--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Ivins, Anthony W. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 33 number: 7 published: 1930-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: "Anthony W. Ivins, “The Church Centennial,” *Improvement Era* 33, no. 7 (May 1930): 453–458." source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3307unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera3307unse start_page: 453 end_page: 458 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1930-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera3307unse publication_year: 1930 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1930, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # The Church Centennial THE IMPROVEMENT ERA =J^E Vol. 33-41 May, 1930 No. 7 •er 454 The Improvement Era for May} 1930 the prophet Isaiah looked forward to the day when he would mani- fest himself among men, and, by foreknowledge which came from the Father, announced the details of his death and the dire conse- quences of his crucifixion. HTHE Redeemer himself declared, notwithstanding the apparent failure of his mission and ministry as it applied to the generation to which He brought the message of salvation, that at a period of time then in the remote future, a period designated as the latter-days, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, he would again reveal him- self, would re-establish his Church upon the earth, and come to reign in triumph and majesty over his people. In humility, and with full con- sciousness of the responsibility in- volved, we bear witness to the people of the world that with the appearance of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith, in the early spring of 1820, the greatest gospel dispensation of all time was ushered in, a dispensation of light, radiating from the pres- ence of God, illuminating the minds of men, increasing intelli- gence and knowledge, which is the glory of God, and by the applica- tion of which the past one hundred years have been made the Miracle Century of the ages. The increase of scientific knowl- edge, invention, industrial develop- ment; the harnessing of the forces of the universe and adapting them to the comfort and convenience of man, have reached a degree of per- fection not dreamed of by people who lived when the past century was ushered in. JN 1830 Abraham Lincoln at- tained his majority. He was still pursuing his studies by the light of a tallow dip, or pine knot, because there was nothing better to be had; and it was under these cir- cumstances that he prepared him- self to become the foremost citizen of his country, thirty years later. Since that time our system of education has undergone a mirac- ulous change. The log or little brick school-house of a century ago has been supplanted by temples of learning, in which our children enjoy conveniences and comforts that the wealth of kingdoms could not, at that time, have provided. They have maps of the world be- fore them, books treating all known subjects, teachers better in- formed upon the subjects taught, heat provided; and when they re- quire light they touch a button and the electric current does the rest. A GRICULTURE, the founda- Z^ tion upon which the very existence of the human race is builded, was still in a primitive condition. Men harvested with a scythe or sickle the grain which grew in their fields, and threshed it with a flail. A man now sits upon a machine, and at one operation, reaps, threshes and sacks ten acres( of grain, with less fatigue than he formerly harvested one. Women carded and spun the wool and wove the cloth with which they and their children were clothed. The cards, spinning wheel, and loom have passed. They are now to be seen only as heirlooms or sacredly cherished souvenirs. DOSSIBLY no other human agency has greater influence upon civilization and the develop- ment of the people of the world than that which provides quick and easy transportation of people and things from place to place By it individuals, communities, and nations come to know each other better, exchange of commodities is made possible, and the commerce of the world is maintained. For this purpose roads made by men thread the world. We travel over them now on bands of steel, in luxurious motor cars, in floating palaces, or through the air. Only yesterday these roads were mere trails, blazed by fearless, in- trepid men, through unknown forests, over snowclad mountains, across trackless deserts or uncharted seas. T N fulfilment of the words uttered by inspired prophets, thousands of years ago, the wooden boats in which we sailed the seas at the be- ginning of the past century have been supplanted by floating palaces of steel, in which we ride the waves or navigate the ocean's depths in safety. For silver the Lord has given us gold , which has become the basis of exchange throughout the civilized world; while iron takes the place of wood and stone in construction. By the application of scientific methods, which have been revealed during the past century, the pro- fession of medicine and surgery has brought to the people of the world relief from the most dreaded diseases , which devastated com- munities and at times threatened the very existence of mankind. TTNDOUBTEDLY the greatest ^ miracle of the century is the accomplishment by which the hu- man voice, with the personality of the speaker, may be indefinitely pre- served and reproduced with every detail of originality. Whether uttered in the frozen arctics, or from the jungles of the tropics, without visible means of conduct, the human voice instantly circles the earth, thus overcoming the hitherto insurmountable bar- rier of both time and space. Contemplating these accom- plishments of the past century, to which but brief reference has been made, we are led to exclaim: Great and marvelous are thy ways, O Lord! From eternity to eternity Thou art the same! Thy purposes fail not, neither are there any who can stay Thy hand! The Church rVHE Annunciation. As the glory of the Lord shone round about shepherds, who kept watch over their flocks by night upon the hills of Judea, and the angel of the Lord announced to them that there had been born that day, in the city of David, a Savior who was Christ the Lord, the light of the Christian Dispensation burst forth upon the world. "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heav- enly host praising God, and say- ing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to- ward men." The heavens were illuminated by the glory of the Lord, the heav- enly host shouted hosannas as the Babe of Bethlehem, the Son of The Improvement Era for May, 1930 455 God, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh, he who was to become the Savior jof mankind, was born into the world. pROM the time of his birth to the day of his crucifixion, Satan, that old serpent, the devil, the enemy of all that is good, he who by his wiles and deception tempted our first parents and brought death into the world, sought the destruction of our Lord. Kings persecuted him, because they knew and feared his power. The learned and wealthy spurned him, because of his humble birth; while the ignorant, not under- standing, held him in derision. The personal ministry of Jesus was of short duration. But thirty-three years elapsed from the time of his birth to the day of his crucifixion, and but a small por- tion of this time was devoted to his ministry. From the time of the delivery of his great sermon on the Mount, but three years elapsed un- til his death. p)URING the brief period of his ministry he effected the organ- ization of his Church, selected twelve apostles, upon whom, with Peter at their head, he conferred the keys of the Priesthood, and to whom he made plain the organiza- tion of his Church and the doc- trines of his Gospel, by obedience to which mankind may be redeem- ed and brought back into the pres- ence of God. This accomplished, he declared his mortal mission completed, and went to his death with the sublime prayer upon his lips that his Father would pardon those who were responsible for his crucifixion. In their ignorance they knew not what they had done. The First Century of the Primitive Church T\ URING the first century of the Christian Era, Octavius, Caligula, Nero, Vespasian and his son Titus, all of whom were bitter persecutors of the Church, occupied the throne of Rome. Pagan Rome had become the mistress of the world. From the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, persecution of the Christians had been merciless and wicked beyond expression. During the reign of Caligula and Nero, who were more brute that human, Christian men were slain without mercy, while their wives and daughters were carried away to Rome, to be sold to the highest bidder, or distrib- uted to a depraved soldiery. Men, women and children were cast into the great amphitheater at Rome, to be torn by wild beasts or fight for their lives, for the en- tertainment of thes(e inhuman monsters. Christians, their bodies covered with combustibles, 'were made to stand upon the walls, to be burned, in order that light might be provided for the spectacle below. HPO deprive Christians of life was not sufficient. Every cruel means of torture that the human mind could suggest, which might add to the suffering of the victim, was appliedr. The falling away which had been predicted by the prophets had come. The man of sin, the son of perdition, was revealed, who op- poses and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is wor- shipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4). Thus centuries passed, centuries during which darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people, centuries during which Satan, in an orgy of Pagan idolatry, ruled the world. A New Gospel Dispensation 'T'HE opening of a new Gospel dispensation was not a thing of chance. Jesus Christ, through his messenger, had declared to John while he was upon the isle of Pat- mos, that an angel would come flying through the midst of heav- en, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, calling them back to the worship of God, who is the Maker of the heavens and the earth, the sea and the fountains of water. The Redeemer himself had declar- ed that before the time of his glorious appearance, to assume his rightful place among his people, the Gospel of his kinghom should be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, before the coming of the end. As the time of the restoration of the Gospel was clearly indicated, so was the gathering place of those who would accept the truth definitely declared. The prophet Isaiah had said that it should come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house would be established in the top of the mountains, and be exalted above the hills, and that people from all nations would flow unto it. Many people, he declared, would go and say: "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountains of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob." For what pur- pose? That they might be taught the way of the Lord and learn to walk in his paths. A T the time of the calling of ^*- Abraham, the Lord entered in- to covenant with him and his pos- terity, in which He promised that Palestine should be theirs for an everlasting heritage. This promise was repeated to Isaac, and confirm- ed upon the head of Jacob.. Prior to his death our father Jacob called his twelve sons to him, blessed them, and defined the future of their posterity, adding little to that which had before been promised, until he laid his hands upon the head of Joseph and not only conferred upon him the blessing and heritage of his fathers, but also declared that his heritage prevailed above that of his progenitors, unto the utmost bounds of the Everlasting Hills, to a land choice above all other lands, a land rich in the blessings of the earth, of the heavens above, and the sea beneath. Upon Ephraim, the younger of the two sons born to Joseph dur- ing his sojourn in Egypt, he sealed the heirship to the blessings and promises conferred upon his father. While Satan held the world in spiritual darkness, by means of priestcraft and idolatry, he shackled the masses with the chains of kingcraft, and thus held the world in both spiritual and civil bondage. As the time of the end drew nearer, God's Spirit descended up- on men, impelling them to break the shackles of idolatry and priest- craft with which they were bound. WHEN John Wycliffe, John Huss, and William Tyndale, (all of whom suffered martyrdom 456 The Improvement Era for May, 1930 for their faith) Martin Luther and others gave the Holy Scrip- tures to the people of the world, and in the strength of Israel's God declared the truth, the beginning of the end had come. When the people of Great Britain wrung from King John the Magna Charta, when Oliver Cromwell later cut off the head of King Charles the First, and the Covenanters of Scotland took up arms against the then dominant church, the morning star of hope arose, heralding the sunshine of a brighter day. The coming of Columbus to America had been foretold cen- turies before he sailed from the port of Palos, in Spain. The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, was his guide and protector in his great adventure, and led him to the shores of a new world. TT was not by chance that the Puritans left their native land and sailed away to the shores of New England, and that others followed later. They were the advance guard of the army of the Lord, predestined to establish the God-given system of government under which we live, and to make of America, which is the land of Joseph, the gathering place of Ephraim, an asylum for the op- pressed of all nations, and prepare the way for the restoration of the Gospel of Christ and the reestab- lishment of his Church upon earth. It was under these circumstances and others of which the Lord was the author, that the stage was set for the raising of the curtain upon the opening scene of the Dispensa- tion of the Fulness of Times. As the Christian Dispensation was ushered in, the glory of the Lord shone round about the shep- herds who kept watch over their flocks by night upon the hills of Judea, while the voice of the angel of the Lord declared the Babe of Bethlehem to be the Savior of the world. CO also the glory of the Lord overshadowed Joseph Smith, and God himself, in the glory and majesty of his person, with his Only Begotten Son, Jehovah, re- vealed himself in vision, and with his own voice designated Joseph Smith to be the instrument through whom the greatest gospel dispensation of the ages was to be ushered in. There was nothing of osten- tation, pageantry or dramatic dis- play; it was a simple, solemn occasion, superlatively glorious and impressive beyond expression. The voice of the Lord, which had been silent for ages, was heard again. Again that divine message, so oft repeated, was delivered: "This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" The personality of the Father and his Only Begotten Son was again revealed that mankind may know them as they are. Of his first vision Joseph Smith says : "After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so when immediately I was seized upon by some power which en- tirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time that I was doomed to sudden destruction. "But exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready -i. HE following is from a sermon by Pres. Heber J. Grant, Oct. 5, 1917: / endorse every word that has been spoken regarding the divinity of the mission of the men who have presided over this Church. President Smith said he had noth- ing to say regarding the present ad- ministration, but appealed to the people for their verdict. It has fallen to my lot to labor for thirty- five years, lacking a few days, with the Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and I bear witness that I know, as I know 1 live, that the inspiration of Al- mighty Cod has attended the men who have occupied positions in the Presidency of this Church. I bear witness that at no time within my knowledge has any president of the Church had more of the inspiration of Almighty Cod, and more of the love of his associates in the Presi- dency and in the Council of the Twelve, than has President Joseph F. Smith. I bear witness that ev- ery man chosen to occupy a posi- tion in the Council of the Twelve during the presidency of Joseph F. Smith has been chosen by the in- spiration of Almighty God. I bear witness from my knowledge in vis- iting among the people that there is a love, a faith and a determina- tion to serve God existing today, the equal of any period during the past thirty -five years. to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction — not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such mar- velous power as I had never before felt in any being — just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light ex- actly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually un- til it fell upon me. "It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other — -This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" T\7HEN the Apostle Paul ap- vv peared before King Agrippa and Festus, the Roman Procurator, he declared that Jesus Christ, who had been crucified upon Calvary, was risen from the dead; that he lived and had appeared to him in a cloud of light, calling him to be his messenger to the Gentiles. Festus, in amazement, cried out: "Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad." But Paul replied — -"I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness." In like manner Joseph Smith, an obscure country boy, fifteen years of age, when he related to certain sectarian ministers of the neighborhood that he bad received a heavenly vision, was made the victim of ridicule and bitter perse- cution. Men flew into passion as they declared that it was all from the devil, that there were no such things as visions and revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the Apostles, and that there would never be any more of them. CAT AN again manifested his *-* power and determination to frustrate the will of Christ, that he might maintain his dominion over the world and continue to hold captive the souls of men. From that hour he raged in the hearts of the wicked, until he finally en- compassed the death of the Pro- phet; not, however, until he had accomplished the work which the Lord had sent him into the world to do. Like Paul, Joseph Smith, during the three years intervening after his vision, steadfastly maintained that in vision he had seen the Fa- The Improvement Era for May, 1930 457 ther and the Son, and had heard the voice of the Lord. On the evening of September 21, 1823, he had retired as usual to his bedroom for the night, a night fraught with events of which he had not dreamed, events of su- preme importance to him and to the people of the world. He says: "While I was thus in the act of calling upon God I discovered a light appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noon- day, when immediately a personage ap- peared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor. "He had on a loose robe of most ex- quisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrists; so, also, were his feet naked, as were his legs, a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom. "Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was ex- ceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him I was afraid; but the fear soon left me. "He called me by name, and said that he was a messenger sent from the pres- ence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all peo- pie. '"PHIS messenger revealed to Jos- eph Smith that there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the ancient inhabitants of America and the source from whence they came, and that the plates would later be delivered into his hands to be translated and published to the world. On the twenty-third day of September, 1827, the plates con- taining the record of the Book of Mormon were delivered to Joseph Smith who, by the gift and power of God, translated the characters which were engraven upon them. The Book of Mormon does not in any degree conflict with or take the place of the Holy Bible, but is the strongest corroborative evi- dence in existence of the divine origin of that sacred record. It has been before the world for more than a century, during which time no statement contained in it, whether it refers to the civil his- tory or the religion of the people who kept the record, has been proven to be untrue. As the translation of the char- acters engraven upon the plates on which the Nephite record was kept proceeded Joseph Smith dis- covered that the doctrine of bap- tism was taught and practiced by the Nephite people. Desiring to better understand this principle he did as he had done before, went with Oliver Cowdery, his scribe, into the woods, and engaged in earnest prayer. The following is quoted from his own words: "While we were thus employed, pray- ing and calling upon the Lord, a mes- senger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon as he ordained us, saying: " 'Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priest- hood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteous- ness.' "The messenger who visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said his name was John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted under 0 N October 5, 1917, President Joseph F. Smith said: I desire to say what I have often said, and which is still true, that the work of the Lord is pro- gressing on the earth, and there is no power beneath the Celestial kingdom that can prevent its prog- ress; for so the Almighty has de- creed. I bear this testimony to you. I feel in every fiber of my soul that it is true; and, indeed, if it were not true — notwithstanding the hopes we have, notwithstanding our faith, notwithstanding the pros- perity that has attended our labors in the valleys of these mountains, in harmony with the purposes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- ter-day Saints — if it were not true that the Almighty is at the helm, and has been at the helm from the beginning, and will continue to the end, our hopes and anticipations for present and for future life would be in vain. This work is the power of God unto salvation, and nothing else wilt do, nothing else can com- pare with it. Even error, as it has been said by one, may become ven- erable with age, and may become popular by the number of its vo- taries; but neither error nor the popularity of numbers will avail for the salvation and redemption and exaltation of the children of Almighty God. the direction of Peter, James, and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be conferred upon us." Y^TITH this ordination, and the ™ restoration of the Melchiz- edek Priesthood which was later conferred as promised, the ful- ness of the keys and authority of the Priesthood of Almighty God, which had for centuries been lost to mankind, was restored and has remained with the Church in un- broken succession until the pres- ent time. With the restoration of the Priesthood the way was open for the preaching of the Gospel, the administration of the ordinances pertaining thereto, and the organi- zation of the Church. (~*)N the sixth day of April, one hundred years ago today, Jos- eph Smith, with five others who had accepted the message of the restored Gospel, met at the home of Peter Whitmer, Sr., at Fayette, Seneca County, New York. The sacrament of bread and wine was administered and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized. In his sermon on the Mount the Master declares that a tree is known by the fruit which it pro- duces. We do not gather grapes from thorns nor figs from thistles. A bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water, nor does a good fountain bring forth bitter water. By this unchangeable law we ask the world to judge the accom- plishments of the Church during the past century. It was after his resurrection that the Master commissioned his dis- ciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. TN like manner have the disciples of Christ in the present dispen- sation, his Apostles, High Priests, Seventies, (who are his especially chosen ministry) and the Elders of the Church, carried the glad tidings of the restored Gospel to every part of the civilized world during the century past, and wherever the message has been proclaimed there have been honest souls who have accepted it and gathered to Zion, in fulfilment of 458 The Improvement Era for May, 1930 the words of the ancient prophets. The mountain of the Lord's house has been established in the top of the mountains, and people from all nations have flown unto it. Through the blessings of the Lord upon their labors the desert has been subdued and made to blossom as the rose. Solitary places have been made glad because of them. Cities have been established, springs of water have broken out which have given life to the thirs- ty land, music and the voices of children are heard in the streets where desolation and silence had reigned for ages. ^TEMPLES have been erected in ■*■ which the work of redemp- tion has been done for an innumer- able host of the living and the dead. Many thousands have been brought from the poverty and dis- tress of the old world to this blessed land of Joseph, to become wealthy and be made happy as they have participated in the bless- ings which the Lord our God has pronounced upon it. Looking backward to the or- ganization of the Church, which occurred under the most humble and, to the world, obscure cir- cumstances, and following its his- tory through persecution, poverty, and distress, can it be denied that a great and marvelous work has been accomplished, that the prom- ises of the Lord have been ful- filled, and His power to accom- plish that to which he sets his hand to do, manifested? Let glory and honor be ascribed unto God our Father, through Jesus Christ, his Son, forever, for he is the author of it all. 'T'HE future, as outlined in the predictions of the ancient prophets and confirmed by modern revelation, is pregnant with hope for the Church. Jesus Christ our Lord said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." YWTTH the present momentum with which the people of the world are moving forward in the determination of truth in every field of human endeavor, the out- look for the future passes beyond the vision of human comprehension Jesus Christ, referring to the time when he would manifest him- self in the latter days, declared that whereas he manifested him- self to his own people in the meridian of time and they rejected him, in the latter days he would come first to the Gentiles, and then to the house of Israel. He says: "When the time 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. "At that time, saith the Lord, I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people who are of the house of Israel, and will send my Gospel to them. "And it shall come to pass that I will establish my people, O house of Israel, and I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people, and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together, in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father. "And behold, this people (the Ne- phites) will I establish in this land, (America) and it shall be a new Jeru- salem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you. And then shall be brought to pass that which is written : "Awake, awake again and put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the Holy City. For thenceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean: For thus saith the Lord: Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money." "CROM the words of the Prophet Daniel we quote the follow- ing: "In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the king- dom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." JOHN, the beloved disciple of our Lord, says: "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: And I John saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, com- ing down from God out of heaven, pre- pared as a bride adorned for her husband. "And I heard a great voice out of heav- en, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God is with man, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." "And the Lord shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into prun- ing hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." TW"ITH this glorious vision of the future, to which we look forward, we exhort our brethren and sisters to put their houses in order, that they may be prepared for that which is to come. Refrain from evil; do that which is good. Visit the sick, comfort those who are in sorrow, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, care for the widow and the father- less. Observe the laws of health which the Lord has revealed, and keep yourselves unspotted from the sins of the world. Pay your tithes and offerings, and the Lord will open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings until there shall not be room to contain them. Be obedient to the laws of God and the civil laws of the country in which you reside, and uphold and honor those who are chosen to administer them. To the people of the world we send our blessing, and bear witness to them that God lives, that Jesus Christ is his Only Be- gotten Son, the Redeemer of the world. We call upon all men to come unto him, that through his grace they may attain to eternal life and an inheritance with him in the kingdom of his Father. Heber J. Grant, Anthony W. Ivins, Charles W. Nibley, The First Presidency. •f i i V\7HEREFORE the voice of the ** Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear: "Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh; * * * "And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; "For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant." (Doc- trine and Covenants 1:11-15.)