Transcript “The Long-Promised Day” Continuing Revelation “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that he will.

“The Long-Promised Day”
Continuing Revelation
“We believe all that God has
revealed, all that He does now
reveal, and we believe that he
will yet reveal many great and
important things pertaining to
the Kingdom of God.”
– Ninth Article of Faith
Elijah Abel –
Ordained an Elder by
Joseph Smith, Jr. on
3 March 1836
Ordained Seventy by
Zebedee Coltrin on 4
April 1841
Served three missions
“In the spring of 1838 I
heard the first Gospel
sermon by a Latterday Saint. His name
was Elijah Abel …”
-- Eunice Kinney, 1891
1879: Elijah Abel applies for
permission to be endowed
31 May 1879: A meeting is held by
John Taylor with Joseph F.
Smith, Abraham O. Smoot,
Zebedee Coltrin, and others, to
recall Joseph Smith’s teachings
on men and women of color
Elijah Abel is denied permission to
be endowed
“Died, Elijah Abel: In the Thirteenth Ward,
December 25th, 1884, of old age and
debility, consequent upon exposure
while laboring in the ministry in Ohio.
Deceased was born in Washington
County, Maryland, July 23rd, 1810. He
joined the Church and was ordained
an Elder as appears by certificate
dated March 3rd, 1836. He was
subsequently ordained a Seventy, as
appears by certificate dated April 4,
1841. He labored successfully in
Canada and also performed a mission
in the United States, from which he
returned about two weeks ago. He
died in full faith of the Gospel.”
J
a
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e
M
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Jane Manning James –
“We walked until our
shoes were worn out,
and our feet became
sore and cracked
open and bled until
you could see the
whole print of our feet
with blood on the
ground.”
“Inasmuch as this is the
fullness of times and
through Abraham's
seed all mankind may
be blessed, is there
no blessing for me?”
“My faith in the gospel of
Jesus Christ of Latter day
Saints is as strong today–
nay it is if possible
stronger–than it was the
day I was first baptized. I
pay my tithes and
offerings, keep the Word
of Wisdom. I go to bed
early and arise early. I try
in my feeble way to set a
good example to all.”
Green Flake
Lucinda Flake
Daniel Bankhead Freeman
Mary Ann Perkins
Amanda and Samuel Chambers
Len and Mary Hope
“I’d be willing to be
stripped of my skin if
only I could hold that
priesthood.”
Walker Lewis
Ordained an elder in 1843 or 1844 by
William Smith (Joseph Smith’s brother)
“We have one of the best Elders -- an
African -- in Lowell.” – Brigham Young, 26
March 1847
Emigrated to Utah 1851; returned East
1852; died 1856
William McCary
• Bi-racial: African and white? Native
American?
• Baptized February 1846, and ordained an
Elder, at Winter Quarters
• Claimed to be a prophet and to be the
incarnation of Biblical and Book of
Mormon figures
William McCary
• Excommunicated in 1847
• Gathered a group around him near Winter
Quarters, and instituted his own brand of
plural marriage
• First known Mormon sermons critical of
blacks are preached against McCary
“There is not now, and there
never has been a
doctrine in this church
that the negroes are
under a divine curse.
There is no doctrine in
the church of any kind
pertaining to the negro.
We believe that we have
a scriptural precedent for
withholding the
priesthood from the
negro. It is a practice, not
a doctrine, and the
practice someday will be
changed.”
– David O. McKay, 1954
“Day after day I went alone
and with great solemnity
and seriousness in the
upper rooms of the
temple, and there I
offered my soul ... I
wanted to do what he
wanted. I talked about it
to him and said, ‘Lord, I
want only what is right. ...
We want only the thing
that thou dost want, and
we want it when you want
it, and not until.’”
-- Spencer W. Kimball
“We witnessed an
outpouring of the
Spirit which bonded
our souls together in
perfect unity – a
glorious experience.
In that bond of unity
we felt our total
dependence upon
heavenly direction.”
-- David B. Haight
“The Spirit of the Lord rested
mightily upon us all; we felt
something akin to what
happened on the day of
Pentecost and at the
dedication of the Kirtland
Temple. From the midst of
eternity, the voice of God,
conveyed by the power of the
Spirit, spoke to his prophet ...
And we all heard the same
voice, received the same
message, and became
personal witnesses that the
word received was the mind
and will and voice of the Lord.”
-- Bruce R. McConkie
“It was a quiet and sublime
occasion. There was not
the sound ‘as of a rushing
mighty wind,” ... No voice
audible to our physical
ears was heard. But the
voice of the Spirit
whispered with a certainty
into our minds and our
very souls.”
-- Gordon B. Hinckley
“He has heard our
prayers, and by
revelation has
confirmed that the
long-promised day
has come when every
faithful, worthy man in
the Church may
receive the holy
priesthood . . .”
-- Official Declaration 2,
verse 8
“Forget everything that I have said,
or what President Brigham Young
or President George Q. Cannon or
whomsoever has said in days past
that is contrary to the present
revelation. We spoke with a limited
understanding and without the light
and knowledge that now has come
into the world. We get our truth and
our light line upon line and precept
upon precept. ...
… We have now had added a new
flood of intelligence and light on
this particular subject, and it
erases all the darkness and all
the views and all the thoughts of
the past. They don’t matter any
more. ... It doesn’t make a
particle of difference what
anybody ever said about the
Negro matter before the first day
of June of this year.”
– Bruce R. McConkie (CES
Symposium, August 1978)
“The folklore must never be
perpetuated. ... They
[early church leaders]
were doing the best they
knew ... All I can say is,
however well intended
the explanations were, I
think almost all of them
were inadequate and/or
wrong. ...”
-- Jeffrey R. Holland
“Racial strife still lifts its
ugly head. I am
advised that even
right here among us
there is some of this. I
cannot understand
how it can be. It
seemed to me that we
all rejoiced in the
1978 revelation given
President Kimball. …
… Now I am told that racial
slurs and denigrating
remarks are sometimes
heard among us. I remind
you that no man who
makes disparaging
remarks concerning those
of another race can
consider himself a true
disciple of Christ. Nor can
he consider himself to be
in harmony with the
teachings of the Church
of Christ. …
… How can any man
holding the Melchizedek
Priesthood arrogantly
assume that he is eligible
for the priesthood
whereas another who
lives a righteous life but
whose skin is of a
different color is
ineligible?”
-- Gordon B. Hinckley,
General Conference, April
2006