This
is copyrighted material. However, copies may be made for personal use but
only in its entirety with no changes made.
Kevin
Kraut
PREPARATION
FOR THE
KINGDOM
BY
A lecture delivered
August 31, 1991
CONTENTS
I Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Christ Versus Lucifer
Deceptions and Temptations
II
Brief History
Ancient
and Modern
III The
Definition
Geographical
Social
Economic
Spiritual
IV Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
* * * * *
* * *
*
[1] Section I
Introduction
Christ verses
Lucifer
Many centuries ago two very powerful beings met on top of a high mountain. One showed the other all the kingdoms of the world, and said if you will serve me, "All this power will I give thee and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it." (See Luke 4:5-7)
But the Master of the two would later explain that "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matt.16:26)
Farrar, in his Life of Christ, gives an example of such a person:
There was one living who, scarcely in a figure, might be said to have the whole world. The Fabian Emperor Tiberius was at that moment infinitely the most powerful of living men, the absolute, undisputed, deified ruler of all that was fairest and richest in the kingdoms of the earth. There was no control to his power, no limit to his wealth, no restraint upon his pleasures. And to yield himself still more unreservedly to the boundless self-gratification of a voluptuous luxury, not long after this time he chose for himself a home on one of the loveliest spots on the earth's surface, under the shadow of the slumbering volcano, upon an enchanting islet in one of the most softly delicious climates of the world. What came of it all? He was, as Pliny calls him, "confessedly the most gloomy of mankind." (p. 105)
PICTURE
The great Emperor Tiberius as pictured on a
Roman coin
[2] Mankind have generally had the opinion that money would bring happiness, but this is a deception. The Prophet Joseph Smith gave the key to happiness when he said:
Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. But we cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received. * * *
If we
seek first the
But in obedience there is joy and peace unspotted, unalloyed; and as God has designed our happiness--and the happiness of all His creatures, he never has--He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed, and which will not end in the greatest amount of good and glory to those who become the recipients of his law and ordinances. (TPJS, pp. 255, 256, 257)
Christ and Satan represent the two spiritual powers that control this world, but it often seems that Satan has the upper hand. He attempts to divert our attention to everything except the laws of God. The material things of this world are his greatest tools. He disguises sin to make it appear good, and good to appear evil.
There is a story told of a man in a restaurant eating alone at a table, and a fine looking gentleman came up and said, "Pardon me, sir--since all the tables seem to be full, I was wondering if you would permit me to share your table with you." "Certainly," said the man. Then considering it to be polite to visit with him, he asked the visitor who he was.
"I am the devil," he replied rather casually. Thinking it was some kind of joke, he decided to go along with it and continued with, "Tell me, sir, how is your work doing nowdays?"
"Oh, wonderful," exclaimed the devil. "Formerly we used torture and even death to force people to do my will, but we weren't too successful. So we decided to change our tactics. We now tempt and lure men by offering them riches and rewards and power. We make evil appear beautiful, proper and in vogue. We changed the appearance of saloons into beautiful casinos; we made whorehouses into the most luxurious hotels; and we made gambling, drugs, Sabbath breaking--in fact everything evil--into something popular and accepted. My work today is prospering as never before."
Deceptions and
Temptations
Many kinds of temptations are strewn over the pathway of life. One, familiar to all societies, is pointed out by wise old Solomon who warns of the danger of lust:
[3] Proverbs Chapter 7: 1-27
1 My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.
3 Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.
4 Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger [which] flattereth with her words.
6 For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,
8 Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,
9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
10 And, behold, there met him a woman [with] the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
11 (She [is] loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:
12 Now [is she] without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
13 So she caught him, and kissed him, [and] with an impudent face said unto him,
14 [I have] peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.
15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.
16 I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with
carved [works], with fine linen of
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
19 For the goodman [is] not at home, he is gone a long journey:
20 He hath taken a bag of money with him, [and] will come home at the day appointed.
21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
22 He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
23 Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it [is] for his life.
24 Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
26 For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong [men] have been slain by her.
27 Her house [is] the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.
[4] But lust is only one single temptation to lead men into sorrow and bondage. There are many others--each one brought about by the appearance of something other than what It really is. That is the deception of the devil.
Everything presented to you that is, designed to take away your freedom, is like the beautiful red apple that the wicked queen presented to Snow White--it is poison! It leads to bondage and slavery--through voluntary submission to a power other than Christ's.
PICTURE
WICKED WITCH GIVING SNOW WHITE AN APPLE
"Here. Take one of my lovely
apples."
Why else would John the beloved apostle describe Lucifer as ''that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." (Rev. 12:9)
Joseph F. Smith described the deception of the devil:
We have been deceived; we thought that the devil had long horns and tail, a cloven foot, and was black, hideous, and grinning; but when we find him out, he is a gentleman in black broadcloth, with a smooth tongue, pleasant countenance, high forehead, and so on; quite a good looking fellow. That is the kind of a person we find the devil to be, and we will find him in more persons than one, and that too right in this city. (J.D. 11:313)
[5] Brigham Young also described the devil and his evil spirits:
It requires all the care and faithfulness which we can exercise in order to keep the faith of the Lord Jesus; for there are invisible agencies around us in sufficient numbers to encourage the slightest disposition they may discover in us to forsake the true way, and fan into a flame the slightest spark of discontent and unbelief. The spirits of the ancient Gadiantons are around us. You may see battle-field after battle-field, scattered over this American continent, where the wicked have slain the wicked. Their spirits are watching us continually for an opportunity to influence us to do evil, or to make us decline in the performance of our duties. And I will defy any man on earth to be more gentlemanly and bland in his manners than the master spirit of all evil. We call him the devil; a gentleman so smooth and so oily, that he can almost deceive the very elect. We have been baptized by men having the authority of the holy Priesthood of the Son of God, and consequently we have power over him which the rest of the world do not possess, and all who possess the power of the Priesthood have the power and right to rebuke those evil powers, and they obey not, it is because we do not live so as to have the power with God, which it is our privilege to have. If we do not live for this privilege and right we are under condemnation.
(J.D. 12:128)
[6] At the end of His ministry, Jesus took His disciples up on the mountain to warn them of the dangers that would come to the Saints in the last days. Said He:
Take heed that no man deceive you, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. * * * And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. * * * For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matt. 24:4,5,11,24)
From these passages in Matthew, we can conclude that--
1. If it is possible that the elect are almost deceived, it means that all the rest of the world WILL BE deceived.
2. The elect are very few in number.
3. The elect must leave the kingdoms of the world in order to gain a place in God's kingdom.
But in order
to prepare ourselves to be a part of God's kingdom, we have to learn the
difference between Satan's kingdom and the
[7] Section II
Brief History
Ancient
Collier's National Encyclopedia gives an important history of this great city:
The
great Amorite king, Hammurabi, made himself master of
all
Under
Sennacherib Assyria reached the height of her grandeur and power. She was now
undisputed mistress of the Orient; for a time she even ruled
Later a
general usurped the throne and called himself Sargon II. He proved himself
worthy of the name by further strengthening and expanding the already powerful
empire; it was probably Sargon who took the "lost ten tribes of
[8] Ancient and Modern
The ways of
Avraham Gileadi, in his banned
book called The Last Days, mentions "twelve diatribes of modern
Images . . . .Images that "turn away" people's heart from God, such as images from television, movies, and videos.
Violence and Sex . . . .murder, violence, and sexual indulgences are commonplace in our society. It is not only in the newspapers but it is a form of our entertainment.
Rock Music . . . .this is an adulterated form of music that takes over the mind and the body. The frenzy of wild antics displayed in rock music is descriptive of our modern insanity.
Organized Sports
. . . .the time, money and fanfare that goes into our
sports would feed half the world. It is a replay of ancient
Human Idols . . . .religious leaders are the most guilty of this sin. It takes honor and glory from God, and they exhibit a covetousness for the honor and respect of other men.
Imaginations of the Heart . . . .studies or desires that draw us away from God are sins. Any desire that takes us away from faith in God is a vain imagination.
Nature Cults . . ..Some of these nature freaks camp in the wilderness and act like the animals that are also out there. Many nature communes are only sexual parties.
Mammon . . . .The riches of the world have always been the greatest temptation for man. Hardly a generation has passed that riches haven't blinded the people.
Babylon . . .
.The creation of many objects is not evil in itself but to promote them in
sales pitches, colored advertising and false values is an ancient evil. It is
the opposite of
The Arm of Flesh . . . .Trusting in political and religious leaders instead of God is commonplace. The lord has said that cursed are those that put their trust in the arm of flesh.
Elitism-Pharisaism . . . .This puts a peer group above the entire people instead of equal with them. Authority is a badge of superiority. Outwardly they may appear holy, but inwardly they are not.
Pollution of the Temple . . . .This has been a common fault with every people who had a temple. They conform ceremonies to worldly standards, cut them down for expediency or introduce false doctrine into the ceremony.
[9] Many of the
prophets of old were permitted to see our time and sent out prophetic warnings
pertaining to these last days. How did they describe it? They said it was in
the likeness of the great
Before we were born, we listened to two different programs presented for this earth. The devil's plan was not that he would let people kill, rob, rape, go to war and do evil. Absolutely not! Rather, he said, "I'm going to save everyone; I'm going to make them obey. I'm going to establish federal police, state police, city police, officers and agents. I'll issue thousands and thousands of laws, codes, statutes, rules and regulations for the people to obey. I will make people get licenses, permits, charters, and exemptions. They will need to be finger-printed, photographed, registered, and computerized. They will be identified in numerous ways including numbering.
And, we are going to protect them by offering many different ways to get welfare, food stamps, grants, loans, aid--even foreign aid. And we will institute a complete taxing system to tax everyone except those who are on our welfare programs.
The battle in the pre-mortal world is the same battle that exists in this mortal world. The contest is over man's free agency. Here are just seven of the ways that the devil has designed to make man give up his agency:
1. Marriage contracts with the State
Anciently, and in the early days of the Mormon Church, marriage was a sacred and religious ordinance. Eventually, however, lawyers and judges realized they could make money in marriage contracts, divorces, alimony and family inheritances. So they instigated marriage licenses--creating a three-way marriage with man, woman and the State. If the man and woman later decided to separate, it was necessary to call in the third member of the marriage for its approval and to determine the conditions of that separation.
2. Bank Signature Card
Banks have big signs advertising "free checking". This is just a "carrot". The minute you sign that little yellow or blue card, you agree to comply with all the rules and regulations of that bank. Not one person in 10,000 ever reads all those regulations. One rule usually overlooked by the signer is that he has given the IRS the right to peek into his checking account any time they want to. In fact, the bank is just a bookkeeper for the Internal Revenue Service. If the IRS decides they have reason to take all of your savings, they can do so. You have no right to complain if they do, because you gave them permission when you signed the signature card.
3. Drivers License
The U.S. Constitution gives you the right to use public roads. But the State invented a little money-making program by giving you a little card to sign--a license saying you are voluntarily putting yourself under their jurisdiction. This permit gives you the privilege to use the public roads, which you already had the right to use anyway.
[10] 4. Free Education
The U.S. Government has many free gifts, loans and grants for education. These subsidizing funds are available to most people who will fill out their forms and sign the documents, stating they will comply to certain regulations. Many people say we need the Government funds because the individuals don't have enough money--but where did the Government get these funds?
When students, teachers or schools sign up with the Government, then they must conform to their regulations and programs. They must use Government approved books, standards, curriculum--such as evolution, sex education, and atheism.
5. Construction of
Government Highways
The same features pertaining to government controlled schools also apply to the construction of highways. The Government takes money from the people, then tells them they can have part of it back if they will conform to their rules and regulations regarding how, when and where to build roads in their states.
6. Social Security
The Social Security Department has declared that they have a voluntary system. No citizen is required to join up, but the "something for nothing" baloney entices people into a system that pays out only about 1/6 of what any good investment would pay. Signing up for a Social Security number is a plot to identify each citizen and sweep them into a Federal Agency by taking away their individual agency.
7. The 1040 Tax
Form
Even the I.R.S. admits the income tax is based on voluntary compliance. However, they intimidate and frighten people into paying it. Again, whenever people sign the 1040 form, they have given the I.R.S. total jurisdiction over them and the money they earn. The voluntary part is then relinquished, and the individual then has no right to complain about I.R.S. actions.
* * *
There are hundreds of forms, papers, and documents for people to sign: social services, welfare, loans, credit cards, and many other "benefits". By signing, people sometimes think they are getting something for nothing, or at least at a reduced rate; but actually signing most documents means you are voluntarily giving up some of your freedoms and allowing others to have jurisdiction over you.
By putting
ourselves in these situations we have become a part of modern
[11] Section III
The
Definition
If we are to
leave
Within the
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it is now constituted is the
On the other hand, Brigham Young explained--
As observed by one of the speakers this morning, that the Kingdom grows out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it is not the church, for a man may be a legislator in that body which will issue laws to sustain the inhabitants of the earth in their individual rights, and still not belong to the Church of Jesus Christ at all. (J.D. 2:310)
John Taylor began his book on this subject
with the simplest and yet very comprehensive definition by saying, "The
Brigham Young had the same opinion:
What is
the
The nature and
size of government may extend from a man's home, to a state, a nation, or even
the world. Wherever or however extensive man's government may become, so can
the
Herbert W. Armstrong correctly analyzed the composition of a kingdom:
Four things are necessary to constitute a kingdom:
1. The territory, with its specific location and definite boundary lines.
2. A king or supreme ruler or governing agent, ruling over:
3. Subjects or citizens within that territorial jurisdiction, with:
4. Laws and form of government. (The True Gospel, p. 8)
If any of these four vital elements are not present, there is not a correctly operative government or kingdom.
[12] Since God has a kingdom which is government, then Satan has a government which is his kingdom. These two kingdoms are mentioned by Christ when he said that in the last days, "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom...." (Matt. 24:7) The decision for us is to determine which kingdom we are in.
Let's suppose
you were living with a band of robbers. You had a home there; you worked there;
you complied with all their laws and did business with them. Who would believe
you if you said you were a part of the
Carrying the
analogy a little further--let's say that you live in
In effect, we
have that serious condition today. As true Israelites and to please God, we
should make our exodus out of modern
1. geographical
2. social
3. economic
4. spiritual
The remainder of this section will be divided into those four areas.
Geographical
Enoch gathered a people together and taught them to live a higher law than the rest of society.
Jared gathered people away from the
Noah tried to gather people to the ark for 120 years, and those that rejected his message suffered the consequence.
Abraham was called to gather people out of the wicked cities so they could be saved.
Moses was commanded to gather the
Israelites out of the
Christ tried to gather people together and they failed to obey His call.
Joseph Smith sent out the message that the believers should gather, and they did but only for a short while. He warned the people of his day:
It was the design of the councils of heaven before the world was, that the principles and laws of the Priesthood should be predicated upon the gathering of the people in every age of the world. Jesus did everything to gather the people, and they would not be gathered, and He therefore poured out curses upon them. (TPJS, p. 308)
[13] The requisite for a geographical posture of the Saints came with the Gospel Restoration. It became one of the articles of our faith:
10. We believe in
the literal gathering of
God made it
clear that to get into His Kingdom, we must get out of
One of
the most important points in the faith of the church of the Latter-day Saints,
through the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, is the gathering of
This was certainly a principle with a purpose. Gathering was a golden thread weaving itself throughout the Doctrine and Covenants:
So will I
gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth (33:6). Gather ye out from the eastern lands (45:64). A commandment I give
unto all the churches, that they shall continue to
gather together (101:22). The righteous shall be gathered out from among all
nations, and shall come to
[14] One passage from this book of scripture seems to summarize better than all the others the purpose and importance of the principle of gathering:
And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; wherefore the decree bath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked. (D & C 29:7-8)
The following important highlights can be gleaned from this paragraph:
1. The elect are to gather.
2. They gather to one place.
3. They are to gather in this nation.
4. They are to prepare in all things.
5. By gathering, they will avoid the desolations.
Many other
inspired men have told us to come out of
There is not a
spot where the Lord can tarry over night outside of these valleys of the
mountains; the rest of the world is
. . . we should become a distinct people, a peculiar people, a
people whom He could use according to His mind and will, and through Whom He
could accomplish His mighty, His marvelous, and His wondrous purposes. That is
the object He has had in view in bringing us together--to separate us from
[15] We are called
upon as individuals, each of us who form this community, to come out from the
wicked world, from
* * *
There is no
Latter-day Saint enjoying the light of the Spirit, but what realizes the
difficulty of living in
* * *
Oil and water will not mingle, neither the pure principles of righteousness amalgamate with unrighteousness .... consequently, if the will of God is ever done on earth as it is in heaven, the righteous must be separated from the wicked and ungodly. (Mill. Star 27:356)
[16] How can
It is not only
interesting, but vital, to recognize some of the
reasons we should leave
1. Temptations of the worldly
2. Wicked environments
3. Evil associations for youth
4. Sustaining wicked men in office
5. False and corrupt education
6. Lack of choice for marriages
7. Influences for unholy practices
8. Lack of protection and good associations
9. Weakening of family ties
10. Deterioration of spirituality
11. Supporting the
building up of
12. Obedience to gentile law.
13. Participation in worldly competition
14. Being a part of opposition of true Saints.
15. In peril of destruction.
16. Disobedience to a commandment.
17. Impossible to be a peculiar people.
18. Fail the test.
19. Wrong burial places.
20. Wrong place in heaven.
In 1830 the Lord said, "Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect. . . ." (D.& C. 29:73) But by 1907 the Church decided it was now called to bring to pass the "ungathering" of the elect:
The policy of the Church is not to entice or encourage people to leave their native lands; but to remain faithful and true in their allegiance to their governments, and to be good citizens. (Messages of the First Presidency 4:165)
Joseph Fielding Smith explained why the Church was building temples in foreign lands: "Our building of foreig,n temples is to encourage the saints to stay in their own countries." (Des. News Oct. 17 1936)
[17]
PICTURE OF JESUS LOOKING OUT OVER
33 A.D.
--"O Jerusalem,
1907 A.D. --"O Utah, Utah, . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"
[18] Social
Regarding
education, Mormons are currently being taught by the text books of
National heroes such as Washington, Jefferson, and Ben Franklin are being defamed and replaced. One textbook showed George Washington and Martin Luther King on the same page. And yet, according to FBI reports, King belonged to 32 subversive front organizations. Our leaders have minimized Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays, but they have made a big deal out of Martin Luther King's.
Race relations
are always strained in
Illegal drugs have created one of the largest businesses in this country, and it is expected to get much worse. It is impossible to patrol the entire Mexican border or the southern coastline. Testimony from Intelligence Officers has revealed that many political leaders in this country are involved in the drug business. Even some military aircraft are used, with immunity from inspection, to bring drugs into this county.
Morality in
this country continues to get worse at an alarming rate. Marriage is being
abandoned and illicit sexual sins are commonplace. Most of the high school boys
and girls engage in sexual activities.
Men all over the country are taking advantage of women; it becomes a conquest for them. Recently on a daytime television show three men bragged about all the women they had seduced. One admitted to nearly 2,000 women. In an interview a few years ago, Julio Iglesias, the noted singer, said he "had made love to not less than 3,000 ladies." (Ladies Home Journal, Aug. 1985, p. 69)
[19] How can righteous daughters be raised in society with these types of guys around? Added to this, another problem for LDS women is who do they marry? Consider the following alarming statistics:
The old statistics were grim enough. But the more recent statement given at this year's BYU Education Week seems even more dismal: For those older than the regular marrying age in the Church, there are 14 Melchizedek Priesthood holders for every 100 women! (Utah County Journal, Oct. 14, 1989, p. 13)
But
While
the Saints are living in
Economic
Instead of
carrying out the original intent of Brigham Young and the early pioneers to
become as economically independent as possible, the Mormons are steeped in the
banking system of
We ought to take a closer look at the American banking system and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). We should heed the many warnings, such as that given by Dave Saleh, author and staff researcher for McAlvany Intelligence:
At no time since the Great Depression has the U.S. banking system been in worse condition than it is today, with lower earnings, declining profitability and more bad loans than anytime since the 1930's.
The ominous condition of American banks should be a warning to all depositors and savers that trouble lies ahead, and all with eyes to see and ears to hear take heed! You must take specific, deliberate steps to insulate yourselves, your families, and your businesses from what may be a repeat of the horror of 1933. (American Survival Guide, p. 44, Sept. 1991)
As Mormons, we are being deceived again--this time regarding our Babylonians economic system. A picture of our country's banking history presents an important lesson to be learned especially by Latter-day Saints:
[20] Obviously, the handwriting is now on the wall. Don't be misled by congressional leaders, the media, or the current administration who want you to believe everything is OK. Deliberate and decisive action, taken immediately, may save you horrible financial loss and leave you able to take advantage of investment opportunities the majority of complacent bystanders (who trust the banking system) will miss.
--Dave Saleh
It has been reported that the savings and loan companies would fail first, then the banks, and after that would be the insurance companies. Banks are now going under and some of the insurance companies have folded.
[21] But people put
their faith in the economy of
If just one major money center bank fails, the FDIC insurance fund would be completely wiped out and require a massive federal infusion of cash to make up the shortfall.
In fact, Charles Bowsher, chairman of the Government Accounting Office recently told Congress that by September 1, without another major bank failure, the FDIC will run out of money. The FDIC at present has only 12 to 19 cents insurance for every $100 of insured bank deposits, and is the weakest it has been in its 56-year history. (Ibid.)
With all the
warnings the Lord has given in the scriptures, inspired visions and dreams, the
Mormons continue to trust in the sinking ship called
When the
Again the Lord said, "But it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin. (D & C 49:20)
Since Mormons exhibit great inequalities, they too lieth in sin. What is worse is, the Lord has said, "For if ye are not equal in earthly things, ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things." (D. & C. 78:6)
[22] But what is a
true
And the
Lord called his people
Do we live in a society where we are all of one heart? Do we care for the sick, the aged, or help the downtrodden? Do we have a society that are of one mind? Are we in harmony with our thinking, or do we have contention, disputes and law suits?
Are we
dwelling in righteousness, or do we have crime like the rest of
Obviously we
are not
In comparing
the present Latter-day Saints with a people in the Book of Mormon who had
And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus. * * *
And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
And there were no envying, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.
There
were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites;
but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the
Since that doesn't describe conditions today, let's try another scenario:
And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world.
And from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them.
And they
began to be divided into classes; and they began to build up churches unto
themselves to get gain, and began to deny the true
Unfortunately, that sounds more like us!
[23] Since the Church was organized in 1830, the history of the United Order has gone like this:
1830 - 1840: attempts were made but it failed.
1860 - 1890: many attempts were made but eventually they too failed.
1890 - 1900: The Church as a whole has made no further attempts to live it.
Out of all the branches and wards of the Church today, there is not one that is organized in the way God intended. Even in Brigham Young's day he lamented:
I
sometimes think that I would be willing to give anything, to do almost anything
in reason, to see one fully organized branch of this kingdom--one fully
organized ward. "But," says one, "I had
supposed that the
It was during
the 1860's that they began to establish wards of the United Order in full
organization. These little orders were planted from one end of the state to the
other, but only a few were very successful. They became a community and were
self-sustaining, and they had no poor among them. They were becoming like Enoch's
description of a
Each of these
successful orders was like a small church within the Church. Orderville became so prosperous that they ended up with
land in three states equal to one-third the size of the State of
We are brought to a situation in which Brigham Young begged the Elders to go out and take the responsibility to start up successful orders that would represent heaven instead of the systems of hell:
I have one little sermon to the Bishops, Bishop Young and all the rest of them, and to the Elders. I want to see a pattern set for this holy order, and I give to each one of them a mission to go and call together five, ten, twenty or fifty families, and organize a complete organization, and show the rest of us how to live. (J.D. 17:160)
[24] Organizational Chart
for Tithing and the United Order
[25] Spiritual
The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized to increase the spiritual
well-being of the Saints, has now become a money-making institution--a huge
financial empire with major businesses all over the world. A recent article in
the
No
religion in
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has built a diversified corporate organization that owns or has direct influence in insurance, broadcasting, movie and television production, newspaper publishing, book publishing, satellite communications, private schools, property development and leasing, agriculture, department stores, a tourist attraction, hotels and stocks and bonds.
The
church, which claims 7.8 million members worldwide, is among the most rapidly
growing and powerful economic institutions in the
Indeed it has
become one of the great corporate structures of
John the
Revelator makes an interesting interpretation of a vision given to him. He saw
a woman with twelve stars in her crown and identified her as "the
But today the
Church is wandering from her husband and fraternizing with
The Church is portrayed as a feminine entity. As a woman she is supposed to produce children. Those children are supposed to be clean from the sins of the world and living in unity. They should become like Christ in His position as their father, but instead she is bearing children who are little Babylonians--competing, cheating, stealing and fighting for filthy lucre. She ought to be producing little baby United Orders, because Christ said, "If ye are not one, ye are not mine." Since we are not one, who's children are we? The Church has become like the Federal Government--both are top heavy. Our government has become a huge international system, instead of a small efficient organization confined to ten square miles in Washington, D.C. Church headquarters has become a huge international system of corporate businesses, land speculation, with stocks and bonds in Babylon. Members are left to fend for themselves.
What should we do? Shall we continue to act like illegitimate Babylonian children--born, raised and supported by the kings of the earth? Or should we try to obey the instructions of our real Father?
[26] President Brigham Young described the condition of the Church and its members by saying:
Men have said, probably, to all of you who have been out and mingled with the world, "It is very well for you Latter-day Saints to talk about your condition now, because you are a primitive people, you are a young community, you have not been tempted and tried. Wait til you increase in wealth, and until you become familiar with the sins which surround the wealthy. Wait unto you are brought In contact with luxury; wait until the spirit of reform which animated your pioneers dies out, and a generation rises up who will think more of the world; then there will be a different feeling and spirit, and you will not be persecuted, hated or despised. You will become more popular, because the world will become familiarized with your ideas. Then `Mormonism' and the Latter-day Saints will become like every other people that have preceded them overcome by the luxuries of the world, and by the love of riches." (J.D. 15:207)
There are a few faithful souls who will persevere through the temptations, trials and wickedness of this world to be crowned "kings and priests unto God forever."
It will be a
great and glorious day for men and women to be given those keys to become
creators of a kingdom of their own. In that day they shall enter into the joy
of the lord to hear Him say "well done thou good and faithful servant,
thou hast been faithful over a few things, now you shall rule over many."
These will be the elect--those who have not been deceived and have not
subjected themselves to the ways of
[27] Chart of the
"But
seek ye first the
[28] Section IV
Conclusion
Shortly after
the Saints arrived in the
And with regard to the conduct of this people--if an angel should come here and speak his feelings as plainly as I do, I think he would say, "O Latter-day Saints! Why don't you see, why don't you open your eyes and behold the great work resting upon you and that you have entered into? You are blind, you are stupid, you are in the dark, in the mist and fog, wandering to and fro like a boat upon the water without sail, rudder or oar, and you know not whither you are going!" (Des. News, Aug. 19, 1877)
If those were his feelings and observations at that time, what would he say today?
The Prophet Joseph Smith also saw the future condition of the Church and told Mosiah Hancock:
You will live to see men arise in power in the Church who will seek to put down your friends and the friends of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Many will be hoisted because of their money and the worldly learning which they seem to be in possession of; and many who are the true followers of our Lord and Savior will be cast down because of their poverty. (Mosiah Hancock Journal, p. 19)
Members have
two choices: (1) support the ways of
Brigham Young also warned:
Any man
of this Church and kingdom who exerts his influence, strength, and means to
promote any community, or to build up any city, except the people and cities of
[29] Is it
not my privilege to give this people counsel to direct them so that their
labors will build up the
That is
a saying of one of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said it to me. Do
you want to know his name? It is not recorded in the New Testament among the
apostles, but it was an apostle whom the Lord called and ordained in this my
day, and in the day of a good portion of the congregation, and his name was
Joseph Smith, junior. These words were delivered to me in July, 1833, in the
town of
(Brigham Young, JD 12:59)
[30] We are a product of our thinking and our actions. This is true of nearly everything. For instance, if you see something that looks like a duck, it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, chances are it is a duck!
This can also
apply to Babylonians. If we look like Gentiles, live with them, do business with
them, become educated by them, invest our money with them, honor all their
laws, vote for them, build their cities, and even marry them, we, too, must be
Gentiles. If we really belonged to Christ and were laboring for
How did we get into this mess, and how are we going to get out of it?
1. Putting lamb's blood on our doorstep won't work this time.
2. The Federal Government will not help us; they are part of the problem.
3. Wall Street and the International Bankers won't help us; they are the ones planning for the calamities.
4. Moving to
5. Dashing to the temples (which are out of order) will not save us. Vaughn Featherstone said, "There will come a period of time where even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will feel secure only within these walls." ("A Haven in a World of Turmoil," p. 1) But eight million Mormons will not fit in the temples.
6. Keeping the Word of Wisdom, paying tithing, and living worthy of a temple recommend will help but it won't provide enough help.
7. In the coming calamities, the Church will not have sufficient temporal and spiritual power to save the people.
8. The few
patriots in
9. Many have thought the Ten Tribes would come back to help us out. There is not time now to show that this will not be the case.
10. Many more have thought the Indians would come and save us. There are many reasons why I don't believe that either.
Jesus said to
his Twelve, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the
Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the lost
sheep of the house of
The fact remains that they are "lost", which certainly doesn't sound as if they are very well informed as to their identity. And if the Apostles and Three Nephites have to go teach them, they are not very conversant with the Gospel.
[31] Actually all twelve tribes were lost. Even today most of them don't know who they are or where they are going.
Some people have said that the Ten Tribes would come back and straighten everything out. They trust that those Ten Tribes would save the Church and the nation. Vain hope! Don't count on the Ten Tribes to do much for Ephraim! It is the reverse.
Six months after the Church was organized, the Lord said, "Even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice.' (D & C 33:6)
Moses tried to gather Joseph Smith tried
the children of
THE PROMISED
LAND THE
In the final setting in order, the two best tribes will be Judah (presiding in the Old Jerusalem) and Joseph (presiding in the New Jerusalem). The other tribes will have to come in under their protection and rule.
The Lamanites are a part of the house of Joseph. They will come in and take part in the building of the New Jerusalem. We shall assist them. We shall assist them like an older brother taking care of a younger brother. Orson Pratt has clearly pointed this out in the following sermon:
[32] And then shall the work of the Father commence, at that day, even when this Gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, in that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people."
What I
wish to call your special attention to now, so far as these sayings are
concerned, it this--the Latter-day Saints in these mountains never can have the
privilege of going back to Jackson County and building that city which is to be
called the New Jerusalem, upon the spot that was appointed by revelation
through the Prophet Joseph, until quite a large portion of the remnants of
Joseph go back with us. Now then, here is a work for us, and we have no need to
pray the Father to return us to
Now, a
great many, without reading these things, have flattered themselves that we are
the ones who are going to do all this work. It is not so; we have got to be
helpers, we have got to be those who co-operate with the remnants of Joseph in
accomplishing this great work; for the Lord will have respect unto them,
because they are the blood of Israel, and the promises of their fathers extend
to them, and they will have the privilege of building that city, according to
the pattern that the Lord shall give. Do not misunderstand me, do not think
that all the Lamanite tribes are going to be
converted and receive this great degree of education and civilization before we
can return to
Will not
this be a great work? It will take a good while to gather all these tribe of
[33] Who will be the ones chosen to help set the house of God in order, to save the Israelites from destruction, and to lead the nations of the earth into the Kingdom of God?
Joseph of
Egypt had two prophetic dreams. In one he was shown 11 shocks of grain that
bowed down before his shock. That portrayed his brothers paying homage to him.
That was fulfilled when they came down to
In the second dream, he saw 11 stars bow down to his star. This was further in time--a greater distance and dimension. This relates to all of their descendants in the last days.
[34] Consider the
prophetic similarity of the present tribes of
The 11 brothers kicked Joseph out of the household because they didn't believe in his or his father's revelations. They sent him off with the Gentiles. From out of his lowly place he was chosen by the Lord to prepare for famine. Then came the brothers from the north country and brought treasures to buy food. When they learned his identity and favor with the Lord, they sang for joy that they had found their brother.
Now from the last revelations added to the Doctrine and Covenants:
And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; * * *
And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants.
And
there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in
And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy.
Behold,
this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of
And they also of the tribe of
The mission of
the tribe of Joseph is to prepare for the oncoming catastrophes, just as did
Joseph of old. They must prepare a temporal foundation of food and supplies for
the famines and judgments that are to come. These noble men of the earth must
also take the keys and responsibility of administering all the ordinances and
laws of the Gospel, thus becoming saviors on
The following two quotes show the leading role that the descendants of Joseph will have in the future:
That
element, that drove us away, not, perhaps, the first, but that very element is
beginning to follow in our track. What is its policy? The policy, no doubt, is
to cease to invade us by force of arms. But another is adopted, more easily
accomplished. What is it? Why, "We will oil our lips, and smooth our
tongues, and ingratiate ourselves into your favor; we will mingle and co-mingle
with you as brothers, and led you away; we will contaminate you, and by pouring
wealth into your laps, we will make you indifferent to your God, your faith and
your covenants." The object is to destroy those germs of greatness which
Heaven has planted in our souls, at which they feel alarmed--germs of greatness
which, if cultivated, will lead us to
wield a power to which the nations will have to bow, as the nations had to bow
to that Joseph who was sold into
Joseph <of Egypt> was foreordained to be the temporal saviour of his fathers house, and the seed of Joseph are ordained to be the spiritual and temporal saviours of all the house of Israel in the latter days. (Brigham Young, JD 7:29)
[35] The descendants of Joseph are different from the descendants of the other 11 tribes. They are the product of a great prophet who obeyed the fullness of the laws and ordinances of the Lord. The other eleven sons received only a portion of those revelations.
Today, in all probability, those who obey or who are willing to obey all of God's laws are descendants of Joseph. Those who accept only a part of the Gospel probably belong to one of the other tribes. This is a key to what is happening in the Church today. Those who honor all of God's laws are being rejected by their own "brethren". The tribe of Joseph may go to jail, as Joseph did; they may be given over to the Gentiles, as Joseph was. Those 11 tribes may reject the revelations that God had given, just as they did anciently; but someday the descendants of Joseph will be given their rightful place to rule over the other tribes and nations, just as did Joseph.
If you are a
true descendant of Joseph, you will feel the need and urgency to prepare for
the