--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1842 to 1843. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 4 number: 8 published: 1843-03-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“The Elias,” *Times and Seasons* 4, no. 8 (March 1, 1843): 120–123." printed_title: The Elias. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-03-01_4_8 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v4n08.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-03-01_4_8 start_page: 120 end_page: 123 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1843 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-03-01_4_8 publication_year: 1843 --- # The Elias There are few subjects that have puzzled the children of men more than the solution of this one question, Who is Elias? There has not been so much difficulty in identifying him with Elijah, as there has in relation to the office that he was to sustain as spoken of prophetically by Malachi. "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Mal. iv:5, 6. The great question that remains to be solved, is, was John the Baptist the Elias, or was he not?-There is indeed something perplexing, since there seems to be a clashing of scripture testimony in relation to this subject. I say seems to be, because in reality there is not. The angel Gabriel, when he appeared unto Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist made the following statement concerning him: "fear not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou halt call his name John, and thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth, for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.-And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, und [and] the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke i:13-17. Here then is a clear statement, making out that John the Baptist was the Elias. Now we turn to John, chap. i. beginning at the 20th ver. "And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then? Art thou Elias? and he saith I AM NOT. Art thou that prophet? and he answered No." Turn we now to Matt. xi. 13, 14. "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is the ELIAS which was to come." Here, then, is a strange comixture of prophesying and testimony, apparently conflicting and at variance; so palpable, indeed, is the difference that one says that he is the Elias, the other says he is not. What shall be done? is one part of it untrue? verily, no. Shall we try to evade it? no. If the paradox cannot be unriddled on reasonable terms, we will acknowledge the difficulty, leave it irreconcileable [irreconcilable] to our understanding, and say "let God be true and every man a liar." We will however venture an assertion which strange and anomalous as it may appear, and indeed is, we think we can sustain; which is this that John the Baptist was the Elias, and that he was not the Elias, and taking this cingular [singular] course we are only stating what is above stated and we think that we shall be sustained by reason, common sense, and the Scriptures. The Elias spoken of in the Scriptures, is a restorer, hence our Saviour [Savior] said, "Elias verily cometh and restores all things." And yet it is evident that John the Baptist was the Elias, for our Saviour [Savior] says, "but I say unto you that Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him" Mark ix, 13. Ever since the fall of man the great Jehovah has had it in his mind to restore him to his pristine excellency, to remove the curse from the brute creation and to restore the earth to its primitive glory; nay, while this earth was one dark chaotic mass, before God said "let there be light, and it was so," or ever this world rolled into existence, or the morning stars sung together for joy a plan was formed in the councils of heaven, it was contemplated by the great Author of our existence, Eloheim [Elohim], Jehovah, to redeem the earth from under the curse. Hence when the Gods deliberated about the formation of man, it was known that he would fall and the Saviour [Savior] was provided who was to redeem and to restore, who was indeed the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The eternal plan of Jehovah however, was as perfect at that time as it is now the foundation was perfectly laid the outlines were clearly sketched with a master hand, and the interstices have been filling up from that day to this. Satan has gained no more power, than he has been permitted to hold; the universe has been under the direction of the Lord of Hosts and it will be seen by and by that he whose right it is, will possess the earth, Satan will be bound, the earth redeemed, and "the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ. The earth has to be redeemed by the power of God, through the medium of the priesthood; the priesthood in heaven and on earth combined. And ever since the fall of man, in the different ages of the world, men clothed with the priesthood, have had a view of this subject: poets have sung about it, and prophets have prophesied of it; it has engaged the pencil of the artist, the tongue of the learned, and the pen of the scribe; and if ever the souls of the prophets were fired with the spirit of God it was when they prophesied of the mountains dropping down sweet wine, and the wilderness blossoming as the rose, when the lion and the lamb should lay down together, and the earth be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea. When Zion should be established in glory, and all nations flock to her standard. When the temple of God should be reared, and the waters of life flow from its threshold; when the tree of life should be planted, and the leaves thereof be for the healing of the nations; when the inhabitants of Zion should dwell in safety, and no more say I am sick, and Jerusalem become the throne of the Lord." In prospect of these things many prophets and servants of God have united their faith, and energies to bring about the thing so desired, and to act the part of Elias, or restorers. Enoch tried to do it but was not able. He walked with God, he had great faith, he raised up a powerful church, and taught them the principles of righteousness, but could not redeem the earth; the earth was becoming more corrupt ant God took Enoch and his church to himself, and hence arose the saying, 'Zion is fled.' The salt being thus removed, there was nothing to preserve the earth, and it was overthrown with a flood. Moses tried, in his day, to accomplish something in relation to this matter; but he did not accomplish it; he drew nigh unto God by faith, and obtained promises from God. The Lord said that he would make of the Children of Israel a kingdom of priests and thus they being taught of God, and being enabled to teach all nations it might necessarily be presumed that intelligence would flow through their instrumentality, and that the kingdom of God would be planted and flourish on the earth; but they sinned against God, they lost the Melchizadec Priesthood; and instead of being a kingdom of priests, they had only one High Priest, who could go into the presence of God, and that only once a year, instead of the whole kingdom being brought into the presence of God, as a "kingdom of priests." Moses failed in his attempt he was taken from their midst, and they placed under a "schoolmaster until Christ." The great prototype of John the Baptist, Elijah, was a great prophet, the spirit of God rested upon him in a powerful manner, yet he could not do much; but had to exclaim, "they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine alters; and I am left alone and they seek my life." John the Baptist came in his day as an Elias; a restorer. The angel Gabriel said that he came in the "spirit and power of Elias," and if the people would have submitted to his teaching and to the teaching of our Savior, the things that are spoken of in the prophets would have been fulfilled; hence says our Savior, 'if ye will receive it,' this is the Elias which was to come; but he goes on to tell them that they would not receive it. He says 'he that hath ears to hear let him hear, but whereunto shall I liken this generation?' it is likened unto children sitting in the markets and calling unto their fellows, saying; 'we have piped unto you and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say he hath a devil. The son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say behold a man gluttenous [gluttonous] and a wine bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.' Matt. XI, 14 and 19. thus they rejected John the Baptist, and although he was indeed the Elias, he could not be so to them, and hence, when they asked him 'art thou Elias?' he said 'I am not.' They forfeited the favor of Jehovah, the kingdom of heaven was taken from them, and the blessings of God withdrawn from their midst. We do not attach blame to any of the ancient prophets, we believe they done their best: but they lived among a corrupt people who would not listen to the word of the Lord, besides, the time appointed by Jehovah had not come and they could not be made perfect without us, and we without them; it requires the priesthood in heaven, and the priesthood on earth combined, to bring about these things, and as the Lord has been pleased to reveal unto us the fulness [fullness] of the gospel, and he is about to gather his word into one, and his people into one, since we are favored with the faith of all the priesthood that have lived, as well as those that are now living. The faith and assistance of the fathers on the Asiatic continent, as well as the ancients on this continent, inasmuch as we are faithful, we may perhaps unite in singing this new song, saying: 'The Lord hath brought again Zion: The Lord hath redeemed his people, Israel. According to the election of grace, Which was brought to pass by the faith, And covenant of their fathers. The Lord that redeemed his people, And satan is bound, and time is no longer: The Lord hath gathered all things in one; The Lord hath brought down Zion from above; The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath; The earth hath travailed and brought forth her strength; And truth is established in her bowels; And the heavens have smiled upon her; And she is clothed with the glory of God: For he stands in the midst of his people: Glory, and honor, and power, and might, Be ascribed to our God, for he is full of mercy, Justice, grace and truth, and peace, For ever and ever; Amen." As the Prophet observes, "Behold this is wisdom in me: wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the book of Mormon, containing the fullness of my everlasting gospel; to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim; and also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things, or the restorer of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days: and also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias; which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, jr. and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto this first priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even of Aaron: and also Elijah unto whom I have committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse; and also, with Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham your fathers, by whom the promises remain; and also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days: And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry; and of the same things which I revealed unto them; unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the lasts times; and for the fulness [fullness] of times, in the which I will gather together in one all things both which are in heaven and which are on earth;" and also with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world; wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all ye may be able to stand [stand]. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth; having on the breastplate of righteousness [righteousness]; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up that where I am, ye shall be also. Amen.