Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-29
"wHAT ARE THE ANGELs9'

ian Teachers association was about the
nature of angels, whether they are
"hnman spirits dlsembodled," or what,
The question was referred TO a promi-
nent preacher who replied that he
didn't know. This showed a franlyness
and a confession OF ignorance on the
part Of that gentleman that are surpris-
ing II not satisfactory. The expounder of
the Hebrews then gave the teachers the
lucid explanation that they are high
er order Of beings" Seeing that the
epistle under consideration, quoting
from former passage OF Scripture
says that man is made "a little lower
than the angels" the preceptors ex-
PLANTATION is not strlkingly explanatory.
The Doctrine and Covenants states,
by revelation through Joseph Smith,
that angels who minister on this earth
are men who belong or have belonged
to It. That they are chiefly resurrect-
ed beings but when they are dlsem-
bodied spirits they appear In glory and
are not perceptlbe to human touch.
The angel Moronl. who revealed the
place where the plates containing the
Book Of Mormon were deposited, and
other angels who minlstered to Joseph
and conferred authority upon him,
we're persons who had lived on earth
In former times.
This is no weak and habby' declara-
ton, but direct statement, and Is
corroborated by Bible testimony, nota-
bly, In the words Of the angel to John
the Apostle In Rev. xii !, O. The pic
lures Of so-called angels, with wings
and form half woman. half bird. are
the result Of untutored imagination,
and lead to false ideas concerning the
''minstering spirits. sent forth to min
lister for them who shah be heirs Of
salvation"
There are angels OF light and angels
of darkness. The latter are under the
power of Satan, The Teachers associ-
alton tried to decide whether the Adj
versary was personal devil" or not,
but left the conclusion In mist like
other subjects debated. Here the Doc
trine and Covenants speaks again with
no uncertain sound. and 80 does the
Book OF Mormon; (see II Nephl, TX! 81.
In the Vision described in d. and c.,
Section 70 we find the following;
"And thus we saw also, and bear rec.
ord, that an angel OF God who was in
authority IN the presence OF God, who
rebelled against the Only Begotten Son,
whom the Father loved. and who was
| IN the bosom OF the Father-was thrust
| down from the presence Of God and the
| SON and was called Perdition for the
| heavens wept over hlm--he was Luci-
fer son Of the morning. Verse %.
In section 20 Of the same book It Is
revealed
Behold. the devil was before Adam,
| for he rebeled against me, saying Give
me thine honor which Is my power:
and also a third part Of the hosts OF
| heaven he turned away from me be-
cause Of their agency, and they we're
| thrust down and thus became the devil
| and his angels. And behold, there Is a
| place prepared for them from the be-
ginning which place Is hell."-Verse 30,
This harmonIzes with the Eplste OF
Jude, verse 6;
And the angels which kept not their
first estate but left their own habita-
! tion he hath reserved In everlasting
chains under darkness, unto the judy
ment Of tho great day"
Man Is now "a little lower than the
angels" but IS destined II obedient to
the law OF the celestial world, to rise
far above them In glory and power and
light and dominion into "a far more
and eternal and exceeding weight OF
glory" and to judge those who are to
remain as angels In eternity, Spirits,
men, angels, rulers over worlds and
endless klngdoms are all OF the same
species 4 different degrees OF existence
and advancement as the Presbyterians
will find out hereafter. II they are not
willing to learn doctrine now from the
Latter-day Saints.