Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-19
Gospel of Jesus Christ
Not Confined to the Living
An Address by Elder Joseph Smith, Jr, in the Tab
ernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday, January 3O 1910.
Reportcd by F. w. otterstrom.,

My brethren and sisters IN harmony
with the first hymn, so beautifully rem
dced by the choir this afternoon, 1 de-
sire to read from the fourth chapter
OF the book of Malachi
.gi For. behold the day cometh, that
Shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, all that do wlcl6edly, shall
hc stubole; and the day that comeen
shall burn them up saith the Lord OF
hosts, that il shall leave them neither
root nor branch
3ul dnto 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 we shall tread down the wick
ed for they shall be ashes under the
soles OF your feet In the day that L
shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
Remember. ye the law of Moses my
servant, which | commanded unto him
IN Horeb for all Israel, with the stat
utes and judgments.
-"Behold, l 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 10 their fathers. lest
/ come and smite the earth with
Curse
This prophecy. which was written
some 400: years before the coming Of
the Savior refers to the latter days in
which we live. L believe there is not
aliother prophecy In the Scriptures that
has been So misunderstood and various
ly Interpreted throughout the Christian
world as has this chapter of NAL
acbl. Yet it is simple, and. with the
light of the gospel. which WAS restored
through the instrumentality of Joseph
Smith who was a prophet Of the living
God. raised up among other things
To help fulfil this very prophccy-it Is
made plain. This chapter, among other
passages of Scripture, quoted to
him on the night of the 21st OF Sep
tember. 1923 when the angel Moronl
appeared and instructed him concern
ing the coming forth of the latter-day
gospel But the angel quoted it a little
differently in some rcspects-cspccia,ly
in the two last verses which / shall
read to YOU as he gave them. The
meaning is not at all changed. but 1t
is given to us in n clearer form; for
We Latter-day Saints accept the gospel
asst is revealed in the Bible. as far as
1t is translated correctly: and where
the Lord has given us light through
revelation. regarding passages Of Scrip
ture, we are glad to accept of it and
accept that Scripture as being his
truth Verses > and were thus rem
9dored;
"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 Lord: and he
shall plant In the hearts of the chill
,dren the promises made to the fathers
and the hearts of the children shall
turn 10 their fathers. II 1t were not
So the whole earth would be utterly
wasted at his coming"
s"5 MISSION OF ELIJAH
Due to this prophecy. from time 10
time -sfalso EllJahs have appeared.
claiming to be the re-incarnatton of
the ancient prophet OF that name. How
foolish this is for men to rise up to
take this glory unto themselves: be-
cause the Lord promised that In the
latter, days he would send Elijah
with d message. even the priesthood. to
plant in the hearts of the children the
promises that were mnde to the faith
ers. Elijah came not In re-lncarnat-
ed state but with the same body that
he possessed when he lived upon rhe
face of the earth; that body being
glorined He came to the Prophet
Joseph Smith and to Oliver Cowdery
in the Kirkland Temple, on the third
day of April 1896. and conferred upon
their heads this priesthood or promise
ing the fathers and the children. When
he pronounced OF conferred upon the
heads of these men. that priesthood.
he said unto them:
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 should
come
ITO turn the hearts of the fathers to
the children, and the children to the
fathers lest the whole earth be
smltten with a curse
Phcrefore. the KEYS of this dispensa-
tlon 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.
PROMOSES TO THE FATHERS.
According to this, we understand
that promises had been made to the
fathers that in the latter days, before
the coming of the Lord. when he
should come in his glory, to reward
the saints and take vengeance upon
the wicked-that he would turn the
hearts of the children to their fathers.
Promises were made to the fathers
that this should be done. But the ques-
Ton arises. what is this turning of
the hearts OF the children, or the
the promises made to the fathers? 1t
is nothing more nor less than this.
that in the latter days, according to
the Scriptures, the Lord would reveal
unto his people. things that had been
kept hid: and would give unto the
saints the right to officiate In the
principles OF the gospel for their
dead fathers who died without the
privilege of receiving these things. in
mortal life. ] wish to read a passage
or two from the Scriptures where these
promises were made. This one in
Malachi is one where the promise
was, made to the fathers, that in the
latter days Elijah should come to turn
the hearts Of the children to their
fathers. That is one promise, but
there are others. In the 42nd chap
ter OF. Isaiah. that prophet records
the following. speaking of Christ and
his mission in the flesh
Thus saith God the Lord he that
created the heavens, and stretched
them out; he that spread forth the
earth, and that which cometh out of
IT, and that glveth breath unto the