RESTORATION.
But a just God has decreed that the day should come when "Righteousness shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the great deep," or in other words, "at the end of a time and times and dividing of time," He would again assert His power and authority on the earth, and bring to pass His purposes.
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Dan. ii., 44).
This prophecy of Daniel affords us some conception of the power of the kingdom. By reading the entire chapter we learn that Daniel's interpretation of the king's dream ended with the setting up of the kingdom of God upon the earth never more to be thrown down.
The Babylonish kingdom, which flourished in the days of Daniel, in the fifth and sixth centuries before Christ, was succeeded by the Medo-Persian government from 538 to 331, B. C. The Macedonian kingdom, founded by Alexander the Great, continued from 331 to 161, B.C.; while the Roman empire succeeded the last named kingdom, from 161, B. C., to 483, A. D.
These governments successively represented the head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, and the legs of iron.
Now, lastly, should come the kingdoms represented by the feet and toes, or the KINGDOMS OF TO-DAY, partly strong and partly broken. In the days of THESE kings should the God of heaven set up a kingdom never more to be thrown down.
"But," says one, "that was accomplished in the days of Christ!"
No, certainly not; for if so, why then did He, when He instructed His disciples to pray, tell them to pray for an already accomplished fact: "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven?" Have Christians throughout the world, for nearly two thousand years past, been taught to pray for the coming of an event which had already transpired?
The dividing of times has not yet come: but by turning to the Book of Revelation, we read how the power and authority of God, and the principles of the true and everlasting Gospel were to be restored to the earth; how the kingdom spoken of by Daniel, and prayed for by the disciples, was to be set up never more to be thrown down, how the kingdoms of this world were to become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ; how the promise of Jesus was about to be made good, that upon this ROCK (of revelation) would He found His church, and the gates of hell should not prevail against it, and how the Saints should possess the kingdom of the Most High.
John the Revelator, bound and captive upon the Isle of Patmos, had the vision of heaven opened up to him, and he saw an angel leave the throne of God and wend his flight to this planet. A new song was being sung in heaven; the day and hour had come when the dispensation of the fullness of times was to be ushered in (Eph. i., 10; Matt. xxiv., 31), when God would send His angels to bring order out of chaos, system out of confusion, and gather His people (the honest-in-heart) together in one place, that they might prepare themselves to welcome the Great King of the world when He should come in clouds of glory, surrounded by His angels.
"I saw," says John, "another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him: for the HOUR OF HIS JUDGMENT is come" (Rev. xiv., 6, 7).
This, then, was how the gospel was to be restored to the earth.
"But," says the reader, "I thought the Gospel was already upon the earth."
If so, what necessity was there for an angel to come from heaven with the everlasting gospel, if it was already being taught to men? And, dear reader, you can readily see that none are excepted. It was to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people—proving conclusively that the Gospel was not on the earth, but that the day had come when darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people.
How must the angels around the throne have shouted for joy when the decree went forth, and the commandment was given for the initiatory steps to be taken to reclaim this planet from the grasp of "Lucifer the son of the morning," and to fit and prepare it for the habitation of angels, celestialized beings and God!
How must our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters, in the spirit world, with all the saints of by-gone ages, have rejoiced to know that the redemption of the world was nigh, and the promise of Paul to the Thessalonians (I., iv., 16) that "the dead in Christ shall rise first," was to be made good!
Reader, we now beg of you to lay aside prejudice, and to examine what follows, with an honest intention and a desire to do right; to know the will of God and to do it; for great and mighty events are daily transpiring, that were prophesied of by all the holy prophets, from the days of Adam down until today.
The Gospel that the angel was to bring back to the earth was for every nation.
Angels have not, in times gone by, preached to or taught the masses of the people, but have delegated this power to men. So, in this instance, men became the recipients of the precious charge, the Everlasting Gospel.
TESTIMONY OF THE THREE WITNESSES.
"Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, unto whom this work [A] shall come. * * We declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and engraving thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true, and it is marvelous in our eyes, nevertheless the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it, wherefore to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with Him eternally in the heavens.
"OLIVER COWDERY,
"DAVID WHITMER,
"MARTIN HARRIS."
[Footnote A: The Book of Mormon.]
We have now hurriedly traced the outlines of the doctrines of Jesus Christ as they were in the primitive Christian church; the apostacy of the people from the truth, the fulfillment of the prophecies of great and mighty prophets; the building up of an apostate church, the whore of all the earth, the mother of harlots; noticing the fact that she gave birth to a numerous offspring, who, true to their born instincts, as like begets like, are to-day vigorously engaged in throwing stones at their mother church, or grandmother, as the case may be.
We have shown how the Gospel was to be restored to the earth, and have given the testimony of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon. We will now examine further proof relative to this remarkable proclamation.
We have seen that, so far, it has been incontestably shown that if the Bible be true, in no other way than this could God's work have been brought about. We now quote from the history of Joseph Smith, the great Latter-day Prophet, Seer and Revelator:
"We [Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery] still continued the work of translation; when in the ensuing month [May, 1829,] we on a certain day went into the woods to pray, and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins.
"While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descending in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us; saying unto us—'Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the Gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins: and this shall never be taken from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.'
"The messenger who visited us on this occasion, and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament; and that he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Melchisedec Priesthood, and who in due season visit us and confer that, the higher Priesthood, upon us, which holds the keys of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost and right to all the offices in the church."
Thus was the way opened up for the ushering in of the great latter-day dispensation and the fullness of the everlasting Gospel.
"And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man" (Luke xvii., 26); and as Noah knew when the flood was to come, and prepared himself therefor, so the comparison would not be complete unless some knew of the second coming of the Savior.
"But," says one, "of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matt. xxiv., 36); and the same might have been said appropriately of the birth of our Lord two thousand years prior thereto. But as the first coming was heralded by angels who came to the shepherds upon the plains of Bethlehem, and lighted the earth with their glory, singing the glad songs of "Peace on earth, good will toward men," so His second coming was ushered in by visits to the earth of great and mighty angels.
John the Baptist came to confer the Priesthood of Aaron.
Peter, James and John the Revelator came to confer the Melchisedec Priesthood.
Elijah came (Mal. iv., 5) to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers. (I. Peter iii., 18, 19, 20; iv., 6; I. Cor. xv., 19-29).
Moses came to confer the keys of the gathering of the house of Israel to their promised land—the carrying of the Jews back to Jerusalem, of the ten tribes from the north country (Jer. xxxi., 8, 9; Ezek. xx., 34, 35), and of the descendants of Joseph (The American Indians) to their possessions.
Michael, or Adam, came to give the authority that links the generation of men together, from the days of Father Adam down to to-day.
In short, all the authority necessary has been received to enable men to become co-workers with Jehovah, angels and the spirits of just men made perfect, in building up an everlasting kingdom, instead of the man-made governments of today. A kingdom is to be established to which the Great King shall speedily come, "in the clouds of glory," surrounded by His angels; and the Saints of other days, who are singing the songs of heaven, will speedily have fulfilled the words of John, "He has made us kings and priests unto the Lord our God, and we shall reign on earth."
The promise of Jesus that the "meek shall inherit the earth" is coming to pass, as also the words of Job: "I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another" (Job xix., 25-27).
All these and many more grand and glorious promises are about to be fulfilled. The decree has gone forth, God hath declared by His own mouth, and the mouths of all the holy prophets, that His power and authority over the earth will be asserted; and who is man, to contend with God?
An appeal is made to the honest in heart to heed this call—to pause, to mediate, to ask God, "who giveth to all men liberally," for wisdom to know what to do.
Here are evidences worthy of their attention:
The testimony of the three witnesses; the signs following the believers; the eyes of the blind opened; the ears of the deaf unstopped; the tongue of the dumb made to sing; the lame man to leap as an hart; devils cast out; unknown tongues spoken, and the interpretation thereof given by the spirit of inspiration; prophecy fulfilled, and the Spirit of God making manifest to the honest in heart the great fact that God has again spoken from the heavens.
Many questions are asked relative to our belief on the subject of gathering, and we again turn to the Scriptures to answer the questions:
These things are not done or spoken in a dark corner, but as good men as are in existence to-day testify of them.
"And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it" (Isa. ii., 2-4).
"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly" (Isa. v., 26).
"And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel (not the Jews alone, but all Israel) and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (Isa. xi., 12).
"I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers" (Jer. xxx., 3).
"Behold I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the coasts of the earth" (Jer. xxxi., 814).
"I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered" (Ezek. xx., 34).
"I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land" (Ezek. xxxvi., 24).
"Blow the trumpet, * * gather the people, * * assemble the Elders (Joel ii., 15, 16).
"And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds" (Matt. xxiv., 31).
"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth" (Eph. i., 10).
"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. xviii., 4).
The reader asks, "What are we to come out of?"
Out of "Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth" (Rev. xvii., 5).
"Who and what is that?"
"The waters which thou sawest where the whore (mystery, Babylon) sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Rev. xvii., 15).
So out of every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall the honest in heart be gathered to a great central gathering place, to be protected while the scourges of God pass over the earth. Read the following prophecy and study the signs of the times:
PROPHECY OF JOSEPH SMITH, THE SEER, GIVEN IN 1832.
"Verily thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls.
"The day will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at that place.
"For behold the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations in order to defend themselves against other nations; and thus war shall be poured out upon all nations.
"And it shall come to pass after many days slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshalled and disciplined for war.
"And it shall come to pass also, that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation;
"And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plagues, and earthquakes, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightnings also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath and indignation and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;
"That the cry of the Saints, and the blood of the Saints, shall cease to come up in the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.
"Wherefore stand ye in holy places and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen."
Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Let the people of the North and South answer the query.
Let the thoughtful reader stop and reflect for a moment on the condition of affairs upon the face of the whole earth. The sword is reaping its harvest of death; nation warring against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Famine is asserting its sway and untold thousands are starving, perishing, dying for lack of food. Pestilence, in all its horrid forms, stalks in the train of these dire calamities. Earthquakes are making the earth to tremble. Storms, whirlwinds and cyclones are sweeping away cities, towns and villages. The sea, heaving itself beyond its bounds, is thundering its testimonies into the ears of the children of men. Signs in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, betoken the fact that great and mighty events are at our doors. Fear has taken hold upon the hearts of the strong men and the mighty men. Man distrusts his fellowman. Nations and people have become corrupted; fraud and speculation are sapping the vitals of the man-made governments of the earth. The people are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine that comes along, and when will the end be?
Startle not, reader, for it will not be until He comes whose right is to rule and reign as King of kings. Not until Jesus of Nazareth sets His feet upon the earth and brings order out of chaos, system out of confusion, and bids the angry waves of the sin-tossed world, "Peace, be still," will there be peace among men.
"Now," says one, "I understand His meaning when He said, 'I come not to bring peace, but a sword;'" but thanks be to the Most High, the day is near at hand when "the meek shall inherit the earth," when sorrow and sighing shall flee away, when "the tabernacle of God," will be "with men, and He will dwell with them. * * And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain" (Rev. xxi., 3, 4).
But oh! the woe, the want, the misery, the evils and the lamentation that will go up from the face of the earth before that day does come! All ye people of the earth, heed, oh, heed the warning voice that God sends to you and go out from the midst of Babylon ere another angel shall fly through the midst of heaven saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen."
Ye Saints of the living God, cease not your efforts until your feet stand in safe places, in the tops of the mountains, in the shadow of "the house of the God of Jacob," where you may more fully learn of "His ways and walk in His paths;" for the day is near at hand when "the law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Micah iv., 2).
The time is fast approaching when the "kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ," and when John's prophetic vision shall be fulfilled: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, * * * and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev. xx., 4).
The time has come for the righteous-the redeemed "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," to be gathered out, to become kings and priests unto God, and to "reign on the earth" (Rev. v., 9, 10).