I will call the attention of the congregation to a passage in the
prophecy of Joel, second chapter, commencing with the 28th verse:
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit
upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions:
"And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will
I pour out my spirit.
"And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and
fire, and pillars of smoke.
"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and terrible day of the Lord come."
These words were spoken by the inspired man long before the first
coming of our Savior; they refer to the future condition of the world,
a state of things that has never been known to have existed upon our
earth since the Prophet lived here. All flesh should be under the
influence of the Spirit of God, and not only all human flesh, but also
the animal creation, and all things living. The effect of the
outpouring of this Holy Spirit upon mankind will be to cause the young
people to prophesy, making revelators of them, and the older ones to
dream dreams. This prophecy was quoted by the Apostle Peter on the day
of Pentecost, when under the influence of the same Spirit. It was not
referred to, however, with the intention of declaring its fulfillment
at that time, but merely to inform the unbelieving Jews that it was
the same Spirit which Joel spoke of. It will be remembered that on the
morning of the day of Pentecost, about 120 disciples had received this
Spirit. On that occasion, while assembled in the Temple, it
operated so powerfully upon them, that the illiterate and unlearned
were enabled to speak in different languages, and that it manifested
itself in the form of cloven tongues, like fire in appearance. The
people who witnessed these operations marveled and wondered
exceedingly. But some were inclined to evil, and accused these men of
God of drunkenness. It was then that the Apostle Peter, in order to
correct any false impression upon the minds of the congregation,
arose, and after denying the accusation of these evil-disposed
persons, said, "This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel,"
quoting the prophecy nearly word for word.
Some have supposed that the prophecy was then fulfilled. It is very
evident to everyone who will reflect for a few moments, that such was
not the case, but that the Spirit which rested upon those one hundred
and twenty was the same Spirit that should, in the last days, be
poured out upon all flesh. It is still further evident that it was not
then fulfilled, as appears from the following: "I will show wonders in
the heavens and in the earth—blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood," etc.,
having reference to His second coming, when these great events should
take place. It is generally believed, by the various Christian
churches, that there are to be no more revelations, or visions, or
dreams, given by the Spirit of God, and this belief has been
entertained for generations by millions of people terming themselves
Christians. But when this prophecy is really fulfilled, all men and
women upon the earth will become revelators, receiving from the
heavens information and knowledge by the power of that Spirit poured
out upon them. I think our present Bible will then be greatly
enlarged, should their revelations be written.
Before all flesh receive the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God is to
appear upon the earth. The work is to be commenced, and his Spirit
poured out upon a few, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man,
that there may be Prophets and revelators again on the earth, and the
true Church of God again exist among men, as anciently. The time
having fully arrived, in this the 19th century, for the prophecies to
be fulfilled, in regard to the setting up of the latter-day kingdom,
the Lord and his angel, as predicted in the 14th chapter of John's
Revelation, revealed the original plates from which the Book of
Mormon was translated by inspiration and the aid of the Urim and
Thummim, is found to contain the fullness of the Gospel of the Son of
God, as revealed in ancient times to the Israelites of this western
hemisphere, the forefathers of our Indian race. They understood the
Gospel and also the law of Moses, the latter of which they had kept
for nearly 600 years before Christ. After His crucifixion and
resurrection from the dead, they were favored with His personal
ministry; the Gospel was taught them in great plainness, and twelve
men were chosen on this continent, and commissioned to go forth and
preach the fullness of the Gospel to all the inhabitants of the land.
These Twelve men, like the Apostles of the eastern hemisphere,
preached faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and baptism by immersion in
water for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost; and upon those who believed and obeyed,
the Spirit of the Lord was poured out to a very great extent.
They had visions, and dreams, and revelations, and great
manifestations of the power of God, and the people generally of both
North and South America were converted and were taught and instructed
in the things of God. Yet this did not include all flesh, and
therefore did not fulfil the prophecy of Joel.
The Lord has brought to light these ancient records, containing the
fullness of the Gospel, which he has commanded to be preached and
published to every nation and in every tongue upon the face of the
earth, that all of his numerous children may have the opportunity to
hear, and, through obedience to its requirements, may receive the Holy
Ghost, the Comforter, which should reveal to them the mind and will of
God concerning them, and lead them in the path of truth. This command
strictly specifies that this Gospel is to be preached to all the
world, but first to the Gentile nations, and when they are fully
warned, and their times are fulfilled, then the Lord will declare the
law and the testimony sealed, so far as preaching any more to them is
concerned; and he will once more commission his servants to go to the
Jews, the House of Israel, whom the Lord will prepare, through his own
power and wisdom, to receive the message, and not reject it as they
anciently did. Scores of thousands, among the different nations, have
already received the ministry of the Gospel, revealed by the angel,
and they have been filled with the Holy Ghost, according to the
promise made to every soul who will believe and repent of his sins;
and they have measurably become revelators and prophets. This,
therefore, is the beginning of the great latter day work, which will
never end, until all flesh, that will not be destroyed from the face
of the earth by the judgments spoken of, will be made partakers of
this same Spirit, and it will have the same effect promised.
You may ask, Why it has not been the case since the first century of
the Christian era? Why it has not been fulfilled among the various
Christian denominations of our globe? Why they have not received
dreams, and visions, and revelations by the power of the Holy Ghost?
It may be a mystery to some, why so long a period should have elapsed
among the people of the different nations, during which they have had
no revelations, no visions, no prophecies, no voice of God. The reason
of this, as revealed by the Lord, is because the people did turn away
from the ancient Gospel; they did, as had been predicted they would
do, change the ordinances and break the everlasting covenants; they
did apostatize from the truth so that the authority of the Apostleship
ceased among them; the authority to baptize no longer existed, the
authority to lay on hands that they might receive the Holy Ghost no
longer existed, and they were no longer able to minister
authoritatively in the name of the Lord in any of the ordinances of
the Church. There were many good moral people that lived. But where
was to be found the Church organized according to the New Testament
pattern, with Apostles, living Apostles receiving revelation from
heaven, and possessing the power that those anciently possessed? You
could find churches in abundance, which were called Christian
churches—thus denominated by themselves, some called by certain names
and some by others; all of them believing in separate, distinct doctrines which characterized them; one believing one
principle of the Gospel, and another believing some other; one
believing in one mode of baptism, another in some other; one receiving
part of the Gospel, and another claiming some other part. This was the
condition of the Christian nations when the Lord sent his angel to
reveal the fulness of the Gospel to Joseph Smith, a mere boy, who was
raised up specially by the hands of God to bring to light another
record, agreeing with the one which already existed, called the New
Testament; not another Gospel, but the same gospel taught to another
branch of the house of Israel. Our Heavenly Father is not a respecter
of persons; he respects one branch of the house of Israel just as much
as another; and inasmuch as he did by his own power, according to
their own records bring a remnant of the tribe of Joseph out of the
land of Jerusalem to this continent, he had as much regard for them as
he had for the Jews, and as he had for the ten tribes who were taken
away from the land of Palestine some 720 years before Christ. They
were led away to the north country, but where, we do not exactly know.
He had equal respect to all these branches of the seed of Israel; and
as all had a knowledge before their dispersion about the coming of the
future Messiah, it would be perfectly reasonable that when he should
come to suffer and be crucified for the sins of the world, the Jews,
only a portion of Israel, should not be the only portion who should be
favored and blessed with his personal ministry; it is perfectly
reasonable that he should go to the ten tribes, and also come to this
great continent, where a part of one tribe existed, and minister to
them. You know Jesus himself says, "I am not sent but unto the lost
sheep of the house of Israel." Not merely to the Jews, for they were
only a part of them, he had others dispersed in various countries, and
upon the islands of the seas. And inasmuch as they all had a knowledge
of the coming of Christ, and that he would offer the great last
sacrifice, thereby doing away with the rite of sacrifice which they
had for so many generations held sacred, it would seem consistent that
he should inform them in whatever land they might have been, that the
true Messiah had come and offered himself, and therefore they should
no longer offer up beasts and birds as sacrifices, but forever
afterwards believe in Him. It is also just as reasonable, that a
branch of Israel, existing thousands of miles from Palestine, having
the personal ministry of Christ, would keep a record of his teachings,
just as much as they did in the land of Jerusalem; and that his
teachings would be just as sacred, when written, as the New Testament
is. And it is again just as reasonable that they should receive the
same gospel and the same spirit, and that the same effects should be
produced among them, as among these at Jerusalem. Jesus informs us too
in St. John's Gospel, that he had other sheep besides those at
Jerusalem. The passage reads: "Other sheep I have, which are not of
this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and
there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." He did not go to the
Gentiles, as they were not the "other sheep" referred to; they were
never denominated in any of the Scriptural writings as the sheep of
Israel, they were always called by their own name. But the sheep that
Jesus speaks of were those he meant to visit; "they shall hear
my voice" —that is, he would minister to them, and they would see Him
and they would hear His voice. And the instruction that he gave, they
were commanded to write, with a view of its coming forth in the
latter days, preparatory to the time when "the earth shall be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea;" not merely the knowledge of God contained in the Jewish record,
but the knowledge of God contained in all the records. The Book of
Mormon informs us that the ten tribes in the north country will have a
record as well as the Jews, a Bible of their own, if you please.
Indeed Jesus after having instructed the remnant of Joseph upon this
land and revealed to them His gospel, said to them, "But now I go unto
the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel,
for they are not lost unto the Father, for He knoweth whither He hath
taken them." And it was predicted concerning them by one of the
ancient American prophets, who lived in those days, that when God
should bring these ten tribes from the north country, they would bring
their records with them. And it should come to pass that they should
have the records of the Nephites, and the Nephites should have the
records of the Jews, and the Jews and the Nephites should have the
records of the lost tribes of the house of Israel, and the lost tribes
of Israel should have the records of the Nephites and the Jews. "It
shall come to pass that I will gather my people together, and I will
also gather my word in one." Not only the people are to be gathered
from the distant portions of our globe, but their records, or bibles,
will also be united in one.
In the good old book believed in by the world of Christianity, we have
a prophecy which may be found in the 37th chapter of Ezekiel,
concerning the uniting together of two of the records. I will read the
prophecy. "The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it,
For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take
another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim,
and for all the house of Israel his companions:
"And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become
one in thine hand.
"And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying,
Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?
"Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick
of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel
his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah,
and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
"And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before
their eyes."
Why was he commanded to do this simple thing, for surely it would be
considered simple in our day for a man to take two sticks, writing
upon one for Judah, and upon another one for Joseph, and then joining
the two sticks together, and holding them up in his hands to become
one? If we were to undertake to preach in this way the people would
think we were insane. But it was a familiar way by which the Lord
intended to instruct his people, and the interpretation is this: These
two sticks were to represent what the Lord would do. Says he, "When
the children of thy people shall speak unto thee saying, Wilt thou not
show us what thou meanest by these two sticks, that they
become one in thine hand, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I, (not
Ezekiel) will take the stick of Joseph, etc." And what will you do
with it? I will put it with the stick written upon for Judah, and will
make them one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall
be in thine hand before thine eyes;" one being a representation of the
other. But when will it take place? Read the next verse.
"And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the
children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and
will bring them into their own land:
"And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of
Israel; and one king shall be king to all: and they shall no more be
two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more
at all:
"Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor
with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of their
dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so
shall they be my people, and I will be their God."
Has this been fulfilled? Has He done this for the House of Israel,
scattered among the heathen, bringing them back and making them one
nation in the land and upon the mountains, with one king to reign over
them all? Has there ever been a period since the twelve tribes lived,
some two thousand five hundred years ago, that the House of Judah has
been made one? It is very well known that such things have not yet
taken place. But the prophecy will be fulfilled, and that too in our
day. The Lord will gather the ten tribes from the north, and the House
of Judah from the four quarters of the earth whither they be gone, and
will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land,
making of them one nation under one king never more to be divided,
neither, says the Lord, shall they any more defile themselves with
their detestable things, etc. "And they shall dwell in the land that I
have given unto my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers have dwelt,
etc." It is not a spiritual thing, it is natural, and will take place
even as it is written. How will He accomplish this work? In the very
way He has pointed out in this chapter? He will take the stick, or
records, of Joseph written upon for Joseph, and join it with that of
the Jews, written upon by the Jewish nation; and when they become one
in His hand, then He will bring Israel from the four quarters of the
earth and fulfill all that has been said concerning them.
Here (holding the Book of Mormon in his hand) we present a record of
this American continent, a history of a branch of the tribe of Joseph,
for nearly 600 years before Christ, and until 420 years after Christ,
a history of the Lord's dealings with them from the time they left
Jerusalem until one of their principal nations fell in battle, because
of their apostasy; and the descendants of the remaining remnant are
this degenerated people we call Indians, who still exist. Their record
has been brought to light; the Lord has done it, not Joseph Smith. He
has already united the record and testimonies of Joseph with those of
Judah that we may have additional evidence that Jesus is the Christ,
that we may have the testimony of two great nations—the Jewish nation
and the nation of Joseph that dwelt on this land, and which afterwards
became a "multitude of nations," according to the blessing pronounced
by the ancient patriarch Jacob, when bles sing his two
grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Here we find on this continent a
multitude of nations, and when we come to examine the language they
all speak, we find that it evidently sprang from the same source.
Antiquarians who have searched diligently into this matter, all
testify to this one fact—that their language evidently sprang from the
same source. It is also stated by them they must have lived for many
generations on this continent in order to have become so diversified
in their several tongues. You know where people have no written
language, as we have, that it will become corrupted, and as they
separate from each other, as the Indian race has done, it will corrupt
itself more and more. When you come to trace the languages spoken by
the aborigines of our country, you will find that they have the same
origin; also that this "multitude of nations" are the descendants of
Joseph, in fulfillment of the promise God made him through his father
Jacob. Patriarchs used to bless their children in ancient days and
tell them what would come to pass in the latter days. Jacob so blessed
his twelve sons; and when he came to Joseph he pronounced a peculiar
blessing upon his head. It reads—"Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a
fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall;"
signifying that a portion of his seed would not always stay with the
main body of his people, but would branch off, "run over the wall,"
depart out of the land of Jerusalem. "The blessings of thy father have
prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bounds
of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on
the crown of the head of him, that was separate from his brethren."
Jacob's progen itors were Abraham and Isaac. What blessings were given
to them? Palestine. But says the Patriarch, I have a greater blessing,
it has prevailed above that of my progenitors. How much above theirs?
Unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills. Said he, I will give
this to you, Joseph; or, "they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on
the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren." How
marvelous are the dealings of God with man in bringing to pass the
prophetic utterances of his servants! There was another blessing
pronounced upon his head by Moses, before he was taken out from the
midst of Israel, which was very distinct from the rest of the tribes.
It reads—"And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for
the precious things of heaven. And for the precious things of the
earth and fulness thereof." As much as to say, his land shall be very
choice. Instead of being blessed with lands side by side with the rest
of the tribes, he was to be a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches
run over the wall, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills, and
there he should be blessed with all kinds of climate; the temperate
and the torrid zone; the blessings of the earth and fulness thereof,
so far as the temperate zones are concerned; then the blessings of the
earth, so far as the torrid zone is concerned.
Here then we perceive with all these predictions and prophecies that
the Lord in his providences has so wrought among the Israelites as to
fulfill these promises to the very letter. They should not be blessed
with the blessings of the earth only, but "Blessed of the Lord be his
land, for the precious things of heaven." What would you consider the
precious things of heaven? I should say that the revelations given
from heaven to his descendants would be as precious as
anything that could be bestowed upon them. Why then should it be
thought unreasonable that these prophecies in relation to the
descendants of Joseph should be fulfilled, that the Lord should bring
forth these precious things in the latter days, under the name of the
record of Joseph, in order that it might go forth as testimony in
connection with the Jewish record, first to the Gentiles, and then to
the house of Israel, that the way might be prepared, that the kingdom
that was to be set up in the last days might increase upon the earth,
in fulfillment of the prophecies of Daniel, even until the Kingdom and
the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heavens should be given
to the Saints of the Most High. If God intends to set up a Kingdom
represented in the Book of Daniel by a "stone cut out of the mountains
without hands," and that Kingdom is to extend until it becomes, as he
saw it in vision, as a great mountain filling the whole earth, it will
no doubt be but a preparatory work for the second advent of his Son,
so that when He comes in all His glory, in the clouds of heaven,
accompanied by the prophets, and apostles, and revelators, and the
rest of the Saints to reign on the earth, it is reasonable to suppose
that the Kingdom to be set up would have prophets, and revelators, and
inspired men, old men dreaming dreams, and young men seeing visions.
And in this way, when Jesus descends with his resurrected Saints
finding a Kingdom prepared for him composed of those who have the
Spirit of God in their hearts, he will commence his reign—his
universal reign upon the earth, over all the Saints living. Then will
be fulfilled that part of the prophecy of Daniel, "And the Kingdom and
dominion," not only the Kingdom, but the dominion, also, "And the
greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heavens shall be given to the
people of the Saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting
Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." That is, all
people then living will be under this one King of Kings, he will reign
in the midst of his people, the resurrected Saints, and the Saints
then living. And all flesh will have the Spirit of God poured out upon
them.
I said "all" flesh including the flesh of the animal as well as human.
This has been clearly spoken of in the prophecies. That is, in those
days when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as
the waters cover the sea," then the "lion shall eat straw like the
ox." His nature will be so susceptible to the Spirit of God that it
will be entirely changed, instead of his preying upon other animals
and devouring their flesh, he will feast upon the vegetable kingdom,
just as he did in the morning of creation. When the earth was first
made, all things were pronounced very good; it issued forth from the
hand of the Creator in a very perfect condition, but when man fell, a
change came over, not only man, but also the animal creation, and the
vegetable kingdom came under the curse, and the power of Satan was
exercised upon the earth, enmity was introduced between man and the
animals. But the time will come, when the Spirit of God will be poured
out upon all flesh and "The wolf shall lie down with the lamb, and
the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young
lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them,"
etc. That will change the fall of creation or at least, the living
portion of it. The curse then will be removed. It will be like
the garden of Eden, and Jesus will be here, and he will teach his
people, fulfilling what is written in the sacred Scriptures about his
reign of a thousand years. The Saints then will be resurrected, and
they will also be the inhabitants of this globe. They are singing
about it in heaven, while their bodies are sleeping in the grave. Read
the 5th chapter of John's Revelation, that will give you an idea what
the Saints of heaven anticipate. The words of the new song which John
heard them sing, were: "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open
the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by
thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And
hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth!" How plain! "We shall reign on the earth!" They hope for it;
they sing about it; they expect it, just as much as we hope to go with
them, and mingle with them, and just as much as we have faith that we
will, when we lay our bodies down in the grave, go to our former abode
where we once were, to the mansions prepared, and that we will join
with the heavenly hosts. We will not forget the earth; it is our
native abode; but instead of forgetting it, we will join with them in
their new song, and with them we will look forward with joyful
anticipation to the day when we shall return to reign on the earth,
having been made kings and priests unto our God. And Jesus and the
Twelve Apostles will be in our midst. And we have an account of their
thrones. "And Jesus said unto them, Verily, I say unto you, that ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall
sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Then the twelve tribes will come
back, and twelve men sitting on twelve thrones, in the land of
Palestine, will reign over them. The Twelve disciples raised up in
this land, 1,800 years ago, are to have their thrones; who, after being
judged themselves by the Twelve at Jerusalem, will sit upon their
thrones and will judge the remnant of the tribe of Joseph. And they
will have that work to do in the eternal worlds. The Priesthood is not
given for a few years and then to cease; but all the servants of God
who have ministered here below by authority of the Priesthood will
continue their work among immortal beings, and among those living who
will not have been changed to the immortal state. Some think that
when Jesus comes all that are then living upon the earth will be
changed. There is no Scripture to this effect. But there is a
Scripture that says, the Saints living will all be "changed in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." When the first
trump sounds, at the coming of the Savior, they will not be changed,
but they will be caught up, but when the graves of the Saints are
opened and they come forth as immortal beings they will be quickened,
not made immortal, renewed in a measure, and they will be taken up
with those who will ascend out of their graves to meet Jesus, and
descend with him. And the immortal ones will multiply and spread forth
so that the many places depopulated in consequence of the great
judgment that will precede his coming, will become inhabited by their
numerous children during the millennium, filling up the different
parts of the earth. So that when the thousand years are ended, and
Satan is again loosed, he will find a large number who have not been
tempted by him, and he will use his cunning among them, and
will succeed in leading more or less astray. He will gather up his
numerous hosts from the four quarters of the earth, and will encompass
the camp of the Saints. The Saints will then gather from abroad, as
they now do, and they will have to pitch their tents while doing so;
and Satan's army will also compass the beloved city to destroy the
people of God; but fire will come down from God out of heaven, and
will devour them. And the beloved city and the righteous will be taken
to heaven; and after the thousand years are ended the earth will pass
away. This earth that will be sanctified and purified and blessed with
the presence of Jesus, and upon which the immortal and resurrected
Saints will live and reign as kings and priests; this earth because of
the fall and the curse that came upon it, will have to undergo a
greater change, the same as our bodies, and will pass away. There will
be no place found for it, as an organized world: it will exist in an
elementary condition, all of its elements scattered through space,
until the Lord sees proper to gather them together by his power, and
forms an immortal earth, an earth free from the curse, free from the
effects of the fall, restored as it was in the beginning. This then
will be the new earth and the new heaven, whereon the righteous only
will dwell. The beloved city will descend upon this eternal earth, and
it will then become one of the heavenly mansions, whereon the Saints
that are prepared will reign forever and ever.
This is our eternal home then; we are not to look for a heaven—
"Beyond the bounds of time and space,
Where human mind can never trace."
We are not to go further than our thoughts can carry us, to some
remote unknown place, concerning which there has been no revelation
given. But we will return to our earth, and then will be fulfilled
that part of the vision where John says, "And I heard a great voice
out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God.
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain: for the former things are passed away."
Why? Because all its inhabitants then will be immortal, and the earth
itself will be celestial, consequently there will be no more funerals,
nor any cause for mourning: "Behold, I make all things new," said he
that sat upon the throne.
That will be the history of this little creation of ours; it is only
one out of the immensity of creations that God has made, all of which
have their times of redemption, having to pass through similar changes
as those which I have alluded to; and the people inhabiting them have
to learn by a school of experience; they have their joys and sorrows
as well as we, because they, like us, could not acquire the necessary
experience in any other way to fit them for the society of the
heavenly hosts.
When, according to the prophecy of Joel, God bestows visions and
revelations upon his sons and daughters, and dreams, by the same
Spirit, upon the old men, they will acquire more knowledge in a very
short time, than could be learned by studying the best of books that
are possessed by the colleges and institutions of learning all over
the world. We have to study for years in order to learn one branch,
mathematics for instance, viz: geometry, conic sections,
calculus, etc.
It takes years of study to acquire a knowledge of them, and about the
time we have partially mastered them, we are old men, ready to pass
away from this state of existence. But when the time shall come that
the Spirit of the living God shall be poured out upon all flesh, in a
very few moments of time the Lord could unlock the mysteries and
treasures of the earth, so that we could understand not only the
geographical surface of the earth, but be able, by the power of
vision, to behold every particle of it inside as well as outside, and
also the law that governs its elementary portions, nearly all of which
is now closed from our mortal vision. We can only go about so far with
our natural sight; but there is a faculty in every man and woman which
is now sleeping in a dormant state; and as soon as it is touched by
the spirit of the Lord, we shall be enabled to see a new world of
things as it were, mysteries will be opened up and we will perceive
naturally as if they were written, and in this way we shall be able to
learn very rapidly indeed. If we want a knowledge of this world or of
ourselves, when our spirits were born, or if we desire to know things
that took place before the foundations of the world were laid or the
nucleus was formed, when the sons of God shouted for joy, if we
desired to know these things it would only be necessary for the Spirit
of the Lord to touch the vision of our minds and light up our
understanding and we could gaze upon things past for thousands of
generations of worlds before the earth was made, and we could see the
succession of worlds that have been and were in existence long before
this earth was formed, we could see the ordeals through which they had
passed, see them brought into existence and passing through their
several changes and finally become glorified celestial mansions in the
presence of God. By this same spirit spoken of by Joel, we could look
forward into the distant future and behold new worlds formed and
redeemed, and not only this, but see and understand the laws by which
they were made, and the object and end of all these creations, being
touched by the finger of the Almighty and lighted up by the Holy
Ghost. Amen.