Doctrines Of Salvation - Internet Archive

459APOSTATE CHRISTIANITY CARRIES NO WARNING OF SECOND COMING. It iswell understood that the teachings of the so-called Christian churches have been declared inall the world for many hundreds of years. In all lands churches have been organized andministers have proclaimed their teachings. There is nothing peculiar about their message inrelation to the present age -- nothing distinctive which would mark any one or all of them hishaving the special declaration of the gospel of the kingdom which was promised as a witnessin the latter days.The implication in these words of our Lord -- that "this gospel of the kingdom shall bepreached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" 5. 21 -the implication is that in the last days the Lord would give as a sign to all nations the sendinganew of the message of the gospel of the kingdom and that it would be different from theteachings then being taught and received among the nations. Otherwise how could it bedistinguished and accepted as a sign of his second coming?Moreover, when this declaration of the gospel of the kingdom should reach all nations, thenshould the end come, or in other words, the time for the appearance of our Lord. Thepreaching of the many doctrines of the various denominations was carried to all nationsmany long years ago, but the end did not come with this universal declaration.RESTORED GOSPEL WARNS THE WORLD. Joseph Smith and his associates were taughtby heavenly messengers and by revelation that the burden of this message was upon them.They were instructed that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was duly appointedto send forth ambassadors for Christ with the special message of this gospel of the kingdomto all nations. The Lord said in this connection: "And the voice of warning shall be unto allpeople, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days. And they shallgo forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them."6. 22The Latter-day Saints may be considered strange and peculiar in believing that they havebeen called upon to fullfil this ancient scripture, but it is with full confidence that the Lordhas spoken that they are diligently' sending missionaries into all parts of the earth. Moreover,when all nations have heard this message, as it has been revealed in these last days, then maywe look forth for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for at that day all nationswill have been warned by the messengers who were sent unto them according to the Lord'spromise. 6. 23MODERN INVENTIONS AID IN RAISING WARNING VOICE. This work of preachingthe gospel to the nations has not yet been finished. The missionaries of the Church are nowgoing out with this message, but the Lord has said he would cut short his work inrighteousness, 6. 24 moreover that he would hasten it in its time.6. 25 By means of moderninvention and discovery we can readily see how this may be accomplished, and the hearts ofthe people of the earth he reached by radio, through the press, and by communication such as

460the nations of the earth did not have in former times. I do not know how long it will bebefore this mission shall be accomplished and these words of our Lord and Savior JesusChrist shall be fulfilled, but that he will work speedily, that he will accomplish his purposeswithin the time that he has set, I fully believe, and his promises shall not fail. 7. 26DISASTERS FOLLOW REJECTION OF GOSPEL WARNING. From time to time,someone filled with hatred of the truth, in the blind desire to destroy the work of the Lord,appeals to the nations to cast out the elders of Israel who are carrying this message ofsalvation unto all who will believe, and warning others that they may be left without excuse.It would be a sorry day for any nation, where the gospel is being preached, should itconclude to drive the elders of the Church from its borders and deny them the right to preachthe gospel among the people. The elders insure peace unto the nations, so long as they willhear the message of salvation and will protect and defend the truth, When the time comesthat the nations will cast the elders out and no longer receive their testimony, but "bow toSatan's thrall," as we heard in the anthem this afternoon, woe be unto them.We read in the word of the Lord that after the testimony of the elders will come wrath andindignation upon the people. For after their testimony will come the testimony ofearthquakes that shall cause suffering and sorrow, and men shall fall upon the ground forfear. There shall come also the testimony of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and thevoice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond theirbounds. All things shall be in commotion, and men's hearts shall fail them because of fearthat shall come upon the people, These things shall follow the testimony of the elders of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when the people of the world reject them anddrive them from their borders. 8. 27GOSPEL ACCEPTANCE BEFORE SECOND COMING"TIMES OF GENTILES" TO BE FULFILLED. We go unto them with a message of peace,of truth, of eternal salvation, calling upon them to repent of their sins and enter into the truefold, where they may receive rest. When they will not do this, but to the contrary, will listento the unrighteous and condemn the truth, then God will withdraw the gospel from amongthem. In that day the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled and the gospel will be carried tothe Jews. 8. 28 For, this gospel must be preached to them as well as to the Gentile nations;and a remnant of the Jews will gather -- as they are gathering since the dedication of theirland for their return -- in Palestine, and as a remnant of Ephraim and his fellows are nowgathering to the land of Zion.JEWS TO BE CONVENED AT SECOND COMING. The Jews in due time will beestablished in their own land, and the Lord will come, according to his promise, unto hispeople in the hour of their distress and will deliver them from their enemies. Then will theylook upon him and discover his wounds and shall say: "What are these wounds in thine

461hands?" And he shall answer them: "Those with which I was wounded in the house of myfriends." Then will they fall down and worship him as their Redeemer -- the Son of God.8. 29After that they will be cleansed of their sins and shall receive the gospel. 8. 30And the nations that seek to destroy Jerusalem in that day will the Lord destroy, for he shallbe King over all the earth, and righteousness shall prevail among the people. 8. 31 Zion shallbe established on this continent; Jerusalem will be re-established on the old continent, andwickedness will depart from the earth, for when Christ comes and the righteous with him,the wicked will be as stubble and will be consumed.9. 32Therefore, I desire to bear my testimony unto all people and say unto those who raise theirhands against this work See that you do it not, for this is the work of God. He has establishedit, and when you reject it, you reject him, and after the testimony of the elders will come thetestimony of trouble and distress as the prophets have predicted.9. 33JEWS TO BEGIN TO BELIEVE BEFORE SECOND COMING. Not many of the Jews, Itake it from my reading of the scriptures, will believe in Christ before he comes, The Bookof Mormon tells us that they shall begin to believe in him9. 34 They are now beginning tobelieve in him, The Jews today look upon Christ as a great Rabbi. They have accepted himas one of their great teachers; they have said that, "He is Jew of Jew, the greatest Rabbi ofthem all," as one has stated it. When the gospel was restored in 1830, if a Jew had mentionedthe name of Christ in one of the synagogues, he would have been rebuked. Had a rabbireferred to him, the congregation would have arisen and left the building. And so, we see thesentiment has changed. Now I state this on Jewish authority that they are beginning tobelieve in Christ, and some of them are accepting the gospel.But in the main they will gather to Jerusalem in their unbelief; the gospel will be preached tothem; some of them will believe. Not all of the Gentiles have believed when the gospel hasbeen proclaimed to them, but the great body of the Jews who are there assembled will notreceive Christ as their Redeemer until he comes himself and makes himself manifest untothem. 9. 35WHERE LORD WILL FIND FAITH AT HIS COMING. I can testify that when the Lordwill come, he will, find faith upon the earth.10. 36 That faith, however, which he will find,shall be limited to a very small portion of the inhabitants of the earth, He will not find faithin the nations abroad to any noticeable extent; he will not find faith among the peoples of theearth who have not received the gospel as it has been restored. But there will be faith amongthose of the house of Israel who have been gathered out from the nations and who haverepented of their sins and received the message that came through the Prophet JosephSmith.10. 37JOSEPH SMITH: MESSENGER BEFORE THE LORD

462MESSENGER TO PREPARE WAY FOR SECOND COMING. One of the quotations givento Joseph Smith by Moroni, September 21, 1823, was the following: "Behold, I will send mymessenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shallsuddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."10. 38In quoting the words of Malachi to Joseph Smith the Angel Moroni also said that thesewords were shortly to be fulfilled: "But who may abide the day of his [Christ's] coming? andwho shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: Andhe shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purgethem as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Thenshall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old,and as in former years."And I [Christ] will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against thesorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those thatoppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside thestranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts."11. 39SECOND COMING A DAY OF VENGEANCE AND JUDGMENT. In believing that thishas reference to the second coming of Christ the Latter-day Saints stand in a peculiarposition among all people, for it is the general belief that this had fulfilment in the firstcoming of Christ. If we investigate the matter, however, it is made very clear that in the daysof the ministry of the Redeemer of the world, he did not come in judgment and to purify inthe crucible so that all dross should be destroyed. In that day he was abused and persecutedand denied by men. The widow and the fatherless were not given justice against those whooppressed them. Sorcerers and adulterers were not punished, and all men were able to abidethat day,But, when Christ comes the second time it will be in the clouds of heaven, and it shall be theday of vengeance against the ungodly, when those who have loved wickedness and havebeen guilty of transgression and rebellion against the laws of God will be destroyed. Allduring the ministry of Christ wickedness ruled and seemed to prevail, but when he comes inthe clouds of glory as it is declared in this message of Malachi to the world, and which wassaid by Moroni to be near at hand, then Christ will appear as the refiner and purifier of bothman and beast and all that pertains to this earth, for the earth itself shall undergo a changeand receive its former paradisiacal glory. 11. 40JOSEPH SMITH PREPARED WAY FOR RETURN OF LORD. Joseph Smith was sent toprepare the way for this second coming, by the proclamation of the fulness of the gospel andthe granting to all men the means of escape from iniquity and transgression. The fulfilmentof this prophecy by Malachi is even now at our doors, and before many years have passedaway Christ shall come as the re finer and purifier of this earth which today is suffering in

463the throes of lawlessness and transgression.When that day comes, then all that is evil shall he removed, and the words of the Lord shallbe fulfilled wherein he has said: "I have trodden the winepress alone: and of the people therewas none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; andtheir blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the dayof vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."12. 41In this day messengers of the Lord have been sent. John the Baptist came to Joseph Smithand Oliver Cowdery and gave them his priesthood, thus preparing the way for the coming ofthe Lord. 12. 42 Moreover, the Lord has come suddenly to his temple and in it ministered toJoseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, April 3, 1836. In that temple Joseph and Oliver receivedauthority for the purging of the sons of Levi, and for the gathering of the Jews so thateventually their offerings may be pleasant before the Lord, when they return to their land andare forgiven for their transgressions. 12. 43LORD HAS "SUDDENLY COME TO HIS TEMPLE." Malachi said the Lord wouldsuddenly come to his temple.12. 44 In 1830 our Savior said he would come suddenly to histemple. 12. 45 That coming was for a definite purpose: To restore keys; to purge the sons ofLevi; to prepare for the offering of Judah when the Jews will be cleansed of their iniquity;and to be as a refiner and purifier, bringing salvation to all men who will obey his voice.It is true that many even of the Latter-day Saints are looking forth to that coming of ourLord. Let us stop and reflect a moment. Has the Lord not come already suddenly to histemple to bring about these glorious purposes? Christ appeared suddenly in this temple.Then He sent Moses with the keys for the gathering of Israel. Since Moses established Aaronand the Levites in their priesthood, do not these keys also confer the power in thisdispensation for the purging of Levi and Judah that they may offer an offering inrighteousness?Do not the keys held by Elias confer all that was held by Abraham? Do not the keys held byElijah grant to the Church all the power of sealing authority? Is it not a fact that either in thistemple. or in some other consecrated spot, all the keys of all the prophets since the wouldbegan have now been revealed and restored to earth for the complete consummation of thework of the Lord? Is not the great and dreadful day of the Lord very near our doors? Whatelse by way of authority for the salvation of man is to be revealed? Is not the fulness of thegospel here? 13. 46COMING OF CHRIST AT ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN. Daniel speaks of the coming of Christ,and that day is near at hand. There will be a great gathering in the Valley ofAdam-ondi-Ahman; there will be a great council held. The Ancient of Days, who is Adam,will sit. The judgment -- not the final judgment -- will be held, where the righteous who haveheld keys will make their reports and deliver up their keys and ministry. Christ will come,

464and Adam will make his report. At this council Christ will be received and acknowledged asthe rightful ruler of the earth. Satan will be replaced.13. 47 Following this event everygovernment in the world, including the United States, will have to become part of thegovernment of God.14. 48 Then righteous rule will be established. The earth will becleansed; the wicked will be destroyed; and the reign of peace will be ushered in.14. 49Now we are looking forward to that time. We are hoping for it; we are praying for it. Therighteous will rejoice when he comes, because then peace will come to the earth,righteousness to the people, and that same spirit of peace and joy and happiness whichprevailed upon this continent for 200 years among the Nephites shall again be establishedamong the people and eventually shall become universal, and Christ shall reign as Lord oflords and King of kings for 1,000 years. We are looking forward to that time.14. 50THE LAST DAYSWHAT IS MEANT BY THE LAST DAYS. The Lord has declared, by his own voice and byrevelation to his servants, the prophets, that we are living in the last days. 14. 51 When wespeak of the last days, we do not mean that this is the end of the earth, that it shall ceasepresently to exist. We mean that we are living in that period of time known as thedispensation of the fulness of times, in which the Father has promised to gather all thingstogether in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth.14. 52 We mean we areliving in the day when unrighteousness shall cease, when wickedness shall no longer befound on the face of the earth, when this earth shall be turned over, according to the promisethe Lord made to Daniel the Prophet, to the saints of the Most High, who shall possess itforever and ever. 14. 53PERILOUS NATURE OF LAST DAYS. We are living in a critical period of the world'shistory. Great events are before us. The Lord in his mercy, and with justice and judgment, isgoing to cut short his work in righteousness.15. 54 The decrees have gone forth, and itbehooves us as members of the Church to be united and to serve him and keep all hiscommandments. 15. 55We are living in a day of trouble, of tribulation, when men's hearts are failing them, TheLord pointed out this day while in his ministry and admonished by prophecy those livingnow to watch and pray, that they might not be led astray, that they might not be foundunprepared, should they be so fortunate as to be here at the great day of his coming. 15. 56We are living in perilous times, in a day when the mission of the Church is perhaps morepronounced, and our message to the world more clearly defined, than ever before, As apeople we stand as witnesses for Christ in a day when the world has turned from him, whenthey are teaching the doctrines of men and discarding the fundamental truths of the Christianfaith. 15. 57

465HARVEST OF THE WHEAT: BURNING OF THE TARES. The parable the Lord taught ofthe wheat and the tares had reference to the last days, According to the story a sower plantedgood seed in his field, but while he slept the enemy came and sowed tares in the field, Whenthe blades began to show, the servants desired to go and pluck up the tares, but the Lordcommanded them to let both the wheat and the tares grow up together until the harvest wasripe, lest they root up the tender wheat while destroying the tares, Then at the end of theharvest, they were to go forth and gather the wheat and bind the tares to be burned, In theexplanation of this parable, the Lord laid to his disciples that "the harvest is the end of theworld; and the reapers are the angels." 15. 58The tares and the wheat are growing together and have been growing in the same field for allthese years, but the day is near at hand when the wheat will be garnered, and the tareslikewise will be gathered to be burned, and there will come a separation, the righteous fromthe wicked. And it behooves each one of us to keep the commandments of the Lord, torepent of our sins, to turn unto righteousness, if there is need of repentance in our hearts.16. 59IMMINENT SEPARATION OF RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED. The tares are being boundin bundles to be burned, The wheat is being garnered into barns, and the day of separation isnear at hand. Even the Church shall be cleansed, and those who are of the world, who arenumbered among the members of the Church, will be cast out, and will fi

DOCTRINES OF SALVATION Volume III. 455 PREFACE This third volume in the Doctrines of Salvation series gives pointed consideration to many of the most fascinating and little understood principles of the gospel. In it President Joseph Fielding Smith points out the signs of the times, analyzes the