John Taylor's Revelations: June 27, 1882

Revelation Received Tuesday, June 27, 1882, at Salt Lake City, Utah Territory.  (John Taylor Papers, LDS Archives).  "It specifically addresses the Council of Fifty, a political council established by Joseph Smith in March 1844" (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).:


Verily, thus saith the LORD, I have instituted My
kingdom and My laws, with the keys and power
thereof.
2 And have appointed you as My spokesmen and
My constitution, with President John Taylor at
your head, whom I have appointed to My church
and My kingdom as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator,
unto My church and unto My kingdom-- and to
preside over My church and over My kingdom,
and to be My mouthpiece unto My church and
unto My kingdom.
3 And I will honor him, and he shall speak forth
the words that I will reveal unto him from time to
time by the whispering of My Spirit, by the
revelation of My will and My word, or by Mine
own voice as I will, saith the LORD;
4 And ye shall listen to his words as My words,
saith the Lord your God.
5 Thus saith the Lord God who rules in the
heavens above, and in the earth beneath: I have
introduced My kingdom and My government,
even the kingdom of God that My servants have
heretofore prophesied of--
6 And that I taught My disciples to pray for,
saying, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven."
7 For the establishment of My rule, for the
introduction of My law, for the protecting of My
church, and for the maintenance, promulgation,
and protection of civil and religious liberty in this
nation and throughout the world.
8 And all men of every nation, color, and creed
shall yet be protected and shielded thereby;
9 And every nation, kindred, and people, and
tongue shall yet bow the knee to Me, and
acknowledge Me to be Ahman Christ, to the glory
of God the Father.
10 And My law, and My rule, and My dominion
shall extend over the whole earth, and no one
shall stay My hand, or question my authority;
11 For I rule by right, in the heavens above and
in the earth; and My right, and My rule and My
dominion shall yet be known and extended to all
people.
12 And now behold, I speak unto you through
My servant John, whom you have acknowledged
and shall acknowledge as My spokesman: Thus
saith the Lord God, the Maker of heaven and
earth, the ruler of the universe, whose right it is
to rule in the heavens above, and in the earth
beneath;
13 Behold, I raised up My servant Joseph Smith
to introduce My gospel, and to build up My
church, and establish My kingdom on the earth.
14 And I gave unto him wisdom, and knowledge,
and revelation, and intelligence pertaining to the
past, the present and the future, even to that
extent which was not known among men;
15 And I endowed him with power from on
high, and conferred upon him the priesthood of
Aaron, and also the Priesthood of Melchizedek,
which is after the order of the Son of God, even
the holiest of all, and after the power of an
endless life- and administereth forever in this
world and the world to come.
16 He was called and ordained to this office
before the world was; he was called by Me, and
empowered by Me, and sustained by Me to
introduce and establish My church and kingdom
upon the earth--
17 And to be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to
My church and kingdom; and to be a King and
Ruler over Israel.
18 He was slain for the testimony of Jesus, and
for the word of God; but he yet lives, and is with
Me where I am.
19 And now I speak unto you who are members
of this council, and of My kingdom, and I say
unto you, as I said unto My disciples of old: Ye
have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.
20 I called you by My servant Joseph, and by My
servant Brigham, and by My servant John.
21 You did not teach and instruct Me; but I have
taught and instructed you, and organized you
according to My eternal laws.
22 Ye are My constitution, and I am your God.
23 And I will be acknowledged; and My will,
and My word, and My law shall bear rule in My
kingdom, saith the LORD.
24 If it does not, then it is not My kingdom, and
then are ye not My spokesmen;
25 For if it is by the wisdom of man, by the
intelligence of man, and under the direction of
man, then it is a kingdom of man, and it is not of
Me, and I will not acknowledge it, saith the Lord
God.
26 Have I not instructed you in all that you
know, and is not this kingdom organized and
directed by revelation from Me? Is it not called
the Kingdom of God?
27 If therefore it is not My kingdom, why do you
make use of My name, and invoke My authority
and My aid?
28 Is this kingdom not called,
"The Kingdom of God, and His laws, with the
Keys and Powers Thereof, and Judgment in the
Hands of His Servant Ahman Christ"?
29 And because I am kind and beneficent to all
peoples, and because I have given to man his free
agency, and have always maintained that free
agency among all peoples, and have treated all
men alike among all nations, and made the sun to
shine on the evil and the good, on the just and the
unjust, and have never controlled the consciences
of men, think ye, therefore, that I have no rights,
and will yield up all My authority to the dictates
and caprices of wicked and corrupt men?
30 Verily I say unto you, Nay.
31 Behold, Satan sought to take away the free
agency of man in the beginning, for which he
was thrust out of heaven, and has sought to
introduce the same principles upon the earth,
which principles are opposed to Me, to My
institutions, and My laws, and to the freedom, the
welfare, and happiness of man--
32 And by which principles the government of
the United States sought to deprive My people of
their free agency.
33 And because men have been under the
influence and power and dominion of Lucifer,
and because tyranny and oppression and evil
have abounded by him, and not by Me, saith the
Lord your God, shall righteousness and justice,
and judgment, and truth, and virtue, and holiness
be forever trampled under foot? --And the
principles of tyranny, oppression, and misrule,
and anarchy, deception, and fraud forever
prevail?
34 Verily I say unto you, Nay.
35 And for this cause have I introduced My
church and My kingdom, that pure and righteous
principles might be inculcated, and man by his
free agency yield a willing obedience to My law;
36 For after this testimony and the rejection
thereof, I will sweep the earth of evil doers as
with the besom of destruction;
37 For this is My right; and while man has free
agency, judgment belongs to Me, saith the LORD.
38 And I will come out of My hiding place and
vex the nations of the earth because of their
iniquities, their misrule, their tyranny, their
oppression, their corruption, their murders, their
adulteries and fornications, and all their
abominations.
39 And because My servant Joseph, whose soul
was pained because of their cruelties and
oppressions, the injustice, fraud, and corruption,
and the inhumanity of men, proclaimed himself
the advocate of human rights, the advocate of
liberty, and the friend of man;
40 And because, according to My eternal
decrees, the free agency of man should be
guaranteed to all men, I moved upon him to
introduce into My kingdom certain parties not in
My church-- for the purpose of exhibiting into
My kingdom that I would still maintain the free
agency of man, and that I hold inviolate that
principle, and will still maintain it to the end--
41 Think ye, therefore, that because they are
thus admitted to a share in My government and
My laws that they shall be permitted to break
their covenants, violate their obligations, and
reject Me and My laws and authority, and seek to
overthrow the kingdom of God, and deprive My
people who are contending for freedom, and who
shall yet maintain it, of their agency, and of My
laws?
42 Verily I say unto you, Nay.
43 They shall be admitted to the rights of
representation in the manner appointed, after
subscribing to My covenants and
commandments, and have a full and free
opportunity of presenting their views, interests,
and principles, and enjoying all the free and
rights of this council;
44 But they shall acknowledge Me and My laws
in this council, saith the Lord God;
45 For My people's rights, and immunities, and
free agency shall be acknowledged as well as
those of all other people;
46 And My laws and government shall be
sustained, or I will not acknowledge you, saith
the LORD.
47 I have invested you with the keys and power
of My kingdom, and they cannot be bartered
away to others.
48 Shall all men be free? Yes, free to do right,
free to express their sentiments and opinions, and
have a full, fair, and free representation;
49 But no man shall violate his covenants,
pervert My laws, subvert others free agency, and
trample upon Mine authority in this council,
saith the Lord your God.
50 Again I say unto you, as I said before:
Henceforth do as I shall command you, saith the
Lord your God. Even so, Amen.

The Kingdom of God, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Kingdom of God has come, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This we boldly proclaim without equivocation.

To Constitute a Kingdom
To have a Kingdom one must first have a King to govern that Kingdom.  This King is none other than Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, as Isaiah hath said, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsilor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)", and also "mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)"  David also saith in another place, "For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Psalms 95:3)"  The Kingship of Christ is attested to by Nathaniel the Apostle when he says that "thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. (John 1:49)"  Lastly, Joseph Smith exclaims, "Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel. . . . Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! (D&C 128:22-23)"

The Dwelling Place of the King
To be a proper king, one must have a palace, built with the best things money can buy, and crafted with the most meticulous care and ability.  Indeed the King of Heaven has had palaces, as it were, or in other words Temples, to call His own.  God (or Jesus Christ, however you will it phrased) is a truly benevolent King, in that He invites us to enter His House and partake of His majesty.  He is so benevolent, He "inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathan; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. (2 Nephi 26:33)"  He also "will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isaiah 2:3)"

Delegation of Kingly Authority (Priesthood)
As all kings do, our King delegates His Authority and His proclamations to His servants.  "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Amso 3:7)", and also "it is impossible that man should find out all his ways.  And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him. (Jacob 4:8)"  Some of His servants may include, but are certainly not limited to: The Twelve Apostles, both ancient and modern (Matt 10); the Seventy (Luke 10); the seven Presidency of the Seventy (Acts 6); etc.

Proclamations of the Heavenly King
His word He has disseminated through the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the magazines known as The Ensign, The New Era, and The Friend.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed that Kingdom, spoken of by Daniel, which should be established without hands (that is, established by God) never again to be thrown down.  May all come unto this knowledge and join the Kingdom and become subject to the Eternal King!  In the name of Jesus Christ amen

Mormon Theology no. 15 - Baptism Essential For Salvation

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the essential need of baptism to open the door to salvation.  In previous articles, I have shown how the LDS Church is the only Church on earth recognized by God.  In this essay, I will now show why baptism is essential for salvation, both through scripture and words of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

President Joseph Smith once defined the meaning of baptism by saying,

"[Baptism] is a sign and a commandment which God has set for man to enter into His kingdom. Those who seek to enter in any other way will seek in vain; for God will not receive them, neither will the angels acknowledge their works as accepted, for they have not obeyed the ordinances, nor attended to the signs which God ordained for the salvation of man, to prepare him for, and give him a title to, a celestial glory (HC 4:554)."

This is a bold statement.  The President says that the ordinance is a sign set by God for enterance into the Kingdom of God.  Our Savior said to Nicodemus,  

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:3-5)."

The sectarian will say that he has been born again and accepted Christ into his heart, but one must do more than just lip-service; one must be baptised.  Joseph Smith says that "Being born again comes by the Spirit of God through ordinances (HC 3:392)." 

This precisely why President Smith said,  

"In the former ages of the world, before the Savior came in the flesh, 'the saints' were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to come, because there never was any other name whereby men could be saved; and after he came in the flesh and was crucified, then the saints were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, crucified, risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, that they might be buried in baptism like him, and be raised in glory like him, that as there was but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and father of us all, even so there was but one door to the mansions of bliss (Times and Seasons, Sept. 1, 1842, p. 9)."

This is ratified by both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  In the Bible, we see John the Baptist baptising even before Jesus has wraught His Atonement.  600 years before Christ, Nephi said this,

"And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!  And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?  Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments (2 Nephi 31:5-7)."

So here we learn that baptism is not only a sign of enterance into the Kingdom of God leading to salvation, but it is also a covenant with God that we will keep His commandments.  I know baptism is essential for salvation, and that it is only valid in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen!