Episode 101: A Discussion with Arantza Condie
Friday, May 29, 2026
Thursday, May 28, 2026
RLDS Zenos H. Gurley (1801-1871) and Isaac Sheen (1810-1874) on Joseph Smith’s Prophecies
The following is a transcription of:
Zenos H. Gurley and Isaac Sheen, “Evidences that Joseph
Smith, the Martyr, was a Prophet of God,” pp. 1-8, Bound Tracts: no. 14,
Community of Christ Library, copy in my possession
The Pearl of Great Price,
which was printed in Liverpool, England, in 1851, contains the following
prophesy, which is now being fulfilled:
A REVELATION AND PROPHECY BY
THE PROPHET, SEER, AND REVELATOR, JOSEPH SMITH.
Given December 25, 1832.
“Verily thus saith the Lord,
concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion
of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of
many souls. The days will come that war will be poured out upon all nations,
beginning at that place; for behold, the Southern States shall be divided
against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other
nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also
call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations;
and thus war shall be poured out upon all nations. And it shall come to pass,
after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be
marshalled and disciplined for war. And it shall come to pass also, that the
remnants who are left of the land will marshall themselves, and shall become
exceeding angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation; and thus,
with the sword, and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and
with famine, and plague, and earthquakes, 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; that the cry of
the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the
ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.
Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord
come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.”
The Pearl of Great Price which
contains this revelation is yet in our possession, and can be seen by any
person who desires to see it. It is also in the possession of many persons to
this day. The revelation was kept in manuscript by Joseph the Martyr, and often
read to brethren who are witnesses of the fact to this day. It was re-published
in The True Latter-Day Saints’ Herald, in November, 1860, which was also
before the rebellion of South Carolina commenced. The rebellion which had
commenced in South Carolina when this revelation was given, was not that which
was referred to in this revelation, but “the wars that will shortly come to
pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina,” are there foretold. It was
thus shown that at a future time, which would “shortly come,” the wars upon all
nations would commence with a rebellion of South Carolina, and that the
Southern States would then be divided against the Northern States. They were
not thus divided when this revelation was given. In no State except South
Carolina were a majority of the people in favor of rebellion, or nullification
as it was called. The plea, or excuse for that rebellion, was not in reference
to slavery in the least, but in reference to the tariff. The anti-slavery party
was then very small, and very unpopular in every Northern State. There was then
scarcely a man to be found anywhere (except a few Latter-Day Saints) who
believed that the time would come when the Southern States would be divided
against the Northern States, much less that the commencement of it would be by
the “rebellion of South Carolina,” and that then the Southern States would call
upon Great Britain and other nations, and that slaves would then rise up
against their masters, who would be marshalled and disciplined for war. These
events have all transpired precisely as they were foretold in this revelation.
Why have they transpired? The revelation shows why these events would
transpire, and why war upon all nations, and famine, plague and earthquakes,
&c., will make a full end of all nations. This is the purpose of God in
bringing these judgments upon the nations, as this revelation shows: “that the
cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into
the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their
enemies.” When this revelation was given, there had not been any saints in our
day whose blood had been shed, that we have any account of, but in less than a
year afterward the blood of saints began to be shed, and from time to time
thereafter, and these judgments are being poured out, that at the end thereof
the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, may cease to come up
into the ears of the Lord.
Joseph the Martyr received a
revelation in October, 1833, in Perrysburgh, N. Y., in which the Lord said:
“Now I give unto you a word
concerning Zion: Zion shall be redeemed, although she is chastened for a little
season. Therefore, let your hearts be comforted, for all things shall work
together for good to them that walk uprightly, and to the sanctification of the
church; for I will raise up unto myself a pure people, that will serve me in
righteousness.” B. of C. 97: (95) 4.
It was not until more than a
month after this revelation was given, that the saints were driven from Zion,
but in this revelation it was shown that this event was to transpire, for Zion
could not “be redeemed” if the saints had not been driven from her, but in
these words it was foretold that she would be chastened for a little season,
and that she will be redeemed. The chastening came suddenly and unexpectedly in
the following month, when the saints were driven out of the centre place of
Zion, which was Jackson Co., Mo. It was shown in the foregoing quotation that
the church was not then sanctified, but that all things should work together
for good, to sanctify the church, that the Lord might raise up unto himself a
pure people. It was thus shown that the church was not then sanctified, and
that the Lord had not then raised up a pure people. The chastisements which the
saints have experienced, have been in accordance with this prophesy. The saints
were driven out of Jackson Co., Mo., in November, 1833, and in the following
month the Prophet Joseph received a revelation, in which the Lord said:
“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 where fore they should continue to importune for redress, and
redemption, by the hands of those who are placed as rulers, and are in
authority over you, according to the laws and constitutions of the people,
which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the
rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles, that
every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according
to the moral agency which I have given unto them, that every man may be accountable
for his own sins in the day of judgment. Therefore, it is not right that any
man should be in bondage one to another. 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.
“Now, unto what shall I liken the
children of Zion? I will liken them unto the parable of the woman and the
unjust judge. Thus will I liken the children of Zion.
“Let them importune at the feet
of the judge; and if he heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the
governor; and if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of
the President; and if the President heed them not, then will the Lord arise and
come forth out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation, and in his
hot displeasure, and in his fierce anger, and in his time, will cut off those
wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stewards, and appoint them their portion among
hypocrites and unbelievers; even in outer darkness, where there is weeping, and
wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Pray ye, therefore, that their ears may be
opened unto your cries, that I may be merciful unto them, that these things may
not come upon them. What I have said unto sol. must needs be, that all men may
be left without excuse; that wise men and rulers may hear and know that which
they have never considered; that I may proceed to bring to pass my act, my
strange act, and perform my work, my strange work. That men may discern between
the righteous and the wicked, saith your God.” B. of C. 98: 10–12.
The saints did “as the Lord
commanded them. They importuned at the feet of the Judge at Independence,
Jackson, Co., Mo., and at the feet of the Governor of Missouri, and at the feet
of Martin Van Buren, the President of the United States, and they all from my
house shall go forth, saith the Lord. First among those among you, 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.” B. of C. 105: (104) 9, 10.
The calamities which are here
spoken of commenced first upon the Church of L.-D. S. in the following year,
(1835) as it is shown in the History of the Persecutions of the Latter-Day
Saints, (page 90) and in the Times and Seasons, Vol. 1, p. 2. In the year 1839,
the saints were driven from Missouri, June 27, 1844, the Prophet Joseph and his
brother Hyrum, were martyred at Carthage, Ill., and in 1846 the saints were
driven from Illinois. Thus judgment begun at the house of God, as it was
foretold in the prophesy we have quoted, and as Peter prophesied. See 1 Pet.
4:17. Thus “a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping
and of lamentation” commenced, first among those who were among the saints, but
who were not saints. These calamities were judgments upon them, and
chastisements upon the saints. Afterward vengeance came speedily upon this
nation, and now there are fearful apprehensions that it will soon come upon the
world generally.
This prophesy was confirmed by
another, which is in a revelation which was given Jan. 19, 1831, as follows:
“The day of my visitation cometh
speedily, in an hour when ye think not of, and where shall the safety of my
people, and refuge for those who shall be left of them?” B. of C. 107: (103) 2.
It was here shown that when the
day of God’s visitation should come, only a remnant of His people should be
left of them. So it has come to pass, and the day of His visitation has come.
That which was foretold in
paragraph 14 of the same revelation, has also come to pass. There the Lord
said:
“If you build an house unto my
name, and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I
make unto you, neither fulfil the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith
the Lord; for in stead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings,
wrath, indignation and judgments upon your own lands, by your follies, and by
all your abominations, which you practice before me, saith the Lord.” B. of C.
106: (103) 14.
The saints did not do the things
which the Lord commanded, in all things, therefore these calamities came upon
them. Nevertheless the Lord accepted the offerings of those who labored with
all their might to do the work which the Lord commanded them; on the next
paragraph shows, as follows:
“you 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, unto prepare their
hearts, and be prepared in all things, against the day when tribulation and
desolation are sent forth upon the wicked; for the hour is nigh, and the day
soon at hand, when the earth is ripe.” B. of C. 28: (69) 2.
Tribulation and desolation are
now sent forth upon the wicked, as it was foretold in this prophesy. When it
was given (Sept. 1830,) this nation was in great prosperity, and there were
scarcely any persons in the nation who expected that such calamities would
befall it as those which we now experience.
Another prophesy which is now
fulfilling was given in December, 1830, and is in the B. of C. 34: (11) 3, as
follows: “There shall be a great work in the land even among the Gentiles, for
their folly and their abominations shall be made manifest in the eyes of all
people.”
The folly and abominations of the
Gentiles in the land, (this land,) has brought forth a great work—a great war—a
great destruction of life, and great distress upon the land.
Another fulfilled prophesy is in
par. 4 of the same revelation, in which the Lord said:
“I have called upon the weak
things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the
nations by the power of my Spirit; and their arm shall be my arm, and I will be
their shield and their buckler, and I will gird up their loins, and they shall
fight manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and I will
let fall the sword in their behalf and by the fire of mine indignation will I
preserve them.”
“Unlearned and despised” men, by
the power of the Holy Spirit have fought spiritually, and their enemies have
been confounded by their words. The Lord has let fall the sword in behalf of
His people as He promised in this revelation, but when it was given, who could
see how it would be done, or what need there would be of it? There had then
been no revelations given concerning Zion in Missouri, and all the persecutions
which the saints endured afterwards, were hid from them. Notwithstanding there
was no visible probability that this event would transpire, yet it is now
transpiring. In the same revelation the Lord said, “Zion shall rejoice upon the
hills and flourish.” Par. 6. In the prosperity of the cause of Zion which
ensued after this promise was given, the fulfilment of it was realized.
In January, 1831, the Lord
forewarned the saints as follows:
“Now I show unto you a mystery, a
thing which is had in secret chambers to bring to pass even your destruction,
in process of time, and ye knew it not, but now I tell it to you.” B. of C. 38:
(12) 4. In par. 6 of the same revelation, the Lord also said:
“Zion, I say unto you that the
enemy in secret chambers, seeketh your lives, yea, he hath stirred up the
hearts of many people, and they know not the hearts of men in your own land. I
tell you these things because of your prayers: wherefore, treasure up wisdom in
your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you, in their
wickedness, in a manner that shall pierce your ears, with a voice louder than
that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”
There were secret plotings
against the saints at that time which they knew not of, but subsequent
experience demonstrated the truth of this revelation, and the wisdom of God in
giving this warning, both in reference to His saints, and in reference to this
nation.
Another fulfilled prophesy is in
the B. of C. 39: (59) 4, as follows: “Inasmuch as my people shall assemble
themselves to the high places, I have kept in store a blessing such as not
known among the children of men, and it shall be poured forth upon their
heads.”
The blessing which was promised
in these words, was realized in the endowment which many of the elders received
in the temple in Kirtland, and the blessing consisted in a great outpouring of
the Holy Ghost, and an additional qualification to preach the gospel, and there
are many witnesses to the fact that they did receive these blessings. In par. 6
the Lord said:
“It shall come to pass, that on
as many as ye shall baptize with water, ye shall lay your hands, and they shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and shall be looking forth for the signs of
my coming, and shall know me.”
Many thousands have testified
that they have received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the
hands of the elders, and the evidence of their reception of it is in every
place and at every time where the saints testify by the power and demonstration
of the Spirit, and this has been done in many nations and in the presence of
hundreds of thousands of people.
The next fulfilled prophesy which
we will examine, was given March 7, 1831, and in it the Lord said:
“Verily I say unto you, that
great things await you; 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.” B. of C. 65: (15) 11.
When this revelation was given,
nullification was becoming prevalent in South Carolina, but in this revelation
it was shown that war in the United States need not then be expected, but that
not many years hence they would hear of wars in their own lands. This is the
day of “great things” which was spoken of in this revelation. It was shown in
this revelation that the wars which were to be in this land, would not be
common wars, but that great things would be connected with them.
In the B. of C. 41: (9) 2, 3,
there is another prophesy which is being fulfilled. It reads as follows:
“Behold, I the Lord have looked
upon you, and have seen abominations in the church, that profess my name; but
blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for
they shall inherit eternal life. 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, and have deceived some, which has given the
adversary power; but behold such shall be reclaimed; but the hypocrites shall
be detected, and shall be cut off, either in life or in death, even as I will,
and wo unto them who are cut off from my church, for the same are overcome of
the world; wherefore, let every man beware lest he do that which is not in
truth and righteousness before me.”
When this revelation was given,
very little was known, either by the saints or the world, concerning
abominations in the church of the saints, and we believe that the general moral
character of the church was at least as good as that of any church in the land,
but the unseen germs of iniquity were then seen by God’s all-seeing eye, and
were then revealed through the prophecy, and this was a strong evidence that he
was a true prophet, and a teacher of righteousness. Since that day the prophesy
has been fulfilled, for “deceivers and hypocrites” have been brought to
judgment. Many have suffered much from the judgments of God which they brought
upon themselves; many have been “cut off” by premature deaths, and many have
cut themselves off from the tree church, and have been “overcome of the world.”
The Lord said, “hypocrites shall be detected, and shall be cut off, either in
life or in death,” and so it is come to pass, and terrible has been the
judgment. The Most High upon them—
The next fulfilled prophecy which
we will examine, was given in August, 1831, in these words:
“Behold, 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 staid 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;
nevertheless, let it be read this once in their ears, that I, the Lord, have
accepted of their offering; and if she sin no more, none of these things shall
come upon her, and I will bless her with blessings, and multiply a multiplicity
of blessings upon her, and upon her generations, forever and ever, saith the
Lord your God, Amen.”
Vengeance has come upon the
ungodly in this land by this war, and upon other lands there is great distress
in consequence of it, and from other causes, and Zion has not escaped, because
she did not observe to do all things whatsoever the Lord commanded her,
therefore she has been visited with sore affliction, and with sword, and
vengeance. These chastisements came upon Zion in about three months after this
revelation was given, and from time to time since then, and even at your doors,
and not many years hence ye shall hear of wars in your own lands.” B. of C. 65:
(15) 11.
There were among you adulterers
and adulteresses; some of whom have taken away from you, and others remain with
you, that hereafter shall be revealed, Let such beware and repent speedily,
lest judgment come upon them as a snare, and their folly shall be made
manifest, and their works shall follow them in the eyes of all people.” B. of
C. 63: (20) 4.
When such transgressors became
notorious in the church, judgment came upon them, and their folly has been made
manifest, and their works have followed them in the eyes of all people,
therefore the prophecy has been fulfilled.
In par. 9 of the same Sec. the
Lord said:
“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, and the saints also shall
hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am with them, and will come down in
heaven from the presence of my Father, and consume the wicked with unquenchable
fire. And behold this is not yet, but by and by; wherefore, seeing that I, the
Lord, have decreed all these things upon the face of the earth, I will that my
saints should be assembled upon the land of Zion; and that every saint should
set in righteousness in his hands, and faithfulness upon his loins, and lift a
warning voice unto the inhabitants of the earth; and declare both by word and
by flight, that desolation shall come upon the wicked.”
The time has come which was here
foretold, that the wicked should slay the wicked, and fear has come upon every
man, and the saints hardly escape. Truly desolation has come upon the wicked,
as it was foretold in this prophesy.
In par. 15 the Lord said:
“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 useth the name of the Lord, and useth 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.”
Because many in the church did
not repent of their sins, the church was cut off, as they were forewarned in
this revelation. At the death of Joseph the Martyr, the church was “cut off” by
being disorganized.
In September, 1831, a revelation
was given, in which was a prophesy which was to be, and was fulfilled in five
years after. The Lord said:
“I, the Lord, will say unto you,
in five years, in the which I will not overthrow the wicked, that thereby I may
save some; and after that day, I, the Lord, will not hold any guilty that shall
go, with an open heart, up to the land of Zion.” B. of C. 68: (21) 4.
After five years had passed away,
Kirtland ceased to be a “stronghold” of the church. Persecution and apostacy
greatly reduced the number of the saints in that place, so that the prophesy
was fulfilled.
In par. 7 of the same revelation,
is the following fulfilled prophesy:
“Behold, the Lord requireth the
heart, and a willing mind; and the willing and the obedient shall eat the good
of the land of Zion in these last days; and the rebellious shall be cut off out
of the land of Zion, and shall be sent away, and shall not inherit the kingdom;
for, verily, I say, that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim,
wherefore they shall be plucked out. Behold, I, the Lord, have made my church
in these last days, like unto a judge sitting on a hill, or in a high place, to
judge the nations; 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.”
As it was foretold in this
prophesy, the rebellious have been cut off out of the land of Zion, and they
have been sent away. When this revelation was given, there was no visible
probability that such an event would transpire. It was only about three or four
months before it was given that the saints began to gather to Missouri. See Evening
and Morning Star, p. 24. On Feb. 4, 1831, it had not been revealed where
Zion, the New Jerusalem would be built. In a revelation which was then given,
the Lord said, “thou shalt ask, and it shall be revealed unto you in mine own
due time, where the New Jerusalem shall be built.” B. of C. 12: (3) 17.
As only three or four months had
passed away after the commencement of the gathering to Missouri, when the Lord
said that the rebellious should be cut off out of the land of Zion, and that
they should be sent away, and as the saints in Zion were living in peace, there
were no visible indications that this prophesy would be fulfilled, therefore
the revelation could not have been the work of a man, or of men, but it
contained the word of the Lord concerning the rebellious in Zion, and it
contained a prophesy of an event, which to outward observers was an unexpected
event, but it has been fulfilled. Liars and hypocrites have been proved by
those who are striving, by keeping the commandments of God, to become
inhabitants of Zion. Those only who keep the commandments will be inhabitants
of Zion. The Lord said in this prophesy, “--- account the oracles of God a
light thing; they should “stumble and fall” when the time should come. The
“house” spoken of here is evidently the church, for the church is spoken of in
this paragraph.
In B. of C. 92: (96) 1, the
apostacy of “many” who had been ordained among the saints, before the
revelation was given, which was in June, 1833, was foretold in these words:
“Verily, I say unto you, 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 noonday.”
Many have fallen away, as it was
foretold in this revelation, and yet it is a prevalent opinion that this
general apostacy shows that the Church of Latter-Day Saints was not the Church
of Christ. If many had not, or should not fall away, this revelation would be
false, consequently this great apostacy of many who were called but not chosen,
is an evidence in favor of the faith from which they have fallen.
The prophesy in B. of C. 94: (82)
5, is being fulfilled; it was given in Aug. 1833. In it the Lord said:
“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 staid 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 does not observe to do all things
whatsoever the Lord has 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; nevertheless, let it be read this once in their
ears, that I, the Lord, have accepted of their offering; and if she sin no
more, none of these things shall come upon her, and I will bless her with
blessings, and multiply a multiplicity of blessings upon her, and upon her
generations, forever and ever, saith the Lord your God, Amen.”
Vengeance has come upon the
ungodly in this land by this war, and upon other lands there is great distress
in consequence of it, and from other causes, and Zion has not escaped, because
she did not observe to do all things whatsoever the Lord commanded her,
therefore she has been visited with sore affliction, and with sword, and
vengeance. These chastisements came upon Zion in about three months after this
revelation was given, and from time to time since then, and The “many” who had
been called but not chosen, and the rebellious among the saints, before the
revelation was given, were forewarned of these words:
“Verily, I say unto you, there
are many who have been ordained among you, whom I have called, but few are
chosen; and they who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in that
they are walking in darkness at noonday.”
Many have fallen away, as it was
foretold in this revelation, and yet it is a prevalent opinion that this
general apostacy shows that the Church of Latter-Day Saints was not the Church
of Christ. If many had not, or should not fall away, this revelation would be
false, consequently this great apostacy of many who were called but not chosen,
is an evidence in favor of the faith from which they have fallen.
The prophesy in B. of C. 94: (82)
5, is being fulfilled; it was given in Aug. 1833. In it the Lord said:
“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 staid 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 does not observe to do all things
whatsoever the Lord has 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; nevertheless, let it be read this once in their
ears, that I, the Lord, have accepted of their offering; and if she sin no
more, none of these things shall come upon her, and I will bless her with
blessings, and multiply a multiplicity of blessings upon her, and upon her
generations, forever and ever, saith the Lord your God, Amen.”
Vengeance has come upon the
ungodly in this land by this war, and upon other lands there is great distress
in consequence of it, and from other causes, and Zion has not escaped, because
she did not observe to do all things whatsoever the Lord commanded her,
therefore she has been visited with sore affliction, and with sword, and
vengeance. These chastisements came upon Zion in about three months after this
revelation was given, and from time to time since then, and ready been cut off
by this rebellion.
—PRINTED IN THE TRUE
LATTCR-DAY SAINTS’ HERALD, office at Plano, Kendall Co., Ill.
Further Reading:
Radak (David Kimhi) on Isaiah 8:20
Radak on Isaiah 8:20:1
לתורה ולתעודה.
שבועה כאדם האומר בתורה יהיה כך וכך, וכן אם לא שבועה כמו אם לא שויתי ודוממתי, והדומים
להם, יאמרו אלה שאמר, וכי יאמרו אליכם, תדעו באמת כי כן יאמרו אליכם כדבר הזה אשר אמרתי,
וזהו דבר אשר אין לו שחר, פירוש אורה כלומר אין להם שום טעם ודבר חשוך ואפל הוא, ויונתן
תרגם כדין תאמרון להון לאורייתא וגו', כלומר לאוב ולידעני אין לו מי שישחר פניו ויבקשנו,
כלומר אין ראוי לכך, ובדרש אין לו שחר על עצמו אינו מזריח את השחר שהרי עינים לו ולא
יראה ואיך יזריח על אחרים, ובדרש עוד אמר רבי סימון בארה אביו של הושע בן בארי נבא
שני מקראות הללו, וכי יאמרו לתורה ולתעודה, ולא היה להם כדי ספר ונטפלו בישעיה ונבא
לגלות עשרת השבטים כשגלה מלך אשור לראובני ולגדי הגלוהו עמם שנאמר בארה בנו נשיא לראובני
ולגדי הוא אשר הגלה תגלת פלאסר: (source)
“To the teaching and to the testimony” — an
oath, like someone saying, “By the Torah, it shall be so-and-so.” Likewise
expressions such as “if not” are treated as oaths, as in “if I have not calmed
and quieted myself,” and the like.
Those who say this and say, “And if they say to you...”
— know for certain that they will indeed say to you words of this sort, as I
have said.
“And this is a thing that has no dawn” — meaning, no
light; that is, it has no meaning or substance. It is a dark and obscure
matter.
Jonathan translated: “Thus shall you say to them, to
the Torah, etc.” כלומר, to the sorcerer and the diviner: there is no one who
will seek his face or ask for him; that is, it is not fitting to do so.
And in the midrash: “It has no dawn” — it does not
itself bring forth the dawn, for it has eyes but does not see; how then can it
bring dawn to others?
Another midrash says that Rabbi Simon said that Bereah,
father of Hoshea son of Beeri, prophesied these two verses: “To the Torah and
to the testimony,” and “And if they speak not according to this word.” There
was not enough of his book, so it was attached to Isaiah, and he prophesied the
exile of the ten tribes, for when the king of Assyria exiled the Reubenites and
the Gadites, he exiled him with them, as it is said: “Bereah his son, a prince
of the Reubenites and the Gadites, he it was whom Tiglath-pileser carried
away.”
R. C. Evans (RLDS) on Divine Embodiment
The cry is heard, “God is a
Spirit.” Surely, we both believe and teach that. Now read it, “God is a Spirit,
John 4, 24, the indefinite article “A” in this quotation gives us to understand
that God is a Spirit, among more, and of the Angels, He saith, who maketh His
Angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,” Heb. 1:7. Now this shows
clearly that while “God is a spirit,” yet so are Angels. He is an individual
Spirit among others, having shape and form. Your confession of Faith says, “In
Unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power and
eternity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.” Con. of Faith,
Ch. 2. If it be true that God has no form, then how can he be a “Substance.”
You forget, as do your church, that you speak of Christ as being one of the
three persons of the Godhead, and the same substance as the Father. May I ask
you to enquire of your Sunday School children, they will likely inform you that
Jesus was born and lived and Had a body, had parts, had passions, that He died,
and rose again, and that He ascended to heaven and sits on the right hand of
His Father, and that same Jesus who went to heaven will in like manner come
again to earth. Yet you sneer at me because I say God has a body, has a form,
has passions—Love is a passion. Now to be brief on this point, I affirm that
the Bible teaches that God has body, parts, and passions. The Presbyterian
Confession of Faith denies this. Now to the Bible. Just as it reads. I prefer
it to the Presbyterian Confession of Faith, or to your sermon, which
contradicts it. “And God said, let us make man in our own image, after our
likeness,—So God created man in his own image.” Gen. 1:26-27. You may say, this
was the moral image, or likeness of God. It does not say that. All the facts
disprove it, and your church teaches that man is morally depraved and most of
them were by your God foreordained for eternal torture. Of this more will be
said later. But to continue, And Adam lived an hundred years and begat a son in
his own likeness, after his image, and called his name Seth. Gen. 5:3. Here we
cannot avoid the conclusion that God made Adam in His image and likeness. Adam
begat a son in his image and likeness, and Paul caps the climax on this point
when he said, “Christ was the express image of His Father’s person.” Heb.
1:1-3. If you had an image of Napoleon the Great, carved in marble, and a good
likeness of Queen Victoria taken by a first class photographer, would you not
have a good idea of what these two celebrated persons looked like?
Paul wrote to the Philippians,
2:6, that Christ being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal
with God, and that same Jesus speaking to the wicked Jews said, (speaking of
the Father), “Ye have neither heard his voice nor seen his shape,” John 5:37.
Here we have something concerning God having Form, shape, A Person, the same
substance as Christ and that Christ was the express image of his Father.
That the Bible says that God
appeared unto men and conversed with them . I submit the following: Gen.
17:1-22; Gen. 18:1-33; Gen. 32:24-32; Gen. 35:9-12; Ex. 24:9-14; Ex. 33:9-23;
These all show that God Almighty appeared to men, that He talked face to face
with some of them. You may try and make it appear that at times God appeared
through the medium of an Angel, well I admit it, but we have learned that
Angels are spirits. Are Spirits immaterial beings, or are they material
substance? We hear of them coming and going, talking and walking, eating and
drinking. To me, this all proves that Spirits are material beings, and God is a
Spirit.
Yes, Doctor McKenzie, I believe
that God is a spirit, that he has form, that he has a body, parts and passions,
that he made man in his image and likeness, that Christ was the express image
of his Father’s person, that both the Father and Son will mingle with men in
the eternity be- yond death when this mortal body will become a spiritual body
and this corruption shall put on incorruption, when Christ shall change our
vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body. If you do not
know that this is the hope of both the former day saint as well as the Latter
Day Saint, then you have no right to make a profession of Christianity. (R. C.
Evans, Letter to J. A. McKenzie, February 28, 1917, rep. Controversy Between
Bishop R. C. Evans, of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints, Toronto Ont. and the Reverend J. A. McKenzie, of the Presbyterian Church,
Ont., pp. 19-21, Bound Tracts: no. 13, Community of Christ Library, copy
in my possession)
Martin Luther on Isaiah 8:20 Being a Reference to Scripture and Oral Preaching
20. To the Law rather, and to the testimony, that is, the Law must be
consulted rather than the mediums. The teaching must be sought from God alone,
so that one may be your master, Christ, as Matt. 23:10 says. But this takes
place through the medium of Scripture and oral preaching. The “Law” is Scripture,
and the “testimony” is oral preaching. He who reads Scripture in an unfeigned
and humble spirit does not read it without fruit. In this way you have recourse
to the Law. That is to say, the Law and the testimony should be consulted.
(Martin Luther, Lectures on Isaiah: Charters 1-39, ed. Jaroslav
Jan Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann [Luther’s Works 16; Saint Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1999], 95)
Graham Stanton on the Lack of Meaningful Parallels Between Matthew 11:28-30 and Sirach 51
Arguing that purported parallels between Matt 11:28-30 and Sirach 51 “are probably misguided,” Graham Stanton noted that:
(a) The verbal links between Matt 11. 28-30 and Sirach are in fact
quite slender. Only two words, 'toil' and 'yoke', and one phrase, 'find rest', from
these three Matthaean verses are found anywhere in Sirach. The verb 'toil' is found
twice with reference to the search for Wisdom, but at Sir 6. 18 and 51. 27 the sense
is very different: the emphasis is not on the toil needed to find Wisdom, but
on the ease of the task.
(b) There is nothing in Sirach quite comparable with two of the
most important clauses in Matt 11. 28-29, the group addressed as 'all who toil
and are heavy laden' and the reference to Jesus as 'meek and lowly in heart The
portrait of Jesus as 'meek and lowly' is difficult to square with the portrait of
Sophia which we find in the Wisdom writings. At Sir 24. 1, which introduces the
so-called Sophia myth, Sophia speaks with pride. In Prov 1. 20ff. and again
at 8. 1ff. Sophia lifts her voice and cries aloud. She stands by the gate and
calls aloud in a rather arrogant manner.
It is, I think, not a coincidence that at the very point in 11.
28-30 where we seem to be a long way from the Wisdom tradition, we can see, in all
probability, the evangelist's own hand. Many of the words in 11. 28-30 are not
found elsewhere in the gospel, but 'meek' and 'lowly’ are used by the evangelist
and, as we shall see in a moment, they accord well with his portrait of Jesus.
So the words 'for I am meek and lowly in heart' may well be Matthew's own addition
to his source.
As is well known, elsewhere Matthew does add interpretative phrases and
clauses to his sources: there are classic examples in his version of the Lord's
Prayer and the Beatitudes. In support of this suggestion we may note that v. 28
and v. 29a and c are parallel statements:
Come unto me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke and learn from me, and you will find rest for your souls.
Both statements are undergirded by the 'reasoning' of v. 30:
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
It is verse 29b, 'for I am meek and lowly in heart, which breaks up the
flow of the 'argument in this short section, and which seems to come from the evangelist's
own hand. If this proposal is correct, the evangelist's redactional addition runs
directly counter to the Wisdom tradition. But
even if this specific suggestion is not accepted, it is clear that 'I am
meek and lowly in heart' is out of character with the portrait of Sophia in the
Wisdom writings, but very much in line with Matthew's portrait of Jesus, as will
be shown below.
(c) I find it difficult to see how either Matthew or his readers could
make the jump from v. 27 where Jesus is presented as 'the Son' to v. 28, where,
it is alleged, Jesus is Sophia /Wisdom. It is hot just that Wisdom is a
feminine noun in both Hebrew and Greek. In the Wisdom tradition Sophia is always
portrayed in strongly female terms. Those who search and seek after her are always
men: sexual imagery lies just beneath the surface in many passages. A similar
point is made by M.D. Johnson when he insists that 'it would have been as
incongruous to ancient Jewish sensibilities as it is to ours to speak of Lady Wisdom
being incarnated as the Son”’.
In short, it is not at all clear that Matthew identifies Jesus as Sophia.
The use of some Wisdom themes in 11. 28-30 is not being disputed, but they do
not seem to be the key to the passage as it now stands in Matthew’s gospel.
Whatever may have been their origin, the evangelist has redacted these verses,
probably by adding his own portrait of Jesus as ‘meek and lowly in heart’, but
certainly by placing them in their present position within his gospel. (Graham
Stanton, “Matthew 11.28-30: Comfortable Worlds?,” in A Gospel for a New
People: Studies in Matthew [Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1992], 368-71)
Samantha L. Miller (2020) on New Testament Texts that Speak of the Devil Playing a Positive Role
Chrysostom writes, “The devil, if
you would understand, is even useful to us—if we use him correctly—and he helps
us and we gain great things, not ordinary things. And this we demonstrated from
Job.” (De diab. tent. 1.4) Again, Job is the exemplar of virtue in the
face of the devil’s work, showing the congregation that, employed properly, the
devil can be “useful” (chrēsimos,
χρησιμος) to them. If the
congregation has a proper understanding of who the devil is and what his goal
is, the congregation may “use” (chraō, χραω)
the devil, or their knowledge of the devil, to gain advantages over him and
benefits for themselves. The clause “if we use him correctly” is significant.
Chrysostom’s aim is to teach his congregation the proper way to use the devil
so that they may gain great benefit, salvation itself.
Chrysostom’s other example of
using the devil for one’s own profit is Paul, who writes to the Corinthians to
hand over the fornicator to the devil so that the flesh may be destroyed but
the soul saved (1 Cor 5:5). Chrysostom tells his congregation to take from the
devil whatever chastisement comes, for this will rid a person of his impurities
and earthly desires, making it possible for the soul to be saved. The devil is
only allowed to punish as much as God allows, so the devil cannot destroy a
person completely. As an extreme example of the profitability of the devil,
Chrysostom writes, “Behold even the devil has become a cause of salvation, but
not because of his own disposition, but because of the skill of the Apostle.” (de
diab. tent. 1.1-2) It is possible, therefore, for the devil even to be an
aid to salvation, if one is skillful enough to use him rightly.
Prior to this point in the
homily, Chrysostom has been expounding the reasons why God allows the devil
still to roam the earth and wreak havoc. People can only win crowns if they can
exhibit their power, so if there is no adversary against whom to struggle, the
righteous person cannot win a crown. (De diab. tent. 1.1-2) This is
another way to use the devil. To struggle against the devil is to become
stronger, better able to resist, to forge one’s character out of stronger
steel. Chrysostom seems to believe this is an intrinsic benefit of struggling.
His illustration is that of a wrestler. Even if the wrestler’s antagonist has
been taken away at the last minute, the wrestler who has prepared well, who has
done all his exercises for his practice, whether in the end there is an
antagonist or not. (De diab. tent. 1.1-2) (Samantha L. Miller, Chrysostom’s
Devil: Demons, the Will, and Virtue in Patristic Soteriology [New
Explorations in Theology; Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2020], 74-75)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)