THE APOSTACY, Bible. Isa. xxiv, 2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. [See context.] Dan. vi, 25 And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the Saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times, and the dividing of times. viii. 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce counte nance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people, 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.-[See context.] 1 Tim. iv. 1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. 2 Pet. ii. 1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. [See context.] Rev. xiii. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, say. ing, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Dan. viii. 10 And by him the sanctuary was thrown down.--12 And it cast down the truth to the ground. -xi. 31 And he shall pollute the holy sanctuary.-36 And shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods.-Micah iii. 6 Therefore it shall be night. The seers shall be ashamed.-11 The priests thereof shall preach for hire. iv. 5 Every one shall walk in the name of his God.Matt. xxiv. 11 And many false prophets shall arise.-25 Iniquity shall abound.-Acts xx. 29 Grievous wolves shall enter, sparing not the flock.-30 Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things.-2 Thess. ii. 3 Except there come a falling away first.-Tim. iv. 1 In the latter times some shall depart from the faith.-2 Tim. iii. 1 In the last days perilous times shall come.-iv. 3 They will not endure sound doctrine.-2 Pet. ii. 1 Who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.-Rev. xvi. 6 For they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets.-xvii. 6 1 saw the woman drunk with the blood of the Saints.-14 These shall make war with the Lamb.-xviii. 24 And in her was found the blood of all the Saints. Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi. iii. 40 Thou seest the foundation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold they have taken away from the Gospel of the Lamb, many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away; and all this have they done, that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord; that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men : wherefore thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God; and after these plain and precious things were taken away, it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity; thou seest because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God; because of these things which are taken away out of the Gospel of the Lamb, an exceeding great many do stumble. Nephi vii. 2 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads, for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood. And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. 2 Nephi. xii. 1 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain, and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark; and the blood of the Saints shall cry from the ground against them. Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted. Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up. They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries: they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek, and the poor in heart; because in their pride they are puffed up. They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray, save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless they are led, that in many instances they do err, because they are taught by the precepts of men. 1 Nephi iii. 44 The great and abominable church founded by the devil.-51 All nations belong to the mother of abo minations.-2 Nephi xi. 13 They seek to destroy the things of God.-14 They shall preach up their own wisdom.-15 Has the Lord commanded any to dissent from His Church. 16 In the last days all on the American Continent shall be drunken with iniquity.-xii. 1 They shall teach with their learning, and with their utterance deny the Holy Ghost.3 Yea, they are grasped with death and hell.-Mormon i. 2 The beginning of apostacy on the American Continent. The day of grace was passed.-6 But now they are driven about by Satan, as chaff is driven by the wind. Doctrine and Covenants. Sec. iv. 4 The whole world lieth in sin, and groan. eth under darkness and under the bondage of sin; and by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me; for whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin; and whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me; and by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now. Sec, lv. 1 For verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye are called to lift up your voices as with the sound of a trump, to declare my Gospel unto a crooked and a perverse generation for, behold, the field is white already to harvest: and it is the eleventh hour, and for the last time that I shall call labourers into my vineyard. And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit: and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances, because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds. Pearl of Great Price. Page 6 And the Lord said unto Enoch, as I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah: and the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day shall the heavens be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men.[See O. Spencer's Letters to Rev. W. Crowel, Number 6. P. P. Pratt's Key to Theology, Chapters ii. iii. O. Pratt's Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, Numbers 1, 2, 3. J. Taylor's Gov. of God.] RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE LAST DAYS. Bible. Rev. xiv. 6 I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying, with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come, and worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water. Dan. vii. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Acts ii. 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. Rom. xi. 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. Isa. xi. 10 And in that day there shall be a root which shall stand for an ensign.-xxviii, 21 The Lord shall rise to M |