Origin of the 'Reorganized' Church and the Question of SuccessionSmith, Joseph Fielding
History
Origin of the 'Reorganized' Church and the Question of Succession
Smith, Joseph Fielding
Latter Day Saint churches -- Government; Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- Government
In the Book of Abraham (See Pearl of Great Price) published by the
Prophet Joseph Smith in the Times and Seasons in 1842, is given a
fac-similie of hieroglyphics with an accompanying translation by
Joseph Smith, as far as he was permitted to translate. These figures
are numbered from 1 to 20. Here are some of these translations and
comments of the Prophet: Figure 3.--Is made to represent God, sitting
upon His throne, clothed with power and authority; with a crown of
eternal light upon His head; representing also the grand _key-words_ of
the Holy Priesthood, as revealed to Adam, etc." Figure 7.--Represents
God sitting upon His throne revealing through the heavens, the grand
_key-words_ of the Priesthood, as, also, the sign of the Holy Ghost
unto Abraham, in the form of a dove. Figure 8.--_Contains writing that
cannot be revealed unto the world, but is to be had in the Holy Temple
of God_. Figures 9, 10, 11, the Prophet says "Ought not to be revealed
at the present time; if the world can find out these numbers, so let it
be. Amen." Figures 12, to 20, "Will be given in the own due time of the
Lord." Then the Prophet concludes: "The above translation is given as
far as we have any right to give, at the present time."
Here, then, we find things that were to be taught to the Saints in the
Temple of the Lord, but were not to be revealed to the world; for they
are sacred and holy, and can only be had in the Temple of God, for the
Lord through Joseph Smith declared it.
Again, in verse 28 (see 124), the Lord says: "For there is not a place
found on earth that he may come and restore again that which was lost
unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the _fulnesss of the
Priesthood_." Therefore, we learn that only in the Temple of the Lord
can the fulnesss of the Priesthood be received by His people.
These facts place our Reorganite brethren in a rather unenviable light,
for they are opposing through ignorance and unbelief, and the hardness
of their hearts, the revelations of the Lord on Temple work as it was
revealed to Joseph Smith, and by him to others, and from them to the
Church.
"Hold on," say they, "not so fast, the Lord said He was _about_ to
restore these things, but it depended on the faithfulness of the
Saints, and Joseph Smith died before the Temple was built, therefore,
since these things could only be revealed to the people _in the Temple_
they were not revealed."
"Have any such revelations been received? Name them. Where are they and
what are they? Our Doctrine and Covenants contains only two sections
that were given between that time and the time the Saints left Nauvoo,
and they are not revelations, but letters of Joseph Smith containing
items of revelation pertaining to baptism for the dead. The Utah
Doctrine and Covenants contains nothing that could be accepted as a
response, an answer, to the promise in full."[3]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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