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Prophetic Statements
Joseph
Smith
“Take
away
the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our
religion? We have none; for without Zion, and a place
of deliverance,
we must fall; because the time is near when the sun
will be darkened,
and the moon turn to blood, and the stars fall from the
heaven, and
the earth reel to and fro. Then, if this is the case, and if
we are
not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed…we
must
fall; we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather
out
his Saints from the Gentiles, and then comes desolation and
destruction, and none can escape except the pure in heart who
are
gathered.” (History of the Church, 2:52.)
Joseph
Smith
“When
we
have our names sealed in the Lamb’s Book of Life we have
Perfect
Love and then it is impossible for false Christ’s to deceive
us.
God has often sealed up the heavens because of
covetousness in the
Church. Except the Church “receive” the fullness
they will yet
fail.” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
pg. 9)
Joseph
Smith
“We
have
heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do
anything they were told to do by those who preside over them
[even]
if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience as this is
worse than
folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the
man who would thus
willingly degrade himself, should not claim a rank among
intelligent
beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God would
despise the
idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty
authority
have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no
matter
what the saints were told do by their presidents they should
do it
without any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far
indulge in
these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the
people, it
is generally because they have it in their hearts to do wrong
themselves.” (Joseph Smith, Millennial Star, Vol 14, Number
38,
pages 593-595)
Joseph
Smith
“You
will
live to see men rise 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.” (Joseph Smith, Mosiah Hancock Journal, p.19)
Oliver
Cowdery
“This
great
tribulation would not have come upon Zion had it not been
for
rebellion…it was necessary that these things should
come upon us;
not only justice demands it, but there was no other
way to cleanse
the church. (The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith,
compiled and
edited by Dean C. Jessee [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1984],
282)
Brigham
Young
“And
if
He (The LORD) should suffer him (Joseph Smith) to lead the
people
astray, it would be because they ought to be led astray.
If He should
suffer them to be chastised, and some of them destroyed, it
would be
because they deserved it…” (Brigham Young, Journal of
Discourses,
4:297-298)
Wilford
Woodruff
- 1857
“ .
. . when the kingdom was given to the Gentiles, they for a
while
brought forth the natural fruits of the kingdom. But they,
like the
Jews, HAVE FALLEN through the same example of unbelief, and
now, in
the last days, the kingdom of God has to be taken from the
Gentiles,
and restored back to every branch and tribe of the house of
Israel;
and when it is restored to them, it must go back with all its
gifts,
and blessings, and Priesthood which it possessed when it was
taken
from them.” (Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, 26
vols., LDS
Book Depot, 1854-1886, 4: 233)
Brigham
Young
- 1858
“I
have frequently said, and say again, that there are and always
have
been a great many in this Church that are not Saints. There
are more
“Mormons” than Saints; and there are different degrees and
grades
of “Mormons” and of Saints. There are many that are
“Mormons”
that are not Saints; and so it will be until Jesus comes to
separate
the sheep from the goats; This must be; this we all
believe and
understand.” (Journal of Discourses, vol 6: 194 - 195)
Orson
Pratt
- 1873
“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.” (Journal of
Discourses, vol 15: 361)
George
Q.
Cannon - 1883
“There
will
be a people raised up, if we will not be that people—there
will yet be a people raised up whose lives will embody in
perfection
the revelations…and such a people will have to be raised up
before
Zion can be fully redeemed, and before the work of our God can
be
fully established in the earth.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol.
24,
p.143 - p.144.
Heber
C.
Kimball - 1888
“The
time
will come when no man or woman will be able to endure on
borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light
within
himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand? Do you
believe
this? How is it now? You have the First Presidency, from whom
you can
get counsel to guide you, and you rely on them. The time will
come
when they will not be with you. Why? Because they will have to
flee
and hide up to keep out of the hands of their enemies. You
have the
Twelve now. You will not always have them, for they, too, will
be
hunted and will have to keep out of the way of their enemies.
You
have other men to who you look for counsel and advice. Many of
them
will not be amongst you. You will be left to the light within
yourselves. If you do not have it, you will not stand;
therefore seek
for the Testimony of Jesus and cleave to it, that when the
trying
time comes, you may not stumble and fall.” (Heber C. Kimball,
Life
of Heber C Kimball pp 449-450)
Heber
C.
Kimball
“Our
sons
and daughters must live pure lives so as to be prepared for
what
is coming. After a while the gentiles will gather by
the thousands to
this place, and Salt Lake City will be classed among the
wicked
cities of the world. A spirit of speculation and
extravagance will
take possession of the Saints, and the results will be
financial
bondage. Persecution comes next and all true
Latter‐day Saints will
be tested to the limit. Many will apostatize and
others will be still
not knowing what to do. Darkness will cover the earth and
gross
darkness the minds of the people. The judgments of God will be
poured
out on the wicked to the extent that our Elders from far and
near
will be called home, or in other words the gospel will be
taken from
the Gentiles and later on carried to the Jews.” (as reported
by
Amanda Wilcox, Deseret News, May 23, 1931.)
George
Q.
Cannon
“Do
not, brethren, put your trust in man though he be a
bishop; an
apostle, or a president; if you do, they will
fail you at some time
or place, they will do wrong or seem to, and your support be
gone;
but if we lean on God, He never will fail us. When
men and women
depend on God alone, and trust in Him alone, their faith
will not be
shaken if the highest in the Church should step aside.
They could
still see that He is just and true, that truth is lovely in
His
sight, and the pure in heart are dear to Him. Perhaps it is
His own
design that faults and weaknesses should appear in high
places in
order that His Saints may learn to trust in Him and not in
any man or
men. Therefore, my brethren and sisters, seek after the Holy
Spirit
and His unfailing testimony of God and His work upon the
earth. Rest
not until you know for yourselves that God has set His hand
to redeem
Israel, and prepare a people for His coming.” (George, Q.
Cannon,
Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected Discourses, 5 vols. [Burbank,
Calif.,
and Woodland Hills, Ut.: B.H.S. Publishing, 1987-1992], 2)
Joseph
F.
Smith - 1870
“Instead
of
raising themselves to the standard of the Gospel, they are
content to descend to the level of the wicked and corrupt.
Many of
the Elders of Israel who have responsibilities resting upon
them,
with which they will find they cannot trifle with impunity,
are
taking this course all the time. What wonder, then,
that the Spirit
of the Lord is grieved? What wonder that the Latter‐day
Saints need
to be preached to continually? It is no wonder to me when I
contemplate the condition of the people of these valleys,
and
especially Salt Lake City, Ogden, and our cities contiguous
to the
railways.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol.13, p.339 -
p.340.)
J.
Golden
Kimball - 1930
To
think
calls for effort, which makes some men tired and wearies their
souls. Now, brethren and sisters, we are surrounded with such
conditions that it requires not only thought, but the guidance
of the
Holy Spirit. Latter‐day Saints, you must think for yourselves.
No
man or woman can remain in this Church on borrowed light. I am
a
strong believer in the following statement made by my father
in the
House of the Lord in 1856: “We think we are secure in
the chambers
of the everlasting hills, but the time will come when we
will be so
mixed up that it will be difficult to tell the face of a
Saint from
the face of an enemy to the people of God. Then, brethren,
look out
for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time,
and many
will fall; for I say unto you there is a test, a test, a
TEST coming,
and who will be able to stand?” (Conference Report,
October 1930,
p.59)
Joseph
Fielding
Smith - 1936
Are
we
not too much inclined to blame the generations that are past
for
the breaking of the new and everlasting covenant, and to think
it is
because of the great apostasy which followed the ministry of
the
Apostles in primitive times, that these troubles are coming
upon the
earth? Perhaps we should wake up to the realization that it is
because of the breaking of covenants, especially the new and
everlasting covenant, which is the fulness of the Gospel as it
has
been revealed, that the world is to be consumed by fire and
few men
left. Since this punishment is to come at the time of the
cleansing
of the earth when Christ comes again, should not Latter-day
Saints
take heed unto themselves? We have been given the new
and everlasting
covenant, and many among us have broken it, and many are now
breaking
it; therefore all who are guilty of this offense
will aid in bringing
to pass this destruction in which they will find themselves
swept
from the earth when the great and dreadful day of the Lord
shall
come.
"Hearken
ye, for behold the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand."
(D&C
43:17) This warning came to the Church one hundred years ago,
and has
been repeated many times since in the revelations to the
Church.
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Deseret News Oct. 17, 1936)
Joseph
Fielding
Smith – 1938
“It
is
a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in
the
past 20 years. What the future will bring I don t know . But
if we
drift as far from the fundamental things in the next 20
years, what
will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph
Smith? It
is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came
about in
the primitive church of Jesus Christ. Are we not traveling
the same
road?” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Life of Joseph
Fielding Smith
212. Deseret Book Co. Joseph Fielding Smith Journal, 28
December
1938)
Joseph
Fielding
Smith - 1964
“In
our
own dispensation the law of Enoch was offered to the Church,
but
the Latter‐day Saints failed to live it and therefore it was
taken
away and a lesser law instituted until such time as Christ
shall come
to cleanse the Church, along with the rest of the world, of
its
wickedness and disobedience, by removing all things that
offend.”
(Joseph Fielding Smith, The Progress of Man [Salt Lake City:
Deseret
Book Co., 1964], 88 - 89.)
Ezra
Taft
Benson - 1965
“For
years
we have been counseled to have on hand a year’s supply of
food… Should the Lord decide at this time to cleanse
the Church—and
the need for that cleansing seems to be increasing—a
famine in this
land of one year’s duration could wipe out a large percentage
of
slothful members, including some ward and stake officers. Yet
we
cannot say we have not been warned.” (Conference Report, April
1965, Afternoon Meeting 122)
Ezra
Taft
Benson – 1969
But
there is a cleansing coming. The Lord says that his
vengeance shall
be poured out "upon the inhabitants of the earth. . . . And
upon
my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go
forth, saith
the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who
have
professed to know my name and have not known me. . .."
(D&C
112:24-26.) I look forward to that cleansing; its
need within the
Church is becoming increasingly apparent. . . . So
also in our day the Lord has told us of the tares within the
wheat
that will eventually be hewn down when they are fully ripe.
But until
they are hewn down, they will be with us, amongst us
.
. .
Yes,
within
the Church today there are tares among the wheat and wolves
within the flock. As President Clark stated, "The ravening
wolves are amongst us, from our own membership, and they, more
than
any others, are clothed in sheep's clothing because they wear
the
habiliments of the priesthood. . . . We should be careful of
them "
(Era, May 1949, p. 268. See also Conference Report, April
1949, p.
163.)
The
wolves amongst our flock are more numerous and devious today
than
when President Clark made this statement.
(Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, April 1969, First
Day—Morning
Meeting 10-11,15)
H.Verland
Anderson - 1972
“People
who regard themselves as members of the only true Church
have the
fatal tendency to consider themselves immune from the
disease of
deception. Knowing that they belong to the Lord’s
Church and have
His scriptures and His prophets to guide them, they
blindly assume
that this adequately protects them against false beliefs.
All history
teaches the folly of such an assumption, and the
scriptures
specifically deny its validity…”
(H. Verlan Andersen, The Great and Abominable Church of the
Devil,
Sunrise Publishing, Orem UT 1972, 166-168)
H.
Verlan
Andersen - 1972
“Christ
also
used the name “Gentile” to identify those through whom the
gospel would go to the Lamanites. (3 Nephi 21:2‐4). If
Church
members from Gentile nations will bear in mind that the
term
“Gentile” when used in the Book of Mormon includes them,
the
prophecies therein will have much greater meaning and be
more
disturbing.” (H.
Verlan Andersen, Apostasy of the Latter Days,
The
Great and Abominable Church of the Devil, Orem UT, Sunrise
Publishing, 1972, 164.)
Spencer
W. Kimball - 1976
“The
Lord
gave us a choice world and expects righteousness and obedience
to his commandments in return. But when I review the
performance of
this people in comparison with what is expected, I am appalled
and
frightened. . . Forgotten is the fact that our assignment is
to use
these many resources in our families and quorums to build up
the
kingdom of God—to further the missionary effort and the
genealogical and temple work; to raise our children up as
fruitful
servants unto the Lord; to bless others in every way, that
they may
also be fruitful. Instead, we expend these blessings on our
own
desires, and as Moroni said, “Ye adorn yourselves with that
which
hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and
the
naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and
notice them
not. (Mormon 8:39). . . . If we insist on spending
all our time and
resources building up for ourselves a worldly kingdom, that
is
exactly what we will inherit. In spite of our
delight in defining
ourselves as modern, and our tendency to think we possess a
sophistication that no people in the past ever had–in spite of
these things, we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people–a
condition most repugnant to the Lord.” (The False Gods We
Worship,
June 1976 First Presidency Message, Spencer W. Kimball)
Ezra
Taft
Benson – 1988
“Too
often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize
that the
ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthquake
cannot
happen here. Those who believe this are either not
acquainted with
the revelations of the Lord, or they do not believe them. Those
who
smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they
somehow will
be set aside because of the righteousness of the Saints,
are deceived
and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion.
The Lord has
warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation
and given
us counsel, through His servants, on how we can be prepared
for these
difficult times. Have we heeded His counsel?” (Ezra Taft
Benson,
The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1988],
706)
Boyd
K.
Packer - 1990
"In
recent years I have felt, and I think I am not alone, that we
were
losing the ability to correct the course of the Church.
You cannot
appreciate how deeply I feel about the importance of this
present
opportunity unless you know the regard, the reverence, I
have for the
Book of Mormon and how seriously I have taken the warnings
of the
prophets, particularly Alma and Helaman.
Both Alma and
Helaman told of the church in their day. They warned about
fast
growth, the desire to be accepted by the world, to be
popular, and
particularly they warned about prosperity. Each
time those conditions
existed in combination, the Church drifted off course. All
of those
conditions are present in the Church today.
Helaman
repeatedly warned, I think four times he used these words,
that the
fatal drift of the church could occur "in the space of not
many
years." In one instance it took only six years. (See Helaman
6:32, 7:6, 11:26)" (Boyd K. Packer, Let Them Govern
Themselves,
Address delivered at Regional Representative Seminar, Friday
March
30, 1990)
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