths for the purpose of getting gain even though the Bible and Book of Mormon forbid us to do that. (Mat 5:36 , 3^rd Nephi 12:36 )

I wonder if Moroni saw that the Saints were moved out of their place after they failed to complete the temple by the appointed time. I wonder it he saw that a secret combination composed of members and non-members conspired to murder Joseph and Hyrum. (see The Nauvoo Conspiracy printed in the Contributor Vol V pp 251-260)

I wonder if he witnessed the Saints flee from Nauvoo and return back into a scattered condition among the gentiles.

.

Of course we don’t know if the window of time that Moroni was looking at was limited to that first generation of Saints or if it included all four generations that were to follow the restoration of the Church prior to the ushering in of the Marvelous Work and a Wonder.

It leaves those of us living four generations after the restoration of the Church why, after 160 years we are no longer attempting to live the law of consecration as we were commanded to live it. Why is the establishment of Zion no longer a current objective of the Church?

Perhaps we should ask ourselves if we are justified in paying some tithing and some fast offerings each month while we set our hearts upon accumulating wealth, cabins, boats, vacations and toys without feeling guilty about the poor, needy, sick and afflicted that are among us. I wonder if Jesus Christ is showing Moroni our doing?

But that is a topic for another post.

The topic and focus of this post has to do with how the restored church has transfigured the holy word of God that was revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

This brings us to the curious observation Moroni makes:

“O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God…” (Mormon 8:33)

Moroni observes that the Saints would receive the word of God and then would transfigure it.

The 1828 Websters Dictionary defines the word “transfigured” to mean Changed in Form.

I suppose Moroni could have been talking about changing ordinances but I suspect that he could have also been referring to some changes that have taken place in the Book of Mormon and the Modern Revelations contained in the Book of Commandments and the Doctrine and Covenants.

It is very difficult to believe that anyone would have the audacity to change or alter the punctuation or words of a revelation, or cut and paste verses in a different order in such a way as to change the meaning of the holy and infallible word of God.

“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life…” John 5:39

We have lots of techniques and tools that we use to help us study the scriptures. One is the strong’s concordance that allows us to look up the meanings of words in the New Testament in the Greek and in the Old Testament in the Hebrew.

I have also found the 1828 version of the Webster’s Dictionary to be extremely helpful when studying the revelations given to Joseph Smith since the English language has evolved during the last 180 years.

Another invaluable reference that I have blogged about before is the importance of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. I suspect many who read this article use these same tools.

I also have copies of the original Book of Commandments and the Original Book of Mormon which have been invaluable in searching the scriptures and some of the changes therein. (You can purchase these at Deseret Book)

Perhaps one of the most incredible resources that I have come across for searching the modern revelations contained in the D&C is a dissertation on the changes that have taken place in the D&C by a BYU student back in 1974.

I first became aware of the many changes in the D&C about 18 years ago when I was walking around a used book store looking for hidden treasures and I came across a booklet entitled “The Doctored Covenants” by Greg Anderson.

As I perused that publication, I was unable to believe that people in high places would change or allow others to change Gods word. Besides, it did not look very credible to me. But it did get me thinking and wondering if in fact some of the modern revelations that came through the Prophet Joseph Smith had been tampered with and transfigured by mortal man.

I began doing research on the topic and found that indeed there had been some changes made. I wanted to find the best and most unbiased and credible resource for learning about the alterations to the Doctrine and Covenants. (Perhaps it would be more honest to say that I was looking for the most credible resource that had a bias in favor of the LDS Church) Eventually I learned about a magnificent six volume work done by a fellow named Robert J. Woodford.

Brother Woodford did a Dissertation in 1974 which he presented to the Department of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Melvin J. Peterson had previously done a Masters Thesis on a comparison between the text of the Book of Commandments and the sections in the D&C, however Woodford wanted to go further. He wanted to trace the history of the D&C from hand-written revelations to its current format and analyze the text of each revelation from the earliest sources available to the present composition.

He wanted to make a detailed study of the historical background of the D&C and a textual evaluation of each of the revelations.

One of the really helpful and extremely fascinating aspects of this work is that he uses the History of the Church, Times and Seasons, Millennial Star and other historical works and manuscript materials from the Historical Department of the Church as part of this work to provide context to the revelations given.

The name of this work is The Historical Development of the Doctrine and Covenants (Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International, 1980 I have heard you can order it in electronic format at the BYU Book Store)

In my humble opinion it is an absolute must for any serious student of the Doctrine and Covenants.

I think one of Brother Woodford’s desires in choosing this undertaking was to provide documentation for LDS apologists to combat the accusations made by anti Mormons regarding the changes in our modern revelations. Apparently he got the endorsement of the LDS Church and they allowed him to view virtually all of the available originals and copies of hand written revelations that the Church has in its possession.

His work is an amazing effort to document all of the places where the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants have been changed or transfigured since they were originally given through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

I was so appreciative of the work this man did I just had to go meet him and shake his hand. At the time I met him he was serving in a Bishopric in a singles ward at the University of Utah.

I have been greatly edified in reading and studying this incredible work by Woodford.

There have been numerous times when I and my wife would be reading the D&C and the Spirit would indicate that something is not right. We would then reference this work by Woodford to view the original verse. After seeing how a verse was transfigured, everything would make sense.

It has been eloquently said by one of the contributors on this blog site that one of the callings of the Holy Ghost is to confirm to us that the scriptures are true. I would submit to you that the Holy Ghost also confirms when a scripture is NOT true.

I want to end this post by sharing two examples of where credible historical documentation makes it appear that the word of God in modern revelation has been transfigured and another similar example pertaining to the Book of Mormon. I will provide a fourth example pertaining to modern revelation where it may have been transfigured based on doctrinal evidence.. But first, let’s review how important the revelations are that Joseph Smith received. Here is an excerpt from a conference that was held concerning the publishing of the revelations

“After deliberate consideration in the consequences of the Book of Revelations  now to be printed being the foundation of the Church and the salvation of the world and the keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom and the riches of Eternity to the Church. Voted that they be prized by this conference to be worth to the church the riches of the whole earth, speaking temporally….” (Far West Record p 22, 23)

The importance of the Book of Mormon is possibly better known and better accepted than that of the modern revelations.

EXAMPLE ONE

It is common knowledge that there have been many changes in the Book of Mormon but that most of them have been punctuation related changes.

I frankly feel that most of the changes I have seen in the Book of Mormon, both punctuation and textual, appear to have been minor and insignificant, however the changes I want to spotlight have to do with the nature and character of God as well as the nature of Jesus Christ’s Godhood during his earthly ministry on this earth.

I have blogged about the true Godhood of Jesus Christ in his earthly ministry on this earth. I have also blogged about how leaders of the Church have taught unsound doctrines pertaining to who God is.

The first example of how scriptures have been transfigured that I want to point out has to do with some alterations in the Book of Mormon that took place in 1981, approximately 152 years after the Book of Mormon was published to the world.

I suspect some will feel that the following changes are not significant; I personally feel they are, nevertheless, I think it is a very serious thing to change Gods holy word in the scriptures if it is done without his authorization. I will not provide any other commentary on these changes other than to simply show the changes that took place in 1 Nephi 11 and also 1 Nephi 13:

1 Nephi 11:18- 1830 Edition of the Book of Mormon “And he said unto me, Behold, the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh” 1 Nephi 11:18 1981 Edition of the Book of Mormon “And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.”

1 Nephi 11:21 1830 Edition of the Book of Mormon “And the angel said unto me, behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father!…” 1 Nephi 11:21 1981 Edition of the Book of Mormon “And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!…”

1 Nephi 11:32- 1930 Edition of the Book of Mormon “…And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Everlasting God, was judged of the world…” 1 Nephi 11:32- 1981 Edition of the Book of Mormon “…And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world…”

1 Nephi 13:40- 1830 Edition of the Book of Mormon “…and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Eternal Father and the Savior of the world…” 1 Nephi 13:40- 1981 Edition of the Book of Mormon “…and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the World…”

EXAMPLE TWO

Many years ago there was an interesting fellow that went around giving seminars on the importance of a vegetarian diet. He claimed he had died and returned to life after being taught the truth about the word of wisdom. While dead, it was revealed to him that it is a sin to eat meats… ever!

In fact he said that you must get the animals you have killed to forgive you before you can enter into heaven. We listened to one of his lectures and invited him to speak to some of our friends. This caused us to focus on the Word of Wisdom at great length.

One day my wife was conversing with a friend who was agreeing with what the above mentioned brother had been teaching and my wife invited the person to read section 89 with her. While reading it my wife had a distinct impression that the comma in verses13 should not be there!

“Yea, flesh also of beast and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.”

You will notice that the use of the comma (in red) reverses the meaning of those verses.

With the comma the verse is saying that flesh of beasts and fowls should only be used in times of winter, cold or famine. Yet without the comma it is saying that it is not ordained for such limited use, although it should be used sparingly.

Having recently read several statements from the prophets, noticing that many of the people in the scriptures seemed to use meat during all seasons and also having recently read the following warning from the Apostle Paul my wife and I felt something was wrong:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving” (1 Tim 4:3)

Feeling that there was an apparent discrepancy in this verse she checked the Historical Development of the D&C by Woodford and this is what she found:

“…the only other variation in this section of any consequence is the comma following verse 13. It was never found in any text prior to the 1921 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. According to T. Edgar Lyons, Joseph Fielding Smith, when shown this addition to the text, said: Who put that in there?”

This is a significant statement since Elder Smith served on the committee to publish that edition of the D&C. Thus the comma may have been inserted by the printer and has been retained ever since.” (Volume 2 part 2 pg 1175)

Those verses have created lively discussions between many members of the church and have caused some members to feel guilty about eating meat in all seasons.

It is disconcerting to me that someone inserted a comma that would reverse the meaning of God’s word, it is perhaps even more disconcerting in this case that the Church has never corrected this error.

(For the record, I personally feel better when I eat less meat. I have no personal agenda as far as encouraging people to eat meat. I do believe we are to eat meat sparingly. I am simply showing the facts as I see them with regard to what the original intent of the scriptures in question was verses what they appear to say after being transfigured)

EXAMPLE THREE

The 3^rd example I want to share with you of a scripture that has been altered is one where part of the text has simply been deleted from the original revelation.

If you are not aware of this particular example, I hope you are sitting down because this is a whopper!

First, let me lay a little ground work.

In previous posts we have discussed how JST Luke 12 refers to three watches or three separate and distinct gospel dispensations. The1st Watch was the Meridian of Time. The 2^nd Watch was the LDS Restoration Movement when the Church of Christ was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the 3^rd Watch will be the Marvelous Work.

We have also discussed how JST Matt 21 reveals that the First Watch represents the gospel going to the Gentiles after being rejected by the Jews and 2^nd Watch represents the gospel going to the Jews after being rejected by the Gentiles.

JST Mat 21 seems to reveal that the gospel would be taken from the Gentiles and given to the Jews shortly after the Church was restored in the 1830’s so I began to look for another witness that the Lord had warned the restored Church about this in modern revelation. One wherein the Lord gives a stern warning to the Gentiles that they will be led into darkness just like the Jews in Jerusalem were if they don’t repent and accept the gospel..

I always like to get the testimony of at least two scriptural witnesses.

I felt that if I was interpreting JST Mat 21 correctly that the Lord would have given a warning to the Gentiles in modern revelation. There are actually lots of these types of warnings in the D&C but I was looking for something with stronger language.

Sure enough, using the Historical Development of the Doctrine and Covenants by Woodford I discovered that when it was time to publish the revelations that Joseph Smith had received again, the name of the cannon of scripture was changed from the Book of Commandments to the Doctrine and Covenants. At the time of that printing, the text in some of the revelations was also changed.

One of the changes that I found does in fact warn the Gentile Church with very strong language that they would be delivered over to Satan if they harden their hearts. He told the Saints that he was warning them of the sword of justice just as he had warned the people about the destruction of Jerusalem.

The following verses were taken out of what is now section 5 in our current Doctrine and Covenants. The part I red was deleted from the current editions of the D&C:

“And thus, if the people of this generation harden not their hearts, I will work a reformation among them, and I will put down all lyings, and deceivings, and priestcrafts, and envyings, and strifes, and idolatries, and sorceries, and all manner of iniquities, and I will establish my church, like unto the church which was taught by my disciples in the days of old.

And now if this generation do harden their hearts against my word, behold I will deliver them up unto Satan, for he reigneth and hath power at this time, for he hath got great hold upon the hearts of the people of this generation: and not far from the iniquities of Sodom and Gomorrah, do they come at this time: and behold the sword of justice hangeth over their heads, and if they persist in the hardness of their hearts, the time cometh that it must fall upon them. Behold I tell you these things even as I also told the people of the destruction of Jerusalem, and my word shall be verified at this time as it hath hitherto been verified..”

Wow. That is quite an ominous warning.

I chose this example to spotlight a very sobering principle, that if the Saints harden their hearts against Gods word, he will turn them over to Satan.. a similar warning is given to the Saints in the New Testament:

…And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Thes 2:11

Again, it is a hard doctrine that if we reject the truth from God’s servants, God will send us a strong delusion.

I do want to mention that the above change in section 5 appears to have been done under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith and I personally believe that he did it under the direction of God.

Therefore, I don’t necessarily believe this is one of the changes that Moroni was upset about when he asked the Saints of the restoration “Why have you transfigured the word of God?”

Documenting the reasons why I don’t see this alteration in the scriptures to be a problem would take too long for the purposes of this article. Suffice it to say, I think the Book of Commandments may have been primarily addressing the remnants of the Kingdom of Israel mingled among the Gentiles while the Doctrine and Covenants may have been written primarily to the remnants of the Kingdom of Judah mingled among the Gentiles. For additional info on this click here

Nevertheless, it is important for us to understand that the above text was in the original Book of Commandments, yet removed when the Doctrine and Covenants was published and we need to know about it in order to better understand what took place in the restoration movement. It obviously wasn’t removed from the chapter because God made a mistake when the revelation was first given… God is all knowing and infallible and simply does not make mistakes.

I personally believe that it was removed because something had taken place in the Church that made that warning no longer applicable as something that might happen in the future. I wish I had time to explain why I feel the Lord wanted the above text in the Book of Commandments but not in the Doctrine and Covenants but I have already made this post too long.

EXAMPLE FOUR

The last example is purely speculation and based on what I deem to be a doctrinal inconsistency pertaining to church government. It is not based on clear cut historical proof that the scripture in question was changed or fabricated. I simply offer this as something worth searching out for those who are curious about the issue of succession.

The doctrine pertaining to succession is a very sensitive subject. I made a few random observations, particularly in a recent article but have never covered this topic in depth and I don’t know that I ever will attempt to.

Before spotlighting my fourth example, let me first reiterate what I have stated before in various posts…. I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints represents Gods people and Gods Church today on the earth. I accept the literal interpretation of the following declaration of the Lord in section 115:

“And also unto my faithful servants who are of the high council of my church in Zion, for thus it shall be called, and unto all the elders and people of my Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, scattered abroad in all the world; For thus shall my Church be called in the last days, even the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” (D&C 115)

I interpret the above verses to say that when Gods people are gathered under his direction into stakes of Zion, his church is called the Church of Zion.

I also believe that when his people are living in a scattered condition in the last days, they are called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I believe section 115 promises that Gods Church will be in existence in the last days and I believe we are living in the last days.

I believe the Church that has the legal claim on the above name, which I believe happens to be in a scattered condition at the present time, is in fact Gods Church.

I believe the current Apostles in the First Presidency and the quorum of the Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are striving to continue the mission and calling that was given to the original quorum of the Twelve that was called in 1835.

The primary commission given to them, as contained in section 112 of the Doctrine and Covenants is to “Bear testimony of my name and to send it abroad among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people” and to “send forth my word unto the ends of the earth.”

I believe the above commission that was given to those who were not the First Laborers of the Last Kingdom is not the same Apostolic Commission given to the Apostles in the New Testament or to the Disciples in the Book of Mormon, or to the First set of Apostles appointed after the Church was restored, who were referred to as “Apostles” and “Friends” of God (see section 84).

Nevertheless, the current brethren are clearly striving, in there own way, to fulfill the mission and calling given to Brigham Young and his brethren. They are contuing to labor in the vineyard until the return of the First Elders into the vineyard.. And that commission is to bear testimony of the name of Christ and to send forth the Word of God.

To me it is not a question of whether the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the True Church; the real question is; what is the current state of the true Church?

Section 84 could be interpreted as identifying us as the True Church which is under condemnation.

Section 112 could be interpreted as identifying us as the True Church membership whose flesh has all become corrupt.

Section 124 could be interpreted as the True Church that has been rejected with our dead for four generations.

In the words of the Prophet Moroni who was watching the early events of the restored church: Why have ye polluted the Holy Church of God?

The scriptures often refer to God people as an unfaithful wife that is put away. Nevertheless, she is still the wife!

With those characterizations of the latter day church in mind, I now offer the following possible example of a scripture that needs to be scrutinized because of its doctrinal content. Historical documents don’t categorically prove it is authentic one way or the other:

One day while studying the succession issue I noticed an apparent discrepancy in the doctrinal content of the following revelation:

“Dear and well-beloved brother, Brigham Young, verily thus saith the Lord unto you: My servant Brigham, it is no more required at your hand to leave your family as in times past, for your offering is acceptable to me. I have seen your labor and toil in journeyings for my name. I therefore command you to send my word abroad, and take especial care of your family from this time, henceforth and forever. Amen.” (section 126)

It seemed odd to me that the Lord would release Brigham Young from traveling forth into the world as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve after only being a member of the Quorum of the Twelve or six years and traveling abroad on missions for only about two or three years! Being a traveling missionary is the very definition of what the Twelve Apostles are supposed to do:

“The Twelve are a Traveling Presiding High Council, to officiate in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Presidency of the Church, agreeable to the institution of heaven; to build up the church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and secondly unto the Jews.” (D&C 107)

Joseph Smith gave the following clarification of the above scripture:

“The apostles have no right to go into Zion or any of its stakes where there is a regular high council established, to regulate any matter pertaining thereto: But it is their duty to go abroad and regulate and set in order all matters relative to the different branches of the church of the Latter Days Saints. No standing high council has the authority to go into the churches abroad and regulate the matters thereof, for the this belongs to the Twelve” (Minutes of the Grand High Council, 2 May 1835. See also Patriarchal Blessing Book, p. 2, Church Archives)

It is true that Joseph Smith did give members of the Twelve assignments to do in Nauvoo between their missionary assignments, but I don’t think those assignments overlapped into the administrative callings of the First Presidency or the Presidency of the Stake or of the High Council of the Stake. These responsibilities were temporary assignments to do until they were sent into the mission field again.

Clearly, the Quorum of the Twelve is a traveling missionary quorum that has not right to officiate in an organized stake of Zion.

I have more documentation that I do not want to take the time to present here that would indicate that the content in section 126 is not congruent with the Word of God and the words of Joseph Smith regarding Brigham Young’s role as an Apostle and as the President of that Quorum.

Perhaps the 64 dollar questions is; was the traveling quorum of the twelve equal in authority with the First Presidency of the Church or were they functioning under the direction of the First Presidency of the Church

The apparent doctrinal discrepancy I saw in in section 126 caused me to research the available documentation on that revelation. What I found was very curious to me.

1- There were no witnesses to this revelation other than Brigham Young.

2- The revelation was never published or included in the Doctrine and Covenants by Joseph Smith.

3- The oldest known manuscript of the revelation was written by Thomas Bullock in about April of 1845. There are no known manuscripts of it in existence that were written within four years of July 9^th 1841, when the revelation was purportedly given. The earliest manuscript in existence of this revelation that was purportedly given by Joseph Smith was written AFTER the death of Joseph Smith.

4- The oldest known manuscript of this revelation was created shortly after the succession crisis and just a few years prior to the re-establishment of the First Presidency… When according to Wilford Woodruff, Brigham Young posed the following question:  “I had a question put to me by President Young: What my opinion was concerning one of the Twelve Apostles being appointed as the President fo the Church with his two counselors. I answered that a quorum like the Twelve who had been appointed by revelation, confirmed by revelation from time to time – I thought it would require a revelation to change the order of that quorum..” HC Vol 7:621)

5- Another historical item that does not seem congruent with the revelation that Brigham claims to have received is the fact that after the Lord tells Brigham that his offering is acceptable and he no longer needs to leave his family, the Lord called Brigham on a political mission in 1844, after the revelation date in 1841. This is where he was when the martyrdom took place:

. “In May 1844, Brigham and other apostles left on summer missions. While they were gone, events in Nauvoo deteriorated. Joseph Smith was arrested and, on June 27, was killed with his brother Hyrum when a mob stormed the jail at Carthage, Illinois, where they were being held. Brigham began to hear rumors of the murders while in the Boston area, but did not hear definite word of the assassination until July 16 in Peterboro, New Hampshire. He and his companions immediately rushed back to Nauvoo, arriving August 6.”

6- The revelation was never included in the D&C until 1876!

I present this possible discrepancy in doctrine and the events of LDS history to illustrate the importance of using doctrine, as well as documentation in the searching process when one is testing the authenticity of the various scriptures.

Again, I do not have conclusive evidence to show that section 126 is or is not authentic; the key becomes one of discernment after searching out the events in LDS history, the words of God in the scriptures, the word of God from Joseph Smith, the Lords anointed, and most important, the guidance of the Holy Ghost in revealing what all of the evidence points to.

Again, I accept Brigham Young as the Presiding officer and President of the Church based on the principle of Common Consent because he was elected President of the Church by the voice of the people. The question is whether the keys of the kingdom as held by the First Presidency had been passed on to him as required in the law of succession as stated in section 43 and whether he was a prophet seer and revelator.

These issues are critical in determining if the current church membership is in spiritual and temporal bondage and needs to be delivered. They are critical in determining if Zion has been redeemed or if there still needs to be a future redemption and re-establishment of Zion. Does there need to be another restoration and refreshing or have we already arrived?

This concludes the examples.

Did you know that you can get copies of the original Book of Commandments and the Original Book of Mormon, with the original punctuation and without the current verse format?

I have friends who prefer to study the scriptures using the original texts and original verses and original punctuation because they feel it is easier to understand and has a much better spirit.

There you have it. I have provided three examples of where the infinite, eternal and infallible word of God in modern revelation has been transfigured and one example of an apparent discrepancy to chew on.

Although example one did not take place at very close to the time of the restoration, I used it because it provided one of the most vivid and pertinent illustrations of how the meaning of Gods word can be changed by the improper use of punctuation.

These changes represent just a few of the changes that took place. I will leave it up to those of you with inquiring minds to search, dig out and find the changes that have taken place….

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine
The higher Priesthood contains the Key of the Knowledge of God
© Onewhoiswatching www.threewatches.blogspot.com

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2nd Tim 4:14

One of the great evidences that the Marvelous Work was to be a separate work from the foundation work of the 1830’s is the prophecy given by Paul in the above verses, that the time would come when the Saints would not be able to endure sound doctrine, but rather, they would turn away their ears from the truth and would be turned unto fables.

Obviously many of the Saints in the Meridian of Time drifted into apostasy and the dark ages followed, during that time men were unable to endure sound doctrine. However, as we have previously discussed, most if not all prophesies have a dual fulfillment. If it can be shown that Latter day Israel has not been able to endure sound doctrine following the restoration of the church in these latter days, then it provides another evidence that another great work is needed to restore true doctrine to Gods people.

We all have our opinions based on our own interpretation of the scriptures which doctrines are true and whitch are false. However  I want to begin this post by showing that modern LDS leaders have stated publicly and privately that false doctrines have entered into the Church.

President Ezra Taft Benson once said:

“Not only are there apostates in our midst, but there are apostate doctrines which are sometimes taught in our classes and from our pulpits and which appear in our publications. The these apostate precepts of men cause our people to stumble. AS the Book of Mormon, speaking of our day, states: “..they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men” (Book of Mormon ref 2 Nephi 28:14 E.T. Benson ref CR April 1969 )

Not too many years prior to President Bensons statement President Joseph Fielding Smith had entered the following notation in his person diary:

“I attended sessions of meetings for the institute teachers, held in the assembly room on the fourth floor of he Church Office Building. I cannot say that I was very greatly edified. Too much philosophy of the worldly nature does not seem to mix well with the fundamentals of the gospel. In my opinion many of our teachers employed in the church school system have absorbed too much of the paganism of the world, and have accepted too readily the views of the uninspired educators without regard for the revealed word of the Lord. What to do about it I do not know. It is a problem for the Presidency to consider. It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years. What the future will bring I don’t know . But if we drift as far afield from the fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the primitive church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling the same road?” (The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith 212. Deseret Book Co., 1972 )

Prior to that observation by President Smith, George Q. Cannon had made the following remark:

“I tell you we are beginning to follow along the course of the early Christian Church. So long as that church was persecuted from without, it prospered, but when it began to be polluted from within, the church began to wither. There is, creeping into our midst, and I warn you brethren about it, and urge you to meet, a great host of sectarian doctrines that have no place amongst us. The gospel in its simplicity, is to be found in the revelations… we must accept them as God gave them to us and there must be amongst us a unity of the faith.” ( CR October 1944 )

Erastus Snow made this observation:

“Over fifty years have passed away since the light of the glorious gospel in its fulness began to dawn upon us, and still we are measurably walking in darkness.” (Annual Conf Report April 6 1883 )

Finally, let me share this sobering proclamation from John Taylor:

“We are getting into such a condition that if we were to meet the Lord, we could not look him in the face and the way we are going, it will soon be impossible to tell what we do believe.”

As you can see from the testimony from numerous leaders of the Church, the restored church is plagued with false teachers teaching false doctrines.

Obviously we do not have time in this post to discuss and document the countless false doctrines that have snuck into the fold since the time of Joseph Smith’s 1st commission in the 2nd Watch.

But I do want to speak about one of the most important foundational doctrines upon which I believe all other doctrines rest.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said:

“It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God” (Teachings, 345).

In other words, one of the foundation stones of the restored gospel is a knowledge of what kind of being God actually is. But not only do we need to understand what kind of being God is, we must come to know God. In the same sermon from which we just quoted, the Prophet Joseph further stated,

“If any man does not know God, . . . he will realize that he has not eternal life; for there can be eternal life on no other principle” (Teachings, 344).

In His great high-priestly or Intercessory Prayer, the Savior confirmed that life eternal was to “know . . . the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [the Father] hast sent” (John 17:3).

Joseph Smith also endorsed the following teaching taught in the School of the Prophets:

“One of the three things necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation, is to have a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes.” (Lectures on Faith, 3rd Lecture)

In modern revelation the Savior has stated that:

“I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and ^aknow what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.” (D&C 93:19)

It seems to me that the first principle constitutes the foundation doctrine of the Gospel. It is the doctrine upon which all other doctrines are built. It sets the stage for learning additional truth. If one has a correct understanding of this fundamental doctrine one stands a reasonable chance of getting the next principle or doctrine right, and the next and so on. Conversely, if one begins with a false perception of who and what God is, it is likely that the belief system that follows will also have erroneous assumptions.

Realizing how important it is to have a knowledge of the true character of God, modern revelation tells us that the “greater priesthood” administers the gospel and holds the key of the knowledge of God:

“And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not  manifest unto men in the flesh; for without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father and live.” (D&C 84:19-21)

Clearly, those who truly hold the higher priesthood are those who know God and can lead the Saints to him, teaching the truth about who he is and revealing his nature and character.

Having established the incredible importance of the true nature of God and having leaders who truly hold the key of the knowledge of God so that they can lead the Saints to him and protect the Saints from false teachings about God, let’s review an incredible event in LDS Church History:

According to a significant amount of historical documentation, some of which may have been suppressed for a time, it appears that on April 9^th 1852 … my great great great grandfather Brigham Young shocked the church by teaching the following doctrine concerning the nature and character of God. In this sermon he declared:

“Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do. Every man upon the earth, professing Christians or non-professing, must hear it, and will know it sooner or later … (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, pp.50-51).

Related quotes and doctrines from Brigham Young are varied and to numerous to include in this article, among other things, Brigham taught that Adam is the father of Jesus Christ:

“When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is the Father? He is the first of the human family … I could tell you much more about this; but were I to tell you the whole truth, blasphemy would be nothing to it, in the estimation of the superstitious and over-righteous of mankind. However, I have told you the truth as far as I have gone…. Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven. Now, let all who may hear these doctrines, pause before they make light of them, or treat them with indifference, for they will prove their salvation or damnation” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, pp.50-51).

As a descendent of Brigham Young I have had a particular interest in knowing his place in the restoration movement, who he really was and what he really taught. There is a very large 4 volume document in the Church Historical Library containing every known discourse that Brigham Young ever gave. They don’t let you make copies of it but you can go into a secure room and read it. One day I sat down and read the entire thing. It took many, many hours to read.

I was surprised at how many times Brigham taught the exact opposite doctrines that Joseph Smith taught. I am compiling a list of these contradictions and perhaps will do a post on them someday.

One of the things Joseph and Brigham disagreed on that jumped out at me as I read this volume of discourses is how they both viewed the creation story in Genesis.

Joseph Smith was a biblical literalist. He was once asked how Mormonism differs from other Christian Churches and he answered We believe the Bible. His apparent use of sarcasm was somewhat uncharacteristic but provided a poignant way to point out how most protestant religions pick and choose which Biblical verse they want to take literally.

Although this must have seemed offensive, and condescending to protestants, I think he was simply making a very important distinction… simply that Latter day Saint theology believes the Bible literally as long as it is translated correctly. We have the JST of the Bible to show us any mistranslations in the Bible an it confirms that the creation story is literally true.

The Book of Mormon and the revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants reinforce a literal interpretation and belief in the Old and New Testaments.

Joseph Smith interpreted and believed the creation story in Genesis in the literal sense. So important was the literal interpretation of the creation story in Genesis to Joseph Smith that he provided two other versions of it. One was from the JST of Genesis and the other was obtained from translating the papyrus that became known as the Book of Abraham. Both of these accounts of the creation story are published in the Pearl of Great Price.  This provides two witnesses that the literal interpretation of the creation story in Genesis is true and that Adam was literally created out the dust of this earth and Eve was literally taken from his rib.

I was shocked while reading Brigham Young’s discourses to find that he discounted the creation story as a “fairy tale”.

Many members of the Church silently accepted the new Adam-God doctrine that Brigham Young taught, however, some prominent members of the church took issue with the doctrine. Most significantly, Apostle Orson Pratt, one of the greatest doctrinal scholars in the Church at the time, disagreed with the doctrine, and expressed that disagreement publicly and in private meetings with other apostles.

Pratt also published his disagreement in his east-coast publication The Seer. Pratt continued to debate the issue in public forums for months, despite being rebuked privately and publicly by Brigham Young on more than one occasion until 1860, when faced with possible disfellowshipment, he agreed to the language of a public confession as negotiated during a series of meetings among the church hierarchy.” Wikipedia

The following entry is found in the journal of Joseph Lee Robinson:

“Oct. 6th attend Conference, a very interesting Conference, for at this meeting President Brigham Young said thus… that Adam was, God our Eternal Father, this as Brother Heber remarked was letting the cat out of the Bag, and it came to pass, I believed every word … our Beloved Brother Orson Prat[t] told me he did not believe it. He said he could prove by the Scriptures it was not correct. I feared lest he should apostetize [sic] …” (Journal of Joseph Lee Robinson, Microfilm copy in LDS Genealogical Library)

Pratt felt so strongly that the Adam-God doctrine was wrong that he expressed a desire to resign his position from the quorum of the Twelve. Brigham’s response to Pratt was “No you won’t Orson, I’ll rub your ears until I get you right..”(Pg 174 Unpublished Revelations by Collier)

Although I am related to Brigham Young through my fathers side of the family, ironically, I am also related to Father Edward Bunker and his son Bishop Edward Bunker Jr. through my Mothers side of the Family. Father Bunker was a contemporary of Brigham Young. In fact Brigham Young had called Father Edward Bunker to settle parts of Southern Utah.

I believe that there is a special place in heaven for people like Orson Pratt and the Bunkers because they had the guts to QUESTION AUTHORITY. Bishop Edward Bunker was possibly the single biggest reason that the Church discontinued teaching the Adam-God doctrine.

For a number of years questions on church teachings had been agitated in the Bunkerville Ward. “Bishop Bunker had stated he did not believe Adam was our God and he had expressed his opinion that some teachings in the temples were wrong, notably part of the Lecture at the veil- That Father Bunker had the same views.” Father Bunker felt that the wrong teaching of God would negate the purpose of the sealing ordinances done in the temple… had stated that-

“the principle of adoption would be of no avail as administered in the Temple. All such work would have to be done over again.”

Bishop Bunker created quite a stir in his ward when he began challenging the Adam-God doctrine. In 1891 he made the following declaration to the Stake Presidency when they called him to task for not believing in the doctrine taught by Brigham Young:

“I do not believe that Adam is the father of Jesus Christ and the God we worship and the God of this earth…” “Pg 170 Unpublished Revelations)

After the Stake Presidency got an ear full from Bishop Bunker, they turned him over to the First Presidency of the Church. The President of the Church at the time was Wilford Woodruff.

Bishop Bunker got reprimanded by the First Presidency for challenging the official doctrine of the Church concerning God but curiously, shortly after that meeting with Bishop Bunker President Wilford Woodruff was quoted as saying:

“it was not wisdom for the Elders to contend about such matters and things they did not understand. And not to teach such things to the children in the Sunday Schools; they could not comprehend them.” (Pg 174 Unpublished Revelations)

President Cannon later said: “…it is not necessary that we should [teach] or endorse the doctrine that some men taught that Adam was the Father of Jesus Christ” (Pg 174-5 Unpublished Revelations)

Shortly after this, the Adam-God doctrine was no longer taught at all in the Church by the leaders.

A few generations later the Adam-God doctrine was virtually unknown to most members of the Church. When anti-Mormon documents would reference the doctrine some LDS apologists denied that the doctrine had ever been taught. Some have claimed that those who recorded the sermons of Brigham Young made mistakes.

In recent years, a private letter from Bruce R. McConkie to a BYU professor has been copied and made available to the general public. In it Elder McConkie made the following statement:

“Yes, President Young did teach that Adam was the father of our spirits, and all the related things that the cultists ascribe to him. This, however, is not true. He expressed views that are out of harmony with the gospel.…that is something he will have to account for…. I do not know all of the providences of the Lord, but I do know that he permits false doctrine to be taught in and out of the Church… If we believe false doctrine, we will be condemned. If that belief is on basic and fundamental things, it will lead us astray and we will lose our souls …. This clearly means that people who teach false doctrine in the fundamental and basic things will lose their souls. The nature and kind of being that God is, is one of these fundamentals. I repeat: Brigham Young erred in some of his statements on the nature and kind of belng that God is and as to the position of Adam in the plan of salvation …. If we choose to believe and teach the false portions of his doctrines we are making an election that will damn us: (page 7)“ (page 6 of McConkie’s letter)

Despite the fact that the Adam God doctrine was taught and believed for many years, it is really quite remarkable that the Church was able to “self correct” and put down the false doctrine that suggested that Adam is the Father of Jesus Christ and the only God with which we have to do. Even more remarkable is that the correction appears to have been initiated from individual Saints in both high and low positions who had the wisdom to compare a questionable doctrine to the word of God and then have the courage to question authority and challenge the doctrine by utilizing the laws of agency and common consent.

The Apostle Paul chastened the Saints of his day for allowing members from within the Church to pervert the true Gospel of Christ and gave a strict warning not to follow anyone… not even an angel from heaven if they preach any other gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ:

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Gal 1) He later gave one of the most simple and concise definitions of the Gospel of Christ:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power  of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16)

Looking at our day the prophet Nephi observed that many of the humble followers of Christ would be led astray because they followed the precepts of men:

“They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and,  whoredoms they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men…Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost. (2nd Nephi 28)

The Book of Mormon reinforces that most basic foundational belief that it is through faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved and there is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved:

“And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.” (2nd Nephi 31)

“There is no other ^cname given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ..” (Mosiah 5)

If the historical documentation about Brigham Young teaching the Adam God Doctrine is true and if Elder McConkie’s statement is accurate that Brigham Young did in fact teach a false doctrine about who the true God of Israel is, it is deeply disturbing to think that a presiding officer of the Lords Church could lead us incorrectly regarding such an important doctrine. It was Brigham Young himself that expressed his concern that a President of the Church might some day lead the people astray:

“What a pity it would be if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually.” (Brigham Young, January 12, 1862, Journal of Discourses, 9:151)

He also said:

“I have often said to the Latter-day Saints– Live so that you will know whether I teach you the
truth or not. Suppose you are careless and unconcerned, and give way to the spirit of the world,
and I am led, likewise,to preach the things of this world and to accept things that are NOT of God, how easy it would be for me to lead you astray! But I say to you, live so that you will know for yourselves whether I tell the truth or not. That is the way we want all Saints to live.” (Brigham Young, JD 18:248)

In previous posts I have noted that there was a difference between the “first elders” of the Church who were designated as the first laborers of the last kingdom vs Brigham Young and others who were called about five years later to serve in the quorum of the 12 apostles. They were identified as those who were not the first elders. According to latter day revelation, Brigham Young and the other members of the quorum of the twelve did not enjoy the same relationship with God that Joseph Smith and the First Elders enjoyed. In section 84 Joseph Smith and six others received an incredible confirmation of the higher priesthood by the voice of God out of the heavens… few people have ever received this endowment:

“this priesthood which ye have received which I now confirm upon you by my own voice out of the heavens…” (D&C 84:40)

In section 88 Joseph Smith and the other First Elders were promised that God would send them again into the vineyard at a later time to testify and warn the Gentiles for the last time and to bind up the law and seal the testimony and prepare the Saints for the hour of judgment with is to come, however Brigham Young and the other members of the 12 who were not among the first elders and who were not clean from the blood of that generation, were to “continue in the vineyard until the mouth of the Lord should call them…” (D&C 84:74-85)

In the general charge given to the 12 Apostles in the month of April 1835 the Prophet Joseph Smith provided this counsel, admonition and charge:

“You have been indebted to other men , in the first instance for evidence; on that you have acted but it is necessary that you receive a testimony from heaven for yourselves; so that you can bear testimony to the truth of the Book of Mormon, and that you have seen the face of God. That is more than the testimony of an angel…. never cease striving until you have seen God face to face, strengthen your faith, cast off you doubts, your sins, and all you unbelief… Your ordination [ as Apostles] is not full and complete till God has laid his hand upon you…  you have our most fervent prayers that you may be able to bear this testimony, that you have seen the face of God.” (DHC2:195-198 see also HC AD 1835 pg 195-6)

It is very important to understand that Brigham Young and his brethren of the 12 were ordained to be Apostles but their calling would not be full and complete until they had seen the face of God and been ordained personally by him..

Mary Rollins Lightner was a convert to the church who had seen an angel, she noted that Brigham Young had said to her in Nauvoo “he would give anything to have seen what I had.” (Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, Autobiography, in B. Carmon Hardy, ed., Doing the Works of Abraham: Mormon Polygamy: It’s Origin, Practice, and Demise (Norman, OK: Arthur H. Clark Co., 2007),

Susa Young Gates recorded that when asked if he had ever seen the Savior, Brigham responded that he hadn’t, and that he didn’t expect to until he died. ( Note, 1885, Susa Young Gates Collection, Box 11, Folder 1, Subfolder 1, Utah State Archives, Salt Lake City  )

Brigham Young was very open and honest about his own status as the President of the Church. He understood that the President of the Church did not necessarily need to be a prophet: “I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet…” (Fred C. Collier, ed., The Office Journal of Brigham Young, 1858-1863, Book D (Hanna, UT: Collier’s Publishing Co., 2006),

When responding to a skeptic that was expressing doubt that Brigham was a prophet seer and revelator he responded that he had never made such a claim:

“A person was mentioned to-day who did not believe that Brigham Young was a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. I wish to ask every member of this whole community, if they ever heard him profess to be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, as Joseph Smith was?”  (Brigham Young, Sermon, April 7, 1852, JD 6:319-320 See also a related post in By Common Consent)

One of the things that confuses people concerning the succession issue is that it appears that one can be the legal presiding officer of the Church, elected by the voice of the people without holding the key of the knowledge of God and without being a prophet, seer and revelator.

This doctrine was true in Book of Mormon times as well as pertaining to church government in modern times:

“Thou shalt not leave this place until after the conference; and my servant Joseph shall be appointed to preside over the conference by the voice of it, and what he saith to thee thou shalt tell…. For, behold, these things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants. For all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith.” (D&C 28 see also D&C 20:63 102:9 )

Brigham Young states that on December 27 1847 he was “unanimously elected president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” (HC 7:621 see also HC pg 82 )

As we consider the doctrines taught by Brigham Young, we must not hold him to a higher standard than what would be appropriate. It is not fair to accuse someone of being something they have never claimed to be.

Brigham Young never claimed to be the legal successor of Joseph Smith in reference to holding the keys of the kingdom or of being a prophet seer and revelator, those claims became a tradition within the Church over time. By his own admission, it appears he felt he was simply trying to steady the ark until he who had the higher authority rose up:

“The brethren testify that brother Brigham is brother Joseph’s legal successor. You never heard me say so. I say that I am a good hand to keep the dogs and wolves out of the flock. I do not care a groat who rises up. I do not think anything about being Joseph’s successor. That is nothing that concerns me” (Journal of Discourses 8:69).

Years ago I walked into Sam Wellers Book Store and saw a large poster on the wall having to do with the genealogy of the 12 tribes of Israel and I felt compelled to find out who had created it and speak with him. The book store gave me his number… we became fast friends. He is a fascinating personality that has provided me with a differing perspective of the gospel as we have studied the gospel together and debated various aspects of it during the last two decades.When I first met him he was a Jewish Mormon Fundamentalist who had worked for the Boarder Patrol and then served as a security officer at he White House. After joining the LDS church he worked as a security guard at the Washington Temple. He was also a veil worker. Eventually he joined the Allred polygamous group and took on two more wives.

Eventually it occurred to him that he had been deceived about the so-called doctrine of Celestial Plural Marriage and he left the Allred Group.

A friend of his in the Allred Group believed that I had been a bad influence on him but felt that if I would be willing to meet with Owen Allred, the leader of the group, that perhaps I would see the light and join their group. She brokered a meeting between Brother Owen and myself.

After being introduced to Owen, he quickly began speaking about the Adam-God doctrine and began quoting profusely from the words of Brigham Young out of the Journal of Discourses. I sat quietly and listened. After a while he divined that I was extremely unimpressed and he asked why the words of Brigham Young did not have more impact on me.

I replied that I use the Word of God in the Four Standard Works to measure the words of every man regardless of his position.

I quoted the statement by Joseph Fielding Smith to him:

“It makes no difference what is written or what anyone has said, if what has been said is in conflict with what the Lord has revealed, we can set it aside. My words, and the teachings of any other member of the Church, high or low, if they do not square with the revelations, we need not accept them. Let us have this matter clear. We have accepted the four standard works as the measuring yardsticks, or balances, by which we measure every man’s doctrine. You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works.” ( Doctrines of Salvation 3:203)

I then said lets take the doctrine that Brigham Young thought that Adam is the Father if Jesus Christ and lets measure that doctrine against the holy and infallible word of God to see if it squares with the scriptures. I then opened the D&C to section 29 verse 34 and handed it to Brother Owen asking him to read it.

“Wherefore, verily I (Jesus Christ) say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.” (D&C 29:34)

The look on Owen’s face was priceless. Talk about a deer caught in the lights of an oncoming car! He kept reading the scripture over and over again to himself as if to see if there was another way to interpret it. I could see the wheels turning in his mind trying to come up with an answer to the doctrinal dilemma he was facing.

As he sat there confused I asked: “How can Adam be the father of Jesus Christ if Jesus Christ is the one who created Adam?

I got the distinct impression that was the first time Owen had ever read that scripture… although I was excited to review additional scriptures with him, lost interest in the discussion and had me ushered to the door.

I don’t mean to single out Brother Allred, I mention this experience with him simply to demonstrate what has been the rule rather than the exception as I have conversed with LDS Fundamentalists on doctrinal issues. They tend to be very knowledgeable when it comes to the doctrines taught by Brigham Young, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff in the Journal of Discourses, but less knowledgeable about the holy and infallible word of God as contained in the Bible and Book of Mormon and virtually illiterate in the D&C.

I had a similar experience in an LDS fundamentalist chat board a few years ago. A fellow who considered himself to be an authority on the fundamentalist view of the everlasting covenant of Marriage (Plural Marriage) was jousting back and forth with me and I pointed out the distinction between the “Biblical Doctrine of Plural Marriage” vs the “Spiritual Wife Doctrine” that originated in Nauvoo in the 1840’s… which teaches that you must be sealed to multiple wives in order to attain the highest degree of exaltation. The former was purely for the purposes of procreation while the other was a prerequisite of the Gospel to enter into the highest exaltation.

I then challenged him to prove the spiritual wife doctrine from the Old and New Testament without using any of the teachings from the Journal of Discourses. He enthusiastically accepted my challenge and assured me his response was forthcoming soon. A few hours went by.. then a few days. Eventually he returned to the chat board with a humble acknowledgement that he could not prove such a doctrine in the word of God contained in the Bible. I could tell he was surprised at this realization.

Obviously this did not change his beliefs. My father had a favorite saying that really annoyed me when I was growing up but I have come to realize there is a lot of truth to it.

“A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still”

Even many members of the restored church believe that Celestial Polygamy is a true doctrine that will be lived someday by the Saints. False doctrines have infiltrated the Saints in the latter days as was prophesied by the Apostle Paul. I have provided the testimony of several latter day Presidents of the Church and general authorities to this end. I have even provided an example of one of the most blasphemous false doctrines that was apparently introduced pertaining to the true nature of God. Thankfully the Church self-corrected and later rejected it.

This is another sign that the Marvelous Work and a Wonder did not take place in the 2nd Watch at the time the church was restored to the earth in 1830, rather it is to be a future work that takes place in the 3rd watch when the fulness of the Gospel and the fulness of the scriptures will be restored to the earth.

In closing I want to provide a most remarkable testimony from one of the early members of the restored church who really did know who God the Father and his son Jesus Christ were because he held the key of the knowledge of God and he saw them:

Brother Zebedee Coltrin is one of about 9 people  that has been documented from credible historical sources as having seen God the Father and/or Jesus Christ during the Kirtland Era of the Church. Many years later, after coming to Utah, he was asked to give the following account of what happened in the School of the Prophets in Kirtland:

“At one of these meetings after the organization of the school, (the school being organized_ on the 23rd of January, 1833, when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions, and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling, with our hands uplifted each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath, a personage walked through the room from east to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him and suppose the others did and Joseph answered that is Jesus, the Son of God…. Afterward Joseph told us to resume our former position in prayer, which we did. Another person came through; he was surrounded as with a flame of fire. He (Brother Coltrin) experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle as it was of consuming fire of great brightness. The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I saw Him. When asked about the kind of clothing the Father had on, Brother Coltrin said: I did not discover his clothing for he was surrounded as with a flame of fire, which was so brilliant that I could not discover anything else but his person. I saw his hands, his legs, his feet, his eyes, nose, mouth, head and body in the shape and form of a perfect man. He sat in a chair as a man would sit in a chair, but this appearance was so grand and overwhelming that it seemed I should melt down in his presence, and the sensation was so powerful that it thrilled through my whole system and I felt it in the marrow of my bones. The Prophet Joseph said: Brethren, now you are prepared to be the apostles of Jesus Christ, for you have seen both the Father and the Son and know that they exist and that they are two separate personages.

This appearance occurred about two or three weeks after the opening of the school. After the Father had passed through, Joseph told us to again take our positions in prayer. We did so, and in a very short time he drew our attention and said to us that Brother Reynolds Cahoon was about to leave us, and told us to look at him. He (Brother Cahoon) was on his knees and his arms were extended, his hands and wrists, head, face and neck down to his shoulders were as a piece of amber, clear and transparent, his blood having apparently left his veins. Upon the attention of the brethren being thus called to Brother Cahoon, the change seemed to pass away and Joseph said that in a few minutes more, Brother Cahoon would have left us, but he came to himself again.” (Minutes, Salt Lake City School of the Prophets, October 3, 1883)