The true doctrines of the
gospel cannot be mistaken: All must be forsaken and given up for Christ; the carnal life
of sin, etc. The manner of Christ's coming: He cannot be seen by the world of mankind.
1 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, With
my own voice do I utter forth my mind and will to man, in this day, that henceforth no one
need to err for the want of an understanding. Yea, I will mark the way so plain, that a
fool need not err therein. For lo, the time is at an end in which I, the Lord, have spoken
in parables and dark sayings and hidden mysteries.
2 Henceforth will I communicate unto
man in plain language, easy to be understood, that the diversity of opinions may be done
away, that no one hereafter, without perversion, can pick my word which I give in this
day, and find therein, a foundation whereon to establish innumerable creeds and systems,
each receiving and framing their belief and opinion from my holy word, and from the words
of my beloved Son.
3 Verily, saith the Lord of hosts,
with my mighty hand and outstretched arm, will I rend the foundation of man's inventions,
which they devised and shaped to save the life, the carnal life of man, and have twisted
and shaped the word of a just and holy God thereunto, to suit their own imaginations.
4 Their divisions and subdivisions
into various sects and denominations, shall have an end. In vain do they claim the word of
God for their standard, each contending party arguing the righteousness of their own
belief, even to the shedding of blood. Thus hath man sought out many inventions to save
the life of sin, which is more precious in his sight, and more dear to him than his animal
life.
5 And what availeth the laying down
of the natural life, so long as they retain and nourish the life of sin? Great hath been
the account of those who have been put to death for their belief and opinions, which have
weighted nothing in my sight; nor doth the laying down of the animal life recommend souls
to me; although it may serve as a figure of the death of the man of sin; yet it can bring
no salvation, so long as the life of iniquity remaineth unsubdued.
6 And thus, saith the Lord of hosts,
have I spoken, and thus do I declare, through those of my Zion below, who know nought of
these things, but by the revelation of my divine will; and thus have I purposed from the
beginning of man's fall, wherein the man of sin, through disobedience, was introduced,
that by obedience should he be slain.
7 And this is my decree, that by
obedience shall man slay the enemy within; and the first step of obedience which man can
perform acceptable in my sight is this: After receiving a knowledge of the way of life,
and becoming convicted of his lost state, he is then required to confess unto Me, in the
presence of my appointed witnesses, every known sin and transgression which he has ever
committed in his life.
8 These witnesses, in whose presence
the confession is to be made, are called, appointed and anointed by my holy Anointed Ones,
those whom I have anointed to stand as my agents unto man, as the mediators in likeness of
my beloved Son and Daughter, who are invisible to the natural eye, and ever will remain
thus invisible to man, while clothed in tenements of clay; yet they perform their work
upon the earth, through their appointed agents, who will ever be the fountain and source
whereunto all souls may look for Christ upon earth.
9 Again, saith the Lord of hosts,
these are the appointed agents in Christ, the emblems of the Anointing, the Christ in his
first and second appearance, first in the male, and second in the female, which rendereth
the power of salvation complete, and which bringeth both male and female upon an equal
footing for salvation.
10 And this is my word concerning
this matter, which leaves no room for caviling, or for the framing of a diversity of
opinions concerning the Christ and concerning his requirements of man, in this day of his second
appearance, in which he has come the second time without sin unto salvation, to make
an end of sin and bring in an everlasting righteousness.
11 Yea, he hath come to harvest the
earth from a state of natural growth, and regenerate the inhabitants thereof from a state
of nature, into a state of grace, by the new birth. And as natural children are
born of natural parents, and nourished and sustained by them; so by spiritual parents are
children born of the spirit, and are nourished and sustained by them.
12 Although the haughtiness of man
has ever spurned at this order, and ever will; for it is in direct opposition to the
nature of the fall. And so it is, and so it was designed, that the haughtiness of man
should be brought low; and the day hath now come for the haughtiness of man to be humbled.
And he that would be exalted must become abased, and he that would be great must become
exceeding small, saith the voice of eternal truth.
13 Man's exaltation must fall. If
any become exalted, it must be in Me, or they cannot stand; for I alone will be exalted in
this day, and nought shall stand of man's exaltation of himself; for he that seeketh to
build himself up and to become exalted, him will I abase.
14 But he that humbleth himself in
submission to that order which I, the Lord, with my right hand, have established, and is
willing to abase himself in spirit, by stripping and exposing the nakedness of that
selfish and crooked nature, in all its windings, which will lay low the haughtiness of his
proud nature, and bring into contempt all his natural and human wisdom, and cause him to
feel his own nothingness of himself, him will the Lord God exalt.
15 Thus will man begin to learn true
wisdom, that wisdom which cometh from the source of all wisdom. Then will he begin to fear
the Lord and call upon his holy name, and seek to know his mind and will, and make it his
meat and drink to obey every requirement.
16 He will thereby learn true
obedience, that obedience, which will conquer the nature of evil, and slay the natural
life of fallen man: for saith my beloved Son, "Except a man give up all that he hath
for my sake and the gospel's, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
17 Some have the vain imagination
that the animal life is required. Some say it means giving up the life of pleasure, which
consists in a life of matrimony, the pleasures of a married life, as they call it, giving
up the wife, the husband, the children, and all their temporal stores and bodily services,
to build up and support a joint interest, and live in common with their brethren and
sisters in the gospel.
18 And thus, saith the Lord, so far
as they have gone, they are correct; for in this have they given up all; but their own
life also, they have not, as yet, taken into the account. Therefore, thus said the Lord,
hear ye my word and understand, while I speak concerning giving up the natural life; for
the animal life is not required in this day in which the substance is revealed.
19 But the life of fallen nature
which consists in man's own selfish and independent will, regardless of the will of God,
is required of all, who wish to lay down their lives for Christ's sake and the gospel's,
that they may find that life which hath no end; that life which can be gained only by a
daily cross and self-denial, walking in strict obedience to my revealed will to them,
through my Anointed ones, the agents of my will unto man.
20 Thus by giving up their own
selfish ways and wills, they continually crucify that carnal nature, which is of itself
subject to no law nor order, nor can it be, so long as it liveth and hath dominion. But
when brought into captivity by the laws of Christ, revealed in Mount Zion, then is the
spirit of evil in the natural life of man, imprisoned under the banner of Christ, and can
no longer have dominion over the soul. For in Mount Zion shall be deliverance, as the Lord
hath said.
21 And thus shall man give up all,
and his own life also. And he that is not willing and thankful to do this, and like an
innocent child of God, seek to know and do the will of his heavenly Parents, is not worthy
of the privilege, and shall never obtain that endless life, which is the reward of the
faithful and obedient soul. Such, and such only, can or ever shall obtain that life which
shall be crowned with everlasting joy.
22 And this is my word upon this
subject, giving all a knowledge, who may desire to know the mind and will of Him who
ruleth in judgment, and reigneth in mercy: And this have I given in my wisdom. And this is
my own way and my own order, for all souls who shall ever meet me in peace, from the king
even to the beggar, all must, in this way, lose their lives for Christ's sake and the
gospel's to find an inheritance in my eternal Kingdom.
23 And let none who intend to escape
my wrath, venture to judge this my word, and say, "This cannot be the word of God:
for God, in his wisdom, would not descend, in this way, to mortal capacity, and teach
after the manner here stated; for it is not according to his manner of dealing with
mortals." Let none presume in this way to utter their feelings; for this is my
holy and Eternal Word, and it shall stand forever and ever the same.
24 And ye that scruple and halt in
the manner before mentioned, go to the book of my law, my figurative law, and see if I,
the Lord, did not descend to the capacity of man, to instruct them in all things
pertaining to the line of their duty, and showing them wherein they might find
justification and acceptance in my sight.
25 Yea, and through ways and means
of my own choosing, did I convey my mind and will to those my people, whom I called to
bear the outward figure of these my holy and chosen people, heirs of the promise of
eternal life. And shall I, the Lord, in my great wisdom, forbear to descend unto these my
holy, chosen people, my witness to man, and in ways and means of my own choosing, convey
my word unto them.
26 Where is the inconstancy of this,
have not I a right to bestow on whomsoever I will? Truly I have, and thus and thus have I
caused to be reveal and written; and with my mighty power will I protect the same. And
thus do I close this subject.
27 Thus saith the holy prophet
Isaiah, I the holy prophet, the man of God, called to be his prophet in the days of his
figurative work, do, with my voice declare, and witness to this word, as being the word of
Almighty God, revealed by his holy Archangel to an Instrument of human clay, and by her
faithfully written. And with pleasure do I behold the word of God, written by mortal hand,
and brought to mortal view. And with pleasure do I behold the day of the Lord hastening
on, to bring about the fulfillment of the prophecies, given in the days of his figurative
work.
28 Again saith the holy Angel to the
writer, Hear the word of the Savior; thus saith the Savior; Yet a little while I am with
you; then I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; and whither I go, ye know, and the way
ye know. I go to prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you; that
where I am, there ye may be also: For in my Father's house are many mansions; if it were
not so, I would have told you. And this I speak that ye may be comforted.
29 Thus saith the Lord, What meaneth
this saying of my beloved Son; I go to prepare a place for you, and I will return again to
you? Did he ever return to them, except in spirit? And did he ever manifest himself
outwardly to them, that all could behold him with their natural eyes?
30 Nay, saith the Lord, neither will
mankind ever behold him with their natural eyes, save in his people only. And ye that
think to see the Son of man coming in any other way than this; will find yourselves under
a false belief.
31 And ye that wait to see his
second coming in some great display that ye have formed in your imaginations, will find
yourselves greatly mistaken. You will look in vain to see Christ the Son of God descending
in the clouds of heaven, surrounded with hosts of saints and Angels, to judge the
inhabitants of the earth, nor will your natural eyes ever see him, nor will the
resurrection of the natural body ever take place; nor the natural graves ever open and
give up their dead, and every limb, as ye suppose, come to its joint.
32 Ye that wait to see such and such
natural and outward displays of power and terror, will be like the ancient Jews, who still
wait for the coming of the Messiah, who they expect will come and reign as a natural king
upon the throne of David, and rule the nations of the earth as an earthly king. Yea, I
say, ye will be like them, waiting in hope; but your hope will perish; for ye will never
see those things which ye have expected to see with your natural eyes.
33 Yet greater works shall ye see
than these which have been formed in your imaginations; for ye shall see the haughtiness
of man brought low; but not in the manner which ye have expected; for man's ways are not
as my ways, neither are his thoughts as my thoughts; because he hath not spiritual
discernment to see the things of God aright.
34 But natural man, with his natural
wisdom doth seek to comprehend the things of the spirit; but he seeketh in vain; for he
cannot comprehend spiritual things, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he have
any pleasure in them; because they are spiritual and spiritually discerned.
35 And ye that seek to see the
coming of the Son of man in his glory, surrounded with the heavenly hosts, ye must see him
by the eye of faith, as he spake unto his disciples: "He that hath seen me, hath seen
the Father; and how sayest thou, Show us the Father? At that day ye shall know that I am
in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."
36 Therefore saith the Lord, Why
sayest thou, Show us the Son, and it sufficeth? Ye can never behold my beloved Son only in
his people; for he dwelleth in them and they in him; and they that see his people do
verily see Christ, and no other Christ will they ever behold while they remain upon the
earth: And these people are known by the fruits of Christ which they bring forth.
37 And ye that desire to have a part
in his second coming, by the first resurrection from the dead, ye must find him in his
people, as they dwell in him, and he in Me; therefore seek ye to become one with them,
that ye may dwell in them as they dwell in Christ and Christ in Me; so may ye be rightly
joined to the fountain of all good.
38 Vain are the imaginations of
mankind who seek to find Christ in any other way than this which I have clearly shown; for
truly Christ hath come in his mighty power, to do his work upon the earth; to sit as a
refiner and purifier; to make the separation; to raise the dead and call them forth to
judgment.
39 All this hath he come to do, and
he will perform it in his time; and not one word of all which hath been spoken concerning
the second coming of Christ in his glory, and concerning the resurrection and the
judgment, and also of the judgments which should take place upon the earth previous to his
appearing; I say, of all which hath been written of these things, there shall not one word
of it fall to the ground.
40 But so far out of sight, to those
who look with natural eyes, and imagine with natural and vain imaginations, that many will
be left to "wonder and perish" at the strange work, which I the Lord will work
in this latter day, to bring about my purposes; for a way hidden from all the natural
inventions of man have I chosen, to confound the wise, that no flesh may glory in my
presence. And thus closes my word on this subject.