I was shocked and appalled when, in a recent presidential debate in South Carolina, the audience loudly booed Congressman Ron Paul for his suggestion that we should apply the Golden Rule in our international relations. I thought to myself, “What have we come to?” I thought of the cliche analogy of the frog who is placed in a pot of cold water while the heat is slowly turned up until he boils.

Today, I was reading D&C section 98. Let me quote verses 33-38:

“And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them. And if any nation, tongue, or people should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue; and if that peole did not accept the offering of peace, neither the second nor the third time, they should bring these testimonies before the Lord; Then I, the Lord would fight their battles, and their children’s battles and their children’s children’s, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation. Behold, this is an ensample unto all people, saith the Lord your God, for justification before me.”

We, the members of the Lord’s church, are commanded to be an ensign unto the world. How many of us, (myself included), cheered when we took our own (not the Lord’s) vengeance on Iraq and Afghanistan? How many of us felt a sense of righteous release? We might say, “Well, times have changed. It’s no longer as simple as it used to be!” Really? Do we think for one minute that the Lord didn’t see our day when this scripture was written, when this commandment was given? Was the Lord so short sighted that His commandments, declared by His very word to have been in effect for His “ancients”, have lost their effect after only 150 years?

No!!!!! We must stand with the Lord, even in these difficult, complicated times. We must trust in His promise that He will fight our battles. We must “lift a standard of peace” as we have been commanded. We cannot side with those in this country, in this world, who would wage pre-emptive war against a country like Iran (only the most current example in a long list of transgressions over the past century).

If we are to truly be an ensign unto the nations, to be members of the Lord’s Zion – the pure in heart, we must seek to understand the commandments of the Lord; we must trust in them, even if conventional “modern” wisdom suggests otherwise. We must each stand as a voice of reason, a voice of obedience, a voice of peace. His commandments are eternal, they have not expired, and they are just as valid today as they were in the days of the “ancients” and in the days of Joseph Smith.

And now some words from the scriptures:

“Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands. But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands. (3 Nephi 3: 18–21)

“And it was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them. But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.” (Mormon 4: 4–5)

Quoting from Ezra Taft Benson with regard to United States Foreign Policy:

“Ever since World War I, when we sent American boys to Europe supposedly to ‘make the world safe for democracy’, our leaders in Washington have been acting as though the American people elected them to office for the primary purpose of leading the entire planet toward international peace, prosperity and one-world government.

“…We mistake the object of our Government… Conquest or superiority among other powers is not or ought not ever to be the object of republican systems. If they are sufficiently active & energetic to rescue us from contempt & preserve our domestic happiness & security, it is all we can expect from them… (The Records of the Federal Convention [Max Farrand, Editor], 1: 402)

“There is one and only one legitimate goal of United States foreign policy. It is a narrow goal, a nationalistic goal: the preservation of our national independence. Nothing in the Constitution grants that the President shall have the privilege of offering himself as a world leader.

“Nothing in the Constitution nor in logic grants to the President of the United States or to Congress the power to influence the political life of other countries, to ‘uplift’ their cultures, to bolster their economies, to feed their peoples or even to defend them against their enemies.

“The proper function of government must be limited to a defensive role.”

(Source: Ezra Taft Benson, “United States Foreign Policy“, Preston, Idaho, June 21, 1968)

And a message from Spencer W. Kimball:

“In spite of our delight in defining ourselves as modern, and our tendency to think we possess a sophistication that no people in the past ever had—in spite of these things, we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people—a condition most repugnant to the Lord.

“We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan’s counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior’s teaching:

“”Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44–45.)”

(Source: The False Gods We Worship by Spencer W. Kimball)

Other related articles:

What do the scriptures teach us about war? (Article)
United States Foreign Policy by Ezra Taft Benson
Preemptive War & The Book of Mormon As a Record of Military Strategy by Hugh Nibley (Audio)

It is inspiring to learn how Parley Pratt came to know of the book about which he wrote the words of this hymn. In August of 1830, as a lay preacher, he was traveling from Ohio to eastern New York. At Newark, along the Erie Canal, he left the boat and walked 10 miles (16 km) into the country where he met a Baptist deacon by the name of Hamlin, who told him “of a book, a strange book, a VERY STRANGE BOOK! . . . This book, he said, purported to have been originally written on plates either of gold or brass, by a branch of the tribes of Israel; and to have been discovered and translated by a young man near Palmyra, in the State of New York, by the aid of visions, or the ministry of angels. I inquired of him how or where the book was to be obtained. He promised me the perusal of it, at his house the next day. . . . Next morning I called at his house, where, for the first time, my eyes beheld the ‘BOOK OF MORMON’—that book of books . . . which was the principal means, in the hands of God, of directing the entire course of my future life.

“I opened it with eagerness, and read its title page. I then read the testimony of several witnesses in relation to the manner of its being found and translated. After this I commenced its contents by course. I read all day; eating was a burden, I had no desire for food; sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep.

“As I read, the spirit of the Lord was upon me, and I knew and comprehended that the book was true, as plainly and manifestly as a man comprehends and knows that he exists.” 2

Parley Pratt was then 23 years of age. The reading of the Book of Mormon affected him so profoundly that he was soon baptized into the Church and became one of its most effective and powerful advocates. In the course of his ministry he traveled from coast to coast across what is now the United States, into Canada, and to England; he worked in the isles of the Pacific and was the first Latter-day Saint missionary to set foot on the soil of South America. In 1857, while serving a mission in Arkansas, he was shot in the back and killed by an assailant. He was buried in a rural area near the community of Alma, and today in that quiet place a large block of polished granite marks the site of his grave. Incised in its surface are the words of another of his great and prophetic hymns, setting forth his vision of the work in which he was engaged:

The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
Lo, Zion’s standard is unfurled! . . .
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.

The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine; . . .
The glory bursting from afar
Wide o’er the nations soon will shine. 3

Parley Pratt’s experience with the Book of Mormon was not unique. As the volumes of the first edition were circulated and read, strong men and women by the hundreds were so deeply touched that they gave up everything they owned, and in the years that followed not a few even gave their lives for the witness they carried in their hearts of the truth of this remarkable volume.

Today, a century and three-quarters after its first publication, the Book of Mormon is more widely read than at any time in its history. Whereas there were 5,000 copies in that first edition, about 5,000,000 are currently distributed each year, and the book or selections from the book are available in 106 languages.

Its appeal is as timeless as truth, as universal as mankind. It is the only book that contains within its covers a promise that by divine power the reader may know with certainty of its truth.

Its origin is miraculous; when the story of that origin is first told to one unfamiliar with it, it is almost unbelievable. But the book is here to be felt and handled and read. No one can dispute its presence. All efforts to account for its origin, other than the account given by Joseph Smith, have been shown to lack substance. It is a record of ancient America. It is a scripture of the New World, as certainly as the Bible is the scripture of the Old. Each of these volumes of scripture speaks of the other. Each carries with it the spirit of inspiration, the power to convince and to convert. Together they become two witnesses, hand in hand, that Jesus is the Christ, the resurrected and living Son of the living God.

The Book of Mormon narrative is a chronicle of nations long since gone. But in its descriptions of the problems of today’s society, it is as current as the morning newspaper and much more definitive, inspired, and inspiring concerning the solutions of those problems.

I know of no other writing which sets forth with such clarity the tragic consequences to societies that follow courses contrary to the commandments of God. Its pages trace the stories of two distinct civilizations that flourished on the Western Hemisphere. Each began as a small nation, its people walking in the fear of the Lord. But with prosperity came growing evils. The people succumbed to the wiles of ambitious and scheming leaders who oppressed them with burdensome taxes, who lulled them with hollow promises, who countenanced and even encouraged loose and lascivious living. These evil schemers led the people into terrible wars that resulted in the death of millions and the final and total extinction of two great civilizations in two different eras.

No other written testament so clearly illustrates the fact that when men and nations walk in the fear of God and in obedience to His commandments, they prosper and grow, but when they disregard Him and His word, there comes a decay that, unless arrested by righteousness, leads to impotence and death. The Book of Mormon is an affirmation of the Old Testament proverb: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

The God of heaven spoke to these people of the Americas through prophets, telling them where true security could be found: “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:12).

While the Book of Mormon speaks with power to the issues that affect our modern society, the great and stirring burden of its message is a testimony, vibrant and true, that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah, He who walked the dusty roads of Palestine healing the sick and teaching the doctrines of salvation; who died upon the cross of Calvary; who on the third day came forth from the tomb, appearing to many. Prior to His final Ascension, He visited the people of this Western Hemisphere, concerning whom He earlier had said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16).

For centuries the Bible stood alone as a written testimony of the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth. Now, at its side, stands a second and powerful witness which has come forth “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations” (Book of Mormon title page).

As I indicated earlier, at this season exactly 176 years ago the first edition of the Book of Mormon, which had been translated “by the gift and power of God” (Book of Mormon title page) was being set in type and run on a small press in Palmyra, New York. Its publication preceded and was a forerunner to the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which took place on April 6, 1830.

We studied the Book of Mormon in Sunday School this past year. Nonetheless I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon. If you will read a bit more than one and one-half chapters a day, you will be able to finish the book before the end of this year. Very near the end of its 239 chapters, you will find a challenge issued by the prophet Moroni as he completed his record nearly 16 centuries ago. Said he:

“And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? . . .

“And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true” (Moroni 10:27, 29).

Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.

Notes

1. See Hymns, no. 13.
2. Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ed. Parley P. Pratt Jr. (1938), 36–37.
3. “The Morning Breaks,” Hymns, no. 1.

SEVERAL PROPHETS SAW OUR DAY

Here is what the scripture says about Adam.

“And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.”²

Then we read that Enoch knew about the present day when the missionaries would flood the earth with the message of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel. The scripture says:

“And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth. . . to sweep the earth as with’ a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four corners of the earth.” ³

The prophet Isaiah saw our day and wrote a whole chapter about the coining forth of the Book of Mormon and the marvelous work and a wonder that would follow among other things, he said:

“And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. . . .Wherefore, behold, I [ will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder."⁴

It was Nephi who saw our day in great detail but was forbidden to write about it. The Lord said:

"And the angel said unto me; Behold, one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb... shall see and write the remainder of these things....And the things which thou shall see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.... and I Nephi heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the lamb was John." ⁵

NEPHI’S GREAT SECRET

It is a great burden to know what is going to happen in our day and not be able to tell about it. On two different occasions this prophet almost told too much.

The first time was at the end of the book of First Nephi. He was describing the major events leading up to the Second Coming and the ushering in of the Millennium when suddenly he stopped and said:

"I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things." ⁶

This almost sounds as though he hoped he might be able to do it at some future time. In any event he did not write his second book until he was an old man. During the years he had carefully read the writings of Isaiah and quoted thirteen chapters of Isaiah because he knew that prophet had seen the same vision as Lehi, Nephi and Jacob. Nephi therefore let Isaiah relate what each of them had seen. Nevertheless, as Nephi came toward the end of his Second Book of Nephi and began waxing eloquent in proclaiming the doctrine of Christ, he seems to have reached a point where he had something he was especially anxious to record. But he suddenly stopped and said:

"I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit STOPPETH MINE UTTERANCE."⁷

He then goes into mourning because he is fearful the people will not search out the "great knowledge" which he feels is in the scripture but the evil spirit will discourage them from finding it. Nevertheless, he hopes that through prayer the Holy Ghost will reveal it to them. Meanwhile he was forbidden to utter those things he was so anxious to declare openly and plainly. It was reserved to be included in the writings of John .

SO WE TURN TO THE REVELATION OF THE APOSTLE JOHN

The marvelous reve1ation to the Apostle John on the Isle of Patmos is sometimes difficult to analyze because he recorded events which he saw in heaven right along with things which he saw happening on earth. Sometimes it is difficult to tell which sphere is being discussed. For example, he talks about the 144,000 being sealed in their foreheads during the sixth seal ⁸ but seven chapters later he speaks of the 144,000 performing their great mission on earth after the opening of the seventh seal. ⁹

Is this a contradiction?

We have reason to believe that the first reference to the 144,000 during the sixth seal is referring to the selection and sealing up of these choice servants IN THE SPIRIT WORLD before they came into the earth. That there were such foreordinations in the spirit world is described by Alma:

"And this is the manner after which they were ordained - being called and prepared from the FOUNDATION OF TUE WORLD according to the FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD. "¹⁰

And we also have the words of Joseph Smith who said:

"Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose that I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council."¹¹

"Question: What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of Israel

"Answer: If you will receive it this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things.

"Question: What TIME are the things spoken of in this chapter to be accomplished?

"Answer: They are to be accomplished in the sixth thousand years or the opening of the SIXTH seal.

"Question: What are we to understand by sealing the one hundred and forty-four thousand out of all the tribes of Israel - twelve thousand out of each tribe? [the opening of the seventh seal and the gathering of the Ten Tribes]?

“Answer: We are to understand that those who are sealed… to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are ordained out of every nation [THE ANGELS to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, and bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn." ¹²

"Question: When are the things to be accomplished, which are written in the 9th chapter of Revelation [the cleansing of the earth]? They are to be accomplished after the opening of the SEVENTH seal, before the coming of Christ.”¹³

From these scriptures it is quite clear why we have the foreordination and sealing up of the 144,000 in the spirit world as described in the seventh chapter of Revelation, and a description of the subsequent ministry of the 144,000 among the children of men in Revelation, chapter fourteen.¹⁴

JOHN BEGINS DESCRIBING MODERN TIMES AFTER THE OPENING OF THE SEVENTH SEAL

Now John is ready to transfer his attention from the five chapters outlining the preparations in heaven for the Second Coming and concentrate on the unfolding of these events on earth. All of these events are controlled by the factor of “time.” He therefore defines the period in which these events will occur. John says:

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” ¹⁵

This immediately raises four highly significant questions. For example:

#1. According to OUR calendar, when will the seventh seal be opened, and the half-hour of silence begins in heaven?

Until 1582 A.D. our calendar was not at all accurate, but Pope Gregory employed a group of mathematicians and astronomers to restructure the calendar. They set up the new calendar so that it was in perfect harmony or calibration with the sun. To make it completely accurate they had to add one day every four years and that is how we got our “leap year.”

But even with all that restructuring, how are we certain that it is completely accurate? The best answer to that question is in the Doctrine and Covenants. On two occasions the Lord used the Gregorian calendar in such a way that it seemed to clearly imply his approval of it.

In Section 20 the Lord said he wanted the Church established on the sixth day of April because it would be “one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh.” ¹⁶

In the very next section we are told the Church was set up by Joseph Smith under the guidance of the Holy Ghost and then it says:

“Which church was organized and established in the year of your Lord eighteen hundred and thirty, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April.” ¹⁷

So if our calendar is accurate and apparently approved by the Lord, there is no question about the date of the opening of the seventh seal and the half hour of silence in heaven. It will commence in the year 2000 AD .

#2. Why is there suddenly “silence in heaven” when the SEVENTH seal is opened?

Apparently there is a great deal of furious activity in heaven right up to the time the seventh seal is opened. The Priesthood of this dispensation are required to work at a tremendous pace to get ready for the Second Coming. This was explained to Wilford Woodruff the last time he was allowed to see Joseph Smith in the spirit world. He says:

“Joseph Smith continued visiting myself and others up to a certain time and then it stopped. The last time I saw him was in heaven. In the night vision I saw him at the door of the temple in heaven. He came and spoke to me. He said he could not stop to talk with me because he was in a hurry. The next man I met was Father Smith; he could not talk with me because he was in a hurry. I met a half a dozen brethren who had held high positions on earth and none of them could stop to talk with me because they were in a hurry. I was much astonished. By and by I saw the Prophet again, and I got the privilege to ask him a question. ‘Now,’ said I, ‘I want to know why you’re in a hurry. I have been in a hurry all through my life but I expected my hurry would be over when I got into the kingdom of heaven, if I ever did.’ Joseph said, ‘I will tell you, Brother Woodruff, every dispensation that has had the Priesthood on the earth and has gone into the celestial kingdom, has had a certain amount of work to do to prepare to go to the earth with the Savior when He goes to reign on the earth. Each dispensation has had ample time to do this work. We have not. We are the last dispensation, and so much work has to be done and we need to be in a hurry in order to accomplish it.’ Of course, that was satisfactory with me, but it was a new doctrine to me.” ¹⁸

Joseph Smith made it plain to Wilford Woodruff that the Priesthood of this dispensation are working under a fantastic deadline to teach everyone who has died without the gospel since the apostolic times. This task has to be completed by the time of ‘the opening of the seventh seal when the hosts of heaven will have a new task connected with the final preparation and cleansing of the earth for the Second Coming.

#3. DO WE KNOW WHEN THE HALF HOUR OF SILENCE ENDS?

From a modern revelation we learn when the half hour of silence ends. Here is what the Lord says:

“And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour, and IMMEDIATELY after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, AND THE FACE OF THE LORD SHALL BE UNVEILED; and the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.” ¹⁹

Obviously we are talking about the Second Coming. So this tells us when the half hour of silence ends. It is just before the Second Coming.

#4. CAN WE calculate THE ACTUAL DURATION OF TH HOUR OF SILENCE?

Since we know the half hour of silence begins at 2,000 A.D. when the seventh seal is opened and since we know from a modern revelation that the half hour of silence ends with the Second Coming, can we calculate in terms of years the length of time which will elapse between these two monumental events? In other words, can we determine about how long the half hour of silence lasts?

One of the apostles felt that such a calculation was possible. Here is the way Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested it could be done. After talking about the half hour of silence, he says:

“If the time here mentioned is ‘ Lord’s time’ in which one day is a thousand years, the haft hour would be some twenty-one of our years.”

Elder McConkie reached this conclusion based on the following scriptures:

“A day with the Lord after his manner of reckoning, it being 1000 years according to the time appointed to that [ whereon thou standest."

And again:

"But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as one day."

The next step was to divide 1,000 years by 24 to determine what an hour would be according to God’s time. It turned out to be 41.66 years or just under 42 years. This means that a half hour of God’s time would be ? 7 years or nearly 21 years. This would clearly suggest that this is the duration of the half hour of silence in heaven and the period of time when the angels undertake the calamitous preparation of the earth for the Savior’s second coming.

WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN DURING THE HALF HOUR OF SILENCE?

In the next five chapters John tells us of the careful and precise assignment of the angels in heaven so the earth can be cleansed of all wickedness and prepared for the Second Coming.

Here is a brief summary of each of these chapters.

Chapter 8. After the seventh seal is opened, the first four angels receive their assignments to cleanse certain portions of the earth.

Chapter 9. The fifth and sixth angels are assigned their ministry of cleansing the earth but they are not ‘to torment or destroy those who have the "seal of God in their foreheads." (verse 4) This probably refers to those who are under the Lord’s covenant, or members of the church. However, all others will be tormented until they "seek death and shall not find it." (verse 6) But in the end over a third of mankind will be destroyed. (verse 15) During the raging wars over two hundred million men will be under arms. (verse 16) There is an amazingly accurate description of the highly mechanized instruments of war that will be employed. (verses 17-19) Nevertheless, in spite of all this period of turmoil and bloodshed the people not only refuse to repent but become more depraved and debauched than ever. (verse 20-21)

It will be recalled that when Joseph Smith was asked the specific time when the 144,000 would be foreordained and sealed he said: "In the sixth thousand years or the opening of the sixth seal." ²³ but later Joseph Smith was asked, "When are the devastating things to be accomplished which are written in the 9th chapter," he replied: "After the opening of the seventh seal, before the coming of Christ." ²⁴ as we shall see later, the coming of the ten lost tribes and the ministry of the 144,000 to every nation just before the Second Coming, all occur after the opening of the seventh seal.

Chapter 10. The seventh angel (identified in verse 7) holds up a little book whereupon seven thunders roar out a message which John was forbidden to record. (verse 4)

When Joseph Smith was asked what this little book represented, he said:

"We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him to gather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is the Elias, who, as it is written must come and restore all things." ²⁵

During the June Conference of 1831 Joseph Smith revealed that John the Beloved was already among the ten tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, to prepare for their return from the long dispersion. ²⁶

This is not referring to the remnants of Israel scattered among the various nations, but that supremely righteous segment of the Ten Tribes whom Moses said eventually would be gathered in from the "outmost parts of heaven." ²⁷

chapter 11. This is a heavenly vision of the climax to the second worldwide dictatorship. It will culminate in the great battle of Armageddon which we will discuss later.

chapter 12. This chapter provides the background for the fall of Lucifer and his hosts after the war in heaven. John says it was there that the righteous fought against Satan "by their word and their testimony" trying to persuade the confused and uncommitted spirits to support Christ’s gospel plan. In the end, two-thirds rallied behind Jehovah but one-third supported Satan and were cast out into the mortal earth. (verses 7-11)

John depicts the Saints of God as being like "a woman clothed with the sun." (verse 1) John looks back through the centuries and realizes that because of Satan’s persecution of God’s kingdom there would be "a time and times and half a time" (verse 14) when the woman would have to flee into hiding. This would be off and on throughout the 3,500 years incorporated in the dispensation of Joseph, Moses and the apostles. John saw that not until 1,830 A.D. would the woman of the Church of Jesus Christ come forth in all her power and glory. Then John says:

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (God’s servants in the latter days] which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (verse 17)

It will be appreciated that the previous five chapters are describing the elaborate structure of the angelic forces in heaven to prepare for the mighty contest that will take place on the earth after the opening of the sixth and seventh seals. John wants us to know that during this contest Satan will lay the foundation for two worldwide dictatorships. Now we are ready for Revelation, chapter thirteen.

THE RISE OF THE FIRST WORLDWIDE DICTATORSHIP AS SEEN BY JOHN

Beginning with Revelation, chapter 13, John is talking about event which unfold on the earth after the opening of the seventh seal and the beginning of the half hour of silence in heaven referred to earlier.

John says the first worldwide dictatorship will come into its full dimension of power shortly after the year 2,000 but its beginning will be during the sixth seal. It is not a single dictatorship, but a coalition of nations. Here is how John describes it:

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” ²⁹

The reference to HIS horns and HIS heads demonstrates that these nations were a unified coalition. We do not know why seven heads would have ten horns and ten crowns unless three of these nations had colonial dominions.

John leaves no doubt that this monster rising out of the sea was a Satanicinstitution. Speaking of the monster as a united entity, John says “the dragon” gave him his power and his seat of authority. ³⁰

John describes the figurative symbols used by God, and says this dictatorship had the sinister cunning of a leopard, the feet and claws of a bear, and the teeth and mouth of a lion.

IS THERE ANY MILITARY OR POLITICAL ENTITY THAT SEEMS TO FIT THIS DESCRIPTION?

Since the opening of the seventh seal is upon us, has any military or political entity been emerging which seems to reflect any of these characteristics?

An apostle has warned that there is. For many years J. Reuben Clark, former U.S. Under-Secretary of State and a member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church, had been sounding the alarm.

He first became concerned when President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Treaty on a U.S. cruiser off the coast of Newfoundland in August, 1941. Of course, who might have suspected that this might be the beast John saw rising out of the sea? It was viewed by most people as merely a mutual defense pact

However, World War II changed the whole world landscape and the United States came out of that terrible conflict as the new world leader with the Soviet Union a jealous and frantically obsessed competitor.

There were several reasons why the United States forged into first place as a world leader. To begin with, her Wall Street bankers had invented a virtually unlimited “debt based” economy so – to a large extent – the U.S. generously financed the major part of the Allied war effort. Secondly she had out produced most of the rest of the world in planes, ships, tanks and military supplies. Third, she was far and away the leader in high technology although Russia, by stealing many of America’s top secrets, was not far behind.

World War II ended in 1945, but by 1949, Russia had muscled and maneuvered her way into dominating approximately 1/3 of the entire planet. Europe, Asia and Latin America looked to the United States to prevent further Communist expansion.

Thus it was on April 4, 1948, that the United States, Britain and certain other countries dangerously threatened by the Soviet Union, signed THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY. It provided that if the Soviets attacked ONE member of the treaty it was an attack against ALL. This pact contained a score of blatant violations of the U.S. Constitution, nevertheless, to a large extent the new NATO treaty was popular, but not with J. Reuben Clark.

After he studied the document he gave a thundering warning which was first heard by the Trust Division of the American Bankers Association on August 17, 1949. He said:

“The North Atlantic Treaty, recently passed, is a military alliance pure and simple. It is what our forefathers called an ‘entangling alliance.’” ³¹

This entire speech was filled with fiery quotations from the American Founding Fathers predicting disastrous results if the United States ever allowed itself to be trapped within an international conglomerate of interdependent alliances.

Of course, the North Atlantic Treaty was just the beginning.

THE EVOLUTION OF NATO TOWARD A NEW WORLD ORDER

Nevertheless, the United States – as the principal defense against, the Soviet Union – began to look upon itself as the policeman of the world. Consequently, the State Department managed the next two major wars and they were disastrous. The Korean War has been described as the worst-managed war in the history of the United States and the Vietnam War is the only war the United States ever lost.

As a result of these and other fiascos, Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980. He got the backing of both parties and spent two trillion dollars building America back up to the most powerful nation on earth.

The Soviet Union tried to compete with the United States but finally went bankrupt and in 1989 the whole Soviet Union fell apart. Russia became an isolated, despondent, disorganized non-entity, and the Cold War was over.

Now we go back to John who saw something amazing happen. He says:

“And I saw one of his heads as [if] were wounded to death; and his DEADLY WOUND WAS HEALED: and all the world wondered after the beast.

“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying Who is like unto the beast? WHO IS ABLE TO MAKE WAR WITH HIM?” ³²

One of the amazing things about the Cold War was the fact that the Soviet Union was crushed into near annihilation. It was completely fragmented and left with only the original, isolated Russia as a wounded remnant of what had been a world super-power. Never had there been such a golden opportunity to require the Soviets to disarm, defuse or destroy her intercontinental ballistic missiles, get her factories converted over to domestic production and launch a massive road construction so her farmers could get the vast food supply from the muddy Russian fields to the central markets. But none of this happened. John saw what did happen.

The United Nations extended a generous helping hand to the Soviet Union – which had previously set out to conquer the world – and used the resources of the free world to begin building her up again. Eventually, this bloody head that was saved by the rest of the UN may prove to be once more the most dangerous facet of the first world dictatorship.

So the coalition of many heads and horns John saw in vision, will continue to strengthen itself until it becomes a world-wide dictatorship of ruthless proportions. It will dominate the whole human race for 3.5 years. This is still future.

THE NEW WORLD ORDER BECOMES A REALITY

The Soviet Union began to desperately urge her former allies to continue the Communist expansion program. On August 2, 1990, the dictator of Iraq – with Soviet encouragement- overran and occupied an oil-rich neighbor, Kuwait. The UN Security Council set a deadline for Saddam Hussein and his forces to retire and when it was ignored, the UN called upon all its members to enforce the UN decree.

George Bush was the new President and he had always favored a New World Order to enforce justice and peace. He looked upon the crisis in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as an ideal opportunity to show what the policeman of the world, acting in the name of the United Nations, could do to give itself credibility. Therefore, without following the requirements of the Constitution, he asked Congress to ratify a UN resolution and the next thing the country knew, half a million Americans were in the PersianGulf War.

A gigantic, massive air attack ended the war after a few days and its success established the precedent J. Reuben Clark had hoped would never happen. From this point on the President the United States as commander in chief would look upon any UN decree as an order to take “police” action. But the Persian Gulf War was the only success so far. It didn’t happen in Somalia, Bosnia, or Yugoslavia.

THE PATTERN IS ESTABLISHED AND JOHN SAW THE FUTURE

“And there was given unto him [of the many kingdoms collectively] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue FORTY AND TWO MONTHS.” ³³

So the first dictatorship reaches a point where it dominates the world and sustains the ongoing society of immorality, abortion, non-religious education, high crimes and misdemeanors for which even the President could not be impeached even though he was finally forced to confess what he had done, and the House found him guilty of two counts. However, the Senate did not have enough support to convict him because under the 17^th Amendment the Senators had to face a popular election and too many of the Senators felt the President was supported by most of the people so that if they impeached him they might not be re-elected themselves. (Under the original Constitution, Senators were appointed by the state legislatures to protect the Constitution and states rights. This was changed in 1915.)

And so, as John says, it will continue until at some point the first dictatorship will attain a position of absolute power for three-and-a-half years. Then an amazing thing will happen.

THE FIRST DICTATORSHIP WILL MAKE A DEADLY MISTAKE

However, at this point, John saw that the first dictatorship would make a lethal mistake which will eventually wipe it out of existence. Here is what happens:

“And he [beast or dictator] opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

“And it was given unto him to make WAR AGAINST THE Saints and to OVERCOME them: and power was given him over all mankind, and tongues and nations.” 34

FROM THIS POINT ON, THE FIRST DICTATORSHIP WILL DRIFT INTO OBLIVION

Just as John’s account reaches a point of supreme suspense with the monster declaring war against the Saints – and overcoming them – John tells us the first dictatorship has been obliterated.

But what happened? He doesn’t tell us what happened! He simply closes the account of the first dictatorship with this rather amazing philosophical comment:

“If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” ³⁵

In other words, the first dictatorship has disintegrated into ashes and the faith of the saints is vindicated.

But what brought this about after the first dictatorship turned on the Saints and overpowered them?

Perhaps John left out this vital part of his story so it could be told by his Master. In any event we now have the whole story in the Book of Mormon, and it probably gives us far greater details than John could have provided.

THE RESURRECTED JESUS TELLS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FIRST DICTATORSHIP

When the resurrected Jesus appeared to his “other sheep” on the American continent in 34 A.D., he talked a lot about America in the latter days. He talked about the Gentiles coming from Europe and setting up the first free people in modern times. He talked about their riches and their power. But he also talked about their wickedness . He said the pure original gospel would be restored among them but unless they embraced it as a people, America would be entirely cleansed of its gentile wickedness and this continent would be largely depopulated.

Here is the way Jesus said it:

“And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret combinations, and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I WILL BRING THE FULNES MY GOSPEL FROM AMONG THEM.” ³⁶

BUT HOW WOULD AMERICA BE CLEANSED?

On God’s prophetic time line, the cleansing of America was recognized in heaven as such a monumental watershed in history that God was talking about it with his prophet Micah clear back around 700 B.C. ³⁷ Having already discussed this momentous event with one of his prophets, Jesus therefore quoted Micah to the Nephites. He introduced it by saying:

“And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land for your inheritance.

“And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people – then shall ye WHO ARE A REMNANT OF THE HOUSE OF Israel go forth among them, and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many, and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

“Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor. For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it.” 38

WHERE IS THE SEED OF JACOB THAT WILL CONQUER THE FIRST DICTATORSHIP?

The predominantly Lamanite-Nephite nations – which comprise the seed of Jacob today – are not difficult to identify. They are the Latin American nations from Mexico to Argentina.

But what would provoke them to attack the gentile nations which are located primarily in North America? And how would they ever have the military strength to win a decisive victory of a dictatorship that had ruled the whole world for three-and-half years?

As we have already seen, John the Revelator said the first dictatorship would disintegrate right after it commences to “make war with the saints, and overcome them.” ³⁹

But is this the CAUSE of its downfall or merely a COINCIDENCE which occurs incidental to the collapse of the first dictatorship?

During the past twenty years something has been occurring among the Latin American countries which has kindled a violent bitterness toward the United States, although it has received practically no publicity. Here is what happened.

According to Dr. Patrick S.J. Carmack, the massive privately-owned banks which dominate the United Nations World Bank and International Monetary Fund went down to the Latin American countries around 1980 and offered them huge quantities of money on loan. The Latin American countries and their corrupt leaders eagerly accepted the money.

However, they have not been able to pay the interest on these loans, let alone the principal. The banks said they would just add the unpaid interest to the principal and soon these poverty stricken countries found themselves paying vast amounts in COMPOUND INTEREST on huge sums which represented not only the original loan but the accumulated interest they have not been able to pay. This is called COMPOUND INTEREST.

Dr. Carmack points out that the anguish of the Latin American countries is reflected in the fact that between 1980 and 1990 they paid $418 billion in interest on the original loans of 80 billion. ⁴⁰

The bank managers knew from the beginning that these nations would never be able to pay off these huge debts, but they had a scheme to liquidate the debts by exchanging them for valuable national assets of these nations.

Dr. Carmack reports that such a proposal was made during the Fourth World Wilderness Conference in 1987. The plan allows Third World debtors to transfer their debt to the World Conservation Bank which then negotiates with each nation in terms of their national assets (such as undeveloped mining sites, wilderness areas, etc.) until the full indebtedness is liquidated. This scheme has already been implemented in Bolivia, Costa Rica and Ecuador. ⁴¹

The main significance in all of this is the discovery that there are powerful engines of resentment and desperate hatred being generated among the Latin American countries. They are focused on the United States because they feel these financial traps were engineered by the IMF and World Bank under the control of the United States.

Under certain provocative circumstances this is the type of explosive indignation that might generate an uprising. This would be particularly true if the United States was suddenly engulfed in some natural disaster or plague THAT LEFT HER SUDDENLY WEAK.

THE CRASH OF THE FIRST DICTATORSHIP MAY BE FACILITATED BY DIVINE INTERVENTION

In one revelation the Lord mentions some divine intervention which will be operating during the cleansing of America. He says:

“For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it? The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people. It shall not be stayed until the Lord comes.

“Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her.”

“But if she observe not to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works; with sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague, with sword, with vengeance, with devouring fire.” ⁴²

Joseph Smith saw a vision of the cleansing of America and wrote:

“And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country.” ⁴³

There are three other accounts by those who were allowed to see a vision of what it will be like when the cleansing of America occurs.

The first is the account by John Taylor who was allowed to see the nation in the grip of a terrible scourge which he said would leave whole cities without any life whatever. ⁴⁴

The second is Brigham Young who also saw the terrible plagues and scourges which would make the United States extremely vulnerable to any hostile invasion. ⁴⁵

The third is by Charles D. Evans who describes the nature of the plague which is horrible to contemplate. ⁴⁶

Finally, a modern revelation verifies the reality of this terrible pestilence and it is just as ghastly and abhorrent as that which these three men saw in vision. ⁴⁷

The Lord also says:

“And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.” ⁴⁸

UNDER SUCH CALAMITOUS CONDITIONS HOW COULD THE RIGHTEOUS PROTECT THEMSELVES?

Perhaps the reason Nephi was so anxious to tell us about the things he saw was to assure us that our Heavenly Father would not be unmindful of us. As we have already seen, the Lord said:

“Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her.” ⁴⁹

This is confirmed in another revelation where the Lord says:

“But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die…When all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you will all be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰

As President Heber C. Kimball described these prophecies of the latter days, the people asked him, “What will become of this people?” He replied:

“That will depend, altogether upon our conduct. We have it within our power; God has given it to us to save ourselves from the desolation and calamities that will come upon this nation. How? By doing that which is right… .If we do this, prosperity will be upon the inhabitants…prosperity will be upon the towns and cities erected by this people, the hand of the Lord will be over us to sustain us, and we will spread forth…

“Now we have the choice. It is within our reach… .And on the other hand, we ca n reach forth the hand and partake of wickedness and bring desolation and destruction upon our borders.” ⁵¹

THE LORD WILL DEPEND UPON FOUR GROUPS TO REBUILD AMERICA AFTER THE CLEANSING

There will be a gigantic task to perform after America has been cleansed of her wickedness but the wreckage and ruin of a whole civilization has been left behind.

THE FIRST GROUP

The first group will be the righteous saints whom the Lord has preserved. All these will have been disciplined in Priesthood principles and will have studied God’s law so they will know’ what to do. In very short order, the other groups will lean upon this first group for guidance.

THE SECOND GROUP

The second group will be made up of the members of God’s kingdom from all over the world. After America is cleansed and the clouds of the second dictatorship are beginning to replace the first dictatorship the Saints will be anxious to rally when the Priesthood leaders sound the trumpet and call them to gather to America. The Lord says:

“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.” ⁵²

And of course for the members of The Church, that’s America! The Lord speaks of these gathering Saints from all over the world in a modern revelation:

“And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among ALL NATIONS, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.” ⁵³

THE THIRD GROUP

The third group to help reconstruct the western hemisphere will be the righteous gentiles who survive the cleansing. This is an interesting group of people. They are of many faiths. They love the Lord, they bow the knee in contemplation of his coming. They admire his Church and love the Saints. But they don’t join the Church. Nevertheless, they want to live under God’s Law and be part of God’s kingdom. The amazing part is that God extends an invitation to the righteous gentiles to be part of the political kingdom of God.

Brigham Young knew that a lot of the Saints would expect the kingdom of God to be only members of the church, but President Young said that is not the way the Lord planned it. Here are his words:

“The Kingdom of God [Those living under God’s Law] consists in correct principles; and it mattereth not what a man’s religious faith is; whether he be a Presbyterian, or a Methodist, or a Baptist, or a Latter-day Saint or ‘Mormon,’ or a Catholic or

Episcopalian, or Mohammedan, or even pagan, or anything else, if he WILL BOW THE KNEE AND WITH HIS tongue CONFESS THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST, and will support good and wholesome laws for the regulation of society, we hail him as a brother, and will stand by him while he stands by us in these things; for every man’s religious faith is a matter between his own soul and his God alone.” ⁵⁴

THE FOURTH GROUP

Finally, there is the fourth group will help restore the western hemisphere. These are the peacemakers . They are people in other parts of the world who see they are about to be drafted into Prince Gog’s vast, second dictatorship. They may have even heard that he has ambitions to set up an army of 200,000,000. ⁵⁵ So all of these are allowed to flee to America. The Lord says:

“And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take up his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.” ⁵⁶

How grateful these peace-loving families will be after Prince Gog gets going with the second dictatorship. The scripture says:

“And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT SHALL NOT BE AT WAR ONE WITH ANOTHER.” ⁵⁷

SETTING UP THE NEW ORDER OF THINGS

Once all of these choice groups of people are in place they will set about building the New Jerusalem and setting up ideal Zion cities from one end of the American continent to the other. To accomplish this, the whole structure of government and economics will be changed as well as the adoption of a highly elevated society. Here are the highlights:

1. The people will be organized by families into tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands. The unit of around one hundred families will be called a secular, non-denominational “ward” similar to the Anglo Saxons and ancient Israel.
2. The judges or captains over each unit of ten, fifty, hundred and thousand families, etc. shall be elected each year and will be selectively nominated by the supreme councils and their officers as described in Exodus, chapter 1. This procedure eliminates the need for political parties.
3. The people will be governed by the original inspired Constitution as revealed to the Founding Fathers and endorsed by the Lord in 1834. ⁵⁸
4. Civil and criminal law are to be administered according to the law revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai as set forth principle by principle in chapters three to nine inclusive in the author’s text, The Majesty of God’s Law, Ensign Publishing Company,1996, pp.3
5. The economy will be practiced in harmony with the principles laid down byAdam Smith in 1776, but in the spirit of the Golden Ru1e.
6. The money system will be based on gold and silver with silver as the basic medium of exchange and gold circulating at free market value. Paper money issued by the government will be redeemable in precious metal and have reserves in the vaults for any currency issued. Borrowed money will be based on guaranteed collateral at market value.
7. God’s “law of consecration” will be allowed to operate under the control of God’s kingdom for those who have qualified in the temple and prefer its practice to the system of competitive free enterprise.

AMERICA IS SEALED OFF

While all of these new arrangements are being worked out among the four groups of survivors in America, God will begin to isolate America with what Luke called, “waves roaring.” ⁵⁹ The Lord warned that this would happen. He said:

“Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters., And it shall be said in days to come that none IS ABLE TO GO UP TO THE LAND OF ZION UPON THE WATERS, but he that is upright in heart. ⁶⁰

This verse would suggest that while America is by violent seas it will be impossible for ordinary people to either fly or sail across the turbulent oceans in an effort to get to Zion or America.

Another scripture implying complete isolation of the western hemisphere is the Lord’s statement we have already quoted which says:

“And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.” ⁶¹

Joseph Smith warned that when the signal goes out to gather to Zion, the people must not tarry or they may lose their opportunity to even get to Zion. He said:

“The cry is to make haste. The last revelation says, Ye shall not have tine to have gone over the earth [ our missionaries), until these things come. It will come as did the cholera, war, fires and earthquakes; one pestilence after another..

This isolation of the righteous and peace-loving people in America& will be an ideal situation for the building of theNew Jerusalem and setting up numerous Zion cities on the western hemisphere. Concerning America at this particular time, the Lord says:

"...the wicked will not dare come unto it, and it shall be called Zion." ⁶³

THE RISE OF THE SECOND MILITARY DICTATORSHIP

While all of this orderly progress has been occurring in "sealed-off" America something totally evil will have been hovering over the rest of the world. After the collapse of the first military dictatorship, it will immediately allow numerous world leaders with satirical ambitions to begin maneuvering for an opportunity to claw their way to the top and build another world empire. Here is the way Johndescribed what he saw happening:

"And I beheld ANOTHER BEAST COMING UP OUT OF THE EARTH; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake like a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the FIRST beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

"And he doeth great wonders, so he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of these miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live.

"And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free or bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark; or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.... and his number is Six hundred three score and six." ⁶⁴

It was the ambition of the second dictatorship to exercise "all the power of the first beast. . .and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." ⁶⁵

Ezekiel tells us that this second dictatorship was designed to mobilize all the gentile nations of the world under a massive army. But what happens to the heathen nations? (See 3 Nephi 21:21) The leader of this vast army will be known as Gog, prince of the Gentiles. ⁶⁶ As the prophetic story unfolds, we learn that since the fall of the first dictatorship some remarkable things have happened in Israel.

First, the Jews have gathered their people and their wealth from all over the world to the security of Israel. They will have built their capital city of Jerusalem into a magnificent metropolis secured by heavy walls. (Ezekiel, chapters 40-43)

Second, the prophet Zechariah (6:12-13) tells us that a beautiful temple will occupy the heights of Mount Moriah where the "Dome of the Rock" once stood.

We cannot help wondering how all of this can happen.

SOMETHING IMPORTANT MUST RAVE HAPPENED TO THE ARABS DURING THE FIRST WORLD DICTATORSHIP

It will be recalled that ever since 1967 - when the Israeli forces took over Jerusalem - the Jews have wanted to rebuild their temple. But the traditional site for the temple has been occupied since 691 A.D. by a very sacred building of the Moslem faith. This shrine is known as the "Dome of the Rock." It covers the huge threshing floor of Araunah where Abraham is said to have offered Isaac as a sacrifice. It is also the spot where Mohammed says he ascended to heaven on a white horse to commune with the ancient patriarchs and receive the teachings of the Moslem faith.

Once the Jews had occupied Jerusalem in 1967 the Moslems feared the Israelis might destroy their sacred building, but they were assured by the leading rabbis that the Jews would never desecrate the sacred places of other faiths.

The press felt the rabbis were saying: "If God wants his temple on Mount Moriah, he will have to make the necessary arrangements".

By the time of the second dictatorship, Ezekiel indicates this will have been accomplished. None of the prophets tell how it would happen, but several scenarios have been suggested.

WHAT IF THE ARABS LOST CONTROL OF THEIR OIL?

One theory is that the first dictatorship might undertake to confiscate the Arab’s vast treasure of oil. The Soviet Union has proposed this for many years since possession of the Arab oil could be the key to taking over Europe. As late as 1996 this was being proposed by a militant Russian political leader.

It is speculated that if the first world dictatorship undertook to confiscate the Arab oil there would be a mighty resistance and very likely the Dome of the Rock would be destroyed during the struggle. Furthermore, if the Arabs were robbed of their oil, the Moslem influence would be greatly reduced. It is therefore speculated that if the Dome of the Rock were destroyed and Arab influence diminished, there would be virtually no significant resistance to the rebuilding of the Jewish temple.

THE WORLDWIDE GATHERING OF THE JEWS

Ezekiel describes in chapter 34 how scattered and distressed the Jews will be when the Lord reaches out to rescue them. The Lord said to Ezekiel:

‘.. .yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out....and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the river, and all the inhabited places of the country.... And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, EVEN MY SERVANT, Davida prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it." ⁶⁷

Many scholars, including the King James translators, thought these passages referred to the Savior. However, as we have just seen in Ezekiel, chapter 34, verses 23 and 24 the Lord specifically refers to this particular David as his "servant."

Joseph Smith referred to this Prince David and said he would replace his great ancestor temporarily because "the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him [ancient David] and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage.” ⁶⁸

The administration of this outstanding leader apparently will last a long time, clear over to the time when the Ten Tribes return and become one with Judah. ⁶⁹

In Ezekiel, chapter 46, we read how David, the prince, will conduct the services at the temple when they come to worship the Lord, and Jeremiah said:

“For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his (Israel’s] yoke from off thy neck and.. .they shall serve the Lord their God MID DAVID THEIR KING, WHOM I SHALL RAISE UP TO THEM.” ⁷⁰

Notice that in all of these passages “David” is identified as a servant of the Lord and not the Lord himself.

Isaiah speaks of this great leader of Israel in the latter days as a “rod” that would come from “the stem of Jesse,” which is Christ, ⁷¹ and in a modern revelation the Lord said:

“Behold, thus saith the Lord, It (the rod) is a servant in the hands of Christ, which is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom is laid much power.” ⁷²

There has been some question as to whether this refers to Prince David or Joseph Smith. In either case we have an interesting disclosure by the Lord that this distinguished leader is a mixture of both Juda and Ephraim. It would be amazing to the Jews if David turned out to be partly Ephraim and it certainly would be somewhat surprising to the members of the restored kingdom if Joseph Smith turned out to be part Jewish.

As David the prince gathers the Jews from all over the world to the land of Israel, there will be both wealth and manpower to beautify the city of Jerusalem. We learn later that he will raise up its mighty walls as a defense and then rebuild the temple. ⁷³

For the Jews, this will be their 4th temple. This is the temple seen by Ezekiel in vision and the one to which the Savior will come. The three previous temples – One built by Solomon around 950 B.C., the one built by Zerubbabel around 516 B.C., and the one built by Herod at the time of Christ were all destroyed, and while this fourth temple will be attack fl, it will continue to survive right into the Millennium.

GOG, THE MIGHTY EMPEROR OF THE SECOND WORLD DICTATORSHIP

Ezekiel says the second dictatorship which will arise at this time is headed up by a fierce and ambitious tyrant named Gog the height of his power he will be like the leader of the first dictatorship and consider himself totally invincible, but the Lord said to his prophet:

“Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal and prophesy against him.” ⁷⁴

This happens right at the time the beautiful edifice of the temple is being raised up to crown the heights of Mount Moriah. ⁷⁵ This will be the most elaborate “house of the Lord” ever constructed, and no doubt Prince Gog will have his spies carefully reporting every phase of its construction. Of course, he will be contemptuous of the Jewish belief that this is a holy place – a center of sacred worship. On the contrary, Prince Gog will look upon this temple as a mighty treasure house in which the Jews have stored away their wealth from all over the world.

As the greedy eyes of Gog are focused on the loot he will derive from a raid on Jerusalem, the Lord is saying:

“Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief of princes of Mesheck and Tubal; and I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them, clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” ⁷⁶

The Lord had Ezekiel describe precisely what this bloodthirsty tyrant would do:

“Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.” ⁷⁷

Because the Lord could read Gog’s mind, he said:

“Thou shalt think an evil thought: and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without wa1ls and having neither bars nor gates, to take spoil, and to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land..” ⁷⁸

GOG LOOKS TOWARD JERUSALEM

It appears that Gog will have conquered all of Europe and Asia before he turns his greedy war machine on the land of Palestine. This man will have established terroristic Gadiantonism and a murder-cult criminal spoils system everywhere but in America. John says:

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” ⁷⁹

It is interesting that the whole earth will be under his domination exept North and South America. As we have mentioned earlier a modern revelation says he would have invaded America except for his fear of the consequences. Gog and his cohorts are quoted in this scripture as saying:

“Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible, wherefore we cannot stand.” ⁸⁰

Some of this may have been due to heavenly powers possessed by God’s servants in Zion similar to that which Enoch exhibited during the first thousand years of human history. It says:

“…their enemies came to battle against them; and he (Enoch] spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions were heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.” ⁸¹

But in the beginning of the second dictatorship seen by John, the violent Gog and his hordes of ferocious military forces will be spreading their “abomination of desolation” in every direction. ⁸²

JOEL WITNESSES A VISION OF HORROR – THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

A prophet named Joel – living several centuries before Ezekiel – used two whole chapters to describe the terrifying weapons of modern warfare which Gog would employ to set up his second dictatorship. Joel could scarcely find words to describe what he saw. In fact, until the nuclear age, no generation could have completely comprehended what Joel was trying to describe:

“A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.” ⁸³

Joel felt he was seeing the very ultimate in destructive warfare. He said:

“There hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” ⁸⁴

Joel did his best to describe what he saw:

“The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.” ⁸⁵

But these were not like any horses he had ever seen. Notice his bold attempt to describe the strange mobile units which he saw:

“Like the noise of chariots [not of horses] on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble;…they shall run like mighty men [once more the simile changes] they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break ranks: neither shall one thrust another, they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses: and they shall enter in at the window like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble.” ⁸⁶

It sounds very much as though the prophet is attempting to describe helicopter gun ships and a modern armored division rumbling across a city with cannon and flame-throwers spreading destruction all around.

THE FAMOUS BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON

But at Jerusalem Gog and his mighty host will come to a sudden halt. It turns out that Prince David has two powerful allies that Gog would have never suspected. He has 2 prophets whom God will raise up among the Jews with powers unlike anything Gog has seen. An angel describes what he sees the two prophets will be able to do:

“If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” ⁸⁷

For three-and-a-half years these prophets will hold Gog and these great gentile armies at bay. ⁸⁸

When the prophet Joel saw the predicament in which the Jews would find themselves, he knew there was no human power that could save them. Apparently, even before Joel saw the two prophets demonstrating their powers, Joel pleads with the Jews to begin their fasting and prayer with fervent pleadings that God will intervene and save them. He cried:

“Rend your hearts ⁸⁹ and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God…. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; gather the people, sanctify the congregation … let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach.” ⁹⁰

WHY WOULDN’T THE SAINTS IN AMERICA ASSIST THE JEWS?

When we consider all the circumstances it is highly probable that the people in America will have no idea what is happening to the Jews. With the violent storms raging around the western hemisphere ⁹¹ it might be impossible to communicate with the other parts of the world as well prove to be impossible to sail or fly.

Some have suggested that by this time the storms might have subsided, but this does not seem likely since millions would immediately flee to America to escape the cruel dictatorship of Gog and Magog. The Lord says that during this period “no flesh shall be safe upon the waters. And it shall be said. . .that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart.” ⁹²

The last phrase implies that the few righteous stragglers who did not get to America before the “roaring seas” took over will be able to reach Zion only by divine intervention. ⁹³

MEANWHILE, THE WORST OF ALL POSSIBLE TRAGEDIES WILL OCCUR AMONG THE JEWS

In spite of all the prayers and petitions of the Jews, Gog will launch a do-or-die assault on the walls of Jerusalem,- at the height of his stubborn fury his army does succeed in penetrating the strong walls and kill the two prophets. Then they will slaughter the Jews by the thousands as they make their way toward the temple.

The Lord told the prophet Zechariah – who lived a generation after Ezekiel (520 B.C.) – that the invasion of Jerusalem will be terrible indeed. He says:

“And the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity.” ⁹⁴

GOG AND HIS HOSTS WILL CELEBRATE FOR THREE-AND-A-HALF DAYS

At this juncture, Prince Gog will be supremely jubilant. In triumphant glee the dictator will order a brief cease-fire. He wants to hold a victory banquet and spread the news that the prophets who “tormented” them have been overcome and killed. Gog will not permit the bodies of the two prophets to be buried, but orders them left lying in the street while he and his generals celebrate in a drunken orgy for three-and-a-half days. ⁹⁵

But at the end of this period, Gog and his army will have the most shocking surprise of their lives.

The mutilated bodies of the two prophets will suddenly arise up from the ground, fully restored. Then a great voice will be heard from heaven saying, “Come up hither,” and the two prophets will ascend in a cloud as Gog and his hosts watch in amazement. ⁹⁶

THE APPEARANCE OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE JEWS

Then things will really begin to happen.

Jesus will suddenly appear on the Mount of Olives with a great host, and the scripture says he shall “utter his voice an all the ends of the earth shall hear it.” At this point the prophet Zechariah says:

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great earth quake; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains….” ⁹⁷

It is interesting that when Jesus makes himself visible to the Jews in the great valley between the separated halves of the Mount of Olives, he withholds his glory . Just as when he appeared after his resurrection to his apostles and others, he came as an ordinary man and had to show them the wounds in his hands and his feet and his side to prove his identity. ⁹⁸

So it will be when he appears to the Jews. Apparently neither he nor the Saints will appear in glory. The Jews will therefore be unafraid and gather round him in jubilant adoration. But they will still not know him. Finally, someone standing nearby will ask in curious wonderment:

“What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?” ⁹⁹

At this point Jesus decides to tell them the rest of the story. Here are his own words:

“Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am he that was crucified. I am the Son of God.

“And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.” ¹⁰⁰

At last the Jews will know the true identity of their great Messiah. It is none other than Jesus Christ who was slain when he came the first time because they thought he was an impostor. ¹⁰¹

Even while the Jews are in mourning because their ancestors failed to recognize the Savior, they will now try to make it up to him. In a spirit of humble adoration they will lead him to their beautiful temple and enter the holy sanctuary by the eastern gate. The gate will then be closed and never opened again. ¹⁰²

This is purely symbolic, of course, since the apostles learned in their day, that the resurrected Jesus could appear and depart when the gates were closed and the doors were locked. ¹⁰³

For the Jews , this is a supremely joyous time.

THE FATE OF GOG AND HIS HOSTS

Of course, Gog and his hosts will be completely oblivious to the sensational events which are taking place among the Jews who have survived their great crisis. But they will be terribly aware of something else – their own destruction. A tidal wave of devastation will be sweeping down upon them. The Lord had described to Ezekiel what would happen:

“I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone.” ¹⁰⁴

“And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee.” ¹⁰⁵

As with the wicked Gentiles in America, the hosts of Gog are devastated by the power of God. Here is the way Zechariah describes it:

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in the holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” ¹⁰⁶

MOSLEMS OF OUR OWN DAY WOULD SCARCELY BELIEVE WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT

The prophets were shown that the great events at Jerusalem would be world-wide ‘ . The city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt and millions of people in the surrounding nations will eagerly seek to visit there. The Jewish prophet Zechariah describes it:

“Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord…. In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that GOD IS WITH YOU.” ¹⁰⁷

The converted Christian Jews in Israel will not only make their covenants with their great Messiah through baptism, but they will have radiant testimonies to proclaim to all who come to Jerusalem their witness concerning their newly discovered gospel of salvation. The results of all this will generate a wonderful bonding among the descendants of Abraham. The Arabic nations that surround the Mediterranean and the Moslems of India, China, Russia and elsewhere will thirst for the message of the Jewish Messiah. Isaiah says this great new wave of Christian conversion will bind the Jews to their Moslem cousins:

“The Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt MY PEOPLE, and Assyria THE WORK OF MY BANDS, and Israel MINE INHERITANCE.” ¹⁰⁸

Not only will the Jews and Arabs become united but so will many of the Gentile nations. After Armageddon Zechariah says:

“And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

“And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.” ¹⁰⁹

CLEANSING THE LAND

The tens of thousands of the hosts of Gog who will be slain will be a plague on the land of Israel. For months the people will be laboring by day and by night to bury the dead. Ezekiel writes:

“And it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog.

“And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them….And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the to cleanse it: after the end of 7 months shall they search.” ¹¹⁰

THE END OF BLOOD SACRIFICES AT THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM

The fourth temple in Jerusalem will be copied after the earlier temples of the Jews and will therefore be designed for blood sacrifices. However, once the Jews have learned that their Messiah has come, the purpose of these blood sacrifices – in anticipation of Christ’s sacrifice – will give them a new perspective. Nevertheless, Joseph Smith indicated that the law of sacrifice will be continued as part of the “restitution of all things” until the sons of Levi have learned how to offer these sacrifices “in righteousness.” ¹¹¹

Such a time was anticipated by John the Baptist when he restored the Aaronic Priesthood and said:

“This (Priesthood of Aaron) shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.” ¹¹²

Malachi indicates that the problem for the Levites is not merely learning the ritual in righteousness but having a corps of humble and righteous Levites who are worthy to perform the ordinances. He says:

“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” 113

When the Lord is fully satisfied that the “offering of Judah and Jerusalem is pleasant unto the Lord,” he will no doubt say to the Priesthood in Jerusalem as he did to the Priesthood among the Nephites:

“And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heartand a contrite spirit.” 114

It will probably be about this time that all of the higher ordinances can be introduced into the holy precincts of the temple in Jerusalem just as they will, be practiced in the beautiful temple in New Jerusalem.

THE UNITING OF EPHRAIM AND JUDAH

In fact, by this time a warm relationship will have developed between the leadership of God’s two great capitals. Both people will be worshipping the same Messiah, both people will have the same ordinances in their temples, both people will now be prepared to finish the final preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah. As Isaiah predicted:

“The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.”

ONLY TWO MORE GREAT EVENTS TO OCCUR BEFORE THE SECOND COMING

We have now reached a summit on the God’s prophetic time line so that only two major events must occur before the Second Coming.

The first is THE RETURN OF THE 10 tribes which the prophets have been talking about for centuries.

The second is the selecting and sealing of TWELVE THOUSAND OUT OF EACH TRIBE so that these 144,000 consecrated missionaries can scour the earth and seek out any fragments of humanity who still want to accept the gospel. Those who accept the gospel will be baptized, confirmed and sent to America where they can be caught up when the Savior comes. Those who reject the gospel will be sealed up to destruction as described by Malachi:

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up; saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” ¹¹⁶

In a future discussion we will consider these two monumental events and the highlights of the Second Coming.

1. D&C 38:30
2. D&C 107:56
3. D&C 7:62
4. Isaiah 29:11–14
5. Nephi: 14:20-21, 25, 27
6. 1 Nephi 22:29
7. Nephi 32:7
8. Revelation 7:8–4
9. Revelation 14:1–8
10. Alma 13:3
11. History of the Church. vol. vi, p. 364
12. D&C 77: 11
13. D&C 77: 13
14. Revelation 7:3–4 with 14:1-8
15. Revelation 8:1
16. D&C 20:1
17. D&C 21:2–3
18. N. B. Lundwall, Temples of the Most High, 1941, p. 291—292; original source: The Deseret Weekly News, vol. 53, No. 21, November 7, 1896
19. D&C 88:95
20. R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah (one volume) Deseret Book, 1982, p. 382
21. Abraham 3:4
22. 2 Peter 3:8
23. D&C 77:10
24. D&C 77:13
25. D&C 77:14
26. Essentials of Church History, By Joseph Fielding Smith, 1937 edition, p. 126
27. Deuteronomy 30:4; see also Matthew 24:81; and D&C 138:7 and Pearl of Great Price 45:37
28. Revelation 8:1
29. Revelation 13:1
30. Revelation 13:2
31. Quoted in “Stand Fast by the Constitution” by J. Reuben Clark, p. 85
32. Revelation 13:1–4
33. Revelation 13:5
34. Revelation 13:6–7
35. Revelation 13:9–10
36. 3 Nephi 16:10
37. Micah 5:7–15
38. 3 Nephi 20:14–19
39. Revelation 13:7
40. Patrick R. J. Carmack, The Money Masters, p. 5
41. Patrick R. J. Carmack, The Money Masters, p. 4
42. D&C 97:22–26
43. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 17
44. “Published by Wilford Woodruff in Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, ol. 7, pp. 419-423.
45. 45 Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 123
46. 46 The Contributor, an LDS magazine, vol. 15, pp. 638-841
47. 47 D&C 29:17–20
48. 48 D&C 45:31
49. 49 D&C 97:25
50. 50 D&C 45:32’35
51. Journal of Discourses. vol. 12:344
52. 3 Nephi 21:27–28
53. D&C 45:71
54. Millennial Star, vol. 10, March 15, 1848, p. 87; Hyrum Andrus, Doctrines of the Kingdom, Salt Lake City Bookcraft, 1973, p. 396
55. Revelation 9:16
56. D&C 45:68
57. D&C 45:69
58. D&C 101:77:80 and 98:6-10
59. Luke 21:25–26
60. D&C 61:15–16
61. D&C 45:69
62. History of the Church, vol. 3, pp. 390- 391
63. D&C 45:67
64. Revelation 13:11–18
65. Revelation 13:12
66. Ezekiel 38:2
67. Ezekiel 34:6, 11–13, 23–24
68. Doc. History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 253
69. Ezekiel 37:22–24
70. Jeremiah 80:8–9
71. D&C 113:2
72. D&C 113:4
73. Zechariah 6:12–13
74. Ezekiel 38:2
75. Ezekiel, chapters 41-42
76. Ezekiel 38:3–4
77. Ezekiel 38:9
78. Ezekiel 38:10–12
79. Revelation13:16-17
80. D&C 22: 16–17
81. Moses 7:18–14
82. Daniel 11:31
83. 2:2-3
84. Joel 2:2
85. Joel 2:4
86. Joel 2:5–10
87. Revelation 11:5–6
88. Revelation 11:2–3
89. 2 Nephi 2:7
90. Joel 2:13–16
91. Luke 21:24–25
92. D&C 61:15–16
93. D&C 61:15
94. Zechariah 14:2
95. Revelation 11:11–10
96. Revelation 11:11–12
97. Zechariah 14:4
98. This is described in Luke 24:13–16
99. Zechariah 12:10; Doctrine and Covenants 45:49
100. Doctrine and Covenants 45:52–53
101. For details see Skousen, Days of the Living Christ, op. cit. pp. 828-829
102. Ezekiel 44:2
103. John 20:19, 26
104. Ezekiel 28:22
105. Ezekiel 39:2
106. Zechariah 14:12. To compare this with the plague among the wicked Gentiles in America, see Doctrine and Covenants 29:18–19
107. Zechariah 8:22–23
108. Isaiah 19:25
109. Zechariah 14:16–17
110. Ezekiel 39:11–14
111. Teachings of Joseph Smith, pp. 172-173
112. D&C 13:1
113. Malachi 3:3–4
114. 3 Nephi 9:19–20
115. Isaiah 11:13
116. Malachi 4:1

The Book of Mormon Warns America

As I’ve listened to and read through this talk, I feel that even though it was given over 40 years ago, it is still relevant to us today. Many want to deny the existence of ‘conspiracies’ and secret societies attempting to destroy the nation and our freedoms; I suppose they don’t understand the Book of Mormon, if they have read it. The label ‘conspiracy theory’ and ‘conspiracy theorist’ is used over and over again to discredit people. I admit that there are many theories out there which are simply theories. What’s unfortunate is that the conspiracy facts get thrown into the same pot, and the idea that our own government would be involved in such combinations is unbelievable to many people – to those people, I invite you to read the Book of Mormon (be sure to pay attention to what happened because of Secret Combinations in those days, and the warnings of the same thing happening today, even specifically in America.)

Some claim that this subversive threat to our government ended with communism (even though communism is still well alive in other parts of the world), and that the threat of a communist take-over of America is over.

The Prophets have not told us that we are no longer under condemnation and safe from the destruction of our nation for upholding Secret Combinations, letting them get power, gain, and destroy our freedoms – we know this continues on to this day. The prophets continue to warn us of the increasing wickedness of the people of this nation and that “political machinations ruin the stability of nations, despots grasp for power” and so on… Yes, they are being more careful about how they say it, with good reason, but the warning continues.

When you read/listen to The Book of Mormon Warns America (and many other past talks by prophets warning about communism) replace the word communism with socialism, fabianism, progressivism, or collectivism, and it very much still applies to the problems we face today. The enemy, with Lucifer at the head, has simply changed some of it’s strategies and tactics; the threat still exists.

As Ezra Taft Benson stated:

Suffice it to say that they have penetrated every major segment of our society, as J. Edgar Hoover has testified – the news media, the schools, the churches, the unions, etc. But their greatest desire and most successful drive has come from their effective penetration of government.

The open threat of communism in America may have been defeated, but it’s clear that Lucifer, through those in the Secret Combination and the assistance of “the misguided idealists, the political opportunists, the dupes and fellow travelers, and the ignorant and apathetic Americans” still has control of “every major segment of our society… the news media, the schools, the churches, the unions… government”

There may be some trials ahead – The War in Heaven continues on earth today – but I know that in the end Christ wins, along with those of us who stand with Him, and stand up for the Gospel, for Truth, Agency, Freedom, and Liberty.

Enjoy…

Humbly and gratefully I stand before you. I am not here today to tickle your ears, to entertain you. The message I bring is a very serious one. It may not be popular with everyone, but it is the truth–and time is on the side of truth.

Because of the nature of the message , I have committed it to writing, and because our time is limited, I will proceed immediately to the subject, which is “The Book of Mormon Warns America.”

The Book of Mormon

The eighth Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads as follows:

We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

It is because of our belief in the Book of Mormon, along with the Bible, that we were nicknamed “Mormons.”

The Restoration of the Gospel

On a spring day in the year 1820, in the state of New York, a young boy by the name of Joseph Smith went into a grove of trees on his father’s farm to pray. He needed help. He wanted to join a church, but he was confused as to which one. Seeking an answer, he read one day these words from the Bible:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1: 5.)

This Joseph Smith did. In response to his prayer, our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ appeared to him. Joseph was told to join none of the churches.

Joseph was to learn that Christ established the Church in former days when he was here on earth. Its members were called saints, but because of the wickedness of men, the prophets were taken away from the people and so revelation ceased, the scripture ended and the doctrines and creeds of uninspired men prevailed. As predicted in the scriptures, there was an apostasy.

But, as had also been predicted, the Lord was planning to restore his Church in these latter days, prior to his second coming, and like the former-day Church, his restored Church was to have apostles and prophets and have new revelation and added scripture. And so through Joseph Smith the Lord established The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On the evening of September 21, 1823, an angel to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The angel’s name was Moroni. He was the last of a long line of ancient prophets of two great civilizations who lived here on the American continent centuries ago. The angel told Joseph Smith that a history of these early inhabitants of America was written on metallic plates and lay buried in a hill nearby.

These records covered a period of American history from time of the Tower of Babel until about 421 A. D. Part of these cumulative records engraved and handed down from generation to generation were abridged by Moroni’s father, Mormon. Moroni added some additional writings and then laid the records in the earth where they remained until he delivered them to Joseph Smith. Under the inspiration of God, Joseph Smith translated part of these records which is known today as the Book of Mormon.

Besides Joseph Smith, there were other witnesses who saw the angel and the plates and whose written testimony you will find printed in the front of each copy of the Book of Mormon.

As the Bible is a scriptural account of God’s dealings with his children in the Old World, so also is the Book of Mormon a scriptural account of God’ s dealings with his children in the Americas.

The Book of Mormon is a second witness along with the Bible that Jesus is the Christ. It testifies of Christ’s appearance to the American inhabitants shortly after his resurrection in Jerusalem. It makes plain many of the precious truths of the gospel.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said:

…the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book. (November 28, 1841. Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 194.)

The last chapter of the Book of Mormon contains the promise that if a person will read the book, he may then ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if the book is not true, and if he shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, God will manifest the truth of it unto him by the power of Holy Ghost. (Moroni 10:3–7.)

We invite all men to make this test.

America a Land of Promise

One of the great themes of the Book of Mormon is that America is a land of promise – a chosen land. Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, … (Ether 2: 12.)

Two Great Civilizations Destroyed

The Book of Mormon records the rise and fall of two great civilizations. They fell because they failed to serve the God of the land, Jesus Christ. The American Indians are the descendants of that last great civilization.

Fortunately, under the inspiration of the Lord, many of the Book of Mormon prophets realized that the historical account which they were making of their people would eventually come forth in this day and age while our own great civilization was flourishing here in America.

These prophets were anxious to see that the tragedies that befell their ancient American civilizations would not happen to us. It would be well for us to seriously consider their warnings.

A Warning to America

They record that both of their great civilizations were destroyed through the insidious work of a murderous, secret conspiracy whose designs were to get power and gain and to overthrow the freedom of all lands. And then realizing that in our time we would be threatened with a similar conspiracy, the Book of Mormon warns as follows:

Wherefore … it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain–and the work, yea, even work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; …

For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; … for it is built up by the devil. (Ether 9:23–25.)

The Threat of Communism

Today, the international, criminal, communist conspiracy fits this Book of Mormon description perfectly, for there is a combination of gangsters who lust for power, who have liquidated some 70 million people, brought one-third of the world’s population under bondage, and who seek to overthrow the freedom of all nations. I have talked face to face to some of these godless leaders, on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

President David O. McKay, whom we sustain as a latter-day prophet and as President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said:

The position of this Church on the subject of communism has never changed. We consider it the greatest satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work among men that exists on the face of the earth. (General Conference Address, Priesthood Session, April 9, 1966.)

And then as the Lord commands us in the Book of Mormon to awake to a sense of our awful situation, so President McKay commends and encourages those who are seeking to

… awaken a sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us. (Ibid. )

Then President McKay adds:

We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating in some type of organized self-education in order that they could better appreciate what is happening and know what they can do about it. (Ibid.)

Supreme Court Decisions

The Book of Mormon points out how these ancient conspirators were able to fill the judgment seats, usurp power, destroy justice, condemn the righteous, and let the guilty and the wicked go unpunished. Do you see any parallel between this and the present-day decisions of our Supreme Court?

President McKay has stated that the Supreme Court is leading this Christian nation down the road to atheism. I believe the court is also leading us down the road to anarchy and atheistic communism. Here is the net effect of a few of their decisions:

Communists can work in our defense plants.

U.S. v. Robel, U.S., 88 S. Ct. 419 (1967)

Communists can teach in our schools.

Slochower v. Board of Education of N,Y, 1350 U,S. 551(1956)

Sweezy v. New Hampshire, 354 U.S. 234 (1957)

Communists can hold offices in labor unions.

U.S. v. Brown, 381 U. S. 437 (1965)

Communists can run for public offices.

Yates, et ., v, U.S., 354 U.S. 298 (1957)

Communists can serve in the merchant marines.

Schneider v. Smith, U.S. , 88 S. Ct. 682 (1968)

Today by court edict a person is allowed to advocate and convince others of the duty and necessity to overthrow the 90vernment by force and violence. (A memorandum on Supreme Court Decisions by G. Edward Griffin, American Opinion, Belmont, Massachusetts.)

The Supreme Court justices would probably have been accused of treason if they had dealt in this manner with the Nazis during World War II. Yet how does one explain the court’s attitude towards the communist conspiracy which is a much greater threat than the Nazis ever were. Perhaps you can understand why the communists have held victory rallies to honor the Supreme Court and its decision.

I have not even covered the areas of how the court is hamstringing the police, destroying property rights, encouraging civil disobedience, undermining state sovereignty, and so forth.

Communism and Serious Charges

And now I come to a passage in the Book of Mormon which gives me great concern about the future of our country because of the way we are helping the communists. The passage reads as follows:

And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations I to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold f they shall be destroyed; … (Ether 8:22.)

And so the crucial question is, “Has our nation upheld communism so that it could get power and gain?” The tragic answer is, “Yes.” And so, unless we as a people can soon stop and reverse the disastrous course we are taking I then our nation shall be destroyed. For the sad truth is that communism would be insignificant in our country and the world today were it not for the consistent and persistent help which it is continuing to receive from right within our own government.

I know these are serious charges. There is ample evidence.

American Opinion Magazine Articles

Returning a few days ago from a month in Europe and the Middle East, I found in my accumulated mail an advance copy of a courageous, hard­hitting, truthful magazine–a rare thing today–and one not carried by the liberal news agencies on our newsstands. On the title page, the fearless young managing editor, Scott Stanley, Jr., had this in his “Letter to the Readers” :

Dear Reader:

We write in the wake of burning and looting in 168 American cities, at a time when we are at war in Vietnam and our own government is sending raw materials to the arsenal of an enemy killing our soldiers in the field. We write in the midst of an economic crisis described by the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board as the most serious since the Depression year of 1931. And, as we write, a leading candidate for the Presidency of the United States has called for openly paying blackmail to the Communists, and for the resignation of J. Edgar Hoover, the anti­Communist Director of the F.B.I.

It is a time when black Marxists call for burning down America, and make a good try at it, and every Presidential candidate – save one – recommends buying off those burning our cities with more of the federal subsidies which are enlarging the inflationary debt about to destroy our entire economy. It is a day in which men who have been chair­man of officially cited Communist Fronts sit even in the Cabinet of the President of the United States and protect the revolutionaries, promote Marxist schemes, and drive America’s back ever closer to the wall. (American Opinion Magazine I June, 1968.)

From his letter transmitting the June issue, I read the last paragraph:

The Constitution surely hangs by a thread. Without God’s help this Republic will fall as certain as it was with His help that it was born. (Ibid.)

From the lead article, which I recommend to all, entitled “Insurrection – Is America Sleeping Through a Civil War?,” I quote from the first page:

America has just endured the most widespread civil uprising in a hundred years – except for the Civil War, the largest in American history….

Arrests totaled well over twenty thousand. Washington, D. C. [and it would do us good if we could go through the streets of Washington, D. C. , now - down 14th Street two blocks from our Mormon chapel - 7th Street in the business section], reported more than a thousand fires set by arsonists. Baltimore between seven and eight hundred, Pittsburgh five hundred, two hundred in Chicago, and so on…

The federal government was itself effectively shut down on Friday afternoon, April fourth, as word of unchecked, marauding mobs ranging freely in the downtown…

All over the world, sophisticated people must have laughed at us uproariously, and a hundred million no doubt lost any faith they ever had in us…

The author, Dr. Susan L. M. Huck, concludes the 25-page article with these words:

Okay, let’s take the gloves off. This insurrection didn’t just happen. It was set-up – just as the assassination of Martin Luther King was a set-up. The Communists and their Black Power fanatics have been working to create just such a situation for years. They even told us what they were planning to do, again and again, as they did it.

This is only the beginning! And, this time the Administration used only seventy thousand troops to stop them. This time our politicians who have tied the hands of our police officers, have, by employing curfews enforced by federal soldiers, put only ten million or so good citizens under house arrest. This time the insurrectionists hit only 168 towns and cities; they killed only forty-three people; and, they set only three thousand or so major fires.

And remember, the Reds and their Black Power troops have promised us that this is only the beginning! Stokley has said that his forces plan to burn down America.

They’re sure going to try.

How do you stop it? It’s very simple. You stop Communist racial agitation; you arrest the leaders for conspiracy to commit murder, arson, and burglary, prove their guilt in a court of law, and lock them up; and, you free the hands of our police so they can prevent rioting and looting and arson by those citizens now convinced by the actions of our “Liberals” that theft, incendiarism, and assault will be tolerated.

Don’t kid yourself. The people who are behind all of this mean to have a civil war. We either stop them now or they will escalate this thing. (Ibid.)

The Law Breakers

Also on my desk as I returned from abroad was the new volume entitled The Law Breakers – America’ s Number One Domestic Problem, by the brilliant young editor of the Indianapolis News, Mr. Stanton Evans. I give you the opening paragraphs:

Americans in this second half of the twentieth century have been told, with some justice, that they never had it so good. By every material standard, ours is the richest society on earth. We have higher personal incomes, more consumer goods, less poverty, and more leisure than any other nation known to history. And our government has set about, through a variety of programs in every field of human effort, to supply deficiencies in the web of comfort.

Yet if in that sense we never had it so good, in another sense we never had it so bad. Or so scared. Precisely as we have achieved our present affluence, precisely as our government has proclaimed its readiness to spread the good things more widely still, the nation is clawed by nameless apprehensions. Richer than any other generation of Americans, we are also more frightened. Blessed with better food, finer clothes, and more expensive cars, we are also haunted by the fear that the enjoyment of these things might be taken from us by marauders who stalk our streets and attack our homes.

The paradox is of the sort suggested by the Pennsylvania Dutch saying, “The faster I run, the behinder I get.” The faster we multiply our material comforts, the greater seems the likelihood of losing them through hoodlum terror. The more our government suggests we are advancing toward utopia, the more we stumble backward toward the jungle. We are a people for whom anything seems possible – except to defend ourselves against primitive evils which the rudest of societies can control.

The people of the United States are fast losing one of their most precious rights – the simple right to move as they please, to      go to church meetings at night, to shop where and when they would like, to take walks near their homes.

A survey conducted by the Crime Commission found that “one-third of a representative sample of all Americans say it is unsafe to walk alone at night in their neighborhoods. Slightly more than one-third say they keep firearms in the house for protection against criminals. Twenty-eight per cent say they keep watchdogs for the same reason.” (Stanton M. Evans and Margaret Moore, The Law Breakers [New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1968], p. 1.)

There is not time for a full outline of this treacherous development.

Communist Penetration of Government

We have mentioned briefly the help which the communists have received from our Supreme Court. Suffice it to say that they have penetrated every major segment of our society, as J. Edgar Hoover has testified – the news media, the schools, the churches, the unions, etc. But their greatest desire and most successful drive has come from their effective penetration of government.

They knew the power, prestige, influence, and finances that would be theirs once they got the machinery of the United States government headed in their direction. And they were right. For let the government of the United States stop helping communism and communists all over the world, and in a short period of time the conspiracy would be in retreat and in due time would collapse.

But we extend the advantage of diplomatic recognition to their puppets when they come to power. We send them billions in foreign aid. We’ve trained their pilots. We ship them wheat. Through cultural and other exchanges, their spies come to America. We supply them know-how. We extend them credit. We buy their goods. Their propaganda goes through our mails at our expense. We’ve helped them in their conquests through secret agreements. Our government does all it can to keep the anti-communists from coming to power in any country.

And once we’ve helped the communists to take over a nation such as China and Cuba, we do all in our power to keep the anti-communists from freeing their land. We even negotiate with these butchers and sign treaties with these criminals who have no respect for treaties. Said President McKay:

I would not deal with a nation which treats another as Russia has treated America. It is a condition which cannot be permitted to exist. (Church News [weekly section of Deseret News], August 6, 1952.)

But it does exist and every day brings in new evidence of the increasing help which our government extends the communists.

A Few Traitors

The vast majority of American citizens and federal employees are loyal to our Republic. But there are a few traitors whose numbers are growing and who are in key positions to influence and help shape government policy. In fact it is becoming increasingly apparent that appointment to high government office today is not hampered by one’s pas t affiliations with communist fronts or one’s ability to follow the communist line. You don’t need to look further than the President’s Cabinet and recent appointments to the Supreme Court to find ample evidence of this fact. (See: “The Unelected,” by Gary Allen, American Opinion, June 1968, p. 81.) Parrot the communist line and you can expect to be glamorized by the liberal news media and pushed to the front. But take a strong anti­communist position and you can expect to be passed over, smeared, and silenced. And this has happened and is happening to too many great and distinguished Americans to be accidental.

Communist Tactics

Now mind you, the communists could not do this all by themselves. They knew that communism would also have to be built by non-communist hands. And so, as in the past, they use, to suit their purpose, the misguided idealist, the political opportunists, the dupes and fellow travelers, and the ignorant and apathetic Americans.

Nor does the communist always deal in totally black instrumentalities – especially when he is trying to come to power. He must deceive. He must produce counterfeits. He must be willing at times to take one step backward – especially when it pacifies people about his past advances and makes it easier for him to take his next two steps forward.

He knows that some of his greatest successes have come with programs which have been sold to the American public as ways to fight the communists but which in reality had the net effect of promoting communism. This has been true of our foreign aid program. Designed, supposedly, to help nations, its overall effect has been to keep socialist governments in business, enhance the communists, discourage free enterprise and demoralize the anti-communists.

Win in Vietnam

Another illustration is the war in Vietnam. We are supposed to be fighting the communists in Vietnam, yet we are helping them everywhere else. Why do we trade with communist countries and supply them the means with which to kill our sons? Why do we build plants for them? We ship them machinery, metals, chemicals, rubber, airborne equipment and many other things for their war machine. In return we get back coffins – hundreds of them per week.

We cancelled a $17 million debt which the Polish communist government owed us on the very day a Polish ship pulled into Haiphong harbor with war materials to kill our men. On one side of Stettin harbor in Poland they unload the wheat we send them and on the other side of the harbor they load their ships with equipment to kill our men in Vietnam.

Why not let our men win in Vietnam? Why handcuff them? In war there is no substitute for victory. We have been pouring tens of billions of dollars into defense for years. Is it possible that we cannot win a war against a third-rate country of 17 million people, smaller than the state of Missouri? Honest and competent military men in whom I have great confidence have stated that we could win the war in six weeks or less.

TRAIN Committees

What can you do, you ask? Listen to the conclusion of a shocking article which every American should read by Wallis W. Wook, Coordinator for TRAIN Committees (TRAIN takes its name from To Restore American Independence Now):

What can one person do? You can try to match the determination of Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur Outlaw of North Carolina. He is a twenty-five-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. His oldest son, Bill, is now a helicopter pilot in South Vietnam, and in the past nine months has been shot down once and strafed several times. In a recent letter to his family from Vietnam, he urged: “Tell those fools back home that there is a war going on over here and they’d better start doing something about it, either by Signing those petitions or by getting the powers that be (which is probably impossible) to start fighting a war instead of playing Mickey Mouse games. I feel sure that everyone else over here is as tired as I am of being shot at and knowing they can’t do anything about it most of the time.”

As Bill’s father told me: “I spent twenty-five years trying to defend my country; now I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to save it.”

What can you do? You can help protect the lives of your fellow Americans -the 500,000 super-patriots fighting Communism in Vietnam. You can get to work with TRAIN, or on your own, to help stop this treasonous aid and trade with the enemy – and, insist on the removal of the restrictions on our military. If not? Well, if not, mister, go back to sleep. But don’t call yourself an American. (American Opinion, May 1968, p. 14.)

A Personal Letter

What can you do? Hear the pleading warning and counsel of a Mormon elder, an air force captain, in the following letter:

APO San Francisco
26 March 1968

Elder Ezra Taft Benson
of the Council of the Twelve

Dear Sir:

I am an Air Force Captain serving in ______, Republic of Viet Nam. I have a wife and three young sons living in ______ whom I love very deeply and for whom I want to secure the freedom that I have thus far enjoyed. In discussions with members and non-members alike who are caught up in this war, I’ve found a unifying fear concerning the destiny of our country, a fear which I feel confident that you and many Church leaders share. Since this is an election year, and a very crucial year for the future of our nation, I’d like to do more than I am presently doing to further the cause of freedom.

I’ve attached a letter which I’ve prepared intending to express thoughts which our elders must employ with their own [members] if we’re to survive the present challenge to our nation. Certainly I’d like to go into greater detail with them about the communist threat… but what I’ve written may be useful.

As a member of the Armed forces I cannot actively participate in the political destiny of my country; but as an elder in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am obligated to watch over the Church and to do what I can to protect the liberty that God has given us. Therefore, I write the accompanying letter, hoping that it might have some use in convincing the priesthood of their pressing obligation to the cause of freedom.

Then he signed his name, and attached this letter, which is addressed to the priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

Dear Brethren:

We in Viet Nam, who are struggling and dying that men and women, you and your loved ones, might maintain the free agency which thousands before us have died to protect, are deeply concerned with the state of our beloved nation…

The news that comes to us from home is disheartening. While we endeavor to assist in securing freedom for a weak and tottering nation, but a nation filled with people desirous of freedom, the greatest nation of all, our homeland, now overflowing with selfish and materialistic millions, is staggering clumsily but steadily toward the clutches of self-imposed slavery. How sincerely we cry to our countrymen in words similar to those of our Master who cried “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,… how often I would have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37–38.)

Dear Brethren, we stand upon the very threshold of calamity…

Brethren, truly our freedom hangs by a thread, and if we wish to keep it then we, the elders of Israel, must now step forward to preserve it.

I am a soldier. I am doing what I can to help. You are free and educated citizens capable of guiding our country’s destiny. How can you do it? Your local political organizations need your support and your participation. Your newspapers need your opinions. Your representatives in your state and national legislatures need your continuing support, interest, and advice… We know only too well the consequences if we fail to meet the challenge before us. It is time to act, to be doers and not hearers only. We plead with you from this the dark side of the earth. Put your shoulders to the wheel and push with your might…

Oppose Communist Aggression

Are there advantages to the communists of our being involved in a long no-win war? Can it eventually be converted into World War III? Can it be used to create bitterness, confusion, and a breakdown in American morale? Can it be used as an excuse to institute greater socialistic controls over the people – to weaken our economy? Can it be used to get the American people to accept peace on almost any terms?

If we really mean to oppose communist aggression, why did we pick distant Vietnam instead of Cuba? We had the Monroe Doctrine before there ever was a U.N. or a SEATO. If our government leaders are really opposed to communism, why don’t they start cleaning them out at home?

Why do they allow the Office of Economic Opportunity to be the means of providing finances and programs for the communist revolutionaries and their allies who plan to ravage and burn down America?

Yes, communism is tightening its strangle hold on America and the world because of the help it is receiving increasingly from right within our own government. Americans are destroying America.

And so I return to the grave warning of the inspired Book of Mormon:

And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed; … (Ether 8: 22.)

God grant that we may repent, prayerfully study the Book of Mormon, follow the prophet, do our homework, and wake up in time to reverse the tragic course we are following, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

In these days of trial and sorrow, when Satan is “seeking to destroy the souls of men” (D&C 10:27), we send to the righteous everywhere our greetings with prayers for their blessing; to the Saints in all lands and on the islands of the Seas, we renew our testimonies and pledge our unselfish service, exhorting them to lives obedient to the gospel and the commandments of the Lord; we extend to them the hand of true and faithful fellowship, with deep and abiding love and blessing.

Our Testimonies

We bear witness to all the world that God lives, and still rules, that His righteous ways and His truth will finally prevail.

We bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, the First Fruits of the Resurrection, the Redeemer of the World, and that “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

We solemnly declare that in these the latter days, God has again spoken from the heavens through His chosen Prophet, Joseph Smith; that the Lord has, through that same Prophet, again revealed in its fulness His gospel—the plan of life and salvation; that through that Prophet and his associates He has restored His holy priesthood to the Earth, from which it had been taken because of the wickedness of men; and that all the rights, powers, keys, and functions appertaining to that priesthood as so restored are now vested in and exercised by the chosen and inspired leadership of His Church—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even as that priesthood has been exercised on the earth from the beginning until this day, whenever His Church was here or His work had place among the children of men.

These testimonies we bear in all soberness, before God and men, aware that we are answerable to God for the truthfulness thereof. We admonish all men to give ear to these testimonies and to bring their lives into harmony with the gospel of Christ, that on the day “when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him,” they may stand with those on his right hand, to whom He will say, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matt. 25:31, 34)

We shall now speak first of some vital practical matters which should be uppermost in the minds of all Latter-day Saints.

Message to Parents

It is becoming increasingly clear that very many of our physicians and surgeons will be taken by the government for service in the armed forces. This is well, for we want our soldiers and sailors to have every care which it is possible to give them. But this will leave the civilians with curtailed and probably inadequate medical help. In some areas we shall be left with little more trained assistance than was available to our pioneer fathers. Yet it is our patriotic duty to be as fully effective in production at home as our boys are effective in combat in the field. Those in the front lines cannot be strong unless those behind the lines are strong also. To meet this patriotic duty and to prepare for this threatening condition, we urge all parents to guard with zealous care the health of their children. Feed them simple, good, wholesome food that will nourish and make them strong. See that they are warmly clad. Keep them from exposure. Have them avoid unnecessary crowds in close, poorly ventilated, overheated rooms and halls. See that they have plenty of rest and sleep. Avoid late hours. Keep them home in the evenings and remain home to enjoy them. Teach them strictly to observe the Word of Wisdom which is God’s law of health. You parents observe these rules yourselves, and keep the other commandments of the Lord. You bishops and presidents of stakes, first lead your people by example and then they will follow your precepts. Parents, prepare yourselves and your children for the times to come. So live, day by day, that you may with confidence ask the blessings of health with which the Lord clothes those whom, living righteously, He delights to succor.

Message to the Youth

To the youth of the Church we repeat all the foregoing advice, but above all we plead with you to live clean, for the unclean life leads only to suffering, misery, and woe physically—and spiritually it is the path to destruction. How glorious and near to the angels is youth that is clean; this youth has joy unspeakable here and eternal happiness hereafter. Sexual purity is youth’s most precious possession; it is the foundation of all righteousness.

Times approach when we shall need all the health, strength, and spiritual power we can get to bear the afflictions that will come upon us.

Welfare Work

We renew the counsel given to the Saints from the days of Brigham Young until now—be honest, truthful, industrious, frugal, thrifty. In the day of plenty, prepare for the day of scarcity. The principle of the fat and lean kine is as applicable today as it was in the days when, on the banks of the Nile, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream. Officials now warn us, and warn again, that scant days are coming.

We renew our counsel and repeat our instructions: Let every Latter-day Saint that has land produce some valuable, essential foodstuff thereon and then preserve it; or if he cannot produce an essential foodstuff, let him produce some other kind and exchange it for an essential foodstuff; let them who have no land of their own and who have knowledge of farming and gardening, try to rent some either by themselves or with others and produce foodstuff thereon and preserve it. Let those who have land produce enough extra to help their less fortunate brethren.

The Welfare Plan should be carried forward with redoubled energy that we may care for the worthy, needy poor, and unfortunate, and many of us may hereafter enter that class who now feel we are secure from want.

As the Church has always urged since we came to the valley, so now we urge every Church householder to have a year’s supply of essential foodstuffs ahead. This should so far as possible be produced by each householder and preserved by him. This course will not only relieve from any impending distress those households who so provide themselves but will release just that much food to the general national stores of foodstuffs from which the public at large must be fed.

The utmost care should be taken to see that foodstuffs so produced and preserved by the householder do not spoil, for that would be waste and the Lord looks with disfavor upon waste. He has blessed His people with abundant crops; the promise for this year is most hopeful. The Lord is doing His part; He expects us to do ours.

False Political Isms

We again warn our people in America of the constantly increasing threat against our inspired Constitution and our free institutions set up under it. The same political tenets and philosophies that have brought war and terror in other parts of the world are at work amongst us in America. The proponents thereof are seeking to undermine our own form of government and to set up instead one of the forms of dictatorships now flourishing in other lands. These revolutionists are using a technique that is as old as the human race—a fervid but false solicitude for the unfortunate over whom they thus gain mastery and then enslave them.

They suit their approaches to the particular group they seek to deceive. Among the Latter-day Saints they speak of their philosophy and their plans under it as an ushering in of the United Order. Communism and all other similar isms bear no relationship whatever to the United Order. They are merely the clumsy counterfeits which Satan always devises of the gospel plan. Communism debases the individual and makes him the enslaved tool of the state to whom he must look for sustenance and religion; the United Order exalts the individual, leaves him his property, “according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs,” (D&C 51:3) and provides a system by which he helps care for his less fortunate brethren; the United Order leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs. Communism destroys man’s God-given free agency; the United Order glorifies it. Latter-day Saints can not be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or sympathy to any of these false philosophies. They will prove snares to their feet.

Gospel of Love

The gospel of Christ is a gospel of love and peace, of patience and longsuffering, of forbearance and forgiveness, of kindness and good deeds, of charity and brotherly love. Greed, avarice, base ambition, thirst for power, and unrighteous dominion over our fellowmen can have no place in the hearts of Latter-day Saints nor of God-fearing men everywhere. We of the Church must lead the life prescribed in the saying of the ancient prophet-warrior:

“I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country.” (Alma 60:36)

Hate Must Be Abolished

Hate can have no place in the souls of the righteous. We must follow the commands of Christ Himself which declare the true life:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44–45)

These principles must be instilled into the hearts of our children, taught to our youth, given by way of instruction to our vigorous manhood and womanhood, lived in very fact and deed by the aged, ripened in experience and wisdom. These are the principles which God enjoins upon all who teach, in whatever capacity or in whatever place. The Lord has declared that those who “teach not their children light and truth, according to the commandments” shall be afflicted, the wicked one shall have power over them (D&C 93:42), and the sin shall be upon their heads (D&C 68:25). Woe will be the part of those who plant hate in the hearts of the youth and of the people, for God will not hold them guiltless; they are sowing the wind, [and] their victims will reap the whirlwinds. Hate is born of Satan; love is the offspring of God. We must drive out hate from our hearts, every one of us, and permit it not again to enter.

Mission of the Church

The Lord has established His Church in these latter days that men might be called to repentance, to the salvation and exaltation of their souls. Time and time again He told the Prophet Joseph and those with him that “the field is white already to harvest.” (D&C 4:4, 6:3; 11:3; 12:3; 14:3; 33:3, 7)

Over and over again He commanded them to preach nothing but repentance to this generation (D&C 6:9; 11:9; 14:8), finally declaring:

“And thou shalt declare glad tidings, yea, publish it upon the mountains and upon every high place and among every people that thou shalt be permitted to see.

“And thou shalt do it with all humility, trusting in me, reviling not against revilers.

“And of tenets thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost.

“Behold, this is a great and the last commandment which I shall give unto you concerning this matter; for this shall suffice for thy daily walk, even unto the end of thy life.

“And misery thou shalt receive if thou wilt slight these counsels, yea, even the destruction of thyself and property.” (D&C 19:29–33)

These commands we must obey that men shall come to know God and Jesus Christ whom He sent, “for this is life eternal.” (John 17:3)

For this cause was the Church organized, the gospel again revealed in its fulness, the priesthood of God again restored, with all its rights, powers, keys, and functions. This is the mission of the Church. The divine commission given to the Apostles of old (Matt. 28:16; Mark 16:15) has been repeated in this day, that the gospel shall be carried to all nations (D&C 38:33), unto the Jew and the Gentile (D&C 18:26), it shall be declared with rejoicing (D&C 28:16), it shall roll to the ends of the earth (D&C 65:2), and it must be preached by us to whom the kingdom has been given (D&C 84:76). No act of ours or of the Church must interfere with this God-given mandate. The Lord will hold us to this high commission and exalted duty, imposed by His commandment to us when He said:

“And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.” (D&C 59:21) We shall be excused from this divine commission, individually and as a Church, only if some power beyond our control shall prevent our obedience to God’s commands; then they who hinder must bear the penalty. (D&C 124:49) But to that point of hindrance, it is our bounden duty to carry on.

Sending of Missionaries

It is our duty, divinely imposed, to continue urgently and militantly to carry forward our missionary work. We must continue to call missionaries and send them out to preach the gospel, which was never more needed than now, which is the only remedy for the tragic ills that now afflict the world, and which alone can bring peace and brotherly love back amongst the peoples of the earth. We must continue to call to missionary work those who seem best able to perform it in these troublous and difficult days. Our duty under divine command imperatively demands this. We shall not knowingly call anyone for the purpose of having him evade military service, nor for the purpose of interfering with or hampering that service in any way, nor of putting any impediment in the way of government. These would be unworthy motives for a missionary life. Our people have furnished and we expect them to continue to furnish their full quota for those purposes, but we see no alternative, until new rules are made by the government, but to continue to call the best and most effective men into missionary work, if they are available therefor.

Having in mind that the worldwide disaster in material and spiritual matters has brought vital and difficult problems to the nation and to the Church—the nation because of need of manpower for the armed forces and defense works, and to the Church because of the imperative need it brings to us to employ in our missionary work the experience, testimony, and faith possessed by our more mature brethren—we have instructed our bishops, presidents of branches, and presidents of missions, to confine until further notice their recommendations of brethren for missionary service in the field to those who on March 23, 1942, were seventies or high priests. Furthermore, in recommending these brethren, none but those who are and have been living worthily should be chosen; and as to these, they should choose those only who have not received their notice of induction, who are not likely to receive it within a short time, and who have a real desire to do missionary work.

To preach the gospel under ordination from the priesthood of God is a great privilege, to be enjoyed by those only who are thoroughly qualified and who are and have been strictly living the commandments and attending to their Church duties. Every bishop will carefully examine every one whom he considers for a mission, to be sure he meets these requirements. No lukewarm or unworthy person should be recommended. The bishop must not in any way play favorites, thus avoiding giving just ground among the people of his ward for that unworthy, unrighteous thought, sometimes voiced by those whose sons have gone into the service, that because their sons have gone into the army, every other parent’s son should go into the army, and that none should be sent on missions. This feeling has behind it thoughts that do not comport with the teachings of our Heavenly Father. Moreover, those going on missions are amenable to selection for army service as soon as they return. A mission exempts from army service only for the term of the mission.

Church and State

The Church stands for the separation of church and state. The Church has no civil [or] political functions. As the Church may not assume the functions of the state, so the state may not assume the functions of the Church. The Church is responsible for and must carry on the work of the Lord, directing the conduct of its members, one towards the other, as followers of the lowly Christ, not forgetting the humble, the poor and needy, and those in distress, leading them all to righteous living and a spiritual life that shall bring them to salvation, exaltation, and eternal progression, in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and power.

Today, more than ever before in the history of the Church, we must bring the full force of the righteous living of our people and the full influence of the spiritual power and responsibility of the holy priesthood to combat the evil forces which Satan has let loose among the peoples of the earth. We are in the midst of a desperate struggle between truth and error, and truth will finally prevail.

The state is responsible for the civil control of its citizens or subjects, for their political welfare, and for the carrying forward of political policies, domestic and foreign, of the body politic. For these policies, their success or failure, the state is alone responsible, and it must carry their burdens. All these matters involve and directly affect Church members because they are part of the body politic, and members must give allegiance to their sovereign and render it loyal service when called thereto. But the Church itself, as such, has no responsibility for these policies, as to which it has no means of doing more than urging its members fully to render that loyalty to their country and to free institutions which the loftiest patriotism calls for.

Nevertheless, as a correlative of the principle of separation of the church and the state themselves, there is an obligation running from every citizen or subject to the state. This obligation is voiced in that Article of Faith which declares:

“We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.”

For one hundred years, the Church has been guided by the following principles:

“We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.

“We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.

“We believe that all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce the laws of the same; and that such as will administer the law in equity and justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people if a republic, or the will of the sovereign.

“We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.

“We believe that all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience.

“We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.

“We believe . . . that murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all respects, should be punished according to their criminality and their tendency to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is committed.” (D&C 134:1–6, 8)

Church Membership and Army Service

Obedient to these principles, the members of the Church have always felt under obligation to come to the defense of their country when a call to arms was made; on occasion the Church has prepared to defend its own members.

In the days of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo Legion was formed, having in view the possible armed defense of the Saints against mob violence. Following our expulsion from Nauvoo, the Mormon Battalion was recruited by the national government for service in the war with Mexico. When Johnston’s army was sent to Utah in 1857 as the result of malicious misrepresentations as to the actions and attitude of the territorial officers and the people, we prepared and used measures of force to prevent the entry of the army into the valleys. During the early years in Utah, forces were raised and used to fight the Indians. In the war with Spain, members of the Church served with the armed forces of the United States with distinction and honor. In the World War, the Saints of America and of European countries served loyally their respective governments, on both sides of the conflict. Likewise in the present war, righteous men of the Church in both camps have died, some with great heroism, for their own country’s sake. In all this our people have but served loyally the country of which they were citizens or subjects under the principles we have already stated. We have felt honored that our brethren have died nobly for their country; the Church has been benefited by their service and sacrifice.

Nevertheless, we have not forgotten that on Sinai, God commanded, “Thou shalt not kill”; nor that in this dispensation the Lord has repeatedly reiterated that command. He has said:

“And now, behold, I speak unto the church. Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.

“And again, I say, thou shalt not kill; but he that killeth shall die.” (D&C 42:18–19; see also 59:6)

At another time the Lord commanded that murderers should “be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land; for remember that he hath no forgiveness.” (D&C 42:79) So also when land was to be obtained in Zion, the Lord said:

“Wherefore, the land of Zion shall not be obtained but by purchase or by blood, otherwise there is none inheritance for you.

“And if by purchase, behold you are blessed;

“And if by blood, as you are forbidden to shed blood, lo, your enemies are upon you, and ye shall be scourged from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few shall stand to receive an inheritance.” (D&C 63:29–31)

But all these commands, from Sinai down, run in very terms against individuals as members of society, as well as members of the Church, for one man must not kill another as Cain killed Abel; they also run against the Church as in the case of securing land in Zion, because Christ’s Church should not make war, for the Lord is a Lord of peace. He has said to us in this dispensation:

“Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace . . . ” (D&C 98:16) Thus the Church is and must be against war. The Church itself cannot wage war, unless and until the Lord shall issue new commands. It cannot regard war as a righteous means of settling international disputes; these should and could be settled—the nations agreeing—by peaceful negotiation and adjustment.

But the Church membership are citizens or subjects of sovereignties over which the Church has no control. The Lord Himself has told us to “befriend that law which is the constitutional law of the land”:

“And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.

“And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.

“Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;

“And as pertaining to the law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.” (D&C 98:4–7)

While by its terms this revealed word related more especially to this land of America, nevertheless the principles announced are worldwide in their application. and they are specifically addressed to “you” (Joseph Smith), “and your brethren of my church.” When, therefore, constitutional law, obedient to these principles, calls the manhood of the Church into the armed service of any country to which they owe allegiance, their highest civic duty requires that they meet that call. If, harkening to that call and obeying those in command over them, they shall take the lives of those who fight against them, that will not make of them murderers, nor subject them to the penalty that God has prescribed for those who kill, beyond the principle to be mentioned shortly. For it would be a cruel God that would punish His children as moral sinners for acts done by them as the innocent instrumentalities of a sovereign whom He had told them to obey and whose will they were powerless to resist.

God Is at the Helm

The whole world is in the midst of a war that seems the worst of all time. This Church is a worldwide church. Its devoted members are in both camps. They are the innocent war instrumentalities of their warring sovereignties. On each side they believe they are fighting for home and country and freedom. On each side, our brethren pray to the same God, in the same name, for victory. Both sides cannot be wholly right; perhaps neither is without wrong. God will work out in His own due time and in His own sovereign way the justice and right of the conflict, but He will not hold the innocent instrumentalities of the war, our brethren in arms, responsible for the conflict. This is a major crisis in the world-life of man. God is at the helm.

Righteous Suffer with Wicked

But there is an eternal law that rules war and those who engage in it. It was given when, Peter having struck off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest, Jesus reproved him, saying:

“Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Matt. 26:52)

The Savior thus laid down a general principle upon which He placed no limitations as to time, place, cause, or people involved. He repeated it in this dispensation when He told the people if they tried to secure the land of Zion by blood, then “lo, your enemies are upon you.” This is a universal law, for force always begets force; it is the law of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20). It is the law of the unrighteous and wicked, but it operates against the righteous who may be involved.

Mormon, recording the war of revenge by the Nephites against the Lamanites, pronounced another great law.

“But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.” (Mormon 4:5)

But, we repeat, in this war of the wicked, the righteous suffer also. Moroni, mistakenly reproving Pahoran “for sitting upon his throne in a state of thoughtless stupor, while his enemies were spreading the work of death around him, yea, while they were murdering thousands of his brethren,” said to Pahoran:

“Do ye suppose that, because so many of your brethren have been killed it is because of their wickedness? I say unto you, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain; for I say unto you, there are many who have fallen by the sword; and behold it is to your condemnation;

“For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God.” (Alma 60:7, 12–13)

In this terrible war now waging, thousands of our righteous young men in all parts of the world and in many countries are subject to a call into the military service of their own countries. Some of these, so serving, have already been called back to their heavenly home; others will almost surely be called to follow. But “behold,” as Moroni said, the righteous of them who serve and are slain “do enter into the rest of the Lord their God,” and of them the Lord has said “those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them.” (D&C 42:46) Their salvation and exaltation in the world to come will be secure. That in their work of destruction they will be striking at their brethren will not be held against them. That sin, as Moroni of old said, is to the condemnation of those who “sit in their places of power in a state of thoughtless stupor,” those rulers in the world who in a frenzy of hate and lust for unrighteous power and dominion over their fellowmen, have put into motion eternal forces they do not comprehend and cannot control. God, in His own due time, will pass sentence upon them.

“Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

Message to Men in Service

To our young men who go into service, no matter whom they serve or where, we say live clean, keep the commandments of the Lord, pray to Him constantly to preserve you in truth and righteousness, live as you pray, and then whatever betides you the Lord will be with you and nothing will happen to you that will not be to the honor and glory of God and to your salvation and exaltation. There will come into your hearts from the living of the pure life you pray for a joy that will pass your powers of expression or understanding. The Lord will be always near you; He will comfort you; you will feel His presence in the hour of your greatest tribulation; He will guard and protect you to the full extent that accords with His all-wise purpose. Then, when the conflict is over and you return to your homes, having lived the righteous life, how great will be your happiness—whether you be of the victors or of the vanquished—that you have lived as the Lord commanded. You will return so disciplined in righteousness that thereafter all Satan’s wiles and stratagems will leave you untouched. Your faith and testimony will be strong beyond breaking. You will be looked up to and revered as having passed through the fiery furnace of trial and temptation and come forth unharmed. Your brethren will look to you for counsel, support, and guidance. You will be the anchors to which thereafter the youth of Zion will moor their faith in man.

To you brethren and sisters who make up the body of the Church we send again our greetings and our blessings. We are grateful to our Heavenly Father for your loyalty, your devotion, and your righteousness. We love and bless you. We are grateful for your faithfulness in your tithes and offerings, the greatest in the last year in the whole history of the Church.

We remind you that as the Lord said to ancient Israel, so He says to us, in an eternal principle:

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

“And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:10–12)

We give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father for the unselfish and righteous service of the officers of the stakes, of the wards, of the auxiliaries, of the priesthood, of the missionaries, and of every man and woman who is helping to advance the cause of truth. We give our blessing and love to all of you. We claim all of you as fellow servants of the Lord. To our Brethren of the General Authorities—the Twelve and their Assistants, the Acting Presiding Patriarch, the First Council of Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric—we give our love and trust. We thank them and our Heavenly Father for their loyal support, their faith, their righteous works, which they carry on with an eye single to the glory of God and to the progress of His work, so magnifying in righteousness their callings.

We exhort all the Saints to remember the great commandment which Jesus gave:

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matt. 22:37–40) And as King Benjamin, the Nephite prophet king, said to his people:

“Learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:17)

May the Lord preserve the officers and the body of the Church in health and strength, increase our faith and our testimonies, endow us all with wisdom and understanding beyond measure, that we may all so live that when we are called home we may be saved and exalted in the celestial kingdom.

Our Heavenly Father: Hear us in our petitions before Thee: Let nothing stand betwixt us and Thee and Thy blessings; work out Thy purposes speedily; drive hate from the souls of men, that peace and brotherly love may again come to the earth and rule the hearts of Thy children, that nations may again live together in amity. Watch tenderly over Thy children in all lands; bless therein the sick and afflicted, care for those in distress; help us, their brethren bearing Thy priesthood, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to those who have no homes, comfort, Our Heavenly Father, with the full sweetness of Thy Holy Spirit, those who mourn, we humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The First Presidency

This is a followup to my previous writing on the difference between Agency, Freedom and Liberty.

Moroni’s Title of Liberty is another example that illustrates the difference between Freedom and Liberty. God, Religion, Freedom, Peace, Family – these things combined are labeled the Title of Liberty, for Liberty is only achieved by remembering and being good stewards in all of these areas.

As I previously stated, Liberty comes as a result of following God’s plan and choosing to be righteous.

Captain Moroni, saw that many of the people were being led astray and forgetting the Lord their God. They were falling into iniquity and complacency. Moroni recognized what it takes for a people to experience true Liberty and therefore he had this standard of Liberty hoisted upon every tower in the land as a reminder to the people.

The Foundation of Liberty:

• God – Moroni knew that God would support them so long as they were faithful unto him and to His commandments. He also turned to God for inspiration, even in battle.
• Religion – He recognized the importance of religion, that they might understand the words of God and worship Him.
• Freedom – Moroni enjoyed freedom from slavery and was willing to fight in defense of His faith, country and family.
• Peace – Moroni did not delight in bloodshed. He allowed the enemy every opportunity to enter into a covenant of peace and allowed them to depart with their lives. He also never waged a preemptive or offensive war, only defensive.
• Family – He recognized the stewardship that men have for their wives and children and the sacred support which they owed to them.

(see the Book of Mormon – Alma chapters 43 to 46)

And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery; Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people. Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. …if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. (Alma 48:11–13,17)

Gordon B. Hinckley stated:

“The Book of Mormon narrative is a chronicle of nations long since gone. But in its descriptions of the problems of today’s society, it is as current as the morning newspaper and much more definitive, inspired, and inspiring concerning the solutions of those problems.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Testimony Vibrant and True,” Ensign, Aug 2005, 2-6)

The following are scriptures from the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants regarding war and its justifications. I’ll leave it up to you to come to your own conclusions; please consider leaving a comment below regarding your thoughts…

D&C 98: 23–38

Now, I speak unto you concerning your families—if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded; But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.

And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundredfold.

And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold; And these three testimonies shall stand against your enemy if he repent not, and shall not be blotted out.

And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation. And then, if he shall come upon you or your children, or your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation, I have delivered thine enemy into thine hands; And then if thou wilt spare him, thou shalt be rewarded for thy righteousness; and also thy children and thy children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.

Nevertheless, thine enemy is in thine hands; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.

Behold, this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy fathers, Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, and all mine ancient prophets and apostles. And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.

And if any nation, tongue, or people should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue; And if that people did not accept the offering of peace, neither the second nor the third time, they should bring these testimonies before the Lord; Then I, the Lord, would give unto them a commandment, and justify them in going out to battle against that nation, tongue, or people.

And I, the Lord, would fight their battles, and their children’s battles, and their children’s children’s, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation. Behold, this is an ensample unto all people, saith the Lord your God, for justification before me.

Alma 43: 45–47

Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.

And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.

And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.

Alma 48: 14–16

Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.

And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.

Third Nephi 3: 18–21

Now the chiefest among all the chief captains and the great commander of all the armies of the Nephites was appointed, and his name was Gidgiddoni. Now it was the custom among all the Nephites to appoint for their chief captains, (save it were in their times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy; therefore, this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, as also was the chief judge.

Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands. But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands.

Mormon 3: 9–17, 4: 4-5

And now, because of this great thing which my people, the Nephites, had done, they began to boast in their own strength, and began to swear before the heavens that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren who had been slain by their enemies. And they did swear by the heavens, and also by the throne of God, that they would go up to battle against their enemies, and would cut them off from the face of the land.

And it came to pass that I, Mormon, did utterly refuse from this time forth to be a commander and a leader of this people, because of their wickedness and abomination. Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was without faith, because of the hardness of their hearts.

And thrice have I delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and they have repented not of their sins. And when they had sworn by all that had been forbidden them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that they would go up unto their enemies to battle, and avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren, behold the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; and because this people repented not after I had delivered them, behold, they shall be cut off from the face of the earth.

And it came to pass that I utterly refused to go up against mine enemies; and I did even as the Lord had commanded me; and I did stand as an idle witness to manifest unto the world the things which I saw and heard, according to the manifestations of the Spirit which had testified of things to come. Therefore I write unto you, Gentiles, and also unto you, house of Israel, when the work shall commence, that ye shall be about to prepare to return to the land of your inheritance.

And it was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them.
But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.

ST LUKE Chapter 6: 27-38

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Questions to consider:

1.When is war justified?
2.What is the higher law regarding war and peace?
3.What do the scriptures tell us regarding defensive war versus offensive war?

President Ezra Taft Benson once said:

“Every person on the earth today chose the right side during the war in heaven. Be on the right side now.” (Assembly Hall, Temple Square, Feb. 1966)

The doctrine of a war in Heaven is not exclusive to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In Revelation 12:7–9, we read:

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Though all Bible believing religions recognize a war in Heaven, the knowledge of what the war was all about is exclusive to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We read in Moses 4:3,

Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

Above, we read the words of Ezra Taft Benson explaining the need to be on the right side of that war now. That war is not over. President David O McKay said:

There are “two contending Forces. Those forces are known and have been designated by different terms throughout the ages. “In the beginning” they were known as Satan on the one hand, and Christ on the other… In these days, they are called “domination by the state,” on one hand, “personal liberty,” on the other.”

From the words of the Prophets we see that battle isn’t over, and where the battle lines are drawn today. We see that what Christ has fought for, continues to fight for and asks us to fight for is freedom of the individual, “personal liberty”.

In fact, John Taylor said,

“Besides the preaching of the Gospel, we have another mission, namely, the perpetuation of the free agency of man and the maintenance of liberty, freedom, and the rights of man.” –General Conference April 1882

To magnify this point, the February 2006 Ensign magazine, had an article written by Elder Shirley D Christensen of the Seventy, entitled, “I, the Lord God, Make You Free.” In it he said;

“Are we doing all that we should to preserve freedom wherever we live? …The Lord has placed upon His children the responsibility of preserving their precious freedoms.”

The Lord made us free, and He instituted governments to protect us in our freedoms (See D&C 134). Is there a specific governmental structure that He has created to fulfill his purposes in this regards?

The Lord tells us in D&C 101:77–80

The laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, …

That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment…And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land…

. Reiterating the Constitutions importance, President David O McKay said, and recently, Elder L Tom Perry reiterated:

“Next to being one in worshiping God there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States” (BYU, Sept. 1987)

Unfortunately sometimes we think this is engaging in politics. President Joseph F Smith had something to say in those regards:

“There has been a tendency among some Latter-day Saints, even when the Constitution is mentioned, to say, ‘There he goes talking politics.’ I am not talking politics. I am quoting the words of the Lord.” Joseph F. Smith CR April 1946

The Constitution is the word of the Lord, why would we want to skim by, or ignore such a thing as this?

Why do we need to be united in “upholding and defending the Constitution”? Why does it need defending? No one would want to attack or weaken it… would they?

The prophets have some revealing insight on the matter. In Gen Conf. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. of the First Presidency said. “I say unto you with all the soberness I can, that we stand in danger of losing our liberties, and that once lost, only blood will bring them back; and once lost, we of this Church will, in order to keep the Church going forward, have more sacrifices to make and more persecutions to endure than we have yet known, heavy as our sacrifices and grievous as our persecutions of the past have been.” -Conference Report, April 1944

President Clark taught us here that our freedom is under attack. What is the cause of such a threat to freedom?

President Benson said,

“Concerning the United States, the Lord revealed to his prophets that its greatest threat would be a vast, worldwide “secret combination” which would not only threaten the United States but also seek to “overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations.”- Conference Report, October 1961

Expounding on this, President Benson said:

“Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the “keystone of our religion” and the “most correct” book on earth. (DHC, vol. 6, p. 56.) This most correct book on earth states that the downfall of two great American civilizations came as a result of secret conspiracies whose desire was to overthrow the freedom of the people.

Now undoubtedly Moroni could have pointed out many factors that led to the destruction of the people, but notice how he singled out the secret combinations, just as the Church today could point out many threats to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work, but it has singled out as the greatest threat the Godless conspiracy. There is no conspiracy theory in the Book of Mormon—it is a conspiracy fact. And along this line I would highly recommend to you a new book entitled, ‘None Dare Call It Conspiracy’.”(Gen. Conf. April, 1972)

The scriptures describe this latter-day conspiracy that seeks to destroy the freedoms of all lands, nations and countries Ether 8:23–25 teaches us that this Latter-Day conspiracy seeks to:

• Get Power (Vs. 23)
• Get Gain or Money (Vs. 23)
• Murder (vs. 24)
• Overthrow Freedom in all Lands, Nations, and Countries (vs. 25)
• Bring Destruction to all People (vs. 25)

As was shown before, the Lords prophets have admonished us to “do all we can to preserve freedom”. Moroni pleads for the same here as well. He says that when we “awake to our awful situation,” that we must

• Repent of Our Sins (vs. 23)
• Not Allow This Conspiracy to Get Above You (vs. 23)

If we do allow it, it will prove our destruction just as it did the Jaredites and the Nephites.

We are still involved in this Satan vs. the Lord battle, and Latter-day Saints are Satan’s biggest obstacle to accomplishing his plan, so we are his major focus. Satan tries to trick Latter-day Saints not to “get involved” in the freedom battle.

In General Conference of April 1965, then Elder Benson, exposes those tactics of the evil on;

“We really haven’t received much instruction about freedom,” the devil says.

This is a lie, for we have been warned time and again… Last conference I spoke of a book embodying much of the prophets’ warnings on freedom…which I commend to you. It is entitled Prophets, Principles, and National Survival.

“You’re too involved in other church work,” says the devil.

But freedom is a weighty matter of the law; the lesser principles of the gospel you should keep but not leave this one undone. We may have to balance and manage our time better.

“Don’t worry,” says the devil “the Lord will protect you, and besides the world is so corrupt and heading toward destruction at such a pace that you can’t stop it, so why try.” Well to begin with, the Lord will not protect us unless we do our part. But many of the prophecies referring to America’s preservation are conditional. That is, if we do our duty we can be preserved, and if not then we shall be destroyed. This means that a good deal of the responsibility lies with the priesthood of this Church as to what happens to America and as to how much tragedy can be avoided if we do act now.

“Don’t do anything in the fight for freedom until the Church sets up its own specific program to save the Constitution.”

To those slothful servants who will not do anything until they are “compelled in all things.” Maybe the Lord will never set up a specific church program for the purpose of saving the Constitution.

The Prophet Joseph Smith declared it will be the elders of Israel who will step forward to help save the Constitution, not the Church.

ETB Gen Oct 1966

Just live the gospel; there’s no need to get involved in trying to save freedom and the Constitution (says the devil)….

Of course, this is dangerous reasoning, because in reality you cannot fully live the gospel without working to save freedom and the Constitution…

Now that we understand there are no good excuses and we need to be actively engaged, what are we to do?

In General Conference, October 1987, President Benson, as President of the Church laid out these steps:

First and foremost, we must be righteous

Second, we must learn the principles of the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers

Third, we must become involved in civic affairs to see that we are properly represented…

Fourth, we must make our influence felt by our vote, our letters, our teaching, and our advice.

Then in the General Conference of October 2003, Elder M Russell Ballard said:

“’The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ We need to raise our voices with other concerned citizens throughout the world in opposition to current trends.

Elder Christensen, in the February 2006 Ensign, emphasized this as well when he said,

What a sacred privilege and responsibility is ours to participate with other like-minded people to ensure that basic freedoms are preserved wherever we reside.

In addition to certain things we can do on our own, we have a “Responsibility” to join and work with others to reverse current trends and preserve freedom. Elder Christensen recommends working with those of “like-mind”. Those groups of like-minded people should understand the Constitution in the tradition of the Founding Fathers, and that its biggest threat is a conspiracy that seeks to destroy every land and country.

In the June 2007 Ensign President Hinckley said,

“That war (the War in Heaven), so bitter, so intense, has never ceased. It is the war… between agency and compulsion, between the followers of Christ and those who have denied Him. His enemies have used every stratagem in that conflict. They’ve indulged in lying and deceit. They’ve employed money and wealth. They’ve tricked the minds of men. They’ve murdered and destroyed and engaged in every kind of evil practice to thwart the work of Christ.”

Those enemies of Christ have sought to destroy His work, but those efforts are in vain. In the end, the Lord wins! President Benson testified,

The Lord has declared that before the second coming of Christ it will be necessary to “destroy the secret works of darkness” in order to preserve the land of Zion” the Americas. (2 Nephi 10:11–16.) – General Conference, Sept. 1961

Those that seek to destroy freedom in America must be defeated. They will be defeated. The only question that remains is; which side of the fence will we be on?

The international gospel of the Founding Fathers was forecast by Jefferson in 1793. It was voiced by Washington in his Farewell Address in 1796, when he declared we should have “as little political connection as possible with Europe,” because Europe has a “set of primary interests” with which we had “none or a very remote relation,” wherefore “must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concern;…why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice? It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.” The Monroe Doctrine declaring against the future colonization of the American continent by Europeans, against the extension therein of their political system, against interposition by European powers to control the destinies of the Latin Americas, implemented the principles of the Address. And Jefferson, commenting in 1823 on the Monroe Doctrine, and the complete political separation of Europe and the Americas, solemnly affirmed: “Our first and fundamental maxim should be, never to entangle ourselves in the broils of Europe; our second, never to suffer Europe to intermeddle with cis-Atlantic affairs”

Nor may we overlook that great doctrine of neutrality set up under Washington himself and Jefferson and Hamilton, which was aimed at and brought about the localizing of international armed conflicts, and the preservation , under prescribed rules, of peacetime intercourse between belligerents and nonbelligerents. War was to curse as few people as possible. This has been jettisoned for the concept that every war should involve all nations, making all suffer the ravages of a global war.

Until the last quarter of a century, this gospel of the Fathers was the polar star by which we set our international course. In the first hundred thirty years of our constitutional existence, we had three foreign wars, the first merely the final effort of our Revolution, which made good our independence. During the century that followed we had two foreign wars, neither of considerable magnitude. During the next twenty-three years, we had two global wars. While the gospel of the Fathers guided us we has peace. When we forsook it, two great wars engulfed us.

It is not clear when we began our wandering, nor is it necessary to determine the time. President Theodore Roosevelt was hinting our straying when he uttered the dictum “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” We were to force others to do our bidding. President Wilson had the full departure in mind when he declared: “Everybody’s business is our business.” Since then we have leaped ahead along the anciently forbidden path.

In our course under the new gospel of interference with everything we do not like, we have gone forward and are going forward, as if we possessed all the good of human government, of human economic concept, of human comfort, and of human welfare, all of which we are to impose on the balance of the world,— a concept born of the grossest national egotism. In human affairs no nation can say that all it practices and believes is right, and that all others have that differs from what it has is wrong. Men inflict an unholy tragedy when they proceed on that basis. No man, no society, no people, no nation is wholly right in human affairs; and none is wholly wrong. A fundamental principle of the operation of human society is to live and let live.

Yet, to repeat, we have entered into new fields to impose our will and concepts on others. This means we must use force, and force means war, not peace.

What has our apostasy from peace cost us?

In men, our two recent adventures have cost in casualties, dead, wounded, and missing, 1,402,600, with almost as many saddened and crippled homes.

In money it has cost, in World War I, some $60 odd billions; and World War II cost us some $400 odd billions, including increased civilian help, in total, almost a half a trillion, the great bulk of which we still owe.

In spiritual values it has brought great numbers of our youth and older men to the very depths of desponding atheism. Our whole social structure seems undermined. We are becoming a blaspheming, unchaste, non-Christian, God-less race. Spiritually we seem ripe for another war.

In values of government and law, these wars and the interminglings of men of different concepts of freedom and human rights, have brought into our own system, the despotic principles of European systems, against which the Fathers warned, though they came to us through doors the Fathers did not see. Many and influential persons amongst us, of Alien concepts and sometimes of alien birth, no longer admit that man possesses the inalienable rights of the Declaration of Independence and the fundamental precepts of the Constitution. Our courts no longer guarantee these rights and enforce these principles. We have and are aping and adopting the policies and the legal theories of Europe. Colonel House records that when President Wilson hesitated to launch us into the first World War, because he did not know what measures to take to wage the war, he, Colonel House, assured the President that it was simple, all he had to do, said Colonel House, was to do the things Europe had already done. And so we proceeded, and from then till now, we have constantly and more and more adopted European governmental concepts and laws, to the loss of liberty and of the happiness and security of our people.

All this takes us into a situation that places our destinies largely in the hands of those who appear to be urging us towards war, not peace.…

It is time we returned to the political faith and work of the Fathers. It is indispensable that we do so if we are to have peace. I believe in the old faith and the old works, under which we had so much of peace. I am a political isolationist in the full sense of the term and am not fearful in declaring it.

I am a political isolationist because:

I fully believe in the wisdom of the course defined by Washington, Jefferson, and other ancient statesmen. The whole history of America before and since the Revolution proves the truthfulness of their assertions. All during our pre-Revolutionary history we were at war, we were robbed, plundered, and massacred because of European wars in the issues and causes of which we had no concern. History is repeating itself.

I believe American manhood is too valuable to be sacrificed on foreign soil for foreign issues and causes.

I believe that permanent peace will never come into the world from the muzzle of a gun. Guns and bayonets will, in the future as in the past, bring truces, long or short, but never peace that endures.

I believe President Wilson had the true principle when he spoke of the strength and power of the moral force of the world. Moral force in a nation fructifies industry, thrift, good will, neighborliness, and the friendly intercourse of nations, the peace that all men seek; whereas force is barren.

I believe America’s role in the world is not one of force, but is of that same peaceful intent and act that has characterized the history of the country from its birth till the last third of a century.

I believe that moral force is far more potent than physical force in international relations.

I believe that America should again turn to the promotion of the peaceful adjustment of international disputes, which will help us regain the measureless moral force we once possessed, to the regeneration and salvation of the world. We now speak with the strong arm of physical force only; we have no moral force left.

I believe we should once more turn our brains and our resources to the problem, not of killing men, women, and children, combatant and noncombatant, but of bringing to them more of good living and high thinking.

I believe political isolation will bring to us the greatest happiness and prosperity, the greatest temporal achievement not only, but the highest intellectual and spiritual achievement also, the greatest power for good, the strongest force for peace, the greatest blessing to the world.

I am not shaken in my convictions nor frightened by the assertion of many good people and fostered by the communists and “new thoughters,” that the doctrine of the Fathers is outmoded, and that we are in a new world. All the age old forces are still peering out at us, — greed, avarice, ambition, selfishness, the passion to rule, the desire to enslave for the sordid advantage of the enslaver. Not a single wanton face is missing and the visages of some are more hideous than ever. While radar, the radio, the telephone, the airplane have facilitated our talking and visiting with our neighbors, that have not made new beings out of use nor out of them, nor changed either our characters or theirs. We are just as we were, with the possibility of a little more back-fence gossiping and quarreling, and a little more brawling among the children. But the households remain essentially as they were. We still have oceans between us; we live on different continents, under different conditions. We can and should mind our own business and let others do the same.

In my view, our whole international course and policy is basically wrong, and must be changed if peace is to come. Our policy has brought us, and pursued, will continue to bring us, only the hatred of nations now — and we cannot thrive on that, financially or spiritually — and certain war hereafter, with a list of horrors and woes we do not now even surmise. If we really want peace, we must change our course to get it. We must honestly strive for peace and quit sparring for military advantage. We must learn and practice, as a nation and as a world, the divine principles of the Sermon on the Mount. There is no other way.

Someone will, at this point, play the ace question, with that smug finality that always accompanies it, — What would you do?

I frankly answer, I do not know, for I do not know the facts. Furthermore a critic with no authority or power in a situation, and from whom is withheld a knowledge of facts, is under no obligation to propose an alternative. He may rest by pointing out defects in policy.

On the other hand, I say, give us the facts, all of them, hiding nothing, and we shall tell you what to do. As one American citizen, I dare government to give us the facts, all the facts, including what kind of war they think the next war will be, what kind they intend to wage, and how many lives it will cost, including the aged, the infirm, and women and children.

We, the common people, have not been told the facts for years, since long before the last war broke. We are not now being told the facts. We can only surmise. But give us the facts and we will answer. And in our multitude of counsel you will find wisdom.