Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-02-20

| there is nothing impossible with God
This, however is mistake, for Paul
| informs us there is one thing impossible
| even with God, and i. e. He cannot
lie." CTitus I:2.)
Now alter Jesus telling Nicodemus
that in order to enter the kingdom OF
heaven man must be born OF water,
/. e. baptism in water, and also of the
Spirit. We still find clergymen telling
people that baptism is non-essenlial; for,
say they, one man was saved without
having any water applied, and why not
othersl And this zone man" whom
they quote 10 support their vain and de-
lusive theory is the pertinent thief upon
the cross, whom Jesus promised TO be
with Him in Paradise" luke 79:39 43.l
Said Paradise Is claimed by uniDspifed
teachers TO be heaven. 1t now becomes
my duty as far as possible TO correct this
erroneous idea, which is one reason Tor
the growing skepticism in the world to
day.
1t it can be proved that Jesus after re-
lating to Nicodemus the conditions
necessary to be met to secure salvation
viz, to be born again. Told the thiei
that he would 20 with Him to heaven,
when he, (the thieD in all probability
never had been baptized, then we can
prove that we cannot depend upon the
words Of our Redeemer. Remember
His promise was not To be with Him
I'm heaven, but "in psradisen Now
let US designate where the Savior and
the thief Went on the sell same day Of
their crucifixion, for that was the day
they were 10 be together in paradise.
On the third day after making the thief
the above promise, the same Jesus arose
from the grave and was met by Mary
Magdalene, who, upon learning il was
Jesus, would have embraced Him whom
she termed master" but the command
OF Jesus was, Touch me not for am
not yet assembled to my Father" (John
aoth ,chapter) Here are His own
words telling that worthy woman that
he had not been 10 heaven, or where the
Father dwelt (Which is in heaven)
Peter, the chief Apostle, | think all
will admit is a competent person TO tell
US where Jesus was during the three
days that the spirit was separated from
the body. He peter 3;Is-2o) informs
us that Christ had suffered for sins, the
just the unjust, and ior no other reason
than that He might bring us to God, d"
and that is why He went aud preached
10 the spirits in prison; and from peter
6.6) we learn that they to whom He then
preached might live according to men
in the flesh, but be judged according to
God in the Spirit"
Here, then, is tie last account we
have of the thief in the old anti-deluvian
prison, listening to Jesus preach to those
,ebellious spirits who had rejected the
counsels oil God by refusing to accept
the conditions OF salvation they had had
but offered to them; and for failing to
repent and to accept the Prophet Noah's
teachings which came from God, they
had been shut up in prison for two
thousand years, until Jesus of Nazereth,
in iullillment OF the words Of lslah 2i;22,
visits them. What advantage, ask,
would ii be to them 10 hear the Gospel
If there was no chance OF obeying iil
1t would only tend to increase their
misery, and this rinciple is not consis-
tent with the character OF Deity. Isaiah
iurthur predicts that the mission OF
Christ was to bring OH, the prisoners
from the pit, and they that sit in dark
ness out OF the PRISON house (lsiah az:
~; and that He would proclaim liberty
10 hem (saiah 6I;I.)
Read the words OF Jesus 0ohn 5;25,
and then take IN connection therewith
tine words OF Peter (IS7o) and at a
glance we see the uliillment OF the
many predictions, some OF which already
have been referred to, concerning the
preaching OF the Gospel in the spirit
world,
In Mathew AS we learn that before
the great aud dreadful day OF the Lord
Elijah the Prophet should be sent to
turn the hearts OF the fathers, to the
children and the hearts Of the children
to their fathers least the whole earth be
smitten with curse. Now the question
naturally arises as TO how this work IS
to be brought about. Many tell us that
Ohm the baptist, when he came before
the Messiah, came in the spirit of Elijah;
but II that were admitted which by no
means allow, then he utterly failed in
accomplishing that Tor which he was
| sent, Tor there was no turning together
OF hearts Salvation lor the fathers is
secured by the children performing
a vicarlous work for those who perhaps
never had the opportunity OF accepting
the Gospel in the flesh. 1t can also be
secured for those who hear the glad lid
ings but fail to understand and ODE,
them in this lie, though this last class
like the disobedient OF Noah's day. vii
have to go to prison until they have pait
the "uttermost iarthing" for their dis
obediedce.
| A vicarious work always has heen in
stituted In the days OF ancient Israe
the priest offered sacrifice TO the people
| Christ atoned for the original sin, which
could only be accomplished by the in
finite atonement which was made BIZ
| Him.
That the Corinthian Saints well under
stood and practiced baptism for the deat
is evident from the following passage
"Else why are ye then baptized for tn,
| dead If the dead rise not at alb VIII,
are ye then baptized Tor the dead?'
| Corinthians 1870 This passage hai
caused theologians more anxiety thar
any other in the Bible. In vain hav,
they tried TO evale the principle Sc
clearly taught in this passage.
In the year 1896 the Prophet Eli Il
appeared to Joseph smith and iniormet
him that the time spoken OF (Malach
ass O. had fully come and that the worl
10 be accomplished preparatory To the
second coming OF Messiah was tina. o
salvation for the dead; and the energy
with which the Saints enter into thi:
work is a living testimony TO the world
that there is virtue in the mission o.
Elijah. SIT m this lite only we have
hope in Christ, ! Of all men would be
most miserable" said Paul; but know
| INN thut tbpFt4 yf te till % ataYg.. 4. 49,.