Apostasy's Indicators
When we see the time that we can willingly strike hands and have full fellowship with those who dispise the Kingdom of God, know ye then that the Priesthood of the Son of God is out of your possession. (Brigham Young, J.D. 10:273
... when all the chief features of the Gospel are obliterated, when we can float along the stream and do as the world does, then and not then will persecution cease... (George Q. Cannon, J.D. 22:374)
There is nothing that would so soon weaken my hope and discourage me as to see this people in full fellowship with the world, and receive no more persecution from them because they are one with them. In such an event, we might bid farewell to the Holy Priesthood with all its blessings, privileges and aids to exaltations, principlalities and powers in the eternities of the Gods. (Brigham Young, J.D. 10:32)
The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisioned the true prophets and these had to hide themselves "in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth," and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrates, imposters, and the basest of men. (Joseph Smith, T.P.J.S., pg. 206)
For both the prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord.
I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies; they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me like Sodom, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain; they speak a vison of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
They say still unto those who despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? Who hath marked his word, and heard it?
Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind; it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. (The Lord, Jeremiah 23: 11, 14, 16-22)
And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.
Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek akk manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.
But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your own eyes, and do whatever your heart desireth -- and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.
Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.
O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light? (Helaman 13: 25-29)
When "Mormonism" finds favor with the wicked in this land, it will have gone into the shade; but until the power of the Priesthood is gone, "Mormonism" will never become popular with the wicked. (Brigham Young, J.D. 4:38)
Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (The Lord, Matthew 5:11-12)
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. (John 15:18-19)
And when the spirit of persecution, the spirit of hatred, of wrath, and malice ceases in the world against this people, it will be the time that this people have apostitized and joined hands with the wicked, and never until then; which I pray may never come. (Brigham Young, J.D. 4:327)
You might as well deny Mormonism and turn away from it as to oppose the plurality of wives. Let the presidency of this Church, and the twelve apostles, and all the authorties unite and say with one voice that they will oppose the doctrine, and the whole of them would be damned. (Heber C. Kimball, J.D. 5:203)
Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned. (Brigham Young, Deseret News, Nov. 14, 1855)
Some people have supposed that the doctrine of plural marriage was a sort of superfluity or non-essential of mankind. In other words, some of the saints have said and believe that a man with one wife sealed to him by the authority of the priesthood for time and eternity, will receive an exultation as great and glorious if he is faithful, as he possibly could with more than one, I wish here to enter my solemn protest against this idea for I know it is false. There is no blessing promised except upon conditions of law, upon which the same is promised. The marriage of one woman to a man for time and eternity by the sealing power according to the law of God is a fulfillment of the celestial law of marriage in part. But this is only the beginning of the law, not the whole of it. Therefore, whosoever has imagined that he could obtain the fulness of the blessing pertaining to this celestial law, by complying with only a portion of its conditions, has deceived himself, he cannot do it. (Joseph F. Smith, J.D. 20:26-31)
President Brigham Young spoke one hour eighteen minutes. In his remarks he said that a man who did not have but one wife in the resurrection that woman will not be his but will be taken from him and given to another but he may be saved in the Kingdom of God but be single to all eternity. (Brigham Young Quote, Wilford Woodruff Journal, entry Aug. 31, 1873, Mt. Paris, Idaho)
In the celestial glory there are three degrees;
And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
For behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.
For all who have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world.
And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.
Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved.
But if ye enter not into my law ye cannot receive the promise of my Father, which he made unto Abraham.
And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood -- if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified. (The Lord, Doctrine and Covenants, 131:1-3, 132:4-6, 32-33 & 61)
The same God that has thus far dictated me and directed me and strengthened me in this work, gave me this revelation and commandment of celestial and plural marriage and the same God commanded me to obey it.
`He said to me that unless I accepted it and introduced it, and practiced it, I, together with my people, would be damned and cut off from this time hence forth. And they say if I do so, they will kill me. O, what shall I do? If I do not practice it, I shall be damned with my people. If I teach it, and practice it, and urge it, they say they will kill me and I know they will. But we have got to observe it. It is an eternal principle and was given by way of commandment and not by way of instruction. (Joseph Smith, Contributor, Vol. 5, pg. 259)
The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may even be permitted to come into the presence of the Father and the Son; but they cannot reign as kings in glory, because they had blessings offered unto them and they refussed to accept them. Brigham Young, J.D. 11:269)
The reason why the Church and Kingdom of God cannot advance without the Patriarchal order of marriage, is that it belongs to this dispensation, just as baptism for the dead does, or any law or ordinance that belongs to a dispensation. Without it the Church cannot progress.
If we do not embrace that principle soon, the keys will be turned against us. If we do not keep the same law that our Heavenly Father has kept, we cannot go with him. (Wilford Woodruff, Life of Wilford Woodruff, pg. 542)
There is no half-way house. The childish babble about another revelation is only evidence of how half informed men can talk. The Mormons have either to spurn their religion and their God, and sink half damned in the eyes of all civilization at a moment when blessed in the practice of their faith, or go calmly on to the same which they have always had. The doctrine of polygamy with the Mormons is no one of a kind that in the religious world is classed with non-essentials. It is not an item of doctrine that can be yielded, and faith in the system remain -- the whole question, therefore narrows itself to this in the Mormon mind. Polygamy was revealed by God or the entire fabric of their faith is false. To ask them to relinquish the whole, to acknowledge their priesthood a lie, their ordinances a deception, and all they have toiled for, or hoped for, a miserable failure and a waste of life. (Brigham Young, Millennial Star, 27:673)
There are men who say: "Yield this practice [plural marriage] for the present; perhaps public opinion may soften and this principle may be taught and practiced."
I look upon such a suggestion as from the devil. It would be quite as proper to propose apostacy for a short season until public opinion would become more favorable to us. If there are any in the Church who cannot stand the pressure, instead of talking compromise, let them withdraw quietly from the Church. If they can see nothing in the principle of celestial marriage worth contending for, leave those who do see and appreciate its value to fight the battle alone. (George Q. Cannon, Juvenile Instructor, 20:156)
We are told that if we would give up polygamy -- which we know to be a doctrine revealed from heaven, and it is God and the world for it -- but suppose this Church should give up this holy order of marriage, then would the devil, and all who are in league with him against the cause of God, rejoice that they had prevailed upon the Saints to refuse to obey one of the revelations and commandments of God to them. (Brigham Young, J.D. 11:239)
What would be necessary to bring about the result nearest the hearts of the opponents of "Mormonism", more properly termed the Gospel of the Son of God? Simply to renounce, abrogate or apostatize from the new and everlasting covenant of marriage in its fullness. Were the Church to do that as an entirety God would reject the Saints as a body. the authority of the Priesthood would be withdrawn, with its gifts and powers, and there would be no more heavenly recognition of the ministrations among the people. The heavens would permanently withdraw themselves, and the Lord would raise up another people of greater valor and stability, for His work must, according to His unalterable decrees, go forward, for the time of the second coming of the Savior is near, even at the doors. Therefore the Saints have no alternative but to stand by the truth and sustain what the heavens have established and propose to perpetuate. This they do, come life or death, freedom or imprisonment, and there is, so far as we can observe, no use to attempt to disguise this fact. (Charles W. Penrose, Deseret Evening News, April 23, 1885)
Hear it, O ye Elders of Israel, and mark it down in your log books: The fullness of the gospel is the united order and plural marriage, and I fear that when I am gone, the people will depart from these principles which we have prized so highly, and if they do, the Church cannot advance as God wishes it to. (Brigham Young, St. George Temple Dedication)
But I will prophesy concerning this Church and the people, that all who will not come into that order of things, when God, by his sservants, counsels them so to do, will cease growing in the knowledge of God, they will cease having the Spirit of the Lord to rest upon them, and they will gradually grow darker and darker in their minds, until they lose the Spirit and power of God, anf their names will not be numbered with the names of the righteous. You may put that down and record it. (Orson Pratt, J.D. 15:357)
For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization [United Order] of my people...
For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven;
That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things.
For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things;
For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.
And now, verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient that all things be done unto my glory, by you who are joined together in this order... (The Lord, D&C 78:3-8)
The Lord has declared it to be His will that His people enter into a covenant, even as Enoch and his people did, which of necessity must be before we shall have the privilege of building up the Center State of Zion,... (Brigham Young, J.D. 18:263)
If men could acquire salvation, they have got to be subject, before they leave this word, to certain rules and principles, which were fixed by an unalterable decree before the world was. (Joseph Smith, D.H.C. 6:51)
[The people] are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom;
And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself. (The Lord, D&C 105:4-5)
...the Lord would be glad to see the people practice out of doors what they hypocritically profess before Him indoors. They say they are the Lord's, and when their children are taken sick, or their wives, fathers, mothers, or husbands are taken sick, O, how humble they then are, and they will send for the Elders to pray for them, and acknowledge that all is the Lord's, and say, "We give ourselves and all we have to thee." The Lord makes them well by His power, through the ordinances of His house, but will they consecrate? No, They said, "It is mine, and I will have it myself." There is the treasure, and the heart is with it, and what will be the end thereof? That which they seem to have will be given to those who are faithful, and they will receive nothing at all. (Brigham Young, J.D. 2:306)
It is that you do consecrate yourselves, your time, talents, and everything with which the Lord has blessed you, or with which he may bless you, to the Church of Jesus Chrisr of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion. (The Law of Consecration)
...some of them broke the most sacred and solemn covenants made before high heaven in relation to that order. The Lord said concerning them that they should be delivered over to the buffetings of Satan in this world, as well as be punisihed in the world to come. He also told them that that soul that sinned and would not comply with the covenant and promise which they made before him in relation to their properties, should have his former sins returned to him, which had been before remitted in baptism.
This ought to be an example for us who are living at a later period in the history of the Church of the living God, and who ought, by this time, to have become thoroughly experienced in the law of God. (Orson Pratt, J.D. 15:358)
But I will tell you one thing you can never do -- unless you can get the United Order in the hearts of the people, you can never plant it anywhere else; articles and constitutions, amount to very little; we must have this law, which is the law of God, written in our hearts. (John Taylor, J.D. 20:45)
It was one of the first commandments or revelatios given to this people after they had privilege of organizing themselves as a Church, as a body, as the Kingdom of God on the earth. I observed then, and I now think, that it will be one of the last revelations which the people will receive into their hearts and understanding of their own free will and choice, and esteem it a pleasure, a privilege, and a blessing unto them to observe and keep most holy. (Brigham Young, J.D. 2:299)
I cannot conceive of anything more beautiful and heavenly than a united brotherhood, organized after the pattern laid down in the Doctrine and Covenants; when all actfor the benefit of all -- when while we love God with all our hearts we love our neighbor as ourselves; where our time, our property, our talents, our mental and bodily powers, are all exerted for the good of all; where no man grabs or takes advantage of another; where there is common interest, a common purse, a common stock; where as they did on this continent, it is said of them that "they all dealt justly to each other," and all acted for the general weal, "when every man in every place could meet a brother and a friend," when all the generous and benevolent influences and sypathies of our nature are carried out, and covetousness, arrogance, hatred and pride and every evil are subdued, and brought into subjection to the will and Spirit of God. These principles are very beautiful and would be very happifying for a community, a Territory, a State, nation or the world. (John Taylor, J.D. 17:180)
...the Lord Almighty has not the least objection in the world to our entering into the Order of Enoch. I will stand between the people and all harm in this. He has not the least objection to any man, every man, all mankind on the face of the earth turning from evil and loving and serving him with all their hearts. (Brigham Young, J.D. 16:8)
Shall we ever return to the law [of Consecration] of God? Yes. When? Why, when we will. We are agents; we can abide this law or reject it, just as long as we please, for God has not taken away your agency nor mine. (Orson Pratt, J.D. 17:111)
In some of the first revelations which were given to the Church, the Order of Enoch was given for a pattern to this people; and Enoch patterned after the heaven. In the commencement of the Church, the Latter-dat Saints could not receive it, and they were driven from city to city, as the Lord said they should be, through the mouth of his servant Joseph, until they should be willing to receive this Order. (Brigham Young, J.D. 12:210)
I do not know but that it would be an utter impossibility to commence and carry out some principles pertaining to Zion right in the midst of this people. They have strayed so far that to get a people who would conform to heavenly laws, it may be needful to lead some from the midst of this people and commence anew somewhere in the regions round about these mountains. (Orson Pratt, J.D. 15:361)
If we are disposed to enter the Order of Enoch, now is the accepted time and blessed are the Latter-day Saints. But if we are not disposed to enter the Order, the curse of God will come upon this people; I cannot help it. I will not curse them. But the time has come for this work to be commenced. (Brigham Young, Annals of the Southern Utah Mission, Book B, pg. 218)
...we will summons the First Presidency, the Twelve, the High Council, the Bishopric, and all the Elders of Israel, suppose we summons them to appear here, and here declare that it is right to mingle our seed, with the black race of Cain, that they shall come in with us and be partakers with us of all the blessings God has given to us. On that very day and hour we should do so, the priesthood is taken from this Church and Kingdom, and God leaves us to our fate. The moment we consent to mingle with the seed of Cain the Church must go to destruction -- we should receive the curse which has been placed upon the seed of Cain, and never more be numbered with the children of Adam who are heirs to the priesthood until that curse be removed. (Brigham Young, Address to the State Legislature, Feb. 5, 1853
Now says the Grandfather, I will not destroy the seed of Michael and his wife; and Cain I will not kill you, nor suffer anyone to kill you, but I will put a mark upon you. What is this mark? You will see it on the countenance of every African you ever did see upon the face of the earth, or ever will see. Now I tell you what I know; when the mark was put upon Cain, Abel's children were in all probability young; the Lord told Cain that he should not receive the blessings of the priesthood nor his seed, until the last of the posterity of Abel had received the priesthood, until the redemption of the earth. If there ever was a prophet, or an apostle of Jesus Christ spoke it before, I tell you, this people that are commonly called negroes are the children of old Cain. I know they are, I know they cannot bear rule in the priesthood, for the curse on them was to remain upon them, until the residue of the posterity of Michael and his wife receive the blessings, the seed of Cain would have received had they not been cursed; and hold the keys of the priesthood, until the times of the restitution shall come, and the curse be wiped off the earth, and from Michaels seed. Then Cain's seed will be had in remembrance, and the time come when that curse should be wiped off. (ibid)
I referred to the curse of Ham for laughing at Noah, while in his wine, but doing no harm. Noah was a righteous man, and yet drank wine and became intoxicated; the Lord did not forsake him in consequence thereof, for he retained all the power of his priesthood, and when he was accused by Canaan, he cursed him by the priesthood which he held, and the Lord had respect to his word, and the priesthood which he held, notwithstanding he was drunk, and the curse remains upon the posterity of Canaan until the present day. (Joseph Smith, D.H.C. 4:445-446)
...when all the rest of the children [of Adam and Eve] have received their blessings in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are entitled to. (Brigham Young, J.D. 11:272)
Negroes in this life are denied the priesthood; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty. (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pg. 527)
The Lord said I will not kill Cain, but I will put a mark upon him, and that mark will be seen upon the face of every negro upon the face of the earth; and it is the decree of God that that mark shall remain upon the seed of Cain until the seed of Abel shall be redeemed, and Cain shall not receive the priesthood, until the time of that redemption. (Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff, p. 351)
[Abraham Smoot inquiring of Joseph Smith] What should be done with the Negroes in the South as I was preaching to them? [Joseph] said I could baptize them by the consent of their masters, but could not confer the Priesthood upon them. (Joseph Smith, L. John Nuttall Journal, May 31, 1879)
When all of the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood, and of coming into the kingdom of God, and of being redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, and have received their ressurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity...he is the last to share the joys of the kingdom of God. (Brigham Young, J.D. 2:143)
...and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. (The Lord, Zechariah 14:21)
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. (Brigham Young, J.D. 10:110) ©