"Behold the Time has Fully Come"

"Behold the Time has Fully Come"
By OneWhoIsWatching www.threewatches.blogspot.com

On April 3^rd 1836 Jesus Christ, the Jehovah of the Old Testament suddenly and secretly appeared in the Kirtland Temple to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

While standing upon the Ark of the Covenant, suspended in mid air, the Savior of the world declared;

"I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father. Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.

Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to my name. For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.

Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house.

Yea the hearts of thousands and tens of thousands shall greatly rejoice in consequence of the blessings which shall be poured out, and the endowment with which my servants have been endowed in this house.

And the fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands; and this is the beginning of the blessing which shall be poured out upon the heads of my people. Even so. Amen." ( D&C 110 See also Exod 25:22)

Following that declaration and the transferring of the keys of the gathering of Israel from Moses and the dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham by Elias, Elijah the Prophet appeared and made the following declaration;

"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi- testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come- To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse- Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors."

The declaration of Elijah the prophet in the above passages appears to be declaring two things;

1) The prophecy pertaining to Elijah the Prophet contained in Malachi had just recently been fulfilled-

2) The keys to the dispensation of the great and dreadful day of the Lord had been committed to Joseph and Oliver. (That future dispensation has also been revealed as the dispensation of the fulness of times. See D&C 27: 13, D&C 121: 31, D&C 124: 41, D&C 128: 18, 20)

Following this amazing series of visitations Joseph and Oliver had their scribe, Warren Cowdery, (Olivers brother), write down a brief description of the event into a journal.

During the remaining eight years of Joseph's life, there is no evidence of a public disclosure of this most sacred event by any of these three individuals.

Joseph even gave a public discourse on the future appearance of Elias, Elijah and Messiah without taking the opportunity of disclosing what had already happened or attempting to build upon what had taken place in the Kirtland Temple with Elias, Elijah and Messiah.

It would be decades before the Kirtland Temple visitation would be revealed to the Saints in an article in the Deseret News and a full Biblical generation of 40 years before it would find its way into the canonized revelations in the D&C.

So what event spoken of by Malachi had FULLY COME to pass by April of 1831?

Some LDS scholars believe that the very appearance and declaration by Elijah the Prophet in the Kirtland Temple was the fulfilling of the Malachi's prophecy but we know that cannot be the case.

We know this because the Angel Moroni gave Joseph Smith a more inspired version of the prophecy revealing that Elijah needed to reveal the priesthood through a physical ordinance by hand, and such an event did not take place pertaining to the visit of Elijah the prophet during the Kirtland Temple visitation;

"..Behold, I will reveal unto you the ^aPriesthood, by the hand of ^bElijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the ^cLord.."

It is very important to note that the revealing of the priesthood was to take place by hand, not just by verbal declaration.

With this in mind, others assume that perhaps the appearance of John the Baptist to Joseph and Oliver wherein he laid his hands on them and ordained them to the priesthood must have been the fulfillment of the Malachi prophecy that Elijah was referring to..

One could actually make a very strong case for that deduction given the fact that the New Testament identifies John the Baptist as the one coming in the spirit of Elijah that Malachi spoke of.

Nevertheless, Isaiah and the inspired version of the Bible reveal that the prophecy by Malachi was to have a dual fulfillment, with two separate prophets that come in the spirit and calling of Elijah.

The JST version of the NT identifies John the Baptist as Elijah the preparer who was to first come and prepare the way. But it reveals that in the end times there would be a second prophet coming who was referred to as Elijah the restorer.

Hence, the declaration of Elijah the prophet in the Kirtland Temple was clearly not referring to the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood by the hand of John the Baptist which had occured in 1829 as a preparatory act in restoring the church of Christ to the earth.

So if John the Baptist is Elijah the preparer, who is Elijah the restorer?

And when did Elijah the restorer reveal the priesthood by hand indicating the time had fully come of which Malachi prophesied about?

Clearly it would have to have taken place between the time John the Baptist restored the Aaronic priesthood in 1829 and the visitations in the Kirtland Temple in 1836.

The Purpose of this paper is to document exactly what the prophecy of Malachi was referring to, who Elijah the restorer is and exactly when the revealing of the priesthood by hand took place. (and who the rightful holder of the priesthood is that is spoken of by the ancient prophets)

By doing key word, key phrase and key concept searches, it appears that the act of revealing of the priesthood includes the act of revealing who the Davidic King would be in the third watch, or, in other words, He whose right it is to reign over the kingdom and dispense the priesthood throughout the kingdom.

When the great overturning of the wicked rulers and their kingdom of iniquity take place, the profane wicked prince of Israel will be dethroned and a literal descendant of David, He whose right it is to rule, will be crowned to reign in behalf of Christ until Christ comes in his glory;

"And thou, profane ^awicked prince of Israel, whose ^bday is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the ^adiadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is ^blow, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." Ezek. 21: 27 (See also D&C 58: 22)

Regarding this topic, the Prophet Joseph Smith once taught;

"... the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and will be given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage." (Doctrinal History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 253.)

I am suggesting that Elijah the restorer is the descendant of King David spoken of by Joseph Smith and many of the ancient prophets, who has the priesthood right to reign.

Let us first review the prophesy in Malachi as it reads in the King James Version;

" For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

It is a great blessing to have the additional information that has been revealed during the laying of the foundation of the LDS restoration pertaining to those passages through the Book of Mormon, the D&C and the Inspired Version of the Bible and other teachings.

We will review the additional light that God has revealed about those passages and then we will use this information to create an amalgamated text of Malachi' prophecy.

Then we will identify exactly who Elijah the Restorer is and when he revealed the Priesthood by hand indicating that the time of the fulfillment of the prophecy had fully come;

Listing of additional things revealed pertaining to Malach 4

1- Isaiah prophesies of the mission of Elijah and Christ reveals that every prophecy of Isaiah will have a dual fulfillment; One fulfillment prior to his visit to the Nephites and one fulfillment after his visit to the Nephites; "The ^avoice of him that crieth in the wilderness, ^bPrepare ye the ^cway of the Lord, make straight in the desert a ^dhighway for our God". ( Isaiah prophecies about the coming of Elijah see Isa. 40: 3) "...for great are the words of ^bIsaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; ^atherefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles. And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake." (Christ reveals that all things Isaiah spoke of have been and shall be... they apply to the Jews and to the Gentiles 3^rd Nephi)

2- According to the Inspired Version of the Bible there are actually two Elijahs, a preparer and a restorer; The inspired version reveals that there are actually two prophets that come in the calling of Elijah (which is spelled Elias in the New Testament) The first Elijah comes to prepare the way, the second comes in the last days to restore all things.  JST Matt. 11: 13-15 15 And if ye will receive it, verily, he was the Elias, who was for to come and prepare all things. JST Matt. 17: 10-14 "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things, as the prophets have written. And again I say unto you that Elias has come already, concerning whom it is written, Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and they knew him not, and have done unto him, whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. But I say unto you, Who is Elias? Behold, this is Elias, whom I send to prepare the way before me. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist, and also of another who should come and restore all things, as it is written by the prophets.

3- JS History tells us that Elijah will "plant" in the hearts of the children the promises of the fathers;

"...After telling me these things, he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of ^aMalachi; and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy, though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles. Instead of quoting the first verse as it reads in our books, he quoted it thus: For behold, the ^aday cometh that shall ^bburn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as ^cstubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the ^cLord. He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.

4- Section 98 informs us that the terms "fathers" and "children" apply to "Prophets" and "Jews" "Therefore, ^arenounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to ^bturn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children; And again, the hearts of the ^aJews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews; lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me." D&C 98: 17

5- Joseph Smith taught that the word "turn" means "bind" or "seal". "I wish you to understand this subject, for it is important; and if you will receive it, this is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah. ..."Now comes the point. What is this office and work of Elijah? It is one of the greatest and most important subjects that God has revealed. He should send Elijah to seal the children to the fathers, and the fathers to the children." " History of the Church, 6:251-53 ""How shall God come to the rescue of this generation? He will send Elijah the prophet. ... Elijah shall reveal the covenants to seal the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers" History of the Church, 5:555; Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the ^asealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the ^bkeys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of ^cknowledge.

15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their ^asalvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made ^bperfect.

16 And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?

17 And again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the ^arestoration of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold, I will send you ^bElijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.I might have rendered a ^aplainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a ^bcurse unless there is a welding ^clink of some kind or other between the fathers and the ^dchildren, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the ^ebaptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the ^ffulness of times (See section 128)

6- We learn from the appearance of Moroni that it is Gods Servants that will burn the wicked; Moroni reveals, in the Joseph Smith History tells us that "they" who come shall burn them. JS-H 1: 37

7- We know from other prophesies that the word "Lest" means "Before" or "In preparation for"; The dictionary indicates that "lest" some times means "That not"; other times it means "for fear that", or in other words, "because of" or "in preparation for". We know that it has to do with the second definition because the scriptures make it clear in multiple places that the earth WILL be smitten with a curse. The point is that Elijah needs to come to prepare and gather the righteous before the curse goes forth, otherwise all of the inhabitants of the earth, including the righteous would be destroyed. (See the prophesied blessing and the cursing in Deut. 30: 1, 19 Also Isaiah's prophecy that the curse will devour the earth in Isa. 24: 6 etc.)

8- 3rd Nephi reveals that the word "Sun" should be translated "Son" (although both are applicable since the Sun gets it light from Christ); 3 Ne. 25: 2.

Using the information noted above, here is my amalgamated version of the prophesy contained in Malachi;

" For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: for they that come shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, who is to restore all things before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

And during the 2nd watch he shall first plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and in the 3rd watch the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers and he will bind and seal the heart of the Prophets to the Jews, and the heart of the Jews to the Prophets, in preparation for when I come and smite the earth with a curse. If it were not for the return of Elijah the restorer, the whole earth, including the righteous would be utterly wasted at his coming" (Amalgamated text of the prophecy in Mal 4 by the Watcher.. changes in red)

There are some amazing things revealed in this prophecy!

Among them is the fact that Elijah the restorer will first prepare the fathers and the children, the Jews and the Prophets by planting a desire in their hearts. Then at the appointed time, he will seal or bind them up before the curse goes forth;

"Q What are we to understand by the angel ascending from the east, Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse?

A We are to understand by the angel ascending from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels having the everlasting gospel, saying: Hurt not he earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things."

Notice the related promise that the restorer and his fellow servants will go forth to prepare the Saints by binding up the law and sealing the testimony;

"Therefore, tarry ye, and labor diligently, that you may be perfected in your ministry to go forth among the ^aGentiles for the last time, as many as the mouth of the Lord shall name, to ^bbind up the law and ^cseal up the testimony, and to prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come" D&C 88: 84

Of course the modern version of this prophesy in section 88 pertaining to the binding up of the law and the sealing of the testimony is in part, a take-off of Isaiah 8.

These passages reveal that when the Davidic Servant returns, who holds the right of priesthood, will be a stumbling block and a rock of offence to both of the kingdoms of Israel that will have become united in the latter days, both the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah who have gathered unto the gospel covenant. While a remnant will be saved, many will stumble and fall and be snared and taken;

"And he shall be for a ^asanctuary; but for a ^bstone of ^cstumbling and for a ^drock of ^eoffence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a ^fsnare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. ^aBind up the testimony, ^bseal the ^claw among my disciples." Isa. 8: 16

Of course, Isaiah and section 88 are prophesying about the time of the cursing and the blessing that Moses prophesied about. ( See Deuteronomy 28-32)

But getting back on topic, who is Elijah the Restorer?

To identify this person we need to go back to the early part of the LDS restoration movement when a fellow by the name of Oliver Cowdery and others were commissioned by the Lord to take the gospel message to another branch of the house of Israel, even the Lamanites.

Oliver was also commissioned to help identify and ordain the 12 apostles that would take the gospel message to foreign lands to gather the dispersed of Judah and the outcasts of Israel, two other branches of the house.

Oliver was playing a key role in helping to fulfill the prophesies contained in the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees given by the prophet Zenos. I was reminded the other day by a friend in Utah Valley that the name "Oliver" means "Olive Tree". What a coincidence!)

In section 6 of the D&C, we read thus:

"And now behold I give unto you (O. Cowdery), and also unto my servant Joseph, the keys of this gift, which shall bring to light this ministry."

What ministry is the Lord referring to?

It appears that the Lord was referring to a separate, existing ministry from the ministry that Joseph and Oliver were involved in... it was the ministry which was to finish the work of bringing to pass the restoration of Israel, and through these means prepare the way for the coming of Christ.

This is truly amazing. The Lord was not giving Joseph and Oliver the keys of this ministry, he was giving them the privilege and calling of bringing an existing preparatory ministry to light!

Shortly after Joseph and Oliver receive this promise that they will be the ones to bring an existing ministry to light, a revelation comes through Joseph for Oliver and others to go on a mission to the Lamanites.

During the mission Oliver and his companions pay a call to Sidney Rigdon and encourage him to read the Book of Mormon.

Within a short period of time, Rigdon has joined the Church, been the means of preparing hundreds of others to come into the church. He meets Joseph Smith for the first time in December of 1830. During that visit, the revelation currently known as section 35 is given in which the Lord reveals that Sidney is the one who is like John the Baptist (Elijah the preparer)

"Behold, verily, verily I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard thy prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things. Behold thou wast sent forth even as John, to prepare the way before me and before Elijah which should come."

On the surface, this passage is amazingly clear, yet if we drill down a little further, we see an amazing cryptic message embedded into it.

The passage informs us that Bishop Rigdon's previous ministry was typological of John the Baptists. It was a preparatory ministry... and, as we have pointed out, John the Baptist was Elijah the preparer who prepared the way for Christ and also prepared the way for the restoration of the Gospel in the 2^nd watch.

However, the passage goes on to inform us that Rigdon would in the future, do a greater work. He would have a greater ministry. He would eventually do GREAT THINGS... even as the apostles of old. The implication is that Rigdon's next work would be that of restorer.

Verses 7&8 provide greater clarity to the future work that Sidney will do in the 3^rd watch, they say;

"And it shall come to pass that there shall be a great work in the land, even among the Gentiles, for their folly and their abominations shall be made manifest in the eyes of all people. For I am God and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs and wonders unto all those who believe on my name."

Now, getting back to the cryptic aspect of the passages;

"thou wast sent forth even as John, to prepare the way before me and before Elijah which should come."

At face value it appears that the Elijah who should come is someone other than Sidney, however, what he is really saying is that Sidney had been sent to do a preparatory work before the greater work of Elijah the Restorer was to be done. He was first doing a preparatory work but later he would do the greater work.

It becomes evident that Sidney is very possibly the one who comes in the spirit of Elijah the Restorer at a later time, during the 3^rd watch, during the folly of the Gentiles.

So, here we have the Lord declaring that Sidney has just finished a preparatory ministry similar to the ministry of John the Baptist, and that he would do GREAT THINGS in a GREATER WORK during the folly of the Gentiles at a future time.

But what about revealing the priesthood by hand?

We know from the angel Moroni that the latter day Elijah the restorer would reveal the priesthood by HAND, or in other words, just as John the Baptist revealed the priesthood by giving it to Joseph and Oliver by the laying on of hands, he who was to come in the spirit and calling of Elijah the prophet in the latter days would also reveal the priesthood ordination, by the laying on of hands.

This is where section 36 become hugely important.

Following the revelation that the Lord gave to Sidney Rigdon, a revelation was given to his friend Edward Partridge who had come with him to meet Joseph Smith. In it, the Lord says;

"..and I will lay my hand upon you [Edward Partridge] by the hand of my Servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom." (D&C 36:2)

There it is. Just as John the Baptist revealed the priesthood by ordaining Joseph and Oliver, Sidney Rigdon was revealing the priesthood by ordaining Edward Partridge.

This is exactly the event that Elijah the Prophet was acknowledging and declaring in the Kirtland Temple on April 3^rd 1836. He was acknowledging that in fulfillment of Malachi's prophesy, He who would come in the calling of Elijah the Restorer had already revealed the priesthood in preparation for the eventual curse that would be poured out upon the earth.

We know from section 6 that Rigdon will eventually do great things when the great work begins, but his past and future ministries had now been brought to light, by revelation, as a result of Joseph and Oliver who had been called to do so.

Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith were told that they had the keys of the gift which should bring to light this ministry;

"And now I command you, that if you have good desires-a desire to lay up treasures for yourself in heaven-then shall you assist in bringing to light, with your gift, those parts of my scriptures which have been hidden because of iniquity. And now, behold, I give unto you, and also unto my servant Joseph, the keys of this gift, which shall bring to light this ministry; and in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."

Joseph and Oliver were given the gift and the calling to bring to light an existing ministry! A separate one from their own. They were to identify the ministry (and minister) that was currently doing a work! And then they were to assist him when the folly of the gentiles takes place in the 3rd watch!

Lets review what happens after Joseph and Oliver are given the promise of bring an existing ministry to light;

1) The Lord calls Oliver Cowdery, Parley Pratt and others on a mission to the lamanites. During the mission they take a Book of Mormon to Sidney Rigdon who declares it to be a revelation from God.

2) Oliver Cowdery baptizes Rigdon.

3) Rigdon visits Joseph Smith during their first meeting... the first time they ever met, Joseph pronounces a blessing upon Sidneys head and the Lord identifies Sidney as the one like John the Baptist who had previously been sent forth doing a work that was a preparatory work.

4) Shortly thereafter the Lord identifies (through the Prophet Joseph Smith) Sidney Rigdon as the Spokesman from the loins of Judah prophesied about in the Book of Mormon and the JST version of Genesis.

What is a ministry?

According the Webster-

Ecclesiastical function; agency or service of a minister of the gospel or clergyman in the modern church, or of priests, apostles and evangelists in the ancient. Acts 1. Rom.12. 2 Tim.4. Num.4.

Did Joseph and Oliver use the keys they had been given to bring to light the existing ministry and the existing minister who God had previously called to do a preparatory work?

YES!

Please remember that anciently, King David had a seer who worked in concert with him;

"All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office. "

Are we seeing a pattern here? The priests had to come before King David and Samuel the Seer to be ordained. Remember how the Lord said in the D&C that all those who would go forth to preach the gospel much come before Sidney and Joseph?

Joseph had just translated the Book of Mormon with the help of Oliver as his scribe and Oliver had just been given the promise that at a future time he would get to translate ancient records as well... hence, Oliver also had, or would be given the gift of translation at a future time.

So what exactly was the gift promised to Joseph and Oliver that would enable them to bring to light the existing ministry of he who would come in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet?

It was the gift of translation!

How did the gift of translation help to identify Sidney Rigdons calling?

Perhaps two of the most important sections of scripture identifying Sidney's calling are 2 Ne. 3: 17-18 in the Book of Mormon and JST Gen. 50: 24-38 in the Bible. Both of these records came forth through the miraculous gift of translation.

Both of these speak about the "Spokesman" and his ministry and provide a point of reference for latter day revelation to refer to when revealing who Sidney is. Sections 100 and 124 identify Sidney Rigdon to be the Spokesman prophesied about in 2^nd Nephi and JST 50;

"And it is expedient in me that you, my servant Sidney, should be a spokesman unto this people; yea, verily, I will ordain you unto this calling, even to be a spokesman unto my servant Joseph." D&C 100: 9, 11

Certainly the gift of translation that brought forth the Book of Mormon and the inspired version of the Bible (JST) containing prophecies about Rigdons ministry is part of what the Lord was referring to when he spoke of the gift that Joseph and Oliver had been given.

Furthermore, the revelation in section 6 begins by stating that a Marvelous Work was about to come forth verifying that it had not yet begun!

It was referring of course to a future time.. to the 3^rd watch.

I wonder if in the 3^rd watch, perhaps Joseph and or Oliver will translate additional records that will shed further light and testimony on the past and future ministries of Sidney Rigdon, Gods Spokesman, even Elijah the Restorer.

It is remarkable that on this, the new moon of the first month of the transitional year in which the Marvelous Work is very possibly to begin, over 100 elders and other leaders of indigenous tribes in America and other countries have gathered together in a gathering they refer to as "thee return of the ancestors".

Their message to the world is that ;

"we have entered into a very special time in history... It began on October 24 when the blue sphere appeared in the solar system marking.. the end of time"

"there is great change about to happen on earth"

According to one of their spokesmen;

"These elders are coming from all over for ceremony and for prayer. Prayer for themselves and for the world and for all of us.. this is not just an ordinary ceremony this is a ceremony of extreme power because of the timing, because of what it is about and the true meaning behind this of the returning of the ancestors, it talking about the time when the stars open up to us, when the people who actually created the human race re-appear on earth"

How is it possible that so many fragmented tribes of differing beliefs, traditions and in some cases different languages could come together in a united ceremony believing that their ancestors are going to return to teach them wisdom?

The words of the angel Moroni seem very appropriate here;

"And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers."

Although the 1^st mission of Oliver Cowdery to the Lamanites appeared to be a failure at the time, something obvously took place during the restoration movement with regard to the Lamanites. Elijah the prophet apparently planted something in the hearts of the descendants of these great people.

The Lord has promised that;

"...my ^awork shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the ^btestimony of the Jews, even so shall the ^cknowledge of a ^dSavior come unto my people-

And to the ^aNephites, and the Jacobites, and the Josephites, and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers-

And this ^atestimony shall come to the knowledge of the ^bLamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, who ^cdwindled in unbelief because of the ^diniquity of their fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their ^ebrethren the Nephites, because of their ^finiquities and their abominations.

And for this very ^apurpose are these ^bplates ^cpreserved, which contain these records-that the ^dpromises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his ^epeople;

And that the ^aLamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the ^bpromises of the Lord, and that they may ^cbelieve the gospel and ^drely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be ^eglorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen."

We know the Lamanites are going to come to a knowledge of who they are and who God is. The Lord has also promised that "the Lamanites shall ^bblossom as the rose."

The words of the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple also seem appropriate at this time that the indigenous tribes have become humble and looking for guidance from their ancestors from the dead;

"And cause that the ^aremnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be ^bconverted from their wild and savage condition to the fulness of the everlasting gospel;

And the poor and the meek shall have the gospel preached unto them, and they shall be looking forth for the time of my coming, for it is nigh at hand-
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 35:15)

The 400 year period shown to Father Abraham has now expired. It is time for the final warning and judgment of this wicked nation.

The time for Elijah the restorer and his fellow servants to seal up of the righteous is about to take place.

I suspect we have not seen the last of brother Oliver. The Lord has said;

"...for I have given unto him power to ^dbuild up my ^echurch among the ^fLamanites.."

Nor have we seen the last of brother Sidney.