The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-08-17
TABERNACLE SERVICES.

In the Tabernacle, Sunday after
noon, after the usual preliminar
ceremonies, the opening prayer being
offered by Elder John Morgan,
ELDER ORsoN PRATT addressed tbs
7 congregation, first reading the frs
! twelve verses OF the 18th cha 3tel
= of the Book OF Ether, in the Book o
= Mormon, concerning the rebuilding
of the old jerusalem and the building
{ of a new Jerusalem to the seed o.
Joseph. There had been . greal
variety Of views and opinions of that
city spoken of in st. John as tbs New
Jerusalem. The opinions Of unln.
spired men in relation to i. had been
many. Scarcely any took the verse
as it read. There WAC one difficulty
in the interpretations of the nnin-
spired men-oi the many thousands
it was difficult TO find two of them
who agreed. The Lalter-day Saints
had no Interpretation. They take it
as it stands. John ssid he saw the
heavens and the earth flee away, and
there was 70 place for the creation
that We are dwelling on. He then
saw q new heaven and a new earth,
for the fret had passed away. The
saints believed that the world would
become scattered. or disorgsnized. 1t
woald present something OF the ap-
pearsnce OF the nebuls in the
heavens. Some scientis believed
the nebulOus matter Was matter
from which worlds were formed.
In view of Johns word. was there to
be new crestionl The saints be-
lieved there was. 1t takes time for
the collection and formation of ma
terials into an earth. The saints be-
lisved this was done by law Of God.
There was one characteristic OF the
new creation not known to the old.
This creation was about TIRES iourths
covered with water. In the rev Gre
alton there would be no sea, though
there might be rivers, az it bad been
ioretold that there would be 8 stream
of living water flowing from the throne
OF God and the Lamb, and that trees
would grow on its usnks. The earth
will be constructed out OF the mater
ials OF the old, in the most perfect
manner possible; there would be nc
more curses, as the curses OF death
and pain which had come to this
earth because OF the fall OF man.
When the new creation is psopled by
a race OF intelligent beings not sub
jeot to death or any sffliotioD, it will
be an snomuly compared with the
present creation. Now we want to IN
derstand who the inhabitants will be.
All tpose who had lived since our
fret parents would have TO be resur-
recsed and stand before God, and be
judged as it had been seen by John,
and in q hook, called the Lambs
Book of Life, some would have their
names recorded, and they would be
resuIrected more than 1000 years
before the rest OF the dead awake.
They are the ones who will descend
from heaven as promised in the 2lst
chapter OF Revelation. Inssmuch a.
both Jerusalems are to descend from
out of heaven, the speaker under
took to give some idea of the origin
of the two cities. The Bible Informs
us that there is to be city built on
the former site OF Old Jerusalem,
which was built up frst by heather
nations, existing in the days OF
Moses, and was finally taken and
occupied by Israelites. Alter the
Lord had manifested himself in the
temples OF that city, be suffered
the Romans to destroy it
and it became q desolation,
and vas so for many generations. 1t
was to he rebuilt. when it would be
no more p!ucksd up or thrown down
forever. 1t will continue for ever and
ever. II msy be wondered what will
become of the city. after the earth
psssea away and has re place. That
same city, which is to be rebuilt by
the houses OF Israel and Judah, will
continue during the millennium OF
righteousness, and betore the earth
shall pass away it will be caught up
and taken into heaven. The in
habitants will not feel any shock
when the earth shall pass away. The
frat city that will descend out OF
heaven on the new earth, will be the
new Jerusalem, which has only been
described as glorious, and that its
inhabitants should not be subject to
death. The second city that is to
come from heaven, is fully described
by John-its streets, walls, size,
gates, etc., and who shall dwell
in it, and certain persons
shall have their part without the
city in a lake OF FIRE and birthstone.
The Book of Mormon said that on
this continent. the new Jerusalem
should be built, unto the remnant OF
the seed of Joseph. In the same
book, We are told of the inhabitants
of 10th of these cities. Also that 1t
should be caught up when the earth
passes away, and shall como down
again. The saints minds were not
limited like those Of unlnsplred men.
The latter were bound to this one
earth, which was only one Of Gods
great creations. The new Jerusalem
would be the headquarters OF the
new creation spoken of by the pro-
phets, and the headquarters of Adam
who had lived on this continent. The
speaker then quoted from the Pearl
of Great Price" to prove that the new
Jerusalem shall be composed OF two
cities, and that it would be located IN
jackson County, Missouri, built OF
the most beautiful materials 20 be
found on this earth, and those
materials will not be discovered By
uninspired man. The city would be
built by a greatly prosecuted people.
who are to be taught of the Lord, and
be prophets and apostles, and they
will all know the Lord from the least
unto the greatest. A revelation IN
the Doctrine and Covenants also told OF
a song that would be sung when the
new Jerusalem shall be built. Jesus
will also be there, for he is our head
our governor, and If he were DOT
present, the joys of the Inhabitants
would be incomplete. His throne
would be there. The saints were
building tempIes, but there wtre
no thrones in them; but in the temple
in jackson County there would &c q
beautiful throne according to a
pattern given by God, and there
would Jesus give instruction concern
ing the great things OF God. Tue
Savior would also 60 forth in the
character of a shepherd, and minister