A Voice of Warning, Parley P. Pratt [classic books for 11 year olds txt] 📗

death, neither pain, nor sorrow, for the former things have passed away, and all things are become new, consequently, he speaks in the past tense, and says they were for the healing of the nations; of course, referring to the times when they existed temporally, according to Ezekiel, before their final change.

Now, of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: Ezekiel and the other Prophets have presented us with the view of the cities of Zion and Jerusalem, as they will exist during the one thousand years of rest called the Millennium; and John has given us a view of the same cities, after their final change, when they come down from God out of heaven, and rest upon the new earth. But Ether has given us a sketch of them as they are to exist, both in their temporal and in their eternal state: and he has told us plainly concerning their location, first and last, namely, the New Jerusalem, in America, inhabited by the remnant of Joseph, and those gathered with them, who have washed their robes, and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb: and the other Jerusalem, in its former place, inhabited by the house of Israel gathered from the north countries, and from all countries where they were scattered, having washed their robes, and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb. And here is the end of the matter.

I would only add, that the government of the United States has been engaged, for upwards of nine years, in gathering the remnant of Joseph to the very place where they will finally build a New Jerusalem, a city of Zion, with the assistance of the Gentiles, who will gather them from all the face of the land: and this gathering is clearly predicted in the Book of Mormon, and other revelations, and the place before appointed, and the time set for its fulfilment. And except the Gentiles repent of all their abominations, and embrace the same covenant, they will soon be utterly destroyed from off the face of this land; as it is written by Isaiah: "The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish. Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." And as it is written by the Prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon (n. e.), 3 Nephi, xxi:

"And, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place, that I shall gather in from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.

"And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign, for verily I say unto you, that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost, which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles, that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you;

"For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which He hath covenanted with His people, O house of Israel;

"Therefore, when these works, and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter, shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed, which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity;

"For thus it behoveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that He may shew forth His power unto the Gentiles, for this cause, that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel;

"And when these things come to pass, that thy seed shall begin to know these things, it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which He hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.

"And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

"For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and marvellous work among them; and there shall be among them who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them.

"But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will shew unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

"Therefore it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, whom the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles (it shall be done even as Moses said), they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant.

"And my people who are a remnant of Jacob, shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

"Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.

"Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles, except they repent, for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots,

"And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds;

"And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy hand, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers;

"Thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands;

"And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.

"And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.

"For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel;

"And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

"But if they will repent, and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my Church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant, and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance,

"And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also, as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem;

"And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem,

"And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst;

"And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this Gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people; yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem.

"Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father, to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name;

"Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father, among all nations, in preparing the way whereby His people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance

"And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward."

O ye remnant of Joseph, your secret is revealed, ye who are despised, smitten, scattered, and driven by the Gentiles from place to place, until you are left few in number! "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest and not comforted," lift up your heads and rejoice, for your redemption draweth nigh: yea, we have found your record, the oracles of God once committed to your forefathers, which have been hidden from you for a long time, because of unbelief. Behold! they are about to be restored to you again; then shall you rejoice; for you shall know that it is a blessing from the hand of God; and the scales of darkness shall begin to fall from your eyes; and the Gentiles shall not again have power over you; but you shall be gathered by them, and be built up, and again become a delightsome people; and the time has come; yea, the work has already commenced; for we have seen you gathered together, from all parts of the land, unto the place which God has appointed for the Gentiles to gather you; therefore lay down your weapons of war, cease to oppose the Gentiles in the gathering of your various tribes, for the hand of your great God is in all this, and it was all foretold by your forefathers, ten thousand moons ago. Therefore suffer them peaceably to fulfil this last act of kindness, as a kind reward for the injuries you have received from them.

It is with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow that I reflect upon these things. Sorrow, when I think how you have been smitten; joy, when I reflect upon the happy change that now awaits you; and sorrow again, when I turn my thoughts to the awful destruction that awaits the Gentiles, except they repent. But the eternal purposes of Jehovah must roll on, until all His promises are fulfilled, and none can hinder; therefore, O God, Thy will be done! But while I still linger upon this subject, with feelings that are easier felt than described, methinks I can almost hear the Indian's mournful chant resounding through his native woods. It whispers thus:

    Great Spirit of our fathers, lend an ear;
    Pity the red man, to his cries give ear;
    Long hast Thou scourged him with Thy chastening sore;
    When will Thy vengeance cease, Thy wrath be o'er?

    When will the white man's dire ambition cease,
    And let our scattered remnants dwell in peace?
    Or shall we, driven to the western shore,
    Become extinct, and fall to rise no more?

    Forbid, great Spirit! make Thy mercy known;
    Reveal Thy truth; Thy wandering captives own;
    Make bare Thine arm of power, for our release,
    And o'er the earth extend the reign of peace.

CHAPTER VI. THE DEALINGS OF GOD WITH ALL NATIONS, IN REGARD TO REVELATION.

"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He he not far from every one of us; for in Him we live, and move, and have our being."—Acts, xvii, 26-28.

In this text we learn—First, that all nations are made of one blood. Secondly, they are designed to dwell on all