"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord...While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by some of His strongest children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God."
All through the ages the prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it you are a marked generation. There has never been more expect of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been as well organized.
Now is the great day of the devil's power, with the greatest mass murderers of all time living among us. But now is also the great day of the Lord's power with the greatest number of priesthood holder on the earth and the showdown is fast appearing."
~Ezra Taft Benson
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Joseph Smith
In June 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: "I do not regard my own life. I am ready to be offered a sacrifice for this people; for what can our enemies do? Only kill the body, and their power is then at an end. Stand firm, my friends; never flinch. Do not seek to save your lives, for he that is afraid to die for the truth, will lose eternal life. Hold out to the end, and we shall be resurrected and become like Gods, and reign in the celestial kingdoms, principalities, and eternal dominions."
Early on June 27, 1844 in Carthage Jail, Joseph Smith wrote in a hasty letter to Emma Smith: " I am very much resigned to my lot, knowing I am justified and have done the best that could be done. Give my love to the children and all my friends; and as for treason, I know that I have not committed any, and they cannot prove one appearance of anything of the kind, so you need not have any fears that any harm can happen to us that score. May God bless you all. Amen."
Believing that the mobs wanted only them, Joseph and Hyrum decided to leave for the West to preserve their lives. On June 23, they crossed the Mississippi River, but later that day, brethren from Nauvoo found the Prophet and told him that troops would invade the city if he did not surrender to the authorities in Carthage. This the Prophet agreed to do, hoping to appease both government officials and the mobs.
On June 24, Joseph and Hyrum Smith bade farewell to their families and rode with other Nauvoo city officials toward Carthage, voluntarily surrendering themselves to county officials in Carthage the next day. After the brothers had been released on bail for the initial charge, they were falsely charged with treason against the state of Illinois, arrested and imprisoned in Carthage Jail to await a hearing. Elders John Taylor and Willard Richards, the only members of the Twelve who were not then serving missions, voluntarily joined them.
On the afternoon of June 27, 1844, the little group of brethren sat silent and disconsolate in the jail. One of the men asked Elder Taylor, who had a rich tenor voice, to sing to them. Soon his voice raised: "A poor wayfaring Man of grief hath often crossed me on my way, who sued so humbly for relief that I could never answer nay." Elder Taylor recollected that the hymn" was very much in accordance with our feelings at the time for our spirits were all depressed, dull and gloomy."
Shortly after five o'clock in the afternoon, a large group of attackers stormed the jail, firing their guns at the men inside. Within a few minutes, the foul deed was done. Hyrum Smith was shot first and died almost immediantely. Elder Richards miraculously received only a superficial wound; Elder Taylor, though severely wounded, survived and later became the third President of the Church. The prophet Joseph ran to the window and was fatally shot. The prophet of the Restoration and his brother Hyrum had sealed their testimonies with their blood.
Brigham young declared;" Though the enemy had power to kill our prophet, that is, kill his body, did he not accomplish all that was in his heart to accomplish in his day? He did, to my certain knowledge."
(thanks Kelsey)
Early on June 27, 1844 in Carthage Jail, Joseph Smith wrote in a hasty letter to Emma Smith: " I am very much resigned to my lot, knowing I am justified and have done the best that could be done. Give my love to the children and all my friends; and as for treason, I know that I have not committed any, and they cannot prove one appearance of anything of the kind, so you need not have any fears that any harm can happen to us that score. May God bless you all. Amen."
Believing that the mobs wanted only them, Joseph and Hyrum decided to leave for the West to preserve their lives. On June 23, they crossed the Mississippi River, but later that day, brethren from Nauvoo found the Prophet and told him that troops would invade the city if he did not surrender to the authorities in Carthage. This the Prophet agreed to do, hoping to appease both government officials and the mobs.
On June 24, Joseph and Hyrum Smith bade farewell to their families and rode with other Nauvoo city officials toward Carthage, voluntarily surrendering themselves to county officials in Carthage the next day. After the brothers had been released on bail for the initial charge, they were falsely charged with treason against the state of Illinois, arrested and imprisoned in Carthage Jail to await a hearing. Elders John Taylor and Willard Richards, the only members of the Twelve who were not then serving missions, voluntarily joined them.
On the afternoon of June 27, 1844, the little group of brethren sat silent and disconsolate in the jail. One of the men asked Elder Taylor, who had a rich tenor voice, to sing to them. Soon his voice raised: "A poor wayfaring Man of grief hath often crossed me on my way, who sued so humbly for relief that I could never answer nay." Elder Taylor recollected that the hymn" was very much in accordance with our feelings at the time for our spirits were all depressed, dull and gloomy."
Shortly after five o'clock in the afternoon, a large group of attackers stormed the jail, firing their guns at the men inside. Within a few minutes, the foul deed was done. Hyrum Smith was shot first and died almost immediantely. Elder Richards miraculously received only a superficial wound; Elder Taylor, though severely wounded, survived and later became the third President of the Church. The prophet Joseph ran to the window and was fatally shot. The prophet of the Restoration and his brother Hyrum had sealed their testimonies with their blood.
Brigham young declared;" Though the enemy had power to kill our prophet, that is, kill his body, did he not accomplish all that was in his heart to accomplish in his day? He did, to my certain knowledge."
(thanks Kelsey)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
