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
Therefore it was by right of divine appointment that the Apostles'
quorum became the presiding quorum of the Church at the death of the
Prophet Joseph Smith.
LINEAGE.
We will now consider this "law of lineage." From section 86, they quote
to us as follows:
"Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you with whom the Priesthood
hath continued through the lineage of your fathers, for ye are
lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the
world with Christ in God; therefore your life and the Priesthood
hath remained and must needs remain through you and your lineage,
until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the
holy prophets since the world began."
But they fail to quote the eleventh and succeeding verse:
"Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light
unto the gentiles, and through the Priesthood, a savior unto my
people Israel. The Lord hath said it, Amen."
But to whom was this revelation given? Was it to the Prophet Joseph
Smith alone? Is this a promise that his seed shall inherit the
Priesthood? Certainly not. This revelation was given December 6,
1832, to the Elders of the Church. Therefore, when members of the
"Reorganization" declare that Joseph Smith was one of these Elders
and must be included with his posterity in the promise, we meet their
argument with the counter statement, that the promise was also to Hyrum
Smith, to Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith, Parley P.
Pratt, Orson Pratt, and a large number of other Elders who never have
been identified with the "Reorganization," nor have their children, and
to them this promise is as sure as to the seed of any others. We must
not lose sight of the fact that no man can lay claim to salvation, nor
to the Priesthood of God, simply because he had a faithful father. The
inference in this eleventh verse is, that if they are not faithful,
then they will not receive the fulfilment of the promise. The posterity
of Joseph Smith, like the posterity of any other Elder of Israel, will
stand or fall on their own foundation which they have builded. And if
the sons of Joseph Smith refuse to keep the commandments, the blessings
will pass them by; but God's work will continue until the consummation
of all things.
Again they quote from section 112 as follows:
"For verily I say unto you, the keys of the dispensation which ye
have received, have come down from the fathers; and last of all
being sent down from heaven unto you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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