How Often In The History Of The...

How often in the history of the world has a people been brought to its spiritual inheritance through the endurance of bitter experiences? Trial accompanied the move of Israel out of Egypt after four hundred years of bondage, and just as surely as trial accompanied Israel, it accompanied our forefathers to the pastures of these mountain valleys where his work might the better unfold after seventeen years of intense persecution in New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, and the crossing of the plains to Utah. ¶

There is a repetition in the restoration of the Church today of most all that has gone before. Since the restoration of the gospel in 1830, God's dealings with his children here upon the earth reflect a high degree of uniformity throughout as we compare the present with every prior generation of the gospel. And this similarity is striking in two major aspects: first, persecution, and second, revelation. His people have all been tried in adversity in all generations. Persecution has continued, and why should not revelation be kept equally current? ¶

Can we say with the existing churches of the world, the heavens are closed, there is to be no further revelation since John completed the book of Revelation? We know and bear witness to the world that the survival of our faith in God is dependent upon present-day direction from God. How impotent is man when he is left alone with only the revelations of the past? Without present-day revelation the very foundations upon which this last Dispensation of the Fulness of Times was built would crumble. There can be no fulness of the gospel without revelation, now or ever. ¶

Would that the words of the Savior to Peter and his other apostles were understood by the world. To understand them would be to know that the true knowledge of God must rest upon current revelation. We all remember Peter's answer to the Savior's question in Matthew 16: ". . . But whom say ye that I am? ¶

"And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ¶

"And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: ¶

for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 16:15-17.) Peter was divinely appointed to receive revelation for the Church as long as God retained him head of the Church. ¶

He was persecuted until he became a martyr. Peter was followed by John after Peter's death. Thereafter, God gave his revelations to John as head of the Church. The last book of the New Testament contains the revelations given to John. John was banished to the Isle of Patmos after being persecuted before these revelations were given. ¶

Paul says to the Ephesians, recorded in Ephesians 2, that the Church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; "In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:" (Eph. 2:20-21.) Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, asserts his leadership and directs his Church through the revelations of his holy mind and will to his servant the prophet, the head of his Church, the presiding high priest here upon this earth today. If revelation were to cease, why should not the death of Christ have been the critical turning point rather than the translation of John, the last of the apostles? Why was it necessary to continue revelation to the apostles after the ascension of Christ? ¶

The office of a prophet is to prophesy. ¶

How can a prophet truly prophesy without revelation? Why should Paul have emphasized the necessity for apostles and prophets in the Church if there were to be no further prophecy? These questions leave the inquirer in a quandary if he at the same time denies the possibility of revelation. When revelation from God ceases, apostasy sets in — man is left to stand alone. The surest of all declarations of apostasy is to declare the heavens are closed and revelation from God to man has ceased. We proclaim to the world this statement is a self-evident truth. ¶

Is today and its problems so simple that we need no help from heaven? We know that God is omnipotent. Why should he close the heavens for us forever after the translation of John and fail to give to his children on earth the benefit of his unlimited power contrary to the past history of his help to mortal man? ¶

History repeats itself. I quote from an author discussing Moses and his people: ¶

"There has never been another nation in human history with which one person was so essentially identified and to whom its institutions could be so graced. What a remarkable place then this leader and lawgiver holds in Biblical history." ¶

Joseph Smith's position is entirely comparable to Moses' in the founding of the Church in this Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. He and his people suffered persecution in many instances as severe and intense as that suffered by ancient Israel while under Egyptian rule and later in its forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Joseph Smith suffered persecution from the age of fifteen to the age of thirty-eight when he was martyred. He sealed his testimony with his blood. Sometimes it is said we hear too much about Joseph Smith. As Moses in his day, Joseph Smith today personifies the revelations of God given him to direct the founding of his Church and kingdom upon the earth today. ¶

In May 1844 Josiah Quincy, former mayor of the city of Boston, and his cultured friend, Dr. Charles Francis Adams, son and grandson respectively of two Presidents of the United States, spent two days with Joseph Smith in Nauvoo. In a book entitled, Figures of the Past which Mr. Quincy subsequently published, he wrote as follows: ¶

"It is by no means improbable that some future textbook, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destinies of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: JOSEPH SMITH THE MORMON PROPHET." ¶

Yes, Joseph Smith was able to confound the wise, to astonish the learned, and to outmarvel the great. Can any sincere truth-seeker in the field of religion conscientiously decline to make a thorough study of the teachings and accomplishments of Joseph Smith? Let every honest investigator find the truth for himself. ¶

Yes, Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. This I humbly testify. ¶

Joseph Smith must continue to be recognized by the Church and the world to be the modern-day lawgiver by which the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth in its pristine purity. The Lord has promised that his work and his Church would never again be taken from the earth or given to another people, but that it would grow and expand until it fills the whole earth. Note the significance of Daniel's inspired interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream in the second chapter of Daniel recorded: ¶

"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 for ever." (Dan. 2:44.) Paul understood Daniel's interpretation just quoted when he wrote in his epistle to the Ephesians, recorded in the first chapter: ¶

"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: ¶

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him." (Eph. ¶

1:10, 17.) How can God set up a kingdom in the latter days when the kingdoms of the earth are to be destroyed without revealing the time, the place, the instrumentality fixed and determined by him to accomplish his everlasting purpose? ¶

I hope my listeners will bear in mind that God is dependent in large measure upon his children in the exercise of their own free agency to carry out his will and to accomplish his purposes upon the earth. ¶

How can God gather together all things in one, both in heaven and in earth in the fulness of times without calling and ordaining individuals to fulfil his divine decree? Amos, the ancient prophet, revealed to mankind an eternal truth as follows: ¶

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7.) The Lord has always so manifest himself in one way or another that his people, those who acknowledge him as their God and who lend obedience to his laws, should always know him. The Apostle John in his Gospel, wrote: ¶

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." ¶

(John 17:3.) We are his people today. He dwells among us. This I know. And he is our Lord, our God. The Lord has not and does not leave us in darkness, and we know with Paul of old, that ". . . no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Cor. 12:3.) The Lord has provided the means by which we may receive the Holy Ghost and receive the witness of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ. We believe in baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. We believe in the laying on of hands after baptism for the gift of the Holy Ghost. "We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof." (Fifth Article of Faith.) Jesus Christ conferred his priesthood upon the apostles of old. Then Peter, James, and John as resurrected beings conferred the same priesthood which they had received from the Lord Jesus Christ upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. The gift of the Holy Ghost has also been conferred upon hundreds of thousands of people, living and dead, who received each for himself through the Holy Ghost the testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. ¶

John in his Gospel leaves no doubt about the office of the Holy Ghost as a member of the Godhead. The Savior immediately before his ascension to heaven gave his disciples the following assurance: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26.) Brigham Young once said: "Let every man and woman know by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates or not." ¶

(journal of Discourses, Vol. 9, p. 150.) It is, therefore, here that the right exists in every member of the Church to receive the witness of the Holy Ghost concerning that which the prophet of God reveals or which he prophesies is true. Brigham Young furthermore says: ¶

"We can tell when the speakers are moved by the Holy Ghost only when we ourselves are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. Therefore, it is essential that the membership of the Church be just as diligent in their faith as their leaders." (Ibid., Vol. 7, p. 277.) Through this gift, people throughout the world have received a testimony of the truth. How can he bless us in our time of distress and need without revealing his power, his will, his influence, his inspiration to us today? Would you rather believe that the heavens are closed? Should you rather rely alone on the wisdom and strength of men? ¶

We invite you to investigate to your complete satisfaction the claim made by the Prophet Joseph Smith that the heavens are open, the ancient gospel is once again brought to earth. Ponder over the following revelation of John in Revelation: "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." (Rev. 14:6.) We give to the world a record of the fulfilment of this prophecy in the account of the restoration of the gospel through the instrumentality of the prophet Joseph Smith. We give you Joseph Smith's testimony to the world in part' — ■ his entire testimony is readily available to all who desire to know the truth. ¶

Joseph Smith, after reading in Holy Scriptures the following, went into the woods to pray: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5.) He prayed fervently as a boy, and as he prayed, he saw a pillar of light exactly over his head above the brightness of the sun. Continuing, Joseph said: "When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description. . . . One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, ... to the other, This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him." (Joseph Smith 2:17.) Joseph Smith asked the personage which of all the sects was right and which he should join. "I was answered that I must join none of them for they were all wrong." (Ibid., 2:19.) The truth concerning the churches of the world was then further explained. Joseph Smith was directed to await further revelation from heaven. A decade later, Joseph Smith, in obedience to direction from the Lord, organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830 in the state of New York. ¶

He endured every trial, tribulation, and persecution imaginable until he was finally martyred, and, as I have said, he sealed his testimony to the world with his blood. His work has stood the test of time stronger and more rugged and more certain now than ever before in spirit and in testimony. ¶

Just what was Joseph Smith's final testimony to the world? "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. . . ." (D&C 76:22-23.) The innermost feelings of my heart today are not dissimilar to those of Paul as he stood before King Agrippa when Paul said to him: "I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." (Acts 26:29.) We are not in bonds today. V/e know nevertheless that God has given to us the great plan of salvation whereby men through obedience can bring themselves back into the presence of God, saved and exalted eternally in his kingdom. We declare with Paul that "the gospel of [Jesus] Christ ... is the power of God unto salvation." (Rom. 1:16.) We call the world to repentance and charge the world with the responsibility of prayerfully and humbly seeking the truth, for the heavens are opened, and God will reveal unto mankind the truth. ¶

Let me say with Paul, that "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Ibid., 6:23.) May he bless us all to the end that we may really know him through the gift of the Holy Ghost, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. ¶

Amen. ¶