Prophecy and Our Nation’s Future

Part 1: Revelation vs. False Science

Satan Unleashed…“Now remember, that it is no modern wicked man that is going to claim divine honors. No, it is that old Serpent, the Devil. He it is that will head the opposition against God and His Christ. And he, the son of perdition it is, that will be allowed a much longer chain than heretofore. And such will be the greatness of his power, that it will seem to many that he is entirely loose. He will be so far unshackled and unchained that his power will deceive all nations, even the world. And the elect will barely escape the power of his sorceries, enchantments, and miracles! And even God himself, the true God, will contribute to put means and instruments in his way and at hand for his use, so that he can have a full trial of his strength and cunning. . “

Anti-Christ Revealed. . .Whatever exalts and opposes itself to God, that is anti-Christ, Whether it is a civil or religious power. But the most formidable power that will be arrayed against Christ and his Saints in the last days, will consist in the Revelations of Satan. These revelations of Satan will come through every medium and channel by which the cunning and power of Satan can be brought to bear against the Saints and their Lord. . . .”

Now there is a greater destruction coming upon the wicked nations of the earth, than was even experienced by Pharaoh at the Red Sea. But before that destruction can be made manifest, men's hearts will be hardened, and wickedness will rise to a more overtowering height than many bygone generations have been allowed to witness. “

Desperate Devil“The Devil in the last stage of desperation, will take such a pre-eminent lead in literature, politics, philosophy, and religion; in wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, thunderings and lightnings, setting cities in conflagration, etc., that mighty kings and powerful nations will be constrained to fall down and worship him.”

Men of Science?“And they will marvel at his great power, and wonder after him with great astonishment. For his signs and wonders will be among all nations. Men will be raised for the express purpose of furthering the designs and marvelous works of the devil. . . . The great capabilities of the elements of fire, air, earth, and water, will be brought into requisition by cunning men under the superior cunning of the Prince and God of this world. And, inflated with knowledge of these wonderful arts and powers, men will become boasters, heady, high-minded, proud, and despisers of that which is good. But the God who is above all, and over all, and who ruleth in the armies of heaven, and amongst the inhabitants of the earth, will not be a silent observer of such spiritual wickedness in high places, and among the rulers of the darkness of this world. For the master spirits of wickedness of all ages, and of worlds visible and invisible, will be arrayed in the rebellious ranks before the closing scene shall transpire.”

God Will Respond…. Now just at this time, God will come out of His hiding place and vex the nations in his hot displeasure. By the mouth of His Prophet He will rebuke strong nations afar off, notwithstanding their strong armies and great miracles, and cunning arts. His servant, the Prophet in Zion, will have a marvelous boldness to rebuke them, and to lay down before them in plainness and inflexible firmness the law of the Lord.

Manna From HeavenAnd who shall be able to withstand?. . . Your mind will not be competent to detect the delusion. . . .Oh man, you cannot be neutral. You must choose your side and put on your armor. Those that come not up to the help of the Lord in the day of battle, will be sorely cursed. . . .Those who take refuge in the name of the Lord and in immediate revelation from heaven, will be safe, and no others. He that is not for God and the principle of immediate revelation, will inevitably be ensnared, overcome, and destroyed. Because he that is not for Him must be against Him. No man in any age was ever for God or even a friend of God, that did not hold intercourse with Him personally, and receive for himself the revelations of His will. The rock of revelation, by which Peter knew Jesus Christ, is the only basis upon which any man can escape the strong delusion which God will send among the nations, through Satan and his mediums and coadjutors. “

Prayer . . .This generation needs present revelations from heaven, as much as any other generation ever did, because they are quite as wicked as Sodom ever was. They practice as gross sensuality and beastliness, as glaring robbery and murder, as much treachery and lying, and are as ardent for war and bloodguiltiness, as ever the ancient Canaanites were. . . . Now, reader, you need present revelation from God to your own dear self, in order to help you out of this nasty, confused labyrinth, and to set your feet firmly upon the solid rock of revelation. Mere flesh and blood cannot help you now. It requires an Almighty arm to effect your deliverance. Therefore, put no more trust in man, for a curse rests upon him that will be guided by the precepts of man.

Dreams and Visions. . .The spirit of prophecy has rested upon many sons and daughters in as humble walks of life as you are, and they, according to "promise", have prophesied and dreamed dreams. Now when this promise is fulfilled in your experience, you will feel very glad and very happy.

Money and Unnatural LustAnd further, when you see also the gross and beastly sexual abominations that are practiced and are increasing among all nations, without shame or fear, you will not marvel that God is determined to raise up a righteous seed and glorious branch, by re-establishing the Patriarchal Order, as in the days of Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and Elkanah. Neither will you marvel, while the Spirit of God is upon you, that man and even women should sneer at the sacred institution of marriage being an institution wholly under the control of God, as it was in the days of Abraham. Why should you not marvel at their sneers? Because, we have been distinctly and emphatically forewarned that in the last days there shall arise scoffers, walking after their own hearts’ lusts, who shall speak evil of dignities and things that they know not, having men’s persons in admiration because of gain.

Dreams From God…. . .The inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding. Every various method of immediate revelation, however, always accords with the inspiration of the Spirit. . . .An open vision or a dream, each accords with the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Now one mark of a dream from God is, that it is distinguished for the clearness and simplicity of the impress that it makes upon the mind of him that dreams. A dream from the Lord being always true in all its legitimate bearings, will be so disembarrassed from error and uncertainty to him that has the spirit of truth in lively exercise, that he will know it perfectly in distinction from all false

hallucinations or deceptions of the mind.

The Angel of God“The Lord does not suffer wicked spirits to foul and blot and mar a dream, when he wants to communicate His mind and will in a dream. Foul spirits are rebuked and commanded to depart when God wants to indite the truth upon any one’s mind. The Angel of God guards the dreamer till a clear and a distinct impression is made. And that impression is of an unmistakable character, it cannot be misunderstood, any more than the light of the sun can be mistaken for the darkness of midnight. An open vision is another method of revelation.” ("The Coming Crisis--How to Meet It", Mill Star, 15:273-76, 289-92

[excerpts]; reprint by Pioneer Press)

The Coming DepressionWe are approaching troublous times. . . . They seem to be upon us. We shall have a period--how long I know not--of what we shall call prosperity; and then there will be something else. . . . I visualize a condition. . .when the best of us today will be not much better off than the poorest of us are now. . . .The world faces one of the greatest crises in its history, and no mortal man, without the inspiration of the Lord, can tell where it will lead. (J. Reuben Clark, Jr. Deseret News, Feb. 8, 1941)

Murderous Mobs"They shall have mobbing to their hearts content… Mobs will not decrease, but will increase until the whole government becomes a mob, and eventually it will be State against State, city against city, neighborhood against neighborhood.". . . it will be Christian against Christian, and man against man, and those who will not take up the sword against their neighbors, must flee to Zion. (Joseph Smith, 1832)

A Test. . .There is going to be a test, a Test, A TEST; and if you do not forsake your wickedness, you will see sorrow, as the children of Israel did in Jerusalem. Do you believe it? If you will cleanse your hearts and purify them, and call on your God, He will tell you that I speak the truth. (Heber C. Kimball, JD 4:141, 1856)

Guided By The “Light Within”

The pressure will be so great that the righteous among us will cry unto the lord day and night UNTIL DELIVERANCE COMES. Then is the time to look out for the great sieve for there will be a great sifting time and many will fall. This Church has before it many close places through which it will have to pass before the work of God is crowned with glory.

The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess a personal knowledge or witness will fall. If you have not got this testimony, you must live right and call upon the Lord, and cease not until you obtain it. Remember these sayings: The time will come when no man or woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within themselves. (Heber C. Kimball, Conference Report, p. 59, Oct. 1930; see Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 460-61)

Wolves Among the Sheep"Yes," said Brother Heber, (by which name he was so familiarly known), "we think we are secure here in the chambers of the everlasting hills, where we can close those few doors of the canyons against mobs and persecutors, the wicked and the vile, who have always beset us with violence and robbery, but I want to say to you, my brethren, the time is coming when we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys to that extent that it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy to the people of God. Then, brethren, look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall; for I say unto you, there is a test, a Test, a TEST coming, and who will be able to stand?" (Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 456-57)

The Importance of Knowing Jesus Christ

There will come sorrows to the Latter-day Saints, trials and tests. Every man in the Church will be tested to the core; they will be proved as Abraham was proved, and when the Lord is satisfied that they love Him and will keep His commandments, then He will come to their rescue.... My mother has told me that the last time Father took a walk down Main Street, after he was stricken with paralysis, he returned with difficulty back to his home, the residence which still stands on the hill, and said to her, "Oh the test, the test, the test, who will be able to stand?"

Mother said, "What is the test?" He replied, "I don't know, BUT IT IS ONLY THOSE THAT KNOW THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST THAT CAN STAND." (From a document by Amanda Wilcox, dated May, 1868, quoted in J. Golden Kimball, pp, 196-97)

Greed and The Praise of the World…

After a while the Gentiles will gather by the thousands to this place, and Salt Lake City will be classed among the wicked cities of the world. A spirit of speculation and extravagance will take possession of the Saints, and the results will be financial bondage.”

Great Apostasy Persecution comes next and all true Latter-day Saints will be tested to the limit. Many will apostatize and others will be still not knowing what to do. Darkness will cover the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people. The judgments of God will be poured out on the wicked to the extent that our Elders from far and near will be called home, or in other words the gospel will be taken from the Gentiles and later on carried to the Jews.

Missouri Swept CleanThe western boundary of the State of Missouri will be swept so clean of its inhabitants that as President Young tells us, when you return to that place, there will not be left so much as a yellow dog to wag his tail. Before that day comes, however, the Saints will be put to a test that will try the integrity of the best of them. The pressure will become so great that the more righteous among them will cry unto the Lord day and night until deliverance comes.

Then the Prophet Joseph and others will make their appearance and those who have remained faithful will be selected to return to Jackson County, Missouri, and take part in the upbuilding of that beautiful city, the New Jerusalem. (Heber C. Kimball, Deseret News, May 23, 1931; see also "The Vision of Amanda Wilcox," 1868, Visions of the Latter Days, pp. 97-98)

Spiritual vs. PhysicalThe Gospel of Jesus Christ has had to be preached with tears and beseechings, sufferings, adversity, and persecution from one generation to another. No generation accepted it; because their belief in material power was so dense that they lost faith in the spiritual. We have to talk of the temporal. Temporal things have to be attended to, or we all would starve to death. But we must not place the temporal before the spiritual, for if we do, we can look out for disaster and trouble. No men can save the nation or a people when they get the temporal first and forget the spiritual. (J. Golden Kimball, p. 299)

God Rules Over ManThis people have to learn that the Lord is God, that He rules among the armies of heaven, and does His pleasure among the inhabitants of the earth. They have to be brought to the test, as much so as were the children of Israel when the Egyptians were in their rear, when mountains were on either side, and the Red Sea was before them, with no human prospect for avoiding destruction, yet the Lord brought them salvation. This people have got to trust in Him, and learn that He will be with His people, and provide for His Saints, and defend them against their enemies, and watch over them as a mother watches over her tender infant. We have got to learn the ways of the Lord. (Brigham Young, JD 2:279, May 1855)

God Will Make His Will Known

It is by dreams that God often makes known his mind and will to mankind. In the holy scriptures we find many notable instances of this power, or of this gift, in which man, visited in his slumbers by the angels of God's presence, has partaken of that Spirit of light and intelligence that surrounds Him, and has, by its aid, seen the course of human events, and noted the results of human actions, which were long afterward to take place upon the earth. . . .

Dreams are of different kinds and are given for various purposes; each true one, however, being applicable to the situation and requirements of the individual receiving it, or, of the people about whom it contains directions. . . . Those beneficial to us . . . are given for the purpose of strengthening our determinations and confirming our faith, or of warning us of difficulties. . . ; and, by a proper and becoming attention to such warnings, we may know how to avoid disastrous consequences. (Elder Joseph G. Romney, Mill Star, 26:293)

God Will Speak to Us…For God speaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction. (Job 33:14-16)

For Example…The following was originally printed in The Logan Gazette. It bears no name of the author….. For a voice hath said, "That which thou seest, write.". . .But look yet again, and thou wilt see the terrible judgments which are in store for a people who violate the commandments of the Almighty!"

Drought and FamineAnd I beheld a brazen sky, and glaring sun, and vegetation parched with drouth, and springs whose fountains had failed, channels rocky and dry. And I saw great multitudes of men, women and children hurrying with parched tongues and feeble footsteps to the great lakes and rivers, to appease the demands of thirst.

I looked again, and beheld another curse, for the green fields were smitten with frost in the summer time, and yielded not the harvest; and the cattle were dying by the way side; and the faces of mothers were wan and bony; and children were crying for bread; and there was famine in the land.

Mysterious IllnessesAnd I beheld yet another curse. For it grew dark, and I heard the rushing of heavy wings, and LO! the angel of the pestilence passed, crying, "Woe! Woe! Woe! to the people accursed!" And strong men fell down and died on the highways; and plague spots came upon every cheek and breast, and there was none to minister to the dying, and none to bury the dead; and the vultures grew fat and usurped the land. And I heard a loud voice saying: "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord." And that which I here relate is truth in its very essence. . . . And I beg and implore all who shall read it to be instructed in the things which it teaches, and to consider well that which they do. . . . (Deseret News, 13:150, Dec. 2, 1863.)

Why Revelation Stops1.  ”12 And it was because of the apride of their hearts,

because of their exceeding briches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the cpoor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a dmock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting

away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites— (Helaman 4:12)

God Loves Us…1. 6 Yea, awo unto him that shall

deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by bgifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost! (3 Nephi 29:6)

But, we need to Ask!1. 7 And again I speak unto you who

adeny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the binterpretation of tongues; (Morm:9:7)