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http://www.ChurchofJesusChristofLatterDaySaints.org

Site Version January 2011

The Revelations of James Strang

Consisting of

The Revelations Given of God
Through the Prophet James J. Strang
From 1844 to 1849

Together with Other Important Records,

Including

The Letter of Appointment from Joseph Smith,
Appointing James J. Strang as His Successor,
And Appointing Voree as a Stake of Zion.

 

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Other revelations, from 1850 to the time when James Strang was felled by assassin's bullets in 1856, can be found in the Book of the Law of the Lord.
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This edition (December, 1987) is based, where possible, on the versions of the records which were published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints during the time of James Strang. All available original versions have been carefully compared, and all discrepancies resolved. The intention has been to produce the most accurate version of the records possible.
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In a very few places, slight wording changes were made in later years when unpublished records were arranged for printing by the Church. In general, the judgment of the Church has been followed in this edition. In addition, an attempt has been made to apply uniform spelling, punctuation, and capitalization principles throughout the book.
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The numbering of the sections is unique to this edition. The division of the sections into paragraphs does not follow any previous edition exactly, but is mostly the same as the original versions.
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This uniquely formatted Internet version © 1997, 1999, 2001 by John J. Hajicek, based on the 1987 version by James D. Hajicek.
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This is the only accurate version available on the Internet.
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In order to protect the integrity of our text, we do not allow this text to be copied for electronic use elsewhere.
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Please do not infringe on our copyright. You may assign links to this page, or print a single-use hardcopy.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

SECTION

DATE

SUBJECT

1 6-18-1844 The Letter of Appointment Appointment
2 History of the Letter of Appointment History
3 6-18-1844 A Vision of Voree Vision
4 6-27-1844 The Ordination of James Strang Ordination
5 1-17-1845 Revelation — service required Latter Day Saints
6 9-01-1845 Revelation — Voree Plates Voree Plates
7 Testimony of Witnesses Testimony
8 9-18-1845 Translation of the Voree Plates Translation
9 Description of one side of one Plate Description
Facsimile of the Voree Plates Facsimile
10 7-01-1846 Revelation — Strang, house of God Voree Temple
11 7-08-1846 Revelation — those who fled Nauvoo
12 8-25-1846 Revelation and Vision — Indian Mission Beaver Island
13 10-19-1846 Revelation — Rigdon, Adams Sidney Rigdon and George J. Adams
14 11-06-1846 Revelation — Marks, Smith William Marks and Joseph Smith III
15 12-21-1846 Extract from a Revelation — Kirtland Kirtland
16 1-07-1849 Revelation — the Church, Order of Enoch Order of Enoch
17 8-09-1849 Revelation — baptism for the dead Baptism for the Dead

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SECTION 1

The Letter of Appointment, from Joseph Smith, appointing James Strang as his successor, and appointing Voree as a stake of Zion.

1. Nauvoo, June 18th, 1844.

2. My Dear Son: Your epistle of May 24th, proposing the planting a stake of Zion in Wisconsin and the gathering of the saints there, was duly received, and I with most of the brethren whose advice I called in were of opinion that you was deceived by a spirit not of this world, great but not good. Brother Hyrum however thought otherwise and favored the project, not doubting it was of God. I however determined to return you an unfavorable answer for the present. But oh the littleness of man in his best earthly state. Not so the will of the Almighty. God hath ruled it otherwise, and a message from the throne of grace directed me as it hath inspired you, and the faith which thou hast in the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, hath been repaid to thee a thousand fold, and thou shalt be like unto him; but the flock shall find rest with thee, and God shall reveal to thee his will concerning them.

3. I have long felt that my present work was almost done and that I should soon be called to rule a mighty host, but something whispers me it will be in the land of spirits where the wicked cease from troubling and the bands of the prisoner fall off. My heart yearns for my little ones, but I know God will be a father to them, and I can claim face to face the fulfillment of promises from him who is a covenant keeping God and who sweareth and performeth and faileth not to the uttermost.

4. The wolves are upon the scent, and I am waiting to be offered up, if such be the will of God, knowing that though my visage be more marred than that of any, it will be unscarred and fair when archangels shall place on my brow the double crown of martyr and king in a heavenly world.

5. In the midst of darkness and boding danger the spirit of Elijah came upon me, and I went away to inquire of God how the Church should be saved.

6. I was upon the hill of the temple. The calm father of waters rolled below changeless and eternal. I beheld a light in the heavens above, and streams of bright light illuminated the firmament, varied and beautiful as the rainbow, gentle yet rapid as the fierce lightning.

7. The Almighty came from his throne of rest. He clothed himself with light as with a garment. He appeared, and moon and stars went out. The earth dissolved in space. I trod on air and was borne on wings of Cherubims. The sweetest strains of heavenly music thrilled in my ear, but the notes were low and sad as though they sounded the requiem of martyred prophets.

8. I bowed my head to the earth and asked only wisdom and strength for the church. The voice of God answered, My servant Joseph, thou hast been faithful over many things and thy reward is glorious, the crown and scepter are thine and they wait thee. But thou hast sinned in some things and thy punishment is very bitter. The whirlwind goeth before and its clouds are dark, but rest followeth and to its days there shall be no end. Study the words of the vision for it tarrieth not.

9. And now behold, my servant James J. Strang hath come to thee from far for truth when he knew it not and hath not rejected it but had faith in thee, the Shepherd and Stone of Israel; and to him shall the gathering of the people be, for he shall plant a stake of Zion in Wisconsin; and I will establish it, and there shall my people have peace and rest, and shall not be moved, for it shall be established on the prairie on White River in the lands of Racine and Walworth; and behold, my servants James and Aaron shall plant it, for I have given them wisdom; and Daniel shall stand in his lot on the hill beside the river looking down on the prairie and shall instruct my people and plead with them face to face.

10. Behold, my servant James shall lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes of Zion; and my servant Aaron shall be his counsellor, for he hath wisdom in the gospel and understandeth the doctrines and erreth not therein.

11. And I will have a house built unto me there of stone, and there will I show myself to my people by many mighty works, and the name of the city shall be called Voree, which is, being interpreted, Garden of Peace, for there shall my people have peace and rest and wax fat and pleasant in the presence of their enemies.

12. But I will again stretch out my arm over the river of waters, and on the banks thereof shall the house of my choice be. But now the city of Voree shall be a strong hold of safety to my people, and they that are faithful and obey me I will there give them great prosperity, and such as they have not had before, and unto Voree shall be the gathering of my people, and there shall the oppressed flee for safety and none shall hurt or molest them.

13. And by this shall they know that I have spoken it: the people there and the owners of the land shall show kindness to them, for great calamities are coming on the church, and such as have not been; and if they scatter, the ungodly of the world shall swallow them up; but if they gather to my city of Voree, there will I keep them under the shadow of my wing, and the cities from whence my people have been driven shall be purged with a high hand, for I will do it, and my people shall be again restored to their possessions; but dark clouds are gathering, for the church is not yet wholly purged.

14. And now I command my servants, the Apostles and Priests and Elders of the Church of the Saints, that they communicate and proclaim this my word to all the saints of God in all the world, that they may be gathered unto and round about the city of Voree and be saved from their enemies, for I will have a people to serve me.

15. And I command my servant Moses Smith, that he go unto the saints with whom he is acquainted and unto many people, and command them in my name to go unto my city of Voree and gain inheritance therein; and he shall have an inheritance therein, for he hath left all for my sake, and I will add to him many fold if he is faithful; for he knows the land and can testify to them that it is very good.

16. So spake the Almighty God of heaven. Thy duty is made plain; and if thou lackest wisdom, ask of God in whose hands I trust thee, and he will give thee unsparingly; for if evil befall me, thou shalt lead the flock to pleasant pastures.

God sustain thee,
JOSEPH SMITH.

James J. Strang.

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SECTION 2

History of the Letter of Appointment.

1. And now it appears that this letter was written on this wise: In February, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-four, James J. Strang, in company with Aaron Smith and under his teaching, visited Nauvoo, the city of the saints, and there was more fully instructed by Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Sidney Rigdon in the gospel.

2. On the twenty-fifth day of February, in that year, he was baptized by Joseph Smith, who gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and blessed him with many and great blessings, and said, "I seal upon thy head, against God's own good time, the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood," and afterwards, but in the same ordinance, "Thou shalt hold the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, shalt walk with Enoch, Moses, and Elijah, and shalt talk with God face to face."

3. And on the third day of March, in the same year, he was ordained an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, by the laying on of hands of Hyrum Smith, according to the testimony of the Spirit of prophecy and the word of the Holy Ghost, and he said, "I perceive, by the Spirit which is within me, that thou shalt carry the gospel with the Spirit like flaming fire to many nations, and by thee shall God save the pure of his people."

4. At this time much was said of the necessities of the saints, for want of a suitable country for settlement where they could avoid persecution and continual molestation, and the prophet Joseph asked counsel of James J. Strang, who was greatly learned in geography in regard to many countries, especially California, New Mexico, and Oregon. And he advised an exploration of those countries for determining what facilities for settlement they offered, and gave much information in regard to them, both for the guidance of the explorers and to determine what parts were worth exploration.

5. He also advised a settlement of the saints to be formed immediately on White River in Wisconsin, to consist of mechanics and artisans from the northern and eastern states and provinces of America and from Europe, because the climate of Nauvoo is unfavorable to the health of such, and the place does not furnish business wherewith to employ them; both which difficulties would be entirely obviated by such an arrangement, and many other advantages would be gained in peaceable, law-abiding neighbors, cheapness of access, and facility of building.

6. The exploration of the Nebraska country, New Mexico, and upper California was immediately determined on, and arrangements commenced for sending out twenty-five explorers during the following summer.

7. It was enjoined upon James J. Strang by Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Sidney Rigdon to return to Wisconsin and make more full examinations of the country with direct reference to the advantages it might offer to the saints, and to write to Joseph the results of that examination, upon which he would determine, by the best light that God should give him, what ought to be done.

8. Aaron Smith concurred with James J. Strang in recommending a gathering in Wisconsin, and counselled the selection of the country on White River as the place for planting a stake of Zion; and it was agreed by all that the thing should be looked upon with favor and prosecuted with vigor to a final result.

9. On the twenty-fourth day of May, eighteen hundred and forty-four, James J. Strang, having completed his examinations and inquiries, wrote the result in a letter to Joseph Smith, to which Aaron Smith a few days after added a note concurring therein and attesting the facts therein stated.

10. This letter contained a minute statement of the advantages for the settlement of the saints which the southeastern section of Wisconsin offered, more especially for the building of a town on White River, immediately west of Burlington. It was put in the post office at Burlington, directed to Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, about the last of May, by Aaron Smith.

11. Moreover, the preceding letter is in answer thereto, and was mailed at Nauvoo on the nineteenth day of June, which plainly appears by the postmark thereon, and directed to James J. Strang at Burlington, in Wisconsin, at which place it arrived by mail at the time before stated, and was taken from the post office on the same day by Caleb P. Barnes, an attorney-at-law, and by him delivered to James J. Strang in the presence of Aaron Smith, who immediately sat down together and opened and read the letter.

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SECTION 3

A Vision of Voree, given on 6-18-1844.

1. On the eighteenth day of June, eighteen hundred and forty-four, James J. Strang was in the Spirit, and he was in the grove above the stone quarry on White River, and he had a vision; and behold, he was carried away in the Spirit to the top of the hill in the west border of Racine, and Gardner's prairie was to the north, and the White River marshes to the south, and he saw in the vision; and the lands round about were covered with many houses and gardens, and there were streets, and shops, and people; even a city of many inhabitants. And the city was built of stone, and there were few houses of brick and less of wood, and the gardens were many; and a few houses were very great, and their inhabitants many.

2. There was a change in the vision, and the people with lively pace and smiling countenances thronged the streets and passed by.

3. There was another change, and they were all assembled in a vast hall, and James J. Strang, surrounded by wise men and counsellors and priests and eloquent orators, arose and taught the people; and the Spirit of prophecy witnesseth unto him, so shall it be; and the vision ended, and he was strengthened but his faith was weak.

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SECTION 4

The Ordination of James Strang, administered on 6-27-1844.

1. On the twenty-seventh day of June, 1844, at five and a half o'clock in the afternoon, James J. Strang was in the Spirit, and the Angel of God came unto him and saluted him, saying,

2. Fear God and be strengthened and obey him, for great is the work which he hath required at thy hand. Go on in hope and strength, and falter not, and he will sustain thee, and thou shalt triumph, for the voice of the Lord by the mouth of Joseph will he fulfill.

3. And the Angel of the Lord stretched forth his hand unto him and touched his head, and put oil upon him and said, Grace is poured upon thy lips, and God blesseth thee with the greatness of the Everlasting Priesthood. He putteth might and glory and majesty upon thee, and in meekness and truth and righteousness will he prosper thee.

4. Thou shalt save his people from their enemies when there is no arm to deliver, and shalt bring salvation when destruction walketh in the house of thy God. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore thy God hath anointed thee with oil and set thee above all thy fellows.

5. Thy words shall be like sharp arrows in the heart of the wicked. Thou shalt rebuke those who pervert the word of thy God. Thou shalt preach righteousness and the sublime mysteries in the ears of many people, and shall bring the gospel to many who have not known it and to the nations afar off.

6. Thou shalt drive backward and put to shame those that do evil, and the workers of iniquity shall fall. They shall be cast down and shall not be able to rise. With purity will the Lord thy God arm thee, and purity and truth shalt thou teach.

7. Keep the law of the Lord thy God in thy heart, and none of thy steps shall slide. With thee is the fountain of truth. In thy light shall the people of thy God see, for thou shalt speak his word unto them, and from thy lips shall they receive it.

8. The blessing of their God shalt thou put upon them, and his curse upon evil doers, if, after being oft rebuked, they repent not; and before my people shalt thou go to lead them into my ways, for unto thee has the Lord thy God given salvation.

9. In righteousness shalt thou rule. Thou shalt redeem the poor and the needy from suffering and violence, and to thee God giveth judgment for them. Thou shalt deliver the prey from the spoiler, for God, thy God, hath put them in thy hand.

10. And in weakness will he make thee strong. Thou shalt rule among his people. Thou shalt break in pieces the rod of the oppressor and the yoke of the unjust ruler. They shall flee away, but the way of peace shall they not find.

11. While the day of the wicked abideth, shalt thou prepare a refuge for the oppressed and for the poor and needy. Unto thee shall they come, and their brethren who are scattered shall come with them, and the destruction of the ungodly shall quickly follow, for it already worketh. Go thy way and be strong.

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SECTION 5

A Revelation, concerning the service required of the saints, given on 1-17-1845.

1. On the seventeenth day of January, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-five, the word of the Lord came unto James J. Strang, the Prophet of the Most High God and Revelator unto the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, saying,

2. Let all the saints humble themselves before me, and obey my commandments. Let them not forget my law, nor make my precepts of small account. Let them give heed unto the gospel, and be continual witnesses for me before the world. Behold, I the Lord God have spoken it. Let him that regards my voice obey. I have required this service of you, and I am not impoverished that you should lose your reward.

3. I have given you a trial of your faith, in that you are few in number, that you might have a witness before the world that your hearts are single toward me and that you seek not your own advantages; but I will remember you in mercy and in blessings, for I will reward the faithful for all they shall suffer, many fold on earth, and more than ye have thought to ask in heaven.

4. Behold, for the trying of your faith and that my Church might be purified, have I sent lying spirits unto those whose hearts are set for gain and not for the flock, and strong delusion unto those who have lifted themselves up in pride and power, and have forgotten the law of the Lord, even my law which their own lips have taught. Behold, now have they their reward, but shame and swift destruction followeth.

5. The reward of the righteous is with me, and unto the faithful are the promises. And now I am your God, I require this service of all the saints: that they go unto Voree and the country round about, and gain inheritance as they are severally able. When they hear, let them obey with prudence and speedily. And there let them assemble together on the first day of every week, to strengthen one another, and to receive instruction and blessings from me.

6. Again I require of all who have received the priesthood, that they go out and preach the gospel, and teach as they are sent, the first day of every week.

7. And this tithing do I require now of all my saints, to the end that Voree may be established and may be a holy city unto me. Yea, verily, I the Lord God require of all the saints, besides the assembling of themselves together and going out to preach and to teach on the first day of the week, that they shall consecrate unto me one tenth of their time and labor. Yea, let those who will, go out and preach the gospel and the gathering unto Voree, according as I have commanded. Yea, let those who will, consecrate unto me and pay into the Treasury of the Church, which is at Voree, the value of their labor. Yea, let those who will, labor for the support of my servants who labor continually for me. Yea, let those who will, serve me continually while they have wherewith to support their families, and the saints shall minister unto them while they preach the gospel and gathering, as they shall severally need. Yea, let the saints give liberally according as they shall possess, but let none excuse himself that he consecrate unto me one tenth his time and labor, for thus shall my holy city be established. Yea, verily, and the reward of the faithful is with me, and I will repay him many fold on earth, and in heaven with everlasting life.

8. Yea, and let my servant James J. Strang send out the Elders and those who have received the priesthood far and near, as my Spirit shall teach him; and they shall go and bear witness in my name, for thus shall my Church be built up, till all the quorums assemble together in my holy city.

9. Be ye faithful, O ye children of the kingdom, for this is the covenant between me and you. I will remember you in mercy and in blessings if ye serve me. And this will I do. Behold I the Lord have spoken it. I will give unto my servant James the plates of the book that was sealed, that he may translate them for you. Yea, unto the faithful is this promise. Serve and obey me, and I will give unto him the plates of the ancient records which are sealed up, and he shall translate them unto you; and this shall be a witness between me and those that serve me; and unto my servants who serve me faithfully, yea, unto whom I will, shall he show the plates, and they shall be faithful witnesses unto me, and thus shall my words be established.

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SECTION 6

A Revelation, concerning the Voree Plates, given on 9-1-1845.

1. The Angel of the Lord came unto me, James, on the first day of September, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-five, and the light shined about him above the brightness of the sun, and he showed unto me the plates of the sealed record, and he gave into my hands the Urim and Thummim. And out of the light came the voice of the Lord saying, My servant James, in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thee, because I have tried thee and found thee faithful. Behold, my servant James, I am about to bless thee with a great blessing, which shall be to those who love me, an immutable testimony; to those who know me not, a stumbling block; but to those who have known me and have turned their hearts from me, a rock of offence. Yea, let them beware, for shame and destruction walk in their tracks, and their time abideth, but not long.

2. A work shall come forth, and the secrets of the past shalt thou reveal. Yea, by little and little shalt thou reveal it, according to the ability and faithfulness of my church, and of my servant whom I have placed above them. Behold the record which was sealed from my servant Joseph. Unto thee it is reserved. Take heed that thou count it not a light thing, nor exalt thyself lest thou be stricken; for by myself I swear that, as thou servest me faithfully and comest not short, thou shalt unlock the mysteries thereof, which I have kept hid from the world. Yea, as my servants serve me, so shalt thou translate unto them.

3. But in their weakness I have not forgotten them. Go to the place which the Angel of the presence shall show thee, and there shalt thou dig for the record of my people in whose possession thou dwellest. Take with thee faithful witnesses, for in evil will the unfaithful speak of thee, but the faithful and true shall know that they are liars, and shall not stumble for their words.

4. Speak thou unto the Elders of my church, and say unto them, Hear my voice and hearken to my words, for they are true and faithful. Testify, testify unto all the saints. Testify, testify in all the world. He that rejecteth you, him will I reject in the day that I come in my kingdom. Testify, testify unto him who has received my word and turned away. Let him now return unto me and obey and serve his God, lest he be smitten with a curse and his children curse him and his name be blotted out of the Book of Life.

5. Yea, those to whom I have revealed myself, let them hearken unto me now lest they be cast off in the day of my indignation, lest the consuming fire of the day of trial burn them up. Yea, lest the second death make them his prey, and they be cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.

6. Rejoice, ye holy, for the day of your deliverance is near, and the time of your exaltation is at hand. Faithful and true are my words, dividing the marrow from the bones, and truth from rottenness. He that rejecteth them, will I reject when I come in my kingdom. And while I was yet in the Spirit, the Angel of the Lord took me away to the hill in the east of Walworth, against White River in Voree, and there he showed unto me the record buried under an oak tree as large as the body of a large man; it was enclosed in an earthen casement, and buried in the ground as deep as to a man's waist; and I beheld it as a man can see a light stone in clear water, for I saw it by Urim and Thummim; and I returned the Urim and Thummim to the Angel of the Lord, and he departed out of sight.

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SECTION 7

Testimony of Witnesses to the Voree Plates.

1. On the thirteenth day of September, 1845, we, Aaron Smith, Jirah B. Wheelan, James M. Van Nostrand, and Edward Whitcomb, assembled at the call of James J. Strang, who is by us and many others approved as a Prophet and Seer of God. He proceeded to inform us that it had been revealed to him in a vision that an account of an ancient people was buried in a hill south of White River bridge, near the east line of Walworth County; and leading us to an oak tree about one foot in diameter, told us that we would find it enclosed in a case of rude earthen ware under that tree at the depth of about three feet; requested us to dig it up, and charged us to so examine the ground that we should know we were not imposed upon, and that it had not been buried there since the tree grew. The tree was surrounded by a sward of deeply rooted grass, such as is usually found in the openings, and upon the most critical examination we could not discover any indication that it had ever been cut through or disturbed.

2. We then dug up the tree, and continued to dig to the depth of about three feet, where we found a case of slightly baked clay containing three plates of brass. On one side of one is a landscape view of the south end of Gardner's prairie and the range of hills where they were dug. On another is a man with a crown on his head and a scepter in his hand, above is an eye before an upright line, below the sun and moon surrounded with twelve stars, at the bottom are twelve large stars from three of which pillars arise, and closely interspersed with them are seventy very small stars. The other four sides are very closely covered with what appear to be alphabetic characters, but in a language of which we have no knowledge.

3. The case was found imbedded in indurated clay so closely fitting it that it broke in taking out, and the earth below the soil was so hard as to be dug with difficulty even with a pickax. Over the case was found a flat stone about one foot wide each way and three inches thick, which appeared to have undergone the action of fire, and fell in pieces after a few minutes exposure to the air. The digging extended in the clay about eighteen inches, there being two kinds of earth of different color and appearance above it.

4. We examined as we dug all the way with the utmost care, and we say, with utmost confidence, that no part of the earth through which we dug exhibited any sign or indication that it had been moved or disturbed at any time previous. The roots of the tree stuck down on every side very closely, extending below the case, and closely interwoven with roots from other trees. None of them had been broken or cut away. No clay is found in the country like that of which the case is made.

5. In fine, we found an alphabetic and pictorial record, carefully cased up, buried deep in the earth, covered with a flat stone, with an oak tree one foot in diameter growing over it, with every evidence that the sense can give that it has lain there as long as that tree has been growing. Strang took no part in the digging, but kept entirely away from before the first blow was struck till after the plates were taken out of the case; and the sole inducement to our digging was our faith in his statement as a Prophet of the Lord that a record would thus and there be found.

AARON SMITH,
JIRAH B. WHEELAN,
J. M. VAN NOSTRAND,
EDWARD WHITCOMB.

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SECTION 8

Translation of the Voree Plates, made by Urim and Thummim on 9-18-1845. The Record of Rajah Manchou of Vorito.

1. My people are no more. The mighty are fallen, and the young slain in battle. Their bones bleached on the plain by the noonday shadow. The houses are leveled to the dust, and in the moat are the walls. They shall be inhabited.

2. I have in the burial served them, and their bones in the Death-shade, towards the sun's rising, are covered. They sleep with the mighty dead, and they rest with their fathers. They have fallen in transgression and are not, but the elect and faithful there shall dwell.

3. The word hath revealed it. God hath sworn to give an inheritance to his people where transgressors perished. The word of God came to me while I mourned in the Death-shade, saying, I will avenge me on the destroyer. He shall be driven out. Other strangers shall inhabit thy land. I an ensign there will set up. The escaped of my people there shall dwell when the flock disown the Shepherd and build not on the Rock.

4. The forerunner men shall kill, but a mighty prophet there shall dwell. I will be his strength, and he shall bring forth thy record. Record my words, and bury it in the Hill of Promise.

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SECTION 9

Description of one side of one of the Voree Plates.

1. First, an eye. The symbol of God who is all-seeing: consequently it is called THE ALL-SEEING EYE, and has been used as symbolical of the DEITY in all countries, and in all ages of the world.

2. Second, the figure of a man down to the waist, having a crown resembling a cap, and composed of radiating lines, on his head; and a scepter in his hand. These are symbols of authority, and show him a ruler. As he has the sun, moon, and stars (all the natural lights) below him and only the ALL-SEEING above him, he is Prophet, Seer, Revelator, Translator, and First President of the Church; governing not by natural light, or mere human wisdom, but by revelation, or the word of God, and derives his authority solely from God, and not in any sense from the actions of men.

3. Third, the sun on the right, and the moon on the left. These represent the two Vice Presidents, or Counsellors in the First Presidency; the two largest natural lights being used as symbols, because they are to assist the First President in wisdom or natural light merely, and not by revelation.

4. Fourth, a cross-pillar above and resting upon the center large star and under the human figure; two pillars above and resting upon the two upper large stars, and below and between the sun and moon. These represent Coadjutors, assistants or helps, of whom there have been several since the beginning of the Church, appointed by revelation.

5. Fifth, twelve stars, six around the sun, and six around the moon. These represent the High Council of the Church. The division into classes of six each agrees with the established usages in the Church, one half to stand up for the accuser, and the other for the accused. This is not the High Council of a stake.

6. Sixth, twelve large stars, ten of these in two rows at the bottom of the plate, and the other two over them nearly between the sun and moon. They represent the Twelve Apostles. These stars are larger than those which represent the High Council of the Church, because the Apostles have a more important ministry; but are placed below them because they are subject to their discipline, and below the symbols of the First Presidency because they are subject to its directions.

7. Seventh, seventy small stars immediately within the points of the twelve large ones, being six to each, except the center one which has only four. They represent the Seventies, who are subject to the direction of the Twelve Apostles.

8. Eighth, a straight line dropping down before the scepter. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place." "Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more."

9. These symbols were all prophetic of the order that should exist in the fulness of times. Thus God, in his goodness to those who lived in days past, has shown them not only the rest which he had in reservation for them, but the perfectness of the means by which he would accomplish it. Probably now we understand it only in part, but in times to come we shall "know as we are known."

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FACSIMILE OF THE VOREE PLATES

From a woodcut printed as a broadside in 1847

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SECTION 10

A Revelation, concerning James Strang, and commanding the saints to build a house of God, given on 7-1-1846.

1. The word of the Lord God came unto the prophet James, on the first day of July, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-six, when James Knox Polk was president of the United States; and behold they were at war with the republic of Mexico, and the kings of Europe looked on with fear and anguish, but they knew not what the Lord would accomplish; neither did any of them heed his word, for in their pride are they exalted, and men have gone after their iniquitous ways.

2. But verily, verily, saith the Lord, I will send a rebuke and my judgments upon them, and they that have lifted up themselves will I abase, and I will give judgment to my servant, even to my servant James J. Strang, whom I have taken from among the honorable men of the earth, and have built up by my strange counsel. Verily, if he fails not of his meekness, and obeys my commandments, and remembers to keep all my precepts, I will lift up his head to redeem the oppressed, and to give comfort to the poor among all people. Upon thrones shall he sit, and the scepter shall be in his hand, and he shall lift up an ensign to all the earth, and my servants who are faithful to me shall be princes and rulers over many people.

3. Therefore, my servant James, if thou wilt receive honor and glory, verily, verily, thou shalt lead my people, and my word shalt thou receive from me and teach unto my people. And verily, I will not now excuse thee or accept any other service at thy hands, for this is thine office: verily, verily, thou shalt be Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Translator, and shalt preside over my people, or thou shalt have no priesthood in my church, and shalt receive no honor in my kingdom.

4. Therefore, complain unto me no more, but rebuke the complainers faithfully for my name's sake, and if they will not hearken unto thee, they shall be cast out from among my people. Thy strength shall be in meekness and in my word which I shall speak unto thee, and with words of fire shalt thou consume those whose voices are raised against thee, and their hearts shall fail them at thy rebuke, until they are altogether cast off, and my Spirit departs from them.

5. It pleases me that it hath been in the hearts of my servants to build a house for thee to dwell in, for I have required thee to serve me continually, and not to serve thyself. Take heed therefore, that thou have a room for translations therein, for it is my will that thou translate ancient records, hidden truths, unto my people. It is my will that thou do it in thy house, and not in the field as thou hast, nor in the houses of unbelievers, that they may look upon sacred things. Therefore, whoso seeketh my word, let him make speed, and let every good work be accomplished speedily.

6. And then shall my people build a house unto my name, that I may institute those ordinances which pertain to the dispensation of the fulness of times. For since my people have been sifted, I will try them again whether they will receive the truth, and pervert it not. And I will show unto my servant James all things pertaining to this house and the priesthood of those who shall minister therein. And I will give unto him the preparation for an holy endowment therein, that he may instruct my people in the principles of the mysteries of my kingdom, as they are severally able to learn.

7. And if my people will build a house unto me according to my commandments, and will not be slothful therein, but will make speed to build, then will I endow them, even so many as are faithful and obey me and hearken to my words and to the words of my servants whom I have appointed to be their leaders. But to the disobedient and rebellious will I not give power, and if they receive the word, it shall be dead unto them, and they shall not have power nor understand it. And I will separate between the righteous and the wicked, and between the obedient and the rebellious.

8. And I will try my people with a great trial. And because they have been tried in chastisement, I will now even try them in faith and in obedience to my law. And if they will diligently serve me, and give heed unto all my words, that I have spoken and shall speak unto them by the mouth of my servant James, behold, in the house which they shall build unto me, will I reveal unto them things which have been kept in the secrets of heaven from before the world was, things without which the kingdom of God cannot hold dominion, nor men be redeemed from deceit and violence; and these things are exceeding precious and to be obtained by obedience and patience and devotion to truth.

9. Therefore, whosoever will not abide the preparation faithfully, shall not be blessed, neither shall ye teach him the mysteries of the kingdom, nor will I give him power; but of all you teach the mysteries, shall you take a great covenant. And he that abideth not in his covenant, shall receive of the wrath of God according to the measure of his covenant and the evil he doeth therein; yea, verily, out of his own mouth shall he be judged, and as he hath spoken, so shall it be done unto him.

10. Therefore, let all my saints set their hands diligently to build a house unto my name, that I may come and dwell therein, and that I may restore unto them that which they have lost, and may give unto them those things which I gave unto my church in former days, and may reveal unto them things which have never been revealed among men.

11. And if my people will cease all their contentions, and their backbitings and jealousies, and will present themselves holy before me, then will I appoint unto them, in the days of their poverty, a place for their baptisms for their dead, which pertains unto my house. But in their controversies and contentions I will not bless them, nor bestow upon them mine authority in the most holy things, because they do not understand my law, nor do they know for whom they shall baptize; and while they contend one with another, they will not receive my word, nor receive wisdom from me; they call evil good, and good evil, and they are not wise. Therefore is the blessing withheld till they humble themselves, and hearken to the voice of truth, which my servant James, who is faithful, speaketh unto them.

12. And I will show unto my servant James the pattern of the house which ye shall build unto my name, and all things pertaining thereto; and it shall be built on the prairie near White River, to the northwestward of the Hill of Promise, and the city of Voree shall be built around it, both on the plain and on the hills. And it shall be a holy city and a strong hold of truth and righteousness unto me, if my servants serve me; and upon the Hill of Promise shall ye build a hall which shall be a strong tower unto me, and the pattern thereof, and all things pertaining thereto, will I show unto my servant James, for it is the beginning of the preparation whereby the poor may be exalted, and the oppressed lifted up, and all my servants made equal in their temporal things; for unless they be one in their temporal things, the fulness of my Spirit shall be withheld from them.

13. Therefore, come all ye my servants, and bring your silver and your gold and your precious stones, and bring ye timber and stone, and labor with your hands and with cattle, and build a house unto me; and see that ye do all things according to the pattern which I will show unto my servant James, as he shall deliver it unto you; and make ye a freewill offering, and build a tower of strength unto me upon the Hill of Promise; for if ye do all these things, dominion shall be given unto you, and Daniel the prophet shall proclaim the kingdom of your God, and shall call forth the saints to possess it.

14. Take heed therefore, O ye my saints, for three unclean spirits have gone forth among you to destroy you. The first is jealousy, and she dresseth in garments of modesty. Envy walketh before her, and discourseth of prudence. She saith to every one, There is none like me to you before the Lord.

15. The second is ambition. Distrust followeth her, whispering into the ears of each passer by. Of every industrious servant she says, I fear he seeks more than his own; and of the prudent, I fear he will never accomplish his work.

16. The third is lust. Sensuality walks before her, and adultery at her right hand. They clothe themselves alternately in the garments of virgins and matrons. Their tongues discourse sweet music to him whose feet begin to slip, and they rebuke unsuspecting virtue harshly; but they walk in the way of death, and their path goes down to the pit. Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.

17. And now let every unclean thing be put away from among you, and purify yourselves before me, that ye may be prepared for your washings and your anointings and the blessings and revelations which I have in store for you; for unless ye do these things, ye cannot receive the blessings.

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SECTION 11

A Revelation, concerning those who fled into the wilderness, given on 7-8-1846.

1. On the eighth day of July, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-six, the word of the Lord came unto James J. Strang, concerning the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the planting of the stake of Voree, saying,

2. Trouble not yourselves any more concerning those who have been driven out of my city, and gone into the wilderness. For in the day that they fled to the wilderness where I had not told them to go, and were cast out of my holy city, which they had polluted, and from their habitations round about; even in that very day were they rejected of me. For with much long suffering and patience had I waited on them, and warned them, and sent my servants unto them, and with judgments had rebuked them; and they would not return unto me. And all their usurpations and lyings and false teachings have been an abomination unto me, and a stink in my nostrils; and their unlawful administrations have been as naught before me; and therein have I judged them with grievous sickness and sore judgments; therefore are they utterly cast out.

3. But all who have hearkened unto my voice, and gave heed unto my words before I cast out those who polluted my holy city, and all who will hearken to the strong testimony which my servants, the Elders, have carried out, and not altogether reject my words which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants in these last days; even they shall be preserved in the bosom of my Church, and shall be taught in the way of truth. If they have done wrong, they shall make restitution. If they have followed usurpers and apostates, they shall renounce them. But if they will hearken to my word when it comes to them, they shall not be cast out. But if they will utterly reject it, they shall be cast out and shall be to you as heathen men.

4. And I will feel after those whose feet slid and whose steps faltered; and if they harden not their hearts, they shall be converted, and I will heal them, and will make their hands strong in the way of truth.

5. Therefore, let not my servants trouble themselves with vain contentions, nor make themselves wise above my word; and trouble not thyself about those who have been rejected of me, but seek ye diligently for wise men filled with the Spirit and obedient unto my law and unto my servants whom I have set above them. And appoint them to the several quorums and offices of the Church; and if they become disobedient and rebellious, they shall be removed and others put in their places. And this shall ye do in wisdom and with prudence, but the First Presidency ye shall appoint by my word only, for this is a law unto you.

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SECTION 12

A Revelation and Vision of the Indian Mission, given on 8-25-1846.

1. I, James J. Strang, was at Elizabeth, on the Monongahela River, on the twenty-fifth day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, and had a vision; and lo, I beheld a land amidst wide waters, and covered with large timber, with a deep broad bay on one side of it. And I wandered over it upon little hills and among rich valleys, where the air was pure and serene, and the unfading foliage, with its fragrant shades, attracted me till I wandered to bright clear waters, scarcely ruffled by the breeze. And Indians in canoes glided about, and caught fish, and sat down to eat; and they gathered in assemblies, and were taught words of truth and ways of holiness, and they hearkened. And I beheld many wonders there.

2. And one came near unto me, and I said, What meaneth this? And he answered and said, Behold, here shall God establish his people, even the sons of Joseph, on an everlasting foundation; and from hence shall the gospel of the kingdom go unto the tribes, and they shall not any more be despised, for the nations that set the foot upon their necks will be cut off that they be no more a people. Behold, he hath already begun it. The sword is already bathed in blood, which spareth not their destroyers. And blood shall not cease till their most haughty oppressor is laid low to rise no more.

3. And he hath chosen this nation to begin vengeance for them. And if this people will turn unto him, and repent of all their evil deeds, and no more slay the prophets which he sendeth unto them, but will hearken unto them to do the things which they shall speak unto them, and keep the words of the Lord, and his commandments to do them, then will he exalt the nation and establish it, for he hath raised it up by the hands of wise men, whom he set up for that very purpose, to be the instrument of his purpose in the last days.

4. And upon this land where thou standest shall the gospel of the kingdom be established among the Lamanites, and from thence shall it go forth to their tribes. And blessing and honor and great glory shall be on those that teach them, for he will make their arm strong, and their bow shall abide in strength, and they shall not bow to the oppressor; and the power of the Gentile shall not be on them, for the arm of God shall be with them to support.

5. And here shall the Lamanites come to learn the law of the Lord their God, who hath preserved them, that they be not utterly destroyed. And other barbarians shall come also, and shall learn ways of holiness; for the Lord their God shall teach them, and his people shall instruct them, and shall go forth as ministers of truth unto all people.

6. And I asked him, What meaneth all this? And he said unto me, Thou art carried away in the spirit, and brought to this land in the midst of waters, in the north country, that the Lord might show thee what he will do hereafter. For here shall be a stake and a corner stone of Zion, for the strengthening of her curtains round about. Here shall the house of Manasseh and the house of Ephraim and the Gentiles build a house unto me, and bow down to me therein. For the sons of Jacob shall lay the foundations thereof, and therein shall they worship their God. And to this house shall the thousands of the house of Israel come, when the ice melts at the north. And there shall they meet their brethren in peace, and God shall be in the midst of them.

7. Behold, thou shalt see this land with thine own eyes before thou returnest to thine house, and shalt long to set thy foot upon it. Nevertheless, when the children of the household of faith have peace, then thou shalt go there and minister in the work of the Lord thy God. Spy it out, therefore, and let the servants of God dwell there to do his work, for it hath abundance in the riches of the forest, and in the riches of the earth, and in the riches of the waters; and there shall the children of God learn his law to do it.

8. And the Lord God shall add possessions unto the faithful, and give good gifts unto them that keep his law, and he will establish them therein forever. And their possession shall become as a paradise, yielding fruits every month, and the strength of Zion shall be there to do the work of the Lord, to work deliverance to the captive and judgments upon the ungodly, in the day of the Lord. For he will exalt his people in righteousness, and deliver them in judgments. And the Gentiles shall be made the instruments of his purposes, and by them will he work deliverance. The Lord will show thee all things in his time.

9. For the day is near when thou shalt meet many Lamanites, and shalt talk with them of these things. And with them shalt thou behold this land, and then shalt thou begin this work. If Satan hinder thee, strive against him, and thou shalt overcome and shalt prevail, for the Lord God hath spoken it.

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SECTION 13

A Revelation, concerning Sidney Rigdon and George Adams, given on 10-19-1846.

1. The General Conference of the Church of the Saints, assembled at Voree on the nineteenth day of October, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-six, having under consideration the standing of Sidney Rigdon, one of the First Presidents of the Church, who acteth not in his Presidency and cometh not up to do his duty and stand in his calling, could not sustain him with their faith and prayers; therefore they with one voice desired James J. Strang, the Prophet of the Lord, to inquire his will concerning his servant Sidney Rigdon.

2. And now this is the answer of the Lord concerning him:

3. Behold, verily, my servant Sidney Rigdon rebelleth against me, and hath rebelled against me for a long time; and I was grieved with him, yet I felt after him and had compassion on him and remembered his faith and his labors, and reproved him by my Spirit and by afflictions and by judgments, but he would none of my reproofs. Satan troubleth him, and he hath sought to establish his own work and not mine; for Satan inspireth him thereto, and hath entered into him, and giveth him thoughts and dreams and visions. Therefore he shall not stand in his Presidency; for I do take his office from him, and give it unto one who will serve me.

4. Therefore, my servant George J. Adams shall be one of the First Presidents of my Church, to stand instead of Sidney Rigdon, to assist my servant James J. Strang in the Presidency of my Church, that my word may go forth to the ends of the earth and to all the nations thereof, to the Gentiles first and then to the Jews; for the day cometh, and is near at hand, when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power in converting the heathen and the house of Ephraim and the house of Manasseh to the gospel of their salvation.

5. And the fulness of the unpolluted gospel shall go forth to all nations, and the unpolluted words of the prophets who are in their graves shall be spoken again to men on earth, that they may know that I am God, and there is none else.

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SECTION 14

A Revelation, concerning William Marks and young Joseph Smith, given on 11-6-1846.

1. On the sixth day of November, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-six, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet James, saying, Because my servant Aaron hath not been faithful in his calling to stand up and give counsel unto thee, and to hold up thy hands as a faithful Counsellor unto thee, but hath set himself up to teach by revelation in my Church, and hath yielded himself unto evil doers to contend against thee, and to bind thee with bands that thou should not speak my words, and hath weakened thy hands and borne them down; therefore shall he not be any more thy Counsellor.

2. For he abideth not in his wisdom which I gave unto him, and hath turned his thoughts unto foolishness, and hath become a stumbling block unto many who are afar off by his follies. And because he will not hearken unto my words to do them, but speaketh evil of the truth; therefore is my hand upon him to remove him, lest he lead my people astray that they enter not into my rest, and wrath, indignation, and overwhelming destruction fall upon him, and there be none to deliver.

3. And because my servant William Marks loveth me with full purpose of heart, and seeketh unto me to serve me; therefore shall he be Counsellor unto thee instead of my servant Aaron, and shall assist thee by his counsels and by his wisdom which I have given unto him in establishing a stake of Zion at Voree, and in lengthening the cords and strengthening the stakes of Zion, that my work may no longer be delayed and hindered, because my servant Aaron doeth it not; for I the Lord will accomplish mine own work in mine own time, and I will set up the faithful and remove the unbelieving as to me seemeth good, for none shall hinder me.

4. And if my servant William will be a faithful Counsellor, then will I sustain him and lift him up, and by his hands the poor shall prosper. And the words which I speak unto thee, shall thy Counsellors speak in the ears of my people, and they shall teach them in wisdom; for through thy ministration, by means of the keys I have given thee, shall my words be given, and thou and thy Counsellors shall proclaim it unto my people and to the nations of the earth, teaching all my words as thou shalt give unto them, even as thou receive them from me.

5. And thou shalt take my servant Joseph Smith, the son of the prophet Joseph, who was slain by the hands of wicked men, for he hath been consecrated unto me in his infancy, and thou shalt anoint him with oil, and shalt lay thy hands upon him, and ordain him, and shalt set him in the Presidency as one of the First Presidents of my Church. For he is filled with the Holy Ghost and with wisdom, and my covenant with his father will I keep with him and with his posterity after him, if they serve me. And I will exalt him in strength and might and majesty, and he shall be President and Patriarch in the true Israel of faith in these last days, even as was my servant Hyrum, whose blood with the blood of my servant Joseph crieth unto me for vengeance continually.

6. And in his youth my servant William Marks shall assist him, and uphold him, and be in all things a Coadjutor unto him in the First Presidency of my Church. Let my servant William therefore take heed unto his ways, that he give unto him wise counsel, and build him up in righteousness, and hold up his hands, and admonish him of every evil; for if he do this, my arm shall sustain him forever, and my grace shall be sufficient for him in the day when all mine come unto me. Yea, I will do good unto him both in this world and in that which is to come, and will remember his posterity after him forever, because he showeth kindness unto the fatherless. And the voice of my servant Joseph shall be a witness unto me against the nations.

7. And his mother Emma shall be a counsellor unto him, for I am with her and have delivered her from the hands of her enemies, that I may exalt her to stand in her lot among the saints in my holy place. She loveth him tenderly, and because she hath set her heart to righteousness, and resisteth evil doers; therefore shall she watch over him, and in life or in death shall she observe his ways to do good unto him. She hath been faithful unto me in many perils, and in much tribulation. Therefore will I remember her in the days to come. She shall abide in her standing, and the holy unction which hath been placed upon her shall not depart from her. Amen.

8. And unless my servant Aaron make speed to humble himself before me, and cease to deny my words, I will stretch out my hand upon him, and he shall be brought very low, and none shall heed him or do good unto him. And he shall know that I am God. But if he will return unto me, and hearken to my words, I will again raise him up, and remember the works which he hath done in the times that are past, and his patience and his faith. And I will raise him up, and his voice shall be heard again on the mountains and in the valleys, and he shall sit in the councils of honorable men in the house of Israel; and I will give him wisdom again, as I gave him wisdom in days that are past, and he shall serve me forever.

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SECTION 15

An Extract from a Revelation, concerning Kirtland, given on 12-21-1846.

1. Because Kirtland is filled with unbelief and apostasy; and those who have gathered there and taken my name upon them regard not my word, and hearken not to my law, neither observe my counsel nor hear the words of my prophets, but have altogether rejected mine anointed, done violence to the truth, refused my word, and rebelled against my law and mine authority; therefore shall Kirtland be a waste and a desolation, a den of wickedness, and a habitation of the unfaithful, the unbelieving, and the rebellious. And the desolation thereof shall continue, nor shall it be cleansed of its uncleanness until they who have polluted it be utterly destroyed therefrom; for they seek continually to deceive and to be deceived, and will neither be faithful themselves nor suffer others to become pure in their midst. And they seek the establishment of their own will rather than mine, but they shall be utterly confounded, and their desolation shall increase and become heaps, and their substance shall waste, and their houses shall fall, and their land shall fail of its increase, and the waters thereof shall dry up.

2. There shall Satan's seat be, and there shall be the gathering of unclean things, for they will not obey me. And their power, and their authority, and their blessings, I take from them, that I may bestow them upon another people whom I will call together; and from the midst of Kirtland will I call all who will turn unto me and serve me, that they may escape its curses. Let all my saints flee from Kirtland as from a desolating scourge, and let them not gather there; for it is no longer a stake for the curtains of the strength of Zion, but is a rent and a weakness and a nakedness of unbelief.

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SECTION 16

A Revelation, concerning the Church and the Order of Enoch, given on 1-7-1849.

1. Hearken, O ye saints, and give ear; for the time to favor Zion is at hand, and the day of her redemption draweth near. Draw near unto me and learn, for the ways of man are foolishness before me. Behold, ye shall be one; and if ye are not one, ye are none of mine. And ye shall all speak the same thing. Ye are cursed; ye are confounded, because ye have many tongues, like unto Mystery Babylon, and many are running to and fro, speaking in their own wisdom, which is folly before me. By their speech gross darkness filleth the minds of the people. Those whom I have called to preach the gospel to the nations, have left serving me to contend against mine anointed, and I have not strengthened them, neither has their work prospered. They have only accomplished to scatter, and their evil ways follow them.

2. But I have a few names left in Voree who have not denied my word, nor rebelled against mine authority, nor done despite to mine anointed. And they shall be mine when I come to be glorified on earth. And there are a few in the Isles of the North who have not denied my name. When dominion is given to the saints, I will remember their works. Nevertheless, as a people, ye have been slack in serving me. Ye have broken my commandments, and despised mine authority, and my precepts have been to you a vain thing. Ye are a stiff necked and rebellious people, who delight in your own vanities, and prefer your lusts to the chief of the things which God giveth. But such of you as draw near unto me, I will draw near unto them, and will save them. I have given you good gifts, and you have consumed them upon your lusts; I have chastised you, and ye have taken my name in vain; I have called you together to enjoy the blessings of my people, and ye have not heeded my call; I have revealed my authority to those that gathered, and they have spurned it; I have appointed shepherds unto you, and ye have despised them, and have walked in your own ways, where they did not lead you; and because of your rebellious hearts are you blind and deaf, that seeing you perceive not, and hearing you understand not.

3. Ye have robbed me in tithes and in offerings, and have been slothful in building a house unto my name, that I may dwell in it, and in building a tower of strength for the defense and the dwelling of Zion. Come now, therefore, and bring in your tithes, and build a house unto me, that I may reveal most precious things unto you. And make unto me a freewill offering, for a strong hold upon the Hill of Promise, according to the pattern which I have shown unto my servant James, and of which he has begun to lay the foundation, and I will show all things unto him in their time. And if ye do these things, I will give you strength that your enemies shall not prevail over you, and this shall be your possession. Moreover, I have given you the Islands in the Great Lakes for a possession. There shall you dwell apart from the Gentiles, and none shall make you afraid. For my law shall be kept there, and judgment shall be rendered against those that despise it.

4. If ye will therefore possess these things, remember my law, to keep it. Forget not the precepts which I have given you, but act wisely, according to the wisdom which I have revealed unto you; and despise not my word, for it is not a vain thing. I have given you wisdom, with promise. If ye will not live by it, the promise is not unto you. It is a vain thing for you to witness my word, if ye will not regard it, to live by it.

5. At Voree shall your possessions be purchased with money, and you shall make speed to redeem that which you have purchased. To that end have I blessed you, and you have consumed the blessings on things which are not good for you; yea, even the Order which I have commanded you to establish according to the Order of the church of the first born, have done this. Yet because the chief among them have sought unto me, and have admonished unto faithfulness, and have kept my words, I will yet bless them, and will give them the kingdom, if they abide in well doing.

6. Once more I command all my saints to bring in their tithes, according to the law I have given them, and build a house unto me. Whosoever will not do it, shall not enter into the house of the Lord. Let mine Apostles call on all the saints, both by word and proclamation, to do this thing. And let faithful and chosen ones be sent unto them, to receive of their tithes for this work, and let the work progress from this time forward.

7. And send faithful ones unto the saints, and call on them to make a freewill offering for the tower which I have commanded you to build on the Hill of Promise; and let the same be built, that it may be a habitation and a defense for the saints that shall gather together and keep the Order of Enoch, which I have revealed unto my servants; and let a subscription be circulated, that those who have not sold their possessions and cannot yet gather up their goods to the places appointed, may assist in building the towers of Zion, and may obtain an inheritance among the faithful.

8. And ye shall establish this Order at the stake which I have appointed among the Lamanites, and there shall ye keep it in all your habitations. And I will multiply you, and increase you exceedingly. And those that are strong in my ways, will I make patriarchs and rulers in their tribes, and princes in their houses. Their inheritances shall be appointed unto them, and to their houses, and their posterity after them for a perpetual possession. Let many gather to the Islands which I have appointed for your gathering, that this Order may be kept more perfectly; for there will I give you much possession for an inheritance, if ye will go up and possess it. And such as shall be appointed of the Order of Enoch, by the voice of the Order, shall go up and possess the land, but they shall retain a strong hold at Voree, for it must needs be that they keep a possession there, and my work requires it. And if they do not redeem and preserve it, they must be afflicted with sore affliction. If they are faithful unto me, my strength shall shield them and prosper them.

9. And let this Order be an example unto all, both to the believing and to the unbelieving; for if they do not walk in my ways more perfectly, I will yet cast them off. For the properties of this Order are all mine. He that draws back from this Order, and takes away that which he has consecrated, robbeth me, saith the Lord. Nevertheless, now, ye shall not withhold; for he shall be trodden down by whom I will, in my own time. And ye have polluted yourselves by your excess of flesh which ye have eaten, and by the unclean things and the poisonous drugs which ye have consumed upon your lusts. Behold, ye say ye need these things. But I say they are not good for you. Who is man, that he should prefer himself to God? And for these are ye in debt to your enemies. Except I deliver you, they shall oppress you. But the righteous will I establish, and the wicked will I cast off.

10. Put away covetousness. Remember that all that ye possess is mine. Cast all idlers out of this Order. Let no man call aught his own, nor buy nor sell as though it were his. But let all be the common property of all, as I have given unto you; and let those buy and sell, who are appointed by common consent. And this shall be your inheritance, and the inheritance of your children forever. He that is faithful in this little, shall be made prince of a village, or ruler of a tower; and he that is faithful therein, shall be made patriarch of a tribe, or ruler of many cities in my kingdom.

11. And ye shall not provoke one another. But ye shall console and strengthen one another. Ye shall strengthen the weak; for with kindness and much charity will I give you to prevail, and ye shall save them. And ye shall not contend against one another.

12. Rebel not against my servant James; for I am with him, and I have given unto him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever receiveth me, receiveth him. Whosoever receiveth him, receiveth those whom I have sent. Whosoever heareth not his words, heareth not mine. Whosoever heareth not his words, hearkeneth not to the words of those whom I have sent. For I have made him the chief shepherd of the whole flock on earth. They that are of the flock hear his voice. If not, they go astray to destruction.

13. Behold, I am his friend; for he has been faithful unto me. And the keys which I have given to him shall not be taken from him in this world, neither in the world to come. They that speak evil of him are enemies unto me, saith the Lord. They have given themselves unto lies, and their hearts to wickedness. For he is meeker than Moses, more patient than Job, and has kept himself unpolluted in the midst of the lustful and ungodly till they have departed from him.

14. Ye know not his patience, nor his faith, nor his trials and sufferings. How have ye cast your toil on him? Ye have required him to bring redemption to Zion, and prosperity to you, when ye lifted not your hands. Because he has not done it, many have reviled him and denied my name. But to as many as are faithful, will I give power to become heirs of the kingdom of heaven. And I have a great work for him to do, and with speed shall he do it, if ye uphold him in faith and confidence and prayer. For my hidden word shall be translated, and given to those that will receive it. And I have called him to this work.

15. And if my servant George J. Adams will be his Counsellor, let him come and dwell near unto my servant James, and assist him in presiding, and in the school of the prophets, and in carrying my word to the saints, and to the nations, and to far countries. But let his dwelling be in the inheritance of the saints. If he do this, I will sustain him and will make him a host, and the head of nations.

16. Behold, my servant William Marks has gone far astray in departing from me, yet I give unto him a little space that he may return and receive my word, and stand in his place; for I remember his work that he has done in the time that is past. If he will return and abide faithful, I will make him great, and his possessions shall be great, and he shall possess a city, and his children shall dwell therein; a nation shall call him blessed.

17. And my servants the Apostles have not filled their mission in preaching my gospel to the nations of the earth, but have betaken themselves to their own work. If they had obeyed me, I would have given them a host as the fruit of their labor, and added to them their food, raiment and possessions also. Do I not possess all? And am I impoverished that I cannot reward the faithful? I will provide for him that obeys me, and array him that regards my words.

18. I have protected you from all your enemies; I have turned men's hearts that they should do good unto you, and not persecute you; I have given you a home in a bountiful land; and ye have not done good according to my abundant mercies, nor regarded me according to my loving kindness. But ye have made yourselves like the Gentiles, and have sought your own ways, and not mine. And now turn unto me, all ye my people, lest the disobedient and the rebellious be cut off, and cast out of his possession, and persecution and wrath come on those who are slack in serving me, and I give you chastisement and much sorrow. For your enemies shall be upon you, and ye shall flee before them, if ye turn not to me to be faithful.

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SECTION 17

A Revelation, concerning baptism for the dead, given on 8-9-1849.

1. A revelation from Jesus Christ, according to the power which God appointed unto him; and he sent Elijah the prophet unto his servant James, to make it known unto him, and to command him to cause the living and the dead to hear the word, and to give him power to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Hearken unto me, all ye ends of the earth, saith the Lord God, and give ear and hear, ye depths of the pit, and ye shall live; for I have committed the gospel of the resurrection and of everlasting life to my servants who hold the keys of the dispensation of the last times. Therefore, hearken unto them and obey them, ye that live; that you may obtain honor, and glory, and power, and everlasting life.

2. Behold, I have tried my saints with a great trial, and some have been found faithful; for they have not denied my name, but have remembered my word, and kept my commandments. And because my servants have put away contentions from among them, and have united with one heart and one mind to do the work which I have committed unto them, and with their whole hearts have drawn near unto me to serve me; therefore I appoint unto the saints that there shall be baptisms for the dead at Voree, during their poverty, and until a sufficient time to build a temple unto my name, as I have commanded them. And I sanctify White River unto them, and make it holy for this ordinance, even from the bathing pool unto the water wheel.

3. And I command you, ye saints, saith the Lord, that a record shall be kept among you of all baptisms for the dead; and witnesses shall record their testimonies of all your administrations therein. And the recorder shall be present, and shall be an eye witness of your baptisms; and shall hear with his ears, that he may testify of a truth; that in all your recordings, it may be recorded in heaven; that whatsoever you bind on earth, may be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you loose on earth, may be loosed in heaven. And if more than one recorder be necessary, yet there shall be but one record, to which all the recorders shall bring their testimonies to be recorded.

4. And whosoever acts as recorder, shall be called and ordained to that authority, that what he records may be valid, and may be recorded in the archives of heaven. And let all your records be had in order, that they may be put in the archives of my holy temple, saith the Lord, to be had in remembrance from generation to generation. And no one shall administer baptism for the dead, but he who is appointed thereunto. And all who are called, shall be anointed and ordained to this calling.

5. And these shall be baptized for the dead: all the faithful saints who keep and abide in the Order of Enoch; all who have paid tithing according to my law, for the building of a house unto my name in Voree, and for the upbuilding of my Church; all who from this time forward will and do come up and do these things, striving faithfully to redeem the time, that a house may be speedily built unto my name, wherein I may reveal mysteries, and institute among the saints the ordinances for the endowment of Zion and all her municipals; and all who, standing in the priesthood, have labored faithfully in their several ministries from the time the commandment went forth to build a house unto my name in Voree.

6. And for these shall ye be baptized: every saint according to his right, and in his order, shall be baptized for any deceased husband, wife, posterity, or progenitor, to the third and fourth generation; any brother, or sister, whom he in faith believes has received the gospel in the spirit. Every saint shall be baptized for any relative unto the third and fourth generation; for any person betrothed to him in marriage; for any foster father, mother, brother, sister, or child, who shall be signified to him by tongue, or dream, or vision, or spirit ministering in fire, or angel, or voice from God. And if I will that any of my faithful servants of the Aaronic Priesthood be baptized for any other, I will send my angels to signify it unto them. But unto my servants of the Melchizedek Priesthood will I speak by mine own voice, or minister in fire.

7. And, behold, every Apostle shall be baptized for whosoever shall be committed to him for redemption from death, by my word, saith the Lord, as I reveal my will severally unto them, that they may be saviors of the dead, and may get honor, and glory, and majesty, and dominion unto themselves forevermore; and by their voices will I appoint redemption, and honor, and glory unto whomsoever I will.

8. Behold, my servants Joseph, and Hyrum, and David, and Moses, and many of their fellow laborers in this dispensation, who have gone with them to the pit to preach redemption to the prisoners, have prevailed; and waiting hosts cry unto you that live, continually, saying, How long do ye forget our prison house of darkness, and regard not us who perish continually? Therefore, I have remembered the little flock who have not denied my name, to make them great in my everlasting kingdom, and to give dominion over the dead unto them, saith the Lord.

9. And now let all who are scattered abroad, and all who have robbed me through covetousness, and in tithes and offerings, and all who have neglected to administer in the gospel as I have called them, come, and from this time forward assist my servants who are building a house unto my name, and who are proclaiming my word unto the nations, that they may enjoy this blessing with them; for only they who labor shall receive the reward; and those who labor to build my house, and to proclaim my word, and to establish my kingdom, will I make saviors; and upon mount Zion shall they stand with crowns on their heads.

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Continuing Faith

For baptism for the remission
of sins, it is necessary only to have
faith toward God, and to repent of all sin.

To receive baptism by immersion, contact:

 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Mormon Road and Hwy. 11
Burlington, Wisconsin

(800) 862-5667


 

 

One example of our
concise priesthood lineage

Prophet Joseph Smith, 1829

Ebenezer Page, 1830
(Early Mormon in N.Y., Missouri, brother of John E. Page,
Later an Apostle at Voree, Wis., and Beaver Island)


Elder Wingfield Watson, 1858
(Lived on Beaver Island)

Elder Joseph H. Hickey, 1907
(Son of L.D. Hickey who lived at Palmyra, N.Y., Nauvoo, Ill.,
Voree, Wis., and was an apostle on Beaver Island)


Elder Steve Barany, 1953
(Son-in-law of Joseph H. Hickey, died in 2010 at 95)

Others

 

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© 1996-2011 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  All Rights Reserved.
The First Presidents of this Church were Joseph Smith Jr. 1830-1844, and James J. Strang 1844-1856.
The First Presidency was at Voree, Wisconsin 1844-1850, and St. James (Beaver Island), Michigan 1850-1856.

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