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
I call the attention of the Latter-day Saints once more to the fact
previously mentioned (section 43:4-6) that there is but one at a
time who holds the keys and the right to receive revelation for the
Church, and that man is the President of the Church. And when the First
Presidency is disorganized through the death of the President, then,
according to revelation, the Twelve Apostles become the presiding
quorum of the Church, and then, if the Lord has any revelations to
give to His people they will come through the proper channels--the
President of the Twelve. If we will keep this in mind it will be a key
to us as the Lord intended that it should be, by which we may gage
and weigh the pretended revelations of men. When we see this man, or
that man, or perhaps that woman, or child, giving revelations as was
the case in the "Reorganized" Church when Jason W. Briggs, Zenas H.
Gurley, Henry H. Deam and the daughter of Zenas H. Gurley, received
"revelations" bearing on the organization of their cult, we will
know assuredly that these things are not of God. The Lord will never
ignore the presiding officer and quorum of the Church, for he respects
authority, as He requires us to respect authority. And it will always
be a key to us, if we will bear it in mind, that whenever He has a
revelation or commandment to give to His people that it will come
through the presiding officer of the Church. This is plainly taught in
the revelations.
If there is within the sound of my voice one soul who has not received
a testimony of this work, and that Brigham Young was the right man in
the right place, and the rightful successor, and so on down to the
present day, then I say to you, when you go home go before the Lord
in the spirit of repentance, and humility, and prayer, and ask Him in
faith for that knowledge and He will hear your prayers. There is no
reason why any man should be deceived, for the Lord has promised us
that we shall receive if we ask and if we knock it shall be opened unto
us. By keeping the commandments of God, all men may know of this work
that it is true. If you will do this, then when these deceivers and
pretenders, these men who delight in destroying your faith, come to you
saying that you are in the dark, you can say to them, get behind me,
for I will not be deceived by you. I know we have the truth, that this
is the work of the Lord, that Jesus is the Redeemer of the world, and
that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and was called to stand at the
head of this dispensation, and those keys and that position he will
ever hold. He was not a fallen Prophet, but died a martyr to this work.
May God bless you. Amen.
Footnotes
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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