| Show secured 1 HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH A APRIL amir 1843 saturday 8 bonfe conference rence again convened I 1 addressed the saint saints the following synopsis was reported by W richards and IV clayton president joseph smith called upon the choir to sing a hymn and remarked that tenor charms the ear bass the heart after singing he spoke as follows I 1 have three requests to make of the cona cong congregation re the first is that all N who ho have faith will exercise it and pray the lord to calm the wind vind for as it blows now I 1 cannot speak ion lon long iong without seriously injuring my he health alth aith tb the e next is that I 1 may have your prayers that the lord will strengthen in my lungs so that I 1 may be able to make you al althear alf hear and thirdly that you will pray for the holy ghost to rest upon rue roe so as to enable me to declare those things that are true the subject I 1 intend to speak upon this morning I 1 is one that I 1 have seldom touched 41 upon 0 n sin since bince cc I 1 commenced my ray ministry in the ciu agu church ach it is a subject of great groat speculation as is well amongst the elders of this church as a 9 amongst the divines of the day it is in relation on to the beast spoken of by john the revelator 1 I have seldom spoken from the revelations but as my subject is a constant source of speculation cu amongst the elders causing a division of sentiment and opinion in relation to it I 1 now do it in order that division and dlf dif Terence difference of opinion may indy le ie done away with and not that correct on the subject is eo so much needed at ht the present time it Is not very essential for the elders elder to have knowledge knowledge know lede in relation to the meaning of beasts and heads heau and horns and other figures made use of in the revelations still it may be necessary to prevent contention and division and to do away with suspense if we ave get puffed up by thinking t that we ave have much knowledg knowledge ge we are apt to get a contentious spirit and correct knowledg knowledge 0 e is necessary to case cast out that eliat spirit the thib evil of being abeln puffed faid it up p with correct though 0 useless knowledge g is not so sa great reat as dof the evil of contention knowledge does 0 awa away Y with avith darkness suspense and doubt for these cannot exist where knowledge fsr is there is no pain BO so awful as that of suspense this is the punishment of the wicked their doubt ou bt anxiety and suspense cause weeping wa wailing ling and gnashing of teeth in 0 knowledge there ia is power god has haa more power than all other beings because lie he has greater creater knowledge and hence he knows how to subject all other beings to him ile he has power over all I 1 will endeavor to instruct you in relation to the meaning mean I 1 of the beasts blasts and figures spoken of I 1 hould should not have called up tip the subject had it not been been be bc en for this circumstance elder ah brown one of the wisest old heads we have llave among us and whom I 1 now see before me pie has been preace preaching i concerning the beast which was full ful of ey byca e s before and behind and for this he lie was hauled up for trial before the high Co council counsil I 1 did not like the old man being called up for erring w in jt looks too much like ilke likeke the methodists and not like the litter day saints methodists have creeds which a man must believe or te b e kicked ont of their church I 1 want the liberty of thinking and believing as I 1 phase it feels so good not to be tramel tram ened cued it it docs does not prove that a nan nian ia is not a good man min because he errs in doctrine the high council undertook to censure and correct elder brown because of his bis teachings ia relation to the beasts whether they actually corroded cot eor him or not I 1 lama iama am a little doubtful but dont care father brown came to me tile to know what he be should do about it the subject particularly referred to was the four beasts boas and four and twenty elders mentioned in rev ch eh 5 v 8 and when lie he had bad taken the book the four beasts and tour four lour and twenty elders fell down before the limb hav having ing every one of 01 them then harps and golden vials full of odors which are the prayers of saints 3 father brown has haa been to work and coni fa all christendom by making out that I 1 the four beasts represented the different kingdoms of god on the earth th the ile wise men of the day da could not do anything with him and why should we ave find fault anything to whip nhip sectarianism put down and bring the human family to a knowledge of the truth A club is better letter than no deap n for a poor man to fight with father brown did whip sectarianism and so far so good but I 1 could not help laughing at the tile idea of god making use of the figure of a beast to represent his kingdom on the earth consisting of men when he could as well have used a far more noble and consi consistent figure what the lord make use or the fidure of a creature of the brute creation to represent that which is much more noble glorious and important the glories and majesty of his bis kingdom by taking a lesser figure to represent a greater greaten you in missed 1 ased it that time old gentleman but the sectarians sect anians arians did not know enough to detect vou you when god made use of the figure of a beast in visions to the prop prophets liets he tie did it to represent those kingdoms which had degenerated and become corrupt savage and in their dispositions even the degenerate kingdoms 0 of or the wicked world but he never made us use corthe of the figure of a beast nor any of the brute kind to re represent e nt his kinn kinz kingdom dom cie cle daniel 87 1 says ch 7 v 16 when ile he saw baw the vision of the four beasts 1 11 I came near unto one of them that stood by and asked him the truth of all ali this the angel interpreted the vision to daniel but we find by th interpretation I 1 that the figures fig pires wires of beasts had no allusion to the 1 kingdom of god you there see that the beasts ts are spoken of to represent the kingdoms kind oms of the world the inhabitants whereof were i beastly and abominable characters they wore were j murderers corrupt carnivorous and brutal in their dispositions the ile lion the bear the I 1 leopard and the ten horned beast represented the kingdoms of the world bays says daniel for I 1 refer to the prophets to qualify my observations which I 1 make so that the young elders eiders der who know so much may not rise up like a flock hock of hornets and sting me I 1 want to keep out of such a wasp nest j there is a crand erand diffie difference rence and distinction between the visions and figurea spoken of by the ancient prophets and those spoken of in the revelations of john the things which john saw had no allusion to the scenes of the days of adam enoch abraham or jesus only so far as is plainly represented to jolln john and i clearly set forth by him im john saw that only I 1 which was avas lying in futurity and which was I 1 shortly to corce corte to pass see rev ch 1 v 1 3 which is a key to the whole subject the revelation of jesus christ which god gave unto him to show unto his servants things which must nile rite it shortly come conic to pass and he sent i and signified it by his angel anel unto his servant I 1 john who bare record of the word of god and I 1 I 1 of the testimony of jesus christ and of all I 1 things that lle lie saw blessed is he lie that readi eth and they that hear the words of this pro j p checy 1 Y and keep those things which are written t therein h e I 1 n for the time is at hand band also rev ch 4 v 1 after alter this I 1 looked A and behold a door was opened in heaven and the first voice which I 1 heard was as it were of a trumpet i tal tai talking liing with me which said come up hither and I 1 will show thee things which must achere be hereafter 9 1 the four beasts and twenty four elders were out of or every nation for they sting sung a new song saying thou thon art worthy to take the book boot and to open the seals thereof for thou wasti wast lain slain and hast redeemed us to god by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation 3 1 I see rev rov ch 5 v 9 it would be great reat stuffing to crowd all nations into four beasts and twenty four elders now I 1 make this declaration that those things A which john saw in heaven had no allusion to anything that had been on the earth previous to that time because they were the representation of things which must shortly come to pass ass and not of what had already transpires transpired john saw beasts that had to do with thines on the tho earth but not in past ages the beasts which john saw had to devour the inhabitants of the earth in days to come and I 1 saw when the lamb opened one of the seals and I 1 heard as it were the tile noise of thunder one of the four beasts saying como conie and see and I 1 saw and behold a white horse and he that sat on him had a bow and a crown was given unto him and he weft went wert forth conquering queri and to conquer and when he had opened the second seal I 1 heard the second beast sav aay come and see and aud there went avent out another horse that was red and power was t given to him that sat thereon to take peace arm t ddn the earth and that they should kill one another and there was avas given unto him a great sword 2 rev ch 61 6 1 2 3 and 4 verses tile the book of 0 Revel nevel revelations atins lione is one of or the plainest I 1 books god gott ever caused to be written the revelations do not give us to understand anything of the past in relation to the kingdom of god what john saw and speaks of were things which he baw saw in heaven those which daniel saw were on and pertaining 11 to the earth I 1 am now going to take exceptions to the present translation of the bible in relation to these thess matters our latitude and ion lon longitude etude can be determined in the original hebrew with far greater accuracy than in the english vel vei sion slon there is a grand distinction between the actual meaning of the prophets and the pre present tent tran the prophets do not mot declare that they saw a beast or dr beasts but that they sav eav the emage image or cir gigure figure of a beast daniel did not see an actual bear or a lion but the images or fig figures of those beasts the tran translation should have been rendered linage instead of boast beast in every instance where beasts are mentioned by the pro prophets but john saw the actual beast in heaven chewing to john that beasts iid ild lid did actually exist there and not to represent figures fi faures ures of things on the earth when the he t prophets p fiets speak of f seeing beasts in their vi visions blons they mean that they saw the images they being types to represent certain certai n things thins thin thing L s at tile the same time they received the interpretation as to what those images or types were ivere designed to represent I 1 make this broad declaration that whenever I 1 god gives ives a vision of an image or beast or figure of J any kind he always holds himself responsible to give a revelation or interpretation of the tha deanin meaning 0 thereof otherwise we are not responsible or accountable for our belief in it dont be afraid of being damned for not knowing the meaning of a vision or figure if god has not given a revelation or interpretation on the subject john saw curious looking beasts in heaven he saw every creature that was in hearen heaven all the beasts fowls and fish in heaven actually there giving glory to god goer how do 0 you prove it see rev ch 5 v 13 and every creature which ia is in heaven heava and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I 1 saying blessing in and honor and glory and power be unto him in that upon the throne and unto the lamb for ever and ever I 1 suppose john saw beings there of a thousand forms that had bad been saved from ten thousand times ten thousand earths like this strange beasts of which we have no conception all might be seen in heaven the ile grand n secret c r et was to shew jolin john what there was in heaven john learned that god glorified himself by saving all that his hands had made whether beasts fowl fishes or men and he will gratify ratify himself with them says one 1 11 I cannot believe in the salvation of beasts 2 any man who would tell you that this could not be would tell you that the revelations ve are arc not true john heard beard the words of the beasts giving glory to god and understood them god AN who no made the beasts could understand every language spoken by them the tile four beasts were four of the most noble animals that had bad filled the tiie measure of their creation and had been saved from other worlds because they were perfect they were like angels in their sphere we are not told where they came from and I 1 do not know but they were saen and heard by b Y john praising anid an d glorifying glorify ing god the ilia popular religionists of the lay day tell us its forb foro that the tb e beasts spoken of in the revelations represent kingdoms very well weil on the same same principle we ave can say that the twenty four elders spoken of represent beasts for they the are all spoken of at the same time and represented as all uniting a in the tile same acts of praise and devotion this learned interpretation is all as flat as a pancake el what do you use such vulgar expressions pres for being a prophet prop hety because the old women understand it they make pancakes deacon homespun said the parth earth was flat as a pancake and ridiculed the science which proved to the cont contrary contrady raty the whole argument ment ia is flat and I 1 dont know of anything fu better ietter ette to represent it the world is full fall of technicalities and misrepresentation which vi aich I 1 calculate to overthrow and speak of things as they actually exist again there is no revelation to prove rove that thill thines things s do not exist in heaven as I 1 have set i forth nor por yet to show that the beasts meant anything but beasts and we never can cons COGS the thiner of or god and of heaven but by y revelation we may spiritualize and express opinions to all eternity but that la is co no authority OS of ya ye elders of israel hearken to my voice ali all antt d when you are arc sent into tile the world to preach tell those things you are sent to tell preach and cry aloud repent ye for the tiie kingdom of heaven hearen is at hand baud repent and believe the gopel gospel 1 declare the first principles and let ries rles nione alone lest you be he oyer over overthrown thrown never meddle wih wi h tie ile visions of or beasts and subjects you ou do not stand elder brown when yott you go to palmyra Rd lmyra say nothing about the four beasts but those things lle ile lie the lord lias has told you to preach about repentance and babwin for the remission of bins pins ile he alin read rev cli ch 13 v Y 1 8 john r ays raye and gand I 1 saw one of liis his heads as it were aou wounded 1 iq to deitle and his deadly wound wms wis lie lle healed heated aled nied and all tile world wondered after the tha beast I 1 some som a say fay say the beast that the lle ile lie wound was some some mohammed and others the noman romin rom nom in cab catho I 1 lie Chur cli cil but we will look at john jolin saw in ili relt reit relation ilion to this beast now for the wasps nest the translators have used tila the t arm rm dragon 1 for ideiil tl evil eril now it was ws a beust least that thal john jofin saw shy in heaven and he was then thelt speaking of things which must shortly come to pass and consequently quent lythe tha the beast tha that tJohn john saw could not be chad nezzar jr tile the beast john saw was an actual beast and an actual intelligent being gives give |
