Parallel Paths

Past and Present

Prophecies and Promises

 

Ogden Kraut

 

An acorn planted in the ground, if watered, nurtured and tended, someday becomes a majestic creation: a mighty oak tree offering shade, protection and beauty. Likewise, the seeds of evil, once planted in fertile soil and tended with destructive but powerful fervor, grow into awesome creations: huge, hideous, gnarled monstrosities with rotten, mired roots that are hidden from view, and poisonous fruit that clings seductively to twisted branches. (Millennium, Texe Marrs, p. 221)

There never was a set of men since God made the world under a stronger responsibility to warn this generation, to lift up our voices long and loud, day and night so far as we have the opportunity and declare the words of God unto this generation. We are required to do this. This is our calling. It is our duty. (Wilford Woodruff, JD 21:122)

 

 

April 2000

 

[5]                              INTRODUCTION

The Savior of the world bid all mankind to come follow Him. And as the hymn says, “He marked the path and led the way, and every point defined.” But although this path is easily marked, it is not so easily followed and is certainly not very crowded. Nephi referred to this path that he saw in a dream:

. . . there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceeding great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. (1 Nephi 8:23)

But in this dream a way was provided to get through the darkness, and fortunately there were some who found the iron rod (the word of God) and held on to it until they got through safely.

In mortality the word of God serves as a guide to help us throughout our lives. For us in America, the revealed principles of Americanism are the political part of the rod and the eternal principles of Mormonism the spiritual part–combined together they provide a strong iron rod. If we cling to this rod, we will reach the correct goal and “partake of the fruit of the tree.”

But as the two sections of this book will show, many Americans and Mormons thought they knew a better path, and so they let go of the iron rod and began “wandering in strange roads.” (1 Ne 8:32) It is interesting to following these two [6] parallel paths of government and church as they detour from the path Christ marked out for us. However, we do have the promise that after leading through dark mists, deep jungles, dangerous swamps, and barren deserts, the two paths will eventually return to the one marked by the Savior. However, He warned that:

Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matt. 7:14)

Hopefully, this book will help us recognize which path we’re on–both individually and collectively–so we can make the necessary course corrections.

Section I

AMERICANISM

Past  Present  Prophecies  Promises

[7]                                 Part 1

WHAT WAS THE HOPE FOR AMERICA?

Freedom, Faith, Fortune

Introduction

During the most crucial hours of the revolution between the American colonists and the British, Thomas Paine penned that “the cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.” This is more true today than at any other time since 1776. If America should again become bathed in the blood of a revolution and anarchy, it will destroy the hopes of billions throughout the world, for such a downfall would be considered as the final curtain in the drama of human liberty.

Dictatorships and totalitarian statism have tarnished the earth with more slave-labor camps, torture chambers, and wholesale slaughtering than all of the primeval savages combined. Ironically, such oppressions are always in the name of “humanitarianism” or “socialism.” Such archaic systems of government need war to survive, since it is essential for them to loot, plunder and rape other nations of their prosperity. Socialism, Bolshevism, statism, and Communism are nothing more than gang rule trying to conquer the world.

America stands as the last major bulwark of freedom in the world, and if she sinks under wickedness and corrupt rulers, then the hopes and dreams of our Founding Fathers will be unfulfilled. Indeed it was on this soil of freedom that the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was able to take place. [8] If America fails in fulfilling its destiny, then so will fall the arena for the free exercise of this Gospel. Two forces contend for this land–God and the devil–and the contest is about to become a battlefield with one or the other as the final victor.

God never moved more surely or more clearly in the ancient days of Israel, from the Red Sea down to Israel’s last recorded victory, than in our struggle for independence. But he had decreed that America should be free, that liberty might find a dwelling place, to the end that his purposes might be worked out . . . .

The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters of this new political world, darkness rolled back, the light came, the day dawned, and there emerged from out the darkness into the bright sunlight of God’s favor, a new concept of human government. Out of the depths of eternal truth was born the Constitution of the United States. (Gratitude for Our Heritage, J. Reuben Clark, pp. 9-10)

As early as in the 49th chapter of Genesis the land of America was designated and the destiny of her people foretold. The great patriarch Jacob singled out his son Joseph to bear the posterity that would come to this land of “everlasting hills.” The land and its people were to be blessed by the Lord with the “precious things of heaven and earth,” and it would become known as a land of plenty. From the records of the ancients it says:

Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound, cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever. (II Nephi 1:7)

 

[9]           From this we learn that the land of America shall prosper when the people are righteous and be cursed because of iniquity.

 

The Founding Fathers

The Founding Fathers of America did not sacrifice their families, fortunes and lives for their own personal benefit and freedom. They gave up everything for the future of America. As men of foresight and brilliance, they realized what America could become–a land of the free and an example for the rest of the world.

It is difficult to find words to describe the greatness of our Founding Fathers and the masterful work they did. What a sharp contrast from those in office today. If Americans do not read their history and learn that comparison, they will be blinded by the lies and propaganda of today’s political leaders.

Part 1 of this first section on America presents a brief analysis of the caliber of men that were responsible for the founding of our nation. Four men have been selected as examples of the noble and dedicated characters that formulated a nation that soon outshone all others. These pages will show who and what made America such a great nation of liberty.

 

 

[10]                          GEORGE WASHINGTON

1732 – 1799

 

 

(Engraving on the $1.00 federal note)

There will assuredly come a day when this country will have some weight in the scales of empires. (To the Marquis de Lafayette, Fitzpatrick, 1786, 28:520)

George Washington was Adjutant General of the Virginia Militia, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, a member of the First and Second Continental Congress, Commander in Chief of the American Army, head of the Constitutional Congress, and the first president of the United States.

 

[11]         George Washington fell naturally into both political and military powers of government, and his life was a story of sacrifice and dedication. The following is a brief overview of his life:

George Washington, American soldier and statesman, the first president of the United States. Born in Wakefield, Va., Feb. 22, 1732, the son of a well-to-do planter. His father’s death cut short his advocation, and at 16 he began surveying for Lord Fairfax, an English land-owner in Va. After the death of his brother, Lawrence, he became a major and adjutant general in the state militia, and made his famous journey and campaign to Ft. Duquesne, serving as Broddock’s staff and leading the final attack. A member of the Va. Assembly and of the 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses, he was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army. He arrived at Boston, July 2, 1775, and displayed his genius for military administration by organizing an army and securing the expulsion of the English from Boston by March 1776. He crossed the Delaware and secured Trenton, and later Princeton. The winter of 1776-77 was spent in hardship in Valley Forge, Pa. In 1778 he recrossed N.J. on his way to N.Y., fighting at Monmouth. Remaining near N.Y. for three years, he then marched 400 miles to the aid of Lafayette at Yorktown, and secured Cornwallis’ surrender, Oct. 19, 1781. Refusing the offer of a throne in America, he attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, 1787, over which he presided. He was sworn in as the first president of the U.S. at Federal Hall, N.Y. City, Apr. 30, 1799. He had no children of his own. He was buried at Mt. Vernon, now a national shrine. (New Modern Enc., p. 1120)

Historian James Flexner wrote five volumes on Washington’s life and concluded:

 

[12]                         Washington was a great and good man. In all history, few men who possessed unassailable power have used that power so gently and self-effacingly for what their best instincts told them was the welfare of their neighbors and all mankind. (Washington: The Indispensable Man, p. 16)

There was a commitment and self-sacrificing objective in all of Washington’s words and deeds that served as an example for the citizens who would follow him. His words of wisdom and hope for America were inspiring. For example, note the following quotes from John C. Fitzpatrick’s book George Washington Himself, 1933, Bobbs-Merrill Publishers)

 

America, Its Prospects for Greatness and Happiness. — The citizens of America, placed in the most enviable condition as the sole lords and proprietors of a vast tract of continent, comprehending all the various soils and climates of the world and abounding with all the necessaries and conveniences of life, are now, by the later satisfactory pacification, acknowledged to be possessed of absolute freedom and independence. They are, from this period, to be considered as the actors on a most conspicuous theater, which seems to be peculiarly designated by Providence for the display of human greatness and felicity. Here they are not only surrounded with everything which can contribute to the completion of private and domestic enjoyment, but Heaven has crowned all its other blessings by giving a fairer opportunity for political happiness than any other nation has ever been favored with. (“Circular to the States,” Fitzpatrick 26:484, 1783)

If this country can steer clear of European politics . . . and be wise and temperate in its government, it bids fair to be one of the greatest and happiest nations in the world. (To Sarah Cary Fairfax. Fitzpatrick 36:264, 1798)

 

[13]                         America, Founded at a Most Auspicious Time. — The foundation of our empire was not laid in the gloomy age of ignorance and superstition, but at an epoch when the rights of mankind were better understood and more clearly defined than at any former period. The researches of the human mind after social happiness have been carried to a great extent; the treasures of knowledge, acquired by the labors of philosophers, sages, and legislatures through a long succession of years, are laid open for our use, and their collected wisdom may be happily applied in the establishment of our forms of government. (General Orders, Fitzpatrick 26:335, 1783)

The free cultivation of letters, the unbounded extension of commerce, the progressive refinement of manners, the growing liberality of sentiment, and, above all, the pure and benign light of revelation have had a meliorating influence on mankind and increased the blessings of society. At this auspicious period, the United States came into existence as a nation, and if their citizens should not be completely free and happy, the fault will be entirely their own. (Circular to the States, Fitzpatrick 26:485, 1783)

America, Prosperous Under New Constitution. — * * * Placed in a situation every way so auspicious, motives of commanding force impel us, with sincere acknowledgment to Heaven and pure love to our country, to unite our efforts to preserve, prolong, and improve our immense advantages. (Seventh Annual Address to Congress, Fitzpatrick 34:389, 1795)

America, An Asylum for the Oppressed. — It is a flattering and consolatory reflection that our rising republics have the good wishes of all the philosophers, patriots, and virtuous men in all nations, and that they look upon them as a kind of asylum for mankind. God grant that we may not disappoint their honest expectations by our folly or perverseness. (To the Marquis de Chastellux, Fitzpatrick 29:485, 1788)

 

[14]                         America, Land of Opportunity for All Classes. — It is a point conceded that America, under an efficient government, will be the most favorable country of any in the world for persons of industry and frugality, possessed of a moderate capital, to inhabit. It is also believed that it will not be less advantageous to the happiness of the lowest class of people, because of the equal distribution of property, the great plenty of unoccupied lands, and the facility of procuring the means of subsistence. (To Richard Henderson, Fitzpatrick 29:520, 1788)

America, To Be an Example to All the World. — It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity, but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn. To establish this desirable end, and to establish government of laws, the union of these states is absolutely necessary; therefore in every proceeding, this great, this important object should ever be kept in view; and so long as our measures tend to this, and are marked with the wisdom of a well-informed and enlightened people, we may reasonably hope, under the smiles of Heaven, to convince the world that the happiness of nations can be accomplished by pacific revolutions in their political systems, without the destructive intervention of the sword. (To the legislature of Pennsylvania, Fitzpatrick 30:395n, 1789)

America’s Future. — The prospect of national prosperity now before us is truly animating, and ought to excite the exertions of all good men to establish and secure the happiness of their country in the permanent duration of its freedom and independence. America, under the smiles of a divine Providence, the protection of a good government, the cultivation of manners, morals, and piety, can hardly fail of attaining an uncommon degree of eminence in literature, commerce, agriculture, improvements at home, and respectability [15] abroad. (To the Roman Catholics in the United States, Sparks 12:178, 1789)

America, to Be Preserved by God. — It is indeed a pleasure, from the walks of private life, to view in retrospect all the meanderings of our past labors, the difficulties through which we have waded, and the fortunate haven to which the ship has been brought! Is it possible after this that it should founder? Will not the all-wise and all-powerful Director of human events preserve it? I think He will. (To Jonathan Trumbull, Fitzpatrick 27:399, 1784)

When men are moved upon by the Holy Spirit, they are acting by the power of revelation, regardless of church, country or position. Lorenzo Snow stated:

We look upon George Washington, the father of our country, as an inspired instrument of the Almighty; we can see the all-inspiring Spirit operating upon him. And upon his co-workers in resisting oppression, and in establishing the thirteen colonies as a confederacy; and then again the workings of the same Spirit upon those men who established the constitution of the United States. (JD 14:304)

These preceding quotations by George Washington show the brilliance of his mind, the dedication of his spirit, and his hope in America’s future. He was an example for all other presidents to follow. His work and words stood the test of time, leaving a record that served as a standard in both military and civilian life. It was said of him: “His conservatism, dignity and common sense set the precedent for the conduct of the nation and the presidential office.” (New Modern Enc., p. 1120)

 

[16]                           THOMAS JEFFERSON

1743 – 1826

 

 

(Engraving on the $2.00 federal note)

What a cruel reflection that a rich country can-not long be a free one.” (Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, E. Boykin, p. 22)

Thomas Jefferson was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress, was the chairman who drafted the Declaration of Independence, and served as Governor of Virginia, minister to France, and Secretary of State. He became the third U.S. President.

 

[17]         The writings of Thomas Jefferson have been compiled into over 25 volumes, yet he seldom spoke in Congress or before public audiences. His friend, John Adams, said he never heard him publicly speak more than three sentences together, but writing was his forte. It took him 17 days to write the “Declaration of Independence,” which every member of Congress signed under the words:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our Sacred Honor.

Thomas Jefferson was not a warrior who gained honors for his feats in bloody battles, but was a man endowed with the genius of ideals and principles far in advance of his time. Few men have ever been endowed with so many talents in the fields of art, science, religion, politics, philosophy, architecture, gardening, music, and law. He was an inventor, lawyer, mathematician, and even established our money system of dollars and cents. His personal library contained over 6400 volumes which he later contributed to form the nucleus for our Library of Congress. One of the books he wrote was entitled The Life of Christ. He was familiar with languages such as French, Latin and Greek, and even wrote vocabularies of some Indian languages.

Although Jefferson founded the Democratic party, which eventually evolved into our Republican party, he would not recognize either party today. He had inscribed on his ring seal the phrase, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Another statement he was famous for was, “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”

 

[18]         The wisdom of Thomas Jefferson was unique because there was seldom an avenue of government to which he had not given considerable thought. The following are some of his gems of genius on government, as taken from The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson by Edward Boykin.

 

A Small Federal Government

What has destroyed liberty and the rights of man in every government which has ever existed under the sun? The generalizing and concentrating all cares and powers into one body, no matter whether of the autocrats of Russia or France, or of the aristocrats of a Venetian senate. (p. 30)

 

Responsibilities of Government

Let the national government be entrusted with the defense of the nation, and its foreign and federal relations; the State governments with the civil rights, laws, police, and administration of what concerns the State generally; the counties with the local concerns of the counties; and each ward direct the interests within itself. It is by dividing and subdividing these republics from the great national one down through all its subordinations, until it ends in the administration of every man’s farm by himself. (p. 30)

 

No Foreign Treaties or Alignments

I am for free commerce with all nations; political connection with none; and little or no diplomatic establishment. And I am not for linking ourselves by new treaties with the quarrels of Europe; entering that field of slaughter to preserve their balance, or joining in the confederacy of kings to war against the principles of liberty. (p. 24)

 

[19]

A Military Only in Time of War

I am for relying for internal defense on our militia solely, till actual invasion, and for such a naval force only as may protect our coasts and harbors from such depredations as we have experienced; and not for a standing army in time of peace, which may overawe the public sentiment; not for a navy, which, by its own expenses and the eternal wars in which it will implicate us, will grind us with public burdens and sink us under them. (p. 24)

 

No Public Debt

I am for a government rigorously frugal and simple, applying all the possible savings of the public revenue to the discharge of the national debt; and not for a multiplication of officers and salaries merely to make partisans, and for increasing, by every device, the public debt, on the principle of its being a public blessing. (p. 24)

I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our constitution. I would be willing to depend on that alone for the reduction of the administration of our government to the genuine principles of its constitution; I mean an additional article, taking from the federal government the power of borrowing. I now deny their power of making paper money or anything else a legal tender. (p. 97)

I place economy among the first and most important of republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of all dangers to be feared. (p. 83)

 

A Government of the People

I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. (p. 153)

 

[20]

Correct or Change Bad Government

. . . life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;

that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. (p. 117)

 

No Foreign Wars

I have ever deemed it fundamental for the United States never to take part in the quarrels of Europe. Their political interests are entirely distinct from ours. Their mutual jealousies, their balance of power, their complicated alliances, their forms and principles of government, are all foreign to us. They are nations of eternal war. All their energies are expended in the destruction of the labor, property and lives. . . .

. . . it should be that the meridian of the mid-Atlantic should be the line of demarkation between war and peace, on this side of which no act of hostility should be committed, and the lion and the lamb lie down in peace together.

The European nations constitute a separate division of the globe; their localities make them part of a distinct system; they have a set of interests of their own in which it is our business never to engage ourselves. America has a hemisphere to itself. It must have its separate system of interests, which must not be subordinated to those of Europe. The insulated state in which nature has placed the American continent, should so far avail it that no spark of war kindled in the other quarters of the globe should be wafted across the wide oceans which separate us from them. (p. 72)

 

[21]

Representation by Peace, not War

I love peace, and I am anxious that we should give the world still another useful lesson, by showing to them other modes of punishing injuries than by war, which is as much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer. I love, therefore . . . (the) proposition of cutting off all communications with the nation (England) which has conducted itself so atrociously. This, you will say, may bring on war. If it does, we will meet it like men; but it may not bring on war, and then the experiment will have been a happy one. (p. 64)

 

Keep Foreign Powers out of Our Business

[Our] object is to introduce and establish the American system, of keeping out of our land all foreign powers, of never permitting those of Europe to intermeddle with the affairs of our nations. It is to maintain our own principle, not to depart from it. And if, to facilitate this, we can effect a division in the body of the European powers, and draw over to our side its most powerful member, surely we should do it. But I am clearly of Mr. Canning’s opinion, that, it will prevent instead of provoke war. (p. 62)

 

Keep Our Government out of Affairs of Business

Let the General Government be reduced to foreign concerns only, and let our affairs be disentangled from those of all other nations, except as to commerce, which the merchants will manage the better, the more they are left free to manage for themselves, and our General Government may be reduced to a very simple organization, and a very inexpensive one; a few plain duties to be performed by a few servants. (p. 33)

 

Avoid Taxation and Debt

If we run into such debts, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries [22] and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes; have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers. (p. 94)

 

Taxes Only for Specific Reasons

With respect to debts, whether to be met by loans or taxes, there are two laws of finance which I think should be rigorously adhered to: (1) never to borrow without laying a tax sufficient to pay principal and interest within a fixed period, and I would fix that period at ten years, . . . (2) never to borrow or tax without appropriating the money to its specific object. (p. 96)

Take not from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. (p. 54)

 

Avoid Federal Extravagance

Private fortunes are destroyed by public as well as by private extravagance. And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on; till the bulk of the society is reduced to be mere automations of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering.

* * * Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression. (p. 94)

 

The Priceless Value of Liberty

When we reflect that the eyes of the virtuous all over the earth are turned with anxiety on us, as the only depositories of the sacred fire of liberty, . . . (p. 7)

[23]                         The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time. (p. 126)

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty, than those attending too small a degree of it. (p. 101)

The ball of liberty, I believe most piously, is now so well in motion that it will roll around the globe, at least the enlightened part of it, for light and liberty go together. (p. 142)

Several years ago, according to a news broadcast, a great banquet was held at the White House for many great intellectuals of the nation. When John F. Kennedy got up to speak, he said: “There has never been such a collection of intelligence in this room since Thomas Jefferson sat here eating alone!”

The hand of Providence is evident even in Jefferson’s death:

Through the night he was partly delirious. At 11 o’clock his lips moved slightly and then he lost consciousness. At 12:50 noon he passed on–it was July 4th, 1826–just 50 years, to the day, after the Declaration of Independence!

At that same moment in Quincy, Massachusetts, Jefferson’s dear friend, John Adams, was also dying. Adams, too, spoke softly, and his last words were, “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” While bands played and the streets were filled with parades and crowds celebrating the 50th anniversary of American independence, Jefferson and Adams slipped quietly to the other shore.

Such unusual incidents in the pages of history do not occur by coincidence, for they strangely but clearly portray the concern of an all seeing Providence who watches with particular interest in His chosen Sons of Liberty. (Men and Monuments of Freedom, Kraut, p. 98)

 

[24]                          BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

1706 – 1790

 

 

(Engraving on the $100 federal note)

Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. (Letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, Nov. 13, 1789)

Benjamin Franklin was sent to London as a delegate of the Pennsylvania Assembly, served in the Continental Congress, took the historic trip to France to secure vital financial and military aid for the American Revolution, was elected president of Pennsylvania, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention.

 

[25]         This brief synopsis of the life of Benjamin Franklin will lay the groundwork for his words of wisdom to follow:

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman and philosopher. Born in Boston, moved to Philadelphia when 17, and became the outstanding printer and journalist of the colonies through his Pennsylvania Gazette and Richard Saunder’s Poor Richard’s Almanac. Active in city affairs, he sponsored the organization of police, fire, and militia companies, the first public library, and an academy, now the University of Pennsylvania. He identified lightning with electricity, and this and other researches won him membership in every important learned society in Europe.

Franklin began his diplomatic career in 1757 at the age of 51, and spent most of his remaining 33 years in that work. He was in London as delegate of the Pa. Assembly, speaking and securing the king’s permission to tax the Penn. estates. He spent a second period in London vainly opposing the arbitrary taxation of the colonies, served for a short time in the Continental Congress, and then undertook his historic mission to France on which he secured vital military and financial aid for the American Revolution. On his return, he was twice elected President of Pa. And served as a member of the Constitutional Convention. (New Modern Enc., p. 376)

Life in the 1700’s was not easy even in the best of conditions, due to poverty, hostile environment, difficulty with Indians, and war. Franklin was described as a great and wise man moving through many challenging and troubling events with versatility, insight, and adaptability. He constantly wrote down his views in publications and correspondence, and today Yale University Library has amassed over 40,000 pieces of this material.

 

[26]         Franklin was the most appealing and exemplary of the American founders. He was an American’s American. His activities spanned nearly every phase of life, finding the liberty and intuitiveness to improve upon it. As a publisher, printer, author, scientist, businessman, politician, moralist, sage, diplomat and patriot, he loved and defended America. He was successful in business, and his ingenious inventions gained world recognition, many still being used today. It was his worldly wisdom and winning charm that earned him the respect of not only the common man but also kings and rulers of nations.

The following examples of his words of wisdom to fellow and future Americans are taken from Poor Richard’s Almanac:

Eat to live, and not live to eat.

Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.

Lost time is never found again.

Work as if you were to live a hundred years; pray as if you were to die tomorrow.

The cat in gloves catches no mice.

God helps them that help themselves.

There are three faithful friends–an old wife, an old dog, and ready money.

A word to the wise is enough, and many words won’t fill a bushel.

He that lives upon hope will die fasting.

After three days men grow weary of a wench, a guest, and weather rainy.

Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.

The used key is always bright.

When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.

A little house well filled, a little field well tilled, and a little wife well willed, are great riches.

Necessity never made a good bargain.

Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.

[27]                         Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Here comes the orator! with his flood of words, and his drop of reason.

If you would not be forgotten, As soon as you are dead and rotten, Either write things worthy reading, Or do things worth the writing.

There never was a good war or a bad peace.

Benjamin Franklin had great respect for George Washington and commented:

George Washington, Commander of the American armies, who, like Joshua of old, commanded the sun and the moon to stand still, and they obeyed him. (A toast at a dinner in Versailles)

Franklin was no soldier, nor did he care to be. He despised war and couldn’t understand why so many thought it was such a noble enterprise. He placed more virtue in producing life than trying to snuff it out, and he wrote:

Men I find to be a sort of being very badly constructed, as they are generally more easily provoked than reconciled, more disposed to do mischief to each other than to make reparation, much more easily deceived than undeceived and having more pride and even pleasure in killing than begetting one another; for without a blush they assemble in great armies at noon day to destroy, and when they have killed as many as they can, they exaggerate the number to augment the fancied glory; but they creep into corners, or cover themselves with the darkness of night, when they mean to beget, as being ashamed of a virtuous action. A virtuous action it would be, and a vicious one the killing of them, if the species were really worth producing or preserving; but of this I begin to doubt. (Franklin of Philadelphia, Esmond Wright, p. 352)

 

[28]         Benjamin Franklin was given the name of “The Sage,” which definitely fit him. Like Jefferson, he was a master of many arts and trades. His abilities were so diversified that he was concerned over matters from statesmanship to soap making; from book printing to cabbage growing; and from the rise of tides to the fall of nations. He came from a family of 15 children and was the only boy! At 24 he started his own newspaper. He also published Poor Richard’s Almanac which sold 10,000 copies annually. When he straightened out the postal mess in Philadelphia, they made him postmaster; he organized a fire department, reformed the police department, established the American Philosophical Society, and formed the University of Philadelphia.

As an inventor, his discoveries were unequaled up to the time of Thomas Edison. He invented bi-focal glasses, the lightning rod, and the “Franklin” heating stove (but not the “Franklin planner”). He made discoveries in oceanography, meteorology, and medicine. He was honored by both American and European colleges.

It has been stated that he was the most successful diplomat that America ever sent abroad. His wisdom and wit, tact and courtesy, made him the most famous American of his time. He was the only man who signed all four of the key documents in early American history.

After the struggle for American independence, a terrible debate and serious contention arose over the kind of Constitution that should be written. Washington had given up on anything being written when Franklin arose and said:

I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

[29]                         We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. (Writings of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 7, p. 196)

Franklin’s advice was taken–prayer became established in the halls of Congress, and a new Constitution was written which surpassed any other Constitution. Among Franklin’s many comments about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, were–

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. (at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)

[Referring to the emblem–a sunburst–on the President’s chair] I have often in the course of the Session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun. (Report of the Constitutional Convention, Sept. 17, 1787, as the last members of the convention signed the Constitution)

In Philadelphia, a Mrs. Powel asked Dr. Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” “A republic,” replied the Doctor, “if you can keep it.”

On choosing a national bird to represent America, he stated:

I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character . . . like those among men who live by [30] sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. . . .

The turkey . . . is a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America. (Letter to Sarah Bache, Jan. 26, 1784)

At Franklin’s death, he was recognized for the genius that he really was:

Antiquity would have raised altars to this mighty genius, who, to the advantage of mankind, compassing in his mind the heavens and the earth, was able to restrain alike thunderbolts and tyrants. (Mirabeau, Address upon the death of Franklin)

Esmond Wright wrote an extensive book on the life of Benjamin Franklin, and it later became nationally recognized for such extensive research. For an Englishman it was interesting that he gave such praise to the man who had part in making war against England. He observed:

Why then, in the twentieth century do we honor Benjamin Franklin? We do so, first, as we do George Washington, because he was so successful–not only for himself but for his country and his cause. He was indeed described, in 1764, as “the First American,” a term later transferred to Washington. We have no choice but to salute a career as successful in every way as was Franklin’s. From lowly origins and with no advantages except his own native talent, he achieved unusual material prosperity so that he could, as he thought, retire at the age of forty-two. He went on to a public career of great distinction, as scientist, statesman, and diplomat, honored abroad and at home. He was successful as a colonial agent, as part author of the Declaration of Independence, as writer and molder of opinion, as Founding Father. Even more than Washington’s, Franklin’s career was self-made; conspicuously more than Washington, he was familiar with two worlds. He passed the active years of his life [31] almost equally in the Old World and the New. He was honored in Europe as no American had been until then and as, indeed, no American has been since. (Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia, p. 354)

Franklin’s death came in 1790 at the age of 89. With all his accomplishments, inventions, and contributions to mankind, his humble attitude was reflected in his will when he wrote, “I, Benjamin Franklin, printer. . . .”

 

The body of

Benjamin Franklin, printer,

(Like the cover of an old book,

Its contents worn out,

And stripped of its lettering and gilding)

Lies here, food for worms!

Yet the work itself shall not be lost,

For it will, as he believed, appear once more

In a new

And more beautiful edition,

Corrected and amended

By its Author!

Few men ever contributed so much to their city, their state, or their nation as did Benjamin Franklin.

 

[32]                            ANDREW JACKSON

1767 – 1845

 

(Engraving on the $20 federal note)

The President rumbled around the White House in a fit of rage. “You are a den of vipers,” he said to a delegation of the Bank’s supporters. “I intend to rout you out and by the Eternal God I will rout you out.” (The Creature from Jekyll Island, G. Edward Griffin, p. 355)

Jackson was ambitious but practical, even at an early age. He became a lawyer at 19; United States attorney at 23; Congressman at 29; U.S. Senator at 30; and justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee at 31. He also was Major-General of the Tennessee Militia; a Major-General of the U.S. Army; Territorial Governor, and finally 7th president of the United States.

 

[33]         There is not enough written or taught about Andrew Jackson, yet he represented one of the great men of our time. Donald Barr Chidsey, author of the book Andrew Jackson, Hero, after spending a tremendous amount of time learning all he could about him, gained such a deep respect for the man that he continually referred to Jackson as the “hero.”

From a brief sketch of his life, the following was written in an encyclopedia:

The War of 1812 brought Jackson the opportunity to distinguish himself as a military hero in a way that made him not only a national figure, but an international celebrity.

In 1813 he led the Tennessee militia in a victorious expedition against the hostile Creek Indians in Alabama. In this campaign he displayed such military skill that he was awarded a commission as major general in the Regular Army of the United States.

On Jan. 8, 1815, he won a crushing victory over the British under Gen. Sir Edward Pakenham at the Battle of New Orleans, the battle that sealed the independence of the United States.

In 1817 under orders from the secretary of war to pursue the Seminoles across the border but not beyond the Spanish posts, General Jackson marched into Florida with a strong detachment and seized the Spanish fort at St. Marks, dispersed the insurrectionary Indians. The Florida territory was soon thereafter acquired from Spain by the United States and in 1821 Jackson was back in Pensacola as territorial governor.

In 1828 he was nominated President of the United States. On the whole, Jackson’s first term as president was popular with the people; and in 1832 he was elected to a second term by an overwhelming majority–219 electoral votes to 49 to Henry Clay.

By 1835 he had paid off the national debt (for the first and only time in the history of the United States), and when he retired from the presidency at the [34] conclusion of his second term in 1837, he left a surplus in the federal treasury. (American People’s Enc. 10:432-33)

When Tennessee was admitted to the Union, he was on the committee to draft a state constitution, which Jefferson said was the most perfect of any that had been written.

Jefferson and Jackson had little in common except they both hated public speaking. When they spoke, or mumbled, they usually had their head down, and no one past the second row could understand what they said. Jackson was a great admirer of Jefferson, but Jefferson thought Jackson was too much of a “wild man” to run for the Presidency. However, in spite of their character differences, they both deeply loved America and the Constitution.

In the long run, Jackson did not prove to be such a “wild man” while serving as U.S. President, as the election polls demonstrated. In his second term he got over four times more votes than his opponent, Henry Clay.

Many were worried about Jackson’s being capable of handling foreign affairs, because he had trouble controlling his temper. They admired him as a soldier, a planter, a domestic arbiter, but he was questionable as a statesman. Among friends, enemies or fellow countrymen his temper could be avoided, tolerated or ignored; but what would he do with foreign diplomats? As it turned out, he learned to take perfect control and acted with as much diplomacy as anyone else.

Although he was a boy during the Revolutionary War, he joined the battle and was captured by the British, where their treatment of him as a prisoner caused him to intensely dislike them for the rest of his life.

 

[35]         He was a natural military leader and became the hero of both the Creek War and the War of 1812. The crack British soldiers at New Orleans had the misfortune of meeting General Jackson, and during that battle the British lost nearly 2500 men, while Jackson lost only eight, with 13 wounded. The British claimed it was not a fair battle–it was a massacre!

Jackson was a born fighter, and when he walked into the Presidential office, he still had two bullets in him to prove it.

Historians have hailed Napoleon Bonaparte as a military genius, but in reality he lost more battles than he won. Many military leaders in America, such as Jackson, have proved just as great. For instance, General George S. Patton took more cities, captured more prisoners, and seized more land than any military commander in history and he never lost a battle!

Anything but kindly, Jackson always was solicitious about his men. He saw to it that they were properly fed and that the sick were cared for, and that they all got their pay on time. The men appreciated that, but most of their admiration was for his tenacity, his durability. He could sure take it. It was known that he was painfully ill all this while and at times could hardly hold himself upright in the saddle; yet he seemed never to sleep. He led the men personally through the hardest places, and he listened to every complaint. It was at this time that they began to call him after the toughest wood that they knew. They called him Old Hickory. (Andrew Jackson, Hero, Childsey, p. 35)

This tough label seemed to fit all of his family–even his wife smoked a corn cob pipe, but she was deeply religious. Once a young boy asked his Sunday School teacher if President Jackson would go to heaven. The teacher quickly replied, “He will if he wants to!”

 

[36]         Jackson carried a bullet for nearly 30 years in his upper arm. When it began to work its way towards the surface, he called in his friend, the surgeon general, to cut it out. He rolled up his sleeve, and without taking any pain killer, he simply stood there watching the operation. When the ball fell to the floor, he picked it up and gave it to a friend for a souvenir and promptly went back to work at his desk.

Many Mormon leaders have recognized the wisdom and greatness of Andrew Jackson:

Joseph Smith:

In continuation of such noble sentiments, General Jackson, upon his ascension to the great chair of the chief magistracy, said, “As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will, as long as it secures to us the rights of person and property, liberty of conscience, and of the press, it will be worth defending; and so long as it is worth defending, a patriotic militia will cover it with an impenetrable aegis.” (Powers & Policies of Gov. p. 13)

Jedediah M. Grant:

Did you ever hear such a man as Judge Shaver threaten us with the United States? Did you ever hear Judge Reid do such a thing? No. Or Millard Fillmore or Andrew Jackson? No, such men would scorn to threaten an innocent people with the armies of the nation. (JD 3:235)

Ezra Taft Benson:

“The Bible is the rock on which this Republic rests,” Andrew Jackson proclaimed. (Conf. Rept., April 1963, p. 110)

1832 Prophecy:

During 1830-31, the feature stories of the American press carried news of a threatened civil war. The controversy was over the question of “Nullification.” [37] Did South Carolina have the right to nullify the new Federal tariff law? The obvious effect of such a right would be the annihilation of the powers of Congress. If South Carolina could nullify a Federal law, so could other states. It would be the end of the Union.

Andrew Jackson was President and the political leaders of all parties waited anxiously to see what he would do. If he bowed meekly to this spirit of rebellion, other states would follow. If he dispatched an army to South Carolina to enforce the Federal law, many predicted strong and immediate military resistance.

President Jackson was not a “church” man but he was a praying man. In this moment of national crisis he was pleading for divine guidance. Would there be civil war? What could he do to avoid it?

The President did not ask for a revelation, merely wisdom. As subsequent events clearly proved, his prayers were answered. His “wisdom” averted civil war in the United States for a whole generation.

But the prayers of President Jackson were more completely though indirectly answered through a divine manifestation which warned the people of the United States that eventually civil war would engulf the nation. The revelation was not received in the White House nor did it come to the President. It came to a humble young man, twenty-seven years of age, who was residing at Kirtland, Ohio. His name was Joseph Smith. (Prophecy and Modern Times, Cleon Skousen, pp. 1-2)

Neither Andrew Jackson nor George Washington had a college education. Both found writing an agony and both were poor spellers, but it didn’t really matter because they had men around them that would take care of those tasks.

When Jackson was invited by Harvard to accept an honorary Doctor of Law degree, John Quincy Adams declined the invitation to attend the ceremony because he wrote that he could not witness the disgrace of “conferring her highest literary honors upon a barbarian who could not write a sentence of grammar and could hardly spell his own name.”

 

[38]         However, education does not always indicate wisdom. There has been a constant flow of intellectual graduates from Harvard and other colleges, but in reality they have been more of a detriment to our country. Most buildings at Harvard bear the name of some banker!

Nearly every noble cause and every good man have opponents and enemies–seen or unseen. Naturally a strong man like Jackson would create enemies. For example, once while he was on a steamer a man by the name of Randolph came up to him and hit him in the face. The captain grabbed the intruder and hustled him out on the deck and down the gangplank into a crowd of people who heard what had happened. They surrounded him, beat on him, and threatened to kill him, but the President said no to killing him. He didn’t want anyone doing something he could do himself. Jackson said he would like to meet him sometime with the weapon of his choice, but Randolph disappeared.

Later an English painter came out of a crowd, pointed a pistol at Jackson, pulled the trigger but it misfired. He quickly reloaded, but once again it misfired; but Jackson had time to react:

Andrew Jackson, not impeded this time by a low ceiling, raised his walking stick, and charged, bellowing in rage. His naval aide, Lieutenant Gedney, was even faster. Gedney clipped the man in the jaw, knocking him down, and then fell upon him, an act that quite possibly saved the poor fool’s life and certainly spared him a caning.

It was the first time anybody had tried to assassinate a President of the United States. Lawrence, who kept telling everybody that he was a member of the British royal family, was sent to a lunatic asylum.

Andrew Jackson always declared that both of these assaults were the work of thugs hired by the [39] Bank of the United States. (Andrew Jackson, Hero, p. 179)

We will discuss more about this bank later, as well as his reason for such an accusation.

Jackson was a hard money man, opposed to the paper money system. He and the Prophet Joseph Smith (his contemporary) agreed on this, for Joseph stated:

Situated as we are, with a flood of immigration constantly pouring in upon us, I consider that it is not only prudential, but absolutely necessary to protect the inhabitants of this city from being imposed upon by a spurious currency. Many of our eastern and old country friends are altogether unacquainted with the situation of the banks in this region of country; and as they generally bring specie with them, they are perpetually in danger of being gulled by speculators. Besides there is so much uncertainty in the solvency of the best of banks, that I think it much safer to go upon the hard money system altogether. I have examined the Constitution upon this subject and find my doubts removed. The Constitution is not a law, but it empowers the people to make laws. * * *

The different states, and even Congress itself, have passed many laws diametrically contrary to the Constitution of the United States. The state of Illinois has passed a stay law making property a lawful tender for the payment of debts; and if we have no law on the subject we must be governed by it. Shall we be such fools as to be governed by its laws, which are unconstitutional? No! We will make a law for gold and silver; and then the state law ceases and we can collect our debts. Powers not delegated to the states or reserved from the states are constitutional. The Constitution acknowledges that the people have all power not reserved to itself. (DHC 5:289-290)

 

[40]         Jackson made every attempt to clean up the government and was not afraid to make a move when he saw the need.

Old Hickory looked around. From 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., it was hard to see anything that still needed walloping, for he seemed already to have won whatever he wanted. But he persisted, and when he remembered the Bank of the United States, he gave a whoop of battle joy and waded in, both arms swinging. Now he was happy again. (Andrew Jackson, Hero, p. 120)

Jackson made an order to cease depositing federal funds in the Bank of the United States so that the bank would dry up. He could not understand why the government should keep on feeding money into a private corporation that was unconstitutional anyway. When he ordered the Secretary of the Treasury to cease depositing public money in the Bank of the United States, the Secretary refused, so the President fired him.

In 1815 the Bank was revived for 20 more years for $35 million, one-fifth of which was to be owned by the government and four-fifths by the public. Of the $28 million that was in private hands, more than one-fourth was owned by foreigners. The Bank soon became the largest corporation in the United States–even one of the largest in the world.

Enter Andrew Jackson, the new president! He sent his first message to Congress–a message that was a virtual declaration of war against the Bank!

Alexander Hamilton thought that the rich should be lured into government positions, or at least have influence on its operations. John Jay was of the same opinion, thinking that since the rich own the country, they should also run it. This kind of thinking brought into being the privately owned monster called the Bank of the United States which would [41] handle the government’s money. The Jeffersonians were horrified at the thought, believing that the Constitution said what it meant–no more, no less. Such a bank would be a violation of the Constitution and would invite national crimes of theft and power.

We are told that figures don’t lie, but liars certainly figure. These high priests of the inner financial circles could throw a smoke screen over their real intentions better than the best of salesmen. They could even make debt look like a blessing–and they still do. In fact, they knew how to create debt, public and national, even if they had to create a war to do it.

 

President Andrew Jackson overthrew the second bank of the United States when he exposed the fact that the majority of the stock was held by foreign interests. Such banking, he said in his veto message of July 10, 1832, was “unauthorized by the Constitution, subversive of the rights of the States, and dangerous to the liberties of the people.”

By the end of his last term in office, he was growing weak and suffered many aches and pains. He was nearly 67 years old, but he could look back upon his life and consider his victories, along with the storms and setbacks, with some inner pride and a twinkle in his eye. The national debt had been eliminated at the time he said it would, and most of all he had won the battle with the Bank:

Now there was his greatest triumph! He had slain the Monster of Chestnut Street, decreeing as he did so that the United States should take care of its own money instead of entrusting it to the care of private bankers. Posterity would see this deed in its proper light, and would thank him for it, no matter how the Eastern millionaires might growl. * * *

Yes, he had managed to do many things that badly needed doing, but the greatest achievement of [42] them all was the skewering of the United States Bank. (Andrew Jackson, Hero, p. 201)

Soon Martin Van Buren sat in the Presidential chair, and “Old Hickory” was replaced by “Slippery Elm.” From that time on, the government would continually be in debt. What is worse, it would be in bondage to “The Bank.”

Our hero had gone to Washington D.C. to be President with $5,000 in his pocket. Eight years later he returned home with only $90–and he was not even entitled to a retirement pension. However, he left a rich heritage for all who would appreciate it. No President since then has been able to set such a noble example.

* * *

 

America’s Constitution

What made America greater than every other country? Was it because she was larger, because she had more riches, because of the people, because of the climate or better soil? In reality, it was none of these, although they are contributing factors. It was mainly because of the freedom and liberty promised to her citizens because of its Constitution.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, “The American Constitution is the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.” (Familiar Quotations, Bartlett, p. 534)

Unfortunately, the Constitution is not taught extensively in our schools nor churches, nor in State or Federal agencies. Even those who study for years to become lawyers spend very few hours studying the Constitution. In spite of such limited information given to citizens about this important document, every person employed by the government, either civil or military, must raise his hand and swear to “support and defend [43] the Constitution against all enemies, foreign or domestic.” According to Thomas Jefferson, the reason the founding fathers made this requirement was– “In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” (The Constitution–The Definitive Edition, p. 40)

Those who study it most love it best.

In 1833 the Lord said:

And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood. (D & C 101:80)

If God raised up wise men to give us the Constitution, why are some people now claiming, “It is out of date,” “It is an old rag,” and that “It is no longer needed”? Can freedom be outdated? By the same token, are the Ten Commandments no longer effective? Can laws of morality and honesty be changed by time?

The Constitution limits the powers of government so they can’t destroy the free agency and liberty of the people. Why, then, do its leaders want to take away free agency and liberty? The answer is simple: They thirst for power and control. It is an old story retold over and over, not just in novels, but throughout the pages of actual history.

Regardless of the positive comments that foreigners and native Americans have made about the Constitution, let’s reflect upon what the Prophet Joseph Smith has said:

Hence we say, that the Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner; it is to all [44] those who are privileged with the sweets of liberty, like the cooling shades and refreshing waters of a great rock in a thirsty and weary land. It is like a great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the burning rays of the sun. (TPJS, p. 147)

We say that God is true; that the Constitution of the United States is true; that the Bible is true; that the Book of Mormon is true; that the Book of Covenants is true; that Christ is true; that the ministering angels sent forth from God are true, and that we know that we have an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens, whose builder and maker is God; . . . (TPJS, p. 148)

It is one of the first principles of my life, and one that I have cultivated from my childhood, having been taught it by my father, to allow every one the liberty of conscience. I am the greatest advocate of the Constitution of the United States there is on the earth. In my feelings I am always ready to die for the protection of the weak and oppressed in their just rights. The only fault I find with the Constitution is, it is not broad enough to cover the whole ground. (TPJS, p. 326)

The Constitution is not law to us, but it makes provision for us whereby we can make laws. Where it provides that no one shall be hindered from worshipping God according to his own conscience, is a law. No legislature can enact a law to prohibit it. The Constitution provides to regulate bodies of men and not individuals. (1843, DHC 5:289-290)

The different states, and even Congress itself, have passed many laws diametrically contrary to the Constitution of the United States.

The state of Illinois has passed a stay law making property a lawful tender for the payment of debts; and if we have no law on the subject, we must be governed by it. Shall we be such fools as to be governed by its laws, which are unconstitutional? No! (TPJS, p. 279)

[45]                         The Constitution should contain a provision that every officer of the government who should neglect or refuse to extend the protection guaranteed in the Constitution should be subject to capital punishment; … (TPJS, p. 327)

It is fitting at this point to add a couple of comments by Dr. Hugh Nibley, whose genius in research and the study of nations, languages and people is worthy of serious consideration by both LDS members and non-members alike:

Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States contain statements of general principles along with specific and particular provisions for their implementation. The principles are the really important thing. Both documents specifically render back to God those rights of judgment and execution which men had usurped. That is why both have a strongly negative tone. “Hands off!” is the theme–there are certain rights which all men enjoy which the Creator Himself has declared inalienable and with which no man or group of men has any right to interfere. Men may check and admonish each other in their little affairs, but where the great decisions of life are concerned, God alone is the judge. That is the key to the whole thing: “In God we trust.” The Founding Fathers did trust God. They trusted Him enough to give back to Him and Him alone the right to judge the hearts and minds of men. (The World and the Prophets, Nibley, pp. 187-188)

It is more than Fourth of July rhetoric when the Latter-day Saints declare that the Constitution is an inspired document. It actually is the restoration to the earth of that ancient law of liberty which has been preached by the prophets in every age, allowing every man to act in doctrine and principle according to the moral agency which God has given him. (Ibid., p. 190)

 

[46]         The Founding Fathers were willing to sacrifice all they had to achieve a strong foundation for this country and to establish a government that would guarantee rights and freedoms for its citizens. They intended that it should serve as a hope and example for the rest of the world. They gave the best they had with a desire that we would continue to maintain and protect these principles of liberty.

But now let’s review what Americans have actually done with this legacy.

 

 

[47]                                Part 2

 

WHAT HAS BECOME OF AMERICA?

Crime, Corruption, Conspiracy

 

Introduction

And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. (Ether 2:8)

America is a land of blessings. It has become famous for its wealth, freedom, and protection. The Lord has called it “choice above all other lands.”

It has been revealed that the Garden of Eden was located on this the American continent–not in Mesopotamia. It was in America that the city of Enoch was built, and Methuselah and other great Bible patriarchs lived here. It was in America that Noah built his ark to begin repopulating the world. Nearly 2000 years ago the Savior visited America after His resurrection and established His Church and Kingdom in this hemisphere.

So the people of America have a great heritage, a great responsibility, and a great destiny.

Moses was told that if the children of Israel were faithful to the Lord that they would be led to a “land which he promised them,” (Deut. 9:28; see also 19:8) “that thou mayest go in unto [48] the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee.” (Deut. 27:3)

Notice that the Lord told them it was a land which He “promised” them, but Lehi and his family were led to a “land of promise.” (I Nephi 2:20) One reference was to a land “promised them,” the other to a “land of promise.”

When father Jacob gave his patriarchal blessing upon his twelve sons, he gave a special blessing upon Joseph that his posterity [branches] would “run over the wall” [ocean] to a land of “everlasting hills.” (Gen. 49:22 & 26) It was to this house of Jacob, who would come to America that God gave such great blessings, for:

. . . his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel). Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors. . . . (Gen. 49:24-26)

 

America was the land of heritage for this house of Joseph (the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh). God’s laws were to prevail upon America for His “chosen” so that He could bless them now and forever.

But America’s greatness is not because of her riches, power, or scientific advancements. America’s greatness is because of her righteousness.

In 1835 a French visitor, by the name of Alexis de Tocqueville, made a detailed study of our national [49] operations. Later he wrote in his book: “America is great because she is good. And if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” This is a divine law that applies to all nations and to all individuals. But it applies particularly to us, because our extraordinary power and our extraordinary mission give us extraordinary responsibilities. (Sterling W. Sill, Imp. Era, Dec. 1970, pp. 79-80)

America has been blessed more than any other nation; therefore, Americans should be the most appreciative and the most righteous of all people. On the other hand, if they sin against the greater light, their condemnation will be all the more severe. If they fail to be obedient, then they will receive His cursings.

But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord–having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise–behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them. (2 Nephi 1:10)

Most of us have heard the story of the little Dutch boy, Hans Klinker, who saw a small leak in a dike. It was no larger than his finger; but he knew if it were not stopped, it would grow larger and larger until the dike would break. So he put his finger, and then his whole fist, in the hole to stop the leak until help could arrive. Little Hans became a hero because he saved the town from being flooded.

 

[50]         Likewise, many years ago, America experienced a small leak with the inception of crime, corruption and conspiracies; but no Hans Klinker appeared on the scene to save the country from the inevitable flood of destruction. So these evils have grown silently, powerfully and unchecked, until today they have overtaken our nation. America the beautiful has become America the ugly.

To the Nephites, Jesus prophesied the destiny of America:

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 the 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 abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold said the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. (3 Nephi 16:10)

In summary:

 

1. The gentiles shall sin against His Gospel.
2. They will have pride greater than other nations.
3. They will be filled with lyings, deceits, mischiefs, priestcrafts, and murder.
4. They will have secret combinations.
5. They will reject the fulness of the gospel.

It is evident that America is filled with crime, corruption, and conspiracies, and these conditions will eventually bring great judgments upon her inhabitants. It “shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot.” (3 Ne. 16:15) The savor represents the Spirit of the Lord.

 

[51]         So let’s consider each of these three major areas of wickedness (the three C’s) that have become so destructive to this “land of promise:”

 

1. 1 — CRIME

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)

Sin and crime are wicked sisters: sin is transgressing the law of God and crime is transgressing the law of man. They are tools used by the master deceiver to ruin and destroy both man and nations.

Crime is a problem that is evident in every nation and is frequently in the nature of mankind. As both good and bad organizations increase their membership, they increase their power. Organized crime can become a monster, and can easily get out of the control of police and politicians. Corrupt organizations gain their power and wealth from such activities as gambling, smuggling, stealing, prostitution, counterfeiting, blackmail, murder, and drugs. But an even greater threat comes when they begin to take over legitimate businesses in order to corrupt them as well. Criminal combinations around the world have threatened, destroyed and taken over legitimate businesses.

Organized crime did not begin here in America; it was imported. The roots of criminal brotherhood grew up in the two Mediterranean cities of Naples and Palermo. These “families of crime” immigrated to America, slithering through its portals like deadly snakes. Taking advantage of its opportunities for liberty and freedom, they introduced their nefarious corruption.

It is not necessary to review all these different organizations of criminal activities, but a couple of their leaders will represent the whole: Al Capone and John Gotti.

 

[52] Alphonse Capone

Al Capone, known as “Scarface,” was born in Naples, Italy, in 1899. In 1920 he came to Chicago, where he became a popular figure to the public and in the underworld. He had the reputation as a murderer and was responsible for the deaths of over 1000 people.

Amazingly the city of Chicago tolerated his bragging, boasting, and strutting, and the newspapers constantly quoted him on various issues. The general public seemed to be amused, if not a little envious, by his wealthy and corrupt underground activities. Capone bribed cops, judges, jurors, prosecutors and newspaper editors.

Capone spent money in luxury and high living–not only on himself, but on associates and friends. This distinguished him publicly as a charitable sort of man. His famous “soup kitchen” was set up in the depression days to feed the hungry. He would pass out large tips and gifts, all with the news media recording it for him. Even many politicians refused to believe that he was a really bad man. But he was so shrewd and evasive that police could find no evidence to convict him. Finally the government, through the I.R.S., was able to find enough evidence to prosecute him. So I guess we can’t say the I.R.S. is all bad!

Capone was a true representative of organized crime. On the surface he was charitable, friendly, humorous, and popular. He had his own press agent who referred to him almost daily in the newspapers. His oft-quoted wisecracks were popular with [53] people. But behind this facade, his criminal activities brought him over $30 million a year. And that was in the 1920’s; so we can only imagine what that would amount to now.

He was taken to prison in 1932, spending some of his time in Alcatraz. After seven years he was released because of bad health. He had contracted a venereal disease which caused his death in 1947. But his crime racket continued, and other competing gangs also grew in numbers and power.

 

John Gotti

Another infamous crime leader was John Gotti. This most notorious mobster since Capone, known as “Teflon Don,” was the top guy of New York’s Gambino crime family which had left behind a long trail of corpses. He was glamorized as untouchable, and time after time he was set free from justice. He was popularized as a hardworking plumbing salesman and a family man who lived on modest means. But behind this facade was a much different individual.

There are no elections in criminal gangs. Gotti had become boss of the Gambino family with the murder of his predecessor, Paul Castellano. Selections were made by ballot of the bullet. They were despotic tyrants, who seized power by violence, mostly by murder. Those outside of the “family” had no rights at all; they were fair game to rob, cheat, torture, and kill. “Thou [54] shalt not kill” was a cornerstone in the Judeo-Christian law, but it was reversed for the Gambino family.

The government prosecutors had told them that the Gambino family, now headed by John Gotti, was the richest and most powerful organized crime family in the United States, that it engaged, on a large scale, in such diverse criminal operations as airport cargo hijacking, labor racketeering, extortion, drug trafficking, loan-sharking, bookmaking, illegal restraint of trade, pornography distribution, counterfeiting, car theft, and murder, from which it took in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. They told the jurors that the Gambinos had a virtual stranglehold on New York’s concrete industry, the city’s garment district, trucking industry, and the private garbage carting industry; that because of these strangleholds, the Gambinos extracted a mob tax on every drop of concrete poured in the city, and on every garment manufactured in the city, and on every load of garbage picked up and dumped by private garbage carters in the city. Furthermore, the Gambinos controlled the entire Brooklyn waterfront. No ship could load or unload in Brooklyn without paying off the Gambinos. (The Mafia Dynasty, John Davis, p. 8)

They had connections in New Jersey (Atlantic City), Connecticut, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, and Fort Lauderdale. Business continued and expanded overseas–from the heroin factories in Sicily to selling stolen luxury cars in Kuwait.

In 1992 John Gotti was convicted on RICO charges. When the verdict was announced, thousands of demonstrators came in by buses with placards saying “Free John Gotti!” They rioted on cue, turning over police cars, smashing windows, and battling police. Talk about organized–they were working together with walkie-talkies and cellular phones.

 

[55]         During Gotti’s trial came two visitors from Hollywood–Mickey Rourke and Anthony Quinn. Anthony had played gangster roles on the screen, but he also had a personal acquaintance with many of the real ones.

When the F.B.I. released audio tapes of Gotti and his gang, the jury listened to conversations about whom they had murdered, whom they were going to murder, and why they had people murdered. The prosecuting attorney said, “Murder is the heart and soul of this enterprise.” Gotti was convicted of conspiracy to murder Paul Castellano and the actual murder of Paul Castellano, as well as the murder of Thomas Bilotti, conspiracy to murder Robert DiBernardo, and the actual murder of Robert DiBernardo. Judge Leo Glasser sentenced John Gotti to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole.

John Gotti, Sr., his father, was a hard-working man who refused to believe that his son was a criminal. Four days after Gotti’s father heard the conviction of the court, he died of a heart attack. So secret and hidden were the activities of these crime lords, that sometimes members of their own family never knew about them.

What an alien and exotic enterprise the Gambino crime family had been in New York over the past sixty years. Here this huge, predacious growth, with roots deep in the social soil of rural nineteenth century southern Italy, had thrived to such an extent that it was able to impose an invisible tax on the people of the most powerful and influential city in the world.

And what a succession of alien and exotic monarchs had managed to rule this murderous predator for sixty years, men whose lives and values were the antithesis of all that the founding fathers of the nation that harbored them had stood for and had embodied in the Constitution of the United States. (The Mafia Dynasty, John Davis, p. 483)

 

[56]         And today, crime lords continue to gather more followers and expand their evil empires. They gain wealth with increasing billions of dollars every year, and they control with an unmatched power. Organized crime is now connected with every form of evil, as they try to buy happiness and possessions with their wicked money.

But wealth is not measured in dollars; power does not come by tyranny; prestige is not found in corruption. True happiness is found in serving others, enjoying good health, and having a clear conscience.

 

1. 2 — CORRUPTION

Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness. (Alma 41:10)

What we used to call corruption has now taken on a new face. It has gained popularity and respectability, and many of the vices of yesteryear have now become acceptable behavior. At least the surface has been cleaned and polished, but the dead bones and skeletons remain inside. As Jesus explained:

. . . for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matt. 12:27-28)

The bad name and bad appearance are no longer stigmas. No longer called saloons, rather they are beautiful casinos. No longer gambling dens and houses of ill fame, but now they are modern, expensive and plush hotels. Some gambling houses are now called resorts for families–with something for everyone. Drinking, gambling, nudity, and sexual favors are being combined with the finest food, lavish swimming pools, exotic [57] shopping malls, and playgrounds for the kids. People travel to these meccas as though it were a part of their spiritual pilgrimage.

No more are there raids and arrests for making or selling liquor, as it is now served with respect, and the government itself is in the business of distributing it. Sin has not just become legal, but even a multi-billion dollar business.

But sin is not confined to casinos, pleasure palaces, and gambling parlors. It influences everything, like rain in a summer storm falling on the great and mighty along with the small and weak. The police, the politician, and the preacher are all subject to be tempted and weakened by the desire for finance and the lust for flesh; and instead of improving, it is getting worse. Our educational system is also in reverse. Prayer and Bibles are no longer allowed in the classroom. Morality is not a part of any curriculum. Profanity prevails and neither God nor religion is mentioned. Classes on sex are taught and birth control devices are distributed by government agencies. The result is that many of the youth are not taught morals or religion.

Statistics show the morality of American military to be appalling. In World War I there were more soldiers inflicted with venereal diseases than from all their wounds and injuries combined. In World War II 80% of all our soldiers had intercourse with women overseas.

In 1950 there were over 50,000 arrests of gays in New York City; but by 1960 they had created a sexual revolution in the country with protests, parades and legal battles. Today some states protect them by law in granting their civil rights.

Today’s average movie portrays foul language, violence, illicit sex, drugs, and murder as though they were part of our [58] way of life–and they are! We have the greatest national and public debt of any nation. Our prisons are full; our hospitals are full; our mental institutions are full; and our courtrooms are full. Many cities have more babies aborted than are allowed to live. Our schools have become clearing houses for drugs. Over half of all marriages end in divorce. We are indeed a sick society!

The wickedness of today has been compared to that in the days of Noah. (See Matt. 24:37.) Those people were destroyed! Can we possibly believe we shall survive? The lessons of history show that when people live righteously, they are blessed; but when they are wicked, they are destroyed. Can we possibly think we are exceptions to the rule? The Lord warned:

Oh, this unbelieving and stiffnecked generation–mine anger is kindled against them. (D & C 5:8)

Hearken, O ye people who profess my name, saith the Lord your God; for behold, mine anger is kindled against the rebellious, and they shall know mine arm and mine indignation, in the day of visitation and of wrath upon the nations. (D & C 56:1)

We stand at the door of God’s destruction and don’t seem to be aware of it, nor do we prepare for it.

 

1. 3 — CONSPIRACY

I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society. (See D & C 1:14-16; 84:49-53.) It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is increasing its evil influence and control over America and the entire world. (Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, Conf. Rept., Oct. 1988)

 

[59]                         The combination is here to stay. Individualism has gone, never to return. (John D. Rockefeller I, 1839-1937)

Of all the crimes and sins against society, none is as deadly as a secret conspiracy. The force of an army can be seen from afar off and be met with another army; but a secret force is unseen, unprepared for, and can create chaos without anyone knowing who the enemy is or where it is located.

Conspiracy is not a new thing; it has existed since the days of Cain and Abel. Moroni said, “It hath been made known unto me that they [oaths and combinations] are had among all people.” (Ether 8:20) Whenever the Lord establishes a righteous people, the devil will conspire to overthrow them.

The Book of Mormon provides an abundance of references to the fruits of these secret combinations or conspiracies:

 

1. “It is built up by the devil.” (Ether 8:25)
2. “He is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness.” (2 Nephi 26:22)
3. They bring “great iniquity upon the people.” (3 Nephi 7:9)
4. It is built up “to get gain” (Mormon 8:40) and “power.” ((Ether 8:23)
5. It will “corrupt the hearts of the people.” (Ether 9:6)
6. It can even destroy “the regulations of the government.” (3 Nephi 7:6)
7. It can “prove the overthrow, yea almost the entire destruction” of a nation. (Helaman 2:13)

Those who belong to these secret conspiracies present a very strong argument, as was the case with one of the leaders of a secret combination–it was join or die!

 

[60]                         Therefore, I write unto you, desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands, and your possessions, rather than that they should visit you with the sword and that destruction should come upon you.

Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us–not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance. (3 Nephi 3:6-7)

The conspiracy movement uses three general methods to accomplish their purposes: (1) persuasion; (2) bribery or extortion; and (3) threats of harm or death.

The word “secret” keeps appearing, i.e., a secret combination, secret society or secret plan. But if it were so wonderful, why would it be a secret? At the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (spies of the atomic bomb), Judge Irving R. Kaufman stated:

For two or more persons to conspire, confederate or combine together to commit or cause to be committed a breach of the criminal law of the United States is an offense of grave character which involves a plotting to subvert the law. It is almost always characterized by secrecy, rendering detection difficult and requiring much time for its discovery. Because of this, the statute has made a conspiracy to commit a crime a distinct offense from the crime itself. (The New American Conspiracy, p. 7)

For a conspiracy to survive, it must be kept secret. A pre-mature exposure of any conspiracy means disaster. Any thug, bank robber, thief, or mischief maker must keep his plot a secret because discovery would ruin all their work. The premature exposure of Nazi or Communist conspirators before they reached their goal would be the worst thing that could happen to them. For this reason secrecy is the chief tool of every conspirator.

 

[61]         The Book of Mormon tells us that this secret type of “combination is most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God.” (Ether 8:18) Then it gives us a good example of the truth of this statement:

And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them. (3 Nephi 9:9)

Conspiracies have overthrown governments, destroyed religions, and killed righteous and innocent people. Conspiracies were the cause of the destructions of both the Jaredite and Nephite nations. Such a history should certainly be a warning to our generation.

The Book of Mormon was not given to us merely as a study of archaeology, geography, anthropology, or just as another witness for Christ. It is a warning for us that if we don’t overthrow these secret conspiracies, the same destruction could befall our nation. Moroni writes:

And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites. and they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi.

[62]                         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; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.

Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, 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 the 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; . . . (Ether 8:20-24)

Sometimes more than one conspiracy leads to war against each other or by joining together. The first objective is usually to acquire money. Today this involves converting and capturing the minds and pocketbooks of businessmen, bankers, politicians, and many others.

 

(picture of Adam Weishaupt)

 

[63]         The conspiracy with which we are dealing began over 200 years ago in Germany. The original ideology for our present project was born in the mind of Adam Weishaupt, a professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt, in Bavaria, Germany, in 1776. It was labeled as the “Illuminati Order.” A twist of fate ten years later nearly destroyed the project when one of its emissaries was traveling with secret papers to Paris.

Just ten years into its existence a sovereign act of God helped to expose the secret Order. An Illuminati courier, Lanze, was traveling by horse from Frankfurt to Paris with important orders for his superiors. While traveling through the city of Regensburgh, Germany, God struck him down with lightening and killed him. The Bavarian government, which had already been investigating the Order, discovered the papers on his person, and quickly raided Illuminati headquarters confiscating the Order’s secret documents. The original Illuminate writings were then sent to all of Europe warning them of the plot.

By the time this Bavarian Illuminati Order had been exposed, Illuminism had already spread into more than a dozen countries, including the United States. Those leaders who had not already fallen under Illuminati influence found its plans so extraordinary that they refused to take it seriously. (Bloodlines of the Illuminati, Fritz Springmeier, p. 13)

Although Weishaupt was banished from Bavaria, and the Order was officially suppressed, the Order simply went underground and emerged as a network of Reading Societies throughout Germany. The goal of this net work was to monopolize the writing, publication, reviewing, and distribution of all literature, as a means of controlling the minds of the readers.

From the very beginning, the Illuminati was a secret society within a secret society, beginning in the Masonic Lodge Theodore of Munich, Germany, of which Weishaupt was a member. (The Secret Side of History, Dee Zahner, p. 27)

 

[64]         The project headquarters moved to Frankfurt, Germany, which was the playground of the Rothschild family.

How interesting that the Illuminati was set up with three orders: (1) Kings, (2) Priests, and (3) Princes; and later they added other levels. It was their purpose to teach members how to destroy Christianity and take over governments and lead them to a one-world totality. The following is a copy of page 32 of the Illuminati papers found by the Bavarian Government and published as the “Original schriften der Illuminatensekte, Munich.” It shows the three levels of their order which continue down to form other lower orders.

 

(chart and article)

 

[65]         The Illuminists secretly teach their members the doctrines of gnosticism, which has always been an attraction to the intellectuals. They believe in a “yin-yang” religion which represents a good/evil deity. Their god seeks the destruction of most men because they do not serve him, but his true believers are always willing to help him kill them. To kill off half the world means no more to these people than killing ants. They admit they believe in Satan, and they show it by persecuting and killing the Christians. They say their god promises them great wealth–and apparently he does, for they are among the richest of all people. Solomon’s statement has proved true–“The wicked prowl on every side. . . .” (Psalm 12:8), as they are lurking everywhere learning new ways of stealing from good people or else killing them. They are masters of starting wars so they can profit from them.

The French Revolution (1789) has been recognized as a part of the conspiracy of the “Order of the Illuminati,” as Prof. John Robison of Edinburg stated:

. . . An association has been formed for the express purpose of rooting out all the religious establishments, and overturning all the existing governments of Europe. I have seen this Association exerting itself zealously and systematically, till it has become almost irresistible. . . . And, lastly, I have seen that this Association still exists, still works in secret …. (“Proofs of a Conspiracy, 1798,” p. 7)

Speaking to the House of Lords on March 2, 1770, William Pitt observed that “There is something behind the throne greater than the king himself.” The next century, another British statesman, Benjamin Disraeli, expressed a similar sentiment when he wrote in his novel Coningsby, or the New Generation (1844): “The world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.” (Gary Benoit, Editor of “New American,” p. 1, Sept. 16, 1998)

 

[66]         In 1797 John Robison, an internationally renown scientist and educator in Scotland, wrote one of the best exposes of the Illuminati, entitled “Proofs of a Conspiracy Against All Religions and Governments.”

About the same time (1798), another source of this information came out in France called “The Memoirs of Jacobism.” It was written by Abbe Barruel and was later published in America in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1799. And after even more thorough research into the subject, he published his findings in a four-volume work.

 

These two efforts created a domino effect for other investigations on the subject. Many ministers took up the subject of the Illuminati in their sermons. Rev. Jedediah Morse of Charlestown, Massachusetts, gave a well publicized sermon which was widely published in newspapers. He also produced a letter from an Illuminati member in the Grand Lodge in France to a member in the Lodge of Wisdom in Portsmouth, Virginia, September 26, 1799. Rev. Morse subsequently received abusive letters and death threats which convinced him to preach sermons on other subjects.

Others had made investigations into these allegations, such as the three individuals mentioned below:

(Winston Churchill wrote in a London newspaper in 1920:) From the days of Spartacus-Weishaupt to those of Karl Marx, etc., . . . this world-wide conspiracy for the overthrow of civilization and for the reconstruction of society on the basis of arrested development, of envious malevolence and impossible equality, has been steadily growing.

(George Washington wrote to a minister:) It was not my intention to doubt that the doctrines of the Illuminati . . . had not spread in the United States. On [67] the contrary, no one is more fully satisfied of this fact than I am.

(President of Harvard University, in 1812, wrote:) There is sufficient evidence that a number of societies of the Illuminati have been established in this land. They are doubtless striving to secretly undermine all our ancient institutions, civil and sacred. These societies are clearly leagued with those of the same order in Europe. . . . We live in an alarming period. The enemies of all orders are seeking our ruin. Should infidelity generally prevail, our independence would fall, of course. Our republican government would be annihilated. (The above three references are taken from Bloodlines of the Illuminati, p. 16)

After these “revelations” by Robison and Barruel, the ideals and philosophy of a “One World Government” began spreading around Germany. Some of them were attached to the Weishaupt clan, but one of those who was not was Karl Marx (1818-1883), an intellectual who studied in universities at Bonn, Trier, and Berlin. He was joined by another collaborator, Friedrich Engels, in writing and publishing works on their theories.

Continuing their double task of opposing the utopians and awakening the proletariat to class consciousness, Marx and Engels wrote innumerable articles against the former, and joined secret societies of workingmen, and for such organizations published his weekly newspaper. . . . (American Peoples Enc. 12:233)

This was the joining of two secret societies. Marx was joined to the secret society of the financiers. He would provide the muscle for them, and they would provide the finance for him. This, too, would be a secret for a long time.

 

[68]         Marx completed a work in 1847 called “The Communist Manifesto” and began formation of the “Communist League.” But the leaders were hunted down and imprisoned, resulting in its temporary dissolution. However, it was resurrected by the secret financiers in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and Spain under the name of the “First International.”

Marx himself admitted that “Communism was handed down in the dark through the secret societies.” (Introduction to The Communist Manifesto, p. 21, by Washington Square Press) A Cardinal of the Catholic Church wrote extensively on this subject and said that the basis of Karl Marx’s work was not his own but rather–

. . .of secret political societies, which from 1789 to this day have been perfecting their formation, and . . . have drawn closer together in mutual alliance and co-operation. In 1848 they were sufficiently powerful to threaten almost every capital in Europe by a simultaneous rising. (Characteristics from the Writings of Cardinal Manning, H. E. Manning, p. 46)

On March 19, 1902, Pope Leo XIII, in an apostolic letter, wrote:

. . . Including almost every nation in its immense grasp, it [Communism] unites itself with other sects of which it is the real inspiration and the hidden motive power. It first attracts and then retains its associates by the bait of worldly advantage which it secures for them. It bends governments to its will sometimes by promises, sometimes by threats. It has found its way into every class of society, and forms an invisible and irresponsible power, an independent government, as it were within the body corporate of the lawful state. (Proofs of a Conspiracy, 1798, John Robison, p. 7)

 

[69]         Communism has been recognized as only a tool in the hands of these conspirators. Thinking that Communism is dead is a ruse and puts the misinformed at ease and vulnerable.

The realization that “Bolshevism is only one phase of the world-conspiracy,” as Webster called it, makes it easier to understand how these secret forces continued to sustain and strengthen themselves outside and along with the growth of this new tentacle of their conspiracy after its rise to a position of prominence and power. This is a fact that has been testified to by, among others, Pope Pius XI, who declared in 1937 that Communism has behind it “occult forces which for a long time have been working for the overthrow of the Christian Social Order. . . .” (Conspiracy Against God and Man, Rev. Clarence Kelly, p. 215)

Communism is only the tip of the iceberg; the unseen part is much larger and more dangerous.

Advocating the “death” of Communism is one of the greatest feats of showmanship ever performed on stage or under Hollywood lights. It was a “miracle” believed by more people than any miracle of the Bible; it was a feat that surpassed anything devised by Houdini. It was designed by minds of the highest intellectualism and took the longest time to perfect. It was beyond any believable lie ever perpetuated through the hypnotic oratory of Hitler’s propaganda minister, Herr Goebbel.

Let’s review what has happened. Communism grew rapidly for over 100 years. It had an influence or position in nearly every nation; it had developed the greatest military power on earth, and enlisted the greatest number of armed men in its service. It was almost in a position to crush the rest of the world, but suddenly 150 people marched for three days around Lenin Square in Moscow. No shots were fired; no one died; no one went to jail. But the newspapers, television and radio media [70] declared Communism was dead! Why hadn’t somebody thought of that before? We should hire those 150 people to march around the White House and get rid of King Clinton and his clan!

The truth behind the lie was well spoken by Russia’s mighty weight lifter at a recent Olympic Games. A reporter asked him, “We understand you didn’t get to come to the last Olympic Games because you were so outspoken against Communism. What do you think about it now that Communism is dead?” He replied, “I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you. The same people still have the same jobs.” The label on the bottle has been changed, but the contents remain the same.

Who, then, is really behind this modern conspiracy? Many, including the Communists themselves, have asked this question. Cleon Skousen once interviewed the renowned Communist Bella Dodd, after her break with the Communist Party, and she admitted that this was also a question that had bothered her as well:

 

Who Is Trying to Take Over the World?

“I think the Communist conspiracy is merely a branch of a much bigger conspiracy!”

The above statement was made to this reviewer several years ago by Dr. Bella Dodd, a former member of the National Committee of the U.S. Communist Party.

Perhaps this is an appropriate introduction to a review of Dr. Carroll Quigley’s book, Tragedy and Hope.

Dr. Dodd said she first became aware of some mysterious super-leadership right after World War II when the U.S. Communist Party had difficulty getting instructions from Moscow on several vital matters requiring immediate attention. The American Communist hierarchy was told that any time they had an [71] emergency of this kind they should contact any one of three designated persons at the Waldorf Towers. Dr. Dodd noted that whenever the Party obtained instructions from any of these three men, Moscow always ratified them.

What puzzled Dr. Dodd was the fact that not one of these three contacts was a Russian. Nor were any of them Communists. In fact, all three were extremely wealthy American capitalists!

Dr. Dodd said, “I would certainly like to find out who is really running things.” (The Naked Capitalist, Skousen, p. 1)

It is strange that Karl Marx spoke harshly against the capitalists, yet we see that the very super rich are the main contributors to these secret societies. We must remember that power creates desire for more power, and that riches whet the appetite for more riches. The sound of world power and world riches was an attractive lure for all conspirators.

The Bilderberg group is the most powerful of the surviving descendants of the Round Table, a secret society founded in 1877 by Cecil Rhodes, who was supported by Lord Rothschild and Alfred Beit of de Beers (The Diamond King). All of these records are reported by Professor Carroll Quigley (1910-1977), who exposed the conspiracy in his voluminous 1966 book, Tragedy and Hope. Quigley himself was a part of the conspiratorial machinery, so at first it was thought that he had broken with the Party and was making an expose of the whole rotten mess. But no, he was merely explaining what they had done, what they were doing, and what they would do–supplemented with the attitude, “We are so great and powerful there is nothing you can do about it.” Quigley’s motive was that the men behind the scenes should no longer remain there, but rather come forth before the public and take the glory for their world federation.

 

[72]         The world apparatus is controlled by collaboration of two councils or houses: the Rothschilds and Rockefellers. The European nations remain under the domain of the Rothschilds, while the others are dominated by the Rockefellers.

In the American sector the affiliated committees of this conglomerate are the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Council of the Americas, and the Federal Reserve. The Bilderberg operation is very similar but with less secrecy.

As in every conspiracy, confidential information usually leaks out. Sometimes even the rulers themselves will be brazen enough to comment on their projects or progress. Here are a few of the statements and facts that have been published in the New American special edition entitled, “Conspiracy for Global Control,” September 16, 1986:

A Secret Combination

The governments of the present day have to deal not merely with other governments, with emperors, kings and ministers, but also with the secret societies which have everywhere their unscrupulous agents, and can at the last moment upset all the governments’ plans. (British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, 1876)

The real rulers in Washington are invisible, and exercise power from behind the scenes. (Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter)

What is important is to dwell upon the increasing evidence of the existence of a secret conspiracy, throughout the world, for the destruction of organized government and the letting loose of evil. . . . Anybody who will for a moment turn to the outpourings of Adam Weishaupt and the Illuminati [which Weishaupt founded] may satisfy himself of that. (Christian Science Monitor editorial, June 19, 1920)

 

[73]         Control of Commerce

Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it. (Woodrow Wilson, 1913)

Control of the News Media

In March, 1915, the J.P. Morgan interests, the steel, shipbuilding, and powder interests, and their subsidiary organizations, got together 12 men high up in the newspaper world and employed them to select the most influential newspapers in the United States and sufficient number of them to control generally the policy of the daily press. . . . They found it was only necessary to purchase the control of 25 of the greatest papers…. An agreement was reached; the policy of the papers was bought, to be paid for by the month; an editor was furnished for each paper to properly supervise and edit information regarding the questions of preparedness, militarism, financial policies, and other things of national and international nature considered vital to the interests of the purchasers. (Congressman Oscar Callaway, 1917)

Control of the Money System

This act [the Federal Reserve Act] establishes the most gigantic trust on earth. . . . When the President signs this act, the invisible government by the money power, proven to exist by the Money Trust investigation, will be legalized. . . . The money power overawes the legislative and executive forces of the Nation and of the States. (Congressman Charles Lindbergh, 1913)

Control over Christian Religions

Our final end is that of Voltaire and of the French Revolution, the destruction forever of Catholicism and even of the Christian idea which, if left standing on the ruins of Rome, would be the resuscitation of Christianity later on. . . . The work which we have undertaken is [74] not the work of a day, nor of a month, nor of a year. It may last many years, a century perhaps, but in our ranks the soldier dies and the fight continues. (Permanent Instructions of the Alta Vendita, Successor to the Illuminati as the supreme directorate of the revolutionary secret societies)

Control of the Government

The real menace of our republic is this invisible government which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy length over city, state and nation. Like the octopus of real life, it operates under cover of a self-created screen. . . . At the head of this octopus are the Rockefeller-Standard Oil interests and a small group of powerful banking houses generally referred to as international bankers. The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually run the United States government for their own selfish purposes. They practically control both [political] parties. . . . (N.Y. Mayor, John F. Hylan, 1922)

The real truth of the matter is, as you and I know, that a financial element in the large centers has owned the government ever since the days of Andrew Jackson. (Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933)

Control and Planning of Wars

The government of the Western nations, whether monarchial or republican, had passed into the invisible hands of a plutocracy, international in power and grasp. It was, I venture to suggest, this semi-occult power which . . . pushed the mass of the American people into the cauldron [of World War I]. (British military historian Major-General J.F.C. Fuller, 1941)

Control of the World

Today the path to total dictatorship in the United States can be laid by strictly legal means, unseen and unheard by the Congress, the President, or the people…. Outwardly we have a Constitutional government. We have operating within our government and political system, another body representing another form of [75] government, a bureaucratic elite which believes our Constitution is outmoded and is sure that it is the winning side. (Sen. William Jenner, 1954)

In my view the Trilateral Commission represents a skillful, coordinated effort to seize control and consolidate the four centers of power–political, monetary, intellectual, and ecclesiastical. . . . What the Trilaterals truly intend is the creation of a worldwide economic power superior to the political governments of the nation-states involved. . . . As managers and creators of the system they will rule the future. (Sen. Barry Goldwater, 1979)

A Force Against All that Is Good

There exists a conspiracy in favour of despotism against liberty, of incapacity against talent, of vice against virtue, of ignorance against enlightenment. . . . This society aims at governing the world. . . . Its object is universal domination. This plan may seem extra-ordinary, incredible–yes, but not chimerical . . . no such calamity has ever yet afflicted the world. (Marquis de Luchet, a repentant Illuminist, warning France in 1789)

This international conspiracy is unlike any other conspiracy. It is so immense and complex that all its members do not know each other nor do some even have any connection with others. The regular conspiracy is conducted with general meetings, records, and a clear structure within which all knowingly work together. But this network is so large and obscure, and the manner of coordination is so remote, that investigations can turn up only small parts and pieces of their work.

Now we come to the final phase of accomplishments of the conspirators. The following are just 12 of the most prominent and dangerous organizations and “secret combinations” in America that Moroni warned about: “Suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain.” (Ether 8:23)

 

[76]         1.             The Social Security System

2. The Internal Revenue Service
3. The Federal Reserve System
4. Foreign Aid and National Debt
5. Pres. William Jefferson Clinton
6. Unlawful Executive Orders
7. The Oath of Office
8. Gun Control
9. Communism
10. United Nations
11. The New World Order
12. The New Age Movement

These will be discussed in more detail on the following pages.

 

1. THE SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM

Social Security is a part of Socialism. The propaganda machine of the conspirators promotes socialism: Hitler, the Nazi Socialist Party; Karl Marx, the Communist Socialist Party; and all their affiliates such as Mao Tse Tung have promoted Socialism. Exactly what does the word mean:

Socialism–a political theory or social system based on collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. (Webster’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary, p. 977)

Creeping Socialism–anything considered as a gradual or piecemeal encroachment upon the system of private property and free enterprise through state action. (New Intern’l Dic., vol. 2:1191)

This “creeping socialism” is what describes our Social Security System. Most Americans would never intentionally vote [77] for socialism because they know it doesn’t work–they would lose their free agency. Therefore, the conspirators planned to give it to them gradually and in small doses until they became completely infected by it. One of the plans would be called the Social Security System.

During the Great Depression it was easy to convince people that government programs and agencies were there to help people, both then and in their old age. The very term “social security” sounded attractive, and everyone looked upon it as a great benefit from the government. Wonderful advantages to this program were widely publicized, such as:

 

1. It was an insurance program that would be a great help in time of disaster or peril.
2. It was a retirement program.
3. It would provide funeral benefits to everyone at their death.

The Social Security Act was established under the provisions of Title VII, on August 14, 1935. It was brought into existence under the guise of benefits for old age assistance and economic security as “Old Age and Survivors Insurance.”

It began as a very small, insignificant deduction from individual paychecks. However, as time went on, the amount of the deduction gradually increased until it is now, in some cases, equal to or more than the amount deducted for federal or state income taxes. And, of course, now it is too late to get rid of it.

For many years the little social security card that everyone carried was printed as follows: (Note that it states that this card was not to be used for identification purposes.)

 

[78]         As to the matter of its being an insurance, Michael Kelly, Assistant District Director of the IRS answered a letter to Jerry Whatley in Ducan, Oklahoma, January 4, 1978, and wrote:

In your letter you ask if Social Security is insurance and if Form 4029 applies to the tax imposed by Sections 1301 and 3101 of the IRC? Social Security is not an insurance within the meaning of the term insurance.

If a person is employed, unemployed, or retired, he is at least indirectly paying for Social Security. Every time someone in the U.S. purchases a product or service, that person is paying for Social Security, as that tax is hidden in the price. Also hidden in this system is the amount to be paid to the bureaucrats who handle the system.

Some think that all the money put into Social Security System is earning money. Nothing could be further from the truth–even though that was the original idea. The Government is spending the money as fast as it comes in, and this is threatening the existence of the whole Social Security System. The bureaucrats must constantly raise this tax and reduce the benefits in order to keep the SS program afloat. It keeps self-destructing on the same principle that a snake keeps eating his own tail.

 

[79]         An individual Social Security number is required in every phase of employment, identification and control. It is a requirement in order to obtain a driver’s license, to enroll in school, to enter as a patient in a hospital, to get a job, and to open a bank account. This Social Security card has become a national I.D. card, even though the government said it would not be used for that purpose. We are required to pay income taxes, but for our payment to be accepted, we have to provide our Social Security number on the tax forms. So if you do not have a S.S. number, you cannot pay your taxes; and if you do not pay your taxes, you are in big trouble. This government identification number is fed into an international data base where personal names are less important than this number.

The following letter came from Penny Payton of the Dept. of Health and Human Services, January 10, 1990, and was addressed to Jerome Schiefen, Box 149, Hudson, SD 57034:

The Internal Revenue Service uses social security numbers as taxpayer identification numbers. P.L. 87-397 was passed on October 5, 1961, requiring each taxpayer to furnish an identifying number for tax reporting purposes. Because of this, employers must have the social security numbers of their workers to legally report their earnings. They could not continue to employ an individual for whom they could not legally report earnings.

A bank or lending institution is not governed by social security rules, but I doubt very much if they would refuse a loan simply because the applicant had no social security number. However, a person with no social security number would have no taxable income, and I am sure this fact would have a bearing on their decision.

An inheritance large enough to be taxable would require the recipient to get a social security number for IRS purposes.

 

[80]         On March 13, 1991, Mr. Arno Liebelt wrote a letter to the Dept. of Health and Human Services with a request to revoke his Social Security number. On April 10, 1991, a Mr. Stephen Siff, a SSA Privacy Officer responded:

This is in response to your notice, in which you stated that you wish to revoke your signature on your application for a Social Security number. We regret that we cannot honor your request.

Once a person has received a Social Security number, it will permanently remain on government records and they will always refer to it.

On June 25, 1986, Rodney Rickman wrote a letter to the commissioner of Social Security, concerned that people are required to have a SS number before they can be employed. Mr. Dorcas Hardy, Commissioner of Social Security, answered on July 16th:

The Internal Revenue Code and applicable regulations require an individual to get and use a Social Security number on tax documents and furnish that number to any other person or institution, such as an employer or a bank that is required to furnish to the Internal Revenue Service information about payments to the individual. There are penalties for failure to do so.

To recap the information just discussed, consider the following ten points:

 

1. Social Security was not meant to be used for identification purposes, but it is.
2. It was promised that it would function as an insurance, but it doesn’t.
3. U.S. citizens are forced to have a Social Security number in order to work for any company.

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4. Businesses are forced to refuse hiring anyone who does not have a S.S. number.
5. One cannot drive legally on the public highways without this number.
6. Social Security deposits are a bad investment. If the money deducted for S.S. would have been invested in a good bond or investment company, the amount would have quadrupled.
7. The S.S. monthly payments do not provide enough for retirement, as promised.
8. Loans, investments, and inheritances are regulated by Social Security numbers.
9. Money earned without being reported through the Social Security System is considered illegal money.
10. Laws have now been passed that babies are to be given Social Security numbers.

Social Security is a Socialist system. Most people do not want to live under socialism, but if we vote and participate in these “innocent” programs, they gradually grow to become nationwide systems that will break down the nation. Compulsory socialist orders have never been successful, nor will they ever be.

In and of itself, the government has no rights–only those the people give it. However, the people cannot give a right to the government that they themselves do not have. If individuals do not have the right to steal, they cannot give that right to the government. A violation of your rights and the taking of your values without permission is a criminal act–whether it be by an individual, a group, a religion, or a government.

An unconstitutional law is not a law; it confers no right, it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no offices; it is in legal contemplation as inoperative as though it had never been passed. (Norton vs Shelby County, 118 US, p. 442)

 

[82]

The Ponzi Scheme

In going back through history, it can be detected that the Social Security System is based on a financial principle discovered by a man named Ponzi, and we have all heard of his “schemes” in a more or less negative context.

During the depression days of the 1930’s, a fellow by the name of Ponzi borrowed some money from a friend, telling him he would pay it back with very good interest. In a few weeks he came back to return the money with a huge amount of interest. The friend said he didn’t have to pay so much, but Ponzi said he found an investment program that was a fabulous money maker. His friend told him to put the money back into the fund for himself, which Ponzi agreed to do.

A month later Ponzi returned with a huge interest payment which so excited his friend that he invested it again with much more added to it. He also convinced his friends to get in on the good fortune, and they, too, were so happy with the return that they invested more and got their friends to invest. Ponzi nearly had a stampede coming to his door with money to invest. Whenever anyone wanted their money back, just to see if they could, Ponzi always met them with a smile and all their money. No one knew what the investment was because Ponzi wouldn’t tell them. By now it seemed the whole city was investing in it. Ponzi moved to a fine office and staffed it with secretaries and bookkeepers.

Finally the government investigated. It took a long time, but they finally figured it out. Ponzi would take in a lot of money, and if someone wanted their money back, he could pay them from the other funds coming in. The only possible disaster to the scheme was if everyone wanted their money back at the same time, it would be impossible to pay them.

 

[83]         The Ponzi fraud was so profitable that many other schemers have tried the same program with slight variations. What is the most astounding thing about it is that the U.S. Government put Ponzi in prison for his scheme and then they did the same thing and called it Social Security.

Charles Ponzi was born in Italy in 1882. He always wanted to get rich quick and easily so he started stealing things; but every time he stole something, he would get caught. In 1903 he emigrated to America where he dreamed of all the wealth he might get. In 1907 he tried working at a bank, but he got caught embezzling and forging checks. He went to prison for three years. After that he got caught smuggling Italians into the country and spent another two years in prison.

Then he got a job in a post office where he saw some little Postal Reply Coupons and figured how to make money using them in a new scheme. He would get investors to give him money and they could double it in three months. Three months later he would give them their money back, plus all the interest that was promised. Most of them wanted to do it again, and then again. Word-of-mouth advertising spread like wildfire all over Boston, and in a short time he was known all along the eastern seaboard. He had to establish an office with clerks, bookkeepers and salesmen, and he called his company the Securities Exchange Co. When people wanted their money, he gave it to them with a smile, and they would turn around and reinvest it. One-fourth of the Boston police were investing in it. Some people mortgaged homes. Some borrowed money to put in. Even his own wife invested $800. He did so well that in three months he was able to donate $100,000 to an orphanage. He once worked for a shipping firm where one of the supervisors fired him, so he bought the whole shipping firm just so he could retaliate and fire the supervisor.

 

[84]         At one point Ponzi was taking in $250,000 a day, which was a lot of money in the early 1920’s, and he took in over $10 million in eight months. It was finally calculated that he took in about $250 billion dollars by today’s standards.

Finally an investigative reporter and some auditors came to look at his books. The bubble broke and Ponzi was arrested for inventing the first pyramid scheme. He was the most famous of all schemers. After serving his time in prison, he was deported to Italy where he died. At his death he was found with only $100 to his name, which was just about enough to bury him.

It has been said that if Ponzi could see all the pyramid schemes around the world today, that are using his technique, he would be proud.

Probably the worst Ponzi scheme of all is our own U.S. Social Security System. There are no reserves. If everyone demanded their money at the same time, payment would be impossible.

No one could describe the Social Security System better than Boyd Crabtree, who wrote in his book:

If prizes were ever given for phony, blatant, and misleading advertising, the Social Security Administration would take first place. No private American insurance company, or indeed any free enterprise business at all, could get away with false statements and ridiculous promises which are made by the Social Security Administration. (How to Drop out of Social In-Security, Boyd Crabtree, p. 13)

 

2. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

The term tax should have been a four-letter word! At least that is the connotation that most people have about a tax! But [85] in actuality, there is nothing wrong with a tax if it is collected and disbursed in the method that the law intended. Taxes may be a very beneficial system, but unfortunately they are seldom confined to the purpose for which they were established.

In simple terms, taxation is money taken by the government to support various programs, including itself. A dictionary definition is “a compulsory payment, usually a percentage, levied on income, property value, sales price, etc., for the support of a government.” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, 2nd College Ed., 1982

The “who and how” of taxes is the critical issue. The proper mode was given by Jesus to Peter:

And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. (Matt. 17:24-26)

Thus taxation should apply to captives, foreigners and visitors. This was a law of taxation that was used in ancient Israel and in most other nations as well:

Tax, Taxing: tax or tribute in the form of captives, slaves, money, produce which a conquering nation demanded from another; duty collected on imported goods, customs tax; toll or road tax; . . . not tribute but forced labor of captive people, as Israel did with the conquered cities of Canaan–one of the earliest forms of taxation. [Deut. 20:11] (Zondervan’s Bible Enc. 5:603)

[86]                         Tax; Tribute. Tribute is a contribution, either compulsory or voluntary, given by persons, nations, or kings who have been subjugated by another power in recognition either of their subservience or of a king’s position or outstanding qualities. Taxation, in the sense of a compulsory contribution levied on wealth by a civil or religious authority for public purposes, is a later development. In each case the payments or contributions may be made in precious metals, goods, animals, forced labor, or persons. (Intern’l Bible Enc. 4:739)

In other words, when a nation declared war on Israel and lost, they would no longer be an independent nation, and the people would pay tribute or taxation to Israel in property or labor. If those laws had been in effect when Germany and Japan lost the war, they would no longer be independent nations, but rather possessions or territories of the victors. The defeated people would pay all the taxation. But today the U.S. Government taxes its own citizens and gives the money to other nations! What a reversal of the ancient law of taxation. In effect, American citizens are a conquered people paying taxes to foreign countries.

America’s first tax revolt took place in 1632. The people of Watertown, Massachusetts, were outraged when the directors of the Massachusetts Bay Company levied funds for the fortification of Cambridge. The revolt ended when the settlers agreed to the popular election of selected men who then calculated the tax. This was according to their Constitution. Thus, Americans accepted taxation provided it was assessed by a representation of their choice, not by some king, treasonous president, or international banker.

President Andrew Jackson, who incurred the undying enmity of the international bankers by his battle against their central bank, the Second Bank of the United States, was so averse to taxation that in [87] 1836, he reduced internal tax receipts to less than $500. In his Farewell Address, President Jackson said, “Congress has no right under the Constitution, to take money from the people unless it is required to execute some one of the specific powers intrusted to the Government; and if they raise more than is necessary for such purposes, it is an abuse of the power of taxation and unjust and oppressive.”

William Gladstone observed that “I believe an Income Tax does more than any other tax to corrupt the people.” (The Rape of Justice, Eustus Mullins, p. 461)

In August of 1894 a law was proposed for an income tax on all incomes above $4,000 (about $60,000 of today’s dollars). It was declared to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Pollock vs. Farmers Loan & Trust. The Court ruled that (1) tax on real estate was an indirect tax; (2) tax on income from real estate was an indirect tax; and (3) tax on earnings was also an indirect tax. Therefore, the whole act was unconstitutional and declared void.

However, this did not discourage the bankers. They again tried it in 1913 in the form of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. It barely passed, under a very devious and unconstitutional method. However, the amendment was never ratified by most states. Essentially then, the income tax is not a legal amendment and therefore operates fraudulently. It is not valid according to the U.S. Constitution.

One of the most forceful warnings against the IRS and the 16th Amendment came from Richard E. Byrd, Speaker of the House of Delegates:

It (the 16th Amendment) means that the state must now give up a legitimate and long established source of revenue and yield it to the Federal Government. It means that the state actually invited [88] the Federal Government to invade its territory, to oust its jurisdiction and to establish Federal dominion with-in the innermost citadel of reserved rights of the commonwealth. This amendment will do what even the 14th and 15th Amendments could not do–it will extend the Federal power so as to reach the citizens in the ordinary business of life. A hand from Washington will be stretched out and placed upon every man’s business; the eye of a Federal inspector will be in every man’s counting house. The law will of necessity have inquisitorial features, it will provide penalties. It will create a complicated machinery. Under it businessmen will be hauled into courts distant from their homes. Heavy fines imposed by distant and unfamiliar tribunals will constantly menace the taxpayer. An army of Federal inspectors, spies and detectives will descend upon the State. They will compel men of business to show their books and disclose the secrets of their affairs. They will dictate forms of book keeping. They will require statements and affidavits. On the one hand the inspector can blackmail the taxpayer and on the other, he can profit by selling his secret to his competitor. * * *

“Whoever desires liberty should understand . . . that every man who puts money into the hands of a `government’ (so called), puts into its hands a sword which will be used against himself, to extort more money from him.” (quoted in The Rape of Justice, E. Mullins, pp. 451-52)

However, telling the truth and exposing unlawful activities of the IRS is very dangerous. Eustus Mullins also described what happened to Congressman George Hanson of Idaho who wrote and spoke against IRS abuses:

The most famous victim of such abuse was Congressman George Hansen of Idaho. IRS tactics not only defeated him for re-election, but later sent him to prison on flimsy charges of “ethics violations.” It was proved that he had followed House guidelines in filling out the new forms, but he was convicted and [89] imprisoned in a political vendetta. When his wife announced that she would run for his Congressional seat, she was immediately threatened by IRS agents. They informed her that if she would not turn over lists of her campaign contributors, she too would be sent to prison. Her campaign supporters then came under fire from the IRS, and she was forced to abandon her race for Congress. (The Rape of Justice, Mullins, p. 468)

However, if any citizen voices a protest or complaint about his treatment by the IRS, he is placed on a special blacklist. He is classified as a “tax protester” and considered to be breaking the law. But, in reality, it is just the opposite. Anyone who knows of illegal, unconstitutional and unlawful activities of the IRS or its agents should report them to the proper authorities. This is the law. If a person fails to file or report information about a crime known to him, then he is guilty of “misprison.” (defined as “failure in the duty of a citizen to endeavor to prevent the commission of a crime, or, having knowledge of its commission, to reveal it to the proper authorities.” (Black’s Law Dictionary, 2nd ed., p. 784)

Many Constitutionalists, conservatives, and patriots have discovered that the IRS system is founded on a fraud, has become corrupted in its activities, and in reality is operating against the law. This means it is an unlawful organization and a criminal activity. So anyone who knows this and does not report it to the proper authorities, is also guilty of a crime.

During the Second World War, Congress passed a temporary wartime measure, the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943, which was known as the withholding tax. This was a program to take taxes from the “source” of a person’s pay before he received it–an illegal garnishee of wages. However, it has been over 50 years since the war ended, and this program is still in effect. Not only does the employer have no authority to collect taxes, but he collects taxes as a condition of keeping your employment. Both acts are illegal.

 

[90]         This whole system of taxation is called the “progressive” or “graduating tax,” which Marx and Lenin devised. They would never have believed that their program for a “graduated income tax” would turn out to be their greatest benefit from a nation they hated. From the inception of the income tax, U.S. taxpayers’ funds have provided a steady stream of money, material and aid to foreign countries. Our taxes have supported Communism since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt. During World War II we saved Communist Russia. Then amazingly during their Cold War against us, we still kept sending them everything they wanted. The more they threatened us, the more we helped them. Sending tax money for the benefit of a foreign power is unconstitutional, but we have continued anyway.

What better way to conquer a people than to make them poor? An impoverished nation is easy to subdue and control because they have neither the will nor the means of resistance. The way to get a nation to spend its money is to spend it for them by taking over the high positions of finance and power in their government.

The early colonial Americans started a war because the British put a tax on tea; now we can’t escape taxation of our own making. Maybe we would have been better off by letting the British have their tea tax! Today in America we are burdened with taxes on income, purchases, property, services, tips, etc.–indeed there is virtually nothing that is not taxed.

The average taxation for Americans is over 50% because of the hidden taxes in addition to the obvious ones. In many cases there are taxes on top of taxes. For instance, if you buy an vehicle tire for $100, there is a state sales tax of over $6.00, then a federal tax on top of the combined price of the tire and the state tax! As soon as cellular phones became available, the tax boys figured out seven taxes that could be placed on them: two [91] federal, three state, and two city. Two of the taxes were called “universal” taxes, whatever that was. Can you imagine instigating seven taxes for use of the air waves? We can’t even die without the tax program following us. There is a coffin tax, funeral tax, and a tax on our final burial plot.

Let’s take a look at those who benefit from the income tax. It’s the bankers and big businessmen, the very ones who initiated this tax to begin with and who have been able to use loopholes to get around paying it themselves.

For example, Paul Getty was reported to have earned $70 million in personal income in one year, and yet he paid only $6,000 income tax. Ferdinand Lundberg in his book The Rich and the Super-Rich described a man who had $19 million and paid less income tax than his chauffeur. Mrs. Delphine Dodge invested her $56 million and received an annual income of $2 million and was not even required to file a 1040 form. If she had earned $600 monthly as a washerwoman, she could have been sent to prison for failure to pay taxes on that income. In 1969 David Rockefeller, chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank, stated in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee that although he did not owe any income tax, he nevertheless, out of the kindness of his heart, sent a small check each year to the IRS.

The 50 largest corporations in America do not have to pay any income tax. The IRS Code has provisions which, on the one hand, are designed to favor some individuals and corporations, while on the other hand, they are designed to destroy honest and hard working individuals of the middle class.

Many questions regarding the income tax have never been satisfactorily answered by the IRS:

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1. Who is actually required to file and pay an income tax?
2. What is the lawful medium of exchange to pay the tax?
3. Is the IRS lawfully allowed to collect taxes from American citizens for the benefit of foreign governments?
4. Since it is a “voluntary” tax, why is it forced upon American citizens?

New IRS guidelines have declared that every child over age five must have a Social Security number. In fact, most children are now issued a Social Security number when their parents register them for their birth certificates.

In 1951, Congressman E.E. Cox introduced a resolution in the House asking for a committee to conduct a thorough investigation of tax exempt foundations. He said that some of these foundations were spreading false propaganda, radicalism, and supporting communism. He named, for example, the Rockefeller Foundation–

. . . whose funds have been used to finance individuals and organizations whose business it has been to get communism into the private and public schools of the country, to talk down America, and to play up Russia. (Congressional Record, Aug. 1, 1951)

However, the proposal was whitewashed and changed, and Cox was accused of prejudice, racism and anti-Semitism. It proved that many tax exempt foundations have enough power in the White House, in Congress, and with the media, that they are beyond the reach of a Congressional Investigating Committee.

Former FBI agent, Dan Smoot, declared:

The federal income tax system suckles the forces which are destroying our free and independent republic. Abolish the system, and the sucklings will die of starvation.

[93]                         If the federal government had not collected one penny in tax on personal incomes, the government would still have more tax revenue from other sources than our most extravagant peacetime spending year. Every American who knows that can readily under-stand the possibility and the necessity of repealing the federal tax on personal incomes.

In some ways, the policies of our invisible government have taken us beyond the point of no return. (The Invisible Government, Dan Smoot, p. 180)

Along with the unfair tax on personal income is the unjust tax on personal property. The main objective of socialists is to keep adding more taxes upon the people until there is complete taxation on everything. That, of course, is socialism. When they finally succeeded in establishing the tax on personal property, they had achieved one of their greatest victories.

. . . few citizens remembered that an inalienable right of citizenship is the right to own property. It is the great distinction between our Republic and the Marxist nations, which forbid the ownership of private property. Property stems from the word “proper,” deriving from the Latin “proprius, one’s own, belong to oneself,” and from the French verb “proprier,” to have in possession. Thus it is right to own property; one is not a proper citizen unless one owns property. The Founding Fathers required property ownership as a requisite to voting. Those who were not proper, who owned nothing, could not be expected to vote in a responsible manner. (The Rape of Justice, Mullins, p. 460)

Placing a tax on property was a controlling step in taking private property away from individuals. Taxation on property could be increased until the people could not afford to buy or keep the property. Not only this, but if people did not pay the tax on their property, the government would confiscate it. This tax changes the whole position of ownership of property. If the government can take away your property because of failure to [94] pay taxes, it really means that the government actually has ownership and your property tax is merely a lease payment.

Who, then, really owns America–its people and its land? Certainly not the citizens, so it must be our socialist government!

 

3. THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM

After the IRS collects billions of dollars from the American people in taxes, where does that money go? Directly to the United States Government? No, it goes to an organization called “The Federal Reserve Bank.” Even though “Federal” sounds like it pertains to government, it is no more government than the Federal Express or the Federal Ammunition Company. Consider the following dictionary definitions:

Federal Reserve System–A centralized banking system in the U.S. under a Board of Governors (formerly called the Federal Reserve Board) with supervisory powers over twelve Federal Reserve Banks, each a central bank for its district, and about 6,000 member banks; it was established in 1913 to develop a currency which would fluctuate with business demands, and to regulate the member banks of each district. (Webster’s New World Dic., 1982)

Federal Reserve System–A banking system created by the Federal Reserve Act (10413) and controlled by a Federal Reserve Board of eight members, established to provide an elastic currency and to concentrate the national banking resources in a system of twelve Federal Reserve Banks. * * *

The Federal Reserve cities are Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas and San Francisco. (Webster’s New Intern’l Dic. 1:462)

 

[95]         Elastic currency is the same as a “rubber check”. In other words, it has no funds to back it up. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 was a scrip act, establishing a privately owned bank, which is not a “federal” bank at all. The Act authorized a central bank, which was established to issue interest-bearing scrip. This was done by bookkeeping entries. This scrip was printed as Federal Reserve notes and is not lawful money but rather a note which is passed from person to person without being cashed for lawful money. It has the effect of a rubber check that bounces from one person to another without ever being redeemed for the money that is supposed to back it up.

And isn’t it interesting that–

 

1. None of these 12 Federal Reserve Banks is located in Washington, D.C., where it would be under the direction of the government.
2. None of them is on government land or in government buildings.
3. No employees are employed by the U.S. Government.
4. These are 12 private banks and not one central government bank.
5. Even though government agencies must have annual audits of their affairs, the Federal Reserve has refused every audit.
6. Government buildings pay no real estate taxes, which the Federal Reserve has to pay on their buildings.

Even the U.S. President has no jurisdiction over the Federal Reserve because it is not a government agency. President Lyndon Johnson admitted this when he was asked about credit tightening policies of the Federal Reserve. He replied, “It’s not my job to approve or disapprove. It is the action of the Federal Reserve.” (U.S. News and World Rept., May 5, 1969)

 

[96]         It was propaganda that influenced some of the Congressmen to pass the 16th Amendment. A smoke screen was sent up saying that this amendment would strip Wall Street bankers of their political power. It turned out that it was the Wall Street bankers that had introduced the Federal Reserve Act.

Below is a copy of the Federal Reserve Act as it was signed by President Woodrow Wilson two days before Christmas 1913.

 

Sixty-third Congress of the United States of America

At the Second Session, Begun and held a the City of Washington on Monday, the first day of December, one thousand nine hundred and thirteen.

 

AN ACT

To provide for the establishment of Federal reserve banks, to furnish an elastic currency, to afford means of discounting commercial paper, to establish a more effective supervision of banking in the United States, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the senate and House of Representatives of America in Congress assembled. That the short title of this Act shall by the “Federal Reserve Act.”

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Vice President of the United States

and President of the Senate

Approved 23 December 1913.

Woodrow Wilson

 

[97]         In 1791 Thomas Jefferson was appraised of a national or central banking system by private bankers. He made a long list of reasons why such a thing should not occur in America. besides being against the Constitution, he said it would be a monopoly on money. They would gain power to buy off whomever they wanted, including Congress. It would enable them, as a corporation to receive grants of land. They would gain the power to make laws favoring themselves and against state laws. They would eventually be beyond the control of the states. Jefferson then added:

To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of any definition. (The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, H. E. Bergh, 3:145)

Article I, Sec. 8, Par. 5 of the Constitution clearly relegates the “power to coin money and regulate the value thereof” to Congress, but the Federal Reserve stripped Congress of that right. Jefferson provided for a check and balance system in the Constitution, but that was undermined by the Federal Reserve.

From within the government an agent of the “big bankers” can persuade and direct the financial interests of the government to obtain loans from the Federal Reserve. Wars can be created for the purpose of borrowing money to fight its wars. The Federal Reserve is willing and able to loan them billions of paper dollars–with interest, of course.

A group of multi-millionaires bought Jekyll Island near Georgia as a winter sport retreat and called themselves the Jekyll Island Hunt Club, which was used for hunting expeditions. The warm winter climate was an attraction away from cold New York, so they decided to build a few “cottages”–which by our standards were lavish mansions.

 

[98]         It was a perfect place for a secret meeting–50 miles away from any journalist or reporter, yet so secret that everyone could use only their first names. They thought it rather novel and called themselves “The First Name Club.” All of the regular servants who knew them were dismissed, and new ones were brought in for two weeks. Why all the secrecy if they were plotting some wonderful thing for the people? The reason is that it was a wonderful thing for them.

The Jekyll Island group remained on the island for nine days, but no one shot even one duck. (It’s very difficult to shoot ducks from inside of an elaborate mansion!) The account of this secret financial conspiracy was recorded in 1916 by a financial writer named Bertie Charles Forbes, who later founded the Forbes Magazine. According to his story, it all began with Senator Nelson Aldrich, who planned a duck hunt for six important bankers. He told them he was going to isolate them on Jekyll Island (no connection to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), with the object of creating a super banking system. Such was the birth of the Federal Reserve. Forbes wrote:

Picture a party of the nation’s greatest bankers stealing out of New York on a private railroad car under cover of darkness, stealthily hieing hundreds of miles South, embarking on a mysterious launch, sneaking onto an island deserted by all but a few servants, living there a full week under such rigid secrecy that the names of not one of them was once mentioned lest the servants learn the identity and disclose to the world this strangest, most secret expedition in the history of American finance. I am not romancing; I am giving to the world, for the first time, the real story of how the famous Aldrich currency report, the foundation of our new currency system, was written. . . . The utmost secrecy was enjoined upon all. The public must not glean a hint of what was to be done. Senator Aldrich notified each one to go quietly into a private car of which the railroad had received [99] orders to draw up on an unfrequented platform. Off the party set. (“Current Opinion”, Dec. 1916, p. 382)

The noted banker and agent of the Rockefellers, Frank Vanderlip, admitted to the story of Jekyll Island in his autobiography, From Farmboy to Financier. He wrote:

Our secret expedition to Jekyll Island was the occasion of the actual conception of what eventually became the Federal Reserve System. The essential points of the Aldrich Plan were all contained in the Federal Reserve Act as it was passed. * * *

Despite my views about the value to society of greater publicity for the affairs of corporations, there was an occasion, near the close of 1910, when I was as secretive–indeed as furtive–as any conspirator…. I do not feel it is any exaggeration to speak of our secret expedition to Jekyll Island as the occasion of the actual conception of what eventually became the Federal Reserve System. (Frank Vanderlip, “Farm Boy to Financier,” Saturday Evening Post, February 9, 1935, p. 25)

Paul Warburg wrote a massive book of 1750 pages called The Federal Reserve System, Its Origin and Growth, but nowhere in the book does he mention “Jekyll Island.” He mentions the meeting that decided the System but does not mention who attended or where it was held. This was a momentous meeting which would control the money and credit of the nation, but it was referred to only briefly:

The results of the conference were entirely confidential. Even the fact that there had been a meeting was not permitted to become public. Though eighteen years have since gone by, I do not feel free to give a description of this most interesting conference which Senator Aldrich pledged all participants to secrecy. (vol. 1, p. 60)

 

[100] Congressman McFadden made a speech to Congress on June 10, 1932, with a direct word of warning about the Federal Reserve System:

Mr. Chairman, we have in this country, one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks. . . . The depredations and the inequities of the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks acting together have cost this country enough money to pay the national debt several times over. This evil institution has impoverished and ruined the people of the United States; . . .

Some people think the Federal Reserve Banks are United States Government institutions. They are not government institutions. They are private credit monopolies which prey upon the people of the United States for the benefit of themselves and their foreign customers; foreign and domestic spectators and swindlers and rich and predatory money lenders.

Those twelve private credit monopolies were deceitfully and disloyally foisted upon this country by bankers who came here from Europe and who repaid us for our hospitality by undermining our American institutions.

The wealth of the United States and the working capital of the United States has been taken away from them and has either been locked in the vaults of certain banks and great corporations or exported to foreign countries for the benefit of the foreign customers of those banks and corporations. * * *

The sack of the United States by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks and their confederates is the greatest crime in history.

The Federal Reserve Act should be repealed and the Federal Reserve Banks, having violated their charters, should be liquidated immediately. . . . (McFadden speech, Congressional Record, pp. 12595-12603)

 

[101] Loaning money to governments can be a very lucrative business–especially the loans to the U.S. Government that owes more money to the international bankers than all the rest of the nations combined. They no longer refer to millions and billions–it is now trillions! Dr. Quigley said it best when he described the aim of these imperial bankers:

. . . Nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. (The New American Conspiracy, p. 23)

The banking systems of the Rockefellers and Morgans had greater assets than the total wealth of 21 U.S. states. Morgan had control of many corporations including US Steel and AT & T. Rockefeller had Standard Oil, Chase-Manhattan Bank, and other corporations. Quigley states that these two alone could have wrecked the economic system of the country, but so far they have greatly gained from it. They established the Bank of England, which had the appearance of being a government institution but in reality was a private bank. Similar systems were established in Switzerland, France, and Italy.

Eventually these banking families became so dynamic that there was little in business or politics that did not escape their machinery. They had established a monopoly of finance throughout the world.

Professor E. R. Seligman, a member of the international banking family and head of the Department of Economics at Columbia University, wrote:

It is known to a very few how great is the indebtedness of the United States to Mr. Warburg. For it may be said without fear of contradiction that in its fundamental features the Federal Reserve Act is the [102] work of Mr. Warburg more than any other man in the country. The existence of a Federal Reserve Board creates, in everything but in name, a real central bank. (Academy of Political Science, Seligman, 4:387)

At the time the Federal Reserve Act was written, the public debt was almost non-existent. Now that the U.S. public debt has passed the six trillion dollar mark, we may indeed admit how much we are indebted to the great Mr. Warburg.

The six members of the Jekyll Island Hunting Club, who secretly conspired this Reserve Bank system, represented one-sixth of the total wealth of the world. By now, with the implementation of the Federal Reserve, they must have increased that percentage considerably.

Isn’t it interesting that the institution that (a) sets the interest rates of our national economy, (b) controls our currency, and (c) is not accountable to anyone, has more financial control of our nation than the President of the United States.

In an interview and debate among Governor Clinton, President Bush and Ross Perot, none of them thought there was anything wrong with that system. However, a closer look shows that it is totally unconstitutional, it is a ridiculous, unfair financial conglomerate, and it is the worst form of robbery of the American people.

The fact is that the Federal Reserve notes, which we call money, are issued by the privately owned Federal Reserve Banks and are merely promissory notes or promises to pay. A note is not money–it is a note. A check is not money–it is a note.

But there is a difference between a Federal Reserve note and a United States note. The Federal Reserve note is not [103] redeemable, which means there is no gold at the Federal Reserve to back it up. The United States note is good as gold and there is no interest paid to the Federal Reserve for the use of it.

 

One man had the courage to avoid this cartel–President John F. Kennedy. He authorized the printing of government money instead of using Federal Reserve notes, but the project lasted only about a month.

The last U.S. notes authorized to be printed in the United States were authorized by President Kennedy, shortly before his assassination in Dallas. On June 30, 1963, Kennedy signed Exec. Order No. 11110, further amended E.O. Mo. 10289, Sept. 1951, thereby giving the President authority to issue the currency. He thereupon ordered the issue of $4,292,893,815.00 in lawful American money, which was not interest-bearing currency, as are the Federal Reserve notes. The printing order was rescinded as one of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s first official acts after he succeeded Kennedy. At least he knew why he had ascended to the Presidential chair. (The Rape of Justice, Mullins, p. 471)

The men who run the Federal Reserve are very cunning, dangerous, and evil. They steal, they assassinate, and they create wars–all because of their love of money and power. They are apostles of the prince of darkness and they serve him well.

Probably the most frequently asked questions about the Federal Reserve Bank are as follows:

 

1. What is the Federal Reserve System?

First of all, it is not federal, it has no reserves, and it is not a system but rather a conspiracy and syndicate to commit robbery. It is privately owned, but gives the appearance of a government agency. Its main objective is to provide financing [104] for wars. It functions as a money monopoly throughout the world.

 

2. Is the Federal Reserve System a government agency?

The Government of the United States has never owned a single share of Federal Reserve Bank stock. Paul Warburg, a representative of the Rothschild Bank, got the name federal out of thin air. His object for creating the Federal Reserve Bank was to provide an “elastic currency” which we would call a “rubber check.”

 

3. Are our dollar bills government money?

Each bill is marked “Federal Reserve Note,” which means it is a check, not actual money; however, it is a paper promise to pay real money. They are not backed with gold or silver, as they once were, and as they should now be. They are backed only by paper known as fiat money. The government prints these bills by a contract from the Federal Reserve, each bill costing about .0026 cents to print, but then the United States begins to pay the Federal Reserve interest on the denomination printed on that paper.

 

4. Who owns stock in the Federal Reserve Banks?

Only the ruling internationalists, who are the banking barons of the world, own the stock. They are loyal to no race, religion, or nation. They include such families as the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, Warburgs, Schiffs, Harrimans, and Morgans. They are the super rich who created the Federal Reserve and are the owners of it.

 

[105]

5. Can anyone buy Federal Reserve stock?

No, the Federal Reserve Act prohibits any stock of the Federal Reserve to be bought or sold on any stock exchange. It is reserved for the elite bankers of the world. More than half of the stockholders of the Federal Reserve are not even Americans.

The world’s great heroes receive medals, statues, and monuments for their contributions to mankind. Books and magazine articles are written about such magnificent accomplishments and victories. But where are the monuments and glowing reports of the men from Jekyll Island and their contributions to mankind? Attending this remote and secretive meeting were some of the richest, most powerful and brilliant men of our age. After nine days of profound study and research, they came up with a program that would affect millions of people, both here and abroad. It would involve the wealth of the world along with all its governments. So, why didn’t they get some medals, statues, and monuments? Why didn’t anyone get the news and write up a report of what a wonderful thing these men have done for mankind?

The answer is simple. They have robbed trillions of dollars from the public; they have created wars so they could loan their worthless federal notes to governments at a high rate of interest; and they have been guilty of nearly every possible evil that men can devise, including murder, to get more money. No wonder mankind has not bestowed upon them any great honors!

 

4. FOREIGN AID AND NATIONAL DEBT

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. (Matt. 5:42)

There are numerous organizations set up for helping unfortunate and poor people. Small donation containers in [106] grocery stores and gas stations are all over. Television promotions plead for financial help in behalf of barefoot and destitute children in Nigeria, India, or other third world countries. These organizations sometimes take in millions of dollars. However, it has been discovered that frequently only about 10% ever gets to the victims themselves. The founders and administrators of the programs first pay themselves exorbitant wages and are provided with tremendous expense accounts.

Since the United States Government is supposed to be the richest and strongest government on earth, it is expected to give billions of dollars to less fortunate nations. Where does all that money come from? The government has little or no money of its own–it takes it from the American people by excessive taxation.

Here again is the principle of socialism. It is an illegal act of government against the will of its people. The story of national and foreign aid cannot be told without reference to David Crockett. We generally recognize him as one of six survivors of the battle of the Alamo and his later capture and execution on March 6, 1836. However, prior to that he had been a member of the Tennessee Legislature and then was elected to the U.S. Congress.

One day in the House of Representatives, a bill was proposed to appropriate money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in support, and votes were about to be taken when Crockett arose and said:

“I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead, or our sympathy for a part of the living, to lead us into [107] an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to so appropriate a dollar of the public money. * * *

I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week’s pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks.” He took his seat. Nobody replied. [The bill was not passed.] (David Crockett on Federal Aid, p. 1)

In time, however, this whole matter was forgotten, and men began to violate the Constitution on this issue. We now have Federal Emergency and Catastrophe Aids, Local Road and Federal Highway funds, etc. There are all sorts of business and education aids and grants. There are appropriations for the largest spending department of the government in their Health, Education and Welfare Agency. But all this is small compared to the great welfare program called foreign aid.

There are few actions that bring greater personal joy and reward than that of helping a person who is needy or destitute; but there is something wrong with a government program that steals money from its own citizens and gives it away to their enemies.

The American foreign aid program has many flaws that would need to be corrected before it could be classified as a good program, such as:

 

1. The American people did not vote for it.
2. The government has no right to take money from people who do not want to contribute to it.
3. Most of our foreign aid is not given to the people that it was supposed to help.

[108]

4. Most foreign aid given to governments is used for arms and ammunition for wars.
5. Most of the aid is given to our enemies who want to “bury” us.
6. It causes more poverty among the American people.
7. It increases taxation which is never diminished or removed.
8. It builds up competition against us.
9. It creates more harmful and worthless agencies in our government.
10. It has created monsters out of the worst national leaders in the world. The greatest threat to world peace comes from nations who have benefited from our foreign aid program.

What better way to conquer a people than to make them poor? An impoverished nation is easy to subdue and control because they have neither the will nor the means of resistance. The way to get a rich nation to spend its money is to spend it for them. To do that you must take over the high positions of finance and power in their government.

Unfortunately, our foreign aid has not financed freedom in foreign lands; rather it finances socialism. Socializing the economies of all nations will merge them into a one-world system which was the original objective of the creators of our foreign aid program.

Each year, as protests against foreign aid spending develop, Americans are told that because they are the richest people on earth, they must help the poorer countries to keep them from going communist.

Foreign aid has been used to socialize the economics of once friendly nations. Established patterns of life have been disrupted.

Nations have been socialized, friends have been antagonized and destroyed, and the drain on the U.S. [109] economy, public and private, could bring an economic collapse and the socialization of America.

If foreign aid were limited to small grants for technical assistance to show people how to help them-selves, it might do a good job. That was not the role Stalin foresaw for foreign aid–and that is not how it has been administered by American “planners.” (None Dare Call It Treason, John Stormer, pp. 218-19)

When our government gives foreign aid to other countries, it should be expected that they pay it back. However, this rarely, if ever, happens. For example, after Russia’s atomic melt-down, we sent them money, equipment, and manpower with technology to solve the problem. Russia never paid any of it back. On the other hand, when disaster strikes American citizens, the U.S. Government quickly comes to help with interest-bearing loans that have to be paid back.

All in all, it is improbable that Congress ever passed another bill more destructive of American constitutional principles; more harmful to our nation politically, economically, morally, and militarily; and more helpful to communism-socialism all over the earth–than the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which was, from beginning to end, a product of the Council on Foreign Relations. (Invisible Government, Dan Smoot, p. 134)

The following are some of the countries that have received foreign aid from the United States:

 

Afghanistan                          Algena                                   Angola

Argentina                                              Austria                                   Australia

Bangledesh                           Belgium                                 Belize

Benin                                     Bolivia                                   Botswana

Brazil                                     Burkina                                 Burma

Buruna                                  Bwanda                                 Cambodia

Cameroon                                             Canada                                 Cape Verde

Chad                                                      Chile                                       China

[110]

Columbia                                              Costa Rica                            Cyprus

Denmark                                               Dominican Republic           Egypt

El Salvador                           England                                 Equador

Ethiopia                                 Finland                                  France

Gabon                                    Gamba                                  Germany

Ghana                                    Greece                                    Guatemala

Guyana                                 Haiti                                       Honduras

Hong Kong                                           Iceland                                  India

Indonesia                                              Iran                                                        Ireland

Israel                                      Italy                                       Jamaica

Japan                                     Jordan                                    Kenya

Korea                                     Lebanon                                                Liberia

Madagascar                         Maiawi                                  Malaysia

Marshall Islands  Maurnana                                             Mexico

Miger                                      Morocco                                                Mozambique

Nepal                                     New Zealand                        Oman

Pakistan                                                Panama                                 Peru

Philippines                             Poland                                   Portugal

Romania                                               Senega                                   Sri Lanka

Somalia                                 South Africa                         Sov. Union

Spain                                      Sweden                                  Taiwan

Thailand                                                Togo                                                       Trinidad

Tunisia                                   Turkey                                   Uganda

Uruguay                                                Venezuela                                             Yemen

Yugoslavia                            Zaire                                       Zambia

Zimbabwe

The Constitution, to be worth anything, must be held sacred, with all of its provisions strictly observed. The man who wields so much power in its administration can be its worst enemy. Minor infractions can become major disasters.

The power of collecting money is a dangerous one. Once Congress begins to usurp this power, there is no end to its violations of the Constitution or its weakening of the principles of morality.

 

[111] The Constitution does not give the central government the power to take tribute from the American people and then give it to foreign, alien and enemy governments.

I am not for increasing, by every device, the public debt, on the principle of its being a public blessing

To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. (The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, p. 90)

 

A century ago America was almost without debt. Today the national debt amounts to a staggering six trillion dollars! With the addition of many new government agencies (which were supposed to help Americans), they have nearly destroyed our nation, including the Constitution.

When a nation becomes poor, it loses power and becomes ripe for destruction. The enemy knows this and many poor nations have been either overthrown from within or taken over from without. America is the furthest in debt of any nation on earth, and we continue to increase that debt. It has been planned that way!

 

5. PRES. WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON

A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward [unruly] mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. (Proverbs 6:12-15)

On Saturday, December 8, 1998, President William J. Clinton became the second president, and the first elected president, to be impeached by the House of Representatives. [112] Two articles of impeachment were approved: obstruction of justice and perjury before a Grand Jury. Other objections were also presented for consideration. The public knew he was also guilty of abuse of power in office, public immoralities, and disregard for the U.S. Constitution.

In addition to the above, Pres. Clinton has also been pushing strongly for a socialized government for America.

Rather than see Clinton thrown out of office, Bob Dole defended him with a proposal that the President sign a tenure for government officials as an apology–thus supporting another unconstitutional fiasco. In the “Federalist Papers” Alexander Hamilton wrote, “No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Constitution can be valid.” (“Fed. Papers” No. 78) Clinton was guilty and should pay for his crimes, not make an apology for them.

Military action at the time of the hearings was, in effect, a means of distraction. It was a good theater performance, but unfortunately, it resulted in the killing of many people.

William Jefferson Clinton did not become corrupt after he became U.S. President; this was achieved while he was Governor of Arkansas–and even before. Much of his sordid and evil lifestyle was related by his high school buddies to investigators after he had achieved his notoriety. It was a curious thing to some of his former classmates how a draft-dodger could become Commander in Chief of the U.S. military.

In a recent documentary called “Policegate,” some of Clinton’s nefarious deeds were exposed to the public by police, highway patrolmen, legislators, and even the members of general public. His vices included prostitutes, mistresses, robbery, drug dealing–and he was even suspected of murder. At the point where national security was being threatened, several police and state officials decided to tell what they knew.

 

[113] Clinton’s life story would make an interesting X-rated movie. But in reality he is just the kind of man wanted and needed by those who are planning the one world conspiracy movement. To achieve the objectives of the New World Order, it requires men who are traitors, vain, corrupt, vicious, and without conscience. Good people could not tolerate the evil plans of the conspirators, nor would good people be tolerated by the conspirators. They are natural enemies to each other.

The New York Post quoted Scott Ritter, former Chief of the U.N. Weapons Importation concerning Clinton’s start of the Balkan War: “This was designed to generate a conflict that would justify a bombing, and you have no choice but to interpret this as `wag the dog.'” (“Taking Air,” Jan. 7, 1999) In other words, it would draw attention away from him during the impeachment–which it did.

Clinton used American military for personal gain, at the cost of over 200 lives. The office of the President is meant to serve the people, not the person himself. Wars are started by the leaders of nations, not the people in them.

The impeachment trials did not cover the real crimes and sins of the President–the ones that should require even capital punishment. Yet in spite of all that was revealed, Al Gore still got up during the impeachment proceedings and said, “He is the greatest president in history.” (Dec. 11, 1998)

Compare the above with what the Lord has said:

Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. (D & C 98:10)

The American people have certainly failed in this regard.

 

[114] As we enter another millennium, we are also moving out of an era of great prosperity, blessings, and scientific achievements. We are faced with the prospects of poverty, war, and an economic and political breakdown. A dark cloud hangs over our nation! Five major events have recently occurred in this downward spiral:

 

1. President Bill Clinton embarrassed the nation with his perjuries, obstructions of justice, corruptions, and immoralities.
2. To avert an almost certain financial crash, the treasury and Federal Reserve put $200 billion of U.S. taxpayer funds into the financial markets.
3. Clinton personally created a war, without the vote of the American people or the vote of Congress.
4. Phony statistics by the government give a false security about the prosperity and employment rates in America. The Clinton administration has created trade agreements with other countries resulting in an annual deficit of $250 billion.
5. We have now reached a global debt of $12 trillion and it’s still growing.

Who is this guy who is so cowardly that he ran off to Canada to avoid the draft for the Viet Nam War, but yet later becomes the Commander in Chief of our armed forces? What kind of reasoning does he use to justify the disarming of America so it will “save lives,” but then he starts a war all by himself by sending American troops to the Balkans where thousands of innocent people would be killed?

He has closed many of our military bases, shut down the production of defense weapons, and began disarming the military and civilian population. Then he has given our enemies military arms and weapons without the consent of Congress or the American people. Whose side is he on anyway?

 

[115] In a television appearance on April 9, 1994, President Clinton said:

When we got organized as a country, . . . we wrote a fairly radical Constitution with a radical Bill of Rights, giving a radical amount of individual freedom to Americans. . . . There’s a lot of irresponsibility, so a lot of people say there’s too much personal freedom. When personal freedom’s being abused, you have to move to limit it. (“New American,” p. 27)

So Clinton is saying that our freedom is “radical” and that our government should move in and take away all excessive freedoms allowed by the Constitution.

Public Law 87-297 is “an act to establish a United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency,” which became effective in 1961. The original act was amended in 1983 (22 U.S.C. 2568, Section 3 of Public Law 98-202). It appears to have been amended several times and calls for the elimination of the U.S. National Armed Forces and states that “No one may possess a firearm or lethal weapon except police and military personnel.” This law is taught and explained in the National War College and various U.S. Armed Forces academies. As the military installations around the nation are being eliminated, Clinton has been bringing in U.N. troops from China, Russia and Germany, and they are to help to disarm America under this and other public laws.

Bill Clinton has illegally released millions of acres of United States land to be under the control of the U.N. in the Biosphere Reserve Act and the American Rivers Heritage Act, where now only the U.N. can go. He made every effort to give some of the California ports to the Chinese. Clinton has committed high treason for aiding and abetting enemies and [116] foreigners to obtain American land and supplies. He has allowed over a million hostile foreign troops to occupy and train in these areas while closing U.S. military bases.

If all this is not enough for impeachment, then consider these words and who said them:

Yes, the president should resign. He has lied to the American people, time and time again, and betrayed their trust. He is no longer an effective leader. Since he has admitted guilt, there is no reason to put the American people through an impeachment. He will serve absolutely no purpose in finishing out his term. The only possible solution is for the president to save some dignity and resign. (William Jefferson Clinton, 1974, referring to President Richard Nixon)

In a select House committee classified report it states that China has obtained some of the most sensitive American military technology, including nuclear weapons. China has acquired a range of technical secrets far beyond satellite and missile related technology during the Clinton administration. Representative Christopher Cox, Republican of California, the committee’s chairman, said that China’s acquisition of our technology has harmed our national security. The panel has made a 700-page report, but it is secret because so much of it deals with classified weaponry.

There has been a great deal of uproar over Pres. Clinton’s helping the Chinese acquire some of our most sophisticated missile guidance systems. When this was exposed, Americans accused China of stealing our top military secrets, but the Chinese responded that they did not steal them–they paid Clinton for them.

One of the national magazines recently printed the following picture of Clinton dressed in Chinese attire. A Chinese [117] restaurant employee interpreted the writing as: “Even though we are on different fronts, the Revolution will be successful!”

 

(picture)

There was a law (now repealed), U.S. Code Title 50, Chapter 23, that stated:

It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to combine, conspire, or agree with any other person to perform any act which would substantially contribute to the establishment within the United States of a totalitarian dictatorship, as defined in paragraph 15 or section 782 of this title, the direction and control of which is to be vested in, or exercised in or under the domination or control of any foreign government or foreign organization.

 

[118] However, in 1993 President Clinton signed Public Law 103-199, Section 803, which repealed the above law.

Why doesn’t someone step forward and do something to stop this traitorous man? Many people have claimed they were going to do just that, but coincidentally they decided to commit suicide or had a terrible accident. It is reported that 114 or more such people have had “accidents.” Being close to Clinton and witnessing some of his activities is considered to be the most dangerous occupation in America.

When Thomas Jefferson said, “The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government,” (Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, E. Boykin, p. 61), he was claiming that if the people do not get to vote on issues and laws, then we have an illegitimate government. What good is voting for candidates and not for laws–especially when so many candidates are against the Constitution. Citizens of this nation should have the right to vote for something other than officers, especially when the candidates are all corrupt.

It is said that a nation deserves no better leaders than what they get. If that is true, then America needs to undergo a deep spiritual repentance.

 

6. UNLAWFUL EXECUTIVE ORDERS

We have allowed the Executive Branch, through various Executive Orders, to usurp what is legitimately and constitutionally our right and responsibility. (Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-AR, 9/18/97)

Our Founding Fathers established a republic with a highly effective system of checks and balances to prevent all power from being invested in just one individual or department. The plan for an Executive Order–a presidential proclamation giving [119] the President power and authority for rule making in the Executive Branch–was originally a genuine delegation of power based on law and good judgment. It pertained only to government agencies. Unfortunately Executive Orders have been corrupted and abused as a means for illegitimate creation of new laws which Congress would never pass through regular channels.

President Clinton and other Clintonites have sought ways to skirt around the U.S. Constitution. It has been difficult and has taken a long time to accomplish, but they have done it. They have found a loophole whereby they could undermine and usurp the powers and laws of the Constitution.

But this was prophesied to happen, as explained in a pamphlet published by Apostle Parley P. Pratt entitled “The Angel of the Prairies: A Dream of the Future,” published in 1880. In this recorded dream or vision an angel spoke of the future and destiny of America:

The American system was indeed glorious in its beginning, and was founded by wise and good men, in opposition to long established abuses and oppressive systems of the Old World. But it had its weaknesses and imperfections. These were taken advantage of by wicked and conspiring men, who were unwisely placed at the head of government, and who, by a loose and corrupt administration, gradually undermined that beautiful structure. In their polluted hands justice faltered, truth fell to the ground, equity could not enter, and virtue fled into the wilderness. (pp.16-17)

One of the “weaknesses and imperfections” mentioned by the angel was undoubtedly a function called “Executive Orders,” wherein the President has power to make directives, not laws, for situations requiring action for certain high-level problems or emergencies. This is not the kind of power that should be used [120] to change constitutional laws nor create wars, etc. It is a power that, when used wrongfully, could become an illegitimate creation for a corrupt national administration.

Thomas Jefferson had foreseen this danger as well:

I see . . . with the deepest affliction, the rapid strides with which the federal branch of our government is advancing towards the usurpation of all the rights reserved to the States, and the consolidation in itself of all powers, foreign and domestic; and that too, by constructions which, if legitimate, leaves no limits to their power. (The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, Edward Boykin, pp. 35-36)

Such powers in government are not new. They were adopted by Adolf Hitler in Germany. In his rise to power he created a terrorist attack with the burning of the Reichstag in February 1933. This was his excuse to get legislative support for increasing his power through Executive Orders. On March 9, 1933, Hitler’s government installed Reich Commissars to replace state governors. On March 31 he dissolved all state assemblies, and on April 7 he issued a law appointing Reich governors in all states to reconstitute state and local governments. Each governor was a National Social Party member and was required to follow the policies laid down by the Reich Chancellor (Hitler himself). On January 30, 1934, Hitler made his final triumph over Germany with his Executive Order for “Reconstruction of the Reich.” State government became administrative agencies, and all their powers were transferred to the federal Reich government.

Americans have since wondered how such smart people as the Germans would be so stupid as to let a man like Hitler get so much power and become their dictator. However, in America we have allowed a similar power seeker to get into the presidency of our country. The parallels between Hitler’s [121] executive tyranny and those fashioned by Bill Clinton are too similar to be merely coincidence. John McAlvany reported:

In his first two days in office, with the stroke of a pen, he signed five Executive Orders: allowing homosexuals in the military; extending U.S. aid for UN-sponsored abortion and population control; ordered abortions to be performed in U.S. military hospitals; rescinded the ban on the use of fetal tissue (i.e., dead babies) in federally sponsored research; and abolished the Bush Administration Council on Competitiveness, which gave businesses and large corporations a way to obtain exemptions from government regulations. None of these unilateral decrees would have been passed by Congress.

Clinton and his subordinates have made no secret of their strategy to bypass Congress and rule by Executive Orders or Presidential Decision Directives. (“McAlvany Intelligence Report”, Jan. 1999, p. 13)

The Wall Street Journal (8-6-98) reported:

President Clinton has pursued on “Executive Order Strategy” that goes way beyond trying to guide federal agencies in how to implement laws. Instead it seeks to actively put in place policies Congress would never adopt. Last week the White House admitted that a May Executive Order gutting major powers of state and local governments had been drafted in secret without consulting them.

Such Orders have distorted the rights and powers of the President because they usually create problems that are worse than those they were meant to resolve. Once again, from John McAlvany:

The U.S. Constitution grants the President no law-making authority, yet throughout his term in office, Bill Clinton has preferred to rule by decree (through the writing of hundreds of Executive Orders [122] and Presidential Decision Directives) rather than carry out his constitutional duty to execute laws properly enacted by Congress.

So, the most corrupt President in U.S. history, stymied by Congress in the passage of his socialist agenda, has assumed dictatorial powers never intended by the Constitution, our founding fathers, the Congress and the American people. If he is not removed from office (and he probably will not be), he will assume dictatorial powers via martial law and a State of National Emergency–completely suspending the Constitution, the power of the Congress, and probably the year 2000 elections.

A President who will bomb another country, costing the lives of thousands of innocent Iraqi victims (as Clinton just did), in order to forestall a vote of impeachment and retain his power, is a desperate and dangerous man who will do anything (even if it destroys the country) to retain his hold on the Presidency. (“McAlvany Intelligence Report,” Jan. 1999, p. 13)

Listed below are only a few of the hundreds of Executive Orders signed by Clinton during his two terms, increasing his power and control:

 

EO 10995 — All communication media.

EO 10997 — Electrical power, petroleum, natural gas, fuels and minerals, public and private.

EO 10998 — Food supplies, farms and farm equipment, and agricultural facilities.

EO 10999 — Seizure of all kinds of transportation including any personal car.

EO 11000 — Seizure of all civilians for work under federal supervision.

EO 11001 — Seizure of all health, education, hospitals, and schools.

EO 11002 — Empowered to register every man, woman and child.

[123]

EO 11003 — Seizure of all aircraft and airports by the Federal Government.

EO 11004 — Seizure of all housing, and moving population from one locality to another.

EO 11005 — Seizure of railroads, waterways, and storage facilities.

EO 11490 — Presidential control over all citizens, businesses and churches.

EO 11921 — Seize control over education, welfare, production, wages, credit and flow of money and total censorship.

EO 12919 — President has total control over all public and private materials, food sources, farm equipment, energy and transportation. Everything will be under the control of FEMA. This E.O. gives President Clinton power to implement martial law under a “national State of Emergency,” giving FEMA police force powers over the nation.

It can be argued that the President can use this power only during a “National State of Emergency.” That is true. However, on November 14, 1994, President Clinton got around that by signing Executive Order 12938 which declared that we are in a “National State of Emergency.” Regarding this E.O., Pres. Bill Clinton explained:

On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, I declared a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons (“weapons of mass destruction”) and the means of delivering such weapons. Because the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, the national emergency declared on [124] November 14, 1994, and extended on November 14, 1995, and November 14, 1996, must continue in effect beyond November 14, 1997. (“McAlvany Report”, Jan. 1999)

It was Bill Clinton who gave these weapons delivery systems to the Chinese and Russian governments!

Another threatening Order signed by Clinton is the following:

The Implementation of Human Rights Treaties (EO 13107) — On December 10, while America focused on the impeachment, Clinton quietly signed a seditious new Executive Order that would create a massive and intrusive federal bureaucracy to monitor and enforce compliance with the United Nations human rights regulations and treaties. One of those treaties, the unratified Convention on the Rights of the Child (which takes away all parental rights in raising their children) would be included. These UN treaties and regulations could have been written by global socialists (or Communists) in Russia, Red China, or Cuba and are totally destructive of Americans’ freedoms.

Clinton’s timing on entering this EO in the Federal Register is perfect. The Congress was about to adjourn for Christmas. After 30 days, with no Congressional objection, it will become law. (Ibid.)

Why does Clinton want to seize so much power and control? Does this sound like a wise man or an unwise dictator? Why did Clinton sign several hundred Executive Orders for power when there was no need for them?

We have had a president who will enforce unlawful orders, start a war to avoid impeachment conviction, break his oath of office, oppose the Constitution, corrupt the office of the President with his immoralities, undermine the economy of the [125] country, and prove to be a traitor by giving secret information to enemies of our country.

Who benefits from all these Executive Orders? Is it Bill Clinton himself? The New World Order? The secret combinations? The answer is rather simple: it’s all of them!

 

7. THE OATH OF OFFICE

Taking an oath of office is required by every civil servant from president to postman–pledging their support of the U.S. Constitution:

 

I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God. (Civil servant employment application)

Most of us probably remember that as elementary school students, each morning we stood with our hand over our heart and said, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. . . .” But today there are students who instead burn the flag and have no allegiance to anyone or anything except themselves. We have arrived at a time when the importance of pledging allegiance to the flag and supporting the U.S. Constitution is downplayed, not just within our schools but in adult life as well.

1. Edgar Hoover, former head of the FBI, warned about this in a speech at Valley Forge on February 22, 1962:

Too often in recent years, [1] patriotic symbols have been shunned aside. [2] Our national heroes have been maligned, [3] our history distorted. Has it become [126] a disgrace to [4] pledge allegiance to our flag, [5] to sign a loyalty oath, or [6] pay tribute to our national anthem? (Congressional Record, March 1, 1962, p. 2906)

Of these six disgraceful acts by the American people, which one would you consider to be the most serious? If you answered “[5] a disgrace . . . to sign a loyalty oath,” you were correct. Our Founding Fathers wisely placed in the Constitution an oath of office for the incumbent President and other government officers.

Before he enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution. (Article 2, Section I)

For those who don’t uphold their oath of office, the Prophet Joseph Smith proposed the following serious consequence:

The Constitution should contain a provision that every officer of the Government who should neglect or refuse to extend the protection guaranteed in the Constitution should be subject to capital punishment. (TPJS, p. 327)

Sometimes people take an oath (either in ignorance or willfully) which is contrary to the U.S. Constitution. An example is the oath of office which every employee must sign before they can work for the United Nations offices in New York City:

 

[127]

I solemnly affirm to exercise in all loyalty, discretion and conscience the functions entrusted to me as a member of the international service of the United Nations, to discharge those functions and regulate my conduct with the interests of the United Nations only in view, and not to seek or accept instructions in respect to the performance of my duties from any government or other authority external to the organization. (The Fearful Master, Edward Griffin, p. 81)

This oath clearly states that it does not recognize the U.S. Constitution nor that of any other government. Employees of the U.N. are expected to regard that Constitution as having priority over the American Constitution.

Signing this U.N. oath violates the oath to support the U.S. Constitution. In reality it should have no more priority over the Constitution of the United States than does any oath from an organization or corporation, such as General Motors, Federal Express, or Burger King.

There are important reasons for requiring incumbents in government or other employment to sign a loyalty oath:

 

1. By having an employee sign an agreement, or binding contract, it requires him to do specific things for you. He knows exactly what is expected of him and he is under your jurisdiction. At the same time, it also spells out certain things you will do for him.

 

2. If an employee did not sign some agreement or contract, he could come to work at noon and leave a couple of hours later. Or, you could promise him $25 an hour, but change your mind and pay him only $5 on payday. All this because there was no prior signed contract

[128]

3. If he signed an oath or contract and then failed to comply with the terms, he would be in violation and subject to penalty.

Below is a copy of the Oath of Office that all Utah State office-holders are supposed to sign:

 

OATH OF OFFICE

 

STATE OF UTAH                               )

: ss

COUNTY OF SALT LAKE                )

I, (       name       ), do solemnly swear that I will support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Utah, and that I will perform the duties of my office as (    office   ) with fidelity.

But a strange thing has happened. Although Representatives, Senators, and other State officers are required to sign this Oath of Office within 60 days, very few actually do it. For example, the following letter was written in response to a question of how many Senators and Representatives in Utah had signed their oath of office.

 

[129]               Department of Administrative Services

Division of Archives & Records Services

 

State Capital Archives Building

Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-1021

(801) 538-3012

December 1, 1993

 

Dear Mr. Brown:

The State Archives does not have oaths of office for members of the Utah State Senate for the years 1975, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989. We do have one oath of office for the year 1981, and that is for James F. Considine. we do not have oaths of office for members of the Utah House of Representatives for the years 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990.

If we can be of further help, please let us know.

 

Sincerely,

Jeffery O. Johnson

Utah State Archivist

 

[130] What does this mean? First, it could mean that they refused to sign because it would make them subject to the punishments under the law should they fail to obey their oath. Secondly, it could mean that they have placed their allegiance with some other oath, organization, or constitution. Thirdly, according to law, it does mean that everything they vote for or act upon is unlawful and not binding under the laws of the state constitution.

It is the main objective of conspirators to overthrow the Constitution and Government of the United States. These geniuses put together a plan to gain control through corporations. Just as members sign an oath to the corporation of the United Nations, so they would bind others to the employment and service of corporations. The shrewdest manipulation was to incorporate the Government of the United States and then subsequently incorporate all of the states. These satellite corporations must act under the jurisdiction of the federal corporation. By doing this, all of the state laws must comply to federal laws. Other agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, Federal Reserve, Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission, etc., are legally, but not lawfully, working under the rules and laws of the “Corporation of the United States.” We now have both a corporation government and a constitutional government of the United States!

To simplify this, consider your driver’s license. Under the U.S. Constitution, you have the right as a citizen to use all public roads. However, if you have signed up for a license under the rules of the state corporation, then you have only the privilege of driving on the roads. If you are fined for going five miles an hour too fast, it is best to pay it, for you have placed yourself under the legal rules and authority of the corporation. They can tell you what to do and punish you just the same as if you were employed by General Motors and broke one of their rules. By comparison, under the laws of the Constitution, you [131] cannot be fined or penalized unless you injure someone or destroy someone’s property, and then are tried and found guilty by a jury.

Thus, there is a conflict between the legal regulations of a corporate state and the laws of a Constitutional government. Unfortunately, the corporate government has nearly destroyed the Constitutional one.

Corporate law is the same as maritime law, or the law merchant. If you buy a ticket on a ship, it places you under the legal administration of the captain of the ship. All Constitutional or foreign laws no longer have jurisdiction over you. If the captain sees fit to restrict you to your quarters, or to limit your meals, legally you must obey him. Eustace Mullins observed:

Congressmen, like our judges, look upon the Constitution as an outmoded document which, in any case, has been totally replaced by admiralty law or the law merchant. Under the law merchant, there is no legal stigma or prohibition against U.S. taxpayers’ funds being spent for Jewish religious instruction, as the law merchant observes no Bill of Rights. Most of the bills enacted into law by the United States Congress base their legal validity upon the principles of the law merchant, the most notorious being the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act into law by Congress in 1913. The Federal Reserve Act openly violated the Constitutional provision that only Congress should have the power to coin money, regulate the value thereof. (Article I, Section 8) (The Rape of Justice, Mullins, p. 478)

Former FBI agent, Dan Smoot, said there was a “Secret Government” running things in America; but now the secret government has become the popularly accepted government, and the Constitutional government has become the secret government. We are living at the time when we can see the fulfillment of Joseph Smith’s prophecy that “The Constitution of the United States will hang by a thread.”

 

[132] The existence of these two powers and their jurisdictions should not be unfamiliar to us, as examples are found through-out the Bible. For instance, when Jesus went out into the wilderness, Satan came by for a visit. He showed Him all the governments of the world and said if He would join his corporation, Satan would let Christ be General Manager over all of them.

 

8. GUN CONTROL

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. (2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution)

When the Founding Fathers of America decided to write a Constitution, they first studied every government in the world, both ancient and modern. They analyzed the faults and failures of former nations as they didn’t want to make the same mistakes. Every new system and concept, and every ancient style of government, were presented and debated by the most brilliant minds that ever forged a government. Even the issue of guns– their control, their purpose, and their benefits–was hashed over. Following are some of the comments by these Founding Fathers on the issue of gun control:

Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia:

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. (Proposed Virginia Constitution, 1776)

Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man. (Jefferson’s “Commonplace Book,” 1774-1776, quoting from “On Crimes and Punishment,” by criminologist Cesare Beccaria)

 

[133] Samuel Adams, of Massachusetts:

The said Constitution [shall] be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms. (Massachusetts U.S. Constitution ratification convention, 1788)

Alexander Hamilton, of New York:

If circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people while there is a large body of citizens, little if at all inferior to them in discipline and the use of arms, who stand ready to defend their rights and those of their fellow citizens. (The Federalist, No. 29)

Noah Webster, of Pennsylvania:

Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States. A military force, at the command of Congress, can execute no laws, but such as the people perceive to be just and constitutional, for they will possess the power. (An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, Philadelphia, 1787)

James Madison, of Virginia:

The Constitution preserves “the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation . . . (where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. (The Federalist, No. 46)

Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty…. Whenever Government means to invade the [134] rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise a standing army upon its ruins. (Debate, U.S. House of Representatives, Aug. 17, 1789)

Fisher Ames, of Massachusetts:

The rights of conscience, of bearing arms, of changing the government, are declared to be inherent in the people. (Letter to F.R. Minoe, June 12, 1789)

Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia:

A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves . . . and include all men capable of bearing arms. . . . To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms. . . . The mind that aims at a select militia, must be influenced by a truly anti-republican principle. (Additional Letters from the Federal Farmer, 1788)

George Mason, of Virginia:

When the resolution of enslaving America was formed in Great Britain, the British Parliament was advised by an artful man, who was governor of Pennsylvania, to disarm the people; that it was the best and most effectual way to enslave them; but that they should not do it openly, but weaken them, and let them sink gradually. . . . I ask, who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers. (Virginia’s U.S. Constitution Ratification Convention, 1788)

Tench Coxe, of Pennsylvania:

The militia, who are in fact the effective part of the people at large, will render many troops quite unnecessary. They will form a powerful check upon the regular troops, and will generally be sufficient to over-awe them. (An American Citizen, Oct. 21, 1787)

Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American. . . . The unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of [135] either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people. (The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788)

Thomas Paine, of Pennsylvania:

Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. . . . Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them. (Thoughts on Defensive War, 1775)

Patrick Henry, of Virginia:

Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. (Virginia’s U.S. Constitution Ratification Convention.)

A gun, in and of itself, is not a bad thing; it’s the operator of the weapon that determines the outcome. Guns have been used for thousands of years in sports and for personal defense. Just as automobiles are today a wonderful necessity, but in the hands of a crazy drunk, they can become deadly. In the early years of our nation, the government requested people to have and be trained in the use of guns, but recently the government has been trying to regulate them and even take them out of the hands of the American people. At the same time, they have been shipping arms, ammunition, and strategic military guidance systems to our most potential enemies.

The news media is continually reporting stories about the wrongful use of guns rather than stories about the proper use of them. We have all heard the account of the Littleton School episode, but the media has never told the story about the people in a Shoney Restaurant in Anniston, Alabama. Two armed men burst into this restaurant and herded the patrons and employees into a walk-in refrigerator at gun point. The robbers kept the manager behind so he could assist them in looting the place. One patron, Thomas Glenn Terry, however, had hidden himself under a table. While one robber was going through the safe, the [136] other patrolled the place and discovered Terry. But Terry had his own legally concealed weapon, which he pulled out and shot the one robber; and as the other one came toward him, Terry shot him also. The two dozen patrons and employees were released unharmed from the refrigerator. Only the criminals, with stolen guns by the way, never made it out alive.

In recent years there has been a movement to legislate total gun control. Every time someone was killed by a gun, another demand was made to take guns away from civilians. However, FBI reports show that criminals using guns represent less than two percent of the population, and that 99.8% of firearms and 99.6% of handguns will not be used to commit violent crimes in any given year.

It is obvious that criminals will not jump at the chance to register nor give up their guns. Thus, at this point, gun confiscation would take guns away from the very people who do not commit the crimes! The recent killers at Littleton School broke 27 laws governing guns. Would more laws against guns have prevented this massacre?

Ironically, crime is reduced in proportion to the number of guns in the hands of the citizens. The following simple facts show that guns are in reality a deterrent to crime:

 

Arrest rate of Washington, D.C., police officers: 19 per 1000

Arrest rate of New York City police officers: 3 per 1000

Arrest rate of Florida concealed handgun permit holders: 0.9 per 1000

Simply stated, guns mean protection; without guns there is very little, if any, protection. A stack of guns 100 feet high would never harm anyone in a thousand years. They are inanimate. Police have guns and criminals have guns, so why do we support one and fear the other?

 

[137] The United States has about 500,000 police officers with only about 100,000 on duty at a time. This makes only one officer for every 35 square miles. Emergency 911 is no substitute for effective self-defense.

In 1976, Washington, D.C., enacted a virtual ban on all handguns. By 1991 (15 years later) their homicide rate had tripled! The states that have “right-to-carry” gun laws have a lower violent crime rate compared to the other states. Consider the following statistics:

 

“Right-to-carry” states have a 24% lower total violent crime rate.

They have a 19% lower homicide rate.

They have a 39% lower robbery rate.

They have a 19% lower aggravated assault rate.

Professors John R. Lott, Jr., and David B. Mustard, of the University of Chicago, have concluded that “allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons deters violent crimes, and it appears to produce no increase in accidental deaths.” (More Guns, Less Crime, 1998)

The right to carry firearms is an individual’s Constitutional right. The Supreme Court has so ruled in the following cases: U.S. vs. Cruikshank (1876), Presser vs. Illinois (1886), Miller vs. Texas (1894), U.S. vs. Miller (1939, and U.S. vs. Verdugo-Urquidez (1990).

What do the American people think in regard to gun control?

 

85% of Americans believe people should have the right to use firearms to defend themselves in their homes.

64% favor allowing law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for personal protection outside their homes.

72% favor stiffer sentences for criminals who use a gun in crime rather than more gun laws. (Survey of registered voters, Lawrence Research, 1998)

 

[138] A survey by criminologist Gary Kleck showed that 2.5 million people use firearms for protection each year. The National Center for Health Statistics shows that the fatal firearm accident rate has been going down each year. It also shows that other causes of accidents are much greater than firearm casualties. Per thousand, the rate is:

Motor vehicles, 16.3

Falls, 5.6

Poisonings, 3.6

Drowning, 9.5

Fires, 3.7

Choking on food, etc., 3.2

Medical mistakes, 2.9

Firearm accidents, 1.1

Anyone who is a Constitutionalist, a patriot, or a conservative is being called “radical right-winger” and “extremist.” Seldom mentioned are the radical left-wingers who are trying to destroy the Constitution. An example of this extreme position is Rosie O’Donnell, who in her television talk show, responded to a visitor:

I don’t care if you want to hunt. I don’t care if you think it’s your right. I say, `Sorry, it’s 1999. We have had enough as a nation. You are not allowed to own a gun, and if you do own a gun, I think you should go to prison.’

Sometimes, however, a respondent gets the better of the situation, such as in the case on National Public Radio between a female broadcaster and U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Reinwald, about sponsoring a Boy Scout Troop on his military installation:

Female interviewer: “So, Ltg. Reinward, what are you going to do with these young boys on their adventure holiday?”

[139]

LtG: “We’re going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery, and shooting.”

Interviewer: “Shooting! That’s a bit irresponsible, isn’t it?”

LtG: “I don’t see why; they’ll be properly supervised on the range.”

Interviewer: “Don’t you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?”

LtG: “I don’t see how; we will be teaching them proper range discipline before they even touch a firearm.”

Interviewer: “But you’re equipping them to become violent killers.”

LtG: Reinwald: “Well, you’re equipped to be a prostitute, but you’re not one, are you?”

(End of interview)

Some of the laws being suggested are as follows:

 

1. Requiring licenses for all gun owners
2. Establishing a federally owned arsenal for all guns
3. Setting up mandatory inspection of all premises for guns
4. Banning private gun manufacturers
5. Banning sales of all gun parts
6. Banning all firearms except on target ranges
7. Banning all gun relics
8. Placing a federal control over all ammunition
9. Banning all gun powder
10. Banning all gun shows

Another new law has been suggested which would allow citizens to sue the gun manufacturers for any damages caused by criminals. In Brooklyn, New York, the amount of $520,000 was awarded against gun manufacturers. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is demanding $433 million in damages, claiming that firearm manufacturers are a “public nuisance.” In Dade County, Florida, Mayor Alex Penelas said it was time to send the bills for gun deaths and gun injuries to the gunmakers. However, facts [140] soon came out that gun permit holders jumped from 1,200 to 28,000, while violent crimes declined drastically. The battle of the guns is growing, but not against criminals who use them, but against innocent citizens who own them.

It seems that every organization, religion or business has some legitimate legal complaint against the encroachments of the Federal Government. Our government was established to protect our rights, not restrict them. Citizens from farmers to hunters are complaining. In a recent drive for memberships in the National Rifle Association, headed by Charlton Heston, president, and Wayne LaPierre, vice president, their letters included the following statements:

There has never been a more important time for America’s gun owners to unite and stand up for our freedom.

President Clinton is aggressively pushing Congress to pass more harsh anti-gun legislation.

And his administration is filled with thousands of anti-gun and anti-hunting political appointees determined to use the federal bureaucracy to harass law-abiding gun owners and whittle away at our rights.

Only a united effort by freedom loving Americans can stop this assault on our rights from doing irreversible damage to our freedoms.

Our goal is to build a firewall around the Second Amendment by recruiting at least ten thousand NRA members in each Congressional district.

Each NRA member we sign up means more leverage to convince the politicians to keep their hands off the Second Amendment.

The right to bear arms did not mean that Americans could go out and shoot Redcoats or hunt for Bambi. It was given as a protection against government–any government including our own. A good government should support citizens being trained to use guns so they would be prepared in case of war.

 

[141] Today there are about 80 million Americans who own over 200 million guns. That represents the largest standing army in the world–including Russia and China combined. So far this has protected America from being attacked. To disarm its citizens would be an open invitation for our overthrow–either by external or internal forces.

Who are the main people behind gun confiscation? Why would they want to disarm the American people? Who wants to do away with the Second Amendment of the Constitution? Could they be conspirators trying to overthrow America?

Only corrupt and controlling governments want to take away guns from its people. Both Hitler and Stalin took away civilian guns. Mao Tse Tung took away guns from everyone except his army. Is there a message in all of this?

Jesus spoke of our day, saying that there shall be “wars and rumors of wars” and “nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matt. 24:6-7) It would be a time of civil unrest, revolutions and roving mobs. Everyone will need to defend himself and his property.

Isaiah said that after this time, men will learn war no more, and they will “beat their swords into plowshares.” (Isa. 2:4) However, before that time, Joel spoke of it in reverse by advising, “Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong.” (Joel 3:10) The Prophet Joseph Smith said this would apply to our time:

The prediction is that army will be against army; it may be that the Saints will have to beat their ploughs into swords, for it will not do for men to sit down patiently and see their children destroyed. (TPJS, p. 366)

 

[142] The very presence of a gun may be the means of saving lives and property.

The purpose of the Second Amendment is to guarantee specific rights and duties. The Founders added this amendment to the Constitution so that when there is a long train of abuses on citizens’ rights, they have the responsibility and duty to protect and recover those rights. However, if the government has all the weapons, they can do whatever they want–right or wrong. When a government does not trust its citizens, then the citizens should not trust their government. If the American people cannot be trusted with the objects and means to protect their liberty, then they cannot be trusted with liberty itself. If the Clinton-Gore administration destroys all private weapons in this country, then America will become a continual care center governed by those kind of people.

The Second Amendment rights are a sacred trust because of their connection to the higher rights and higher duties given by our God. Surrender of our rights is a surrender of the divine principle of dignity under God, and we will then reap the consequences of servitude and slavery.

 

9. COMMUNISM

The whole damned world is going communist. The Russians give me the impression of something that is to be feared in future world political reorganization. (Gen. George S. Patton, The Unknown Patton, pp. 187-88)

Communism began as a result of the writings of Karl Marx, who was born in Trier, Germany, in May 1818. He was a brilliant student and eventually drifted into journalism. He “acidly” poured out ridicule against everything and everyone. He became an atheist and called for war against religion. He was an [143] advocate of “materialism.” He resumed the editorship of a left-wing newspaper in Cologne and wrote against the German government, getting him into trouble. He left for France, and in 1849 went to England where he met a former friend, Friedrich Engles. Engles provided much information for programs of revolutionary tactics and ideals for a new world order. These were not new ideas but came from previous conspirators whose objectives were the same. Other prominent persons helped to promote this world movement, known as “scientific socialism,” i.e., Lenin and Stalin.

1. Edgar Hoover explained this “new world society:”

Communism, Marx proclaimed, represented the new “synthesis” of the capitalist-proletariat struggle and the apex of all history. At this point, said Marx, conflict would now cease, although, again, he does not say why. This new world would be the “perfect” and “final” society: stateless, classless, godless, where all property used in production would be held in common, and human activities would conform to the principle “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.”

Marx, with shrewd cunning, applied these concepts to the society of his day. He aimed this appeal to catch everyone who was greedy, ambitious, discontented, or downtrodden. Also, since the Industrial Revolution had led to some very real social abuses, the doctrines of Marx appealed to many sincere idealists and reformers who were impatient with slower and more gradual methods of improvement. (Masters of Deceit, J. Edgar Hoover, p. 20)

Communism is the outward expression of conspirators’ inward plotting: one designs the blueprint and the other creates the building. One is the muscle, the other is the brain. Communism would have died many times if it had not been for top intellectuals handling its survival. The infamous banking, [144] business and political machinery took care of Communism’s welfare in its sickness, poverty and ignorance. It could not have stood by itself.

Today wars could stop, poverty could be alleviated, and freedom could be enjoyed by everyone if our financial, business, and political leaders really wanted them. But the devil must be represented on the earth, and Communism has been his greatest achievement.

Many people have given their lives to build up Communism, but many more have lost their lives because of it. Intellectual minds have struggled all their lives to build on this corrupt and evil power. The ideal of a world all under one government, even without freedom, has drawn men to devote their money, time, and efforts to create this monster of death and destruction. Many have even devoted their lives to it, but never lived to see the final result.

Many collaborators helped to gather material for the publication of this world order program. It was eventually put together in a famous book in 1848 called The Communist Manifesto which detailed the program for “a world to win.” It calls for subversive action against all governments in order to form a government of their own. In 1864 they formed the first international organization that was later called the Communist Party USA, and by 1872 they moved from London to New York. Their objective was to own one nation first and then a few others to carry out by force their objectives with all other nations. Lenin was in Russia and the programmers saw ample reason for a revolution there, so planned a take-over of that nation. Lenin was exposed, arrested, and put in jail for five years. When he was released, he fled the country but still worked in support of the same plan to overthrow the Russian government. Materials and propaganda were printed and smuggled into the Russian underground.

 

[145] All who worked for this one-world dominion had to be totally dedicated. Furthermore, nothing was wrong, evil or unlawful if it served the purpose of the cause–and the perpetrators did not shrink from any crime. From their own ideals they instilled in their followers that they could use any means even violence or murder to assist in the world revolution. In their printed orders it was stated:

Use any weapon to achieve your aim. A man is your friend or your foe. Find out quickly. If a friend, clasp his hand; that is as long as he serves a purpose. If a foe, take drastic action.”(Communist Manifesto)

Finally a plan had been worked out for over 20 years and now it was about to be put into force. The German army had defeated the Russian troops and the Czar’s government was teetering. This was a signal for all revolutionaries to go to Petrograd. In 1917 Lenin came from Switzerland, Trotsky from New York, and Stalin was already in Russia.

[besides Jacob Schitt] Other international bankers involved in the financing of the Communist take-over of Russia were Olaf Aschberg of the Nye Banken of Stockholm, the Rhine Westphalian Syndicate, and a wealthy banker named Jivotovsky whose daughter later married Leon Trotsky. However, the chief European funding came from Max Warburg of Germany whose two brothers, Felix and Paul Warburg, had moved to New York. Felix Warburg had become Jacob Schiff’s son-in-law and Paul Warburg became Solomon Loeb’s son-in-law. They both became partners in the Kuhn, Loeb and Company. (Paul Warburg, it will be recalled, had also been the principal promoter of the Federal Reserve System in the United States.) Between the Warburgs and Schiffs the money flowing to the Communist revolutionaries must have been substantial. (Secrets of the Federal Reserve, Eustace Mullins, p. 41)

 

[146] To take over the Soviet Union would require a revolution–which takes a lot of money–and the 1917 Revolution in Moscow was no exception.

The Bolshevik revolution was not a spontaneous uprising of the masses. It was planned, financed, and orchestrated by outsiders. Some of the financing came from Germany which hoped that internal problems would force Russia out of the war against her. But most of the money and leadership came from financiers in England and the United States. It was a perfect example of the Rothschild formula in action.

This group centered mainly around a secret society created by Cecil Rhodes, one of the world’s wealthiest men at the time. The purpose of that group was nothing less than world dominion and the establishment of a modern feudalist society controlled by the world’s central banks. Headquartered in England, the Rhodes inner-most directorate was called the Round Table. In other countries, there were established subordinate structures called Round Table Groups. The Round-Table Group in the United States became known as the Council on Foreign Relations. The CFR, which was initially dominated by J. P. Morgan and later by the Rockefellers, is the most powerful group in America today. It is even more powerful than the federal government, because almost all of the key positions in government are held by its members. In other words, it is the United States government. (The Creature from Jekyll Island, G. Edward Griffin, p. 283)

The Bolsheviks simply took advantage of the confusion and indecisiveness that existed among the various groups that comprised the new government and caught them by surprise with a lightening strike of force. With a combination of bribes and propaganda, they recruited several regiments of soldiers and sailors and, in the early morning darkness of October 25, methodically took military possession of all government buildings and communication centers. No one [147] was prepared for such audacity, and resistance was almost non-existent. By dawn, without the Russian people even knowing what had happened–much less having any voice in that action, their country had been captured by a minority faction and become the world’s first so-called “people’s republic.” Within two days, Kerensky had fled for his life, and all Provisional Government ministers had been arrested. That is how the Communists seized Russia and that is how they held it afterward. Contrary to the Marxian myth, they have never represented the people. They simply have the guns. (Ibid., p. 286)

Things have never changed. Ever since World War II, US government leaders have given much of the revenue from US income taxes to Russia. It is no wonder that David Rockefeller does most of the banking for the US and Russian business operations. He is chairman of both the N.Y. Chase Manhattan Bank and the Soviets Bank at #1 Karl Marx Square in Moscow.

Lenin–who had been exiled by the Czar–[came] into Russia in a sealed train, carrying $5 million in gold. Jacob Schiff, the head of Kuhn, Loeb, and Co., heavily bankrolled the revolution. Today it is estimated even by Jacob’s grandson, John Schiff, a prominent member of New York society, that the old man sank about $20 million for the final triumph of Bolshevism in Russia. Other New York banking firms also contributed. (The Shadows of Power, James Perloff, pp. 39-40)

As soon as the Russian government was in the hands of the new Communist rule, thousands were taken from their homes and shot. Many were pre-selected but others were just random killings of men. It was a reign of terror. The Czar and all the members of his family were executed. Millions of Russians found themselves living under a tyranny worse than anything they had endured or heard of before. The people were put under [148] pressure to spy on their neighbors and the neighbors were made to spy on them. The land was being cleansed of all anti-Communists. Communist slavery did not encourage the people to be productive, so Stalin began a series of starvation famines which cost the lives of five to ten million of his own people.

The world was now looking upon a new specter on the horizon. They saw slave labor camps set up; secret police could shoot down anyone; churches were closed; and then came torture, robbery, rape, and mass executions. Communism introduced a government power of evil and depravity that surpassed even Genghis Khan or Attila the Hun. Communism was strictly a power that allowed no co-existence between Communists and non-Communists.

Marxist philosophy states:

As long as capitalism and socialism exist, we cannot live in peace: in the end, one or the other will triumph–a funeral dirge will be sung either over the Soviet Republic or over world capitalism. (Masters of Deceit, Hoover, p. 35)

It avows that Communism takes from the “haves” and gives to the “have-nots.” This Robinhood scenario sounds wonderful, but we have certainly not seen it working in Russia.

Communism has made an attractive appeal to all the ignorant and misguided dupes of every class in society. It teaches how the rich will share with the poor, and thus all the poor will become rich. There will be free medical care, free housing, and free everything. The poor masses greedily believe this propaganda. However, in spite of a century of trying to make it work, Communism has been a failure. No one liked it. The poor became poorer and the rich became richer. Everyone wanted to escape because they had become slaves.

 

[149]

Marx emphasized that capitalist society, most naturally, would not voluntarily turn over its factories, banks, and money to the workers. Moreover, it would probably organize a “counter-revolution” — which means defending itself. Hence, under the leadership of the Communist Party, the workers must, if necessary, be prepared to use force, that is, violent revolution. If the capitalists submit peacefully, good; if they resist, slaughter them.

But this is not all. After power is seized, opposition will remain which must be stamped out, utterly, completely, mercilessly. (Masters of Deceit, Hoover, p. 21)

Communists have studied all the methods of open warfare and all the methods of infiltration. They work with wars against a nation and also with spies and sabotage from within. America has been the victim of such tactics for nearly 50 years. We have been fighting “no win” wars against “enemies” in other nations while they have been infiltrating our school systems, churches, news media, economics, businesses, and government agencies.

. . . General Clark . . . feared Communists had wormed their way so deeply into our government that they were able to exercise an inordinate degree of power in shaping the course of America. “I could not help wondering and worrying whether we were faced with open enemies across the conference table and hidden ones who sat with us in our most secret councils. (Fearful Master, Edward Griffin, p. 178)

There are two major reasons for war: (1) it means huge profits for a few people, and (2) it changes people and conditions more radically and rapidly than anything else.

The American General, George S. Marshall, claimed that he disarmed 39 divisions of anti-Communist forces in China with a stroke of a pen. On the other hand, General Wedemeyer was trying to arm and protect Chiang Kai-shek’s mainland of China [150] from the Communist forces. The State Department manipulated the Pacific Relations which betrayed the Chinese nation to Communism. By 1949 the whole mainland was in Communist hands and the greatest bloodbath in history began. Nearly 40 million pro-American, anti-Communist people were slaughtered. This happened under the direction of Communist Mao Tse Tung.

Chinese and Russian leaders carefully planned the Korean and Vietnam wars. History has shown that Soviet giant tanks and guns littered those battlefields with Chinese troops operating them. Treaties, truces and peace policies with both China and Russia have never meant a thing to them; Lenin described them as “pie crusts–made to be broken.” (p. 7)

The Soviet Union has signed over 107 treaties and agreements in the United Nations–and has broken over 102. Yet we continue to make more treaties and truces with them on disarmaments. In the final conflict of war, China and Russia will once again be seen as bedfellows. (The Black Book on Red China, Edward Hunter, pp. 118-119)

When the Communists entered Tibet, Mao’s army killed 1.2 million Tibetans. In Cambodia the Khmer Rouge destroyed one-third of the nation in less than four years. The killing of innocent people in Cuba, East Germany, Afghanistan, the Baltic, Korea, Vietnam, and Siberia represent only a small part of the fruits of the “Red Terror” seeking world domination.

In an article from the Boston Globe, December 7, 1995, Jeff Jacoby wrote:

For pure murderous evil, there has never been a force to compare with Communism. The Nazis didn’t come close. The Holocaust was uniquely malignant–never before or since did one people construct a vast industry of death for the sole purpose of rounding up and destroying every single member of another people. [151] But the Nazis exterminated 11 million innocents; the Communist death toll surpasses 100 million. Nazi power lasted from 1933 to 1945. The Communist nightmare began in November 1917, and continues to this day.

Communism equals murder. Everywhere. Always.

In Ukraine, for example, seven million people were starved to death on the Kremlin’s orders. “If you go now to the Ukraine or the North Caucuses,” wrote British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge in 1933, “exceedingly beautiful countries and formerly amongst the most fertile in the world, you will find them like a desert; . . . no livestock or horses; villages deserted; peasants famished, often their bodies swollen, unutterably wretched.” Farmers who took grain or vegetables from their own land were shot. Dead bodies littered the streets of Kharkov, the capital. “It was,” an eyewitness later recalled, “as if the Black Death had passed through.” (Boston Globe, 12/7/95)

In France the Communist Party is the largest political party in the entire country and holds the balance of power in the French Assembly. The French Constitution goes so far as to make it illegal to discriminate against Communists in government jobs. A Communist is head of the French Atomic Energy Agency and was made advisor to the European Center of Nuclear Research.

In Italy it is the same. At every election the Communist Party is well represented and holds the balance of political power. There are more Communists in Italy than any other nation outside of Russia.

The Italian government can’t legally keep Communists out of the government. Further, the laws there provide that questionable characters have the same right to government jobs as anybody else, even if the job is a “classified” position. Also, there are no statutes the Library of Congress can find to protect military secrets. (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 23, 1957)

 

[152] When Eisenhower was seeking for votes, he promised to clean out the subversives in government, but he was never able to do so. Many of the known security risks were promoted to even better government jobs. Senator Joe McCarthy started to do what Eisenhower promised, but nearly the whole government censured him for it. Eisenhower then went so far as to make an executive order with so much red tape for subversive investigations that it became known as the “gag” rule, and it almost stopped investigations. Since 1954 there have been very few investigations of these subversives in government positions.

During World War II, it was discovered by the FBI that Harry Dexter White was a Soviet agent. Harry was the Under-Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department, so naturally the White House was immediately informed. Harry Truman did not fire him, nor arrest him; rather he just transferred him to be Executive Director in the International Monetary Fund of the United Nations. This meant a lot more money for him. J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI couldn’t figure that one out. It should have been clear to him that whenever a Soviet agent was exposed, the same thing would happen.

One of the most obvious cases was that of Otto Otepka. He was a devout Hungarian freedom fighter who came to America before Hungary was taken over by the Communists. He got a job in the State Department where he screened job applicants, checking their background to see if they were a possible security risk to our government. During a Senate investigation it was discovered that a Communist had been employed by the State Department, so Otto was called to the witness stand to explain how this had happened. Otto said he had informed his superiors that the individual was a subversive, but they hired him anyway. He was asked if any other Communists had been hired, and Otto listed over 180 more. The final result was Otto was fired, but the Communists were allowed to stay in their jobs with the State Department.

 

[153] Shouldn’t the American people suspect that something is wrong when our government gives foreign aid to our worst enemies? Isn’t it strange that we give the Soviets and Chinese every trade advantage, every requested loan, and all the military, political, and financial aid they want?

In America all references to the Communist Party have been stricken out of applications for government jobs. Today they work in all positions without fear. The propaganda has finally lulled everyone to believe that Communism is dead. We are led to believe there are no threats from the Soviet empire. However, it is so strange that the same people hold the same jobs in Russia. Their philosophy has not changed; their arms production has not changed; their armed forces have not been reduced. The label on the bottle has changed, but the contents remain the same.

The tactics of the Communists never change. They have been successful in the past and will continue to be successful in the future. They infiltrate a nation, subvert the government, create chaos and revolution, then attack with military force. During the preparation period their presence is hardly detected. A Communist may be a very respected member of society a day before the revolution, and the day after, he becomes a most dreaded monster. In Kosovo a man said he couldn’t understand how his “good neighbor” suddenly started shooting innocent people when the revolution began. It has happened that way in every country the Communists have taken over, and America is being set up the same way.

The propaganda that “Communism is dead” is a tactic of the Communist program plot to deceive the world. Dmitrii Z. Manuilsii, an instructor of Communist programming, explained:

War to the hilt between communism and capital-ism is inevitable. Today, of course, we are not strong [154] enough to attack. Our time will come in thirty or forty years. To win, we shall need the element of surprise. The Western world will need to be put to sleep. So we shall begin by launching the most spectacular peace movement on record. There shall be electrifying overtures and unheard of concessions. The capitalist countries, stupid and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate to their own destruction. They will leap at another chance to be friends. As soon as their guard is down, we shall smash them with our clenched fist. (Lenin School of Political Warfare, Moscow, 1930, Congressional Record, May 31, 1955, p. A3764)

The Communist Party has changed their name but their program is still the same. Information continues to come out, even from the Soviet Union itself. The Associated Press reported a few years ago:

 

Zhirinovsky Party has KGB Roots,

St. Petersburg Mayor Claims

Moscow–A top politician claims he has proof that extremist Vladimir Zhirinovsky is a former KGB officer whose party was created by the secret police.

St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak said Zhirinovsky’s Liberal Democratic Party was set up in 1989 as a toothless alternative to the Communist Party. * * *

“I have trustworthy facts, known to only a handful of people today, concerning the origin of Zhirinovsky’s party,” Sobchak said in Wednesday’s edition of the weekly Literaturnaya Gazeta. (The Associated Press, Jan. 12, 1994)

And from Gorbachev:

Comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about glasnost and perestroika and democracy in the coming years. These are primarily for outward [155] consumption. There will be no significant internal change within the Soviet Union other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep. (Mikhail Gorbachev, Nov. 1987 address to the Soviet Politburo)

He knew that Americans would never accept Communism under that name, but they would accept its programs in little parts and pieces until they had finally built a Communist order without realizing it. That is what is happening in America today!

Karl Marx wrote out ten planks for his Communist program, and interestingly these ten objectives have been incorporated into our own American culture through different laws and agencies of our own federal government. Notice how closely they parallel each other:

 

1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rent to public purpose.

The 14th Amendment of the US. Constitution (1868), and various zoning, school and property taxes. Also the Bureau of Land Management.

 

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

Misapplication of the 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, 1913, The Social Security Act of 1936; Joint House Resolution 192 of 1933; and various State “income” taxes. We call it “paying your fair share.”

 

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

We call it Federal & State Estate Tax (1916); or reformed Probate Laws, and limited inheritance via arbitrary inheritance tax statutes.

 

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

We call it government seizures, tax liens, Public “law” 99-570 (1986); Executive order 11490, sections 1205, 2002 which gives private land to the Department [156] of Urban Development; the imprisonment of “terrorists” and those who speak out or write against the “government” (1997 Crime/Terrorist Bill); or the IRS confiscation of property without due process.

 

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.

We call it the Federal Reserve which is a credit/debit system nationally organized by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. All local banks are members of the federal system, and are regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

 

6. Centralization of the means of communication and transportation in the hands of the State.

We call it the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated through the ICC Act of 1887, the Commissions Act of 1934, The Interstate Commerce Commission established in 1938, The Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and Executive Orders 11490, 10999, as well as state mandated driver’s licenses and Department of Transportation regulations.

 

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

We call it corporate capacity, The Desert Entry Act and The Department of Agriculture. As well as the Department of Commerce and Labor, Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Mines, National Park Service, and the IRS control of business through corporate regulations.

 

[157]

8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

We call it the Social Security Administration and The Department of Labor. The National debt and inflation caused by the communal bank has caused the need for a two “income” family. Women in the workplace since the 1920’s, the 19th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, assorted Socialist Unions, affirmative action, the Federal Public Works Program, and of course Executive Order 11000.

 

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country by a more equitable distribution of the population over the country.

We call it the Planning Reorganization Act of 1949, zoning (Title 17 1910-1990) and Super Corporate Farms, as well as Executive Orders 11647, 11731 (ten regions) and public “law” 89-136.

 

10. Free education for all children in government schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.

People are being taxed to support what we call “public” schools, which train the young to work for the communal debt system. We also call it the Department of Education, the NEA, and Outcome Based “Education.”

Communist leaders have lined up our government agencies like ducks in a pond ready for the hunter to blast them out of the water.

. . . They have infiltrated every conceivable sphere of activity: youth groups; radio, television, and motion picture industries; church, school, educational and cultural groups; the press; national minority groups [158] and civil and political units. . . . (None Dare Call It Conspiracy, John Stormer, back cover statement)

We are at war with a hidden, faceless enemy. They know all about us, but we seem to know little about them, nor do we seem to care. Our political and religious leaders tell us that “all is well,” but we are being led carefully down to destruction.

Most of our leaders have betrayed the American people. They appear to be such devoted and honest men, but inside they are conspirators, murderers, and hypocrites. As Jesus described:

. . . for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matt. 23:27-28)

It is said that a nation does not get better leaders than they deserve. This speaks very disparagingly for Americans.

 

10. UNITED NATIONS

 

(picture of U.N.)

 

[159] There is a popular concept today about having a great world power that would bring all nations into a state of peace and prosperity for all. What would be wrong with that? Nothing, except we would need to know who’s in charge and what would be the required price and sacrifice for this kind of peace?

Jesus prophesied concerning the last days that “kingdom would be against kingdom.” Apparently there will be at least two kingdoms or powers that will be struggling to make the world a better place to live. The main difference, however, is that one will be under God’s direction and the other will not.

The principal international power that we hear so much about today is the United Nations “peace keeping” force. In this section we shall investigate its origin and organization.

“Our last best hope for peace” is the central theme upon which the United Nations defends itself. Over 90% of its speeches, magazine articles and books are couched in this cliche. If it is true, then we have nothing to worry about because it already has more power and jurisdiction than the United States Government. If it is not true, we are in big trouble.

Peace is of two basic kinds: (1) freedom and liberty, or merely (2) the absence of war. The latter kind of peace can be found in prison camps. The poor millions of souls who have suffered hunger, prison and slavery are not at war, and their captors would call it very peaceful.

The history of the Marxist, socialist dominions includes blood and brute force. To have these internationalist one-worlders on a peace-keeping mission is like having the Mafia supervise the prevention of crime.

 

[160] The United Nations Declaration and the Soviet Constitution are very similar–in some places being word for word. The basic concept embodied in both is that the government has full responsibility for the welfare of the people. The only stipulation is that the government must have total control over the people. But a government cannot guarantee everyone a loaf of bread unless everyone bakes a loaf of bread. The government cannot give anything except what it steals from the people. As Benjamin Franklin said, “An empty bag cannot stand upright.”

The Constitution of both the United Nations and the Soviet Union are based on the rights given to the people by the government. The government would give them those rights only if it thinks it is proper. American government was designed to be the reverse: the government had only those rights granted to it by the people. The American Constitution and the Bill of Rights do not have any statement or inference that the federal government has any power to grant the people their rights, privileges, or benefits. The basis of these documents is a restriction of the federal government describing what it cannot do. It projects the idea that God, not the government, is the source of man’s rights, and that “all men are . . . endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable [cannot be taken away] rights. . . .” The Constitution was ordained and established to secure liberties, not grant them. It is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. People control government, not the reverse. The Federal Government had no powers granted to it which were not given by the Constitution.

In 1945 the Russians printed a pamphlet entitled, “The United Nations” which explained what functions they had in mind for them. It stated that the U.N. is supposed to do away with war, but it cannot be abolished until imperialism or capitalism is first abolished. They figured that the UN would eventually bring about the amalgamation of all nations into a single Soviet system.

 

[161]                         (picture of U.N.)

 

The San Francisco conference ended June 26, 1945. This photo shows the delegates as they unanimously adopt the United Nations Charter. Secretary of State Stettinius, at the rostrum, became the chief United States representative to the U.N. The secretary-general of the conference, Alger Hiss, is standing to the left of the speakers’ area.

 

[162] Dr. Marek Korowicz, a member of the UN delegation from Communist Poland and a defector in 1953, told the House Committee on Un-American Activities that they were indoctrinated strongly with a Russian master plan:

The organization of the UN is considered as one of the most important platforms for Soviet propaganda in the world. The UN organization offers a parliamentary platform to the Soviet politicians, and from this platform, they may preach to the populations of the entire world and do their subversive propaganda. (Hearings, 9/24/53, p. 2596)

Most Americans have never heard about the UN Under Secretary General for Political and Security Council Affairs, but it is probably the most important office in the UN. He has three areas of responsibility:

 

1. Control of all military and police functions of the United Nations peace-keeping forces.
2. Supervision of all disarmament moves on the part of member nations.
3. Control of all atomic energy ultimately entrusted to the United Nations for peaceful and “other” purposes. (Fearful Master, Griffin, p. 85)

Those who have held that position have always been from Russia or one of its satellite nations.

The wonderful phrases attributed to the UN, such as peace, security, world brotherhood, and international cooperation, have all been fronts. Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev have all supported one program for the world. Stalin summarized how their ultimate goal of global conquest would occur:

 

[163]

1. Confuse, disorganize and destroy the forces of capitalism around the world.
2. Bring all nations together into a single world system of economy.
3. Force the advanced countries to pour prolonged financial aid into the underdeveloped countries.
4. Divide the world into regional groups as a transitional stage to total world government. Populations will more readily abandon their national loyalties to a vague regional loyalty than they will for a world authority. Later, the regionals (such as the present NATO, SEATO, and the Organization of American States) can be brought all the way into a single world dictatorship of the proletariat. (“Marxism and the National Question,” in Fearful Master, Griffin, p. 68)

George Bush has perhaps pushed the United Nations theme more than any other government official. He has promoted a world order standing army, a secret service, and an international bureaucracy for the U.N. He once stated, “The army of tomorrow is not the U.S. Army. . . . Peace will be secured by UN forces patrolling the turbulent globe.” (“Spotlight” adv. broad sheet)

Professor Demares Robinson, a young scholar at Harvard University, said:

Bush thinks launching military expeditions under the UN flag makes it unnecessary to consult Congress, the voters or any other constitutional authority. It is a clear demonstration of how such an international constabulary will destroy our Constitutional system, our legal order, and ultimately our national identity. (Ibid.)

 

[164] Harry Dexter White, Lauchlin Currie, and Alger Hiss helped formulate a policy for the United States regarding the United Nations. All were subversives and held top positions in government. Hiss and Currie were aids to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Karl Marx once said that they would make the Americans pay for their own burial. The United States directly pays one-third of all UN costs. But indirectly, through voluntary contributions and foreign aid to other countries, we pay almost the entire cost of running the United Nations.

The Kremlin masterminded the whole project of the UN as being a peace-keeping system, but what they had in mind was a Trojan Horse built right in the largest city in America (New York) to spy, steal and spread propaganda. They have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

The United Nations is the grand delusion, the epitome of all follies, and is winning the greatest victory that ever came from any battle. America has bought and paid for the poison for its own suicide.

The United Nations is the great monument to a one-world Soviet power. It is the colossal masterpiece of deception. It is the great image which Daniel saw representing the nations of the world. It is the–

. . . great whore that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. * * * And upon her forehead was a name written, “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. (Rev. 17:1,2,5)

 

[165] In 1950 the State Department published a volume with the names of those who were the key figures in planning and creating the United Nations. They listed the names of 18 Americans, all of whom were identified later as Soviet agents and among them was Alger Hiss. In 1944 this man was given a job with the “Office of Special Political Affairs” in charge of post-war planning. In spite of FBI and other reports of his Communist affairs, he was promoted to director of that office. He later traveled with FDR to Yalta as his State Department advisor. At Yalta the decision was made to give the Soviets three votes in the UN to one for the United States.

Harold Glasser, a Communist agent, worked in the Treasury Department as Director of Monetary Research. He was the Treasury spokesman on the affairs of the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, which was the UN’s first give-away program of American money. He also supervised the 494 people on the UN’s initial staff.

In Senate investigations Senator Eastland, chairman of the Senate Investigation Committee of Communist infiltration in government agencies, made the following statement at the conclusion of those hearings:

I am appalled at the extensive evidence indicating that there is today in the UN among the American employees there, the greatest concentration of Communists that this Committee has ever encountered. Those American officials who have been called represent a substantial percentage of the people who are representing us in the UN. . . . These people occupy high positions. They have very high salaries and almost all of these people have, in the past, been employees in the U.S. government in high and sensitive positions. I believe that the evidence shows that the security officers of our government knew, or at least had reason to know, that these people have been [166] Communists for many years. In fact, some of these people have been the subject of charges before Congress before and during their employment with the UN. It is more than strange that such a condition existed in the government of the U.S., and it is certainly more than strange that these people should be transferred to the UN and charged to the American quota. (“Activities of U.S. Citizens Employed by the UN,” (1952), pp. 407-408)

1. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, stated that between 70% and 80% of all the iron curtain diplomats through the UN are on “some type of espionage assignment.” (Los Angeles Herald-Express, Oct. 18, 1960) For a long time there was a weekly and monthly report of spies from the UN being caught for espionage. These people were well trained and dedicated to the Soviet system. But when they were caught, they claimed “diplomatic immunity” and were set free. By simply flashing their UN badges, they became immune from the law.

Agents of Russia, Czechoslovakia and Poland, as employees of a world organization, face little or no surveillance of the type Americans face in Communist countries. They can talk to anyone. They can communicate with Moscow by secret radio code; they can travel back and forth between New York and their home capitals freely, carrying secret documents with immunity. They are even free from arrest for minor crimes. And, if one is caught red-handed with secret U.S. documents, as was Velentin Gubitchev in the Judith Coplon case, he can count on merely being sent home, his passage paid by the UN. (Congressional Record, Congressman Fred Busbey, Aug. 3, 1953)

There are 113 member nations in the United Nations. Over half have a combined population of less than the United States. There are 56 nations whose population is less than the city of Detroit. One delegate from Africa failed to attend a meeting because he got into trouble for eating his mother-in-law.

 

[167] The Soviet Union has violated every treaty it every entered into, except for those which were beneficial to itself. It has murdered more people, violated more rights, and benefited fewer people than any other nation. It is the greatest peace-destroying nation in the world. In 1953 the UN was asked to discuss the rise of slave labor in the USSR. The council would not discuss the matter and removed it from the agenda. When Red China murdered 50,000 Buddhists in Tibet, the UN said nothing. When China killed nearly 40 million of its own people, the UN said nothing. Yet its charter advocates “respect for fundamental human rights.”

1. B. Matthews, a former chief investigator for the House Committee on Un-American Activities, said:

I challenge the illusion that the UN is an instrument of peace. . . . It could not be less of a cruel hoax if it had been organized in Hell for the sole purpose of aiding and abetting the destruction of the United States. (The Fearful Master, Griffin, p. 158)

Representative James B. Utt introduced Bill H.R. 9567 to the House of Representatives on January 10, 1962. It provided for withdrawal of the United States from the UN and all UN agencies. He claimed that if we did not get out of the United Nations–

You can expect to see a one-world government, communist controlled, under the United Nations. You will see the United Nations run up astronomical debts which we, under the terms of the treaty, are bound to pay. (Ibid.)

He gave many reasons for this, one of which he quoted from the writings of William Z. Foster in his book Toward a Soviet America:

 

[168]

The final aim of the Communist international is to overthrow world capitalism and replace it by world communism. . . . the Communist Party of the United States . . . is the American section of the Communist international. The Communist international carries out a united revolution program on a world scale. . . .

The American Soviet government will be organized along the broad lines of the Russian Soviets. . . . Under the dictatorship, all the capitalist parties–Republican, Democratic, Progressive, Socialist, etc.,–will be liquidated. . . . Likewise, will be dissolved all other organizations–including chambers of commerce, employers’ associations, Rotary Clubs, American Legion, YMCA, and such fraternal orders as the Masons, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, etc. Lawyers will be abolished.

The press, the motion pictures, the radio, the theater, will be taken over by the Government. . . .

Studies will be revolutionized, being cleansed of religious, patriotic and other features of the bourgeois ideology. . . .

Citizenship is restricted to those who do useful work, capitalists, landlords, clericals and other non-producers being disfranchised. . . . (as quoted in Dan Smoot Report, Jan. 29, 1962)

Trygve Lie, longtime Secretary General of the UN, stated flatly that there was a secret agreement between Alger Hiss and Molotov to the effect that the head of the UN military staff should always be a communist. That agreement has never been broken, and we have had a succession of communists filling that post.

This Korean War was the first war in which we engaged, not as the United States military force, but as a UN force, although we contributed 90% of the men and money. (See picture on following page.)

 

[169]                       (picture of soldiers)

Three American boys who lost their lives in Korea are buried in foreign soil while the UN flag flutters over them in place of their own Old Glory.

 

[170] How convenient for the communists to have one of their own men as head of the UN military staff, who reviewed all orders going from the Pentagon to General MacArthur and gave them to our enemy before General MacArthur even received them!

United Nations–Leaders of the Security Council nations were in New York today for their first summit, ready to place the United Nations at the center of a new world order and forge a common policy on peacemaking and arms control. . . .

The gathering of leaders of the 15 Security Council nations marks the first time since the founding of the world organization in 1945 that the council, the most powerful U.N. body, has convened at the highest level. (A.P., The Birmingham News, Jan. 31, 1992)

This United Nations force is not too different from the same forces that were achieved by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and mainland China. It is an historical record that millions of innocent people have died by that kind of peacemaking force.

Since these powerful governments claim they want to bring peace, we should first understand that there are two kings of peace. After all, the devil can make heaven sound like hell and hell sound like heaven. Paul Harvey gave an illustration of one kind of “peace” and “security” that we may be able to recognize:

Have you ever been so tired of your hustling, rushing, hectic society that you just wanted to get away to some little island where you didn’t have to worry about all the daily problems? On that little island there would be no need to worry about obtaining food or clothing or housing. There were no unions, salesmen, telephones or business problems to keep you awake at night. It would be a little island where you didn’t have to work, struggle with bills, [171] taxes, nor business competition. There were no worries about paying for utilities, insurance, doctors, dentists, nor car repairs. Doesn’t it sound like paradise? He went on to say that there was just such an island–it was called Alcatraz! It had a wonderful security system, and everything was taken care of for you. The only cost for living there was one’s liberty! (Kingdom of God, Vol. 1, Kraut, pp. 73-74)

Life on an island without another person around you could be called “ultimate freedom,” but living on the island of Alcatraz would be called “ultimate security.” When a government seeks to exercise total control over its citizens, there is this same “ultimate security.” This was the same condition that existed under the Socialist systems of the Nazis, Soviets, and Chinese. It is the same socialist system promoted by the New World Order.

 

11. THE NEW WORLD ORDER

Throughout the history of the world, renegades and tyrants have overtaken communities, cities, and even nations in their quest for power and the right to rule. A pitiful display of destruction and death has been left in their wake. As the Prophet Joseph Smith said:

The greatest acts of the mighty men have been to depopulate nations and to overthrow kingdoms; and whilst they have exalted themselves and become glorious, it has been at the expense of the lives of the innocent, the blood of the oppressed, the moans of the widow, and the tears of the orphan. (TPJS, p. 248)

And now in our generation another even more massive attempt is being made to become a world power with control over all people. It is called a “New World Order,” but from all appearances it is a duplicate and expansion of the Old World Orders. Don McAlvany gave the following definition:

 

[172]

And what is the New World Order? It is a world government under the United Nations that envisions (according to its Establishment sponsors) a one-world banking system and currency, which eventually is to give way to a cashless computerized financial system; one-world (centralized) control of the global population. * * *

The New World Order envisions global controls of the world’s environment, economy, and of all world trade (both domestic and international); and a one-world, global army (i.e., a United Nations army called by the Establishment, the New World Army) which is designed to incorporate all the major armies of the world into a global police force to enforce the New World Order’s will internationally and within the domestic borders of the various countries. (McAlvany Intelligence Report, Aug. 1994)

This plot and the plan for a world conquest was devised over 150 years ago, and it has never deviated from the long-range goal. They have carried out their plans with accurate timing and have made great accomplishments in a relatively short time. After the Russian revolution, the plan of Marx and Lenin became exposed. John Stormer described their plan:

After only seven years at the head of the world’s first communist state, Lenin died in 1924. Before he died, he formulated a plan for world domination. Summarized and paraphrased, Lenin’s plan stated:

First, we will take eastern Europe, then the masses of Asia, then we will encircle the United States which will be the last bastian of capitalism. We will not have to attack. It will fall like an overripe fruit into our hands. (None Dare Call It Treason, John Stormer, p. 26)

The planners of this Soviet Socialist system have followed through with their objectives on schedule. It has been necessary for them to operate in secret or their objectives would be [173] overthrown. Outwardly they speak of it philosophically as a perfect system of economic and social order, claiming that it would be a utopia and solve all the world’s problems.

Margaret Thatcher noted that many politicians promise to create a “utopia” if put into power, but they never keep their promises:

The obvious example is the Soviet Union. That was the alleged utopia; everything fixed, everything organized, everything the same. At no point, however, did the Russian people ever believe that they were living in utopia. But eventually the Soviet Union itself did the world one great service. For most people in the West, it became a symbol of how awful and how destructive utopian politics can be. When asked how many political prisoners were in the USSR, Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky said that there were 280 million. He was right, of course; everyone in that country was a political prisoner. (The Missoulian, May 9, 1999, p. A6)

Our modern liberalism has replaced the American constitutional government with a democratic centralism, very similar to that of the Soviet Union. Since our Federal Government was converted into a centralized power, it has gained a virtual monopoly over business, religion and personal rights.

The objectives of this system have shown up in many different programs, books, and organizations. It has even shown up in our money system. For example, on the one dollar bill can be seen a pyramid with an all-seeing eye, which is a Masonic symbol. Around the pyramid is written in Latin, “Annuit Coeptis Novus Ordo Seclorum,” which means:

 

[174]

Annuit: announcing            )

Coeptis: conception            )                               Announcing the conception

Novus: new                           )                               of a new secret [world] order

Ordo: order                           )

Seclorum: secret  )

 

(picture of pyramid and all-seeing eye)

In 1918, after World War I, a group started a program called World Fellowship, Inc., which is one of the oldest world-government organizations. It became known as the “League of Neighbors.” It continued to flourish and gather power until January 30, 1942. As a birthday present to President Franklin Roosevelt, it was presented as a Joint Resolution to Congress:

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Congress of the United States of America does hereby solemnly declare that all peoples of the earth should now be united in a commonwealth of nations to be known as the United Nations of the World, and to that end it hereby gives to the President of the United States of America all the needed authority and powers of every kind and description, [175] without limitations of any kind that are necessary in his sole and absolute discretion to set up and create the Federation of the World, a world peace government under the title of the “United Nations of the World,” including its constitution and personnel and all other matters needed or appertaining thereto to the end that all nations of the world may by voluntary action become a part thereof under the same terms and conditions. (Invisible Government, Dan Smoot, p. 116)

The communists and internationalists have worked hard for this world government, and so have many liberal Americans and their organizations. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has unitedly supported this “submergence of U.S. sovereignty and national independence” to this World Order. However, this New World Order did not dupe the communists, the State Department, nor other insiders, because they were the ones doing the duping.

CFR member, James Warburg, told a U.S. Senate Committee, “We shall have world government whether or not we like it . . . by consent or by conquest.” In other words, we are going to have peace if we have to kill everybody to get it. This means that freedom and liberty have nothing to do with this New World Order. They proved that in Russia and China.

In an October 1, 1990, speech to the UN General Assembly, President Bush said: “The United Nations can help bring about a new day . . . a new world order, and a long era of peace.” (A New World Order, J. F. McManus, p. 1) Gorbachev, in addressing the UN, also sang the same song: “Further world progress is only possible through a search for universal human consensus as we move forward to a new world order.” The Soviets know that it will be their New World Order. But sad to say, it is the same government to which George Bush was willing to concede! John McManus adds, “Yet, no matter how deftly [176] anyone tries to dance around what it means, world government will lead to the cancellation of national sovereignty and the subjection of all individual rights and freedoms to its desires.” (Ibid., p. 1)

Communist leaders all support this “New World Order” and have added that it eventually would come forth as a “Soviet System.” And why not? They have been the planners, supporters, and power behind it. This world order was the final conspiratorial design of Adam Weishaupt in Bavaria on May 1, 1776. The Soviet nation celebrates May 1st as their most revered holiday.

Former President Bush, a member of the highly secret cult, “Skull and Bones Brotherhood,” located in New Haven, Connecticut, has been conditioning the American people for a “New World Order” ever since 1990. He has used it over 200 times. He also has membership in the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations, which places him high in a socialist, world-wide, and occult status. He has also served on the powerful secret Bilderberger group in Europe. This little club, in connection with the Rothschilds, holds the purse strings of the world economy.

The United States has been gradually moving toward this One World Order in a very careful and systematic way. It is interesting to trace its history from 1910 to 1990:

 

1910–The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was formed. They promoted a one-world government.

1912–Edward Mandel House published “Philip Dru promoting a world socialism as dreamed of by Karl Marx.”

1913–Woodrow Wilson in his book The New Freedom wrote: “Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are [177] afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.”

1917–United States entered the First World War. The establishment of the League of Nations for a world government is proposed by Pres. Woodrow Wilson.

1918–William Boyce Thompson (Federal Reserve Bank Director) said, “Russia is pointing the way to great and sweeping world changes. It is not in Russia alone that the old order is passing. There is a lot of the old order in America, and that is going, too. I’m glad it is so.”

1919–Arthur Calhoun wrote A Social History of the American Family, saying that the modern individual is a world citizen, served by the world, and home interests can no longer be supreme.

Col. House arranged a meeting to form the Institute of International Affairs, supporting a world government.

1920–Congress voted a second time against the one-world government of the League of Nations.

1922–Philip Kerr, writing for the CFR magazine Foreign Affairs wrote, Obviously there is going to be no peace or prosperity for mankind as long as the earth remains divided into 50 or 60 independent states. . . . The real problem today is that of the world government.

1928–H. G. Wells wrote, The Open Conspiracy, which said, “The character of the Open Conspiracy will now be plainly displayed. It will be a world religion. Attempting to swallow up the entire population of the world and become the new human community.”

1931–Communists wrote that “we shall start to spread the most theatrical peace movement the world has ever seen. The capitalist countries, stupid and decadent, will fall into the trap offered by the possibility of making new friends. [178] Our day will come. The bourgeoise must be lulled into a feeling of security.”

1932–F. S. Marving wrote a book, The New World Order, and described the League of Nations as the first attempt at a New World Order, and says “Nationality must rank below the claims of mankind as a whole.” Aldous Huxley wrote his book, A Brave New World.

1933–John Dewey, philosopher, wrote Humanist Manifesto, calling for a socializing of religions and economics.

1934–Alice Bailey, the occultist, wrote The Externalization of the Hierarchy stating that “of all existing culture and civilization, the new world order must be built.” It was published by Lucis Trust, formerly Lucifer Publishing Co.

Willard Givens in his “Executive Secrecy of the National Education Association,” wrote that “the three R’s are falling far behind the transition to a new social order.”

1939–Hermann Rauschning wrote Hitler Speaks saying, “National Socialism will use its own revolution for the establishing of a new world order.”

Secretary of State John Foster Dulles proposed that “America leads the transition to a new order.”

Lionel Curtis wrote the 985-page book, World Order.

1940–H. G. Wells wrote The New World Order, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published another book with the same title.

1941–A book called The City of Man was published stating, “Universal peace can be founded only on the unity of man under one law and one government.

1945–October 24th, the UN Charter became effective.

1946–Alger Hiss, a Communist, was elected President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

1947–A group called American Education Fellowship addressed teachers of the nation calling for “the establishment of a genuine world order, an order in which national sovereignty is subordinate to the world authority.” Another group [179] called United World Federalists called for a world federal government.

1948–“Preliminary Draft of a World Constitution” was publish-ed, calling upon nations to surrender their arms to the world government and establishing the right for this “Federal Republic of the World” to seize private property for federal use.

1949–George Orwell published his classic work called 1984, in which the fact that “Big Brother is watching” is portrayed.

July 26th, U.S. Senators sponsored Resolution 56 calling for the United Nations to be restructured as a world federation.

1950–Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee introduced Resolution 66 to consider a separate convention, a world order.

1952–Secretary of State John Foster Dulles said that “treaty laws can over-ride the Constitution.”

1954–The powerful and rich Bilderbergers group was formed.

1959–The CFR called for a New International Order in their “Study No. 7.”

James Warburg published The West in Crisis saying, “We are living in a perilous period of transition from the era of the fully sovereign nation-state to the era of world government.”

1960–The Institute of International Order published a book advocating that an international intelligence network be developed which could recruit and train competent secret agents to find any resistance.

1961–The State Department issued a plan to disarm all nations and arm the U.N.

1962–The Future of Federalism by Nelson Rockefeller claimed a new world order was needed, as the old order was crumbling, and there was “a new world order struggling to be born . . . led vigorously toward the true building of a new world order.”

[180]

1967–Richard Nixon called for a New World Order, and Robert Kennedy called for a “new world society.”

1968–Richard Gardner, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, called for an end to national sovereignty, using terms like “The Hard Road to World Order.” U.S. Disarmament Agency said, “The ultimate goal is the total elimination of all armed forces and armaments, . . . but to furnish the United Nations with peace forces.”

1969–George Bush introduced the Atlantic Union Resolution which included “a declaration that the goal of their people is to transform their present alliance into a federal union.”

1970–The January issue of War/Peace Report had an article called, “Thinking About a New World Order for the Decade 1990.”

1972–President Nixon visited China, and said, “. . . the hope that each of us has to build a new world order.”

1973–David Rockefeller organized a new private group called “The Trilateral Commission.”

Humanist Manifesto II is published saying, “The dawn of a new age and secular society on a planetary scale will begin with humans not God, nature not deity . . . a system of world law and a world order based on trans-national federal government.”

1974–Douglas Roche at the World Conference of Religion for Peace called for a New World Order.

1975–New York Times editor said, “President Ford and Brezhnev should forget the past and work together for a new world order.”

Thirty-two Senators and 92 Representatives of Congress signed “A Declaration of Interdependence,” which stated, “We must bring forth a new world order.”

1979–President Jimmy Carter appointed New World Order proponents into key positions.

The book The Third Try at World Order was published. It called for “complete disarmament” except for [181] international soldiers.

Barry Goldwater published his autobiography With No Apologies, revealing the true purpose of the powerful Trilateral Commission being to establish a world order.

1980–The United Nations planned for a New International Economic Order.

1983–The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow is published by Constance Cumbey, exposing the depth of the New Age Movement and its intent to bring about a New World Order.

1985–“Human Events” quoted Norman Cousins as saying that World Government is inevitable.

1986–An international meeting promoted New World Order and a plea to replace the International Monetary fund and assume the debt of the Third World countries.

1987–Gorbachev called for all to move “forward to a new world order.”

1989–In his address to a graduating class in Texas, President Bush invited Soviets to join the World Order.

1990–In an address at Stanford University Gorbachev referred to a new world and said, “The Soviet Union and the United States have more than enough reasons to be partners in building it.”

The New World Order would mean the death of the United States as we know it. We would have no individual states, counties, or territories. There would not even be individualist rights. All business and capital would be owned by the government. Everyone’s time, talent, and means would be under the supervision of “The State.”

“One Worlders” are opposed to freedom of religion and other freedoms granted by the Constitution. Attorney General Jan Reno revealed this in a television interview about five years ago:

 

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A cultist is one who has a strong belief in the Bible and the Second Coming of Christ; who frequently attends Bible studies; who has a high level of financial giving to a Christian cause; who home schools for their children; who has accumulated survival foods and has a strong belief in the Second Amendment; and who distrusts big government. Any of these may qualify [a person as a cultist] but certainly more than one [of these] would cause us to look at this person as a threat, and his family as being in a risk situation that qualified for government interference. (Att. Gen. Jan Reno, Interview on 60 Minutes, June 16, 1994)

About 200 years ago Thomas Jefferson warned us of the dangers incumbent in a strong central government:

. . . when all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government or another, and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated. (Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson, Edward Boykin, pp. 105-106)

Samuel Foster (perhaps an alias) served in the military in Desert Storm and Panama, and came upon some secret information in government circles. He was called to a meeting at Fort Mead and was asked to join a unit which would report directly to FEMA in the event of national disaster. He wrote: “Did we discuss earthquakes, tornadoes, or flooding? Not on your life. I was let in on the following plan:”

 

1. Establish a network of prisons to deal with the estimated twenty million Americans who will not go along with the New America. This new country will no longer resemble the USA we all grew up in. It will be a dictatorship with institutionalized and mandated slave labor.

[183]

2. Schools will no longer teach actual history. The schools of the future will mainly be warehouses for the young. They will teach the party system: that family is dead, and that work is good. Discovering this point made me so violently ill I became incontinent.
3. Voting will be suspended. Many of us already know that the American vote is a sham. Officers above the rank of Major are well aware of who gives the orders in this country. Not the White House, but the CIA. The White House and its changing occupants are merely the visible servants of something much darker, and the President’s sole purpose is to create laws which lower real income, create war states, and keep the military machine running with ever-expanding budgets. I know. I was there at many meetings where foreign policy was dictated by four-star generals.
4. Gun owners will have their guns taken, by force if necessary, before many of the plan’s points are made operational.
5. The enforcers of the plan will be NATO and UN forces working in cooperation with the US military and headed by the product from the intel groups and FEMA.
6. Use the lists compiled by the FBI and NSA and round up all those men and women who have ever showed any inkling whatsoever in the constitutional or civil rights. This especially includes gun-owners and religious persons.
7. Using lists obtained from grocery stores and banks, individuals with income spent in stockpiling of goods will also be rounded up and their property absconded.
8. The teachings of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam will be considered anti-American. Pastors, preachers, and holy men and women are to be rounded up for “re-education.”

[184]

9. The establishment of work colonies and the takeover of the media by the Pentagon.
10. Free trade of stocks will be frozen and the assets of many individuals outright taken away.
11. The creation of mass crematoriums in Arizona, Texas, and Washington. The dead will no longer be buried, but will be sent to a place where they will be “cleansed.”
12. The creation of a national police force with complete power. This point, as with many others, has already occurred and the force is now 80% operational. (internet article)

What he is saying is nothing new. It has been and still continues to be a program outlined and put into effect by many countries today. We saw it in Germany, Russia, and China, and they plan to eventually use it in America.

Willing or not, ready or not, we are all involved…. The competition is about who will establish the first one-world system of government that has ever existed in the society of nations. It is about who will hold and wield the dual power of authority and control over each of us as individuals and over all of us together as a community . . . .

Our way of life as individuals and as citizens of the nations; our families and our jobs; our trade and commerce and money; our educational systems and our religions and our cultures; even the badges of our national identity, which most of us have always taken for granted–all will have been powerfully and radically altered forever. No one can be exempted from its effects. No sector of our lives will remain untouched. (The Keys of the Blood, Malachi Martin, p. 15)

 

[185]                      (horn of plenty picture)

The “Great Horn of Plenty” and the “American Dream” have become a delusion and nightmare. There was a time when Americans could own a home and the head of the house could provide a living for the family. Now it takes both the husband and the wife to scrape out a living. It is a land where half the population pays interest to the International Bankers towards the American debt. Under the New World Order, American citizens would be reduced to common slavery.

In the past 50 years an invisible government has promoted policies, laws, and programs that have turned the American government into a weak compromising subject of other nations. It has destroyed individualism and our national economy, and has caused an environment where crime has exploded in the last ten years. This creates a situation to make it easier for the youth to accept the one world order system, thinking that it is a sort [186] of welfare program. These international leaders create social problems and then submit socialism as the solution. They are brilliant, power-hungry men who believe the masses are unable to govern themselves, and they will thus set up a great world dictatorship which will give them power to control the world.

 

12. THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

Psychologists admit that besides our basic physical needs of air, food, water, warmth, shelter and safety, we also need affection, love, and family, and some type of spiritual belief and experience. This latter one is perhaps one of the most important emotional needs, but is also the most dangerous.

Throughout history there has been a wide variety of practices and beliefs–all in the name of religion: long pilgrimages, tormenting fasts, self tortures, blood sacrifices, and murder and wars. From those tarnished pages of the past come today’s religious experiences as a reflection from yesterday. Each sunrise and sunset display different colors and varying shades.

The spirit of the New Age is not really a new spirit. This same spirit was evident in the days of Jesus and also in the days of Moses, to whom the Lord said:

When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God. (Deut. 18:9-13)

 

[187] From among the many diversified religious beliefs and fantasies comes a modern New Age concept of spiritualism. On the surface, it promotes some good teachings, but let’s peal back the shiny facade and see what’s hidden inside.

From a guidebook to the New Age religion, published by Sweet Forever Publishing Company, the authors lead investigators into this modern/ancient religion which is meant to supplant all other religions. They wrote:

So what is the fuss about the new age? Is it more than just the latest wind-blown religion, with its advocates wearing crystals instead of crucifixes; meditating to minimalist music instead of gospel hymns or gregorian chants; or awed by channeled entities rather than gurus, fiery evangelists or shaven-headed monks? Encounter groups, psychoanalysis, saying the rosary, za-zen, getting saved, confession, expression, passover, downunder, being here now, being there then–it all begins to blur. Meet the new fashion, same as the old fashion, just dressed in different clothes.

If that is all there is to the new age, then we would not be experiencing the growing rumblings of excitement and anticipation; the universal sightings of mythic visions; or the common releases of our old tools and texts, to leave them where they lay, and to set off in startling unison for new horizons. The signs all point to an increasingly inescapable conclusion: all of us, humanity and the earth, are on the verge of a quantum leap into a new eon of our civilization. (A New Age Guide, pp. 9-10)

It is true that we are on the “verge of a quantum leap,” but from what we have learned from the prophets, it would be a leap down rather than up. Will we be rowing a boat while the plane takes off? By playing around with things like spiritualism we will lose sight of the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nephi said, “because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.” (1 Nephi 17:41)

 

[188] The term “New Age” sounds like some type of positive progression from an “Old Age.” The very words have an appeal for people to learn what it really is. Surely everyone wants to advance to a better era of peace, prosperity, and achievement. Does this New Age movement provide this? Is it a society or religion that encompasses new scientific discoveries? Is it some new kind of mystical phenomenon?

From the experts in that field it is a combination of many things, i.e., a religion, philosophy, channeling spirits, mediums, crystals, and inventions. The subjects become acquainted with a “higher state of consciousness,” some of whom experience “overwhelming luminosity” or a “captivating radiance” in their spirit. They have an “Ascension Chamber” which helps induce spirits and spiritual experiences, some of which, however, are filled with doom and horror. Some followers have had out-of-body experiences or unusual healings, psychic readings, and occult manifestations. Some claim they were of God, while others have abandoned the whole program saying it was of the devil.

Many people are attracted to the New Age movement because it gives them a “spiritual” experience, something that our scientific age has failed to provide. People get wrapped up in everyday work schedules, trying to keep up with the cost of living, and not paying much attention to the faint voice of religion. They look to this New Age movement to give them a spiritual boost.

But there is a problem with religions who claim spiritual experiences. Are they really from God? The Prophet Joseph Smith explained:

There always did, in every age, seem to be a lack of intelligence pertaining to this subject. Spirits of all kinds have been manifested, in every age, and almost [189] among all people. If we go among the pagans, they have their spirits; the Mohammedans, the Jews, the Christians, the Indians–all have their spirits, all have a supernatural agency, and all contend that their spirits are of God. Who shall solve the mystery? “Try the spirits,” says John, but who is to do it? The learned, the eloquent, the philosopher, the sage, the divine–all are ignorant. * * *

One great evil is that men are ignorant of the nature of spirits; their power, laws, government, intelligence, etc., and imagine that when there is anything like power, revelation, or vision manifested, that it must be of God. Hence the Methodists, Presbyterians, and others frequently possess a spirit that will cause them to lie down, and during its operation, animation is frequently entirely suspended; they consider it to be the power of God, and a glorious manifestation from God–a manifestation of what? Is there any intelligence communicated? Are the curtains of heaven withdrawn, or the purposes of God developed? (TPJS, pp. 203-204)

So, of what good is a spiritual experience if the subject doesn’t know the purpose or gain some knowledge therefrom? Interpretation and understanding must accompany it or else it is all a sideshow. The Prophet Joseph continued:

Because they have not a key to unlock, no rule wherewith to measure, and no criterion whereby they can test it. Could anyone tell the length, breadth or height of a building without a rule? Test the quality of metals without a criterion, or point out the movements of the planetary systems, without a knowledge of astronomy? Certainly not; and if such ignorance as this is manifested about a spirit of this kind, who can describe an angel of light? * * *

We answer that no man can do this without the Priesthood, and having a knowledge of the laws by which spirits are governed; for as no man knows the things of God, but by the Spirit of God, . . . (TPJS, pp. 204-205)

 

[190] This is an important and valid guide for Mormons. But what of all other Christians who are becoming influenced by this New Age movement? It has gathered members from all walks of life, and all levels of intellect.

Broader than reform, deeper than revolution, this benign conspiracy for a new human agenda has triggered the most rapid cultural realignment in history. This great shuddering irrevocable shift over-taking us is not a new political, religious, philosophical system. It is a new mind–the ascendance of a new world view.

This network–the Aquarian Conspiracy–has already enlisted the minds, hearts, and resources of some of our most advanced thinkers, including Nobel laureate scientists, philosophers, statesmen, celebrities, and steadily growing numbers from every corner of American society. . . . (The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980’s, p. 23)

This new movement is not confined to America alone, but has expanded all over the world. Dave Hunt in his book, America: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, commented on the growth of this New Age movement:

Today’s world confronts a strange and growing paradox that could very well mark a pivotal point in human history. Even as the scientific and technological advancement which ushered in the space age is accelerating at an exponential rate, we are witnessing far and away the greatest occult explosion of all time. (America: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Dave Hunt, p. 9)

This rapidly expanding New Age religion is promoted in seminars, classes and printed materials. It is a successful missionary program whose converts take up sensitivity training, mind or thought control, New Age Music, and Peruvian [191] whistling vessels. They are encouraged to experience a state of trance, mind altering drugs, past life regressions, guided imagery, unfamiliar spirits, and out-of-body episodes.

As has been said, this New Age occult religion can be very dangerous. Those who enter into its sacred temples of doom sooner or later learn what doom is. People are mesmerized because of some manifestation, and thinking it is from God, they become more and more deceived.

The New Agers, not realizing the dangers involved, are becoming more and more implicated in experimentation with meditation–self hypnosis and electronic devices that bring about altered states of consciousness. They are attending seminars and classes on mind control courses, in which they learn how to attain these self-hypnosis, (so-called meditation) techniques.

Mind control is an essential component in the preparation for the New World Order. The occult principle behind this is labeled “The law of Rebirth.” This is different from what Jesus called “Being Born Again.” * * *

New Agers often receive what they believe to be experiences of overpowering beauty and glory. Because of the immensity of the happening, they assume they have come in contact with the Lord. * * *

Some clergymen are involved in the New Age psycho technologies. They, and all others doing so, ignore clear Bible doctrine, and are receiving some of the end-time deception. (Annalee Skarin’s Mis-Translation, Gloria Love, pp. 91-92)

We should be aware of the terminology, definitions, and explanations that are being used by New Age promoters. Some are even similar to Biblical passages. They are not new but have been here since the beginning of time. New Age has given radically different meanings to Biblical terms, however, which resemble doctrines of Lucifer more than teachings of God.

 

[192]

God: An impersonal energy force, eminent in all things. To the New Age, “God” can be referred to either as she or he, mother or father, God or Goddess. Most New Age teachings hold that mother earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars–indeed all of nature–can be worshipped as “God.”

Christ: A reincarnated avatar, Messiah, or messenger sent from the hierarchy of angels to give the living on earth spiritually advanced revelation. The New Age contends that Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Jesus, and many others were “Christ,” but many contend that one greater than all of them will soon come to usher in the New Age. To the true Christian, this coming New Age “Christ” is in fact the anti-Christ.

Angels: There are various levels of angels who are frequently called ascended masters, masters of wisdom, ancient masters, spirit guides, inner guides, spirit counselors, one’s higher self, the self super-being, the Christ within, aeons, muses, or walk-ins collectively called the “Hierarchy,” such as St. Germain. Which-ever term is used, the discerning Christians will recognize these shadowy entities not as angels of God, but as demons, even though they may appear as angels of light.

Born Again (Rebirth): Personal and planetary transformation and healing. The point at which a New Age believer “lets go” and now allows his higher self or inner guide (demons) to take possession of the body, to guide and direct his life. Some New Agers describe this as Kundalini, a Hindu term which means “serpent power.” A moment of instant rebirth when the recipient is said to be transformed by a flash of light, receiving the benefit of higher consciousness as well as great spiritual awareness and wisdom. Such rebirth is said to convey “Christ consciousness” in the individual.

The Second Coming: The New Age assigns this term to two phases, each of which destroys and [193] subverts the true meaning of the Second Coming of Jesus, the Christ, as prophesied in the Bible and Book of Mormon.

First, it is claimed that at the Second Coming a New Age believer achieves “Christ consciousness,” an exalted mystical, higher state in which he is spiritually transformed into a divine being. This phase also can mean the appearance on earth of the New Age Messiah, or Christ, and his hierarchy of demons from the Spirit World.

 

Heaven and the Kingdom of God: The terms heaven and Kingdom of God are often indistinguishable to the New Ager. Each refers to a spiritually cleansed and purified earth in which mankind has achieved “Christ Consciousness” and has become akin to Godhood or as a God. The New Age or Aquarian Age is expected to be the era when heaven and the Kingdom of God are realized on earth. The reincarnated “Christ” (the anti-Christ) is to reign over the New Age Kingdom, bringing in a one-world religion and consolidating all nations into one monolithic government.

Hell: This, as used throughout the New Agers, has a double meaning. One, where you as sinners will be cast if you are not a born again Christian. The New Agers at the same time deny the existence of hell and a judgment. They also deny that sin and evil exist. God is alleged to be beyond good and evil, neither of which is a relevant term to the New Ager. Thirdly, evil is simply an illusion. The belief in reincarnation and karma reinforces the New Age rejection of the reality of hell, strengthening the false teachings that man is inevitably evolving into Godhood.

(“The Latter-day False Messiahs,” in Ye Remnant of Israel, Earnest Tietjen, vol. 4, pp. 239-241)

John Anderson was Helias, high priest of a Los Angeles occult group called the Blood Order. In their meetings he conducted candlelight ceremonies and rituals. But he eventually [194] realized the terrible dangers of this New Age program and exposed it for what it really is.

He described the trickery behind New Age miracles–he walked on hot coals, stopped his heart, and provided psychic readings for Hollywood celebrities and elite. He explains why he is now on a mission to expose charlatans, such as Helias, as frauds and denounce their agenda to recruit new members from the ranks of the homeless, the depressed, and the lonely. (Psychic Phenomena Unveiled, back cover)

When Professor Norman Geisler of Liberty University read John’s book, he stated, “This is one of the most revealing, sensible, and Biblical treatments of the deceptive tactics of the New Age.” (Ibid.)

John Anderson had spent many years promoting the New Age religion on television and radio shows. When asked questions about New Age beliefs, he did not hesitate in responding–and some of his revealing answers are quoted here:

Satan or the Devil–Satan does not exist except in the minds of people who feel there is something out there that is trying to get them, something they must fear.

Jesus Christ–Christ was a man, the same as you and I and anyone else. He said, “I am the Son of God,” but He didn’t say He was the only Son of God, and our question is, “Whose son are you?”

God–I’m sure you’ve all heard the statement, he or she is a “God-fearing” man or woman. Our question is this, how can you love something you fear? Respect, I can understand. Our interpretation of God, or the creative force, or the creative power is everything that is, was or ever will be. There is nothing out there that is going to harm you. Everything comes from within, it [195] is totally within; it doesn’t come from out there somewhere.

Faith–We do not have a philosophy which is based on blind faith. Our philosophy is based on knowing from within. We do not believe that you have to have faith and believe in something in order for it to happen. Our way is through the world of the psychic and this is through knowing the inner feelings. There is not just one way that is right or wrong.

Authority of the Scriptures–“We do not teach from any one book or any number of books,” I answered to a question as to whether I taught that the Bible was the Word of God. “Because we do not feel that any one book or volume of books has the answer for everyone.”

Heaven and Hell–The question of the after-life was also approached, and I was ready with this one; I felt the after-life was my specialty: Heaven and Hell are both self-imposed. There is no place here or anywhere else where you will burn . . . or where you will be tortured. The only Hell is that which is self-imposed through the things that you do to other people. Heaven is a state of mind, a state of being, of knowing, of relaxing, of being able to live and being able to handle your daily life.

Salvation and the Gospel–This is where our philosophy differs from a lot of philosophies, because there is no one way. * * * No one can save you from anything. From what? From ourselves? Our philosophical research has brought us to the understanding where we see there are many ways for people to come to their own realization that they are responsible, that no one is any better or worse than anyone else. We do not feel that our way is the only way, or even a better way, it is merely another way.

(Psychic Phenomena Unveiled, John Anderson, pp. 158-159)

 

[196] Author Jimmy Dale describes another doctrine that is popular with the New Agers. Regarding reincarnation, he wrote:

As you already know, we must visit the Earth or other Earthly environments many times in our pursuit of knowing and accepting our oneness with God. When we have experienced all the planet has to offer, we can go on to other planets that are more highly developed. Christ is an example of a more highly developed spirit that has gone on to other realms or planets. * * *

Evolution is a very real and necessary part of the illusion of life as well as the spiritual reality. All religions also teach the brotherhood of man, and yet that hurdle of acceptance demands our return to Earth time after time. (The New Age Philosophy Before Yesterday and After Tomorrow, Jimmy Dale, pp. 24 & 30)

Reincarnation has many names, but they all mean being born many times on this earth and/or other worlds. Some reasons for this belief, with appropriate responses, are–

 

1. We are all born at different times–in different circumstances, with different characteristics and talents.

This overlooks the fact of pre-existence as taught in Mormonism.

 

2. It teaches that we must be born many times to increase our knowledge and experience.

This overlooks the fact that no matter how many times we are born, we have still forgotten what we would have learned before. Because of this, we could be born 1,000 times and make the same mistakes 1,000 times all over again.

 

3. We must learn all things by experience and must be born again and again to achieve that knowledge and experience.

[197]

This overlooks the fact that it is the spirit that learns, not the body; therefore, many mortalities are not necessary because spirits learned in the spirit world.

 

4. Reincarnation teaches that we are born several times.

The scriptures teach us that it is given for us to be born only once.

 

5. It teaches us that we can be born many times into many bodies.

This denies the scriptural doctrine of the resurrection.

 

6. It teaches that we must go through these re-births to overcome all of our faults.

This denies the atonement of Jesus Christ.

 

7. It denies the doctrines of eternal marriage, ordinances for the dead, and exaltation.

Joseph Smith said the doctrine of reincarnation “was of the devil.” (TPJS, p. 105)

When John Anderson was actively promoting New Age philosophies, he took this reincarnation teaching to new and higher levels. He had an artist friend that could paint pictures of people as they had lived in some previous life.

It was time to add the new twist to my past life readings. I contacted my artist friend and told him it was time to go into action. Now I could provide my clients with a service they would not be getting from any other psychic: not only with the reading they’d sought, but also a picture, a tangible reminder of the body their soul had inhabited five centuries ago.

The scheme was a great success. The organizer of the fair was aware of what my readings were going to include and offered an office away from the other psychics who were stationed throughout a large room. Pete had produced an example, which he placed on an [198] easel outside the office door. He had drawn two faces, one labeled “Present,” the other, “Past.” The appearance of the two faces were entirely different; it was a good indication of how it was possible that, in a past life, a person could have appeared in a body very unlike the one their soul inhabits today.

Pete’s work perfectly complemented mine. He executed the portraits quickly and with close adherence to my descriptions. As the crowd at the fair grew, more and more people were lining up for a past-life reading and portrait. I wondered if the word was getting around, then realized the portraits were serving as the best form of advertising we could ever hope for. (Psychic Phenomena Unveiled, Anderson, p. 157)

New Agers are taught to have such a universal love for everyone and everything that soon their philosophy becomes a practice of “free love.” At this point their conscience will bite or else they will ignore it and be led to destruction, as John Anderson realized:

Although no one knows these things, I believe I was inches from losing everything–my life, my soul, everything. The deep, dark pit of deception loomed before me. I was fortunate. I was able to turn away from the chasm. (Ibid., p. 166)

John Anderson was one of the most popular figures in the New Age world, living a high style life among movie stars and other famous people. However, he finally grew weary of the whole sham and became interested in Christianity. He saw the fallacy of the New Age and fortunately got out of it before it was too late.

New Age doctrines appeal to the mind, their music to the senses, and the occult to the spirit. They refer to their religion as “technology” and lead Christians to believe in a one-world religion of humanism. John Ankerberg and John Weldon [199] commented on the ultimate potential danger of the New Age philosophy because their literature indicates that all other religions must be converted, silenced, or removed. The New Age religion, or the “Aquarian Golden Age,” portrays a “Planetary Purification” process or “holy duty” to “purify” all opposition. Yet, in their publications they talk so highly of achieving great love.

Let me tell you what the New Age Movement is really like, from the perspective of one who has lived it, breathed it, and worshipped it for 15 years. Essentially, it is a Satan-controlled, modern-day mass revival of occult-based philosophies and practices in both obvious and cleverly disguised forms. In effect, it is an end-times “plague of the spirit” propagating the “powerful delusion that they should believe the lie.” It is nothing more than the glittering seductive broad road leading to eventual destruction. * * *

To many people’s surprise, New Age philosophy and practices have crept into the very fabric of American society in both subtle and profound ways. The magnitude and momentum of this movement is to such an extent that it poses one of the fastest-growing threats to Christianity today, especially in the years ahead as the end times unfold. (Inside the New Age Nightmare, Randall Baer, p. 79)

 

Most religious people claim they are influenced by spiritual forces. The important thing is determining their source. Joseph Smith warned:

Nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they think they have the Spirit of God. (TPJS, p. 205)

Without discernment to know one spirit from another and the power to overthrow wrong influences, a person can be at the mercy of some foul influence without knowing it. What is worse [200] is not to have the power to dispel it even if the evil spirit was discerned. The Prophet again explained:

It would seem also, that wicked spirits have their bounds, limits, and laws by which they are governed or controlled, and know their future destiny; hence, those that were in the maniac said to our Savior, “Art thou come to torment us before the time,” . . . and it is very evident that they possess a power that none but those who have the Priesthood can control…. (TPJS, p. 208)

The New Age religion of the New World Order is merely a justification to commit evil. It does not believe in good or bad, right or wrong, and there are no victims because there is no crime. Rape, robbery, drugs, free sex, and even murder can be justified by this world religion. It is not a future condition–but a stark reality of today.

This New Age philosophy is a religion that is not only popular, but very dangerous. Its followers think that all other religions are inferior and must be reduced or even eliminated because they are a detriment to the advancement of this New World Order. Randall N. Baer, a top New Age leader who later turned to Christianity, wrote an expose of the New Agers and their plans. In his book Inside the New Age Nightmare, he wrote:

By being able to self-righteously justify various types of killing, New Age philosophy opens the doors to potential logical Nazi extremes. Using its rein-carnation- and karma-based philosophy, the New Age readily and easily can justify such acts as abortion, euthanasia, racial sterilization, and even murder. ***

New Age literature is filled with obvious and implicit targeting of specific types of people who resist the “New World Order,” and uses “enlightened and compassionate” reasoning to justify the “purification” process. Using reincarnation-based logic, the “cleans-[201]ing” process is said to be merely re-locating these laggard souls into other incarnations in less evolved worlds. The horrifying gas chambers of the Holocaust were a crude and obvious forerunner of a much slicker, glossier plan to round up dissidents and take them to “re-education centers of love and peace.” * * *

. . . those who oppose the coming “New World Order”–remaining Christians, Jews and any others who resist–are by definition of a “lower vibratory rate,” and thereby are blocking the fullness of the New Age from happening. All resisters are seen as an anchor that holds the planet down so that it is not yet of a sufficient “higher vibratory rate” for the golden Aquarian Age to fully dawn. Therefore, all those “ignorant, evolutionarily inferior souls of a lower vibratory rate must be compassionately transferred to another world of their own choosing that fits their lower spiritual level.” * * *

In essence, there is a time in the New Age agenda where it is a “holy duty” to “purify all oppositional elements that are holding back the fullness of the New World Order.” When enlightened philosophy can justify mass murder as a holy duty, therein lies a gruesome danger. My bone marrow chills at the thought of smiling-faced New Agers, who have succumbed to the Anti-Christ’s “powerful delusion” lovingly embracing those whom they are rounding up to send off to the “re-education centers.”

“It’ll be great.” They will say, “You’ll receive so much more love and light than you can possibly imagine. You’ll find peace there, and you’ll go with your own brethren to your very own `new world.'” (Inside the New Age Nightmare, Baer, pp. 166, 169, 170)

Not long ago, the author of this book, Randall Baer, spoke at a New Age gathering and ended it with his testimony of Jesus Christ. Afterwards he left to go home but never made it. Two days later they found his body alongside his wrecked car–but mysteriously there were no skid marks. Although he had multiple cuts and wounds, there was no blood. His briefcase had [202] been broken open and ransacked. He died on the day his book went on sale.

The Order’s decades-long drive to induce men to believe in the New Age religion has been supremely successful. This conspiracy has grown so huge that on December 31, 1988, it is estimated that 875 million New Age believers around the globe participated in the colossal event called World Healing Day. Master-minded by the Planetary Commission, an international New Age networking group, . . . (Millennium, Texe Marrs, p. 225)

The “leading lights” at the top of this New Age conspiracy do not reveal the complete message even to their own elite members. As the queen bee of the hive draws worker bees into the scheme without their knowing why, so are individuals led by some mystical spirit into the New Age movement and the New World Order. The plan is to cross-pollinate each other, and the multitudes of followers are the victims. It is the modern deception of inter-breeding of government and religion under the powers of the occult. Paul described our day, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:13)

 

 

[203]                               Part 3

 

WHAT IS PROPHESIED FOR AMERICA?

Death, Destruction, Disaster

In 1630, near Massachusetts, a little band of Pilgrims gathered together on the deck of their little ship, Arabella, and gazed in anticipation upon the shores of America. John Winthrop spoke to them:

We shall be a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world. (BYU Magazine, Aug. 1996, p. 18)

Yet through the following 370 years, many Americans have forgotten the God that led the Pilgrims to this land and that made this nation great. How unfortunate that we have received so much from His hand and yet have returned so little respect and gratitude. The Lord once 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)

America’s sins and abominations have continually come up before His face, and the cup of His wrath is full. He is coming out of His hiding place and His retribution is beginning. He never fails to pour out judgments when the people are wicked. America cannot escape her fate. According to the words of the Lord Himself, our destiny is clear.

 

[204] This chapter on what has been prophesied for America is a compilation of quotes (not indented, but in quotes) that have been divided into the three following sections:

 

1. What has the Lord said?
2. What has Joseph Smith said?
3. What have other leaders said?

 

1. WHAT HAS THE LORD SAID?

“And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off. Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots, And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers; Thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands; And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.

And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.” (III Nephi 21:12-18, 21)

“Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh; And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.” (D & C 1:12-13)

 

[205] “For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out from time to time, if they repent not, until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants thereof are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming.” (D & C 5:19)

“But it is they who do not fear me, neither keep my commandments but build up churches unto themselves to get gain, yea, and all those that do wickedly and build up the kingdom of the devil–yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that it is they that I will disturb, and cause to tremble and shake to the center.” (D & C 10:56)

“And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth. And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent; for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not.

Wherefore, I the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the earth, which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon them; And their tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter against me; and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes from their sockets; And it shall come to pass that the beasts of the forest and the fowls of the air shall devour them up.

And the great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall be cast down by devouring fire, according as it is spoken by the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet, who spoke of these things, which have not come to pass but surely must, as I live, for abominations shall not reign. * * *

For they love darkness rather than light, and their deeds are evil, and they receive their wages of whom they list to obey.” (D & C 29:16-21, 45)

 

[206] “And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds.” (D & C 33:4)

“For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble. But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked.” (D & C 34:7-9)

“For all flesh is corrupted before me; and the powers of darkness prevail upon the earth, among the children of men, in the presence of all the hosts of heaven–Which causeth silence to reign, and all eternity is pained, and the angels are waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned; and, behold, the enemy is combined.” (D & C 38:11-12)

“And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.

And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel; But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 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. But my disciples shall [207] stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.

And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another.” (D & C 45:26-33)

“And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke. And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven. * * *

Ye hear of wars in foreign lands; but, behold, I say unto you, they are nigh, even at your doors, and not many years hence ye shall hear of wars in your own lands.” (D & C 45:41-42, 63)

“Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters. Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters.” (D & C 61:14-15)

“I, the Lord, am angry with the wicked; I am holding my spirit from the inhabitants of the earth. I have sworn in my wrath, and decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked, and fear shall come upon every man.” (D & C 63:32-33)

“And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin. And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me. for whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin. * * *

For I, the Almighty, have laid my hands upon the nations, to scourge them for their wickedness. And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be taken from the earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in righteousness.” (D & C 84:49-51, 96-97)

 

[208] “And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations.” (D & C 87:6)

“For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree.

And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.” (D & C 88:87-91)

“Mine indignation is soon to be poured out without measure upon all nations; and this will I do when the cup of their iniquity is full.” (D & C 101:11)

“The Lord who shall suddenly come to his temple; the Lord who shall come down upon the world with a curse to judgment; yea, upon all the nations that forget God, and upon all the ungodly among you. For he shall make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of their God.” (D & C 133:2-3)

 

[209] “Thy brethren have rejected you and your testimony, even the nation that has driven you out; And now cometh the day of their calamity, even the days of sorrow, like a woman that is taken in travail; and their sorrow shall be great unless they speedily repent, yea, very speedily. For they killed the prophets, and them that were sent unto them; and they have shed innocent blood, which crieth from the ground against them.” (D & C 136:34-36)

“I have already revealed my will concerning this nation through the mouth of my servant Joseph, who sealed his testimony with his own blood, which testimony has been in force upon all the world from the hour of his death.

What I the Lord have revealed in that testament and decreed upon this nation and upon all the nations of the earth, shall be fulfilled, saith the Lord of hosts. I the Lord have spoken and will be obeyed. My purposes shall be fulfilled upon this nation and no power shall stay My hand. The hour is at the door when My wrath and indignation will be poured out upon the wicked of this nation.

Their murders, blasphemies, lying, whoredoms, and abominations have come up before my face and before the heavens, and the wrath of my indignation is full. I have decreed plagues to go forth and waste my enemies, and not many years hence they shall not be left to pollute my heritage.

The devil is ruling over his kingdom and my spirit has no place in the hearts of the rulers of this nation, and the devil stirs them up to defy my power and to make war upon my Saints. ***

This nation is ripened in iniquity and the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full and I will not stay my hand in judgments upon this nation or the nations of the earth. I have decreed wars and judgments upon the wicked and my wrath and indignation are about to be poured out upon them and the wicked and rebellious shall know that I am God. ***

[210] And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed, and with famine and plagues and earthquakes and the thunder of heaven and the vivid lightnings shall this nation and the nations of the earth be made to feel the chastening hand of an Almighty God until they are broken up and destroyed and wasted away from under heaven, and no power can stay my hand. Therefore, let the wicked tremble; let them that blaspheme my name hold their lips, for destruction will swiftly overtake them. ***

The blood of my servants Joseph and Hyrum and of mine Apostles and Elders which has been shed for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, cries from the ground for vengeance upon the nation which has shed their blood. But their blood shall speedily be avenged and shall cease to cry unto me, for the hour of God’s judgment is fully come and shall be poured out without measure upon the wicked.” (Revelation to Wilford Woodruff, Jan. 26, 1880, Sunset, Arizona)

“For after this testimony and the rejection thereof, I will sweep the earth of evil doers, as with the besom of destruction; *** And I will come out of my hiding place and vex the nations of the earth because of their iniquities, their misrule, their tyranny, their oppression, their corruption, their murders, their adulteries and fornications and all their abominations.” (Revelation to John Taylor, June 27, 1882)

“Your enemies seek your destruction and the destruction of My people. *** I, the Lord, will hold the courts, with the officers of government and the nation responsible for their acts towards the inhabitants of Zion. *** Those revelations contain the judgments of God which are to be poured out upon all nations under the heavens, which include Great Babylon. These judgments are at the door. They will be fulfilled as God lives.” (Revelation to John Taylor, Nov. 24, 1889)

 

[211]

1. WHAT HAS JOSEPH SMITH SAID?

“I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God of Israel anguish and wrath and tribulation and the withdrawing of the Spirit of God from the earth await this generation, until they are visited with utter desolation. This generation is as corrupt as the generation of the Jews that crucified Christ; and if he were here today, and should preach the same doctrine He did then, they would put him to death.” (DHC 6:58)

“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.” (TPJS, p. 17; also DHC 1:315)

“I saw men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother murdering brother, women killing their own daughters, and daughters seeking the lives of their mothers. I saw armies arrayed against armies. I saw blood, desolation, fires. The Son of Man has said that the mother shall be against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother. These things are at our doors. * * * How long you will have good crops, and the famine be kept off, I do not know; when the fig tree leaves, know then that the summer is nigh at hand.” (TPJS, p. 161)

“Joseph Smith once said, on the stand in Nauvoo, Ill., `That if the Government of the United States did not redress the wrongs of the Mormon people inflicted upon them in the State of Missouri, the whole nation should be distracted by mobs from one end to the other; and that they would have mobs to the full, and to their hearts’ content.'” (Orson Hyde, Mill. Star, May 3, 1862, vol. 24, No. 18)

 

[212] “I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd [piece of broken pottery] left.” (TPJS, p. 302) “The time will come when the banks in every nation will fail, and only two places will be safe where the people can deposit their gold and treasure. These places will be with the White Horse and England’s vaults.” (The White Horse Prophecy, O. Kraut, p. 21)

“A terrible revolution will take place in the land of America, such as has never been seen before, for the land will be literally left without a supreme government, and every species of wickedness will run rampant; it will be so terrible that father will be against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother. The most terrible scenes of murder and bloodshed and rapine that have ever been looked upon will take place.” (Ibid., p. 21)

“While the terrible revolution of which mention has been made is going on, England will be neutral until it becomes so inhuman that she will interfere to stop the shedding of blood. England and France will then unite together and come with intention to make peace, not to subdue the nation. They will find the nation so broken up and so many claiming government, still there will be no responsible government. Then it will appear to the other nations or powers as though England had taken possession of the country.

The Black Horse will flee to the invaders and will join with them, for they will have fear of becoming slaves again, knowing England does not believe in slavery, fleeing to them, they believed would make them safe. Armed with British bayonets, the doings of the Black Horse will be terrible.” (Ibid., pp. 22-3)

 

[213] “At this point he [Joseph Smith] made a pause, and looking up as though the vision was still in view, he said, `There is a land beyond the Rocky Mountains that will be invaded by the heathen Chinese, unless great care and protection are given. Speaking of the heathen, where there is no law there is no condemnation; this will apply to them.'” (Ibid., p. 24)

“The Prophet stood in his own house when he told several of us of the night the visions of heaven were opened to him, in which he saw the American continent drenched in blood, and he saw nation rising up against nation. He also saw the father shed the blood of the son, and the son the blood of the father; the mother put to death the daughter, and the daughter the mother; and natural affection forsook the hearts of the wicked.” (Jedediah Grant, JD 2:147)

“(quoting Joseph Smith) The United States will spend her strength and means warring in foreign lands until other nations will say, `Let’s divide up the lands of the United States,’ then the people of the U.S. will unite and swear by the blood of their forefathers, that the land shall not be divided. Then the country will go to war, and they will fight until one half of the U.S. army will give up, and the rest will continue to struggle. They will keep on until they are very ragged and discouraged, and almost ready to give up. . . .” (Mosiah Hancock Journal, Pioneer Press, p. 19)

“Joseph said that if they succeeded in taking his life, which they did, war and confusion would come upon the nation, and they would destroy each other, and there would be mob upon mob from one end of the country to the other.” (Brigham Young, JD 10:255)

“My brother, Noah Packard, says that he heard the Prophet Joseph say that the next great (U.S. civil) war after the war of the rebellion (the Civil War of the 1860’s between the [214] North and the South) would commence in a little town now called Chicago, but at that time it would have grown to be a very large city. And another brother told me that the Prophet said that the cause of the next great trouble of the United States would be the depreciation of the currency of the United States. I believe I have given you all the facts in as short and concise manner as possible.” (Letter of Nephi Packard to A. Milton Musser, dated July 24, 1895, A. Milton Musser Papers, LDS Church Archives)

 

1. WHAT HAVE OTHER LEADERS SAID?

 

George Washington

The “Father of America,” George Washington, devoted his whole soul, his fortune, and total efforts to winning the Revolutionary War. He constantly appealed to heaven for guidance and help and was given a vision of America’s destiny–part of which pertained to our time:

“And again I heard the mysterious voice say, `Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia and Africa. Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene: From each of these countries arose thick, black clouds that were soon joined into one. And throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men, who moved with the cloud, marching by land and sailing by sea to America, which country was enveloped in the volume of the cloud. And I dimly saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and burn the villages, towns, and cities that I had beheld springing up. As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of swords, and shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I again heard the mysterious voice. . . . (Visions of the Latter Days, Pioneer Press, p. 44)

 

[215]

Brigham Young

“The nation that kills the prophets of God in any age must expect to reap cursings instead of blessings, unless it speedily repent. Judgment must begin at the house of God first, and we are perfectly willing it should. I told General Kane that the Government of the United States would be shivered to pieces.” (JD 12:119)

“God has come out of his hiding-place, and has commenced to vex the nation that has rejected us, and he will vex it with a sore vexation. It will not be patched up–it never can come together again–but it will be sifted with a sieve of vanity, and in a short time it will be like water spilled on the ground, and like chaff upon the summer threshing-floor, until those wicked stewards are cut off.” (JD 8:324)

“All we have yet heard and all we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the Elders ceases to be given and the Lord says to them, “Come home; I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth,” all you now know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction. What matters the destruction of a few railroad cars? You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations, and nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands; and they will destroy each other, caring not for the blood and lives of their neighbors, of their families, or for their own lives. They will be like the Jaredites who preceded the Nephites [216] upon this continent, and will destroy each other to the last man, through the anger that the Devil will place in their hearts, because they have rejected the words of life and are given over to Satan to do whatever he listeth to do with them.

You may think that the little you hear of now is grievous; yet the faithful of God’s people will see days that will cause them to close their eyes because of the sorrow that will come upon the wicked nations. The hearts of the faithful will be filled with pain and anguish for them.” (JD 8:123)

 

Parley P. Pratt

“But this [the restoration of the earth] will never be done until there is a general destruction poured out upon man, which will entirely cleanse the earth, and sweep all wickedness from its face. This will be done by the rod of his mouth, and by the breath of his lips; or, in other words, by fire as universal as the flood.” (Voice of Warning, Pratt, 10th ed., p. 145)

 

John Taylor

“But I tell you today the end is not yet. You will see worse things than that, for God will lay his hand upon this nation, and they will feel it more terribly than ever they have done before; there will be more bloodshed, more ruin, more devastation than ever they have seen before.” (JD 20:318)

 

Wilford Woodruff

“When I contemplate the condition of our nation, and see that wickedness and abominations are increasing, so much so that the whole heavens groan and weep over the abominations of this nation and the nations of the earth, I ask myself the question, can the American nation escape? The answer comes, [217] No; its destruction, as well as the destruction of the world, is sure; just as sure as the Lord cut off and destroyed the two great and prosperous nations that once inhabited this continent of North and South America because of their wickedness, so will he them destroy, and sooner or later they will reap the fruits of their own wicked acts, and be numbered among the past.

I cannot help it; I would to God they would repent, that their eyes might be opened to see their condition; but the devil has power over them; he rules the children of men, he holds Babylon in his own hand, and leads the people whithersoever he will. There are changes awaiting us, they are even nigh at our very doors, and I know it by the revelations of Jesus Christ; I know it by the visions of heaven, I know it by the administrations of angels, and I know it by the inspiration of heaven, that is given to all men who seek the Lord; and the hand of God will not stay these things. We have no time to lose.” (JD 21:301)

“Our nation was under no condemnation in this respect until the light came and they heard the Gospel, rejected it, and cast out the saints from their midst, slaying their leaders and depriving thousands of the Latter-day Saints who were American citizens, of every blessing, right, and privilege guaranteed unto them by the constitution and the laws of the United States.” (JD 6:117)

 

Heber C. Kimball

“He [Joseph Smith] was a Prophet of God, and they cannot help themselves. They slew him, and that nation has got to smart for it, and it will be as much as the Saints can do to gather out of it. If they stay there, they will not gather from there; it is necessary to gather the wheat, and put it into the barn; if it is left out, the storms will come and actually waste or destroy it.” (JD 1:208)

 

[218] “The President of this nation and his brethren in office, with all the rulers and all the priests, have sanctioned the destruction of this people. Yes, the President and all his co-adjutors have sanctioned our death as much as if they had taken our lives, and they are a blood-thirsty nation. They have killed our Prophets, Patriarchs and Apostles, and they have slain, or caused to fall, thousands–yea, thousands of our brethren and sisters, our wives, our fathers, and our mothers; and they shall see the same fulfilled upon themselves, and it shall be measured to them double for all they have dealt out unto us.” (JD 5:218)

“You know that salt will not save meat when it has lost its saving principles, and it is just so with us; when a man sins to that degree that he rejects the truth and the principles of righteousness, he is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. So it will be eventually in the United States. After the truth is all gathered out, you will find that the rest will be destroyed. I do not mean that the land will be destroyed, but I refer to the wicked inhabitants, and the earth will be emptied, according to the words of the Prophet.” (JD 6:185)

 

Orson Pratt

“What then will be the condition of that people, when this great and terrible war shall come? It will be very different from the war between the North and the South. Do you wish me to describe it? I will do so. It will be a war of neighborhood against neighborhood, city against city, town against town, country against country, state against state, and they will go forth destroying and being destroyed, and manufacturing will, in a great measure, cease, for a time, among the American nation. Why? Because in these terrible wars, they will not be privileged to manufacture, there will be too much bloodshed–too much mobocracy–too much going forth in bands and destroying and [219] pillaging the land to suffer people to pursue any local vocation with any degree of safety. What will become of millions of the farmers upon the land? They will leave their farms and they will remain uncultivated, and they will flee before the ravaging armies from place to place; and thus will they go forth burning and pillaging the whole country; and that great and powerful nation, now consisting of some forty millions of people, will be wasted away, unless they repent. Now these are predictions you may record. You may let them sink down into your hearts.” (JD 20:151)

 

Jedediah M. Grant

“It is no matter how much they deal in compromised measures, or how often they try to adjust difficulties that thicken around them–it is a stern fact that the people of the United States have shed the blood of the Prophets, driven out the Saints of God, rejected the Priesthood, and set at naught the holy Gospel; and the result of rejecting the Gospel has been, in every age, a visitation from the chastening hand of the Almighty–which chastisement will be administered in proportion to the magnitude and enormity of their crimes.

Consequently I look for the Lord to use His whip on the refractory son called “Uncle Sam;” I expect to see him chastised among the first of the nations. I think Uncle Sam is one of the Lord’s boys that He will take the rod to first, and make him dance nimbly to his own tune of “Oh! Oh!!” for his transgressions, for his high mindedness and loftiness, for his evil, for rejecting the Gospel, and causing the earth to drink the blood of the Saints–for this, I say, I expect he will be well switched among the first of the sons.” (JD 2:148)

 

Moses Thatcher

“I have seen the end of this nation and it is terrible. . . . I will tell you in the name of the Lord that a secret band will sap [220] the life of this nation.” (Franklin Ward Historical Record, Franklin, Idaho, June 16, 1882, LDS Church Archives)

 

Millennial Star

“The populace will be divided into innumerable factions, and blood, carnage and woe will be rampant among them, filling the hearts of the more peacefully disposed with fear and dismay. Many may laugh at such a prediction, but, unless the people repent, it will come as surely as night follows day. Weakened and powerless from internal broils and disturbances, the nation will become a prey to the remnants left of the aboriginal inhabitants, who will be filled with vengeful rage at the wrongs that have been perpetrated upon them and furiously spread destruction in every direction.” (Sept. 1880, p. 584)

 

1. H. Roberts

“I should have been pleased, could time possibly have been had, to present to you the full indictment, the indictment that is being made against the United States for the lawlessness of its people, the increase of crime during the last twenty years especially, and especially those crimes of violence that end in murder, in its various degrees. In these higher crimes the United States of America is the most criminal nation on earth today.” (Imp. Era 26:164-65; 1925-26)

 

Book of Mormon

“Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, 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 the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal [221] God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.” (Ether 8:23)

 

Charles D. Evans (LDS Patriarch, Springville, Utah) (dream or vision)

“`But,’ continued the messenger, `thou beholdest a change. Confidence is lost, wealth is arrayed against labor, labor against wealth, yet the land abounds in plenty of food and raiment, and silver and gold in abundance. Thou seest also the letters written by a Jew have wrought a great confusion in the finance of the nation; which together with the policy of many wealthy ones, have produced distress and do produce further sorrows.’

Factions now sprang up as if by magic. Capital had entrenched itself against labor throughout the land; labor had organized against capital. The voice of the wise sought to tranquilize these two powerful factors in vain. Excited multitudes ran wildly about, strikes increased, lawlessness sought the place of the regular government. At this juncture, I saw a banner floating in air whereon was written the words, `Bankruptcy, Famine, Floods, Fire, Cyclones, Blood, Plagues.’ Mad with rage, men and women rushed upon each other. Blood flowed down the streets of cities like water. The demon of hate had enthroned itself on the citadel of reason; the thirst for blood was more intense than that of the parched tongue for water. Thousands of bodies lay untombed in the streets. Men and women fell dead from the terror inspired by fear. This was but the precursor of the bloody work of the morrow. All around lay the mournfulness of a past in ruins. Monuments erected to perpetuate the names of the noble and brave men, were ruthlessly destroyed by combustibles.

A voice now sounded aloud these words, `Yet once again I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. And this word yet once again signifies the removing of things that are shaken, as [222] of things that are made; that those things that cannot be shaken may remain.’

Earthquakes rent the earth in vast chasms, which engulfed multitudes; terrible groanings and wailings filled the air; the shrieks of the suffering were indescribably awful. Water wildly rushed in from the tumultuous ocean whose very roaring under the mad rage of the fierce cyclone, was unendurable to the ear. Cities were swept away in an instant, missiles were hurled through the atmosphere at a terrible velocity and people were carried upward only to descend an unrecognizable mass. Islands appeared where ocean waves once tossed the gigantic steamer. In other parts, voluminous flames emanating from vast fires, rolled with fearful velocity, destroying life and property in their destructive course.

The seal of the dread menace of despair was stamped on every human visage. Men fell exhausted, appalled and trembling. Every element of agitated nature seemed a demon of wrathful fury. Dense clouds, blacker than midnight, obscured the sunlight with a thunder that reverberated with intonations which shook the earth. Darkness reigned unrivaled and supreme.” (Contributor 15:638-640)

 

Kenneth Goff (former Soviet agent)

“At that hour large race riots are supposed to take place in every city of any size. Leaders of these mobs are to be carefully chosen and trained in advance (to work on both sides). The disturbances are to be of some extent so as to require sending large forces of police to those areas. While the authorities are trying to quell these riots, picked bands of Reds are to seize the radio and TV stations and telephone exchanges. With the aid of their comrades, who are employed inside, all communication systems are to be instantly crippled, or taken over.

They will seize control of the water supply and shut it off; also the electrical power and gas. This means that no elevators [223] or streetcars, subways or electric buses would be running. Other buses would be seized. Homes would be without water, fuel, light or telephone. It would be impossible to communicate with friends or loved ones, even in another part of the city.

Goon squads of professional murderers would round up the people in the business districts. Men are to be held as hostages in some of the larger buildings. Women are to be turned over to the sex-crazed mobs unless the men surrender.

Bridges, subways and railroad stations are to be blown up and airports seized. Downtown areas are to be isolated from the rest of the city. Sharpshooters and snipers are to be detailed in taxicabs and private cars, which are to be taken over to wipe out the police, soldiers, uniformed persons and known vigilantes. Smoke bombs, properly located in subways, buildings and large stores, are to add to the terror of the people.

When night comes, the city is to be in pitch darkness. Murderous bands of Reds will roam the streets, plundering shops and stores, and starting fires in old buildings. This will increase the panic and facilitate the surrender of men.

Then, as the morning’s sun casts its first rays on the community, one will be able to see blood flowing in the streets.” (Outline for U.S. revolution as taught by Gene Dennis, special Soviet agent, and in possession of the author)

 

Alfred D. Young

“The angel again said to me, `Look!’ As I looked I saw a woman dressed in fine scarlet and seated upon a platform supported by four pillars. She appeared a very large, powerful woman. Around the platform was gathered an immense multitude of people. She addressed them with great oratorical power and vaunted herself of her great knowledge, wisdom and power. The multitude appeared to feel great veneration for the woman as an exalted personage. While she was thus engaged in boasting of her greatness, all of a sudden her body opened and her vitals and bowels fell out and down to the earth.

[224] The people gazed in wonder at first and then turned away from the sight. The power of the woman was gone, but her frame still remained upright on the platform.

The angel said to me, `This woman represents this great nation (America) and as you have seen her vitals and bowels fall out, so will the power depart from this great people.'” (Jrnl. of Alfred Douglas Young, p. 12, BYU Library Special Collections)

 

CONCLUSION

Thus, America will receive a similar judgment to that which they have judged others. They will be treated by foreign powers with the same treatment that they gave to the Native Americans, Mormons, Negroes, and Chinese many years ago. They beat them, made slaves of them, took away their rights and freedoms, and even murdered them. Only this time it will be much worse.

 

Donald McAlvany seemed to have an accurate perception of the situation:

Final Thought–As this and other issues of MIA have pointed out, America and Americans are moving into very difficult, tumultuous times. In the opinion of this writer, the foundations are about to be shaken and the prosperity and perhaps even much of the freedom which we have come to take for granted is about to be removed. America’s problems are much larger than simply a corrupt and immoral president and other leaders in Washington. In many ways, our leaders reflect the people and what we have become. Doesn’t a nation get the leaders it deserves–good or evil?

When asked on BBC television over 20 years ago why the Russian people had fallen under Communism and lost their freedom, Alexander Solzhenitsyn replied: “Because we forgot God.” In this writer’s opinion, that is what has happened to America in the wake of [225] 54 years of virtually uninterrupted prosperity since the end of World War II. We have become fat, dumb, lazy, complacent, apathetic and can no longer tell the difference between good and evil nor do we as a people any longer hate evil or take an active stand against it. In many respects, we participate in it. (Intelligence Report, Jan. 1999, p. 31)

America was to be the fulfillment of a dream, but instead it is becoming a nightmare. A nation established to promote liberty to the world has reversed its direction and has taken away such liberty from its own inhabitants and citizens. That which was meant to be good has become evil.

The Book of Mormon is the second most published and distributed book in the world. For 170 years it has served as a warning to the inhabitants of America, i.e.:

And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.

And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. (Ether 2:8-10)

If the people of America will not heed such warnings, then they will be swept off like the Jaredites and the Nephites who [226] also once had prosperous and blessed civilizations on this continent. And a similar warning and fate apply to the rest of the world as well.

 

 

[227]                               Part 4

 

WHAT ARE THE PROMISES FOR AMERICA?

Greatness and Glory

Fortunately, the prophecies of destruction and devastation were followed by promises of greatness and glory.

But the next one-thousand year period will be the earth’s sabbath. This will be the period when the earth will rest and enjoy its sanctified state. For this period the earth will be renewed and regain its former status as a terrestrial sphere, with all of its paradisiacal beauty, glory, and righteousness fully restored. But first the earth must be cleansed. During its long history of sin and trouble, our earth has become soiled and dirty. And it must have its “Saturday night bath,” and be dressed in fresh clean clothing in which it can appropriately live its best 1,000 years. (“The Earth’s Sabbath,” Sterling W. Sill, Imp. Era, June 1967, p. 35)

Most of the early prophets saw this future time and wanted to experience it themselves. According to Joseph Smith:

Wherefore, we again say, search the revelations of God; study the prophecies, and rejoice that God grants unto the world Seers and Prophets. They are they who saw the mysteries of godliness; they saw the flood before it came; they saw angels ascending and descending upon a ladder that reached from earth to heaven; they saw the stone cut out of the mountain, which filled the whole earth; they saw the Son of God come from the regions of bliss and dwell with men on [228] earth; they saw the deliverer come out of Zion, and turn away ungodliness from Jacob; they saw the glory of the Lord when he showed the transfiguration of the earth on the mount; they saw every mountain laid low and every valley exalted when the Lord was taking vengeance upon the wicked; they saw truth spring out of the earth, and righteousness look down from heaven in the last days, before the Lord came the second time to gather his elect; they saw the end of wickedness on earth, and the Sabbath of creation crowned with peace; they saw the end of the glorious thousand years, when Satan was loosed for a little season; they saw the day of judgment when all men received according to their works, and they saw the heaven and the earth flee away to make room for the city of God, when the righteous receive an inheritance in eternity. And, fellow sojourners upon earth, it is your privilege to purify yourselves and come up to the same glory, and see for yourselves, and know for yourselves. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Evening and Morning Star, 1832, DHC 1:283-284)

Joseph is saying that we, too, should try to see and know for ourselves the same things that the prophets have seen. He said that these warning prophecies about the “end of the world” refer only to the “destruction of the wicked.” (TPJS, p. 97) Such destruction is necessary because it is the means of cleansing the earth in preparation for something better, for after the destruction of the wicked, great and glorious things will happen to the faithful and obedient.

The world has suffered through six thousand years of wars, murders, catastrophes, and violence, but the end is in sight. A new millennium is coming and with it will be many major changes. The world as we know it will cease to exist, and there will be a beginning of something much better.

 

[229] The earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory–which means that it shall become a paradise much like it was before the fall of Adam. The Prophet Isaiah described that condition:

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.

They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.

And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. (Isa. 65:17-25)

And in our own dispensation, the Lord has revealed more on this subject:

And in that day the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face. And in that day whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given unto him. And in [230] that day Satan shall not have power to tempt any man. And there shall be no sorrow because there is no death.

In that day an infant shall not die until he is old; and his life shall be as the age of a tree; And when he dies he shall not sleep, that is to say in the earth, but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and shall be caught up, and his rest shall be glorious.

Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things–Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof–Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.

And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory. (D & C 101:26-35)

Other interesting prophecies also explain this future condition:

And there [the New Jerusalem] shall be his tabernacle, his sanctuary, his throne, and seat of government for the whole continent of North and South America forever; in short, it will be to the Western hemisphere what Jerusalem will be to the Eastern. And there the Messiah will visit them in person; and the old saints, who will then have been raised from the dead, will be with Him; and He will establish His kingdom and laws over all the land. (“Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles,” 1845)

. . . when the kingdom of God triumphs, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, to the glory of the Father. Even the Jews will do it then; but will the Jews and Gentiles be obliged to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? No; not by any means. Jesus said [231] to his disciples, “In my `Father’s house are many mansions; . . .” There are mansions in sufficient numbers to suit the different classes of mankind, and a variety will always exist to all eternity, . . . (Brigham Young, JD 11:275)

The Millennium consists in this–every heart in the Church and Kingdom of God being united in one; the Kingdom increasing to the overcoming of everything opposed to the economy of heaven, and Satan being bound, and having a seal set upon him. All things else will be as they are now, we shall eat, drink, and wear clothing. Let the people be holy, and the earth under their feet will be holy. Let the people be holy, and filled with the Spirit of God, and very animal and creeping thing will be filled with peace; the soil of the earth will bring forth in its strength, and the fruits thereof will be meat for man. The more purity that exists, the less is the strife; the more kind we are to our animals, the more will peace increase, and the savage nature of the brute creation vanish away. If the people will not serve the devil another moment whilst they live, if this congregation is possessed of that spirit and resolution, here in this house is the Millennium. Let the inhabitants of this city be possessed of that spirit, let the people of the territory be possessed of that spirit, and here is the Millennium. Let the whole people of the United States be possessed of that spirit, and here is the Millennium, and so will it spread over all the world. (Brigham Young, JD 1:203)

In the millennium men will have the privilege of being Presbyterians, Methodists, or Infidels, but they will not have the privilege of treating the name and character of Deity as they have done heretofore. No, but every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God the Father that Jesus is the Christ. (Brigham Young, JD 12:274)

 

When all nations are so subdued to Jesus that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess, there will still be millions on the earth who will not believe in him; but they will be obliged to acknowledge [232] his kingly government. You may call that government ecclesiastical, or by whatever term you please, yet there is no true government on earth but the government of God, or the holy Priesthood. (Brigham Young, JD 7:142)

And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh. (D & C 133:25)

This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s. (D & C 130:9)

In summary, we learn from these prophecies that among the great promises for America–and this world–are:

 

1. The earth will be cleansed.
2. There will be peace on earth for 1000 years.
3. Men will live to be at least 100 years old.
4. The Lord will answer all prayers.
5. Enmity among animals will cease.
6. Satan will have no power.
7. The Lord will reveal many new things.
8. Resurrected beings will be there.
9. The Lord will rule over the earth.
10. The earth will eventually be as crystal and will be as a Urim and Thummim.

Only the righteous will enjoy these great events, and will witness the cleansing and sanctification of this land.

 

 

Section II

 

MORMONISM

 

Past  Present  Prophecies  Promises

 

 

[233]                               Part 1

 

WHAT WAS THE HOPE FOR MORMONISM?

Population, Principles, Property

With the restoration of the Gospel and the Priesthood, the hope of Zion was committed to the Saints. There were many principles, laws, ordinances and covenants given to them which would bring about this latter-day glory–if they obeyed them. But both ancient and modern Israelites had at least one thing in common–very few of them ever lived up to the promises and blessings which God offered them. The following five areas (representing a much larger collection) describe some of the main hopes and ideals that God outlined for the Saints:

 

1. The Gathering of Israel
2. The Laws of Consecration and United Order
3. Celestial Plural Marriage
4. The Kingdom of God
5. The New Jerusalem

 

1. THE GATHERING OF ISRAEL

In the animal kingdom, birds of a feather fly together, fish of their own kind swim together, and herds of buffalo and wild horses run together. By doing this, they are complying with the laws of nature–for protection, survival, and reproduction. To a great extent this applies also to the human race, and specifically [234] to the Latter-day Saints. At the time of the organization of the Church in 1830, the Lord said to the original six members:

Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer. * * *

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked. (D & C 29:1-2, 7-8; see also Matt. 23:37.)

Let’s briefly analyze this simple revelation:

To gather “His people” as a hen gathers her chicks signifies the protection of the Lord Himself. Scattered chicks cannot be adequately protected.

He wants to gather only the elect. The Lord is not interested in the statistics of great numbers and percentages. He wants only the best–the obedient–to gather together and accomplish His purposes. If someone has an expensive car, he cannot expect shade-tree mechanics to do a professional repair job on it.

No proud or self-serving Mormons are allowed. God wants humble followers who can understand and accept instruction without trying to change or reject His message.

 

[235] The command was to gather together in “one place upon the face of this land.” The Lord never told “His people” to gather in different countries, as other nations are considered to be part of Babylon.

The purpose of gathering was so the people could prepare in all things and could store up food, clothes, and everything necessary to survive. Eventually, there will be a time of tribulation and desolation sent forth, and only those who have gathered and are prepared will have a chance of survival.

Those Saints who do not gather are part of the problem, for the Lord has said, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad.” (Luke 11:23) In our dispensation, the principle of gathering was so important that it was put into the Articles of Faith: “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel.” (Article 10) This did not say spiritual gathering. In a war, the enemy tries to “divide and conquer,” and we are in a war with Babylon. The Prophet Joseph instructed on several occasions:

One of the most important points in the faith of the Church of the Latter-day Saints, through the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, is the gathering of Israel. . . . (TPJS, p. 92)

It is also the concurrent testimony of all the prophets, that this gathering together of all the Saints, must take place before the Lord comes to “take vengeance upon the ungodly, . . .” (TPJS, p. 183)

Then, if this is the case, and if we are not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed, with all our former professions and our great love for the Bible, we must fall; we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather out His Saints from the Gentiles, and then comes desolation and destruction, and none can escape except the pure in heart who are gathered. (DHC 2:52)

 

[236] The gathering of the Saints was to promote harmony, strength, protection, economy, brotherly love, etc. God often used the term in connection with a mother hen looking after her brood. How much simpler could His instructions be?

 

2. THE LAWS OF CONSECRATION AND UNITED ORDER

To consecrate is to give yourself or something else with full dedication. In a religious order it means your whole life. When Jesus established His church in the meridian of time, He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind. This the first and great commandment.” (Matt. 22:37-38) The second was to “love thy neighbour as thyself.” And He added, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (v. 40) Not only did all the law hang upon these two commandments, but also the very basis of Christianity.

The proof of all this was when the Lord established the economic system of the Gospel. On the day of Pentecost when “fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles” (Acts 2:43), they also introduced communal living among the Christians:

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (Acts 2:44-45)

 

They then lived together with “singleness of heart” (v. 46). They were not just preaching Christianity; they were living it!

However, this was not a new system intended for use only in Jerusalem. It was an ancient law of God which Enoch had established among his people. (See Moses 7:18.) Many years [237] later Moses tried to establish these higher laws among his people, “but they hardened their hearts” (D & C 84:24). It was given to the Nephites (See 4 Nephi 1:17.) and was lived for over 150 years.

About 1830 years after Christ, His church and His gospel were restored to the earth; and included in this same gospel was the principle of having all things in common. Time or place made no difference in its importance. Rather than entering into the world’s system of pinching, squeezing, and grasping by any and every means to gain wealth, instead we were to show our love for God and our fellowmen by sharing, helping, and caring for each other. We were to demonstrate and live the Gospel, not just talk about it.

Less than a year after the Church was restored, the Lord said, “It is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.” (D & C 49:20) In other words, those who live under the capitalist system of Babylon are under the bondage of sin.

Sixteen of the 29 parables of Jesus mention the Christian and his money. Out of the 112 revelations given to Joseph Smith, 88 have reference to the money system. There was a continual problem of some people having too much while others had too little. Jesus knew how to solve it, and to the Prophet Joseph He instructed that the Bishop’s Office in Kirtland should “appoint unto this people their portions, every man equal according to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs.” (D & C 51:3) This law had previously failed among the Christian churches, but now the Mormons were to prove that it could be done.

The hope of the Mormons was to become a perfect example of Christianity to the rest of the world. They would [238] teach them by word and deed what Zion should be. They would become like the Nephites who lived consecrated lives with no rich nor poor among them, and they would be of one heart and one mind. They would reap the same blessings as the Nephites because–

. . . there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. . . . and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. . . .they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. (4 Nephi 1:15-17)

They were to be different from the rest of the world. They would be a “peculiar people” (I Peter 2:9) because they lived the gospel in its fullness.

 

3. CELESTIAL PLURAL MARRIAGE

 

Marriage comes in two major styles–temporal and eternal. Eternal celestial marriage is the highest and most holy. Nearly every other world religion (Christianity included) does not believe that marriage can last forever. They believe all feelings for each other discontinue at death; but did you ever see a widow who had lost all such feelings for her husband just because he died?

The doctrine of eternal marriage is clearly written in the Bible, but many readers do not see it. Reason alone dictates that our desire for love and family never dies. The promises of God indicate that marriages can last forever.

Plural marriage is also a Bible doctrine, but most people do not understand what they read. They just pass it off without trying to comprehend why the Lord allowed it. In fact, it was [239] God’s most holy prophets, patriarchs, and kings that lived it. Wouldn’t that indicate some reason for its acceptance? God never appeared to Abraham until after he had entered into plural marriage. Polygamist Jacob’s children became known as the children of Israel, to whom God gave the highest blessings and promises. God told Moses that widowed women from Israel and other nations could be taken as plural wives. Then God gave Moses laws and regulations on how plural marriage should be lived.

And Jesus did not disapprove of plural marriage. He said he did not come to destroy the laws of Moses but to fulfill (obey) them. The Apostles of Jesus wrote about every kind of sin imaginable, but they failed to say anything negative about plural marriage. They must have had a reason for such silence.

And along with the restoration of this Gospel to Joseph Smith came a revelation to live the doctrine of plural marriage. Initially, no one wanted to live it, including Joseph Smith; so why did God burden His people with such an unpopular principle?

In His own words, the Lord said that “all covenants, contracts, bonds,” etc., that are not “entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise . . . have an end when men are dead.” (D & C 132:7) Then He proceeded that “except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.” (v. 21) The law He spoke about was the law of plural marriage which Abraham lived: “Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for the Lord commanded it.” (v. 35) Joseph was instructed: “Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved. But if ye enter not into my law, ye cannot receive the promise of my Father. . . .” (vs. 32-33)

 

[240] In this revelation the Lord said that plural marriage was not given merely for convenience, material advantages, nor women’s independence; it was “the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was.” (v. 28) Those who accepted the Holy Priesthood must obey the laws of the Priesthood. It promised priesthood blessings obtained only by obedience to that law, and “then they shall be gods.” (v. 20)

One of the reasons the Lord gave this law to Moses was to build up the population of Israel. In the short time from Moses to David, Israel became the most populous and powerful nation on earth, and all nations feared the armies of Israel and the manifested powers of God. Likewise, with the restoration of the gospel in the latter days, it was evident that once again God wanted Israel to increase their numbers. If they were obedient, they would become a great nation, they would have the power of God with them, and they could eventually become gods.

There are both practical and spiritual reasons for plural marriage; and looking at it from just the practical side, there are probably more benefits for women than for men, such as:

 

1. A woman can choose from among all men, even if he is already married.
2. If a woman can have no children of her own, she can enjoy the children of other wives; or a wife can have the pleasure of being a “mother” to more than just her own children.
3. Women in plural marriage help each other so that the household responsibilities can be shared.
4. If a wife gets sick, others are there to help take care of her, her children, and her home.
5. Women who have physical defects or are less attractive would have a better chance to marry.

[241]

6. Economically, since she is part of a larger family, they can purchase food and other items in bulk, and share the expense of larger items.
7. If organized properly, plural wives would have more time to pursue personal interests, i.e., reading, music, education, profession, etc.
8. Plural wives are more conveniently able to take trips, visit relatives., etc., as others are there to help out while she’s gone.
9. A woman no longer has to have the responsibility of a husband underfoot all the time.
10. A true sisterly love and companionship can be developed among the sister wives.

It was hoped that the principle of plural marriage would bring good men together with good women, and as a result they would have a righteous posterity. Zion would grow in numbers and also in the blessings of God.

 

4. THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The Kingdom of God is mentioned often in scripture, both ancient and more recent. Protestant and Catholic ministers refer to it without actually understanding its organization or principles. Especially among the Latter-day Saints it is erroneously described at “the Church.” It ranks among the most important of all Gospel subjects, for Jesus said: “Seek he first the Kingdom of God. . . .” (Matt. 6:33) He did not say, “Seek ye first the Church.”

So what is the difference between the Kingdom and the Church? Brigham Young explained:

As observed by one of the speakers this morning, that Kingdom grows out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it is not the Church, for a [242] man may be a legislator in that body which will issue laws to sustain the inhabitants of the earth in their individual rights, and still not belong to the Church of Jesus Christ at all. (JD 2:310)

It is important, then, to keep in mind that the Kingdom of God and the Church of Jesus Christ are two different organizations. For instance, the Jewish people had a church and performed many ordinances, but then John the Baptist came out of the wilderness and announced, “The Kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” Thousands came to the River Jordan to be baptized and join up. They were excited to hear that this Kingdom was going to throw down all the other kingdoms of the world, including the Roman kingdom which then ruled over them. They readily accepted the Kingdom, but when John introduced Jesus as their King, they rejected Him.

The Kingdom of God, and all other kingdoms, are governments. Brigham stated, “When we talk about kingdoms, we talk about governments, rule, authority, power. . . .” (JD 6:19) And again–

It requires several things to constitute a kingdom. If there is a kingdom, there needs [to be] a king, ruler or dictator; someone to govern and control the kingdom. What else does it signify? It says, in language that cannot be misunderstood, you must have subjects; . . . and there must be territory for the subjects to live upon. Well, now, if we are in a kingdom, do you think we are in a kingdom without law? No, the strictest law ever given to mankind is the law of God. (JD 13:91)

So where in the Kingdom of God today–that Daniel foretold would come in the latter days? Brigham Young answered this question:

 

[243]

The Prophet gave a full and complete organization to this kingdom the Spring before he was killed. (1843) This kingdom is the kingdom that Daniel spoke of (Dan. 7:13, 14, 18), which was to be set up in the last days; it is the kingdom that is to be held by the servants of God, to rule the nations of the earth, . . . (JD 17:156)

Thus, the LDS Church was organized in 1830, but the Kingdom was organized in 1843–two different times and two different organizations–the first was a church ruling over religious rites and the other a political government ruling over nations. Dr. Hyrum Andrus of BYU gave further information:

It gives conclusive evidence that the Prophet included within his concept of the Kingdom of God the development of a political government that would be administered under the direction of the Priesthood of Zion. The Kingdom of God, then, was considered as something more than the Church. It included the idea of a future world government where the Church and State were to be separate bodies, but united in the fact that both institutions were to be subject to Priesthood direction. * * *

From the spring of 1844 to at least 1870, the political organ the Prophet organized played a dominant role in the history of the Mormon movement. It was this body, not the Church, that planned and carried out the Exodus. After locating the Saints in the Great Basin, this political body then organized and incorporated itself into the State of Deseret. All this has escaped the student of Mormonism. (Joseph Smith and World Government, Andrus, coverpiece)

Actually all this has apparently escaped the current Church leaders as well, for they no longer teach nor believe in this Kingdom of God organization.

 

[244] So the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ included both the religious and political theocracy spoken of by Moses and other prophets. The Mormons were blessed above all people with the opportunity to know, understand, and participate in such a great work. Establishing the Kingdom of God was indeed one of the greatest and most encompassing hopes for the House of Israel!

 

5. THE NEW JERUSALEM

Jerusalem in Israel, originating with the name Salem, is one of the oldest cities in the world. It has experienced over 20 destructions by war and conquest. It was a pivotal area in the history of God’s work, being a habitation of Melchizedek (or Shem), Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, David and Solomon, and many other ancient prophets. During its existence it has been under the control of various conquering nations: Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans–but it still survives.

It is the general location of Jesus’s birth and resurrection–and where He will return to save the Jewish people from destruction. Jerusalem will again become a world power when both the city and her people are restored.

We also need to understand the definition and location of another city by the same name–the New Jerusalem–which is erroneously interpreted by some. The Catholic and Protestant churches believe the New Jerusalem will be the name used for the restoration of the old Jerusalem. However, when Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he learned:

Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land …. And that a New Jerusalem should be built upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type. (Ether 13:4, 6)

 

[245] This changed the existing interpretations of the New Jerusalem. Moroni’s account records that the New Jerusalem could not be the Old Jerusalem simply because one was new and the other was old. (see v. 5)

The ancient prophets frequently used different terms when speaking of these two Jerusalems, as explained by Orson Pratt. For example, they usually used the term Zion when referring to the New Jerusalem.

Paul says, “the Deliverer shall come out of Zion.” Isaiah says that he shall come to those who “turn from transgression in Jacob.” Paul says, he shall “come out of Zion to turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” Both of these writers speak of these events as still in the future. Now, how could “the Deliverer come out of Zion” unless he first “come to Zion?” and how could he come to Zion unless he first built up Zion? and how could he build up Zion unless he gave commandments and revelations to his saints, designating the time when, the place where, and the pattern after which he would have it built. (Masterful Discourses of Orson Pratt, comp. by N. B. Lundwall, p. 116)

Pratt then proceeded to make a long list of comparisons between these two Jerusalems, a few of which are included below:

1. Zion is called a “wilderness,” but “Jerusalem a desolation.”
2. Zion is to be called “sought out,” “a city not forsaken;” Jerusalem was not sought out, but was a city inhabited before Israel came out of Egypt. Jerusalem has also been forsaken for many generations.
3. The light of Zion is to come, and the glory of the Lord is to arise upon her, before wickedness is destroyed from among the nations; whereas Jerusalem is not to become holy, and the glory of God is [246] not to arise upon her, until the Lord comes and destroys wickedness, and converts the Jews.
4. Zion is to “get up into a high mountain” before the coming of the Lord, while Jerusalem is required to do no such thing.
5. “The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion,” * * * but the Jews will not be redeemed from their sins and uncleanness until after they have rebuilt their city and temple. The first are redeemed before they return to Zion, the latter are redeemed after the Messiah comes.
6. When the redeemed return to Zion, everlasting joy shall be upon their head; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away,” but Jerusalem is to have much sorrow and mourning after the Jews return. (Ibid., p. 120)

In 1831 the Prophet Joseph received a revelation saying that the Lord would actually reveal the location of the New Jerusalem:

Until the time shall come when it shall be revealed unto you from on high, when the city of the New Jerusalem shall be prepared, that ye may be gathered in one, that ye may be my people and I will be your God. (D & C 42:9)

Then in September of 1832 the Lord said:

Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New [247] Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. (D & C 84:2-4)

Thus, it has been prophesied that the New Jerusalem would be built on the American continent in the state of Missouri, as declared in the 10th Article of Faith:

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion [the New Jerusalem] will be built upon this (the American) continent; . . .

The building of this New Jerusalem is to be one of the greatest works ever committed to mankind and one of the greatest responsibilities as well. Certainly this was one of the cherished hopes of the early LDS leaders, but even Joseph Smith knew not when it would take place.

The Saints of these latter days are to accomplish what all other dispensations have failed to do. Joseph Smith declared:

The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations, they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory, “the dispensation of the fulness of times, when God will gather together all things that are in heaven, and all things that are upon the earth.” (TPJS, p. 231)

 

[248]                               * * *

But what has happened to these five important principles and doctrines, hopes and objectives that God presented to the Saints and commanded them to live? They are certainly not evident in the LDS Church today.

 

 

[249]                               Part 2

 

WHAT HAS BECOME OF MORMONISM?

Change, Confusion, and Compromise

Now let us consider what has happened to each of these five representative “hopes for Mormonism.” Have they been realized–or have they gone unfulfilled? If the latter is true, what has caused these guiding lights to be extinguished in the LDS Church today?

 

1. THE GATHERING OF ISRAEL

 

When persecution became unbearable against the Saints in Nauvoo, most of them packed up and came west to find another gathering place in the Rocky Mountains. However, some of them stayed and eventually scattered to the surrounding states. Even among the main body of Saints in the Rockies, many went on to California because of its climate, soil, or gold. When the railroad appeared in 1869, it provided a chance for many Mormons to see the rest of the country and to locate elsewhere.

Near the turn of the century the LDS Church gave up its emigration program, and in 1921 the First Presidency instructed mission presidents to discourage members from coming to Utah because of “the state of unemployment prevailing in America generally.” (Messages of the 1st Pres. 5:200) Thus the doctrine of gathering was discontinued in the Church.

 

[250] Then came World War II during which Mormons bombed or shot other Mormons. Those who lost their own lives or the lives of family members in the war were those who had obeyed the anti-gathering instructions and had not gathered to the Rocky Mountains.

And how about the BYU graduates who are encouraged to take good paying jobs all over the world? This may increase the General Church tithing fund, but many of those individuals and their families eventually adopt worldly customs and corruptions.

In the meantime, while Mormons are leaving the Rocky Mountain area, more and more gentiles are coming in; until today there are more non-Mormons than Mormons in the Salt Lake Valley. And in most cases, they do not learn to live like us, but rather we live more and more like them–in both appearance and actions. We even honor their politics, their laws, and their gods. Such is the consequence of no longer encouraging the gathering of the Saints to “one place” upon the face of this land.

 

2. THE LAWS OF CONSECRATION AND UNITED ORDER

If a Christian church does not practice the principles of Christ’s church, then it is not part of Christ’s church; nor can such a church promise its members eternal life. Thus, by obedience to the laws of consecration and united order, we can determine which church teaches the true gospel. Where is there a Christian evangelist who has established a United Order and teaches his followers to share equally with each other? Joseph Smith mentioned it many times, and taught the early Saints the importance of sacrifice and consecration:

. . . a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. * * * It was [251] through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. *** Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life. (Lectures on Faith, 6:7)

 

In 1831 the LDS Church established an economic order in Kirtland. The Saints were to build up cities of Zion rather than the cities of the gentiles. They would share their wealth, and no longer struggle to get individually rich. But unfortunately in April of 1834 the order broke up, and three years later they were caught with the whole country in the great depression of 1837.

Most of the Saints were their own worst enemy for in 1833 the Lord had declared:

Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances. (D & C 101:6)

Again in 1834 the Lord chastised the Saints for their failure and explained why they had failed:

Behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh Saints, to the poor and afflicted among them; and are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom. (D & C 105:3-4)

Since the law of consecration had been a failure in both Kirtland and Independence, many of the Saints gathered in 1837 at Far West to try again. However, the Prophet Joseph had to [252] once again chastise them because some had bought up land for speculation in order to sell to other Saints at a much higher price.

Now I want to tell you that Zion cannot be built up in such a way. I see signs put out, beer signs, speculative schemes are being introduced. This is the way of the world, Babylon indeed, and I tell you in the name of the God of Israel, if there is not repentance . . . you will be broken and scattered from this land. (Joseph Smith, as recorded in The Edward Stevenson Autobiography, p. 40)

In January 1839 the Saints were again driven from their homes, and they landed in an Illinois swamp land which they called Nauvoo. Once again the Saints wanted to live the United Order, but everything seemed to be against them. In January 1840 John Smith wrote to his son, George A. Smith:

. . . but one thing is evident: his satanic majesty has been trotting across the river back and forth all winter to prevent the Saints from keeping the Law of the Lord, and many are led by that spirit and seem to love to have it so. (Doctrines of the Kingdom, Hyrum Andrus, p. 258)

Hyrum Andrus summarizes well what happened to the economic law within the Church:

But after the economic law of Zion was given and the place of tithing in the system was defined, the Saints failed to understand and appreciate that which they had received. Circumstances also made it difficult to apply the divine law in its fulness. Consequently, the law of consecration and stewardship was suspended. (Ibid., p 259)

 

[253] Since the Saints had once again failed to live that law, the Lord made them pay for it. In 1846, the mobs drove them out of the United States and into the wilderness, where one day they would again try to live unitedly.

However, it was nearly 20 years before the Saints were again ready to try living the United Order as they had been commanded. In 1862 Brigham Young explained why it took so long:

I sometimes think that I would . . . do almost anything in reason, to see one fully organized Branch of this kingdom–one fully organized Ward. “But,” says one, “I had supposed that the kingdom of God was organized long ago.” So it is, in one sense; and again, in another sense it is not. Wheresoever this Gospel has been preached and people have received it, the spiritual kingdom is set up and organized, but is Zion organized? No. Is there even in this Territory a fully organized Ward? Not one. It may be asked, “Why do you not fully organize the Church?” Because the people are incapable of being organized. (JD 10:20)

In the 1860’s there were nearly 130 different United Orders set up, but within a year of their organizations, nearly every one of them failed. The community of Orderville in southern Utah succeeded, and when the national depression of 1896 hit, Saints from all over ran to that area to join up, for the Orderville Saints hardly noticed the depression. The cows still gave milk, the chickens still laid eggs, and the gardens continued to grow. But for those Saints who were living from payday to payday, it was very difficult, and the United Order looked very good then.

By the turn of the century, love of fellowmen turned to love of wealth and possessions–which has continued ever since. For nearly a century neither Christian ministers nor Mormon leaders have promoted this law of Christianity.

 

[254] There is something wrong when a Mormon who has millions of dollars does not help a brother who hasn’t enough to pay his utility bills. There is something wrong when well-to-do Mormon leaders will not lend a hand to help a poor brother or sister. The Lord said:

. . . if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment. (D & C 104:18)

There is also something wrong when Mormon leaders never even mention United Order nor the law of consecration. To most LDS it is some kind of secret or mystery, and certainly doesn’t apply to them today.

Babylon is not measured in geographic area, but rather in the innermost parts of the heart.

 

3. CELESTIAL PLURAL MARRIAGE

In 1843 the Prophet Joseph Smith gave a speech to the Saints to see how accepting they would be of polygamy. He stated that if a man came from “Turkey or India” with his wives, he could enjoy his religion among the Saints because “the laws in Zion are such that you can bring your wives.” There was such a stir among the Saints that they asked him to retract what he had said. He arose in the afternoon meeting and said, “Brethren and Sisters, I take back what I said this morning and leave it as though there had been nothing said.” (See Joseph Lee Robinson Journal, pp. 12-14, as quoted in Kraut’s Holy Priesthood, vol. 4, pp. 195-196.)

This attitude continued among general Church member-ship for another decade, while Joseph secretly taught the [255] doctrine to Priesthood leaders. Although the secret got out, there were public denials that it was a Church doctrine–which at that time it was not.

In 1852 the Church heard the revelation on plural marriage read from the pulpit, and the members voted to accept it as a doctrine of their faith. However, it was met with vast disbelief by many and even apostasy by some. From 1852 to 1890 it was not a popular practice, and only a comparatively few entered into that law. Even though it was taught to be the only road to exaltation, the Church claims that only 3% to 5% of its membership ever lived it.

The Christians, with their ministers, politicians, and newspapers, showed their intolerance for Bible polygamy by sending an army, their lawyers and judges to destroy the Mormons in the west. Throwing them in jail and confiscating Church property did not satisfy them; they also threatened to take away personal property from the Saints, whether or not they believed in polygamy. They wanted the Mormons to understand how wonderful their “Christianity” was. In reality, they didn’t know that most Mormons hated polygamy as much as they did!

In 1882, in the midst of this external and internal warfare against plural marriage, the Lord gave another revelation to the Church which stated, “It is not meet that men who will not abide my law shall preside over my Priesthood. . . . (Messages of the 1st Pres. 2:348) They knew what God’s law was, so from then on, no elder was to hold a Priesthood office unless he obeyed the law of plural marriage. This created bitterness and opposition among Church leaders–never ending until the monogamists won over the polygamists.

 

[256] In 1886 the Lord gave another revelation to President John Taylor, who was in hiding on the underground. It was revealed:

My Son John: You have asked me concerning the New and Everlasting Covenant and how far it is binding upon my people;

Thus saith the Lord: All commandments that I give must be obeyed by those calling themselves by my name, unless they are revoked by me or by my authority, and how can I revoke an everlasting covenant; for I the Lord am everlasting and my everlasting covenants cannot be abrogated, nor done away with, but they stand forever.

Have I not given my word in great plainness on this subject? Yet have not great numbers of my people been negligent in the observance of my laws and the keeping of my commandments, and yet have I borne with them these many years; and this because of their weakness, because of the perilous times, and further-more, it is more pleasing to me that men should use their free agency in regards to these matters.

Nevertheless, I the Lord do not change and my word and my covenants and my law do not, and as I have heretofore said by my servant Joseph: All those who would enter into my glory must and shall obey my law.

And have I not commanded men that if they were Abraham’s seed and would enter into my glory, they must do the works of Abraham? I have not revoked this law, nor will I, for it is everlasting, and those who will enter into my glory must obey any conditions thereof. Even so, Amen. (Revelations, 1880-1890, Pioneer Press, pp. 54-55)

John Taylor’s son, John W. Taylor, said he himself had read that revelation:

. . . among my father’s papers I found a revelation given him of the Lord, and which is now in [257] my possession, in which the Lord told him that the principle of plural marriage would never be overcome. Pres. Taylor desired to have it suspended, but the Lord would not permit it to be done. (Abraham H. Cannon Journal, March 29, 1892, p. 24)

One year later, June 1887, some of the Saints gathered in the tabernacle to draw up a Constitution to submit for statehood. That Constitution included a clause that would appeal to both Mormons and gentiles:

Bigamy and polygamy being considered incompatible with a “republican form of government,” each of them is hereby declared a misdemeanor.

Any person who shall violate this section shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars and imprisoned for a term of not less than six months nor more than three years, in the discretion of the court. (Section 12 of Article XV)

The movement was especially notable for the fact that it was proposed by the Mormons–the Gentiles refusing to take any part in the proceedings–to insert in the State Constitution an article prohibiting and punishing polygamy. (Whitney’s History of Utah 3:583)

This Mormon convention was held three years before the Manifesto and less than 30 days before the death of John Taylor. The news of what the Mormons had done would have broken his heart. When the final vote was taken on this Constitution, over 13,600 voted for it, and 502 voted against it.

President Wilford Woodruff took note of the general trend in the Church and was persuaded to make some concession to the U.S. Government. He issued an “Official Declaration” on December 12, 1889, “To Whom It May Concern.” This was many months before his “Official Declaration” of 1890. It contained [258] three pages of statements showing their patriotism to the United States and its Constitution. In conclusion, it stated:

We desire to be in harmony with the Government and people of the United States as an integral part of the nation. (p. 3)

It was signed by the First Presidency and all of the Twelve Apostles and was forwarded to the leaders of the nation. They said it was not sufficient and wanted the Church to give up three things in order to obtain statehood. Woodruff agreed and made a verbal contract, or compact. According to Leonard Arrington:

National leaders and church leaders are said to have entered into a “compact”. We do not know whether such a “compact” was actually made, but at least the agreement and actions which it is said to have involved did take place. In the supposed “compact,” national leaders are said to have promised statehood for Utah, provided three things were done: (1) plural marriage was abandoned; (2) the church political party was dissolved; and (3) the church dissolved its relations with the economy. Plural marriage, of course, was abandoned with the Manifesto of 1890; the Peoples’ party was dissolved in 1891, and the people were divided between Republicans and Democrats; and the church began to take steps to withdraw from many of its economic activities. (“Religion and Economics in Mormon History,” L. J. Arrington, BYU Studies, 3:31-32)

A few years earlier President John Taylor had said:

If we do not embrace that principle soon, the keys will be turned against us. If we do not keep the same law that our Heavenly Father has kept, we cannot go with Him. A man obeying a lower law is not qualified to preside over those who keep a higher law. (Wilford Woodruff. . . , Matthias Cowley, p. 542)

 

[259] In the same book, it was reported that Wilford Woodruff had said:

The reason why the Church and Kingdom of God cannot advance without the Patriarchal Order of Marriage is that it belongs to this dispensation just as baptism for the dead does, or any law or ordinance that belongs to a dispensation. Without it the Church cannot progress. (Ibid., p. 542)

However, in 1890 Woodruff reversed his position:

I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws (against plural marriage) and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise. And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land. (The 1890 Manifesto)

In exchanging their birthright for a mess of pottage, the Saints exchanged celestial marriage for federal marriage. They adopted the marriage laws of the gentiles, and would thus receive the same “blessings.”

 

4. THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The Kingdom of God represents the most encompassing power over man and earth. Hence, when God gave to men the power and authority to administer in His Kingdom, He gave them the greatest He can give in mortality.

The Kingdom of God was the central theme of the preaching and teaching of Jesus. The coming of God’s Kingdom is an eschatological event when the kingly reign of God, with His dejure, will be manifested on earth defacto, so that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. (Zondervan’s Enc. of the Bible, 3:24)

 

[260] Brigham Young explained how vast this responsibility was that rested on those who were chosen to assist in this work:

They have to usher forth their enactments, to govern the Jews and the Gentiles, and all the nations which are included with Israel, and with the Gentiles–that every professed Christian, every religious denomination, and every government under the whole heaven may find shelter under this broad banner which shall be spread over them by the Lord Almighty. (Tchgs. of B.Y., Collier, 3:32)

One month after the restoration of the Gospel the Lord said:

The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. (D & C 65:2)

After nearly 2,000 years the keys and authority of the Kingdom of God were once again given to man on earth. However, the Saints knew little about this kingdom and were not ready to receive its organization until 12 years later in the spring of 1843. But the Saints had trouble understanding the basic Gospel principles, not to mention the principles of God’s Kingdom.

Joseph understood the principles of God’s government, and when he ran as a candidate for U.S. president, he proposed some of the principles of God’s government. Of course, the nation rejected him and his principles, and this was one of the reasons they felt he had to be killed.

The Jews wanted the Kingdom in order to overthrow the wicked gentile Roman government, but instead it overthrew [261] them. The Mormons wanted the Kingdom to overthrow the wicked gentile American government, but it overthrew them in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and eventually in Utah, too.

After the Saints were driven into the wilderness, they re-established the Kingdom and its organization. In fact, they adopted a Constitution, had a legislature, and passed laws commensurate with the laws of God’s Kingdom. But it enraged the Federal Government, and they sent an army of soldiers to destroy that kingdom. When that failed, they sent an army of lawyers and judges to imprison them. Under this gentile kingdom, the Mormons had no rights to vote, to hold political office, nor to live their religion freely–causing them to grow weaker instead of stronger.

Near the turn of the century, they began to compromise and make justifications to abandon God’s government and accept the opposing government. The Lord was very concerned about this turn of events, and in 1889 He said:

Thus saith the Lord unto my servants the Presidency of My Church, who hold the keys of the Kingdom of God on the earth. I the Lord hold the destiny of the courts in your midst, and the destiny of this nation, and the destiny of all other nations of the earth, in mine own hands. * * *

Place not yourselves in jeopardy to your enemies by promise. Your enemies seek your destruction and the destruction of My people. If the Saints will hearken unto my voice, and the counsel of my servants, the wicked shall not prevail. (Mess. of 1st Pres. 3:175)

However, the Saints did not hearken to His voice and the wicked gentiles prevailed. In fact, several Mormons began to clamor for political offices in the Federal Government. A whole new outlook came over the Saints. It became Church doctrine to “honor and sustain the laws of the land” rather than the laws of the Kingdom of God.

 

[262] The definition of the term “Kingdom of God” was even changed to make it synonymous with the Church.

 

1. James E. Talmage said, “The Kingdom of God is the Church established by divine authority upon the earth; this institution asserts no claim to temporal rule over nations.” (Jesus the Christ, p. 788)

 

2. Bruce R. McConkie said, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it is now constituted is the Kingdom of God on earth.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 415)

 

3. Spencer W. Kimball said, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored in 1830 after numerous revelations from the divine source; and this is the kingdom. . . .” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 433)

If the Saints do not even understand the definition and organization of God’s Kingdom, how can they be a part of it? How effective can they be in its defense if they belong to and support some other kingdom?

 

5. THE NEW JERUSALEM

In 1849 after the Saints had arrived in the western desert, a letter was written to Apostle Orson Pratt by an investigator who had difficulty understanding the promises and prophecies of the Doctrine and Covenants in connection with the New Jerusalem. Why had the Lord spoken so much about the building of the New Jerusalem and yet it had not come to pass? Orson Pratt referred to this letter in his pamphlet on the subject:

The author of the following letter apparently is of that number who is longing after the truth, but knows [263] not where to find it. He has read our works extensively, and most cordially acquiesces with our theological views; but he finds some supposed discrepancies between the predictions recorded in the Book of Covenants, and the subsequent history of our church. Instead of rejecting the work, however, upon these slight evidences, he has, as every honest man should do, endeavoured to make further inquiries, and, if possible, arrive at some certainty upon a message purporting to be of so great a moment. (“New Jerusalem,” Pratt, p. 3)

Pratt went on to respond to his questions, and those of many of the Saints, in this 47-page pamphlet. He explained that since the Saints had failed to live the laws of God, they had been kicked out of the place where the New Jerusalem was to be built. The Saints had been driven into the wilderness where they would have to remain until they would keep all of God’s laws.

Toward the end of Orson Pratt’s life, he noted how the Saints had changed in their urgency to build the New Jerusalem. For the first few years after their arrival in the Great Basin, he would meet with the Saints who said that they had wagons and storage ready to return and build the New Jerusalem; but in later years most Saints had nearly forgotten all about the redemption of Zion.

Today when the subject of the New Jerusalem is mentioned among the Saints, few members know the purpose or importance of this future city. And rarely, if ever, do the leaders even mention the subject.

For over 150 years our knowledge of the subject has deteriorated, and we are now more interested in Washington, D.C., the capitol of Babylon, than we are in the New Jerusalem.

 

 

[264]                               Part 3

 

WHAT IS PROPHESIED FOR MORMONISM?

Deception, Darkness, Desolation

Babylon, called “the whore of all the earth,” has committed fornication with both priest and politician. Her lusts and luxuries have corrupted nearly all the political and religious powers on earth; but the day of reckoning will soon be here. But the saddest of all is how the Gospel restoration and the powers of its Priesthood have also been compromised and changed. In the following three sections the Lord Himself, Joseph Smith, and other early LDS leaders, prophesy about the price that has to be paid because of such actions.

 

1. WHAT HAS THE LORD SAID?

“Therefore I command you to repent–repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore–how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.” (D & C 19:15)

“But without faith shall not anything be shown forth except desolations upon Babylon, the same which has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And there are none that doeth good except those who are ready to receive the fulness of my gospel, which I have sent forth unto this generation.” (D & C 35:11-12)

 

[265] “Behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world. And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you. Behold, I, the Lord, have looked upon you, and have seen abominations in the church that profess my name. * * *

But wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for, thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment. Behold, verily I say unto you, there are hypocrites among you, who have deceived some, which has given the adversary power; . . .

Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question–unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth. And then received ye spirits which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God; and in this are ye justified?” (D & C 50:2-4, 6-7, 13-15)

“Behold, thus saith the Lord unto my people–you have many things to do and to repent of; for behold, your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways. And your hearts are not satisfied. And ye obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness.

Wo unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!

Wo unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, and who will not labor with your own hands!” (D & C 56:14-17)

 

[266] “Wherefore, I, the Lord, am not pleased with those among you who have sought after signs and wonders for faith, and not for the good of men unto my glory. Nevertheless, I give commandments, and many have turned away from my commandments and have not kept them. There were among you adulterers and adulteresses; some of whom have turned away from you, and others remain with you that hereafter shall be revealed.” (D & C 63:12-14)

“For after today cometh the burning–this is speaking after the manner of the Lord–for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon.” (D & C 64:24)

“For it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion. And liars and hypocrites shall be proved by them, and they who are not apostles and prophets shall be known. And even the bishop, who is a judge, and his counselors, if they are not faithful in their stewardships shall be condemned, and others shall be planted in their stead.” (D & C 64:38-40)

“Now, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are also growing up in wickedness; they also seek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness.” (D & C 68:31)

“Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.” (D & C 70:14)

“Ye call upon my name for revelations, and I give them unto you; and inasmuch as ye keep not my sayings, which I give [267] unto you, ye become transgressors; and justice and judgment are the penalty which is affixed unto my law.” (D & C 82:4)

“And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received–which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent. ***

That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion. For shall the children of the kingdom pollute my holy land? Verily, I say unto you, Nay.” (D & C 84:54-59)

“But behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many who have been ordained among you, whom I have called but few of them are chosen. They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in that they are walking in darkness at noon-day.” (D & C 95:5-6)

“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; yea, it shall not be stayed until the Lord come; For the indignation of the Lord is kindled against their abominations and all their wicked works.

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.” (D & C 97:22-26)

 

[268] “. . . I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. For if ye will not abide in my covenant, ye are not worthy of me.” (D & C 98:14-15)

“Verily I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted, and persecuted, and cast out from the land of their inheritance–I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions; * * *

Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances. They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble. In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.” (D & C 101:1-2, 6-8)

“There is even now already in store sufficient, yea, even an abundance, to redeem Zion, and establish her waste places, no more to be thrown down, were the churches, who call themselves after my name, willing to hearken to my voice.” (D & C 101:75)

“Let not that which I have appointed be polluted by mine enemies, by the consent of those who call themselves after my name; For this is a very sore and grievous sin against me, and against my people, in consequence of those things which I have decreed and which are soon to befall the nations.” (D & C 101:97-98)

“But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world [269] shall prevail against them. For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men; And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. * * *

Nevertheless, if they pollute their inheritances they shall be thrown down; for I will not spare them if they pollute their inheritances.” (D & C 103:8-10, 14)

“And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine. But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.

For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.” (D & C 104:15-18)

“Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now. But behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them; And are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom; And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself. And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.” (D & C 105:2-6)

 

[270] “Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face.

Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.” (D & C 112:23-26)

 

1. WHAT HAS JOSEPH SMITH SAID?

” . . . it is a false idea that the Saints will escape all the judgments whilst the wicked suffer; for all flesh is subject to suffer, and the “righteous shall hardly escape;” still many of the Saints will escape, for the just shall live by faith; . . .” (DHC 4:11)

“. . . God had often sealed up the heavens because of covetousness in the Church. The Lord would cut short his work in righteousness and except the Church receive the fulness of the Scriptures that they would yet fail.” (TPJS, p. 9)

“I say to you (and what I say to you I say to all), hear the warning voice of God, lest Zion fall, and the Lord swear in His wrath the inhabitants of Zion shall not enter into His rest. * * *

We greatly fear before the Lord lest we should fail of this great honor, which our Master proposes to confer on us; we are seeking for humility and great faith lest we be ashamed in His presence. Our hearts are greatly grieved at the spirit which is breathed both in your letter and that of Brother Gilbert’s, the [271] very spirit which is wasting the strength of Zion like a pestilence; and if it is not detected and driven from you, it will ripen Zion for the threatened judgments of God.” (TPJS, p. 19)

“. . . if we are not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed, with all our former professions and our great love for the Bible, we must fall; we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather out his Saints from the Gentiles, and then comes desolation and destruction, and none can escape except the pure in heart who are gathered.” (TPJS, p. 71)

“We have spoken words, and men have made us offenders. And notwithstanding all this, our minds are not yet darkened, but feel strong in the Lord. But behold the words of the Savior: `If the light which is in you become darkness, behold how great is that darkness.’ Look at the dissenters. Again, `If you were of the world, the world would love its own.’ * * *

Now, dear brethren, if any men ever had reason to claim this promise, we are the men; for we know that the world not only hate us, but they speak all manner of evil of us falsely, for no other reason than that we have been endeavoring to teach the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (TPJS, p. 124)

“How vain and trifling have been our spirits, our conferences, our councils, our meetings, our private as well as public conversations–too low, too mean, too vulgar, too condescending for the dignified characters of the called and chosen of God, according to the purposes of His will, from before the foundation of the world!” (TPJS, p. 137)

I saw armies arrayed against armies. I saw blood, desolation, fires. The Son of Man has said that the mother shall be against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother. These things are at our doors. They will follow the [272] Saints of God from city to city. Satan will rage, and the spirit of the devil is now enraged.” (TPJS, p. 161)

“The power, glory and blessings of the Priesthood could not continue with those who received ordination only as their righteousness continued; for Cain also being authorized to offer sacrifice, but not offering it in righteousness, was cursed. It signifies, then, that the ordinances must be kept in the very way God has appointed; otherwise their Priesthood will prove a cursing instead of a blessing.” (TPJS, p. 169)

“Some people say I am a fallen Prophet, because I do not bring forth more of the word of the Lord. Why do I not do it? Are we able to receive it? No! Not one in this room. He then chastened the congregation for their wickedness and unbelief, `for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son and daughter whom he receiveth,’ and if we do not receive chastisements then we are bastards and not sons.” (TPJS, p. 194)

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also had its false spirits; and as it is made up of all those different sects professing every variety of opinion, and having been under the influence of so many kinds of spirits, it is not to be wondered at if there should be found among us false spirits.” (TPJS, p. 213)

“. . . righteous persons could only deliver their own souls–applied it to the present state of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–said if the people departed from the Lord, they must fall–that they were depending on the Prophet, hence were darkened in their minds, in consequence of neglecting the duties devolving upon themselves, envious towards the innocent, while they afflict the virtuous with their shafts of envy.” (TPJS, p. 238)

 

[273] “There are a great many wise men and women too in our midst who are too wise to be taught; therefore they must die in their ignorance, and in the resurrection they will find their mistake. Many seal up the door of heaven by saying, So far God may reveal and I will believe.

All men who become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ will have to receive the fulness of the ordinances of his kingdom; and those who will not receive all the ordinances will come short of the fullness of that glory, if they do not lose the whole.” (TPJS, p. 309)

“. . . my only trouble at the present time is concerning ourselves, that the Saints will be divided, broken up, and scattered, before we get our salvation secure; for there are so many fools in the world for the devil to operate upon, it gives him the advantage oftentimes.” (TPJS, p. 331)

“But there has been a great difficulty in getting anything into the heads of this generation. It has been like splitting hemlock knots with a corn-dodger for a wedge, and a pumpkin for a beetle. Even the Saints are slow to understand. I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen.” (TPJS, p. 331)

 

1. WHAT HAVE OTHER EARLY LEADERS SAID?

 

Brigham Young:

“Previous to the death of Joseph, he said that the time would come when the Saints would be glad to take a bundle, if [274] they could get one, under their arms and start to the mountains, and that they would flee there, and that if they could pick up a change of linen, they would be glad to start with that, and to go into the wilderness with anything, in order to escape from the destruction that is coming on the inhabitants of the earth.” (JD 4:203)

 

Brigham Young:

“I have but one fear concerning the people in the valleys of the mountains. I have but one trembling sensation in the nerves of my spirit, and that is, lest we do not live the religion we profess. If we will only practice what we profess, I will tell you we are at the defiance of all hell. But if we transgress the law God has given us, and trample His blessings, mercies and ordinances under our feet, and treat them with the indifference which I have thought that some do occasionally, not fully realizing the obligations that they are under to their God, I have feared that in consequence they would be overcome, and that the Lord would let them be scattered and smitten.” (JD 2:186)

 

Brigham Young:

“And when the spirit of persecution, the spirit of hatred, of wrath, and malice ceases in the world against this people, it will be the time that this people have apostatized and joined hands with the wicked, and never until then; which I pray may never come.” (JD 4:327)

 

Brigham Young:

“And with regard to the conduct of this people–if an angel should come here and speak his feelings as plainly as I do, I think he would say, `O, Latter-day Saints! why don’t you see, [275] why don’t you open your eyes and behold the great work resting upon you and that you have entered into? You are blind, you are stupid, you are in the dark, in the mist and fog, wandering to and fro like a boat upon the water without sail, rudder or oar; and you know not whither you are going.” (JD 19:93-94; Aug. 19, 1877)

 

Brigham Young: (as reported by Mosiah Hancock)

“He [B.Y.] conversed freely on the situation of the Saints in the mountains, and said that he dreaded the time when the Saints would become popular with the world; for he had seen in sorrow, in a dream, or in dreams, this people clothed in the fashions of Babylon and drinking in the spirit of Babylon until one could hardly tell a Saint from a black-leg. And he felt like shouting, “To your tents, Oh Israel!” because it was the only thing that could keep this people pure. . . . Many of this people for the sake of riches and popularity, will sell themselves for that which will canker their souls and lead them down to misery and despair. It would be better for them to dwell in wigwams and among the Indians than to dwell with the gentiles and miss the glories which God wishes them to obtain.” (Life Story of Mosiah Hancock, p. 73)

 

Brigham Young:

“I am more afraid of covetousness in our Elders than I am of the hordes of hell.” (JD 5:353)

 

Heber C. Kimball:

“. . . the time is coming when we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys to that extent that it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy to the people of God. Then, brethren, look out for the great sieve, for there will [276] be a great sifting time, and many will fall; for I say unto you there is a test, a test, A TEST coming, and who will be able to stand?” (Life of Heber C. Kimball, Orson F. Whitney, p. 445)

 

John Taylor:

“What would be necessary to bring about the results nearest the hearts of the opponents of Mormonism? Simply to renounce, abrogate, or apostatize from the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage in its fulness. Were the Church to do that as an entirety, God would reject the Saints as a body. The authority of the Priesthood would be withdrawn with its gifts and powers, and there would be no more heavenly recognition of the administrations. The heavens would permanently withdraw themselves, and the Lord would raise up another people of greater valor and stability, for His work must, according to His unalterable decrees, go forward; for the time of the second coming of the Savior is near, even at the doors.” (Des. News, April 23, 1885)

 

John Taylor: (vision)

“The people had become indifferent to the counsel and advice of the authorities of the Church, and were more interested in the accumulating of wealth than they were in living their religion, and at this time there began to be war and bloodshed.

He saw blood running down the gutters of Salt Lake City as though it were water. People were fighting among themselves until it became so serious that the entire Church records were all taken across the Colorado River. President Taylor said to her [Mrs. Edward Lunt in Cedar City]: “If you are alive at that time, be sure that you are not far behind the records, because after the Church records leave and are secure, the very powers of hell will [277] be turned loose, and there will be such destruction that but very little life will remain.

Not only Salt Lake but other adjoining cities will be destroyed, and in the east, in Missouri, in Jackson County, civilization will become entirely extinct. All means of transportation, such as railroads and highways, will be destroyed; the only means of travel will be on foot, and all manufacturing of all kinds will be entirely destroyed. Be sure when you see these things come, see that you have buttons, needles and things to work with in order to make yourself clothing, thread and cloth as far as possible because all tools and every kind of machinery will be destroyed. It will become such a destructive war that the sufferings and drivings of the people from Nauvoo will only be as a drop in the bucket as compared with the suffering that will take place at this time.” (Lundwall rare manuscript file, Microfilm Roll No. 2; see also Visions of the Latter Days, Pioneer Press, pp. 99-102.)

 

John Taylor: (vision)

“I then found myself wandering about the streets of Salt Lake City and noticed on the doors of every house, including my own, badges of mourning, . . . No one seemed to be passing along the streets and everything was as still as death, except the prayers of the people that could be heard in the houses. I saw no funerals, and the scourge or whatever it was, seemed to be under control.

I then looked over the country; in every direction as far as I could see, a similar condition prevailed. I then passed eastward above the earth and looking down saw many people coming west, mostly women who were carrying small bundles on their backs, and I thought it strange that there were so few men among them. They were on their way to the mountains, and I wondered how they could get there as the railroads were abandoned and the rails were in bad condition. * * *

[278] Then I heard a voice say, `Now has come to pass that which was spoken by the mouth of Isaiah the Prophet, where he declares that, Seven women shall take hold of one man saying, We will eat our own bread and wear our own apparel, only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach.'” (Ibid., Visions, pp. 103-106)

 

Millennial Star Editorial:

“How can Zion be built up, unless the Saints gather and build it up? And how can Babylon fall, so long as the Saints stay and hold it up?” (Mill. Star 32:233)

 

CONCLUSION

Thus, the main message of these prophecies was that the LDS Church would gradually give up or change the eternal principles of the Gospel in their effort to become more accepted by the world. But the Saints who have made covenants with the Lord are supposed to be different from the rest of the world. The Lord Himself referred to them as peculiar because of their differences, as stated in the following four quotes:

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. (Ex. 19:5)

For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. (Deut. 14:2)

And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments. (Deut. 26:18)

 

[279]

For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. (Psalms 135:4)

If the Lord’s people look and act like the rest of the people in the world, then they will also be judged the same–and maybe even more harshly since where more is given, more is expected.

 

 

[280]                               Part 4

 

WHAT ARE THE PROMISES FOR MORMONISM?

Safety and Salvation

After the “Saturday Night Bath”, there will be an astounding era. Our whole society will be different. It will become one that God has been trying to create since the time of Adam and Eve–and more especially for the past 170 years since the restoration of the Gospel in our dispensation.

Latter-day Saints who believe in and support the eternal principles of the Gospel will have a very important role to play in helping to fulfill the great promises of God, such as:

 

1. Saving the U.S. Constitution
2. Receiving visitations and instructions from heavenly hosts
3. Setting up the Kingdom of God
4. Establishing a land of Zion
5. Building the city and temple of the New Jerusalem
6. Accomplishing a special work of salvation

The remainder of Part 4 will consist of quotations in each of these six categories, explaining these promises in more detail.

 

1. SAVING THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

 

Brigham Young:

“How long will it be before the words of the prophet Joseph will be fulfilled? He said if the Constitution of the United [281] States were saved at all, it must be done by this people.” (JD 12:204)

 

Brigham Young:

“. . . and when the Constitution of the United States hangs, as it were, upon a single thread, they will have to call for the “Mormon” Elders to save it from utter destruction; and they will step forth and do it.” (JD 2:182)

 

George Q. Cannon:

“. . . the day will come–and this is another prediction of Joseph Smith’s–I want to remind you of it, my brethren and sisters, when good government, constitutional government–liberty–will be found among the Latter-day Saints, and it will be sought for in vain elsewhere; when the Constitution of this land and republican government and institutions will be upheld by this people who are now so oppressed and whose destruction is now sought so diligently. The day will come when the Constitution, and free government under it, will be sustained and preserved by this people.” (JD 23:104)

 

Orson Hyde:

“It is said that brother Joseph in his lifetime declared that the Elders of this Church should step forth at a particular time when the Constitution would be in danger, and rescue it, and save it. This may be so; but I do not recollect that he said exactly so. I believe he said something like this–that the time would come when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow; and said he, “If the Constitution be saved at all, it will be by the elders of this Church.” I believe this is about the language, as nearly as I can recollect it.” (JD 6:152)

 

John Taylor:

“Need we be surprised that they should trample under foot the Constitution of the United States? No; Joseph Smith told us [282] that they would do it. Many around me here knew long ago that they would do this thing and further knew that the last people that should be found to rally around that sacred instrument and save it from the grasp of unrighteousness men would be the Elders of Israel!” (JD 20:318)

 

John Taylor:

“When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States, the Elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. This is part of the programme, and as long as we do what is right and fear God, He will help us and stand by us under all circumstances.” (JD 21:8)

 

2. RECEIVING VISITATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS FROM HEAVENLY HOSTS

 

Joseph Smith:

“. . . the coming of the Messiah among this people will be so natural, that only those who see Him will know that He has come, but He will come and give His laws unto Zion, and minister unto His people. This will not be His coming in the clouds of heaven to take vengeance on the world.” (“White Horse Prophecy,” as quoted in The White Horse Prophecy, Kraut, p. 24 & 160)

 

Orson Pratt:

” . . . the Lord will gather them with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out; and He will assemble them in the wilderness, and there will He plead with them face to face, like as He pled with their fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt; thus saith the Lord, by the mouth of Ezekiel. He will plead with them by His power; He will plead with them by His angels; and He will plead with them by the revelation of His own face.” (JD 2:263)

 

[283]

Orson Pratt:

“By and by the time will come for Jesus to appear, and he will bring the heavenly society which has been engaged for thousands of years in that celestial world in carrying out these principles. They will come down here, and they will find a society just like themselves, so far as union is concerned; they will find a people perfected and carrying out the principles here on earth, as they are carried out in the heavens. (Des. News, Oct. 2, 1875)

 

Orson Pratt:

“We shall go back to Jackson County. Not that all this people will leave these mountains, or all be gathered together in a camp, but when we go back there will be a very large organization consisting of thousands, and tens of thousands, and they will march forward, the glory of God overshadowing their camp by day in the form of a cloud, and a pillar of flaming fire by night, the Lord’s voice being uttered forth before his army. . . .

Will not this produce terror upon all the nations of the earth? Will not armies of this description, though they may not be as numerous as the armies of the world, cause a terror to fall upon the nations? The Lord says the banners of Zion shall be terrible. If only one or two millions of this people were to go down and build the waste places of Zion, would it strike the people of Asia and Europe with terror? Not particularly, unless there was some supernatural power made manifest. But when the Lord’s presence is there, when his voice is heard, and his angels go before the camp, it will be telegraphed to the uttermost parts of the earth and fear will seize upon all people, especially the wicked, and the knees of the ungodly will tremble in that day, and the high ones that are on high, and the great men of the earth.” (JD 15:364)

 

[284]

Orson Pratt:

” . . . and all of them who are pure in heart will behold the face of the Lord and that too before he comes in his glory in the clouds of heaven, for he will suddenly come to his Temple, and he will purify the sons of Moses and of Aaron, until they shall be prepared to offer in that Temple an offering that shall be acceptable in the sight of the Lord. In doing this, he will purify not only the minds of the Priesthood in that Temple, but he will purify their bodies until they shall be quickened, renewed and strengthened, and they will be partially changed, not to immortality, but changed in part that they can be filled with the power of God, and they can stand in the presence of Jesus, and behold his face in the midst of that Temple. (JD 15:365-66)

 

Lorenzo Snow:

“Many of you will be living in Jackson County and there you will be assisting in building the Temple; and if you will not have seen the Lord Jesus at that time, you may expect Him very soon, to see Him, to eat and drink with Him, to shake hands with Him and to invite Him to your houses as He was invited when He was here before. I am saying things to you now, which I know something of the truth of them.” (Des. News, June 15, 1901, p. 1)

 

3. SETTING UP THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 

Brigham Young:

“We are here for the express purpose of separating ourselves from the world and establishing that order of government that we read of in the Holy Scriptures; and we desire to see the glory of Zion upon the earth that has been spoken of by the Prophets of God.” (JD 12:266-67)

 

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Orson Pratt:

“Hence, the Prophet Daniel has told us, that the kingdom of God should be cut out of the mountains without hands; in other words, when the kingdom of God should be taken from the mountains, it should be taken by the power of the Almighty, and not by human hands; it should be organized by the Lord and governed by His laws. God, who interests Himself in the affairs of men, was to speak from the heavens, and inspire His servants to give laws and revelations to His people, informing them that His kingdom was to be taken from the mountains in His own due time, and that it should increase until it should become a great mountain and fill the whole earth.

Do the people suppose that they can frustrate the designs of the Almighty, and put to death the Prophets who are sent unto them, and fight and war against them, and belch out their rage, and threats, and persecute them as they have done, without being brought into judgment?

The wicked suppose they can do this with impunity, but there is a God who holds the helm of the ship of Zion, and who will carry out His purposes with regard to the Saints of Latter-days, in which the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom, and the dominion under the whole heavens, shall be given to the Saints of the Most High and they shall possess it for ever and for ever.” (JD 3:73)

 

Heber C. Kimball:

“Then who is to gather the people of God? You all say that we are to become a Kingdom of kings and priests–of queens and priestesses; and the Bible supports this doctrine. Now, the truth is, you are the very kings and priests that have got to gather the Saints, and your wives have got to school them and nurse them. I might put this in different language, but this will answer the purpose and convey to you the true meaning of the test.” (JD 8:349)

 

[286]

Joseph Smith:

“While in conversation at Judge Adam’s during the evening, I said, Christ and the resurrected Saints will reign over the earth during the thousand years. They will not probably dwell upon the earth, but will visit it when they please, or when it is necessary to govern it.” (TPJS, p. 268)

 

Wilford Woodruff:

“A short distance across the river, I beheld twelve men dressed in their temple robes standing in a square with their hands raised, and it was made known to me that they represented the twelve gates of the new Jerusalem. They then consecrated the grounds and laid the cornerstones of the city and temple; and while they were doing so, I saw myriads of heavenly angels hovering over them. I heard the most beautiful music and singing that I ever listened to and these were the words they repeated: `Now is established the Kingdom of our God and His Christ which shall no more be thrown down or given to another people.'” (Visions of the Latter Days, Pioneer Press, p. 105)

 

4. ESTABLISHING THE LAND OF ZION

 

Joseph Smith:

“The city of Zion spoken of by David, in the one hundred and second Psalm, will be built upon the land of America. `And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads.'” (DHC 1:315)

 

Heber C. Kimball:

“I am very thankful that so many of the brethren have come in with hand carts; my soul rejoiced, my heart was filled and grew as big as a two-bushel basket. Two companies have come through safe and sound. Is this the end of it? No; there [287] will be millions on millions that will come much in the same way, only they will not have hand carts, for they will take their bundles under their arms, and their children on their backs, and under their arms, and flee; and Zion’s people will have to send out relief to them, for they will come when the judgments come on the nations.” (JD 4:106)

 

Millennial Star Proclamation:

“The city of Zion, with its Sanctuary and Priesthood, and the glorious fulness of the Gospel, will constitute a standard which will put an end to jarring creeds and political wranglings, by uniting the republics, states, provinces, territories, nations, tribes, kindreds, tongues, people, and sects of North and South America in one great and common bond of brother-hood; while truth and knowledge shall make them free, and love cement their union.” (Oct. 22, 1845)

 

Brigham Young:

“The children of Zion have not yet much in their possession, but their territory is North and South America to begin with. As to the spirit of Zion, it is in the hearts of the saints of those who love and serve the Lord with all their might, mind and strength.” (JD 2:253)

 

Brigham Young:

“We want all the Latter-day Saints to understand how to build up Zion. The City of Zion, in beauty and magnificence, will outstrip anything that is now known upon the earth. The curse will be taken from the earth and sin and corruption will be swept from its face.” (JD 10:172)

 

Orson Pratt:

“When we go back to Jackson County, we are to go back with power. Do you suppose that God will reveal His power among an unsanctified people, who have no regard nor [288] respect for His laws and institutions, but who are filled with covetousness? No. When God shows forth His power among the Latter-day Saints, it will be because there is a union of feeling in regard to doctrine, and in regard to everything that God has placed in their hands; and not only a union but a sanctification on their part, that there shall not be a spot or wrinkle as it were, but everything shall be as fair as the sun that shines in the heavens.” (JD 15:361)

 

John Taylor:

“. . . eventually they will be enabled to erect cities that will be fit to be caught up–that when Zion descends from above, Zion will also ascend from beneath, and be prepared to associate with those from above. The people will be so perfected and purified, ennobled, exalted, and dignified in their feelings and so truly humble and most worthy, virtuous and intelligent that they will be fit, when caught up, to associate with that Zion that shall come down from God out of heaven.” (JD 10:147)

 

5. BUILDING THE CITY AND TEMPLE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

 

Heber C. Kimball:

“Then the prophet and others will make their appearance and those who have remained faithful will be selected to return to Jackson County, Missouri, and take part in the upbuilding of that beautiful city, the New Jerusalem.” (Des. News, May 23, 1931; statement to Amanda Wilcox)

 

Joseph Smith:

“The Temple in Jackson County will be built in this generation. The saints will think there will be not time to build it, but with all the great help you will receive, you can put up a Temple quickly. You will have gold, silver, and precious stones, for these things only will be used for the beautifying the Temple, [289] all the skilled mechanics you want, and the Ten Tribes of Israel to help you build it.” (White Horse Prophecy, Kraut, p. 36)

 

Orson Pratt:

“I will here again prophesy on the strength of former revelation that there are no people on the face of the whole globe, not even excepting London, Paris, New York, or any of the great mercantile cities of the globe–there are no people now upon the face of the earth, so rich as the Latter-day Saints will be in a few years to come. Having their millions, therefore they will purchase the land, build up cities, towns and villages, build a great capital city, at headquarters, in Jackson County, Missouri. Will we have a temple there? Yes; will we have a beautiful city? Yes, one of the most beautiful cities that will ever be erected on the continent of America will be built up by the Latter-day Saints in Jackson County.” (JD 21:136)

 

John Taylor:

“We believe that God is going to revolutionize the earth, to purge it from iniquity of every kind and to introduce righteousness of every kind, until the great millennium is fully introduced. * * * We talk of returning to Jackson County to build the most magnificent temple that ever was formed on the earth and the most splendid city that was ever erected; yea, cities, if you please. The architectural designs of those splendid edifices, cities, walls, gardens, bowers, streets, etc., will be under the direction of the Lord, who will control and manage all these matters; and the people, from the President down, will all be under the guidance and direction of the Lord in all the pursuits of human life, . . .” (JD 10:146)

 

Orson Pratt:

“We shall go back to Jackson County. Not that all this people will leave these mountains, or all be gathered [290] together in a camp, but when we go back there will be a very large organization consisting of thousands, and tens of thousands, and they will march forward, the glory of God overshadowing their camp by day in the form of a cloud, and a pillar of flaming fire by night, the Lord’s voice being uttered forth before his army. * * *

The everlasting hills will rejoice, and they will tremble before the presence of the Lord; and his people will go forth and build up Zion according to celestial law.” (JD 15:358, 361, 364)

 

6. ACCOMPLISHING A SPECIAL WORK OF SALVATION

 

John Taylor: “This is a great work. Well might it be said to Joseph Smith, “You are laying the foundation of a great work”–so vast that very few can begin to comprehend it. We read sometimes about the millennium. But what do we know about it? It is a time when this work will be going on, and Temples, thousands of them, will be reared for the accomplishment of the objects designed, in which communications from the heavens will be received in regard to our labors, how we may perform them, and for whom.” (JD 25:185)

 

Brigham Young:

“As I have frequently told you, that is the work of the Millennium. It is the work that has to be performed by the seed of Abraham, the chosen seed, the royal seed, the blessed of the Lord, those the Lord made covenants with. They will step forth, and save every son and daughter of Adam who will receive salvation here on the earth; and all spirits in the spirit world will be preached to, conversed with, and the principles of salvation carried to them, that they may have the privilege of receiving the Gospel; and they will have plenty of [291] children here on the earth to officiate for them in those ordinances of the Gospel that pertain to the flesh.” (JD 2:138)

 

Brigham Young:

“The Gospel is now preached to the spirits in prison, and when the time comes for the servants of God to officiate for them, the names of those who have received the Gospel in the spirit will be revealed by the angels of God and the spirits of just men made perfect; also the places of their birth, the age in which they lived, and everything regarding them that is necessary to be recorded on earth, and they will then be saved so as to find admittance into the presence of God, with their relatives who have officiated for them.” (JD 9:317)

 

John Taylor:

“We believe that we shall rear splendid edifices, magnificent temples and beautiful cities that shall become the pride, praise and glory of the whole earth. We believe that this people will excel in literature, in science and the arts and in manufacture. In fact, there will be a concentration of wisdom, not only of the combined wisdom of the world as it now exists, but men will be inspired in regard to all these matters in a manner and to an extent that they have never been before, and we shall have eventually, when the Lord’s purposes are carried out, the most magnificent buildings, the most pleasant and beautiful gardens, the richest and most costly clothing, and be the most healthy and the most intellectual people that will reside upon the earth.” (JD 10:147)

 

John Taylor:

“When Zion is established in her beauty and honor and glory, the kings and princes of the earth will come, in order that they may get information and teach the same to their [292] people. They will come as they came to learn the wisdom of Solomon. (JD 6:169)

 

Parley P. Pratt

“In this happy state of existence it seems that all people will live to the full age of a tree, and this too without pain or sorrow, and whatsoever they ask will be immediately answered, and even all their wants will be anticipated. Of course, then, none of them will sleep in the dust, for they will prefer to be translated, that is changed, in the twinkling of an eye, from mortal to immortal; after which they will continue to reign with Jesus on the earth. (Voice of Warning, 10th ed., p. 147)

 

John Taylor

A great council will then be held to adjust the affairs of the world, from the commencement, over which Father Adam will preside as head and representative of the human family. * * * All who have held keys of Priesthood, will then have to give an account to those from whom they received them. Those that were in the heavens have been assisting those that were upon the earth; but then, they will unite together in a general council. . . .

Not only will the earth be restored, but also man; and those promises which, long ago, were the hope of the saints, will be realized. (Gov. of God, Taylor, pp. 115-116)

 

* * *

Thus, the work assigned to the righteous Latter-day Saints in helping fulfill the promises of God will be both temporal and spiritual. They will be involved in this work for 1,000 years.

 

[293] After all the great work that our Founding Fathers did in establishing our Constitution, how strange that the Elders of Israel will have to establish it again. And with the help of heavenly hosts, they will also build up the land of Zion and set up a government that will not be ruled from Washington, D.C., Moscow, or Peking. Instead it will be ruled by the true King of kings, and will protect all mankind from the wars, slaveries, and atrocities of the past. A glorious city and temple will be built in the New Jerusalem, and the work of salvation will be carried out under the direction of Christ Himself. Mortals and immortals will labor together to accomplish this awesome task!

It would be impossible to compare these future events with anything from the past 6,000 years, as nothing is equal to the power, beauty, prosperity, and glory that God has promised.

 

 

[294]                             CONCLUSION

After reading these pages, it should be even more obvious that Americanism and Mormonism have taken parallel paths. They both started out relatively small and rapidly grew in numbers, acquired great wealth, and gained respect among the nations of the world. But in so doing, they have unfortunately neglected their moral standards, forsaken their spiritual obligations, and transgressed the laws of God.

America was called the “land of promise;” Mormons were called the “chosen people.” The Constitution was to be the civil law of the land; the Doctrine and Covenants was to be the spiritual law. As the U.S. Constitution directs and limits government, so the Doctrine and Covenants directs and limits the Church. To forsake the Constitution is treason; to forsake the Doctrine and Covenants is apostasy.

In describing the American people recently, Constitutionalist Donald McAlvany wrote: We have become fat, dumb, lazy, complacent, apathetic and can no longer tell the difference between good and evil nor do we as a people any longer hate evil or take an active stand against it. In many respects, we participate in it. (The Intelligence Report, Jan. 1999, p. 31)

Similarly, Brigham Young had described the Mormon people:

 

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I know the Lord wants to pour blessings upon this people, but were He to do so in their present ignorance, they would not know what to do with them. They can receive only a very little, and that must be administered to them with great care. (JD 9:269)

Most of our present generation are drowning themselves in speculations, sports, and sin, unable to learn from the decadent paths of the past. Nations have risen to riches, power, and temporal glory only to fall and be consumed by their own mistakes. Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Persia, Carthage and Rome have all fallen–not by the hand of their enemies, but because of their own corruption.

The world was once destroyed by a flood because of the wickedness of the people:

Such were the people of the flood; the people of Sodom and the Canaanites, who were so far degenerated that the Lord in mercy interfered, and doomed them to utter destruction, that nations and races so degenerate should no longer propagate their species: and then, by his own holy laws of marriage, repeopled those same countries with a better race. (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 1980 ed., Chap. 51, p. 417)

Our mission in mortality is not to gain the luxuries of fancy homes, cars, and boats, but to gain the blessings that await the faithful. Orson Pratt listed the real questions we should be asking and obtaining answers to, in order to stay on the correct path:

With a work of such magnitude before them, the Latter-day Saints should be wide awake, and should not have their minds engaged in those fooleries in which many indulge at the present time. We should put these things away, and our inquiry should be–“Lord, [296] how can we prepare the way before thy coming? How can we prepare ourselves to perform the great work which must be performed in this greatest of dispensations, the dispensation of the fulness of times? How can we be prepared to behold the Saints who lived on the earth in former dispensations, and take them by the hand and fall upon their necks and they fall upon ours, and we embrace each other? How can we be prepared for this?” How can all things that are in Christ Jesus, both which are in heaven and on the earth, be assembled in one grand assembly, without we are wide awake? (JD 16:326)

But in spite of the light and knowledge given to the early Saints, Brigham Young prophesied that the Latter day Saints will become like every other people that have preceded them–“overcome by the luxuries of the world, and by the love of riches.” (JD 15:207)

But because of God’s mercy, not all Americans and Mormons will be destroyed. There will be a “sifting time.” Christ referred to the separation of the wicked and the righteous as the dividing of (1) the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:33), (2) the wheat from the chaff (Matt. 3:12), and (3) the wise from the unwise virgins (Matt. 24:1-2). Some will be saved and some will not.

We talk a great deal about preparing for the Second Coming of Christ, but there must be some serious changes made before this great event can take place. Just as a housewife thoroughly cleans her house before the arrival of an important guest, so it should be with the Saints in preparing for the Second Coming. There can be no more important guest than the Savior. But before the bridegroom can come to visit the bride (the church), there will need to be a setting in order first (see D & C 85:7). And His “vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth . . . and upon my house shall it begin, [297] and from my house shall it go forth.” (D & C 112:24-25). And this shall continue “until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations.” (D & C 87:6)

There is a special destiny for the land of America and a special work for the Mormons. It will be a great day for the righteous and a dreadful one for the wicked. In describing the Saints in his day, Joseph Smith declared–

[The ancient prophets] have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory. . . . Our name will be handed down to future ages; our children will rise up and call us blessed; and generations yet unborn will dwell with particular delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untiring zeal that we have manifested; the all but insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessing which they will realize. (DHC 4:609-610)

One cannot help but ask at this point, what have the Saints today done with this great legacy? And what will future generations say 100 years from now?

But project the mind into the future. Perhaps a hundred years from now, future Church history classes will speak with equal reverence of the marvelous return to Jackson County, Missouri, or of the tremendous faith of those who built the New Jerusalem and the temple there–and they may be speaking of those who are now living. Today, members of the Church rejoice over the stories left to them by their grandparents and [298] great-grandparents–stories of faith, sacrifice, and inspiration. But think for a moment of the stories that this generation will have to tell their grandchildren and great grandchildren. The future destiny of the Church holds as many opportunities for greatness as does the history of the past! (The Coming of the Lord, Gerald Lund, p. 223)

But the question is–who will be valiant enough to go through the trials that lay ahead and endure to the end in order to experience the ultimate blessings that follow?

The Lord is giving us this time to prepare. If you knew a flood, a tornado, or a war was coming, you would prepare for it. If you knew all the wicked were to be destroyed, you would make preparations not to be included among that number. Brigham Young advised:

Young men, prepare yourselves; for a greater responsibility will come upon you than you have ever dreamed of. Millions will seek to you for salvation. Are you prepared for this? No, you are not. (JD 9:143)

Then, do not be too anxious for the Lord to hasten his work. Let our anxiety be centered upon one thing, the sanctification of our own hearts, the purifying of our own affections, the preparing of ourselves for the approach of the events that are hastening upon us. This should be our concern, this should be our study, this should be our daily prayer, and not to be in a hurry to see the overthrow of the wicked. (JD 9:3)

But how many Mormons will be sufficiently prepared for these future events? In 1880 an editorial appeared in the Millennial Star which read:

Out of this community at present in the merely incipient stages of development and from the remnant [299] of the whole house of Israel, will emanate the nucleus or foundation from which will spring the righteous millennial population of our globe. (Mill. Star 42:585)

The work of ushering in the Millennium needs to begin with the righteous Saints, according to Brigham Young:

The Millennium consists in this–every heart in the church and Kingdom of God being united in one. If the people will not serve the devil another moment whilst they live, if this congregation is possessed of that spirit and resolution, here in this house is the Millennium. Let the inhabitants of this city be possessed of that spirit, let the people of the territory be possessed of that spirit, and here is the Millennium. Let the whole people in the United States be possessed of that spirit, and here is the Millennium, and so it will spread over all the world. (JD 1:203)

Joseph Smith also held out high hopes for the Saints:

Brethren, you are in the pathway to eternal fame, and immortal glory; and inasmuch as you feel interested for the covenant people of the Lord, the God of their fathers shall bless you. Do not be discouraged on account of the greatness of the work; only be humble and faithful, . . . He who scattered Israel has promised to gather them; therefore inasmuch as you are to be instrumental in this great work, He will endow you with power, wisdom, might and intelligence, and every qualification necessary; while your minds will expand wider and wider, until you can circumscribe the earth and the heavens, reach forth into eternity, and contemplate the mighty acts of Jehovah in all their variety and glory. (TPJS, p. 163)

Each of us can choose to follow the path of the New World Order of the secret combinations or else the New World Order of Jesus Christ. The leaders of each plan claim the right to rule over the earth and all its inhabitants. They each promise peace [300] and prosperity for 1000 years, and claim to eventually be victorious over the other. However, only one is pointing to the correct temporal and spiritual path for the righteous to follow. Which one will you take? There is no neutral path.

The general direction of the parallel paths of both nation and church is set because of past decisions and actions–just as the direction of our individual path is determined by the decisions and actions we make daily. Frequently, throughout our lives, we need to take a close look down our path and make sure it is leading to the place we want to go. Occasionally we may need to make a course correction based on the further light and knowledge we gain as we go along. But the best signpost along the way is the one that says, “Come follow Me.”

 

[301]                Someone is listening when you call–

Just ask and He will understand.