What God has Said About the LDS Church
We don’t have to guess how the Lord feels about the church. He has spoken about it several times in what we regard as scripture. In 1831, the Lord said:
Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips—For behold, verily I say, that many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority. Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I, the Lord, will own them; otherwise they shall be cut off. Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit; and in this there is no condemnation, and ye receive the Spirit through prayer; wherefore, without this there remaineth condemnation. (D&C 63:61-64.)
The Lord said that there were people in the church attributing things to him that he had not said, and doing things in his name he had not commanded. He said that the church needed to repent or else they would be cut off. He said that those who claim their own words are God’s words, when the Spirit has not spoken to them, are condemned.
The Lord spoke again about the church in 1832. He said:
And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me. And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now. 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 and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—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. (D&C 84:32-56.)
Here, the Lord said that those who do not receive revelation are not of him. He said that the church had taken the revelations that Joseph Smith received lightly, and for this reason were under condemnation. He said that this condemnation applied to every member of the church, and would stand until they repented and obeyed the Book of Mormon and other commandments from God through Joseph Smith. Do we as a people obey the Book of Mormon and other commandments from God through Joseph Smith more than those in 1832? This question is discussed in the chapter entitled “The Preeminence of Joseph Smith’s Teachings.”
In 1841, the Lord spoke about the church for the last time as recorded in our scriptures. He said,
...build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein. For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood....But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me. But behold, at the end of this appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God. For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me; For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory. (D&C 124:27-34.)
Here, the Lord did not say the condemnation placed upon the church in 1832 had been lifted. Instead, he stated that the fullness of the priesthood had been taken away from the church.1 He charged the church to build the Nauvoo temple, and stated that if the task was not completed in a certain time, the church would be rejected with its dead. The Saints did not build the Nauvoo temple, spending their money on lavish brick homes and a Masonic temple instead of the Lord’s house.2 The Saints fled Nauvoo before the temple was completed. God never came to the temple, and he never restored anything in it.3 Additionally, the promised penalties fell upon them prior to the completion of the building, demonstrating that the temple was not completed in time to fulfill God’s commandment.
Joseph repeatedly warned that there was a time given by the Lord for them to build the temple, and, as the Lord said in D&C 124, if the Saints didn't fulfill the commission in time, they would lose the opportunity to gain the promised blessings.
I will now ask this assembly and all the Saints if you will now build this house and receive the ordinances and blessings which God has in store for you; or will you not build unto the Lord this house, and let Him pass by and bestow these blessings upon another people? I pause for a reply. (June 11, 1843, DHC 5:423-427.)
In April 1842, the Prophet said:
The Church is not fully organized, in its proper order, and cannot be, until the Temple is completed, where places will be provided for the administration of the ordinances of the Priesthood. (History of the Church, 4:603; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on Apr. 28, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Eliza R. Snow.)
This did not occur.
The three times God spoke on the subject, he indicated that the church needed to repent, that they were under condemnation, and that they were rejected with their dead. If any claims that the LDS church is the Lord’s church, they have the obligation of pointing out where he has reversed his position as clearly defined in the Doctrine and Covenants on three occasions.
Footnotes
- 1. The Lord himself prophesied that this would occur: “And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fullness of 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 fullness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fullness of my gospel from among them.” (3 Nephi 16:10, emphasis added.) Students of history know that, as antithetical as these descriptions seem to modern Mormons, they are an apt description for the actions of a surprising number of members of the church in the 1830s and 1840s. Danites were pillaging the countryside under secret oaths, priestcrafts abounded, an astounding number of brethren and sisters were committing adultery, money was being embezzled, and financial speculation was out of control. ↩
- 2. “I never shall forget the words he spoke on the first Sunday after I came to Nauvoo. The temple was built a few feet above the ground. While preaching he pointed towards it and said, 'The Lord has commanded us to build that temple. We want to build it, but we have not the means. There are people in this city who have the means, but they will not let us have them. What shall we do with such people? I say damn them!' and then he sat down.” (recollection of Elder William E. Jones.) ↩
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3.
Joseph taught that Elijah would come to the Nauvoo temple and restore all things ever revealed, including a priesthood which holds the priesthood by right from the Eternal Gods and not by descent, the administration of the Levites in the temple, including animal sacrifice, and the covenants made to the fathers (the patriarchs, not our ancestors). Though the modern Mormonism claims all these rights (other than animal sacrifice, which they teach will not be practiced again), they must answer where they obtained them, as Joseph preached until his death that they had not yet been restored, and that they would not be restored until the Nauvoo temple was completed. This never happened. For the reader’s benefit, some of the passages of Joseph’s sermons where he lays out these points are reprinted below (spelling preserved as recorded):
“it is generally supposed that Sacrifice was entirely done away when the great sacrifice was offered up—and that there will be no necessity for the ordinance of Sacrifice in future, but those who assert this, are certainly not acquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the priesthood. or with the prophets The offering of Sacrifice has ever been connected and forms a part of the duties of the priesthood. It began with the priesthood and will be continued until after the coming of Christ from generation to generation—We frequently have mention made of the offering of Sacrifice by the servants of the most high in ancient days prior to the law of moses, which ordinances will be continued when the priesthood is restored with all its authority power and blessings. Elijah was the last prophet that held the keys of this priesthood, and who will, before the last dispensation, restore the authority and delive[r] the Keys of this priesthood in order that all the ordinances may be attended to in righteousness.” (“Words of Joseph Smith”, 5 Oct 1840) “the offring of Sacrifice which also shall be continued at the last time, for all the ordinances and duties that ever have been required by the priesthood under the direction and commandments of the Almighty in the last dispensation at the end thereof in any of the dispensations, shall all be had in the last dispensation. Therefore all things had under the Authority of the Priesthood at any former period shall be had again—bringing to pass the restoration spoken of by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets.” (Words of Joseph Smith) “It will be necessary here to make a few observations on the doctrine, set forth in the above quotation, As it is generally supposed that Sacrifice was entirely done away when the great sacrife was offered up—and that there will be no necessity for the ordinance of Sacrifice in future, but those who assert this, are certainly not aquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the priesthood. or with the prophets The offering of Sacrifice has ever been connected and forms a part of the duties of the priesthood. It began with the prieshood and will be continued untill after the coming of Christ from generation to generation—We freequently have mention made of the offering of Sacrifice by the servants of the most high in antient days prior to the law of moses, See which ordinances will be continued when the priesthood is restored with all its authority power and blessings. Elijah was the last prophet that held the keys of this priesthood, and who will, before the last dispensation, restore the authority and delive[r] the Keys of this priesthood in order that all the ordinances may be attended to in righteousness.” (Words of Joseph Smith, 5 Oct 1840) “Elijah was the last Prophet that held the keys of the Priesthood, and who will, before the last dispensation, restore the authority and deliver the keys of the Priesthood, in order that all ordinances may be attended to in righteousness...'And I will send Elijah the Prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord,' etc., etc. Why send Elijah? Because he holds the keys of the authority to administer in all the ordinances of the Priesthood; and without the authority is given, the ordinances could not be administered in righteousness.” (History of the Church 4:207-212) “...it is generally supposed that sacrifice was entirely done away when the Great Sacrifice the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was offered up...but those who assert this are certainly not acquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the Priesthood, or with the Prophets.....These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the Priesthood, will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built, and the sons of Levi be purified, be fully restored and attended to in all their powers, ramifications, and blessings....else how can the restitution of all things spoken of by the Holy Prophets be brought to pass[?]” “how shall god come to the rescue of this generation. he shall send Elijah law revealed to Moses in Horeb—never was revealed to the C. of Israel and he shall reveal the covenants to seal the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers.—anointing & sealing—called elected and made sure without father &c. a priesthood which holds the priesthood by right from the Eternal Gods.—and not by descent from father and mother” (Words of Joseph Smith, 27 Aug 1843) “The world is reserved unto burning in the last days—he shall send Elijah the prophet. and he shall reveal the covenants of the fathers in relation to the children.—and the children and the covenants of the children in relation to the fathers.” (WoJS 13 Aug 1843.) ↩