Dedication of Palestine for the Return of the Jews

Elder Orson Hyde of the Twelve Apostles

As today marks the 170th anniversary of the dedication of Palestine for the return of the Jews by Elder Orson Hyde of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Mormon Eagle feels to give a short history and commentary upon the subject.

Shortly after Elder Hyde's baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Joseph Smith pronounced a blessing upon him, in which the Prophet prophesied, "In due time thou shalt go to Jerusalem, the land of thy fathers, and be a watchman unto the house of Israel; and by thy hands shall the Most High do a great work, which shall prepare the way and greatly facilitate the gathering together of that people" (History of the Church, 4:375).

At the April General Conference of 1840, the Prophet Joseph Smith called both Elder Orson Hyde and Elder John E. Page of the Twelve on a mission to Jerusalem to dedicate the land for the return of the Jews.  Elder Page refused to go, so Orson Hyde went alone, after preaching in the eastern United States (principally New York City).  Elder Hyde left for Europe on 13 February 1841.  He spent three and one-half months in the United Kingdom with the rest of the Twelve, then headed on to the European continent.  On 21 October 1841, Elder Hyde reached Jerusalem, the Holy City.  Three days later on 24 October, he dedicated the land for the return of the Jews.  What was his astonishment when he ascended the Mount of Olives, the place where the Son of God was wont to assemble with His ancient Apostles!  Elder Hyde later wrote of what he felt:  

Is that city which I now look down upon really Jerusalem, whose sins and iniquities swelled the Savior’s heart with grief, and drew so many tears from his pitying eye? Is that small enclosure in the valley of Kidron, where the boughs of those lonely olives are waving their green foliage so gracefully in the soft and gentle breeze, really the garden of Gethsemane, where powers infernal poured the flood of hell’s dark gloom around the princely head of the immortal Redeemer?" (A Sketch of the Travels and Ministry of Elder Orson Hyde, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Office, 1869), p. 13).

While in the spiritually reflective mood, he wrote the prayer of dedication under the direction of the Spirit of the Lord, and then dedicated the land.  He prayed,

Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets -- for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name. . . . Do Thou take from them their stony heart, and give them a heart of flesh; and may the Sun of Thy favor dispel the cold mists of darkness which have beclouded their atmosphere.  Incline them to gather in upon this land according to Thy word.  Let them come like clouds and like doves to their windows.  Let the large ships of the nations bring them from the distant isles; and let kings become their nursing fathers, and queens with motherly fondness wipe the tear of sorrow from their eye. . . . Do Thou now also be pleased to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to look with a friendly eye towards this place, and with a desire to see Thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto.  Let them know that it is Thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel -- raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government. . . . (History of the Church, 4:456–59).

This prophetic prayer was answered in 1948, when the State of Israel was founded as a homeland for all Jews by the victors of World War Two.  Truly as Elder Hyde prayed, "kings [became] their nursing father, and queens with motherly fondness [wiped] the tear of sorrow from [the Jews'] eye".

Thus was the Holy Land dedicated by a true Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, sent by Christ's True Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Only this Church will be able to build up the Temple in Jerusalem.  Watch the President of the Church for the announcement, for only he is Authorized to do so by the Lord.  The Jewish religion will not build a Temple in their Holy City, but rather their Mormon brethren, who have the Authority so to do, and the only religion on Earth that has.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Jerusalem in Goshen, UT

From the Deseret News:

"GOSHEN, UTAH — A little slice of ancient Israel is being created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in southern Utah County, in a vast, open agricultural area that is dotted with communities like Goshen, Elberta, Genola and Eureka.

"At the center of the development is a thoroughly researched, painstakingly designed movie set that replicates various elements of the ancient city of Jerusalem. In the immediate area surrounding the set there are locations that can, with just a touch of movie-making magic, serve nicely as the site of the garden tomb, the Garden of Gethsemane, the hill Calvary, the Judean desert, the Jordan River and other places that are important in telling the story of the life of Jesus Christ.

"'It's an incredible spot, with so many possibilities located so close to each other,' said John Uibel, director of creative story development in the LDS Church's Media Services Department. 'We looked all over Utah, from St. George to Logan, for a place that had hills and mountains and gullies and grass and desert. Miraculously, we found this place, literally just sitting here, not being used for anything — just waiting for us.'

"What the unused hilltop farmland was apparently waiting for is to be turned into the primary filming location for the LDS Church's upcoming effort to provide a movie version of 35 different stories or vignettes from the King James version of the Bible on the life of Christ. These vignettes will be used in LDS Sunday School, missionary efforts, visitors' centers and in the Church Educational System.
'These are not 'dramatizations' in the classic sense,' said Uibel, who will also serve as executive producer of the film series. 'We're not adding a lot of extraneous dialogue or anything like that. These vignettes will be lifted directly from the pages of the Bible, and we will stay as close to the scriptures as we possibly can.'
Actors and extras are being cast in the vignettes largely according to their Mediterranean looks. Egyptian sheep, Old World goats and grey donkeys have been acquired so even the animals have a real, true to life look and feeling about them.

"'We're doing everything we can to get this right,' Uibel said. 'Of course, our primary focus is on the scriptural message, and the spirit we are trying to communicate. But we don't want there to be any visual distractions that get in the way of what we're trying to say.'

"That is why such care has been taken to find the right location, and to design and build this elaborate — and permanent — set.

"'We expect this to be in place for at least 20 years,' Uibel said. 'So we wanted to build something that would last and be useful through many film projects.'

"They also wanted to build a set that would be as compact and utilitarian as possible. So rather than simply reconstruct the ancient city of Jerusalem, Uibel designed a set that has important elements that are combined in such a way that the same spot can serve as many different places, depending on camera angles and set dressings.

"'If you stand right here and point your camera in one direction, this is the Pool of Bethesda,' the producer/designer said, standing in the center of a large plaza area completely surrounded by two- and three-story structures. He indicated different areas surrounding the plaza as he continued: 'Point the camera over there, and it's the balcony where Pilate stood and told the Jews he could find no fault in Jesus. Point the camera over there, and it's the arch through which Christ passes as he makes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Point it over there, and it's the home where Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead.'

"Walking through the set, one can't help but notice the careful craftsmanship being used to create this re-creation. Although most of the structures are built of fiber-reinforced Styrofoam blocks, they have been carved and sculpted to look like stone. Then they are covered with five micro-layers of stucco, with each layer textured by skilled artisans.


"'You have no idea what it took to get the Jerusalem white limestone color right,' Uibel said.
The result is stunning, with walls and columns that are lined and cracked, detailed rosettes with carved patterns ('straight out of research,' Uibel said) that look appropriately time-worn, and steps made of 'stones' that are perfectly imperfect – rough and uneven – just as they would have been in Jesus' Jerusalem.

"'We've had a lot of people working very hard for a long time, through all kinds of weather, to make this facility truly realistic, and worthy of the message of the life of Jesus Christ,' Uibel said.

"Although the set is not scheduled for completion until later this fall, enough of the facility is complete that shooting can begin on the life of Christ vignettes next week.

"'We've been planning for this for so long, it's a little overwhelming to think that we're almost ready to start shooting,' Uibel said. 'Our cast is set, the extras have been lined up, the director and cinematographer are here on-site looking at locations. This is really going to happen.'

"Uibel said shooting on the 35 vignettes should wrap by the first of October. Then next year production focus will shift to another series of vignettes on the life and mission of the New Testament apostle Paul.
'There's so much that we can do here,' Uibel said as he stood on a hill overlooking the set. 'With just a few little tweaks we can do Old Testament stories, Book of Mormon stories, anything that needs this ancient look and feel.'

"With this set in place, 'even a short Mormon Message can be shot here inexpensively.' And what if Hollywood hears about this unique new film-making facility?

"'They've heard,' Uibel said. 'Word has leaked. And there has been interest. But right now we have only one mission here: to create a body of work that we can draw from that absolutely speaks to every aspect of Jesus' life.'

"'We follow the teachings of Jesus Christ,' said Elder Lynn G. Robbins, an LDS Church general authority and executive director of the Media Services Department. 'One of the main purposes for constructing the Jerusalem Motion Picture Set is to help the world better understand the life and ministry of the Savior Jesus Christ.'"

Important Signs of the Second Coming

From an article on The New York Times website, we read, "The Haddad children of Middletown, MD., have a lot on their minds: school projects, SATs, weekend parties.  And parents who believe the earth will begin to self-destruct on Saturday."  This is clearly false doctrine, and both the Bible and the Book of Mormon refute it.  Our Savior said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Matt. 24:36)"  Additionally, President Joseph Smith, Junior taught, “Jesus Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that He would come.  Go and read the Scriptures, and you cannot find anything that specifies the exact hour He would come; and all that say so are false teachers. (History of the Church, 6:254)"  This is as plain as anyone can get on the subject, and proves to the fallacy of Mr. and Mrs. Haddad's prophecy.  The world will NOT end on 21 May 2011, nor thereafter until a certain number of important signs come to pass.  We will here examine some very important ones.


THE RAINBOW

A rainbow in Enterprise, UT

President Joseph Smith, speaking as a Prophet, said, "I have asked of the Lord concerning His coming; and while asking the Lord, He gave a sign and said, ‘In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year: but whenever you see the bow withdrawn, it shall be a token that there shall be famine, pestilence, and great distress among the nations, and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant’ (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 340–41)"

Watch for the rainbow, one of the very important signs.

ALL NATIONS TO HEAR THE GOSPEL

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is well established in many nations - but not all.  D&C 133: 37-38 states, "And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.  And the servants of God shall go forth, saying with a loud voice: Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come;"  Most of the Middle East does not have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, neither does China, North Korea, and many other nations of Earth.  But according to these words of the Lord, they will have to have it before He comes again.

JERUSALEM AND THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
President Joseph Smith taught, "Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed [see Ezekiel 47:1–9].  It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance."

THE TWO PROPHETS SLAIN IN JERUSALEM

Revelation states,  

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. . . . And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that scendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither.  And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (Revelation 11:3, 7-12)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie spoke of these two witnesses, and said, "These two shall be followers of that humble man, Joseph Smith, through whom the Lord of Heaven restored the fulness of his everlasting gospel in this final dispensation of grace.  No doubt they will be members of the Council of the Twelve or of the First Presidency of the Church. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:509)"  This is correct doctrine, for to be true followers of Jesus Christ, one must be a follower of Joseph Smith and his legitimate successors; for one to not be a follower of Joseph Smith, he is not a true follower of Jesus the Christ.

These are just four of the many signs, but the most obvious to me.  I know if we watch for these signs, we will be ready for the Second Coming of the Christ - which will only happen when He who holds this world in orbit has accomplished His Father's work, and not until then.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.