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Nephi Moroni Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith

Anarchy in America ?

Could it be possible that our great nation could be destroyed? We tend to consider ourselves as a world power, mighty and invincible. We have demonstrated our "power" in recent wars and bloodshed. Have the living prophets warned us of a time when anarchy would reign in this country? Has the Book of Mormon warned us? Have we been warned in the Doctrine & Covenants? Have we been warned in the Bible?

We should remember the prophecies and destruction's that befell those great nations and cities in the Book of Mormon that felt and spoke this same way. "We know that we cannot be destroyed" was consistently their cry, especially when the prophets tried to warn them of impending doom.

I will quote here just a few of the revelations and prophecies available. The Book of Mormon is an entire volume dedicated to assisting us in preparing for our Saviors coming. It warns us over and over again of this pending destruction of the wicked upon this land if they are not willing to serve the Lord .

Heber J. Grant David O. McKay Joseph Fielding Smith Harold B. Lee Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Nephi

Christ shall minister to the Nephites--Nephi foresees the destruction of his people--They shall speak from the dust--The gentiles shall build up false churches and secret combinations--The Lord forbids men to practice priestcrafts.1

14 But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days; concerning the days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth unto the children of men.

15 After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.

16 For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.

17 For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the things of God.

18 Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of their terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away--yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an instant, suddenly--

19 And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles.

20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.

21 And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strife's, and malice.

22 And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.2

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Moroni

Secret combinations are of the devil and result in the destruction of nations--Modern Gentiles are warned against the secret combination which shall seek to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries.3

16 And they were kept up by the power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms.

17 And it was the daughter of Jared who put it into his heart to search up these things of old; and Jared put it into the heart of Akish; wherefore, Akish administered it unto his kindred and friends, leading them away by fair promises to do whatsoever thing he desired.

18 And it came to pass that they formed a secret combination, even as they of old; which combination is most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God;

19 For the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man.

20 And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.

21 And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi.

22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.

23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain--and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.4

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Joseph Smith Jr.

64 And even now, let him that goeth to the east teach them that shall be converted to flee to the west, and this in consequence of that which is coming on the earth, and of secret combinations.5

"I prophecy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the State of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left."6

"While discussing the petition to Congress, I prophesied, by virtue of the Holy Priesthood vested in me, and in the name of Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a government."7

"...the end of this nation, if she continues to disregard the cries and petitions of her virtuous citizens, as she has done and is now doing."8

"...Some may have cried peace, but the Saints and the world will have little peace from henceforth.... I saw men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother murdering brother, women killing their own daughters, and daughters seeking the lives of their mothers. I saw armies arrayed against armies. I saw blood, desolation, fires. The Son of Man has said that the mother shall be against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother. These things are at our doors. They will follow the Saints of God from city to city. Satan will rage, and the spirit of the devil is now enraged."9

"...My heart faints within me when I see, by the visions of the Almighty, the end of this nation, if she continues to disregard the cries and petitions of her virtuous citizens, as she has done, and is now doing."10

27 Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

28 And again, I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives.

29 Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.

30 I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.

31 And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless--11

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Brigham Young

"I am for the Kingdom of God. I like a good government, and then I like to have it wisely and justly administered. The government of heaven, if wickedly administered, would become one of the worst governments upon the face of the earth. No matter how good a government is, unless it is administered by righteous men, an evil government will be made of it." 12

"It is a pretty bold stand for this people to take, to say that they will not be controlled by the corrupt administrators of our general Government. We will be controlled by them, if they will be controlled by the Constitution and laws; but they will not. Many of them do not care any more about the Constitution and the laws that they make than they do about the laws of another nation. That class trample the rights of the people under their feet, while there are many who would like to honor them. All we have ever asked for is our Constitutional rights. We wish the laws of our Government honored, and we have ever honored them; but they are trampled under foot by administrators." 13

"I heard Joseph Smith say, nearly thirty years ago, 'They shall have mobbing to their hearts content, if they do not redress the wrongs of the Latter-day Saints. Mobs will not decrease, but will increase until the whole government becomes a mob, and eventually it will be State against State, city against city, neighborhood against neighborhood.'...it will be Christian against Christian, and man against man, and those who will not take up the sword against their neighbors, must flee to Zion.

We are blessed in these mountains; this is the best place on earth for the Latter-day Saints. Search for the history of all nations and ever geographical position on the face of the earth, and you cannot find another situation so well adapted for the Saints as are these Mountains. Here is the place in which the Lord designed to hide His people...It has been designed, for many generations, to hide up the Saints in the Last days, until the indignation of the Almighty is over. His wrath will be poured out upon the nations of the earth."14

"The nations will consume each other, and the Lord will suffer them to bring it about. It does not require much talent or tact to get up opposition in these days. You see rife in communities, in meetings, in neighborhoods, and in cities. That is the knife that will cut down this government. The axe is laid at the root of the tree, and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit will be hewn down."15

"By and by there will be a gulf between the righteous and the wicked so that they cannot trade with each other and national intercourse will cease."16

"All we have yet heard and we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the Elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, "Come home; I will preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth," all you now know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached....You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations and nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom and states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands; and they will destroy each other, caring not for the blood and lives of their neighbors, of their families, or for their own lives."17

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

John Taylor

DESTRUCTION OF THE NATIONS.--This nation and other nations will be overthrown, not because of their virtue but because of their corruption and iniquity. The time will come, for the prophecies will be fulfilled, when kingdoms will be destroyed, thrones cast down, and the powers of the earth shaken, and God's wrath will be kindled against the nations of the earth, and it is for us to maintain correct principles, political, religious, and social, and to feel towards all men as God feels.--18

THE PATTERN OF WORLD POLITICS.--When nations and rulers set the pattern, they generally find plenty to follow their example; hence, covetousness, fraud, rapine, bloodshed, and murder prevail to an alarming extent. If a nation is covetous, an individual thinks he may be also; if a nation commits a fraud, it sanctions his acts in a small way; and if a nation engages in wholesale robbery, an individual does not see the impropriety of doing it in retail; if a strong nation oppresses a weak one, he does not see why he may not have the same privilege. Corruption follows corruption, fraud treads on the heels of fraud, and all those noble, honorable, virtuous principles that ought to govern men are lost sight of and chicanery and deception ride rampant through the world. The welfare, happiness, exaltation, and glory of man are sacrificed at the shrine of ambition, pride, covetousness, and lasciviousness. By these means nations are overthrown, kingdoms destroyed, communities broken up, families rendered miserable, and individuals ruined.--19

THE KINGDOM IS ONWARD.--God is with us and will be with us, and will sustain us, and no power on earth or in hell can stop the progress of this work; for it is onward according to the decree of Almighty God, and will be from this time henceforth and forever. And as the prophets have said, so say I, woe to those men and woe to that nation or to those nations that lift up their hands against Zion, for God will destroy them. I prophesy that in the name of the Lord God of hosts. And he will be with his Israel, and will sustain his people and bring them off victorious; and if faithful, to the end, we shall obtain thrones, principalities, powers, dominions, exaltations, and eternal lives in the kingdom of our God.--2 0

"Were we surprised when the last terrible war [Civil War] took place here in the United states? No;... You will see worse things than that, for God will lay his hand upon this nation, and they will feel it more terribly than ever they have done before. There will be more bloodshed, more ruin, more devastation than ever they have seen before. Write it down! You will see it come to pass; it is only just starting in....there is yet to come a sound of war, trouble and distress, in which brother will be arrayed against brother, father against son, son against father, a scene of desolation and destruction that will permeate our land until it will be a vexation to hear the report thereof"2 1

"A terrible day of reckoning is approaching the nations of the earth; the Lord is coming out of his hiding place to vex the inhabitants thereof; and the destroyer of the gentiles, as prophesied of, is already on his way. Already monarchs of the earth are trembling from conspiracies among their own people....Already have two of the presidents of this republic been laid low by the hands of the assassin; and the spirit of insubordination, misrule, lynching, and mobocracy of every kind is beginning to ride rampant through the land. Already combinations are being entered into which are very ominous for the future prosperity, welfare, and happiness of this great republic. The volcanic fires of disordered and anarchical elements are beginning to manifest themselves and exhibit the internal forces that are at work among the turbulent and unthinking masses of people."22

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Wilford Woodruff

"As far as constitutional liberty is concerned, I will say, the God of heaven has raised up our nation....and it is through the intervention of his providence that we enjoy today the freest and most independent government the world ever saw. And what was the object of this? It was to prepare the way for the building up of the kingdom of God in this the last dispensation of the fulness of times; and as long as the principles of constitutional liberty shall be maintained upon this land, blessings will attend the nation."23

"But what I want to say is: we live in a government raised up by the God of heaven. We have a Constitution that was given by inspiration from God to man. I believe it is the best human form of government that was ever given to the human family. Now, I say if our rulers and governors become corrupt and attempt to trample those principles under their feet; though the nation itself might go to pieces, yet it is beyond the power of man to destroy the principles of the Constitution. They may destroy one another, yet the principles contained in that instrument will live, and the God of heaven will maintain them until Jesus Christ comes in the clouds of heaven to set up his throne in Jerusalem, and to reign on the earth a thousand years."24

"The judgments of God will now begin to rest more fully upon this nation and will be increased upon it, year by year. Calamities will come speedily upon it and it will be visited with thunder, lightning, storms, whirlwinds, floods, pestilence, plagues, war and devouring fire; the wicked will slay the wicked until the wicked are wasted away."25

"The American nation will be broken in pieces like a potters vessel, and will be cast down to hell if it does not repent--and this, because of murders, whoredoms, wickedness and all manner of abominations, for the Lord has spoken it."26

"...I will say, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, that "Mormonism" will live and prosper, Zion will flourish, and the Kingdom of God will stand in power and glory and dominion as Daniel saw it, when this nation is broken to pieces as a potter's vessel and laid in the dust, and brought to judgment, or God never spoke by my mouth."27

"The Lord then poured out His spirit upon me and opened the vision of my mind so that I could comprehend in a great measure the mind and will of God concerning the nation and concerning the inhabitants of Zion. I saw the wickedness of the nation, its abominations and corruptions and the judgments of God and the destruction that awaited it.... On January 28th I was again given a vision. It concerned the destiny of our nation and of Zion. My pillow was again wet by a fountain of tears as I beheld the judgments of God upon the wicked. I was strongly impressed that the Apostles and elders should warn the inhabitants of the Earth."28

"When I contemplate the condition of our nation, and see that wickedness and abominations are increasing, so much so that the whole heavens groan and weep over the abominations of this nation and the nations of the earth, I ask myself the question, can the American nation escape? The answer comes, No; its destruction, as well as the destruction of the world is sure; just as sure as the Lord cut off and destroyed the two great and prosperous nations that once inhabited this continent of North and South America, because of their wickedness, so will he them destroy, and sooner or later they will reap the fruits of their own wicked acts, and be numbered among the past."29

"I went to bed at the usual hour, half past nine o'clock. I had been reading the Revelations in the French language. My mind was calm, more so than usual if that were possible. I composed myself for sleep, but felt a strange stupor come over me and I apparently became partially unconscious. Still I was not asleep nor awake, but had a strange far-away dreaming feeling.

The first thing I recognized was that I was in the tabernacle at Ogden, Utah, sitting in the corner for fear they would call on me to preach-which, after singing the second song, they did by calling me to the stand. I arose to speak and said that I did not know that I had anything special to say except to bear my testimony of the truth of this work--when all at once it seemed I was lifted out of myself. I said, "Yes, I have something to say, it is this: Some of my brethren present have been asking me what is coming to pass. I will tell you what will shortly come to pass."

Then I was in Salt Lake City walking through the streets. In parts of the city and upon the door of every house, I saw a badge of mourning, and I could not find a house, but what was in mourning. I passed my own home and saw the same sign there. I asked the question, "Is that me who is dead?"

Something gave the answer, "No."

It seemed strange to me that I saw no person on the streets in my wandering around the city. They seemed to be in their houses with their sick and dead. I saw no funeral processions or anything of this kind, but the city was very still and quiet as if the people were praying. It seemed as though the people had control over the disease, whatever it was, I do not know. That was not shown to me.

I then looked in all directions over the territory-- east, west, north and south and found the same mourning in every place throughout the land.

The next I knew I was this side of Omaha. It seemed I was above the earth looking down upon it as I passed along on my way east. I saw the roads full of people, principally women, with just what they could carry in bundles on their backs, traveling to the mountains on foot. And I wondered how they would get there with nothing but a small pack on their backs. It was remarkable to me that there were so few men among them. It did not seem as though trains were running; the rails looked rusty and the roads abandoned. Indeed, I have no conception of how I traveled myself as I looked down upon the people.

I continued east through Omaha and Council Bluffs, which were full of disease, and women were everywhere. The streets of Missouri and Illinois were in turmoil and strife. Men were killing one another, and women joined in the fighting. Family against family were cutting each other to pieces in the most horrible manner imaginable.

Next I saw Washington, D.C., and found the city a desolation. The White House was empty and the Halls of Congress likewise. Everything was in ruin and the people seemed to have fled from the city and left it to take care of itself.

I was next in the city of Baltimore, in the square where the monument of 1812 stands in front of the St. Charles and other hotels. The dead were everywhere. I saw their bodies piled up, filling the square. I saw women cut the throats of their own children for the sake of their blood. I saw them suck it from their veins to quench their own thirst, and then lie down in the streets and die.

The waters of the city and the Chesapeake Bay were so stagnant, and such a stench arose from them on account of the putrefaction of the dead carcasses in them, that the very smell carried death with it.

Singularly again, I saw no men, except they were dead or dying in the streets. There were but very few women, and they were crazy and mad, or in a dying condition. Everywhere I went I saw the same all over the city. It was horrible beyond conception to behold.

I thought this was the end; but not so. Seemingly in an instant I was in Philadelphia where everything was still. No living soul was to be seen to greet me. It seemed as though the whole city was without inhabitants. In Arch and Chestnut Streets, in fact, everywhere I looked the putrefaction of the dead bodies created such a stench that it was impossible for any creature to remain alive.

I next found myself on Broadway in New York. There it seemed as if the people had done all they could to overcome the disease. But in wandering down Broadway, I saw the bodies of beautiful women lying, some dead, and others in a dying condition, on the sidewalks. I saw men crawl out of the basements and violate the persons of some that were alive, then kill them and rob their dead bodies of the valuables they had on them. Then, before they could return to their basements, they themselves rolled over a time or two in agony and died.

On some of the streets I saw mothers kill their own offspring and eat their flesh, and then in a few minutes die themselves. And wherever I looked, I saw the same sights,--horror and desolation, rapine and death. No horses, nor carriages, nor omnibuses, nor streetcars,--nothing but death and destruction everywhere.

I then went to Central Park, and looking back, I saw a fire start, and just at that moment a mighty east wind sprang up and carried the flames west over the great city. And it burned until there was not a single building left standing whole: even down to the water's edge. Wharves and shipping-- all seemed to be burned and swallowed up in common destruction. Nothing was left but desolation where a great city stood a short time before. Stench from the bodies that were burned was so great that it was carried a great distance across the Hudson River, and it spread disease and death wherever the fumes penetrated.

I cannot paint in words the horrors that seemed to encompass me about, it was beyond description or thought for me to conceive.

I supposed this was the end, but I was given to understand that the same horrors that were here enacted were all over the world, east, west, north, and south.--that few were left alive--still there were some.

Immediately after, I seemed to be standing on the left bank of the Missouri River, opposite the city of Independence--but I saw no city. I saw the whole states of Illinois and Missouri and part of Iowa, a complete wilderness of desert with no living human being there.

I then saw a short distance from the river, twelve men draped in the robes of the Temple, standing in a square, or nearly so. I understood it to represent the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem. And they with lifted hands were consecration the ground and laying the cornerstone of the Temple.

And while they were thus employed, I saw myriads of angels hovering over them and around them. And I heard the angels singing the most heavenly music. The words were: "Now is established the Kingdom of God and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! And the kingdom shall never be thrown down, for the Saints have overcome!"

I saw people coming from the river and from distant places to help build the Temple and the City. It seemed as though there were hosts of angels helping to bring material for the construction of that building. Some were in Temple robes, and the pillar-like cloud continued to hover over the spot.

Later, I found myself in the Ogden Tabernacle, where I was calling upon the people to listen to the beautiful strains of music from the angels, as the building seemed to be filled with them, and they were singing the words I heard before: "Now is the Kingdom of our God and His Christ established forever and ever!"

I rolled over on my bed and the clock struck twelve. The vision had occurred between 9:30 p.m. and midnight.30

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Lorenzo Snow

"The wicked will destroy themselves. Our object is the temporal salvation of the people as much as it is for their spiritual salvation. By and by the nations will be broken up on account of their wickedness. The Latter-day Saints are not going to move upon them with their little army; they will destroy themselves with their wickedness and immorality. They will contend and quarrel one with another, state after state and nation after nation, until they are broken up, and thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands will undoubtedly come and seek protection at the hands of the servants of God, as much so as in the days of Joseph when he was called upon to lay a plan for the salvation of the house of Israel." 31

Joseph F. Smith

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

George Albert Smith

Then President Smith said, "I have had a troublesome vision of another great and terrible war that made the war just ended look like a training exercise, and people died like flies. It began at a time when the Soviet Union's military might dwarfed that of the United States, and we, that is the United States, would have missiles that carried an atomic bomb in Europe. I saw the United States, withdraw its missiles to appease the Soviet Union, and then the war began."

He also said that we would have big missiles in deep holes he described like grain silos which the Soviets would try to destroy by their own missiles. They would hit military installations and certain cities also. He said that the President at that time would be of Greek extraction. Until then all the presidents would be of British or Northern European ancestry. He continued that the U.S. would be bound by numerous entangling alliances and would take away weapons owned by the people. He talked some about the initial attack and the ground warfare, but I can't remember enough to document all their tactics and in which countries various things occurred. One tactic, especially in Europe, was to transport thousands of tanks in big trucks like semi trailers on the super highways to have them located where they wanted them when the war was to begin. During that explanation I asked, "What about the Atomic Cannon?" to which he answered, "I didn't see anything like that." Then he said, "The aftermath was dreadful. Think of the worst, most difficult times of the depression." He turned to us children and said "You won't remember the depression," which was true. I didn't know there was a depression as I was growing up; the sun came up every morning, flowers bloomed, we went to school, and there was church every Sunday. But he repeated to our parents, "Think of the worst condition of the depression. Can you think of something?" to which our father answered, "Oh yes!" Then President Smith continued, "You know how Sunday School picnics are complete with salad, chicken, root beer, and dessert, and everyone has a wonderful time. That worst time of the depression will seem like a Sunday School picnic when compared with how conditions will be after that great war."32

"It was a simple thing for the prophet of God, Moses, to bring those Ten Commandments among the people, but it seems to have been most difficult for the men and women to have lived upon the earth to observe them. I fear that the time is coming, unless we can find some way not only to prevent the destruction of human life by careless accidents, but also unless we can call the people of this world to repent of their sins and turn from the error of their ways, that the great war that has just passed will be an insignificant thing, as far as calamity is concerned, compared to that which is before us. And we can avoid it if we will; if we will each do our part, it can be prevented...." 33

"In conclusion let me say: We are not out of the woods. This world is in for a housecleaning unless the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father repent of their sins and turn to him. And that means the Latter-day Saints, along with all the rest, but we, first of all, ought to be setting the example.34

"Brethren and Sisters, let us go to our homes. If our houses are not in order, let us set them in order. Let us renew our determination to honor God and keep His commandments, to love one another, to make our homes the abiding place of peace. Each of us can contribute to that in the homes in which we live. It will not be long until calamities will overtake the human family unless there is speedy repentance. It will not be long before those who are scattered over the face of the earth by millions will die like flies because of what will come. Our Heavenly Father has told us how it can be avoided, and that it is our mission, in part, to go into the world and explain to people how it may be avoided, and that people need not be unhappy as they are everywhere but that happiness may be in their lives - because when the Spirit of God burns in your souls, you cannot be otherwise than happy."35

"Experiences of Noah and Abraham - Remember that in the days of Noah, he preached the Gospel for approximately a hundred years and the people would not repent, but by and by, the warning that had been given to them was realized and they were all wiped out except the few that were in the ark. You remember the experience of Abraham when he was visited by a holy being on the way to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy the people, and he began to plead for them. He knew there were some good people there. He had relatives there. And so finally he asked: 'Are you going to destroy the good people?'

'No, if there are good people there, enough of them, they can save the whole situation' And then Abraham began: 'Well, if there are fifty, will you save the cities?' 'Yes, if there are fifty.' 'If there are forty?' 'Yes, if there are forty.' And Abraham kept going until he got down as far as he thought he could go, I guess, and was told, that if ten righteous people could be found there in those two great cities that the cities would be spared. But he could not find them.

"Condition of America - Now I wonder what about America. What portion of the population of the land we live in is a righteous portion. It is righteousness that will preserve us. The Lord's promise to be our king and our law-giver is on the condition of righteousness, and my, what a wonderful opportunity He gives to us and how happy we ought to be to take advantage of it and bless our fellows by carrying the message to them.

"Disbelief of World - The people of the world may not believe it. They did not believe it when the savior came to John at the waters of Jordan. They did not believe He was the Savior of the world. When He came unto John and asked for baptism, John said, 'I have need to be baptized of Thee and comest Thou to me?' Jesus replied, 'Sufferit to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.' 'And he suffered him.' Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary, went down into the water, and when He came up out of the water, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in the form of a dove. If John had had any doubt about what he had accomplished surely that would have brought him to a realization, and then a voice from heaven said: 'This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.' John did not find fault with Jesus for letting him baptize Him. John then went his way and tried to save his own people, his own race. And they finally took his life, and that has been the history of the world all the way down. There have been war and destruction and now we are faced not with any ordinary situation, but we are faced with a war by Anti-Christ against the people who believe in the divine mission of the Savior.

"Set Homes in Order - What are we going to do? We have our responsibility, and I am sure we will not disappoint those who have depended upon us to do our part. But the most important thing that we can do is set our own homes in order, to see if there is carelessness or indifference in them, teach our families, and unite them, and make them happy in keeping the commandments of our Heavenly Father, because only on the condition of righteousness can even this great Church continue and endure to do the work that it has to do."36

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Heber J. Grant

I am sure we all love America. I am sure there are no more patriotic people on the face of the earth than the Latter-day Saints; in fact, our belief is that the men who established this country were blessed of God, that they were inspired of God, and as we depart from those things we are not doing that which is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. I think that without doubt we are getting just about as far away as we can at the present time--shall I say, politically. I do not care how you put it. We are starting on the broad path that leads to destruction, and had we stayed in the straight and narrow path we would not need to be arranging to be in a war. The Lord points out the way, and if we walk in it all will be well. Gospel Standards, Pg.130

David O. McKay

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Joseph Fielding Smith

"Abuse of Marriage Brings Destruction - The abuse of this ordinance has been the primary cause of the downfall of nations. When the sacredness of the marriage covenant is lost, and the vows are broken, destruction is inevitable. This principle cannot be received in the spirit of contempt and indifference. It is ordained to be more, far more, than a civil contract. No nation can survive the abuse of this principle. Rome, Greece, Babylon, Egypt, and many other nations owe their downfall to the breaking of the sacred covenant of marriage. The anger of a just God was kindled against them for their immorality. The bones of dead civilizations of this American continent bear silent but convincing evidence that it was unchastity and the disregard of this sacred covenant which brought them to their final judgment." 37

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Harold B. Lee

As I think back over my life, I remember that these philosophies did not begin with the last few years. When I think of the first political campaigns that I, as a young boy, heard about--and fortunately we did not hear as much about them in those days as we hear about them today--I remember that some of the slogans of those days sounded very much like the kinds of philosophy we have today. I remember in one campaign there was one something like this: "We stand for a full dinner pail," and on another occasion, "We stand for a chicken in every pot," and still later, "Two cars in every garage." I remember picking up a magazine and seeing a picture of a family in a beautiful convertible, off to the movies, and underneath it said: "This is the American way of life." And more recently, we have had a philosophy, or slogan: "Full employment for everybody in America and a pint of milk for everybody in the world."

Now, I call these sayings to your attention-and you who are older than I can add other slogans along the same line-not to ridicule, but to call your attention to the fact that in this land, and perhaps other lands, we have been choosing as ideals these material benefits and we have called them the way to an abundant life.

In commenting about these things that seemingly have existed in America, the president of one of our great American universities said this: "But the ideal of comfort which is the best we have been able to think of for ourselves will never do as an aim for a world order. Men can never be comfortable enough: we can never have enough material goods, if material goods are what we want. Any world order with this ideal will be torn to pieces by the divisions to which it leads."

As long as it is assumed, then, that it is the duty of all of us to get all we can and make the ideal of comfort our goal in life, then we may expect a similar fate to that nation, or community, or that family which builds on such an ideal. They will certainly be torn to pieces by the divisions to which such an ideal will lead. Stand Ye in Holy Places, Pg.96-97

Where else can you go for guidance? Where is there safety in the world today? Safety can't be won by tanks and guns and the airplanes and atomic bombs. There is only one place of safety and that is within the realm of the power of Almighty God that He gives to those who keep His commandments and listen to His voice, as He speaks through the channels that He has ordained for that purpose.

In the answer that He gave to His disciples, when He told them that He was coming again, He explained some important things to them. The disciples asked Him, Tell us, when shall these things be and the end of the world or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?" (See Matthew 24:3.) In their question, you have the definition of what it means to say "the end of the world."

And then He gave to His disciples what we read in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Book of Matthew, what may be better understood from the Inspired Version, which is found in the Pearl of Great Price. He said, when the fig tree "begins to put forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh at hand." (Joseph Smith 1:39.)

He gave them certain signs by which they might know that His coming was nigh, even at their very doors. There will be great tribulation upon the Jews and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "such as was not before sent upon Israel, of God, since the beginning of their kingdom until this time; no, nor ever shall be sent again upon Israel." (Joseph Smith 1:18.)

And except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh he saved; but for the elect's sake, according to the covenant, those days shall he shortened. Behold, these things I have spoken unto you concerning the Jews; and again, after the tribulations of those days which shall come upon Jerusalem, if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there, believe him not; For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant. [That means the members of this Church.] Wherefore, if they shall say unto you: Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth; Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not; For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Joseph Smith 1:20-22, 25-26.)

Then He speaks of the wars that shall come: . . . for nations shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. And again, because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold; but he that shall not be overcome, the same shall be saved. And, again, this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come, or the destruction of the wicked. And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall he darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Verily, I say unto you, this generation, in which these things shall he shown forth, shall not pass away until all I have told you shall be fulfilled.

But of that day, and hour, no one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.

But as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man;

For it shall he with them, as it was in the days which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage;

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

Then shall he fulfilled that which is written, that in the last days, two shall he in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left;

Two shall he grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left;

And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.

Therefore he ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh. (Joseph Smith 1:29-31, 33-34, 40-46.)

Brothers and sisters, this is the day the Lord is speaking of. You see the signs are here. Be ye therefore ready.

Let us not turn a deaf ear now, but listen to the Brethren as the words that have come from the Lord, inspired of Him, and we will be safe on Zion's hill, until all that the Lord has for His children shall have been accomplished.

Stand Ye in Holy Places, Pg.383-385

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Spencer W. Kimball

"Judgment Upon Nations

Just as blessings for the righteous are promised for this life, so are judgments for the wicked, and this is true of nations as well as individuals. Our world is in turmoil. Its ills have frequently been diagnosed, and complex diseases catalogues. But any remedies applied have been ineffective, infection has set in, and the patient's suffering intensifies.

In an ancient situation somewhat comparable to our own there was a great destruction, and when the quiet came, those who were spared were wailing:

O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared...[and] our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children... not have been buried....(3 Ne. 8:24-25.)

Today is another day it is true, but history repeats itself. Men have "been destroyed from generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord." (2 Ne. 25:9) And modern prophets are warning frequently and constantly that people are being destroyed by their own acts.

The Plight of America

America is a great and glorious land. It is "choice above all other lands." It has a tragic and bloody past, but could have a glorious and peaceful future, if the inhabitants would really learn to serve their God. It was consecrated as a land of promise to the people of the Americas, to whom God gave these conditional promises:

It will be a land of liberty to its people. They shall never be brought down into captivity. There shall be none to molest them. It is a land of promise. It shall be free from bondage. It shall be free from all nations under heaven. There shall be no enemies come into this land. There shall be no kings upon the land. This land shall be fortified against all other nations. He that fighteth against Zion shall perish.

The Lord made these conditional promises. But generous though they may be, desirable as they are, they can come to pass only "if they [the inhabitants] will but serve the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ."

Jesus Christ our Lord is under no obligation to save us, except insofar as we repent. We have ignored him, disbelieved him, and failed to follow him. We have changed the laws and broken the everlasting covenant. We stand at his mercy, which will be extended only if we repent. But to what extent have we repented? Another prophet said, "We call evil good and good evil." We have rationalized ourselves into thinking we are "not so bad." We see evil in our enemies, but none in ourselves. Are we fully ripe? Has the rot of age and flabbiness set in? Will we change?

Apparently we would rather do things the devil's way than the Lord's way. It seems, for instance, that we would rather tax ourselves into slavery than pay our tithing; rather build shelters and missiles and bombs than drop to our knees with our families in solemn prayer, night and morning, to our God who would give us protection.

It seems that, rather than fast and pray, we prefer to gorge ourselves at the banquet tables and drink cocktails. Instead of disciplining ourselves, we yield to physical urges and carnal desires. Instead of investing in building our bodies and beautifying our souls, we spend billions of dollars on liquor and tobacco, and other body-destroying, soul-stultifying concoctions.

Too many of our wives and mothers prefer the added luxuries of two incomes to the satisfactions of seeing children grow up in the fear and love of God. We golf and boat and hunt and fish and watch sports rather than solemnize the Sabbath. Total morality is found neither among the people nor among the leaders of the state and nation. Personal interests and ulterior motives block the way. Old Man "Rationalization" with his long beard is ever present to tell us that we are justified in these deviations, and because we are not vicious enough to be confined in penitentiaries we rationalize that we are not failing to measure up. The masses of the people are perhaps much like those who escaped destruction in the ancient days of this continent. The Lord said to them:

O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they [the slain ones], will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? (3 Ne. 9:13.)

"Experience keeps a dear school," said Benjamin Franklin, "but fools will learn in no other." Thus, as a nation we continue in our godlessness. While the iron curtains fall and thicken we eat, drink, and make merry. While armies are marshaled and march and drill and officers teach men how to kill, we continue to drink and carouse as usual. While bombs are detonated and tested, and fallout settles on the already sick world, we continue in idolatry and adultery.

While corridors are threatened and concessions are made, we live riotously, and divorce and marry in cycles, like the seasons. While leaders quarrel and editors write and authorities analyze and prognosticate, we break all the laws in God's catalog. While enemies filter into our nation to subvert and intimidate and soften us, we continue on with our destructive thinking - "It can't happen here."

If we would but believe the prophets! For they have warned that if the inhabitants of this land are ever brought down into captivity and enslaved, "it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land..." (2 Ne. 1:7.) This land which the Lord has preserved "...for a righteous people..." (Ether 2:7.)

And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. (Eth. 2:9.)

God the True Protector

Oh that men would listen! Why should there be spiritual blindness in the day of brightest scientific and technological vision? Why must men rely on physical fortifications and armaments when the God of heaven yearns to bless them? One stroke of his omnipotent hand could make powerless all nations who oppose, and save a world even when in its death throes. Yet men shun God and put their trust in weapons of war, in the "arm of flesh."

All this continues despite the lessons of history. The great wall of China, with its 1,500 miles of impenetrable walls, its 25 foot high impregnableness, its innumerable watchtowers, was breached by the treachery of man. The Maginot Line in France, those forts thought to be so strong and impassable, were bypassed as though they were not there.

The walls of Babylon were too high to be scaled, too thick to be broken, too strong to be crumbled, but not too deep to be undermined when the human element failed. When the protectors sleep and the leaders are incapacitated with banqueting and drunkenness and immorality, an invading enemy can turn a river out of its course and enter through a river bed.

The precipitous walls on the high hills of Jerusalem deflected for a time the arrows and spears of enemies, the catapults and firebrands of besieging armies. But even then the wickedness did not lessen; men did not learn lessons. Hunger scaled the walls; thirst broke down the gates; immorality, idolatry, godlessness, even cannibalism stalked about till destruction came.

Will we ever turn wholly to God? Fear envelopes the world which could be at ease and peace. In God is protection, peace, safety. He has said, "I will fight your battles." But his commitment is on condition of our faithfulness. He promised to the children of Israel:

I will give you rain in due season. The land shall yield her increase and trees their fruit. Granaries and barns will bulge in seed-time and harvest. Ye shall eat your bread in abundance. Ye shall dwell in your land safely and none shall make you afraid. Neither shall the sword go through your land. And five of you shall chase an hundred and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight.

In view of the promises God has given respecting America, who can doubt that he would be willing to do the same for us as for ancient Israel? Conversely, should we not expect the same punishments if we fail to serve him? To ancient Israel these were listed.

The land will be barren (perhaps radioactive or dry from drought). The trees will be without fruit and the fields without verdure. There will be rationing and scarcity of food, and sore hunger. No traffic will jam your desolate highways. Famine will stalk rudely through your doors and the ogre of cannibalism will rob you of your children and your remaining virtues will disintegrate. There will be pestilence uncontrollable. Your dead bodies will be piled upon the materialistic things you sought so hard to accumulate and save. I will give no protection against enemies. They that hate you shall reign over you. There will be faintness of heart, "and the sound of a shaken leaf" shall chase you into flight, and you will flee when none pursue. Your power - your supremacy - your pride in superiority - will be broken. Your heaven shall be as iron and your earth as brass. Heaven will not hear your pleadings nor earth bring forth its harvest. Your strength will be spent in vain as you plow and plant and cultivate. Your cities will be shambles; your churches in ruin. Your enemies will be astonished at the barrenness, sterility, desolation of the land they had been told was so choice, so beautiful, so fruitful. Then shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths under compulsion. You shall have no power to stand before your enemies. Your people will be scattered among the nations as slaves and bondsmen. You will pay tribute and bondage, and fetters shall bind you.

What a bleak prediction! Yet "these are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses." (Lev. 26:46.) The Israelites failed to heed the warning. They ignored the prophets. They suffered the fulfillment of every dire prophecy.

Do we twentieth-century people have reason to think that we can be immune from the same tragic consequences of sin and debauchery if we ignore the same divine laws?

The outlook is bleak, but the impending tragedy can be averted. Nations, like individuals, must "repent or suffer." There is only one cure for the earth's sick condition. That infallible cure is simply righteousness, obedience, godliness, honor, integrity. Nothing else will suffice.

Time of Reckoning for All - To the unrighteous nation there comes a day of reckoning."38

"First we make ourselves humble. We change our own lives; that is the beginning. We all want to change the nation in a day. A nation is made up of individuals. We start and change our own lives, and then we help another life to get the same ideals--and then there are two lives. And all the other individuals around us do the same thing; and here we have a community, and there another community; and several communities make a state and several states make a nation. And we can do it. The Lord will protect us. He is not going to save a nation for one individual or community. But when the majority of the nation begins to get righteous there will not be wholesale destruction-- make certain of that. And one reason why we haven't been destroyed in these two last great wars which we have suffered, is because there were some that the Lord was willing to save." 39

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Ezra Taft Benson

"President Ezra Taft Benson is the thirteenth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, his inspired words are considered by members of the church to be the word of God.... For those who would like more of his civic messages, these can be found in his books "The Red Carpet" (1962), "Title of Liberty" (1964), An Enemy Hath Done This" (1969), "This Nation Shall Endure" (1977)."4 0

"The scriptures also tell us about our inspired Constitution. If you accept these scriptures, you will automatically reject the counsel of men who depreciate our Constitution. If you use the scriptures as a guide, you know the Book of Mormon has to say regarding murderous conspiracies in the last day and how we are to awake to our awful situation today (see Ether 8:18- 25). I find certain elements in the church do not like to read the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants so much - they have too much to say about freedom." 41

"We live in difficult days - very difficult days. They are not improving. However, I do feel that there is some increase in awakening to the dangers that face us. I am not sure the awakening is going to be fast enough to avoid the disaster which could very seriously result in bloodshed, hardship, and much sorrow in this beloved country."42

"The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time "this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction"(Journal of Discourses 7:15). It is my conviction that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation, will at a crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government."43

"We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: 'Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction.'"44

"For years we have heard of the role the elders could play in saving the Constitution from total destruction. But how can the elders be expected to save it if they have not studied it and are not sure if it is being destroyed or what is destroying it?"45

"Part of the reason we may not have sufficient priesthood bearers to save the constitution... is because unlike Moroni, I fear, our souls do not joy in keeping our country free, and we are not firm in the faith of Christ, nor have we sworn with an oath to defend our rights and the liberty of our country."46

"Momentum is gathering for another conflict - a repetition of the crisis two hundred years ago. This collision of ideas is worldwide. The issue is the same that precipitated the great premortal conflict - will men be free to determine their own course of action or must they be coerced."4 7

"If America is destroyed, it may be by Americans who salute the flag, sing the national anthem, march in patriotic parades, cheer Fourth of July speakers - normally "good" Americans, but Americans who fail to comprehend what is required to keep our country strong and free, Americans who have been lulled away into false security. Great nations are never conquered from outside unless they are rotten inside."48

"This nation will be preserved so long as we retain the same quality of faith in God that our founders manifested."49

"All nations who inhabit this land are bound by an everlasting decree from God, a decree that the inhabitants of this land shall serve God or they shall be swept off(Ether 2:10-12). The Book of Mormon chronicles the rise and fall of two mighty civilizations in America that failed to give heed to this decree, and thus met with destruction."50

"We do not worry about history. We seem oblivious to the causes of the rise and fall of nations. We are blind to the fact that nations usually sow the seeds of their own destruction while enjoying unprecedented prosperity.

I say to you with all the fervor of my soul: We are sowing the seeds of our own destruction in America and much of the free world today. It is my sober warning to you today that if the trends of the past continue, we will lose that which is as priceless as life itself - our freedom, our liberty, our right to act as free men. It can happen here. It is happening here.

The sad and shocking story of what has happened in America in recent years must be told. Our people must have the facts. There is safety in an informed public. There is real danger today. Yes, the truth must be told even at the risk of destroying, in large measure, the influence of men who are widely respected and loved by the American people. The stakes are high. Freedom and survival is the issue."51

"And now as the last neutralizer that the devil uses most effectively - is simply this; "Don't do anything in the fight for freedom until the church sets up its own specific program to save the Constitution. This brings us right back to the scripture I opened with today - to those slothful servants who will not do anything until they are "compelled in all things." Maybe the Lord will never set up a specific Church program for the purpose of saving the Constitution. Perhaps if he did it would split the church asunder, and perhaps He does not want this to happen yet, for not all the wheat and tares are fully ripe."52

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon B. Hinckley

Now, brethren, I should like to talk to the older men, hoping that there will be some lesson for the younger men as well.

I wish to speak to you about temporal matters.

As a backdrop for what I wish to say, I read to you a few verses from the 41st chapter of Genesis.

Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, dreamed dreams which greatly troubled him. The wise men of his court could not give an interpretation. Joseph was then brought before him: "Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

"And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

"And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed. . . .

"And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: . . .

"And I saw in my dream . . . seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:

"And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

"And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: . . .

"And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, . . . God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

"The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. . . .

". . . What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

"Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

"And there shall arise after them seven years of famine.

". . . And God will shortly bring it to pass" (Gen. 41:1720, 2226, 2830, 32).

Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.

So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.

We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed.

I hope with all my heart that we shall never slip into a depression. I am a child of the Great Depression of the thirties. I finished the university in 1932, when unemployment in this area exceeded 33 percent.

My father was then president of the largest stake in the Church in this valley. It was before our present welfare program was established. He walked the floor worrying about his people. He and his associates established a great wood-chopping project designed to keep the home furnaces and stoves going and the people warm in the winter. They had no money with which to buy coal. Men who had been affluent were among those who chopped wood.

I repeat, I hope we will never again see such a depression. But I am troubled by the huge consumer installment debt which hangs over the people of the nation, including our own people. In March 1997 that debt totaled $1.2 trillion, which represented a 7 percent increase over the previous year.

In December of 1997, 55 to 60 million households in the United States carried credit card balances. These balances averaged more than $7,000 and cost $1,000 per year in interest and fees. Consumer debt as a percentage of disposable income rose from 16.3 percent in 1993 to 19.3 percent in 1996.

Everyone knows that every dollar borrowed carries with it the penalty of paying interest. When money cannot be repaid, then bankruptcy follows. There were 1,350,118 bankruptcies in the United States last year. This represented a 50 percent increase from 1992. In the second quarter of this year, nearly 362,000 persons filed for bankruptcy, a record number for a three-month period.

We are beguiled by seductive advertising. Television carries the enticing invitation to borrow up to 125 percent of the value of one's home. But no mention is made of interest.

President J. Reuben Clark Jr., in the priesthood meeting of the conference in 1938, said from this pulpit: "Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1938, 103).

I recognize that it may be necessary to borrow to get a home, of course. But let us buy a home that we can afford and thus ease the payments which will constantly hang over our heads without mercy or respite for as long as 30 years.

No one knows when emergencies will strike. I am somewhat familiar with the case of a man who was highly successful in his profession. He lived in comfort. He built a large home. Then one day he was suddenly involved in a serious accident. Instantly, without warning, he almost lost his life. He was left a cripple. Destroyed was his earning power. He faced huge medical bills. He had other payments to make. He was helpless before his creditors. One moment he was rich, the next he was broke.

Since the beginnings of the Church, the Lord has spoken on this matter of debt. To Martin Harris through revelation, He said: "Pay the debt thou hast contracted with the printer. Release thyself from bondage" (D&C 19:35).

President Heber J. Grant spoke repeatedly on this matter from this pulpit. He said: "If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means. And if there is any one thing that is grinding and discouraging and disheartening, it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet" (Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham [1941], 111).

We are carrying a message of self-reliance throughout the Church. Self-reliance cannot obtain when there is serious debt hanging over a household. One has neither independence nor freedom from bondage when he is obligated to others.

In managing the affairs of the Church, we have tried to set an example. We have, as a matter of policy, stringently followed the practice of setting aside each year a percentage of the income of the Church against a possible day of need.

I am grateful to be able to say that the Church in all its operations, in all its undertakings, in all of its departments, is able to function without borrowed money. If we cannot get along, we will curtail our programs. We will shrink expenditures to fit the income. We will not borrow.

One of the happiest days in the life of President Joseph F. Smith was the day the Church paid off its long-standing indebtedness.

What a wonderful feeling it is to be free of debt, to have a little money against a day of emergency put away where it can be retrieved when necessary.

President Faust would not tell you this himself. Perhaps I can tell it, and he can take it out on me afterward. He had a mortgage on his home drawing 4 percent interest. Many people would have told him he was foolish to pay off that mortgage when it carried so low a rate of interest. But the first opportunity he had to acquire some means, he and his wife determined they would pay off their mortgage. He has been free of debt since that day. That's why he wears a smile on his face, and that's why he whistles while he works.

I urge you, brethren, to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage.

This is a part of the temporal gospel in which we believe. May the Lord bless you, my beloved brethren, to set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That's all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable. 53

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley

1 2 Nephi 26:Heading

2 2 Nephi 26:14-22

3 Ether 8:Heading

4 Ether 8:16-26

5 Doctrine & Covenants 42:64

6 President Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:394

7 ibid, 6:116 8 ibid, 4:89 9 ibid, 3:390-391 10 ibid, 4:89, March 4, 1840

11 Doctrine & Covenants 38:27-31

12 ibid, 110:177 13 ibid, 5:231

14 President Brigham Young, Deseret News, Vol. 11, No. 9, May 1, 1861

15 President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 8:143

16 ibid, 12:284 17 ibid, 8:123

18 JD, 174, February 1, 1874. GK, Pg.298

19 GK, Pg.300

20 JD, 23:179-180, July 24, 1882. GK, Pg.346

21 President John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, 20:318

22 President John Taylor, April 9, 1882, Gospel Kingdom, p.345-346

23 MS 51:801-802 (1889). DWW, Pg.188-189

24 JD 22:346, October 23, 1881. DWW, Pg.187

25 President Wilford Woodruff, by Mathhias F. Cowley, Deseret News, 1916, p.393

26 ibid, p.500, Summer 1877 27 ibid, p.500, Summer 1877 28 ibid, p.530-531

29 President Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, 21:301

30 Inspired Prophetic Warnings, p.194-196. Apostle Mattias F. Cowley, who prepared a biography of President Wilford Woodruff, based on his journals and other personal papers, cited the last portion of the vision in his book "Wilford Woodruff-History of His Life and Labors(Salt Lake City, Utajh: Bookcraft, 1964),p.505. It is noted that the account published in Wilford Woodruff differs slightly in wording, though not in message, from the account printed herein, a possible indication that various copies, or "versions," of this manifestation now exist.

31 14 January 1872, JD, 14:309. TLS, Pg.150

32 David Hughes Horne, 2229 Laird Way, SLC, Ut, Unpublished, Copyrighted, and signed statement dated 26 March 1989. From his signed statement David Hughes Horne explains "I am the son of Dr. Lyman Merrill Horne and Myrtle Swainston Horne. His father was a g-grandson of George A. Smith, cousin of the Prophet Joseph and Counselor to Brigham Young. His grandson President George Albert Smith was my dad's mother's first cousin. From 1944 until March 1947 we lived on the same block in the Yale Ward as George Albert Smith and frequently had contact with him. Many times he paused at our home while on his evening walk and talked with me as I worked in our front yard. My family visited him a few times at his home, and he visited my family at our home several times....One day our father arranged for George Albert Smith to speak to us in a family time. The Prophet told us of a vision he had had. At least 11 elements of it have occured, and the rest may occure soon. My record of his prophecy may be important, because it may not be officially recorded." Attached to his statement is a letter from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Office of the First Presidency dated December 9, 1988. This letter addressed to David Hughes Horne stated impart, "Reference is made to your copyrighted letter dated October 20, 1988, which you describe as a papper documenting your recollections of a visit by George Albert Smith to your home....We are advised by the Historical Department thst in conference talks there are found references by President Smith to atomic bombs, wickedness, and great destruction. The repeated message in these talks is that the people should repent in order to avoid these problems."

33 George Albert Smith, Sunday 9 October 1946, General Conference Report, p.149 "Disobedience Brings Distress"

34 George Albert Smith, Sunday 9 October 1946, General Conference Report, p.153 "Warning and Testimony"

35 George Albert Smith, Sunday 9 April 1950, General Conference Report, p.149 "Set Homes in Order"

36 George Albert Smith, 30 September 1950, General Conference Report, p.180-181 Note: Elder Harold B. Lee's conference talk in October 1951 "Shortly after the general conference a year ago last April I met a man on the street who was inclined to be critical of the fact, he said, that the church was not receiving revelations, and why was it that the Lord wasn't revealing his mind and will to his leaders. I happened to have in my pocket a clipping from President George Albert Smith's last address, and I took it out and read this to him: Said President Smith at the April conference just one year before his death: (quoted the April 1950 statement quoted above). President Smith could not have made that statement except as the Lord revealed it to him."

37 WTP, Pg.233

38 "The Miracle of Forgiveness" Salt Lake City, Utah Bookcraft 1969, p.315-321

39 TSWK, Pg.415

40 President Ezra Taft Benson, TETB, preface

A complete foundation concerning the "Secret Combinations" in our government and their current power and control can be had by reading any of the above. His "The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson" is by far the most abbreviated though it is still very clear as to our precarious position in our nation today. The only one I have read in its entirety is "An Enemy Hath Done This", which leaves no possible room for doubt that these "Secret Combinations" have a substantial if not total control of our current government. All of the following are from his "The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson".

41 ibid, p.81 42 ibid, p.106 43 ibid p.618-19

44 President Ezra Taft Benson, The Constitution A Heavenly Banner, 1986, p.28

45 President Ezra Taft Benson, TETB, p.619-20 46 ibid, p.623 47 ibid, p.623 48 ibid, p.574 49 ibid, p.574 50 ibid, p.576

51 ibid, p.582

52 President Ezra Taft Benson, TETB, p.660

53 President Gordon B. Hinkley, October Conference Priesthood Mtg.

Joseph Smith Brigham Young John Taylor Wilford Woodruff

Lorenzo Snow Joseph F. Smith George A. Smith Heber J. Grant

Spencer W. Kimball Ezra Taft Benson Gordon B. Hinckley