History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 3Smith, Joseph, Jr.
History
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 3
Smith, Joseph, Jr.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
Now the thing to be known is, what the fullness of times means,
or the extent or authority thereof. It means this, that the
dispensation of the fullness of times is made up of all the
dispensations that ever have been given since the world began,
until this time. Unto Adam first was given a dispensation. It is
well known that God spake to him with His own voice in the garden,
and gave him the promise of the Messiah. And unto Noah also was
a dispensation given; for Jesus said, "As it was in the days of
Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man;" and as
the righteous were saved then, and the wicked destroyed, so it will
be now. And from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to Moses, and
from Moses to Elias, and from Elias to John the Baptist, and from
then to Jesus Christ, and from Jesus Christ to Peter, James, and
John, the Apostles--all received in their time a dispensation by
revelation from God, to accomplish the great scheme of restitution,
spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world began; the end
of which is the dispensation of the fullness of times, in the which
all things shall be fulfilled that have been spoken of since the
earth was made.
Now the question is, unto whom is this dispensation to be given?
Or by whom to be revealed? The answer is, to the deliverer that
is to come out of Zion, and be given to him by the angel of God.
"And I saw another angel, fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and
to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with
a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him: for the hour of His
judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and
the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation, xiv:6, 7). Now
observe, this {52} angel delivers the everlasting Gospel to man on
the earth, and that, too, when the hour of the judgments of God
had come on the generation in which the Lord should set His hand
the second time to gather His people, as stated above. Now we have
learned that this deliverer must be clothed with the power of all
the other dispensations, or his dispensation could not be called
the dispensation of the fullness of times, for this it means, that
all things shall be revealed both in heaven and on earth; for the
Lord said there is nothing secret that shall not be revealed, or
hid that shall not come abroad, and be proclaimed upon the house
top, and this may with propriety be called the fullness of times.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account