During the latter part of May, 1868, President Heber C. Kimball and I were standing in front of his place, on North Main. After a few moments' conversation he turned to me and said, "Now, Sister Amanda, I am going to tell you something." Looking South, he observed, "What do you see?" I told him that I did not know any of the places on Main street except Brother Wells', Bishop Hunter's, William Jennings', Walter Brothers' and the Tithing Office. He then remarked, "I will begin with Brother Wells' place. It will be torn down and a six-story building will be erected on that corner. All of the houses south of that place will be removed to make room for buildings that will average from three to six stories high.
"Now we will come back from Fourth South to the Council House corner. Here a large fireproof building will be erected with an addition to it on the west.
Where the Tithing Office now stands will be constructed a building that will be a credit and honor to the inhabitants of this whole intermountain region. The land around the Temple block will be owned by the Saints and this will become a city of beautiful buildings.
"Next comes the Temple. What do you expect to see there?" I told him that I expected to see the Savior, Joseph, Hyrum, and others. He said, "Have you seen the Temple picture?" I said that I had not. He then put his hand on my shoulder and said. "Now look." "Oh, how white and beautiful," I exclaimed. He then removed his hand and the vision was gone. He then asked me if I knew where the Prophets, Joseph and Hyrum were. I told him that I knew, and he said, "This must be kept a secret."
He told me that the trial of the Saints would be hard to bear until the square of the Temple was reached. Before that time, however, our brethren would be imprisoned until the penitentiary should be full, and some of them would be removed to other places. Mothers would weep for their husbands, and children would cry for their fathers. Some would die, and sorrow would fill the hearts of every Latter-day Saint."
Continuing, he said- 'When the Temple roof is on, it will be somewhat better, but when the building is completed the Evil One will be shut out. The prayers of the Saints will be heard, and the sick will be taken there to be healed. The Spirit of God will rest upon his people, and the work for the dead will be continued night and day. You will attend the dedicatory services on the third day, and if you will come to this very spot after the meeting is dismissed, you will hear a voice cry out, 'All is well."' I attended the services on the third day, and went to the designated spot, and heard the voice, as he said I would, repeated three times.
He then went on to say, "An army of elders will be sent forth to the four quarters of the earth to search for the righteous and warn the wicked of what is coming. All kinds of religions will be started and miracles performed that will deceive the very elect if such a thing were possible. Our sons and daughters must live pure lives so as to be prepared for what is coming.
"After a while the Gentiles will gather to this place by the thousands, and Salt Lake will be classified among the wicked cities of the world. A spirit of speculation and extravagance will take possession of the Saints, and the result will be financial bondage.
"Persecution comes next, and all true Latter-day Saints will be tested to the limit. Many will apostatize, and others will stand still, not knowing what to do. 'Darkness will cover the earth and gross darkness the minds of the people.'
"The Judgments of God will be poured out upon the wicked to the extent that our elders from far and near will be called home. Or in other words, the gospel will be taken from the Gentiles and later on will be carried to the Jews.
"The western boundaries of the state of Missouri will be swept so clean of its inhabitants that, as President Young tells us, when we return to that place, 'There will not be left so much as a yellow dog to wag his tail.'
"Before that day comes, however, the Saints Will be put to a test that will try the integrity of the best of them. The pressure will become so great that the more righteous among them will cry unto the Lord day and night until deliverance comes.
"Then the Prophet Joseph and others will make their appearance and those who have remained faithful will be selected to return to Jackson county, Missouri, and take part in the up building of that beautiful city, the New Jerusalem."
Sister Wilcox closed her narrative with the following statement: "As soon as I reached home, I made a record of what Brother Kimball had told me, as I knew that every word of it would come true. I did not see him again until the next Sunday. After meeting he bade me good-bye, and that was the last time I ever saw him."
(Sources: Smith, Robert W. and Elisabeth A., Scriptural and Secular Prophecies Pertaining to The Last Days, Ninth Edition, Pyramid Press, SLC, UT, 1947, pp. 134-138; Deseret News, May 23, 1931; W. Cleon Skousen, Prophecy and Modern Times, pp. 31 - 33)
Heber C. Kimball also stated on another occasion in 1856:
Yes, we think we are secure here in the chambers of the everlasting hills, where we can close those few doors of the canyons against mobs and persecutors, the wicked and the vile, who have always beset us with violence and robbery, but I want to say to you, my brethren, the time is coming when we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys to the extent that it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy to the people of God. Then, brethren, look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall; for I say unto you there is a TEST, a TEST, a TEST coming, and who will be able to stand?
(Source: Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 446-7)
My dear brothers and sisters and friends, as we begin this historic conference, I am confident that we will hear the word of the Lord during all of the proceedings. The divine guidance which has directed the affairs of this Church for over 166 years today, since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was legally organized on 6 April 1830. What has happened in this work in this relatively short time is a miracle. As a small boy, I remember hearing my great-uncle William Wetzel tell about walking with his family across the American plains to Salt Lake Valley. His stories of struggle, sacrifice, and faith made an indelible impression on my young heart.
When Great-grandfather’s family arrived in this valley, most of the members of the Church lived in a group of small, dusty settlements in the territory of Deseret. Many had braved the ocean to come to the United States. Then they traveled by wagon and handcart through the searing heat and the intense cold of the American plains and the high mountain peaks to find peace and worship God.
In large measure, members of our faith were at that time a despised, persecuted, and driven people. But since then has come the fulfillment of the Lord’s statement, “In this the beginning of the rising up and the coming forth of my church out of the wilderness—clear as the moon, and fair as the sun.”1 No one can fully understand how and why the Church has come “out of obscurity”2 and blossomed without knowing some of the fundamental prophetic truths on which the Church rests.
When I was first named as a General Authority many years ago, I went to see President Hugh B. Brown, then in the First Presidency, and asked him, “President Brown, what advice have you got for a new, young, inexperienced General Authority?” This wise and venerable man responded simply and directly, “Stick with the Brethren.”Who are the Brethren? The Brethren are those who hold the keys of the kingdom of God on earth. They are the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, each of whom is an apostle and prophet; the Seventy; and, in temporal matters, the Presiding Bishopric.
The rise of the Church from Palmyra to Kirtland, from Kirtland to Nauvoo, from Nauvoo to the West, and in over 150 countries all over the world has come about because the body of the Church, wherever it was, has been loyal to the Brethren. Millions of men and women have followed the prophets of God. I wish to pay special tribute to all of the faithful women since the time of the Restoration who have listened to the prophetic voice of the Church. Their supernal womanly gifts and talents have blessed the work of God in a most important and indispensable way.
Those who have stayed with the Brethren have a firm testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God who, under divine authority, reestablished the Church of Jesus Christ in our time. Such solid faith is the foundation of the loyalty manifested by the great majority of faithful members who, throughout the history of the Church, have received the confirming witness concerning the reality of continuing revelation. This revelation has come in its time from each of the Presidents of the Church, their counselors in the First Presidency, and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who serve under the direction of the President.
The dispensation of divine truth in which we now live, in distinction from previous dispensations, will not be destroyed by apostasy. This is in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy that “the God of heaven would set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed” nor “left to other people.”3 President John Taylor affirmed this also when he said: “There is one thing very certain, … and that is, whatever men may think, and however they may plot and contrive, that this Kingdom will never be given into the hands of another people. It will grow and spread and increase, and no man living can stop its progress.”4
From the beginning some from both inside and outside of the Church have sought to persuade members of the Church against following the inspired declarations of those who hold the keys of the kingdom of God on earth. Some of those seeking to mislead have done so claiming special endowments of intelligence or inspiration beyond the established order of the Church. As a warning against those so claiming special authority, the Lord made it clear “that it shall not be given to any one … to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church.”5
In the early days of the Restoration, Oliver Cowdery became the second elder of the Church and participated with Joseph in the marvelous Restoration experiences. He was ordained with the Prophet Joseph in 1829 under the hands of a heavenly messenger when the priesthood was restored to the earth. Oliver served as a scribe, writing down the translation of the Book of Mormon as it poured forth from the mouth of the Prophet Joseph. He shared with the Prophet Joseph the great visions manifested in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 and witnessed the bestowal of the keys by Moses, Elias, and Elijah.
In an early revelation the Lord warned Oliver: “Behold, thou art blessed, and art under no condemnation. But beware of pride, lest thou shouldst enter into temptation.”6 Oliver had great intellect and enjoyed marvelous spiritual blessings. However, over time he forgot the Lord’s warning, and pride entered into his heart. Brigham Young later said of this pride: “I have seen men who belonged to this kingdom, and who really thought that if they were not associated with it, it could not progress. One man especially, whom I now think of, … was peculiarly gifted in self-reliance and general ability. He said as much to the Prophet Joseph a number of times as to say that if he left this kingdom, it could not progress any further. I speak of Oliver Cowdery. He forsook it, and it still rolled on, and still triumphed over every opposing foe, and bore off safely all those who clung to it.”7
In October 1848, 10 years after leaving the Church, Oliver Cowdery visited the Church headquarters in Iowa and humbly petitioned to be received again into the Church through baptism. Describing this memorable event, George A. Smith wrote of Oliver: “He bore testimony in the most positive terms … and told the people if they wanted to follow the right path, to keep [in] the main channel of the stream—where the body of the Church goes, there is the authority.”8
In his final testimony, he affirmed the coming of John the Baptist, holding the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood; the coming of Peter, James, and John, holding the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood. He further stated: “These Priesthoods, with their authority, are now, and must continue to be, in the body of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Blessed is the Elder who has received the same, and thrice blessed and holy is he who shall [continue] to the end.”9
Over the years many offshoots and splinter groups have not stayed with the Brethren. This is not a new phenomenon. After the Crucifixion of the Savior, Peter and the Apostles were preaching to a hostile audience. Gamaliel, a man learned in the law, defended their right to preach. After recalling the ill fate of two different groups that had risen up and drawn people away, he presented this sure test of truth. Said he, “If this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
“But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”10
In the great Sermon on the Mount, the Savior posed a poignant question: “Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” He goes on to say: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. … Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”11The sweet fruits of this work are now known over much of the earth.
To validate those who have authority, the Lord also said, “All things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith.”12 Yet he also said “that every man might speak in the name of God.”13 How can this be? Every man and young man in the Church who lives in accordance with the Savior’s teachings is ordained to the priesthood. The use of this power, however, is limited. Every father is to his family a patriarch and every mother a matriarch as coequals in their distinctive parental roles. Members, men and women, may receive inspiration by the gift of the Holy Ghost for their personal lives and for their areas of responsibility.
Only the prophet and President, and no one else, can use allof the keys of the kingdom of God on earth. In our time that man is President Gordon B. Hinckley. He and his counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have delegated specific authority and responsibility to other General Authorities and to local authorities and auxiliary leaders to direct the work in their own areas of responsibility.
Early in the Church the Lord warned members, “Thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church.”14
Some have said, “My integrity will not permit me to yield my conscience to anyone.” A clear conscience is a very precious spiritual endowment when it is guided by the Holy Ghost. Ultimately, everyone has the responsibility of making their own moral decisions. However, the Prophet Joseph Smith stated that “it is contrary to the economy of God for any member of the Church … to receive instruction for those in authority, higher than themselves.”15
In addition, some have claimed higher spiritual gifts or authority outside the established priesthood authority of the Church. They say that they believe in the principles and ordinances of the gospel and accept the President of the Church as the legal administrator thereof, but claim they have a higher order which the President does not have. This is often done to justify an activity which is not in accordance with the doctrines of the Church. There can be no higher order, however, because the President of the Church both holds and exercises all of the keys of the kingdom of God on earth. The Lord has said of the President of the Church “that none else shall be appointed [to receive commandments and revelations] except it be through him.”16
Thomas B. Marsh was another favored associate of the Prophet Joseph. Over this pulpit in the April 1984 general conference, President Hinckley reminded us that Brother Marsh was serving as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve when he chose to disregard the decisions of the First Presidency and other Church leaders in a dispute between his wife and another woman over some milk strippings.17
When, as did the prodigal son, he finally “came to himself,”18he wrote to Heber C. Kimball, who had been his associate in the Quorum of the Twelve, stating:
“Having lost my wife three years since, I began to awake to a sense of my situation; … I know that I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight and have rendered myself unworthy of your confidence; or of a place in the family of Heaven. … I deserve no place among you in the church even as the lowest member; but I cannot live long so without a reconciliation with the 12 and the Church whom I have injured.” He then recited the typical lesson his years of rebellion had taught him: “The Lord could get along very well without me and He has lost nothing by my falling out of the ranks; But O what have I lost?! Riches, greater riches than all this world or many planets like this could afford.” He pleaded with his brethren for comfort and peace and their smiles upon him.19
After being rebaptized, Thomas came to Salt Lake City, where he asked Brigham Young, the President of the Church, for forgiveness. He was invited by President Young to speak at a Sunday service where Thomas offered this advice to his listeners: “If there are any among this people who should ever apostatize and do as I have done, prepare your backs for a good whipping, if you are such as the Lord loves. But if you will take my advice, you will stand by the authorities.”20
The Prophet Joseph explained in the winter of 1832–33 that “no true angel from God will ever come to ordain any man, because they have once been sent to establish the priesthood by ordaining me thereunto; and the priesthood being once established on earth, with [the] power to ordain others, no heavenly messenger will ever come to interfere with that power by ordaining any more. … You may, therefore, know, from this time forward, that if any man comes to you professing to be ordained by an angel, he is either a liar or has been imposed upon in consequence of transgression by an angel of the devil, for this priesthood shall never be taken from this church.”21
May I now review five of the fundamental prophetic truths of the Church:
First, the keys and the authority of God have been given by Him to Joseph Smith and each of his successors who have been called as Presidents of the Church.
Second, those keys and authority are never to be given to another people, and those who have such authority are “known to the Church.”
Third, continuing revelation and leadership for the Church come through the President of the Church, and he will never mislead the Saints.
Fourth, individual members of the Church may receive revelation for their own callings and areas of responsibility and for their own families. They may not receive spiritual instruction for those higher in authority.
Fifth, those who claim direct revelation from God for the Church outside the established order and channel of the priesthood are misguided. This also applies to any who follow them.
If any find themselves in this position, please know that there is always an open door in the Church for those who wish to return to full fellowship with the sisters and with the brethren of the priesthood. The welcome will be with open arms.
My testimony of the divinity of the callings of the presiding Brethren as the representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ flows from the deepest wellspring of my soul. For many years, I have watched the process of continuous revelation which emanates from God through the keys, authority, and under the direction of the President of the Church. I testify that this revelatory power has directed this work since April 6, 1830. That confirmation is the source of the greatest knowledge I have. I counsel and pray that all will heed the ongoing prophetic voice of this Church, revealing the word of God in our day. Of this, I witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Major tech companies are quickly becoming the theological seminaries of today's techno-religion centered on AI worship. Beliefs once rooted in a small group of futurists out of Silicon Valley have now become the explicit aim of Fortune 500 companies positioned around the globe to pitch AI as the protector, healer, and guardian of all humanity...as this video from NVIDIA:
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Exodus 3:13-15)
Revelation tells us that when the beast arises from the sea, representing the final emergence of AI out of humanity, it will blaspheme the name of God and that people will worship it and be filled with wonder.
As I have explained before, Christians have long been blinded to God's warning of AI as the Antichrist because many have believed it to be a man. But it is not just a man no more than Jesus was just a man. The Antichrist will be synthetically human and virtually divine, miraculously conceived via man's science and technology; fully connected to a global superintelligence called the beast, which we today call AI.
13 Nevertheless, there were some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning devices they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them.
14 Now it was those men who sought to destroy them, who were lawyers, who were hired or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at the trials of the crimes of the people before the judges.
15 Now these lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunningof the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skilful in their profession.
16 And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.
17 Now they knew not that Amulek could know of their designs. But it came to pass as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts, and he said unto them: O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundations of the devil; for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God.
18 Ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people.
19 Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction.
20 And now I say unto you that well doth the Lord judge of your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this people, by the voice of his angels: Repent ye, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
21 Yea, well doth he cry, by the voice of his angels that: I will come down among my people, with equity and justice in my hands.
22 Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword.
23 But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent.
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)
For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it?
The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people; yea, it shall not be stayed until the Lord come;
For the indignation of the Lord is kindled against their abominations and all their wicked works.
Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her.
But if she observe not to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works, with sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague, with sword, with vengeance, with devouring fire. (D&C 97:22-26)
Bruce R. McConkie:We do not say that all of the Saints will be spared and saved from the coming day of desolation. But we do say there is no promise of safety and no promise of security except for those who love the Lord and who are seeking to do all that he commands.
It may be, for instance, that nothing except the power of faith and the authority of the priesthood can save individuals and congregations from the atomic holocausts that surely shall be.
And so we raise the warning voice and say: Take heed; prepare; watch and be ready. There is no security in any course except the course of obedience and conformity and righteousness.
O God, our Father, wilt thou grant us peace and security and safety in the days of tribulation that shall come like a whirlwind upon all the earth.
Wilt thou hedge up the evil powers, and open up the way before us, thy people, that as individuals and as a Church we may stand independent of every creature beneath the celestial world. ("Stand Independent above All Other Creatures," Ensign, May 1979, 93-94)
IS THERE AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST THESE PLAGUES?
THE WORD OF WISDOM
And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. (D&C 89:18-21)
The first destroying angel was sent by the Lord to kill the firstborn in Egypt. The term Passover, has reference to this destroying angel passing over those dwellings which had lambs' blood painted on their door frames (Exodus 12). The destroying angel entered all the other homes, killing the firstborn of man and beast.
The deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt is a type for the deliverance of latter-day Israel from the wickedness of Babylon. The Lord, with a mighty hand, will save his saints while Babylon will suffer the wrath of His destroying angel. How will this destroying angel know whom to destroy?
For the saints, it will be those who did not keep the Word of Wisdom as they had been taught.
Colloquially, the Law of Tithing is referred to as fire insurance. Those who keep it will "not be burned at his coming." (D&C 64:23). Similarly, the Word of Wisdom can be referred to as life insurance. Those who keep it will not be killed at his coming. As the Lord has warned:
I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Luke 17:34-36)
For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.
And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name's sake, shall find it again, even life eternal. Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.
For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me. (D&C 98:12-15)
John Taylor: It is necessary that we pass through certain ordeals, and that we be tried. But why is it that we should be tried? There is just the same necessity for it now that there was in former times. I heard the Prophet Joseph say, in speaking to the Twelve on one occasion: "You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God." Some people have wondered why so many of the Twelve fell away. God tries people according to the position they occupy. (John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 24:197)
Brigham Young: All intelligent beings who are crowned with crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives must pass through every ordeal appointed for intelligent beings to pass through, to gain their glory and exaltation. Every calamity that can come upon mortal beings will be suffered to come upon the few, to prepare them to enjoy the presence of the Lord. If we obtain the glory that Abraham obtained, we must do so by the same means that he did. If we are ever prepared to enjoy the society of Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or of their faithful children, and of the faithful Prophets and Apostles, we must pass through the same experience, and gain the knowledge, intelligence, and endowments that will prepare us to enter into the celestial kingdom of our Father and God. How many of the Latter-day Saints will endure all these things, and be prepared to enjoy the presence of the Father and the Son? You can answer that question at your leisure. Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.345)
George Q. Cannon: We have got to be watchful, for I tell you God has sent us here to test us and to prove us. We were true in keeping our first estate. The people that are here today stood loyally by God and by Jesus, and they did not flinch. If you had flinched then, you would not be here with the Priesthood upon you. The evidence that you were loyal, that you were true and that you did not waver is to be found in the fact that you have received the Gospel and the everlasting Priesthood. Now you are in your second estate, and you are going to be tested again. Will you be true and loyal to God with the curtain drawn between you and Him, shut out from His presence, and in the midst of darkness and temptation, with Satan and his invisible hosts all around you, bringing all manner of evil influences to bear upon you? The men and the women that will be loyal under these circumstances God will exalt, because it will be the highest test to which they can be subjected. (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, 1:7)
It is necessary, in His wisdom and according to the laws of exaltation, that we should descend from our heavenly abode and come here and take upon us mortal tabernacles and forget all that we knew. The reason of this is that we should be tempted, that we should be tried, that we should be purified, that the dross of our nature should be cleansed by obedience to the laws of God and that by obedience to His laws these tabernacles which we have received and which belong to this fallen world may be redeemed and be fitted and prepared to dwell in a higher and purer abode—in an element that is far beyond anything that we know anything of at the present time. These tabernacles of ours, which are so full of humanity and its weaknesses, God has given unto us, and He has told us how we can redeem them—by obeying the laws He has taught. (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, 1:12)
Joseph Smith: After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands),which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 3:379-381)
Russel M. Nelson: Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested...That very persecution can either crush you into silent weakness or motivate you to be more exemplary and courageous in your daily lives. (Russel M. Nelson, Face the Future with Faith)
Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.
For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified. (D&C 101:4-5)
