“Which gospel is
the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins,
and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath
caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of
Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy
Ghost from his mother’s womb. For he was baptized while he was yet
in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he
was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the
Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his
people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is
given all power.” (D&C 84:27-28)
The Greatness and
Mission of John the Baptist:
The question arose
from the saying of Jesus--"Among those that are born of women
there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is
least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." How is it that
John was considered one of the greatest prophets? His miracles could
not have constituted his greatness.
First. He was
entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face
of the Lord. Whoever had such a trust committed to him before or
since? No man.
Secondly. He
was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his
hands, to baptize the Son of Man. Whoever had the honor of doing
that? Whoever had so great a privilege and glory? Whoever led the Son
of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding
the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign
of the dove, in witness of that administration? The sign of the dove
was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the
Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy
Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not
confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The
Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove
was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an
emblem or token of truth and innocence.
Thirdly. John,
at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the
kingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the keys of power.
The Jews had to obey his instructions or be damned, by their own
law; and Christ Himself fulfilled all righteousness in becoming
obedient to the law which he had given to Moses on the mount, and
thereby magnified it and made it honorable, instead of destroying it.
The son of Zacharias wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the
glory from the Jews, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven,
and these three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet born of a
woman.
At the time John acted among the Jews,
the great hidden effort behind the scenes required to bring to pass
John the Baptist's mission went almost entirely unnoticed. Certainly,
the Jews failed to pay adequate attention to John's mission and
didn't even give thought about what he was doing right before their
very eyes. As John, the son of Zacharias, wrested
the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the Jews, the
bonafide religious leaders of the Jews were oblivious and unaware of
the momentous events in motion that would cause overwhelming effects
to them and their precious kingdom.
God's house is a house of order. He
does it according to patterns. It is not God's purpose to abandon the
restoration, but it is His purpose to preserve the restoration, which
at this moment is in terrible jeopardy. The restoration itself must
be rescued and preserved. If you cannot detect the terrible changes
it has undergone and is now undergoing, then you are blind indeed.
Shall God forget the work he began through Joseph? Shall this now
universally downward course be permitted without His hand being bared
again? Or shall a kind and merciful God take steps to give us a
chance to preserve it with His assistance, if we choose to act?
What if the LDS church has, in fact,
gone far enough astray from the restoration through Joseph Smith that
God has now determined it best to order His house differently before
His return (second coming)? What if God has already called a servant
today that He has entrusted with a
divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord? What
if the servant He has called today is the only legal administrator in
the affairs of the kingdom here currently on the earth? What if the
servant is holding the keys of power? What if the gentiles today have
to obey his instructions or be damned, by their own law? What if
God's servant has been ordained and received authority from God unto
this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the gentiles (LDS church
specifically), and to make straight the way of the Lord before the
face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in
whose hand is given all power? What if the servant of God today has
already commenced his important mission? What if he has faithfully
heeded the word of God and thereby wrested the keys, the kingdom,
the power, the glory from the LDS church, gentile religious leaders,
and the entire hierarchy of power, by the holy anointing and decree
of heaven? What if the
bonafide religious leaders of the gentile LDS church are presently oblivious and unaware of
the momentous events in motion here and now that will cause overwhelming effects
to them and their precious kingdom?
If
this has indeed happened and proceeding forward under the direction
of God, would your perspectives change? Would this cause you to
reconsider your beliefs, actions, and focus? Would it be apparent to
you and even necessary to repent, change and face God, and pay close
attention to His word, declarations, and instructions as you
hear His voice coming to you, “whether by mine own voice or by the
voice of my servants, it is the same”? Are the gentiles today much
different than the Jews were two millennial ago? God ordered His
house differently among the Jews preparing them for the coming of the
Lord (first coming) and now He is reordering His house among the
gentiles preparing for His second coming. Is this particular pattern
of God plain and obvious to you now or do you suppose it is just by
chance?
If you are interested in reading the
words of the servant about this very issue, here is a link, from
which this post is based and partially quoted:
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