Revelation Received Friday, October 13, 1882, at the Gardo House, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. (John Taylor Papers, LDS Archives; see also Messages of the First Presidency, 2:348). "This revelation dealt with Church organizational matters, including the
call of three men to fill vacancies in the leading quorums of the
Church. When the First Presidency was reorganized in October 1880, John
Taylor called Francis M. Lyman and John Henry Smith to the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles. However, this still left one vacancy in the Quorum. A second vacancy occurred when Orson Pratt died on October 3, 1881. Church leaders struggled to identify two men to fill these vacancies,
resulting in no callings at either the April or October 1882 general
conferences. On Friday, October 13, President Taylor received a
revelation on the subject" (Holzapfel and Jones, "'John the Revelator': The Written Revelations of John Taylor", BYU Religious Studies Center, http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/champion-liberty-john-taylor/11-%E2%80%9Cjohn-revelator%E2%80%9D-written-revelations-john-taylor#_edn1). Herein Elder Heber J. Grant is called by revelation to fill one of the three vacancies. Grant would later become the seventh President of the Church, serving from 1918-1945:
Thus saith the LORD to the Twelve, and to the
Priesthood and people of My Church:
2 Let My servants George Teasdale and Heber J.
Grant be appointed to fill the vacancies in the
Twelve, that you may be fully organized and
prepared for the labors devolving upon you, for
you have a great work to perform;
3 And then proceed to fill up the presiding
quorum of Seventies, and assist in organizing that
body of My Priesthood who are your co-laborers
in the ministry.
4 You may appoint Seymour B. Young to fill up
the vacancy in the presiding quorum of Seventies,
if he will conform to My law;
5 For it is not meet that men who will not abide
My law shall preside over My Priesthood;
6 And then proceed forthwith and call to your
aid any assistance that you may require from
among the Seventies to assist you in your labors
in introducing and maintaining the Gospel
among the Lamanites throughout the land.
7 And then let High Priests be selected, under the
direction of the First Presidency, to preside over
the various organizations that shall exist among
this people;
8 That those who receive the Gospel may be
taught in the doctrines of My Church and in the
ordinances and laws thereof, and also in the
things pertaining to My Zion and My Kingdom,
saith the LORD, that they may be one with you in
My Church and My Kingdom.
9 Let the Presidency of My Church be one in all
things; and let the Twelve also be one in all
things; and let them all be one with Me as I am
one with the Father.
10 And let the High Priests organize themselves,
and purify themselves, and prepare themselves
for this labor, and for all other labors that they
may be called upon to fulfill.
11 And let the Presidents of Stakes also purify
themselves, and the Priesthood and people of the
Stakes over which they preside,
12 And organize the Priesthood in their various
Stakes according to My law, in all the various
departments thereof, in the High Councils, in the
Elders Quorums, and in the Bishops and their
Councils, and in the Quorums of Priests, Teachers
and Deacons--
13 That every Quorum may be fully organized
according to the order of My Church;
14 And, then, let them inquire into the standing
and fellowship of all that hold My Holy
Priesthood in their several Stakes;
15 And if they find those that are unworthy let
them remove them, except they repent.
16 For My Priesthood, whom I have called and
whom I have sustained and honored, shall honor
Me and obey My laws, and the laws of My Holy
Priesthood, or they shall not be considered
worthy to hold My Priesthood, saith the LORD.
17 And let my Priesthood humble themselves
before Me, and seek not their own will but My
will;
18 For if My Priesthood whom I have chosen,
and called, and endowed with the spirit and gifts
of their several callings, and with the powers
thereof, do not acknowledge Me I will not
acknowledge them, saith the LORD; for I will be
honored and obeyed by My Priesthood.
19 And, then, I call upon My Priesthood, and
upon all of My people to repent of all their sins
and shortcomings, of their covetousness and
pride and self will, and of all their iniquities
wherein they sin against Me;
20 And to seek with all humility to fulfill My
law, as My Priesthood, My Saints, and My people;
21 And I call upon the heads of families to put
their houses in order according to the law of God,
and attend to the various duties and
responsibilities associated therewith, and to
purify themselves before Me, and to purge out
iniquity from their households. And I will bless
and be with you, saith the LORD;
22 And ye shall gather together in your holy
places wherein ye assemble to call upon Me, and
ye shall ask for such things as are right,
23 And I will hear your prayers, and My Spirit
and power shall be with you, and My blessing
shall rest upon you, upon your families, your
dwellings and your households, upon your flocks
and herds and fields, your orchards and
vineyards, and upon all that pertains to you;
24 And you shall be My people and I will be
your God;
25 And your enemies shall not have dominion
over you, for I will preserve you and confound
them, saith the LORD, and they shall not have
power nor dominion over you;
26 For My word shall go forth, and My work
shall be accomplished, and My Zion shall be
established, and My rule and My power and My
dominion shall prevail among My people, and all
nations shall yet acknowledge Me.
Even so, Amen.
Thus saith the LORD to the Twelve, and to the
Priesthood and people of My Church:
2 Let My servants George Teasdale and Heber J.
Grant be appointed to fill the vacancies in the
Twelve, that you may be fully organized and
prepared for the labors devolving upon you, for
you have a great work to perform;
3 And then proceed to fill up the presiding
quorum of Seventies, and assist in organizing that
body of My Priesthood who are your co-laborers
in the ministry.
4 You may appoint Seymour B. Young to fill up
the vacancy in the presiding quorum of Seventies,
if he will conform to My law;
5 For it is not meet that men who will not abide
My law shall preside over My Priesthood;
6 And then proceed forthwith and call to your
aid any assistance that you may require from
among the Seventies to assist you in your labors
in introducing and maintaining the Gospel
among the Lamanites throughout the land.
7 And then let High Priests be selected, under the
direction of the First Presidency, to preside over
the various organizations that shall exist among
this people;
8 That those who receive the Gospel may be
taught in the doctrines of My Church and in the
ordinances and laws thereof, and also in the
things pertaining to My Zion and My Kingdom,
saith the LORD, that they may be one with you in
My Church and My Kingdom.
9 Let the Presidency of My Church be one in all
things; and let the Twelve also be one in all
things; and let them all be one with Me as I am
one with the Father.
10 And let the High Priests organize themselves,
and purify themselves, and prepare themselves
for this labor, and for all other labors that they
may be called upon to fulfill.
11 And let the Presidents of Stakes also purify
themselves, and the Priesthood and people of the
Stakes over which they preside,
12 And organize the Priesthood in their various
Stakes according to My law, in all the various
departments thereof, in the High Councils, in the
Elders Quorums, and in the Bishops and their
Councils, and in the Quorums of Priests, Teachers
and Deacons--
13 That every Quorum may be fully organized
according to the order of My Church;
14 And, then, let them inquire into the standing
and fellowship of all that hold My Holy
Priesthood in their several Stakes;
15 And if they find those that are unworthy let
them remove them, except they repent.
16 For My Priesthood, whom I have called and
whom I have sustained and honored, shall honor
Me and obey My laws, and the laws of My Holy
Priesthood, or they shall not be considered
worthy to hold My Priesthood, saith the LORD.
17 And let my Priesthood humble themselves
before Me, and seek not their own will but My
will;
18 For if My Priesthood whom I have chosen,
and called, and endowed with the spirit and gifts
of their several callings, and with the powers
thereof, do not acknowledge Me I will not
acknowledge them, saith the LORD; for I will be
honored and obeyed by My Priesthood.
19 And, then, I call upon My Priesthood, and
upon all of My people to repent of all their sins
and shortcomings, of their covetousness and
pride and self will, and of all their iniquities
wherein they sin against Me;
20 And to seek with all humility to fulfill My
law, as My Priesthood, My Saints, and My people;
21 And I call upon the heads of families to put
their houses in order according to the law of God,
and attend to the various duties and
responsibilities associated therewith, and to
purify themselves before Me, and to purge out
iniquity from their households. And I will bless
and be with you, saith the LORD;
22 And ye shall gather together in your holy
places wherein ye assemble to call upon Me, and
ye shall ask for such things as are right,
23 And I will hear your prayers, and My Spirit
and power shall be with you, and My blessing
shall rest upon you, upon your families, your
dwellings and your households, upon your flocks
and herds and fields, your orchards and
vineyards, and upon all that pertains to you;
24 And you shall be My people and I will be
your God;
25 And your enemies shall not have dominion
over you, for I will preserve you and confound
them, saith the LORD, and they shall not have
power nor dominion over you;
26 For My word shall go forth, and My work
shall be accomplished, and My Zion shall be
established, and My rule and My power and My
dominion shall prevail among My people, and all
nations shall yet acknowledge Me.
Even so, Amen.
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