RigdonSidney
1845 02 15
The Purposes of God Part II
Messenger and Advocate
Vol 1
No 8
pp 113-115
Tags: More Mormon Writers, Rigdon Sidney, The Purposes of God Part II, Messenger
and Advocate, 1845, 0430
THE PURPOSES OF GOD.
(Continued from page 101.)
No one, we think, in any good degree acquainted with the writing of the holy prophets
and apostles can doubt but that before the coming of the Savior their will be
commotions and bloodshed, and sword, and pestilence, stalk abroad on the earth, and
that these calamities will not cease till the Savior comes, and that all the conversions
that can be made by either saints or sinners, cannot alter the case nor bring the Savior
at any other time or under any other circumstances than those set forth by the sacred
writers.
There was perhaps no period of the world when there was so general a peace among
the nations, nor at any time in the history of the world, when there was a greater
disposition among the various nations to cultivate peace with one another than there is
at the present time, still the writings of the prophets and apostles are in their books
recorded for all to look upon, and he who believes them must believe that the present
order of things at no remote period will change, and this state of profound peace will by
and by change into a state of war and bloodshed never before known, and if so there
must be a time and a place where these wars will begin, and a country from whence
they will eminate.
Now, if ever there was a time when revelation was needed we are surely approaching
it, for notwithstanding the general peace which reigns, there are fearful apprehensions
of what is laying in futurity, when we reach the place in the world’s history. Even now
there are discontents reigning in the minds of the people in almost if not all the nations
of the earth our own country has her fearful anticipations arising, not from the
interference of other nations, but from her own citizens, her sectional interest and her
political animosities and religious aspirants—one party watching another with great
jealousy. We, too, have our slaves and our masters, the master watching the slave, and
the slave watching the master, and and yet another party watching both.
Every nation and every people in the civilized world have the elements of discord
among them, the peasant and lord, the serfs and czas, one groaning under oppression,
and the other wallowing in luxury and excess, all portends future events of vast moment
and fearful consequences.
The prophets, in reviewing the changes in what is called the civilized world through
the glass of prophecy, looked down the stream of time until these elements of discord
and causes of discontent, burst forth into convulsions, like a volcano from the bowels of
the earth, and spread their desolating fury over the whole habitable globe, and beheld
all nations, on all the face of the earth, in one general scene of confusion, consternation,
and dismay, and threatening a complete ruin to the whole human family, and ere the
effusion of blood was stayed, Jesus, the Lamb of God appeared to put an end to death,
and still the world into silence; and silence the clangor of arms among the nations, and
to restore order and peace to the earth, and establish his reign in righteousness over all
nations.
Such are the facts which the apostles and prophets have left on record, as the result
of their inquiries before the Lord, in searching what or what manner of time the spirit that
was in them did signify, when it testified before hand the sufferings of Christ and the
glory that shall follow.
Then, indeed, if there ever were a period of the world when revelation was needed, it
is at the period just preceding and during the time of these calamities; and if there is any
reliance to be placed on the prophecy of Daniel, we are authorized to expect that God
will, and that in view of these events, reveal himself to man; for how can the God of
heaven set up a kingdom, as Daniel said he would, unless he reveals himself to some
body and particularly one of the character that Daniel says he will. One that shall be
able to stand in the midst of all these scenes of horror, dissolation, and general
overthrow of all the nations of the earth, and be able to stand the advent of the Savior,
which shall put an end to all nations on all the face of the earth and after the Savior’s
advent stand forever.—Dan. 2: 44.
Every intelligent reader of prophecy must see that the kingdom here spoken of by
Daniel was one that was to be set up after the downfall of the Roman empire, and not
one that was set up at the commencement of the Caesars, the time of the Savior’s first
advent.
If we can rely with confidence on what Daniel and the other prophets have said, there
is a period yet future, that the only hope left for the world is the fact that the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom, and, through that, save to himself a people, that the earth
should not be left as in the morn of creation, empty and desolate. To whom, then has
God made known his will? and to whom will he reveal himself, that these things may
come to pass. That he has not revealed himself to the spiritual wife men, needs no
comment from us! Did the Lord ever tell any people that sleeping with their neighbor’s
wives and daughters, and their neighbors sleeping with their wives and daughters, had
any thing to do with preparing the way of the Savior’s coming. But this is the result of
the discoveries made by these spiritual wife men, and by this system they calculate to
conquor the world, or at least they say so, as one of their oldest men declared, in
Boston, that when all got out of the church who did not believe in the plurality wife
system, then, he said, that system would conquer the world.
This system has produced on the minds of the believers in it a hatred to the very idea
of the prophecies of the Old and New Testament ever being fulfilled. They laugh and
scoff at it, call it insanity. A notable instance of this took place in Nauvoo last fall, when
we delivered an address upon this subject. Some days afterwards the “Lion of the Lord”
mounted the rostrum and laughed and scoffed at the idea about battles being fought,
and their papers have teemed with it ever since. But Peter told the world long ago that
in the last days there would be mockers and scoffers, saying where is the promise of his
coming, for to deny that the Savior is coming at the time of great political commotions,
which shall prevail throughout the whole earth, and at the time of awful and bloody
battles, and that these will immediately precede his coming is in fact to deny the
promise of his coming, for the promise of his coming was predicated on the existence of
the political commotions and bloody wars that should exist at the time, and for a long
time previous to his coming. These are the specious things that Mr. Marks says
deceived him, and he informs the public that he is convinced that the spiritual wife
system is the system that is to prepare the way of the Savior’s coming, or at least he
says he is convinced that the twelve were the persons to lead the church. Now this said
Mr. Marks did say to us, while at Nauvoo, that the spiritual wife system was increasing,
and to use his own words, he said, “the twelve were going it with a rush;” and that no
person could live at Nauvoo unless he did embrace that system. How good authority Mr.
Marks is we must leave the world to judge, but if he is to be credited, he has gravely told
the world that the spiritual wife system is true, and the true order of heaven. To this we
have no objection if Mr. Marks wants to prostitute his wife and daughter and himself
also, to prepare the way of the Savior’s coming, it is surely his right to do so. But, to do
justice to the females of his family, we do not believe he never will get them to submit.
In addition to this we have the following reasons to think the said Mr. Marks is not good
authority. He wrote letters to us at Pittsburgh soliciting us to repair to Nauvoo, before we
had any intention of going, but afterwards went. On our arrival he said to us that he had
been praying to his God, and that God had revealed to him that we were to lead the
church, and that he had made a solemn covenant with God, that if no other person
stood by us he would. This he told us without our making any pretentions whatever, for
we never made any. Now if all this were true, then Mr. Marks has put at defiance the
expressed will of God, and violated a solemn covenant he made with him, and if it is not
true he told us a base falsehood, and, take either horn of the dilemma, and we think Mr.
Marke is not a good authority. But Mr. Marke believing and unbelieving, saying and
unsaying, does not alter the purposes of God, nor make true or false the words of the
holy prophets and apostles of Jesus; neither has the biblical student any thing to do with
the opinions of such unstable men: For, unstable as wator, such men cannot prevail.
The great question at issue is, what circumstances were to immediately precede the
coming of the Savior. This question, we think, is forever settles with as much certainty
as the fact of his coming can be. So false prophets may scoff, and ignorant corrupters
laugh, but after all their folly, if ever the Savior comes it will be after great battles are
fought, and while bloody conflicts are desolating the world.
Those scenes, which are of such weighty importance as to call forth the energies of
prophets and apostles for a series of years, amounting in number to thousands. Indeed,
all the prophets and apostles that God ever inspired in this world have spoken of these
things, as things of the most eternal consequence of any others that have or ever will
transpire on this globe, and can only be terminated by the personal interference of the
son of God himself, must have a place and a time of beginning, and we have ventured
and will now venture a prediction in relation to them. That is, that these last of wars, that
will never end until the Savior comes, will commence on this continent, and in the
bosom of this republic; and that the seeds of the disunion out of which they will grow are
now sown.
This nation will, at a period now future, divide into parties, and these parties will go to
war one with the other, and increase in violence until the government will loose its
power, and the country be a scene of confusion and bloodshed. Party against party, and
district against district, until all peace and good order will depart to return no more until
the God of heaven shall take the power into his own hands. This republic has a nation
laying on her western border, with whom no very good feelings exist, and that nation
only wants an opportunity to avenge themselves of injuries they claim to have
sustained. In addition, there is yet another nation of colored people in the south, who
would gladly deliver themselves from their present condition.
To a careful reader of the prophecies, there is evidently some things said which seem
to suit the condition of these two nations, and none others. In Micah 5: 8, we have the
following saying: “And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of
many people, as a lion among the beats of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks
of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none
can deliver.”
If we are at liberty to belive the prophets there are some people among whom a
remnant of Jacob shall pass, and whom they shall desolate. And also there is some
people who will fall a prey to those servants, and all these things are to take place if we
examine the whole connection closely among the things preparatory to the finishing the
work with the nations, and bringing in the redemption of Israel.
When, then, shall these sayings of the prophets be fulfilled; and who are the people
among whom a remnant of Jacob shall go and lay waste, and none be able to deliver
out of their hands. The Book of Mormon says this remnant of Jacob are the Indians on
our western border, but merely states the fact, without making known any of the
circumstances under which it is to be done.
In relation to this matter we venture the prediction that those western natives as they
are called, will fulfill this prophecy, and that on the inhabitants of this republic to the
letter, and at a time when this nation has no power to deliver herself. At a time when
she has ruined herself with her intestine broils, and when party is raised and at war with
party, and there will be none to deliver out of their hands. That such a time as above is
coming and will come on this nation, and the remnant of a mighty nation, that the
prophets call a remnant of Jacob, will rise up in their strength and lay the country waste,
and will not cease until the great God shall take them in hand himself, and stop them by
a people which he will raise up for that purpose, and thereby save the nation from a
complete overthrow.
We again say that the prophecy of Zechariah concerning the slaves will be fulfilled on
this republic, and that during the times of the political contentions that shall make this
nation a scene of blood. The slaves in the south will rise in their strength, and their
masters will fall prey to them, and they will unite with the Indians, and no power will be
able to deliver out of their hands till the Lord shall cause them to be subdued unto
himself. And thus shall the wars begin, that shall never cease until the Savior comes.
From this nation they will spread among all nations of the earth, and rage from nation to
nation, and from kingdom to kingdom, until all nations shall be gathered to Jerusalem
according to the words of the prophets, and fight the decisive battle called by Ezekiel
the battle of Gog and Magog, at which time the Savior will come.
It is in view of these events that the Lord commands us to organize his kingdom, that
through that he may collect together his saints from one end of heaven to the other
before and during the time of these desolations, decreed upon the whole earth, that he
may establish them in righteousness before him, that the promise to Abraham may be
fulfilled, and his seed saved, and inherit their land for an everlasting possession, never
again to be thrown down, for though there is an end made of all other nations, the
promise to Jacob was, that there should not be an end of him.
These convulsions, before they close, will have made an end of all the nations of the
earth, not one shall be left, the kingdom of God alone, and that before the desolation
ceases, will be larger than any one nation on this earth.
Such are a few of the events, in view of which we are organizing the kingdom of God,
as directed by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
SIDNEY RIGDON.