Curious Statements
Children
"A question will Mothers have their children in Eternity yes, yes, you will have the children But as it falls so it will rise, It will never grow, It will be in its precise form as it fell in its mothers arms. Eternity is full of thrones upon which dwell thousands of children reigning on thrones of glory not one cubit added to their stature." (Joseph Smith, Words of Joseph Smith, King Follett Discourse, Wilford Woodruff Diary)
"As concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there will not be 'added unto their stature one cubit,' neither taken from it; all will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies, and not blood. Children will be enthroned in the presence of God and the Lamb with bodies of the same stature that they had on earth, having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; they will there enjoy the fullness of that light, glory and intelligence, which is prepared in the celestial kingdom. 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them.'" (Joseph Smith, HC 4:32)
"The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again....All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment that children leave this world, they are taken to the bosom of Abraham. The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable, wicked world."(Joseph Smith, HC 4:32)
"They [our children] must rise just as they died; we can there hail our lovely infants with the same glory—the same loveliness in the celestial glory, where they all enjoy alike." (Joseph Smith, HC 6:17)
"There is a description of Christ in Nephi’s words: 'Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.' (2 Ne. 2: 6) We imagine that statement to mean He had all conceivable grace and all conceivable truth. It might instead mean His life was filled with such grace as was needed for it, and such truth as was required for it. Within His sphere and element, He attained perfection. But did He know calculus (to make an illustration)? Nothing indicates Christ had any need to know calculus. It wasn’t that He couldn’t learn it, of course, but it wasn’t required of Him." (The Second Comforter)
"Our own participation in ordinances are vital to our own renewal, and the renewal of all creation through redemption of each individual soul." (3 Nephi 11:26)
"The Lord dresses you in plenty of ceremonial attire designed to convey symbols with meaning. But they are not an end, they are merely symbols. Six days of creation symbolized by six articles of clothing in the present temple rites. Each one of which can be associated with one of the days of creation. Therefore as you enter through the veil, it is as if the entirety of creation is redeemed in your person. You represent salvation for the entirety of creation. Because in you, should you be able to be rescued, creation itself continues." (Be of Good Cheer, Be of Good Courage)
"'…and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear. And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen? And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.' [It frightened him to realize that the God who controls all things had flesh and blood. This was a great secret that ought not get out, and now he knows it. Knowing it frightened him. He thought he was intruding into space he shouldn’t and he felt convicted that somehow, that was something he ought not know.]" (40 Years in Mormonism, Talk 8)
"thou hast another gift which is the gift of working with the sprout Behold it hath told you things Behold there is no other power save God that can cause this thing of Nature to work in your hands for it is the work of God & therefore whatsoever ye shall ask to tell you by that means that will he grant unto you that ye shall know remember that without faith ye can do nothing trifle not with these things do not ask for that which ye had not ought ask that ye may know the mysteries of God & that ye may Translate all those ancient Records which have been hid up which are Sacred & according to your faith shall it be done unto you Behold it is I that have spoken it & I am the same which spake unto you from the begining amen." (Revelation Book 1, see also D&C 6)
From Fellowship Conference 20-Sept-2015 Big Cottonwood Canyon Transcript:
Question: I’ve been hearing of some other groups and even some of the people in the group I meet with they talk about receiving revelations that it’s time to flee Babylon and prepare a place of refuge. So people are actually leaving their jobs, selling their homes, buying up remote properties and deciding to live together and live the law of consecration. As I’ve prayed and fasted about this I’ve felt concerned about that, I don’t know we’re anywhere near that? So the question is “Does the Lord actually want us to do something physically to prepare or is it all spiritual preparation at this point? Are we anywhere near the law of consecration?
Answer: I don’t think it is useful for people to argue over the revelations that they have received in contrast to the revelations anyone else has received. I think that we should give allowances for the possibility that someone has received for themselves some communication that for themselves they ought to act on. Therefore, I do not want to be dismissive of someone’s revelation that says they ought to be doing something. But, I was reading out loud to my wife’s amusement a letter written in 1841 by Wilford Woodruff in England sent back to the saints in Nauvoo, about how obvious it was that were right then at the end of all time. The poverty in England he saw, the abuse of people, the great pollutions on the land, and all of the signs, the cholera, the earthquakes, it was really clear the earth was in the final distress, and that God was coming soon. The plagues had been opened, the angels were then released to harvest the world, and the end was upon them. That was, I think it was in March edition of the Times and Seasons for 1841. The apostle Paul wrote a New Testament letter about the times of distress are upon us. Everyone in every generation sees that.
In order for the entire earth not to be smitten and utterly wasted at the Lord’s return it will be necessary for there to be a Zion. It’s almost a cause and effect. You have to have the reestablishment of what was in the beginning of the world in the end of the world also. That was a prophecy of Adam, he made it in the valley of Adam-ondi- Ahman. Enoch was the one the preserved Adam’s prophecy, so it appears in the Enoch portion of the Book of Moses. That same priesthood which was in the beginning of the world shall at the end of the world be also.
It is not done merely by laying hands on someone’s head and inciting an incantation. It will not be done by someone declaring, “you are senior chief, apostolic, high and holy pontificate of the 9th order,” or some such nonsense. It’s not that, it’s not that at all.
It will be reestablishing something about which we know very, very little. That has to occur only within an environment that has been insulated from the world and accepted by God. It has to be physically accepted by the Lord. That edifice has to be located in a place approved by the Lord. We don’t know the place as yet. We don’t have the right to proceed. All of this must occur before the invitation for the Lord’s return is extended. Because God is not going to come to a planet that He utterly wastes at His coming. An invitation has to precede the return of our Lord. That invitation needs to be done in His way, at a place of His choosing, in a manner that He ordains, that occurs according to His will. It will be established as a consequence of Him returning what was once here, back to the earth again.
People are wildly enthusiastic about a lot of things and I don’t deny the possibility that their enthusiasm can be based upon something that is authentic and God talking to them. But as for wrapping up of the creation and the culmination of the ages, God’s direct involvement in that and the impressive nature of how that will roll forward, will not be some people deciding to flee and go farm somewhere. It’s going to be a different kind of enterprise, culminating in a city of righteousness and a people of righteousness, and in that sense righteousness will include a great deal of knowledge. The glory of God is intelligence or in other words light and truth. Knowledge and redemption all of that go together.
I don’t talk about any of the revelations or visitations I’ve received except to say that they have happened. I will tell you, they have happened. The Lord in His wisdom does not require me to speak of them. I did a little post on Nephi and the Lord constraining him to remain silent about some things, and how smart I thought that was in the long run. The Lord in His wisdom has asked that I talk using the scriptures and the things put on the ground by Joseph Smith and not anything else. I think that is an important thing to do.
Until we have first remembered and straightened out what it was that came to us through Joseph, we have no business going out and and starting another experiment. I have used this analogy and some of you have heard it and I apologize to those that have heard it, but I’m going to use it again. Edison tried iron, he tried copper, he tried aluminum, he tried a number of elements all of which failed. Until he finally used carbon as the filament and then he got light.
Joseph Smith proceeded with the restoration as a come-as-you-are party. He believed that with the right kind of preaching he could take any people, convert them and turn them in to Zion. There was some reason to think it may be a possibility, because of what learn about with Melchizedek in the book of Mosiah. Melchizedek’s preaching resulted in people repenting from their wickedness and becoming righteous. So it’s not an irrational thought, not an unscriptural thought, for Joseph to have entertained. My conclusion however is that there is no reason to try iron if Edison tried it and it didn’t work and there’s no reason to try copper if Edison tried it and it didn’t work. There is no reason to expect that you can take people and gather them and then try to produce Zion. It makes a whole lot more sense, as the scriptures seem to indicate, that first people are taught repentance and then some few repent then are gathered, one of city, two of a family. They are gathered by those angels to whom the keys are entrusted to do the gathering. Then you put them together.
We know what Joseph tried to do failed. He did not produce Zion.
From blog:
Every dispensation of the Gospel is the "last Dispensation" until it fails. Then another is sent and it is the "last" until it fails. This will continue for so long as man continues to fail. God is in no hurry. Apparently we are not either.
"Lose yourself, your pride, self-will and meaningless individuality in something much greater." (The Second Comforter, ch. 9)
“Why will not man learn wisdom by precept and example at this late age of the world and not be obliged to learn everything we know by sad experience?” (Joseph Smith, HC 3:26)
