Elder W. Woodruff arose and addressed the Assembly
from Amos 3 ch. 7 v. "'Surely the Lord God will do nothing
but he revealeth thehis secret unto his servants the prophets.'
Aaccording to the testimony of the scriptures in all ages of the
world, whenever God was about to bring a judgment upon the
world or accomplish any great work, the first thing he did
was to raise up a Prophet, and reveal unto him histhe secretst, and
send him to warn the people so that they may be left without excuse.
This was the case in the days of Noah and Lot: God was about
to bring judgments upon the people, and he raised up a ^those^ prophets,
and ^who^ warned them ^people^ of it; yet they gave no heed to them, but rejected
their testimony; and the judjgments came upon them ^the people^ so that they
were destroyed, while the prophets were saved by pursuing the
course marked out by the Lord. Jesus Christ testified to the
Jews of the things that awaited them as a nation—the fall of
Jerusalem, and their dispersion among the Gentile world; but they
did not believe it. Yet the secret of all these things were revealed
to the Prophets and Apostles; and they believed it, and looked for
its fulfilment; and it came to pass as it was predicted, though
contrary to the expectation of the Jewish nation. In like manner
do we look for the certain fulfilment of those tremendous events
upon the heads of the Gentile world, which have been spoken of,
and pointed out by all the Holy Prophets and Apostles since the
world began, they having spoken as they were moved upon by the
power of God and the gift of the hHoly Ghost: events which more
deeply concern the Gentile world, than the overthrow of Jerusalem
and the dispersion of the Jews did the Jewish nation; for while
they stumbled at the stone they were broken, but when it falls
upon the heads of the gentile world it will grind them to powder. and
The full set time is come for the Lord to set his hand to accomplish
these mighty events, and ^as^ he has done as he in other ages, so has
he done now—he has raised up a prophet, and is revealing unto
him his secrets: through that prophet he has brought to light the fulness
of the everlasting gospel to the present generation, and is again once
more for the last time establishing his Church upon the foundation
of the Ancient Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being the
chief corner stone. In the Church is now found Judges as at
the first, and Councillors as at the beginning; the Church is composed
of ^also^ Apostles, Prophets, ^Evangelists,^ Pastors, and Teachers, ^with^ gifts and graces, for
the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying
of the body of Christ. [Ephesians 4:11-12] The Lord has raised up his servants,
and sent them into the vineyard ^to prune it^ once more for the last time—
to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to warn the nations that
they may be left without excuse in the day of their visitation;
also to gather the honest in heart, and the meek of the earth, that
Zion may be built up, and ^the sayings of^ the prophets fulfilled.
One of the secrets that God has revealed unto his prophet in
these days is the Book of Mormon; and it was a secret to the
whole world until it was revealed unto Joseph Smith, whom God
has raised up as a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator unto his people.
This record contains an account of the ancient inhabitants of
this continent, and of the cities with which they overspread this land
from sea to sea, the ruins of which still remain as standing mon-
uments of the arts, science, power and greatness of their inhab ^founders^.
It also points out the establishing of this our own nation, with
its progress, decline, and fall; and those predictions contained
in the Book of Mormon—the stick of Joseph in the hand of Ephraim—
will as truly be fulfilled as those contained in the bible—the
stick and record of Judah; and both these sticks or records
contain prophecies of great import concerning the gentile nations,
and especially this land and nation, which are not yet fulfilled,
but must shortly come to pass; yea, their fulfillment is nigh even
at the doors.
Though the secrets which God is revealing through his servant
the Prophet in these last days may be unpopular, and unbelieved
in by the world, yet their unbelief will not make the truth of God
of none effect any more than it did in the days of Lot and Noah,
or at the fall of Jerusalem. When Jesus Christ said there should
not be left one stone upon another in the Temple that should not
be thrown down, the Jewish neation did not believe it, neither
would they receive such testimony; [Matthew 24:1-2] but they looked at outward
circumstances, and were ready to say, "who can prevail against us?
What nation like ^unto^ our nation? We have held the giving of the law,
the articles, ^&^ the Urim and Thummim; the Lawgiver has never departed
from between our feet: we have held the power of government from
generation to generation; and what nation hath power now to
prevail against us?" Through the order of reasoning they were
blinded, and knew not the day of their visitation—they understood
not the things that belonged to their peace—they rejected their Lord
and King, contended against his word and testimony, and finally
put him to death on the cross, with many who followed him. But
this did not hinder the fulfillment of the his predictions concerning
that nation; the words of the Lord had gone forth out of his mouth,
and could not return unto him void. The things that belonged to
their peace were hid from their eyes, and they were counted unworthy
as a nation; the Kingdom was to be rent out of their hands, and
given to another; the die was cast, and judgment must come.
Jerusalem was soon surrounded by the Roman Army, led
on by the inspired Titus; and a scene of calamity, judgment
and woe immediately overspread ^the inhabitants of^ that city which was devoted to
destruction—such a calmity as never before rested upon the nation
of Israel. Blood flowed through their streets, tens of thousands
fell by the edge of the sword, and thousands by famine. Women
were evil towards the Children of their own bosoms in the straitness
of the seige, the spectacle of which shocked the Roman soldiers
as they entered the city. The Jews were crucified in such
numbers by their enemies that they could find no more wood
for crosses, or room for their bodies; and while despair was in
every face, and every heart sinking while suffering under the
chastening hand of God, their enemies rushed upon them in the city
to strike the last fatal blow; and as their last resort, they
rushed ^for safety^ into the Temple, which was soon on fire, and they
sunk in the midst of the flames with the cry of their sufferings
ascending up on high, accompanied by the smoke of the crackling
^spires and^ towers. The remaining miserable few were sold as slaves, and
driven like the dumb ass before his burthen, and scattered
as corn is sifted in a seive, throughout the gentile world.
Jerusalem was razed from its foundations, the ^ruins of the^ Temple thrown
down, and the foundation thereof plowed up that not one
stone was left upon another. Christ said that Jerusalem should
be trodden down of the gentiles until the times of the gentiles
be fulfilled, which has been the case to the very letter
until the present generation. Will not God in like manner
as truly and faithfully bring to pass those great, important,
and tremendous events upon the heads of the gentile world, which
have been proclaimed by the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Daniel, and many of the ^other^ Holy Prophets; also by Christ and the
Apostles on the continent of Asia, as well as ^by^ Lehi, Nephi, Alma,
Moroni, and others on this continent?; all of whom have proclaimed
these things as they were moved upon by the spirit of inspiration,
the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost?
The Apostle says that no prophecy of the scriptures is of any
private interpretation, and the commandments ^came not^ of olden time by
the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved
upon by the Holy Ghost. [2 Peter 1:20-21] Isaiah's soul seemed to be on fire,
and his mind wrapt in the visions of the Almighty, while he
declared in the name of the Lord that it should come to pass
in the last days that God should set his hand again the second
time to recover the remnant of his people, assemble the outcasts
of Israel, gather together the dispersed of Judah, destroy the
tongue of the Egyptian sea and make men go over dry shod, gather
them to Jerusalem on horses, mules, swift beasts, and in chariots, [Isaiah 11:11-15]
and rebuild Jerusalem upon her own heaps; while at the same time
the destruction destroyer of the Gentiles will be on his way; and
while God was turning the captivity of Israel, he would put all
their curses and afflictions upon the heads of the gentiles their enemies,
who had not sought to recover but to destroy them, and had trodden
them under foot from generation to generation. At the same time
the standard should be lifted up, that the honest in heart, the meek
of the earth among the gentiles should seek unto it; and that Zion
should be redeemed, and be built up a Holy City, that the glory
and power of God should rest upon her, and be seen upon her; that
the watchman upon Mount Ephraim might cry, "arise ye and
let us go up unto the Zion, the City of the Lord our God"; [Jeremiah 31:6] that the
gentiles might come to her light, and kings to the brightness of
her rising; that the saints of God may have a place to flee to
and stand in holy places while judgment works in the earth; that
when the sword of God that is bathed in heaven falls upon Idumea
or the world [Isaiah 34:5]—when the Lord pleads with all flesh by sword and
by fire, and the slain of the Lord are many—the saints may
escape these calamities by fleeing to the places of refuge like
Lot and Noah.
Isaiah in his 24 ch. gives something of an account of the calamityies
and judgments which shall come upon the heads of the gentile nations, and
this because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and
broken the everlasting covenant. The Apostle Paul says to his Roman
brethren that if the gentiles do not continue in the goodness of God,
they like the House of Israel should be cut off. [Romans 11:21-22] Though Babylon
says, "I sit as a queen and ha am no widow, and shall see no
sorrow," the Revelator says, "therefore shall her plagues come in one
day; death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly
burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." [Revelation 18:7-8] Jesus
communicated the parable of the fig tree which in putting forth its
leaves betokens the approach of summer; and so likewise when we
see the signs in the sun, moon and stars, and in the heavens and the
earth of which he spoke, we might know that his coming is near—
that the generation in which those signs appeared should not pass ^away^ [Luke 21:25-32]
until all should be fulfilled.
These things are about to come to pass upon the heads of the
present generation, notwithstanding they are not looking for it,
neither do they believe it; yet their unbelief will not make the
truth of God of none effect; the signs are appearing in the heavens,
and on the earth, and all things indicate the fulfilment of the
Prophets; the fig tree is leavfing, summer is nigh, and the Lord
has sent his angels to lay the foundation of this great and important
work. Then why should not God reveal his secrets unto his
servants the Prophets, that the saints might be led in paths of
safety, and escape those evils which are about to engulf a
whole generation in rain.