THE ANGEL WITH THE GOSPEL.
BY ELDER ORSON PRATT, IN MILLENNIAL STAR, 1866.
"And I saw 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; and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."—Rev. 14: 6-7.
Has the angel, seen in John's vision on Patmos, yet come? Or will he hereafter come? The Latter-day Saints are diligently and boldly declaring to the nations that the angel has come, that he has appeared unto chosen witnesses, that he has committed the everlasting Gospel to them, commanding them to preach it to all people, to cry with a loud voice that the hour of God's judgment is come, to call upon all to fear God, and give glory to Him, and worship Him, etc. There are some who have heard this solemn testimony of the servants of God, who are in doubt upon this all important subject. They suppose that the angel himself was to preach this Gospel to all mankind, and that the angel himself was to cry with a loud voice, etc. And because all people have not heard the angel speak, and have not heard the everlasting Gospel from his own mouth, and have not heard him cry with a loud voice, they suppose he has not come and denounce the Saints as false witnesses. But let unbelievers candidly investigate the words of the text, and see if they are justified in drawing this hasty conclusion. By a careless glance at the passage, one might suppose that the heavenly messenger himself was to do all the work of preaching; but the words evidently do not warrant such a construction. The angel was to fly having the everlasting Gospel; but that he was to preach the same to all people, is not mentioned in the text; neither is it, in that place, declared that he should publish with a loud voice, to all nations, any proclamation. When he left the heavenly worlds and came to earth, and committed the message he was intrusted with, into the hands of chosen vessels, commanding them to preach it, he had fulfilled his part of the sacred mission, so far as the introduction of the heavenly message among them was concerned.
The words, "To Preach Unto Them That Dwell on the Earth," could be fulfilled by other agents, under the angel's authority and direction; and the same agency which does the preaching is also commissioned to say, "With a Loud Voice, Fear God, and Give Glory to Him for the Hour of His Judgment Is Come." If the passage had definitely said that the angel who brings the Gospel should likewise preach it, with a loud voice, there would have been some slight foundation for apparent objections to the Saints' testimony, but even then the objections would be only apparent, for this great dispensation is not yet ended, and there could be no evidence brought that the angel would not, near the close of the dispensation, actually publish with a loud voice to all people, the very hour of God's judgment, in all its fierceness and terror, so that all people would hear His voice. But such a wonderful and miraculous proclamation in the heavens would not preclude the angel from sending agents just prior to prepare a people for so great an event.
When we look at the angel's mission, by the aid of reason, the conviction at once forces itself upon the mind that he will authorize missionaries to carry the Gospel to all nations; otherwise how could believing penitent souls obey the Gospel ordinances? Is it reasonable to suppose that the angel would travel around on the earth, and baptize, and confirm by the laying on of hands for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and minister the sacrament, and attend to all church ordinances? It is not only reasonable, but certain, that the everlasting Kingdom of God will be established on the earth, through the reception of the Gospel that the angel brings; if so, there must be officers called and ordained, such as Apostles, Prophets, etc., etc., to minister ordinances; otherwise, the everlasting Gospel, though proclaimed in the heavens by a mighty angel, would be of no use. Reason, therefore, would testify at once, that the angel at first only brings the Gospel, and directs other inspired agents to minister in its numerous ordinances, to build up the Kingdom, to publish with a loud voice the solemn testimony, that the hour—the terrible hour of God's judgment is come.
Let no one suppose that because the angel has begun the fulfillment of John's vision, that he has fully accomplished all things in relation to it. Hear what new revelation says upon the subject. "And now, verily, saith the Lord, that these things might be known among you, O inhabitants of the earth, I have sent forth mine angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel, who hath appeared unto some, and hath committed it unto man who shall appear unto many that dwell on the earth; and this Gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people, and the servants of God shall go forth saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters, calling upon the name of the Lord day and night, saying, O, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens, that Thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at Thy presence. And it shall be answered upon their heads, for the presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire that burneth, and as the fire which causeth the waters to boil," etc. (Doc. and Cov. sec. 108: par. 7.)
This same angel is yet to appear unto many; his mission therefore is not fully completed. Another grand event connected with his mission is to be fulfilled, when the seven angels sound their trumpets, in the morning of the seventh thousand years; then all people, both in heaven and on earth, will hear. But we will quote the word of the Lord: "And another trump shall sound, which is the fifth trump, which is the fifth angel who committeth the everlasting Gospel—flying through the midst of heaven, unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people; and this shall be the sound of his trump, saying to all people, both in heaven and in earth, and that are under the earth; for every ear shall hear it and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, while they shall hear the sound of the trump, saying, fear God, and give glory to Him who sitteth upon the throne forever and ever; for the hour of his judgment is come. And again another angel shall sound his trump, which is the sixth angel, saying, she is fallen who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication; she is fallen, is fallen!" (Doc. and Cov. sec. 7: par. 31-32.)
Thus we have traced the great mission of the angel, from the time that he flies with the everlasting Gospel, and commits it to man, until the grand closing up scene of this wicked world, by the sounding of the seven trumpets. In this last drama the angel of the Gospel will figure as the fifth in the series. In that awful day, our friend, Mr. William Brook, of Bradford, who has written to us, asking questions upon this sublime subject, will have no more supposed reason to complain, because the angel has not complied with all his suppositions in regard to his mission. Whether in heaven, on earth, under the earth, or among the hosts of hell, every ear will hear the sound of the trump, and every knee bow, and confess to the glory of God, and acknowledge the power, authority and majesty of Him who sits upon the throne, and of His holy angels who go forth at His bidding.
Because God has given the keys of the everlasting Gospel to the fifth angel, let no one suppose that he alone will act in the great latter-day dispensation. Other angels have their missions to perform, and will assist in the wonderful work. We again quote from the revelations given to that great Prophet Joseph Smith, taken from his inspired key to John's vision on Patmos. The Prophet inquires as follows:
"What are we to understand by the four angels spoken of in the seventh chapter and first verse of the Revelation?" He answers: "We are to understand that they are four angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the four parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy; these are they who have the everlasting Gospel, to commit to every nation, kindred, tongue and people; having power to shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness." (Pearl of Great Price, p. 34.)
From the Revelation of John and from the inspired writings of other holy men, it seems that all the powers of heaven are exerted to assist in the magnificent preparations for the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to assume His rightful authority over this creation. Shall the heavens above be aroused to the highest degree of expectation, and the earth still continue to slumber in midnight darkness? No! verily no! In the great preparation there must be a union between the heavens and earth. The sons of earth must be awakened from the deep slumbers of ages. Tidings from the great courts above must be sent forth by swift messengers, to the nations; the voice of heavenly truth must penetrate the darkest corners of the habitable globe; ancient dynasties and powerful governments must be overthrown; thrones and kingdoms and empires must be cast down; and revolution must succeed revolution, until every ear shall hear and every heart be penetrated with the solemn warning voice, until all shall know that the great day of the Lord is at hand. Swiftly moving messengers from celestial abodes will freely converse with the sons of God on earth; and every angel and every servant of God will know his place, and understand what part he is to perform in the grand preparation for the eternal union of Saints on earth with the Saints of all ages from heaven.