TRUTH NEVER CHANGES
A
PUBLICATION IN THE SPIRIT AND TRADITON OF TRUTH
MAGAZINE
Y VOLUME 13 JANUARY
2010 NUMBER 01 Y
The
Christian Godhead –
P
l u r a l i t y o f G o
d s
The Prophet Joseph
Smith
Meeting in the Grove, east of the (Nauvoo) Temple, June 16, 1844
DHC 6:473-479
Meeting in the Grove, east of the (Nauvoo) Temple, June 16, 1844
DHC 6:473-479
Prayer by Bishop Newel K. Whitney.
Choir sang, "Mortals Awake."
President Joseph Smith read the 3rd
chapter of Revelation, and took for his text 1st chapter, 6th verse --
"And hath made us kings and
priests unto God and His Father: to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen."
IN
THIS ISSUE:
PLURALITY
OF GODS……………………………………….…………………...01
MISSION
STATEMENT……………………………………….………………….06
QUOTES
ON PRAYER………………………………………….…………………07
ARE
THE FATHER AND THE SON TWO DISTINCT PERSONS……….12
TESTIMONIES
OF ZEBEDEE COLTRIN………………….……………………21
PROPHECY
FROM HEBER C. KIMBALL…..……………………………….
24
EDITORIAL……………………………………………………………………………..
25
RECOMMENDED
SITES………………………………………………………..… 30
|
It is altogether correct in the
translation. Now, you know that of late some malicious and corrupt men have
sprung up and apostatized from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
and they declare that the Prophet believes in a plurality of Gods, and, lo and
behold! we have discovered a very great secret, they cry -- "The Prophet says
there are many Gods, and this proves that he has fallen."
It has been my intention for a
long time to take up this subject and lay it clearly before the people, and
show what my faith is in relation to this interesting matter. I have
contemplated the saying of Jesus (Luke 17th chapter, 26th verse)
-- "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of
the Son of Man." And if it
does rain, I'll preach this doctrine, for the truth shall be preached.
I will preach on the plurality of
Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I
have always and in all congregations when I have preach on the subject of the
Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods.
It has been preached by the
Elders for fifteen years. I have always
declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct
personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and
a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods.
If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold! we have three
Gods anyhow, and they are plural; and who can contradict it?
Our text says, "And
hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father."
The Apostles have discovered that
there were Gods above, for John says God was the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. My object was to preach the scriptures, and preach the doctrine they
contain, there being a God above, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am
bold to declare I have taught all the stronger doctrines in public than in
private.
John was one of the men, and
apostles declare they were made kings and priests unto God, the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. It reads just so in the Revelation, Hence the doctrine of a
plurality of Gods is as prominent in the Bible as any other doctrine. It is all
over the face of the Bible. It stands beyond the power of controversy. A
wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein.
Paul says there are Gods many and
Lords many. I want to set it forth in a plain and simple manner; but to us
there is but one God -- that is pertaining to us; and he is in all and through
all. But if Joseph Smith says there are Gods many and Lords many, they cry,
"Away with him! Crucify him! Crucify him!"
Mankind verily say that the
Scriptures are with them. Search the Scriptures, for they testify of things
that these apostates would gravely pronounce blasphemy. Paul, if Joseph Smith
is a blasphemer, you are. I say there are Gods many and Lords many, but to us
only one, and we are to be in subjection to that one, and no man can limit the
bounds or the eternal existence of eternal time. Hath he beheld the eternal
world, and is he authorized to say that there is only one God? He makes himself
a fool if he thinks or says so, and there is and end of his career or progress
in knowledge. He cannot obtain all knowledge, for he has sealed up the gate to
it.
Some say I do not interpret the
Scripture the same as they do. They say it means the heathen's gods. Paul says
there are Gods many and Lords many; and that makes a plurality of Gods, in
spite of the whims of all men. Without a revelation, I am no going to give them
the knowledge of the God of heaven. You know and I testify that Paul had no
allusion to the heathen gods. I have it from God, and get over it if you can. I
have a witness of the Holy Ghost, and a testimony that Paul had no allusion to
the heathen gods in the text. I will show from the Hebrew Bible that I am
correct, and the first word shows a plurality of Gods; and I want the apostates
and learned men to come here and prove to the contrary, if they can. An
unlearned boy must give you a little Hebrew. Berosheit baurau Eloheim ait
aushamayeen vehau auraits, rendered by King James' translators, "In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." I want to
analyze the word Berosheit. Rosh, the head; Sheit, a grammatical
termination; the Baith was not originally put there when the inspired man wrote
it, but it has been since added by an old Jew. Baurau signifies to bring
forth; Eloheim is from the word Eloi, God, in the singular number;
and by adding the word heim, it renders it Gods. It read
first, "In the beginning the head of the Gods brought forth the
Gods," or, as other have translated it, "The head of the Gods called
the Gods together." I want to show a little learning as well as
other fools.
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us up again.
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us up again.
All this confusion among
professed translators is for want of drinking another draught.
The head God organized the
heavens and the earth. I defy all the
world to refute me. In the beginning the heads of the Gods organized the
heavens and the earth. Now the learned
priests and the people rage, and the heathen imagine a vain thing. If we pursue
the Hebrew text further, it reads, "The head one of the Gods said, Let us
make a man in our own image," I once asked a learned Jew, "If
the Hebrew language compels us to render all words ending in heim
in the plural, why not render the first Eloheim plural?" He replied,
"That is the rule with few
exceptions; but in this case it would ruin the Bible." He acknowledged I
was right. I came here to investigate these things precisely as I believe them.
Hear and judge for yourselves; and if you go away satisfied, well and good.
In the very beginning the Bible
shows there is a plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation. It is a
great subject I am dwelling on. The word Eloheim ought to be in the plural
all the way through -- Gods. The heads of the Gods appointed one God for us;
and when you take [that] view of the subject, its sets one free to see all the
beauty, holiness and perfection of the Gods. All I want is to get the simple,
naked truth, and the whole truth.
Many men say there is one God;
the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God. I say that is a
strange God anyhow -- three in one, and one in three!
It is a curious organization.
"Father, I pray not for the world, but I pray for them which thou hast
given me." "Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom thou
hast given me, that they may be one as we are." All are to be crammed into
one God, according to sectarianism. It would make the biggest God in all the
world. He would be a wonderfully big God -- he would be a giant or a monster. I
want to read the text to you myself -- "I am agreed with the Father and
the Father is agreed with me, and we are agreed as one." The Greek shows
that it should be agreed. "Father, I pray for them which Thou hast given
me out of the world, and not for those alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word, that they all may be agreed, as Thou, Father,
are with me, and I with Thee, that they also may be agreed with us," and
all come to dwell in unity, and in all the glory and everlasting burnings of
the Gods; and then we shall see as we are seen, and be as our God and He as His
Father. I want to reason a little on this subject. I learned it by translating
the papyrus which is now in my house.
I learned a testimony concerning
Abraham, and he reasoned concerning the God of heaven. "In order to do
that," said he, "suppose we have two facts: that supposes another
fact may exist -- two men on the earth, one wise than the other, would
logically show that another who is wiser than the wisest may exist.
Intelligences exist one above another, so that there is no end to them."
If Abraham reasoned thus -- If
Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and John discovered that God the Father of
Jesus Christ had a Father, you may suppose that He had a Father also. Where was
there ever a son without a father? And where was there ever a father without
first being a son? Whenever did a tree or anything spring into existence
without a progenitor? And everything comes in this way. Paul says that which is
earthly is in the likeness of that which is heavenly, Hence if Jesus had a
Father, can we not believe that He had a Father also? I despise the idea of
being scared to death at such a doctrine, for the Bible is full of it.
I want you to pay particular
attention to what I am saying. Jesus said that the Father wrought precisely in
the same way as His Father had done before Him. As the Father had done before?
He laid down His life, and took it up the same as His Father had done before.
He did as He was sent, to lay down His life and take it up again; and then was
committed unto Him the keys. I know it is good reasoning.
I have reason to think that the
Church is being purged. I saw Satan fall from heaven, and the way they ran was
a caution. All these are wonders and marvels in our eyes in these last days. So
long as men are under the law of God, they have no fears -- they do not scare
themselves.
I want to stick to my text, to
show that when men open their lips against these truths they do not injure me,
but injure themselves. To the law and to the testimony, for these principles
are poured out all over the Scriptures.
When things that are of the greatest
importance are passed over by the weak-minded men without even a thought, I
want to see truth in all its bearings and hug it to my bosom. I believe all
that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing
too much; but they are damned for unbelief.
They found fault with Jesus
Christ because He said He was the Son of God, and made Himself equal with God.
They say of me, like they did of the Apostles of old, that I must be put down.
What did Jesus say? "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are Gods?
If He called them Gods unto whom the word of God came, and the Scriptures
cannot be broken, say ye of Him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into
the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said I am the Son of God?" It was
through Him that they drank of the spiritual rock. Of course He would take the
honor to Himself. Jesus, if they were called Gods unto whom the word of God
came, why should it be thought blasphemy that I should say I am the Son of God?
Go and read the vision in the
Book of Covenants. There is clearly illustrated glory upon glory -- one glory
of the sun, another glory of the moon, and a glory of the stars; and as one
star differeth from another star in glory, even so do they of the telestial
world differ in glory, and every man who reigns in celestial glory is a God to
his dominions. By the apostates admitting the testimony of the Doctrine and
Covenants they damn themselves. Paul, what do you say? They impeached Paul and
all went and left him.
Paul had seven churches, and they
drove him off from among them; and yet they cannot do it by me. I rejoice in
that. My testimony is good.
Paul says, "There is one
glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the
stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory.
So also is the resurrection of
the dead." They who obtain a
glorious resurrection from the dead, are exalted far above principalities,
powers, thrones, dominions and angels, and are expressly declared to be heirs
of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, all having eternal power.
These Scriptures are a mixture of
very strange doctrines to the Christian world, who are blindly led by the
blind. I will refer to another Scripture.
"Now," says God, when
He visited Moses in the bush, (Moses was a stammering sort of a boy like me)
God said, "Thou shalt be a God unto the children of Israel." God
said, "Thou shalt be a God unto Aaron, and he shall be thy spokesman."
I believe those Gods that God reveals as Gods to be sons of God, and all can
cry, "Abba, Father!" Sons of God who exalt themselves to be Gods, even
from before the foundation of the world, and are the only Gods I have a reverence
for.
John said he was a king.
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first
begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.
Unto Him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests
unto God, and His Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever,
Amen." Oh, Thou God who art King of kings and Lord of lords, the sectarian
world, by their actions, declare, "We cannot believe Thee."
The old Catholic church
traditions are worth more than all you have said. Here is a principle of logic
that most men have no more sense than to adopt. I will illustrate it by an old
apple tree. Here jumps off a branch and says, I am the true tree, and you are
corrupt. If the whole tree is corrupt, are not its branches corrupt? If the
Catholic religion is a false religion, how can any true religion come out of
it? If the Catholic church is bad, how can any good thing come out of it? The
character of the old churches have always been slandered by all apostates since
the world began.
I testify again, as the Lord
lives, God never will acknowledge any traitors or apostates. Any man who will
betray the Catholics will betray you; and if he will betray me, he will betray
you. All men are liars who say they are of the true Church without the
revelations of Jesus Christ and the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which is after
the order of the Son of God.
It is in the order of heavenly
things that God should always send a new dispensation into the world when men
have apostatized from the truth and lost the priesthood, but when men come out
and build upon other men's foundations, they do it on their own responsibility,
without authority from God; and when the floods come and the winds blow, their
foundations will be found to be sand, and their whole fabric will crumble to
dust.
Did I build on any other man's
foundation? I have got all the truth which the Christian world possessed, and
an independent revelation in the bargain, and God will bear me off triumphant.
I will drop this subject. I wish I could speak for three or four hours; but it
is not expedient on account of the rain; I would still go on, and show you
proof upon proofs; all the Bible is equal in support of this doctrine, one part
as another.
(DHC 6:473-479, June 16, 1844.)
Mission Statement
This electronic-publication is
an endeavor to instruct and perpetuate the Fulness of the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ as restored by Him through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
We
encourage the reader to submit any material that will help edify and build the
Kingdom of God. All submissions are
subject to editing, and must be in good taste.
All contributors remain anonymous, not because of fear of reprisal from
the public, but to give honor and glory to God.
In
past years, Truth Never Changes has charged for subscriptions, however with the
evolution of technology and availability of information, this e-publication is
now free to all those who have the desire to seek and understand the mysteries
of God…
E-mail any submissions to:
“The Kingdom or Nothing!!”
Quotes
ON PRAYER
"Thus we behold the keys of
this priesthood consisted in obtaining the
voice of Jehovah, that he talked with him (Noah) in a familiar and friendly manner, that he continued to him the
keys, the covenants, the power and the
glory with which he blessed Adam at the beginning, and the offering of sacrifice which also shall be
continued at the last time, for all the
ordinances and duties that ever have been required by the priesthood under the direction and
commandments of the Almighty in any of
the dispensations, shall be had in the last dispensation." (The Words of
Joseph Smith, 5 October 1840, p. 42.)
"The great God has a name by
which he will be called, which is Ahman.
Also, in asking have reference to a personage like Adam, for God made
Adam just in his own image. Now this is a key for you to know how to ask and obtain." (The Words of Joseph Smith,
9 March 1841, p. 64.)
"There are certain key words
and signs belonging to the priesthood which must be observed in order to obtain
the blessings." (The Words of Joseph Smith, 20 March 1842, p. 108.)
"He (Joseph Smith) exhorted
the sisters always to concentrate their faith and prayers for, and place
confidence in those whom God has appointed to honor, whom God has placed at the
head to lead, that we should arm them
with our prayers, that the keys of the kingdom are about to be given to them, that they may be able to
detect everything false, as well as to
the elders." (The Words of Joseph Smith, 28 April 1842, p. 117.)
"The keys are certain signs
and words by which false spirits and personages may be detected from true,
which cannot be revealed to the elders until the temple is completed. The rich
can only get them in the temple. The poor may get them on the mountain top as
did Moses...There are signs in heaven,
earth, and hell, and the elders must know them all to be endowed with power, to finish their
work and prevent imposition.
The devil knows many signs but
does not know the sign of the Son of Man, or Jesus. No one can truly say he
knows God until he has handled something, and this can only be done in the
Holiest of Holies." (The Words of Joseph Smith, 1 May 1842, pp. 119-20.)
"Zachariah having no
children, knew that the promise of God must fail, consequently he went into the
temple to wrestle with God according to the order of the priesthood to obtain
the promise of a son, and when the angel
told him that his promise was granted he because of unbelief was struck dumb." (The Words of Joseph
Smith, 23 July 1843, p. 235.)
"There are many people
assembled her today and throughout this city, and from various parts of the world who say that
they have received to a certainty a
portion of knowledge from God by revelation in the way that he has ordained and pointed out. I shall take
the broad ground then, that if we have or can receive a portion of knowledge
from God by immediate revelation, by the same source we can receive all
knowledge." (The Words of Joseph
Smith, 21 January 1844, p. 318.)
"Having a knowledge of God,
we know how to approach him and ask, and he will answer." (The Words of
Joseph Smith, 7 April 1844, p. 345.)
"When speaking in one of our
general fast meetings, he (Joseph Smith) said that we did not know how to pray
and have our prayers answered. But when I and my husband had our
endowments...Joseph Smith presiding, he taught us the order of prayer."
(Bathsheba Smith, Juvenile Instructor 27 [1 June 1892]:345.)
"Its most impressive symbol
is the Ka-sign itself, whose up raised arms
signify the act of calling upon God, of praising him in the rising
Sun, of receiving his protection, and of
fusion with his being." (Hugh Nibley, The Message of the Joseph Smith
Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment, 1975,
p.244.)
"Anyone approaching the holy
enclosure must identify himself in three steps--the admission of initiates is
the central theme of the Manual of Discipline. First, at a distance, he seeks
admission, giving a visible sign by raising his arms (a greeting that can be
seen from afar and is a sign, among other things, that he is unarmed);
approaching closer for inspection, he gives his name; then approaching for the
final test, he actually makes physical contacts with certain grips, which are
the most secret and decisive. His final acceptance is by the most intimate tokens
of all, including an embrace, or a unio mystica (mystical union), in
which the candidate becomes not only identified, but identical, with the
perfect model." (Hugh Nibley, "Return to the Temple" in Temple
and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, 1992, pp. 58-59.)
"F. Preisigke, studying the
same gesture among the Egyptians (it is none
other than the famous 'Ka' gesture), notes that it represents
submission (the 'hands up' position of
one surrendering on the battlefield) while
at the same time calling the attention of heaven to an offering one
has brought in supplication. He also
points out that the early Christians used the same gesture in anticipation of a
visitation from heaven, to which they added the idea of the upraised arms of
the Savior on the cross...Enoch was another who as he prayed 'stretched forth
his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity' and to comfort him God sent
him the vision of Noah's salvation." (Hugh Nibley, "The Early
Christian Prayer Circle" in
Mormonism and Early Christianity, 1987, p. 59.)
"He (Joseph Smith) also
spoke concerning key words. The g. [great or grand?] key word was the first
word Adam spoke and is a word of supplication. He found the word by the Urim
and Thummim. It is that key word to which the heavensis opened." (William
Clayton, Diary entries for 15 June 1844
in two notebooks, found in An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton, ed. George D.
Smith, Signature Books, Salt Lake City,
UT, 1991, pp. 133-34 .)
"Men do not know how to approach
God, and none are willing to listen to
His teachings but the Latter-day Saints, and it is sometimes hard
work for them to do it...We have been
gathered together from among the nations
of the earth in order that God might have a people who would obey His law...and who had, as I said before,
learned to approach the Lord in the
proper way; for there is a medium opened out whereby men can approach God and learn His mind and
will." (John Taylor, 18 June 1883, J.D. 24:200-01.)
"We do not give memorized,ritualistic,
or repetitions prayers. We seek the guidance of the Spirit and suit every
prayer to the needs of the moment, with no thought of using the same words on
successive occasions. But it would be
appropriate for us to use words that convey such thoughts as these in our
prayers: Father, we ask thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to hear the words of
our mouth..." (Bruce R. McConkie, April 1984 General Conference, in
Ensign, May 1984, pp. 32-33.)
After Joseph Smith proposed to
Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner that she
be sealed to him as a plural wife, he promised that she would receive a
witness. In a talk at Brigham Young University, she explained: "I made it
a subject of prayer and I worried about it because I did not dare to speak to a
living being except Brigham Young. I went out and got between three haystacks
where no one could see me. As I knelt down I thought, 'Why not pray as Moses
did? He prayed with his hands raised. When his hands were raised, Israel was
victorious but when they were not raised the Philistines were victorious.' I
lifted my hands and I have heard Joseph say the angels covered their faces. I
knelt down and if ever a poor mortal prayed, I did. A few nights after that an
angel of the Lord came to me and if ever a thrill went through a mortal, it
went through me. I gazed upon the clothes and figure but the eyes were like
lightning. They pierced me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I
was frightened almost to death for a moment. I tried to waken my Aunt but I
could not. The angel leaned over me and the light was very great although it
was night. When my Aunt woke up she said she had seen a figure in white robes
pass from our bed to my mother's bed and pass out of the window.
"Joseph came up the next
Sabbath. He said, 'Have you had a witness yet?' 'No.'
'Well,' said he, 'the angel expressly told me you should have.'
Said I, 'I have not had a
witness, but I have seen something I have never seen before. I saw an angel,
and I was frightened almost to death. I did not speak.' He studied a while and put
his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He looked up and said, 'How
could you have been such a coward?' Said
I, 'I was weak.'
'Did you think to say,
"Father, help me?"' 'No.' 'Well, if you had just said that your mouth
would have been opened for that was the angel of the living God. He came to you
with more knowledge, intelligence and light than I ever dared to reveal.' I
said, 'If that was an angel of light, why did he not speak to me?' 'You covered
your face and for this reason the angel was insulted.'
Said I, 'Will it ever come
again?' He thought for a moment and said, 'No, not the same one, but if you are
faithful you shall see greater things than that.'" ("Mary E.
Lightner's Testimony as Delivered at Brigham Young University," Original
in BYU Library Manuscripts Division, Item #743 Microfilm roll #3.)
"Some of the saints want
more revelation, mysteries, great things. But do they know what they ask for or
what they have already got? If the request of many men was granted, it would be
like casting pearls before swine. They would trample them in the mire. We have
enough now of the key words and tokens to take us through the veil into the
Celestial world and lead us to the throne of God, and what more do you
want?" (Brigham Young in Wilford Woodruff Journal, entry dated Sunday, 6
July 1851.)
The footnotes, written by Orson
Pratt, for the 1880 edition of the Doctrine & Covenants explain verses 95
and 97 of Section 124. In verse 95, Hyrum Smith is to receive "the keys
whereby he may ask and receive".
The footnote identifies these
keys as "the order of God for receiving revelations." In verse 97,
William Law is also to receive "the keys by which he may ask and receive
blessings." This is footnoted "the order, ordained of God." (The
Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
divided into verses, with references by Orson Pratt, Senior. Salt Lake City,
UT, Deseret News Company, 1880.)
"I say that the Priesthood,
which is the agency of our heavenly Father, holds the keys of the ministering
of angels. What is a key? It is the right or privilege which belongs to and
comes with the Priesthood, to have communication with God. Is not that a key?
Most decidedly. We may not enjoy the
blessings, or key, very much, but the key is in the Priesthood. It is the right
to enjoy the blessing of communication with the heavens, and the privilege and
authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which
is the gospel of repentance and of baptism by immersion for the remission of
sins--a mighty important thing, I tell you. There isn't a minister of any
church upon all of God's footstool today, so far as we know, except in the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who has the keys or the authority to
enjoy the ministration of angels. There isn't one of them that possesses that
Priesthood. But here we ordain boys who are scarcely in their teens, some of
them, to that Priesthood which holds the keys of the ministering of angels and
of the gospel of repentance and baptism by immersion for the remission of
sin." (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company), 1975, p. 142.
"For some time President
Woodruff's health had been failing. Nearly every evening President Lorenzo Snow
visited him at his home on South 5th East Street. This particular evening the
doctors said President Woodruff was failing rapidly and they feared he would
not live much longer. Lorenzo Snow was then President of the Council of Twelve
and was greatly worried over the possibility of succeeding President Woodruff,
especially because of the terrible financial condition of the Church. Referring
to this condition, President Heber J. Grant has said:
'The Church was in a financial
slough of despond, so to speak, almost financially bankrupt--its credit was
hardly good for a thousand dollars without security. My father went to his room
in the Salt Lake Temple, where he was residing at the time. He dressed in his
robes of the Priesthood, went into the Holy of Holies, there in the House of
the Lord and knelt at the sacred altar. He plead with the Lord to spare
President Woodruff's life, that President Woodruff might outlive him and that
the great responsibility of Church leader ship would never fall upon his
shoulders. Yet he promised the Lord that he would devotedly perform any duty
required at his hands. At this time he was in his eighty-sixth year. Soon after
this President Woodruff was taken to California, where he died Friday morning
at 6:40 o'clock, September 2, 1898. President George Q. Cannon at once wired
the sad information to the President's office in Salt Lake City. Word was
forwarded to President Snow who was in Brigham City. The telegram was delivered
to him on the street in Brigham. He read it to President Rudger Clawson, then
president of the Box Elder Stake, who was with him, went to the telegraph
office and replied that he would leave on the train about 5:30 that evening. He
reached Salt Lake City about 7:15, proceeded to the President's office, gave
some instructions and then went to his private room in the Salt Lake Temple.
President Snow put on his holy temple robes, repaired again to the same sacred
altar, offered up the signs of the Priesthood; and poured out his heart to the
Lord. He reminded the Lord how he had plead for President Woodruff's life and
that his days might be lengthened beyond his own; that he might never be called
upon to bear the heavy burdens and responsibilities of Church leadership.
'Nevertheless,' he said, 'Thy will be done. I have not sought this
responsibility but if it be Thy will, I now present myself before Thee for Thy
guidance and instruction. I ask that Thou show me what Thou wouldst have me
do.'
After finishing his prayer he
expected a reply, some special manifestation from the Lord. So he waited--and
waited--and waited. There was no reply, no voice, no visitation, no
manifestation. He left the altar and the room in great disappointment. He
passed through the Celestial room and into the large corridor leading to his
own room where a most glorious manifestation was given President Snow. One of
the most beautiful accounts of this experience is told by his granddaughter,
Allie Young Pond. 'One evening when I was visiting Grandpa Snow in his room in
the Salt Lake Temple, I remained until the doorkeepers had gone and the
night-watchman had not yet come in, so grandpa said he would take me to the
main, front entrance and let me out that way. He got his bunch of keys from his
dresser. 'After we left his room and while we were still in the large corridor,
leading into the celestial room, I was walking several steps ahead of grandpa
when he stopped me, saying: "Wait a moment, Allie. I want to tell you something.
It was right here that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me at the time of the
death of President Woodruff. He instructed me to go right ahead and reorganize
the First Presidency of the Church at once and not wait as had been done after
the death of the previous presidents, and that I was to succeed President
Woodruff. 'Then Grandpa came to a step nearer and held out his left hand and
said: "He stood right here, about three feet above the floor. It looked as
though he stood on a plate of solid gold."' (N.B.Lundwall, Temples of the
Most High, pp. 143-145.)
"During those days of
unconsciousness I was given, by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, a more
perfect knowledge of His mission. I was also given a more complete
understanding of what it means to exercise, in His name, the authority to
unlock the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven for the salvation of all who are
faithful." (Elder David B. Haight, October 1989 General Conference, in
Ensign, November 1989, p. 60.)
"The purpose of having and
using certain keys is always very simple: to open the right door with a
particular key. The purpose of these spiritual keys is to open spiritual doors,
one by one, to come to a plain testimony as described by the prophets. When
children first start to read, they look at the letters and ask what they are.
After a time they can recognize the letters by their names and put them
together to form a word. And then a miracle happens. They can read a word, then
a sentence, then a book. The steps of gaining a testimony follow the same
pattern. We want to know; we begin with what we know; and when we know, we
further enrich our knowledge by sharing and practicing what we know." (Charles Didier, October 1991 General
Conference in Ensign, November 1991, p.
63.)
Are
the Father and the Son Two Distinct Persons
Selected quotations by
Orson Pratt
Millennial Star 11:281-84, 309-12
Orson Pratt
Millennial Star 11:281-84, 309-12
p.281
This is a question which we
proposed answering some months since, but circumstances have prevented us from
devoting an article exclusively on this subject until now. We have,
nevertheless, given our views in relation to this thing very clearly in our
pamphlet entitled "Absurdities of Immaterialism;" it would seem,
therefore, almost superfluous to resume this subject in a distinct article by
itself.
p.281
We desire, however, that our
readers and the public generally, may have correct views concerning the faith
of the Saints; it is for this reason that we again refer to the personalities
of the Father and the Son.
p.281
We have no hesitation in
answering this question in the affirmative.
All revelation, both ancient and modern, that has said anything on this
subject, has represented the Father and Son as two distinct persons.
p.281
There are some, however, who
believe that the Spirit of Christ, before taking a tabernacle, was the Father,
exclusively of any other being. They
suppose the fleshly tabernacle to be the Son, and the Spirit who came and dwelt
in it to be the Father; hence they suppose the Father and Son were united in
one person, and that when Jesus dwelt on the earth in the flesh, they suppose
there was no distinct separate person from himself who was called the Father.
p.281
We shall proceed to show from the
scriptures, that this view of the subject is erroneous. Jesus addresses his
Father in this language:
"And now, O Father, glorify
thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the
world was." From this we learn that the spirit of Christ, not only existed
before the world was, but that there was another person called the Father with
whom he existed, and with whom he had glory before this world was made.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God." "And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." The Word who is
Christ, was in the beginning with the Father; indeed, he was "the
beginning of the creation of God,"--"the bright and morning
star"--"the first born of every creature."
p.281 - p.282
The work of creation was
performed by a plurality of persons, as is evident from the description given
by Moses. "In the beginning, the ALEHEEM created the heaven and the earth."
The translators of the English Bible have rendered the word "Aleheem"
in the singular, whereas, in the Hebrew, it is plural, and should be translated
"GODS," instead of "GOD." It is universally admitted that
the Hebrew word Aleheem is plural, and many learned translators have rendered
it in the plural form in the English. "Some have translated it, The
Testifiers--The Covenanters--The Sworn Ones; some The Divine Ones."
Dr. Burgess, the late bishop of
Salisbury, rendered it "Adorable Persons," or, "The Adorable
Ones." The great prophet of the last days, Joseph Smith, in his
translation of Abraham's writings concerning the creation, has given the noun
in the plural, showing that the Aleheem or Gods were engaged in the creation of
the heaven and the earth.
p.282
If the Hebrew noun Aleheem, which
has a plural termination, was a defective noun, used only in the singular
number, then there might be some excuse for translating it God in the singular;
but, "the singular, as well as the plural of this word frequently occurs
in scripture. Reason, therefore, declares, that if there had been only one
agent concerned in the creation of the world, the language here used is
improper, and calculated to mislead. But if there were more agents than one,
then the language is just what it ought to be, and it would not have answered
in a different form." How much more consistent with the Hebrew scriptures
this passage would be, were it translated thus: "In the beginning, the
Aleheem,--the Gods,--the Adorable Ones, or the Divine Ones, created the heaven
and the earth." This word occurs in the first chapter of Genesis no less
than thirty times, and in each place it is in the plural form, showing in the
most positive manner that a plurality of persons were engaged throughout the
whole process of creation. Moses in describing a portion of the sixth day's
work, uses the following language:--"And the Aleheem (or Gods) said, Let
US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness." Here we find the pronouns
us and our are in the plural form as well as Aleheem, which clearly confirms
the idea contained in the previous passages. Again, after the fall of man,
"The Lord God (Jehovah Aleheem) said, Behold, the man is become as ONE OF
US, to know good and evil." ONE OF US is a form of expression which never
could be applied to a single individual person. There is no principle by which
this language could be distorted to mean only one person. To show that we are
not alone in our views concerning a plurality of persons employed in the grand
work of creation, we here give a quotation from the writings of the Rev. David
James on the Trinity.
p.282
"Reason declares, that if
such a plurality exists, the Divine Being could not have possibly adopted a
more appropriate form of speech to clear up and confirm the intimations already
given of it. But if such be not the case, her confidence in the language of
scripture will soon be at an end, because it is so calculated to embarrass the
understanding, and deceive the very persons whom it is intended to enlighten.
p.282
Our conviction, however, is, that
such language was employed, simply because the fact itself required it. And we
confidently anticipate other statements in a form of language that will
perfectly harmonize.
For if the fact required such
form of language in one place, the same fact will require a corresponding mode
of expression in another place. The
following is a passage in the Book of the Proverbs:--"The fear of the Lord
(or Jehovah) is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is
understanding"--in the Hebrew it is, the knowledge of the HOLY ONES. Again
we find similar language in the Book of the Prophet Malachi.--"A son
honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If then I be a father, where is
mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear?"--in the Hebrew:
"if I be MASTERS, where is my fear? Saith the Lord of Hosts."
p.282
But forasmuch as the first
intimation of a plurality of persons in the Godhead was given in connection
with the creation of the heavens and the earth, and especially of man, we will
now turn our attention to such passages as contain direct allusions to that
great and exclusive work of Deity.
p.282
The following is
one:--"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." I imagine
I hear many of you say, `"A few moments ago the speaker attempted to show
from the language of Scripture, "Let us make man in our image, after out
likeness,"--that more agents than one took part in the creation of man; if
that view was correct, we might now expect to find the word Creator in the
plural number; or, at any rate, the word ought to assume the plural form in
some passage or other."' Your
expectation is fair; and, to your satisfaction, I beg to inform you, that the
word in the original is not Creator, but Creators:
"Remember now thy CREATORS
in the days of thy youth."
p.283
A similar passage occurs in the
book of the Prophet Isaiah. The Jews, whom God had chosen and espoused to be a
people unto himself, are addressed in that character: "Thy Maker is thy
husband; the Lord of Hosts is his name." In the Hebrew both the nouns are
plural, Thy MAKERS,--thy HUSBANDS.
p.283
It is also written in the Psalms,
"Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:" in the Hebrew, "Let
Israel rejoice in his MAKERS."
p.283
And in the Book of Job, Elihu is
stated to have said, "But none saith, Where is God my Maker, who giveth
songs in the night?"--in the original, "Where is God my Maker?"
p.283
It is now shown as plainly as
language can do it, that a plurality of agents concurred and cooperated in the
creation of man: for scripture speaks distinctly of Creators and Makers. Our
next inquiry, therefore, is, who were these creators, and what may have been
their number? As there is no longer a doubt of their existence, it is not too
much to expect that Holy Scripture will point them out one by one in connection
with their peculiar work of creation, so as to settle the fact, and remove
every scruple from the subject forever. We shall indeed find it even so.
p.283
When the inhabitants of Lystra
were about to offer sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, supposing them to be gods,
the Apostles cried out, "Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of
like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these
vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and
all things that are therein." If we ask: Who is intended here by the
living God? the Unitarians reply: The same as is generally denominated Father
in the New Testament. For the Apostle St. Paul has the expression, "the
Father, of whom are all things, and we in him." With this explanation we
feel satisfied. And thus one of the producing agents of the creation is
ascertained--THE FATHER.
p.283
In other places, creation is
ascribed to the WORD, or the Lord Jesus Christ. Moses said:--"In the
beginning the Adorable Ones created the heaven and the earth." St. John
writes:--"In the beginning," meaning the same beginning, "the
Word was with God: All things were made by him, and without him was not
anything made that was made." And lest anyone should suppose that by this
Word he meant divine wisdom, or any of the divine perfections, he adds
immediately--"In him was life," a property which distinguishes a
person from a mere attribute or quality. And this living agent, he afterwards
informs us, "was made flesh," or became man, "and dwelt among
the Jews, who beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father." But how was he competent to assist the Father in the creation of
all things? St. John gives the answer: "And the Word was GOD." St.
Paul ascribes the creation of all things to the same person under his more
usual name of Son, or the Son of God. "Giving thanks unto the Father, who
hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son; who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born
of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all
things, and by him all things consist." Thus another of the
"Creators" is ascertained--the WORD or SON OF GOD.
p.283 - p.284
We proceed to inquire farther, if
any other agent was associated with these two in this great work. Moses, in
describing the state of the new-made earth before the process of the six days'
work had passed upon it, records:--"And the earth was without form and
void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters." This "Spirit of God" is throughout
scripture distinguished from the Father and the Son, so as to be viewed in the
light of a distinct agent, as will be made to appear in a subsequent part of
this discourse. The expression, "moved on the face of the waters,"
more literally rendered, would be "brooded over the waters;" an
expression which at once conveys to the mind a distinct idea of the part
undertaken and achieved by this divine agent in the construction of the globe.
It was his especial office, not only to reduce the elemental mass into order,
and make matter to assume certain forms and mingle in certain combinations, but
also to impregnate the whole with productive energy, fertility, and life, that
the surface of the dry land might burst forth with vegetation, and the sea and
air swarm with living things appointed for the use and support of innumerable
human beings.
p.284
The following passage, which
occurs in the Book of Job, shows that the agency of this Divine Spirit was not
confined to the earth beneath, but extended to the heavens above, and assisted
in fixing the chambers of the sun and stars, and adjusting the orbits of the
moon and planets. "For by his SPIRIT," observed that venerable
patriarch, "he hath garnished the heavens." Again, the same Spirit
was assistant to the Father and the Word in the formation of Man. This is
positively asserted by Elihu: "The Spirit of God hath made me and the
breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Thus the third of the
producing agents of creation is ascertained--the SPIRIT OF GOD."
p.309 - p.310
When the Spirit of God descended
upon Jesus after his baptism, a voice was heard from heaven, "Saying, this
is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here then is a separate
distinct person uttering his voice out of heaven at the same time that his Son
was on the earth.
Again, when Jesus was crucified
"he said, Father into thy hands I commend my SPIRIT." Here is proof,
the most positive, that there was a person called the Father existing
independently, not only of the flesh, but of the spirit of Jesus that dwelt in
the flesh. How could Jesus commend his spirit into the hands of the Father,
unless the spirit of Jesus was one person and the Father another? Again, after
the ascension of Christ, the martyr, Stephen, "being full of the Holy
Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus
standing on the right hand of God; and said, behold I see the heavens opened, and
the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
Stephen saw two persons, and one
standing on the right hand of the other.
p.310
When Joseph Smith and Sidney
Rigdon had the heavens opened to them on the 16th of February, 1832, [D&C
76:19-23] they bore testimony as follows, "The Lord touched the eyes of
our understanding, and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about; and we beheld the glory of the Son on the right hand of the Father, and received
of his fullness; and saw the holy angels and they who are sanctified before his
throne, worshipping God and the Lamb, who worship him for ever and ever. And
now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the
testimony, last of all, which we give of him, that he lives; for we saw him,
even on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is
the only begotten of the Father," &c.
p.310
In the first vision which Joseph
Smith received in the spring of the year 1820, (he being between fourteen and
fifteen years of age), both the Father and the Son, while he was praying,
appeared unto him. He says, "When the light rested upon me, I saw two
personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me
in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said--(pointing
to the other)--"This is my beloved Son, hear him."
Thus we find that the visions
both of the ancient and modern prophets agree, and clearly demonstrate the
existence of two distinct persons--the Father and Son.
p.310
But, says the objector, Jesus is
frequently called God, not only in the scriptures of the New Testament, but in
the Book of Mormon, and if he is God, how can he have a Father who is also
called God, unless there are more Gods than one? We answer, that so far as
persons and substance are concerned, there are more Gods than one; but when we speak
of their perfections, attributes, or nature, they are one. Jesus and the father
are two persons--two substances, but one in wisdom, one in power, one in glory.
Jesus prayed that his disciples might be made one, as he and the Father are
one. Now, if Jesus and the Father are one person, then if his prayer be
answered, all his disciples will become one person, losing their individual
identities. This would be a monstrous absurdity. Therefore, if his disciples
retain their separate distinct identities, and yet are made perfect in one,
even as the Father and son are one, then it follows that the Father and Son are
distinct persons as well as his disciples. If the oneness of the disciples
consists, not in person, but in the nature of their power, and glory, and other
perfections, then it must be in this sense alone, that the Father and Son are
one; hence, there is one God, and only one, when we speak of the perfections
and attributes, but there is a plurality of Gods, when we speak in reference to
persons and substance.
p.310
Jesus says, they were called
"Gods unto whom the word of God came;" and as there were a plurality
of persons to "whom the word of God came," there must have been a
plurality of gods. Yet, all these inspired men or Gods, when they are exalted
into the presence of God the Father and God the Son, will be one with them, not
in person, but in glory and in concert of action, in the fulfillment of the
great purposes of Jehovah. If according to the words of Jesus, inspired men, are
Gods, there will be a great company of Gods redeemed from this creation, to say
nothing of the countless myriads who have been redeemed from the infinity of
worlds which have existed in the regions of endless space.
p.311
Both the scriptures and the Book
of Mormon represent Christ to be both the Father and Son. How, enquires the
objector, can there be another person called the Father when Jesus is called
Father? We reply that Jesus is nowhere called his own Father, but he is
called--"THE FATHER,"--"THE ETERNAL FATHER," "THE
EVERLASTING FATHER,"--"THE VERY ETERNAL FATHER OF HEAVEN AND OF
EARTH." There is no mystery in all these expressions, any more than there
would be in calling Adam or any other man with a family, both Father and Son.
Adam is truly the father of the fleshy bodies of all the human race, and he is
also just as truly a son of God by creation: indeed Matthew calls Adam a
"SON OF GOD." Therefore, Adam like every other man with a family, is
both father and son. Because Adam was the father of the human family, this did
not hinder him from being the son of another separate distinct personage called
God: so likewise, because of the spirit of Jesus, before he dwelt in flesh, was
the Father of the heaven and earth, by being its author and creator, this did
not hinder him from having a Father of his own who was a distinct person from
himself, as much so as every father and son.
p.311
The prophet Abinadi has
beautifully illustrated this in a prediction relating to the first coming of
Christ: he says, "God himself shall come down among the children of men,
and shall redeem his people; and because he dwelleth in flesh, he shall be
called the Son of God; and having subjected the flesh to the will of the
Father, being the Father and the Son; the Father because he was conceived by
the power of God; and the Son because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father
and Son; and they are one God, yea, the very eternal Father of heaven and of earth;
and thus the flesh becoming subject to the spirit, or the Son to the Father,
being one God, suffereth temptations," etc. Here we have the reasons given
why he was called the Father; it was "because he was conceived by the
power of God." His spirit, being "conceived by the power of God"
before the worlds were made, became the Father of the present heaven and earth,
and afterwards came and dwelt in flesh, and became the Son. He subjected the
flesh to the will of the spirit, or in the will of the spirit that dwelt in,
which was called the Father, not the Father of himself, but the Father of the
heaven and earth, by being its Author, Creator, and Redeemer. The Father of
this creation, in subjecting his own tabernacle of will of his Father who sent
him. Thus, Jesus became both Father and Son, and at the same time, there was
another being distinct from himself who was his Father, by whom he was
conceived, and with whom he dwelt before the present order of creation existed.
p.311
He is called the
"Everlasting" or "Eternal Father" because he will throughout
all ages of eternity remain the Father of his own creations: hence the
relationship of Father must be "everlasting" or "eternal."
Though this relationship may have had a beginning--it can have no end. Many
have supposed that the terms "everlasting" and "eternal"
when applied to the Father, must be without beginning as well as without end,
but this is not necessarily true; for our bodies of flesh and bones after the
resurrection will endure for ever, that is, they are everlasting and eternal
bodies, yet they had a beginning; so with the New Heavens and the New Earth;
they will have a beginning, but will have no end; they will be everlasting and
eternal: so likewise, there was a time when the spirit of Jesus was begotten,
and when he began to be the Father of this heaven and this earth, but there
never will be an end to this relationship; hence it will be everlasting and
eternal, having a beginning, but having no end.
p.311 - p.312
Much more might be said,
concerning the Father and Son, and the relation which they sustained to each
other before the present worlds were made, and the relation which has since
existed, and will continue to exist throughout all ages to come, but enough has
been said to demonstrate beyond all successful controversy, that the Father and
Son are two personages; no true believer in divine revelation, can, very easily,
misunderstand these plain and pointed testimonies. With these remarks we close
this brief article, praying that the word and Spirit of truth may enlighten
every honest heart, that they may grow up in "the knowledge of things as
they were, as they are, and as they are to come," until they are perfected
and shall receive a fullness of the glory of the Father and the Son.--
The
Testimonies Of Zebedee Coltrin
(Minutes, Salt Lake
City School of the Prophets, October 3, 11, 1883.)
Presidents John Taylor and George Q.
Cannon, Apostles Erastus Snow, Brigham Young, Francis M. Lyman, and Heber J.
Grant, and Elders L. John Nuttall and Zebedee Coltrin present.
Brother Zebedee Coltrin said: I believe I
am the only living man now in the church who was connected with the School of
the Prophets when it was organized in 1833, the year before we went up in
Zion's Camp.
President Taylor: How many were then
connected with the School at that time?
Brother Coltrin: When the Word of Wisdom
[D&C 89] was first presented by the Prophet Joseph (as he came out of the
translating room) and was read to the School, there were twenty out of the
twenty-one who used tobacco and they all immediately threw their tobacco and
pies into the fire.
There were members as follows: Joseph
Smith, Hyrum Smith, William Smith, Frederick G. Williams, Orson Hyde (who had
the charge of the school), Zebedee Coltrin, Sylvester Smith, Joseph Smith, Sr.,
Levi Hancock, Martin Harris, Sidney Rigdon, Newel K. Whitney, Samuel H. Smith,
John Murdock, Lyman Johnson and Ezra Thayer.
The salutation as written in the Doctrine
and Covenants [D&C 88:136-141] was carried out at that time, and at every
meeting, and the washing of feet was attended to, the sacrament was also
administered at times when Joseph appointed, after the ancient order; that is,
warm bread to break easy was provided and broken into pieces as large as my
fist and each person had a glass of wine and sat and ate the bread and drank
the wine; and Joseph said that was the way that Jesus and his disciples partook
of the bread and wine. And this was the order of the church anciently and until
the church went into darkness. Every time we were called together to attend to
any business, we came together in the morning about sunrise, fasting and
partook of the sacrament each time, and before going to school we washed ourselves
and put on clean linen.
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, our elder
brother. 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.
The school room was in the upper room of
[Newel K.] Whitney's store. . . .
***
President Taylor asked Brother Zebedee
Coltrin if he was present when the School of the Prophets was first organized
by the Prophet Joseph Smith?
Brother Coltrin: Yes, sir.
A number of questions and answers then
passed between the brethren and Brother Coltrin, eliciting the following
information. Those who gave up using tobacco eased off on licorice root, but
there was not easing off on tea and coffee, these they had to give up straight
off or their fellowship was jeopardized. He never saw the Prophet Joseph drink
tea or coffee again until at Dixon about ten years after.
He did not remember the washing of feet
at the opening of the school [of the prophets], but could not say it was not
so. (President George Q. Cannon said the "History of Joseph Smith said
they were washed on the 23rd of January, 1833.) Elder Orson Hyde was the
teacher and saluted the brethren with uplifted hands, and they also answered
with uplifted hands. Spoke of the administration of the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper. The brethren always went fasting; they went in the morning, remained
until about four o'clock in the afternoon, when each had a glass of wine and
piece of bread, after the ancient pattern. Joseph was the president and
appointed Elder Orson Hyde teacher, as the school was not only revelations and
doctrine, but also for learning English grammar, etc. The teacher saluted the
brethren (one or more) as they came in. This salutation was given every morning
when they met. Brother Sidney Rigdon lectured on grammar sometimes.
It was in a larger school on the hill
afterwards, where Sidney presided that the lectures on faith that appear in the
book of Doctrine and Covenants were given. Once Joseph gave notice to the school
for all to get up before sunrise, then wash themselves and put on clean
clothing and be at the school by sunrise, as it would be a day of revelation
and vision. They opened with prayer.
Joseph then gave instructions to prepare their minds. He told them to
kneel and pray with uplifted hands.
(Brother [Zebedee] Coltrin then gave an
account of the appearance of the Father and Son as given in the minutes of the
meeting of the 3rd inst.) Jesus was clothed in modern clothing, apparently of
gray cloth. When he saw Him in the Kirtland Temple, on the cross his hands were
spiked to the wood and he had around him what appeared like a sheet. He had
seen Joseph giving revelation when he could not look on his face, so full was
he (Joseph) of the glory of God, and the house was full of the same glory.
About the time the school was first organized some wished to see an angel, and
a number joined in the circle and prayed. When the vision came, two of the
brethren shrank and called for the vision to close or they would perish; they
were Brothers Hancock and Humphries. When the Prophet came in they told him
what they had done and he said the angel was no further off than the roof of
the house, and a moment more he would have been in their midst.
Once after returning from a mission, he
[Zebedee Coltrin] met Brother Joseph in Kirtland, who asked him if he did not
wish to go with him to a conference at New Portage. The party consisted of
Presidents Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Oliver Cowdery and myself [Zebedee Coltrin].
Next morning at New Portage, he noticed that Joseph seemed to have a far off
look in his eyes, or was looking at a distance and presently he, Joseph,
stepped between Brothers Cowdery and Coltrin and taking them by the arm, said,
"Let's take a walk." They went to a place where there was some
beautiful grass and grapevines and swampbeech interlaced. President Joseph
Smith then said, "Let us pray." They all three prayed in
turn--Joseph, Oliver, and Zebedee. Brother Joseph then said, "Now
brethren, we will see some visions." Joseph lay down on the ground on his
back and stretched out his arms and the two brethren lay on them. The heavens
gradually opened, and they saw a golden throne, on a circular foundation,
something like a light house, and on the throne were two aged personages,
having white hair, and clothed in white garments. They were the two most
beautiful and perfect specimens of mankind he ever saw. Joseph said, "They
are our first parents, Adam and Eve." Adam was a large, broad-shouldered
man, and Eve as a woman, was a large in proportion. (Brother Coltrin was born
September 7th, 1804, and was baptized into the church on the 9th of January,
1831.)
Meeting adjourned until 3 o'clock this
afternoon.
***
(Minutes of High Priest Meeting, Spanish
Fork, Utah, February 5, 1870.)
Sidney being mouth, he ordained me
[Zebedee Coltrin] to all that could be placed upon man upon earth, and last of
all that it should ever be my desire to preach the gospel to all the eternities
of God.
This being sealed by all the brethren by
a hearty Amen, is it anything to be wondered at that I always want to preach.
In Kirtland Temple, I [Zebedee Coltrin]
have seen the power of God as it was in the day of Pentecost! And cloven
tongues as of fire have rested on the brethren and they have spoken with other
tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. I saw the Lord high and lifted up
and frequently throng the solemn assemblies, the angels of God rested on the
temple, and we heard their voices singing heavenly music. At another time when
consecrating some oil, we saw visibly the finger of God enter the mouth of the
bottle.
Prophecy
from Heber C. Kimball
Deseret News, May 23,
1931
Prophecy and Modern Times, pp. 31-32 by Cleon Skousen
Prophecy and Modern Times, pp. 31-32 by Cleon Skousen
An
army of Elders will sent to the four quarters of the earth to search out the
righteous and warn the wicked of what is coming. All kinds of religions will be
started and miracles performed that will deceive the very elect if that were
possible. Our sons and daughters must live pure lives so as to be prepared for
what is coming.
After a while the gentiles
will gather by the thousands to this place, and Salt Lake City will be classed
among the wicked cities of the world. A spirit of speculation and extravagance
will take possession of the Saints, and the result will be financial bondage.
Persecution comes next and
all true Latter-day Saints will be tested to the limit. Many will apostatize
and others will be still not knowing what to do. Darkness will cover the earth
and gross darkness the minds of the people. The judgments of God will be poured
out on the wicked to the extent that our Elders from far and near will be
called home, or in other words the gospel will be taken from the Gentiles and later
on carried to the Jews.
The western boundary of the
State of Missouri will be swept so clean of its inhabitance that as President
Young tells us, when you return to that place, there will not be left so much
as a yellow dog to wag his tail. Before that day comes, however, the Saints
will be put to tests that will try the integrity of the best of them. The
pressure will become so great that the more righteous among them will cry unto
the Lord day and night until deliverance comes. Then the prophet and others
will make their appearance and those who have remained faithful will be
selected to return to Jackson County, Missouri, and take part in the
up-building of that beautiful city, the New Jerusalem.
E D I
T O R
I A L
WILL THE CHURCH BE REDEEMED?
An Examination of 2 Esdras Chapter
2: Part 3
This is the final installment in our examination of 2 Esdras Chapter
2, in the Apocrypha, which identifies the Lord’s Church as the “Widow” or
“Mother”, and prophesies her redemption, along with her Children. Continuing with verse 24:
24 Abide still, O my people, and take
thy rest, for thy quietness still come.
25 Nourish thy children, O thou good
nurse; stablish their feet.
The Mother, or nurse, is commanded to nourish, or feed, her
children. There is only a limited time
in our lives that we can subsist on milk.
Then our bodies, in order to develop, require something more
substantial, like meat. In other words,
we cannot learn eternal principles with only warm and fuzzy stories about
shoveling snow from your elderly neighbor’s driveway. Although it is good to hear those things, the
Latter-day Saint people yearn for our leaders to preach to us with power and
authority, to reveal unto us the mysteries of the Kingdom.
In this nourishment, we can have our feet firmly established in
correct principle. Continuing with 2
Esdras:
26 As for the servants whom I have given
thee, there shall not one of them perish; for I will require them from among
thy number.
27 Be not weary: for when the day of
trouble and heaviness cometh, others shall weep and be sorrowful, but thou
shalt be merry and have abundance.
Where are the men like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John
Taylor? Can any of the men leading the
church or the groups, in their tailored suits and their hands in their pockets
– can any of them compare to a Joseph or a Brigham? The Lord has required them from among us,
because of our unwillingness to abide the truths they revealed to us.
Verse 27 is always been interesting to me. I think it is common knowledge that trials
and tribulations will come upon the last days.
But what if we were faithful enough, like Joseph in Egypt, that we were
blessed with abundance? Then, even though others suffered around us, we would
be preserved from hardships, and might even be able to be a blessing unto
others around us. That is my prayer,
anyway.
28 The heathen shall envy thee, but they
shall be able to do nothing against thee, saith the Lord.
29 My hands shall cover thee, so that
thy children shall not see hell.
So how do the Saints get the Lord to protect them in these times? The answer is simple. It is given in the 1880 Revelation to Wilford
Woodruff. The Lord says:
“Therefore, as
I have said in a former commandment, so I the Lord say again unto My Apostles:
Go ye alone by yourselves, whether in heat or in cold and cleanse your feet in
water, pure water, it matters not whether it be by the running streams, or in
your closets; but leave these testimonies before the Lord and the heavenly
hosts; and when you have all done this, then gather yourselves together in your
Holy places and clothe yourselves with the robes of the Holy Priesthood and
there offer up your prayers according to my Holy Law.
Let him who
presides be mouth and kneel at the Holy altar, and there let mine Apostles
bring all these testimonies before my face and before the heavenly hosts and
before the justified spirits made perfect…”
And then the Lord says further:
“And then,
saith the Lord unto mine Apostles and mine Elders, when ye do these things with
purity of heart, I the Lord will hear your prayers and am bound by oath and
covenant to defend you and fight your battles.”
The formula to having the Lord fighting your battles is to:
- Wash your feet – according to the pattern set by the Prophet Joseph
- True Order of Prayer – rather than fighting against your enemies, bring their names up in prayer, and the Lord will defend you.
About redeeming the Church, the Lord says in Verse 30:
30 Be joyful, O thou mother, with thy
children; for I will deliver thee, saith the Lord.
That is plain and direct – the Lord WILL deliver His Church. Continuing:
31 Remember thy children that sleep, for
I shall bring them out of the sides of the earth, and shew mercy unto them: for
I am merciful, saith the Lord Almighty.
Who are the children that sleep?
They are the “lost sheep” of Israel – people scattered all over the
world who are of the House of Israel, but have forgotten it. These people will “awaken”, come to a
knowledge that they are of Israel, and they will gather unto the places that
the Lord has appointed for the literal gathering of Israel. The Lord says that he will be merciful to
them. So should we:
32 Embrace thy children until I come and
shew mercy unto them: for my wells run over, and my grace shall not fail.
Just because a person, or people, does not have our Mormon upbringing
does not mean that their heritage is not the gospel of Jesus Christ in its
fullness. They will have every right to
all of the priesthood blessings, regardless if we find them distasteful or not.
33 I Esdras received a charge of the
Lord upon the mount Oreb, that I should go unto Israel; but when I came unto
them, they set me at nought, and despised the commandment of the Lord.
34 And therefore I say unto you, O ye
heathen, that hear and understand, look for your Shepherd, he shall give you
everlasting rest; for he is nigh at hand, that shall come in the end of the
world.
Some may assume that this passage refers to the rejection of the Jews
of the gospel, and so it was sent to the Gentiles. And they may be right. But I believe that it is a reference to the
latter-days, to the fulfillment of the Times of the Gentiles. The Mormon people (along with the
fundamentalists) are rejecting the gospel, and so the Lord will raise up a
people among the heathens – among those who we had no clue were of Israel – and
they will take up the banner of Israel and never let it drop again.
35 Be ready to the reward of the
kingdom, for the everlasting light shall shine upon you for evermore.
36 Flee the shadow of this world,
receive the joyfulness of your glory: I testify my Saviour openly.
37 O receive the gift that is given you,
and be glad, giving thanks unto him that hath led you to the heavenly kingdom.
38 Arise up and stand, behold the number
of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;
What is this feast that is spoken of where they are sealed? What number is being referred to here? Check out Revelations 19:
5And a voice came out of the throne,
saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small
and great.
6And I heard as it were the voice of a
great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made
herself ready.
8And to her was granted that she should
be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints.
9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed
are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith
unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
The “Marriage of the Lamb” has come, and the “wife” (Church) has made
herself ready. This has so much
significance. It has parallels to the
higher ordinances. Mosiah 5: 15 says:
15 Therefore, I would that ye should be
steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord
God Omnipotent, may SEAL YOU HIS, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye
may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power,
and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth,
who is God above all. Amen.
Continuing:
39 Which are departed from the shadow of
the world, and have received glorious garments of the Lord.
Garments? What garments? Can you think of any place where you are
given garments?
40 Take thy number, O Sion, and shut up
those of thine that are clothed in white, which have fulfilled the law of the
Lord.
Again, what number is being referred to? It is those who have fulfilled the Law. Those that are clothed in white. Those that have lived all of the gospel and
fulfilled all of the ordinances. It is
these people who will number 144,000. It
will those who are saviors upon Mount Zion.
They will be take up and shut up in the Lord’s House for the glorious
feast.
41 The number of thy children, whom thou
longedst for, is fulfilled: beseech the power of the Lord, that thy people,
which have been called from the beginning, may be hallowed.
42 I Esdras saw upon the mount Sion a
great people, whom I could not number, and they all praised the Lord with
songs.
43 And in the midst of them there was a
young man of a high stature, taller than all the rest, and upon every one of
their heads he set crowns, and was more exalted; which I marvelled at greatly.
Again, this part of the vision continues with the 144,000 upon Mount
Zion. And they are crowned by the young
man. Why do they receive crowns? Because they have become kings in their own
right. Continuing:
44 So I asked the angel, and said, Sir,
what are these?
45 He answered and said unto me, These
be they that have put off the mortal clothing, and put on the immortal, and
have confessed the name of God: now are they crowned, and receive palms.
46 Then said I unto the angel, What
young person is it that crowneth them, and giveth them palms in their hands?
47 So he answered and said unto me, It
is the Son of God, whom they have confessed in the world. Then began I greatly
to commend them that stood so stiffly for the name of the Lord.
48 Then the angel said unto me, Go thy
way, and tell my people what manner of things, and how great wonders of the
Lord thy God, thou hast seen.
What a beautiful, beautiful vision.
Is it any wonder that this piece of scripture has been rejected? You will find the fullness of the gospel in
these verses. There is so much to see
that these three installments have not been enough to discuss. I hope that this will be beneficial to
read. 2 Esdras Chapter 2 prophesies that
the Church will be redeemed, and it instructs men what they should do to be
numbered among the 144,000. Abide by the
counsels found here, and you, too, will receive eternal life. In the name of our Savior, the young man upon
the mountain, even Jesus Christ. Amen. —The Editor—
Recommended Sites
4thefamily.us (Open chat & polygamy & Mormon
doctrine discussion)
Fullnessradio.acrobat.com/fullness/ (Internet broadcast
Wednesdays 8pm MST. Discussion of
deeper mysteries of the Kingdom of God.)
|
Holiness
Y
To The
To The
Lord
TRUTH NEVER CHANGES
Volume 13, Number 01
January 2010
Volume 13, Number 01
January 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment