Orson Pratt

“ Scores of thousands, among the different nations, have already received the ministry of the Gospel, revealed by the angel, and they have been filled with the Holy Ghost, according to the promise made to every soul who will believe and repent of his sins; and they have measurably become revelators and prophets. This, therefore, is the beginning of the great latter-day work, which will never end, until all flesh, that will not be destroyed from the face of the earth by the judgments spoken of, will be made partakers of this same Spirit, and it will have the same effect promised. ”

“ That will be the history of this little creation of ours; it is only one out of the immensity of creations that God has made, all of which have their times of redemption, having to pass through similar changes as those which I have alluded to; and the people inhabiting them have to learn by a school of experience; they have their joys and sorrows as well as we, because they, like us, could not acquire the necessary experience in any other way to fit them for the society of the heavenly hosts. ”

“ They should not be blessed with the blessings of the earth only, but "Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven." What would you consider the precious things of heaven? I should say that the revelations given from heaven to his descendants would be as precious as anything that could be bestowed upon them. ”

“ We are are not to go further than our thoughts can carry us, to some remote unknown place, concerning which there has been no revelation given. But we will return to our earth, and then will be fulfilled that part of the vision where John says, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the Tabernacle of God is with man, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. ”

“ It is generally believed, by the various Christian churches, that there are to be no more revelations, or visions, or dreams, given by the Spirit of God, and this belief has been entertained for generations by millions of people terming themselves Christians. But when this prophecy is really fulfilled, all men and women upon the earth will become revelators, receiving from the heavens information and knowledge by the power of that Spirit poured out upon them. ”

“ Our Heavenly Father is not a respector of persons; he respects one branch of the house of Israel just as much as another; and inasmuch as he did by his own power, according to their own records bring a remnant of the tribe of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem to this continent, he had as much regard for them as he had for the Jews, and as he had for the ten tribes who were taken away from the land of Palestine some 720 years before Christ. ”

“ When, according to the prophecy of Joel, God bestows visions and revelations upon his sons and daughters, and dreams, by the same Spirit, upon the old men, they will acquire more knowledge in a very short time, than could be learned by studying the best of books that are possessed by the colleges and institutions of learning all over the world. ”

“ All flesh should be under the influence of the Spirit of God, and not only all human flesh, but also the animal creation, and all things living. The effect of the outpouring of this Holy Spirit upon mankind will be to cause the young people to prophecy, making revelators of them, and the older ones to dream dreams. ”

“ Here (holding the Book of Mormon in his hand) we present a record of this American continent, a history of a branch of the tribe of Joseph, for nearly 600 years before Christ, and until 420 years after Christ, a history of the Lord's dealings with them from the time they left Jerusalem until one of their principal nations fell in battle, because of their apostacy; and the descendants of the remaining remnant are this degenerated people we call Indians, who still exist. Their record has been brought to light; the Lord has done it, not Joseph Smith. ”

“ Before all flesh receive the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God is to appear upon the earth. The work is to be commenced, and his Spirit poured out upon a few, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man, that there may be Prophets and revelators again on the earth, and the true Church of God again exist among men, as anciently. ”

“ And it should come to pass that they should have the records of the Nephites, and the Nephites should have the records of the Jews, and the Jews and the Nephites should have the records of the lost tribes of the house of Israel, and the lost tribes of Israel should have the records of the Nephites and the Jews. "It shall come to pass that I will gather my people together, and I will also gather my word in one." Not only the people are to be gathered from the distant portions of our globe, but their records, or bibles, will also be united in one. ”

“ This earth that will be sanctified and purified and blessed with the presence of Jesus, and upon which the immortal and resurrected Saints will live and reign as kings and priests; this earth because of the fall and the curse that came upon it, will have to undergo a greater change, the same as our bodies, and will pass away. ”

“ The Saints will then gather from abroad, as they now do, and they will have to pitch their tents while doing so; and Satan's army will also compass the beloved city to destroy the people of God; but fire will come down from God out of heaven, and will devour them. And the beloved city and the righteous will be taken to heaven; and after the thousand years are ended the earth will pass away. ”

“ Instead of being blessed with lands side by side with the rest of the tribes, he was to be a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills, and there he should be blessed with all kinds of climate ”

“ His nature will be so susceptible to the Spirit of God that it will be entirely changed, instead of his preying upon other animals and devouring their flesh, he will feast upon the vegetable kingdom, just as he did in the morning of creation. ”

“ The Lord will gather the ten tribes from the north, and the House of Judah from the four quarters of the earth whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land, making of them one nation under one king never more to be divided, neither, says the Lord, shall they any more defile themselves with their detestable things, etc. ”

“ There will be no place found for it, as an organized world: it will exist in an elementary condition, all of its elements scattered through space, until the Lord sees proper to gather them together by his power, and forms an immortal earth, an earth free from the curse, free from the effects of the fall, restored as it was in the beginning. ”

“ The Priesthood is not given for a few years and then to cease; but all the servants of God who have ministered here below by authority of the Priesthood will continue their work among immortal beings, and among those living who will not have been changed to the immortal state. Some think that when Jesus comes all that are then living upon the earth will be changed. ”

“ Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. ”

“ This then will be the new earth and the new heaven, whereon the righteous only will dwell. The beloved city will descend upon this eternal earth, and it will then become one of the heavenly mansions, whereon the Saints that are prepared will reign forever and ever. ”

“ And the immortal ones will multiply and spread forth so that the many places depopulated in consequence of the great judgment that will precede his coming, will become inhabited by their numerous children during the millennium, filling up the different parts of the earth. ”

“ When the first trump sounds, at the coming of the Savior, they will not be changed, but they will be caught up, but when the graves of the Saints are opened and they come forth as immortal beings they will be quickened, not made immortal, renewed in a measure, and they will be taken up with those who will ascend out of their graves to meet Jesus, and descend with him. ”

“ Says he, "When the children of thy people shall speak unto thee saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these two sticks, that they become one in thine hand, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I, (not Ezekiel) will take the stick of Joseph, etc." And what will you do with it? I will put it with the stick written upon for Judah, and will make them one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before thine eyes;" one being a representation of the other. ”

“ So that when the thousand years are ended, and Satan is again loosed, he will find a large number who have not been tempted by him, and he will use his cunning among them, and will succeed in leading more or less astray. ”

“ It is also stated by them they must have lived for many generations on this continent in order to have become so diversified in their several tongues. You know where people have no written language, as we have, that it will become corrupted, and as they separate from each other, as the Indian race has done, it will corrupt itself more and more. ”