Breaking the Everlasting Covenant

Too often we think that prophecies and warnings by ancient prophets for our day are referencing the worldly or those of other faiths, and surely could not apply to us. This is especially true of the prophecy of “breaking the New and Everlasting Covenant”. Many times we think that this refers to those that came before, but not since the restoration.

Apostle and future president of the Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, wrote an article for the Church news explaining that it was and is us, the members of the Church that are guilty when he said,

Are we not too much inclined to blame the generations that are past for the breaking of the new and everlasting covenant, and to think it is because of the great apostasy which followed the ministry of the Apostles in primitive times, that these troubles are coming upon the earth? Perhaps we should wake up to the realization that it is because of the breaking of covenants, especially the new and everlasting covenant, which is the fulness of the Gospel as it has been revealed, that the world is to be consumed by fire and few men left. Since this punishment is to come at the time of the cleansing to the earth when Christ comes again, should not Latter-Day Saints take heed unto themselves? We have been given the new and everlasting covenant, and many among us have broken it, and many are now breaking it, therefore all who are guilty of this offense will aid in bringing to pass this destruction in which they will find themselves swept from the earth when the great and dreadful day of the Lord shall come.

In an effort to encourage us to repent and do better, we are pleased to reprint this long forgotten and previously unavailable online warning in whole:

Church News Department, Deseret News, Saturday, October 17, 1936

This is the 20th of a series of articles written by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, of the Council of the Twelve and Church historian, under the general title, “Governments and Laws in General.”

The Council at Adam-ondi-Ahman

DANIEL had opened to his vision the prophetic history of the nations from his time to the end of the world. He saw the ten kingdoms that should rise out of the Roman Empire, and, later, another kingdom described as a little horn with “eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things” in blasphemy against the Most High. Afterwards Daniel saw the time when the Lord was given power over His Saints, and came to take judgment upon the world. Of this eventful scene, the following is written:

“I beheld, till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: has throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheel as burning fire.

“And a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

“I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

“As concerning the rest of the beasts (nations) they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

“I saw in the night vision, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him.

“And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. ….

“But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.

“Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, break in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet.

“And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them:

“Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High: and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

With the explanation which has come to the Church by revelation, this vision is made clear. Without that knowledge we would be like the rest of the world, sitting in complete ignorance in relation to this wonderful and eventful prophecy. We have been informed that the place where the Ancient of Days shall sit is Adam-ondi-Ahman, in Missouri. At this place Adam dwelt after he was driven from the Garden of Eden. Here, three years before his death, he called his posterity together, those who were righteous, and blessed them.

“And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and they called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. In fulfillment of this scene in Daniel’s vision, here, once again, Adam—the Ancient of Days—shall come to visit his people at a time when the judgment shall sit, and Christ shall come and receive dominion, and Glory, and a kingdom, which shall not pass away, and “All people, nations, and languages, shall serve him.”

Why will the Ancient of Days, who is Michael the archangel or Adam the oldest of all, come to visit his people? Who are the people to be thus honored by this visit? Moreover, why will the Son of God come at this time to Adam to receive a kingdom and to set a judgment? These are all very pertinent questions which could not be successfully answered had not the Lord revealed the answers to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The explanation coming from him by revelation, is as follows:

“Daniel, in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our father Adam, Michael; he will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. This may take place before some of us leave this state of action. The Son of Man stands before him (Adam) and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as the head of the human family. -Hist. of the Church 3:386-7”

This gathering of the children of Adam, where thousands are assembled in the judgment, will be one of the greatest events this troubled earth has ever seen. At this conference, or council, all who have held the keys of dispensation, will render a report of their stewardship. Adam will do likewise, and then he will surrender to Christ all authority. Then Adam will be confirmed in his calling as the prince over his posterity and will be officially installed and crowned eternally in this presiding calling. Then Christ will be received as King of kings, and Lord of lords. We do not know how long a time this gathering will be in session, or how many sessions may be held at this grand council. It is sufficient to know that it is a gathering of the Priesthood of God from the beginning of this earth down to the present, in which reports will be made and all who have been given dispensations (talents) will declare their keys and ministry and make report of their stewardship according to the parable. Judgment will be rendered unto them for this is a gathering of the righteous, those who have held and who hold keys of authority in the Kingdom of God upon this earth. It is not to be the judgment of the wicked. When all things are prepared and every key and power set in order with a full and perfect report of each man’s stewardship, then Christ will receive these reports and be installed as rightful ruler of this earth. At this grand council He will take His place by the united voice of the thousands who be right of Priesthood are there assembled. That will precede the great day of destruction of the wicked and will be the preparation for the Millennial Reign.

The Earth to be Cleansed

Following this grans council there shall come upon the earth great changes. In the restoration, spoken of by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began, the earth is to be renewed and cleansed from all unrighteousness. Isaiah predicted this, and said there should come new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. In that day all enmity and evil are to cease and the nations are to be swallowed up as a part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, after they have been cleansed of their wicked inhabitants as proclaimed in the Holy Scriptures. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are given additional light upon this wonderful changed condition. The Lord said: “And prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the vail of the governing of My temple, in My tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see Me together.

“And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beast of the field, or of the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon all the face of the earth, shall be consumed:

“And also that of element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new, that My knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth.

“And in that day the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before My face.

“And in that day whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given him. 

“And in that day Satan shall not have power to tempt any man.

“And there shall be no sorrow because there is no death.

“In that day an infant shall not die until he is old; and his life shall be as the age of a tree.

“And when he dies he shall not sleep, that is to say in the earth, but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and shall be caught up, and his rest shall be glorious.”

Wickedness Shall Not Stand

The day and the hour of His coming no man knows, neither the angels in Heaven, but He will come when the vast majority of mankind are the least prepared for it, and when they are denying His power, saying that He delayeth His coming. It will be a time similar in all respects to the days of Noah, when the great floods swept over the earth. We are informed that it will be in a day when knowledge is increased (Daniel), but also a day when men will be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (Paul)  When Christ took His departure from His disciples and ascended into Heaven, two witnesses stood by in white apparel, who said to the disciples: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.” John was informed that when Christ should come again it would be to reign upon the earth for one thousand years. This is the teaching in the Bible. To Joseph Smith the Lord said:

“For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.

“And again, verily, verily, I say unto you that when the thousand years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth for but a little season.”

Malachi speaks of the day of the coming of the Lord and declares that it shall burn as an oven and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble, “and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” In this manner have all the prophets spoken. Wickedness must come to an end, for it would be inconsistent to have Satan loose seeking to regain his lost power and contending with men, as he has done for six thousand years. During the earth’s Sabbath, the seventh thousand years, which are set apart as the reign of peace and righteousness, Christ will rule undisturbed by any wicked element or influence from he adversary of truth and righteousness. Not only will the earth be cleansed from all wickedness during this reign of peace, but the church, or kingdom of God now known as the Church, will be cleansed also. The Lord declared it in the following words: “The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.”

The World Ripening in Iniquity

We are informed that the world is getting ripe in iniquity and ready for the cleansing. When the Lord sent the flood it was because “the earth was corrupt before God, and it was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.” A great many people seem to believe that the world is getting better, that mankind is becoming more righteous all the time because of our advanced civilization, but this is not the truth. We know that the coming of our Lord is near, but we have been assured that He will not come until the cup of iniquity is full. He will not come until the time for vengeance had arrived, and until that time will not come until flesh had again corrupted its way upon the earth. It is a mistake to think that the righteousness of the inhabitants of the earth will usher in the Millennium. Isaiah speaks of Christ coming in the day of vengeance. This vengeance, of course, is to be against those who are prepared in iniquity for this judgment. This warning has gone forth in this dispensation to all the world.

“For the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe; and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth.

“For the hour is nigh, and that which was spoken by mine apostles must be fulfilled; for as they spoke so shall it come to pass; 

“And again, verily, I say into you, and it hath gone forth in a firm decree, by my will of the Father that mine apostles, the Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel, even as many as have loved me and kept my commandments and none else.” D. and C. 29:9-12. See Matt. 19:28-29.

All this judgment and change which will bring to pass the destruction of the wicked, will come, the Lord has said, “when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.” Moreover, in this same revelation given to the Church, the Lord continues:

“But, behold, I say unto you that before this great day shall come the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall be turned into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and there shall be greater signs in heaven above and in the earth beneath;

“And there shall be weeping and wailing among the hosts of men; 

“And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth.

“And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent; for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not.

“Wherefore I, the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the earth, which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come upon them;

“And their tongues shall be swayed that they shall not utter against me; and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes shall glass from their sockets;

“And it shall come to pass that the beasts of the forest and the fowls of the  air shall devour them up.”

In another revelation, it is written:

“And their testimony (i.e. the testimony of the Elders of the Church shall also go forth unto the condemnation of this generation if they harden their hearts against them;

“For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out from time to time, if they repent not, until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants thereof, are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming.

A Warning To The World

In this manner, the Lord, all down the ages, has cried with a warning voice through His prophets to the inhabitants of the earth dwelling in this present generation. Isaiah said that because of the rebellion of the people in the last days,

“The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word.

“The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

“The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant.

“Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

Are we not too much inclined to blame the generations that are past for the breaking of the new and everlasting covenant, and to think it is because of the great apostasy which followed the ministry of the Apostles in primitive times, that these troubles are coming upon the earth? Perhaps we should wake up to the realization that it is because of the breaking of covenants, especially the new and everlasting covenant, which is the fulness of the Gospel as it has been revealed, that the world is to be consumed by fire and few men left. Since this punishment is to come at the time of the cleansing to the earth when Christ comes again, should not Latter-Day Saints take heed unto themselves? We have been given the new and everlasting covenant, and many among us have broken it, and many are now breaking it, therefore all who are guilty of this offense will aid in bringing to pass this destruction in which they will find themselves swept from the earth when the great and dreadful day of the Lord shall come.

“Hearken ye, for behold, the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand.” This warning came to the Church one hundred years ago, and has been repeated many times since in the revelations to the Church. Elijah, when he came in April, 1836, declared that this great day was near at even at our doors. If it was near our doors in 1836, it is one hundred years nearer fulfillment today. The following, warning recorded in the Gospel of Luke (21:34-36), and coming from our Lord was intended for the inhabitants of the earth of this present day:

“And take heed ye yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

“For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

“Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

The commandment came to the members of the Church in January, 1831: “But verily I say into you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you.”

This will be when he descends in the clouds of Heaven in power and glory. Let all people know that the parable of the fig tree is being fulfilled today. The tree puts forth its leaves and the summer is nigh. We are told that when we see these things we may know that in this generation, when these things take place, all that has been said concerning the coming of Christ will be fulfilled.

“Verily, I say unto you, this generation in which these things shall be shown forth, shall not pass away until all I have told you shall be fulfilled. Although the days will come, that Heaven and earth shall not pass away, yet my words shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled.” -P. of  G. P. pp 44-45.

Notwithstanding all the warnings that have been given, and the plainness of the message which has come to us, the world will go on about its business, paying little heed, until that day shall be upon them. Then shall there be great wailing as there was as there was at the destruction of the Nephites at the crucifixion of our Savior.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered the ark.

“And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 

“Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left.

“Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

“Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

“But know this, that of the good man o the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.”

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”

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