"And it came to pa.s.s, that there came a voice again unto the people, and all the people did hear, and did witness of it, saying, O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob; yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you. And again, how oft would I have gathered you, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel; ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you, as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not. O, ye house of Israel, whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart. But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate, until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers.
"And now it came to pa.s.s, that after the people had heard these words, behold, they began to weep and howl again, because of the loss of their kindred and friends. And it came to pa.s.s that thus did three days pa.s.s away. And it was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pa.s.s away, and the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive, did cease, and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer. And thus far were the Scriptures fulfilled, which had been spoken by the prophets."
Here, then, is an account which shows, clearly and definitely, how and when the American antiquities became buried; how the stumps of trees were placed eighty or ninety feet under ground; how cities were sunk, and overwhelmed; how mountains fell and valleys rose; how the rocks were rent, and how the whole face of the continent became altered and deformed. We now close this subject by saying to all the people, if you wish information on the antiquities of America; if you wish historical, prophetical, or doctrinal information of the highest importance, read carefully the Book of Mormon.
CHAPTER V.
THE RESURRECTION OF THE SAINTS, AND THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHETS.
This is one of the most important subjects upon which the human mind can contemplate; and one perhaps as little understood, in the present age, as any other now lying over the face of prophecy. But, however neglected at the present time, it was once the groundwork of the faith, hope, and joy of the Saints. It was a correct understanding of this subject, and firm belief in it, that influenced all their movements. Their minds once fastening upon it, they could not be shaken from their purposes; their faith was firm, their joy constant, and their hope like an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, reaching to that within the veil. It was this that enabled them to rejoice in the midst of tribulation, persecution, sword, and flame; and in view of this, they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and gladly wandered as strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they sought a country, a city, and an inheritance that none but a saint ever thought of, understood, or even hoped for.
Now, we can never understand precisely what is meant by restoration, unless we understand what is lost or taken away; for instance, when we offer to restore anything to a man, it is as much as to say he once possessed it, but had lost it, and we propose to replace, or put him in possession of, that which he once had; therefore, when a Prophet speaks of the restoration of all things, he means that all things have undergone a change, and are to be again restored to their primitive order, even as they first existed.
First, then, it becomes necessary to take a view of creation, as it rolled in purity from the hand of its Creator; and if we can discover the true state in which it then existed, and understand the changes that have taken place since, then we shall be able to understand what is to be restored; and thus, our minds being prepared, we shall be looking for the very things which will come, and shall be in no danger of lifting our puny arm in ignorance, to oppose the things of G.o.d.
First, then, we will take a view of the earth, as to its surface, local situation, and productions.
When G.o.d had created the heavens and the earth, and separated the light from the darkness, His next great command was to the waters, Genesis, i, 9: "And G.o.d said, Let the waters under the heaven, be gathered together into _one place_, and let the dry land appear: and it was so." From this we learn a marvelous fact, which very few have ever realized or believed in this benighted age; we learn that the waters, which are now divided into oceans, seas, and lakes, were then all gathered together, into _one_ vast ocean; and, consequently, that the land, which is now torn asunder, and divided into continents and islands, almost innumerable, was then _one_ vast continent or body, not separated as it now is.
Second, we hear the Lord G.o.d p.r.o.nounce the earth, as well as everything else, very good. From this we learn that there were neither deserts, barren places, stagnant swamps, rough, broken, rugged hills; nor vast mountains covered with eternal snow; and no part of it was located in the frigid zone, so as to render its climate dreary and unproductive, subject to eternal frost, or everlasting chains of ice--
Where no sweet flowers the dreary landscape cheer, Nor plenteous harvests crown the pa.s.sing year.
But the whole earth was probably one vast plain, or interspersed with gently rising hills, and sloping vales, well calculated for cultivation; while its climate was delightfully varied, with the moderate changes of heat and cold, of wet and dry, which only tended to crown the varied year with the greater variety of productions, all for the good of man, animal, fowl, or creeping thing; while from the flowery plain or spicy grove, sweet odors were wafted on every breeze; and all the vast creation of animated being breathed naught but health, and peace, and joy.
Next, we learn from Genesis, i, 29, 30: "And G.o.d said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of _all_ the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree, yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." From these verses we learn, that the earth yielded neither nauseous weeds nor poisonous plants, nor useless thorns and thistles; indeed every thing that grew was just calculated for the food of man, beast, fowl, and creeping thing; and their food was all vegetable.
Flesh and blood were never sacrificed to glut their souls, or gratify their appet.i.tes; the beasts of the earth were all in perfect harmony with each other; the lion ate straw like the ox, the wolf dwelt with the lamb, the leopard lay down with the kid, the cow and bear fed together, in the same pasture, while their young ones reposed, in perfect security, under the shade of the same trees; all was peace and harmony, and nothing to hurt nor disturb, in all the holy mountain.
And to crown the whole, we behold man created in the image of G.o.d, and exalted in dignity and power, having dominion over all the vast creation of animated beings, which swarmed through the earth, while, at the same time, he inhabits a beautiful and well watered garden, in the midst of which stood the tree of life, to which he had free access; while he stood in the presence of his Maker, conversed with Him face to face, and gazed upon His glory, without a dimming veil between. O reader, contemplate, for a moment, the beautiful creation, clothed with peace and plenty; the earth teeming with harmless animals, rejoicing over all the plain; the air swarming with delightful birds, whose never-ceasing notes filled the air with varied melody; and all in subjection to their rightful sovereign, who rejoiced over them; while in a delightful garden--the capitol of creation, man was seated on the throne of this vast empire, swaying his sceptre over all the earth with undisputed right; while legions of angels encamped round about him, and joined their glad voices in grateful songs of praise, and shouts of joy; neither a sigh nor groan was heard throughout the vast expanse; neither were there sorrow, tears, pain, weeping, sickness, nor death; neither contentions, wars, nor bloodshed; but peace crowned the seasons as they rolled, and life, joy, and love reigned over all G.o.d"s works. But, O, how changed the scene!
It now becomes my painful duty to trace some of the important changes which have taken place, and the causes which have conspired to reduce the earth and its inhabitants to their present state.
First, man fell from his standing before G.o.d, by giving heed to temptation; and this fall affected the whole creation, as well as man, and caused various changes to take place; he was banished from the presence of his Creator, and a veil was drawn between them, and man was driven from the garden of Eden, to till the earth, which was then cursed for his sake, and should begin to bring forth thorns and thistles; and with the sweat of his face he should earn his bread, and in sorrow eat of it, all the days of his life, and finally return to dust. But as to Eve, her curse was a great multiplicity of sorrow and conception; and between her seed and the seed of the serpent there was to be a constant enmity; it should bruise the serpent"s head, and the serpent should bruise his heel.
Now, reader, contemplate the change. This scene, which was so beautiful a little before, had now become the abode of sorrow and toil, of death and mourning: the earth groaning with its production of accursed thorns and thistles; man and beast at enmity; the serpent slyly creeping away, fearing lest his head should get the deadly bruise; and man startling amid the th.o.r.n.y path, in fear, lest the serpent"s fangs should pierce his heel; while the lamb yields his blood upon the smoking altar. Soon man begins to persecute, hate, and murder his fellow, until at length the earth is filled with violence, all flesh becomes corrupt, the powers of darkness prevail, and it repented Noah that G.o.d had made man, and it grieved him at his heart, because the Lord should come out in vengeance, and cleanse the earth by water.
How far the flood may have contributed to produce the various changes, as to the division of the earth into broken fragments, islands and continents, mountains and valleys, we have not been informed; the change must have been considerable. But after the flood, in the days of Peleg, the earth was divided. See Gen., x, 25. A short history, to be sure, of so great an event; but still it will account for the mighty revolution which rolled the sea from its own place in the north, and brought it to interpose between different portions of the earth, which were thus parted asunder, and moved into something near their present form; this, together with the earthquakes, revolutions, and commotions which have since taken place, have all contributed to reduce the face of the earth to its present state; while the great curses which have fallen upon different portions, because of the wickedness of men, will account for the stagnant swamps, the sunken lakes, the dead seas, the great deserts; witness, for instance, the denunciations of the Prophets upon Babylon, how it was to become perpetual desolations, a den of wild beasts, a dwelling of unclean and hateful birds, a place for owls; and should never be inhabited, but should lie desolate from generation to generation. Witness also the plains of Sodom, filled with towns, cities, and flourishing gardens, well watered; but O, how changed! A vast sea of stagnant water alone marks the place. Witness the land of Palestine; in the days of Solomon, it was capable of sustaining millions of people, besides yielding a surplus of wheat, and other productions, which were exchanged with the neighboring nations; whereas, now it is desolate, and hardly capable of sustaining a few miserable inhabitants. And when I cast mine eyes over our own land, and see the numerous swamps, lakes, and ponds of stagnant waters, together with the vast mountains, and innumerable rough places, rocks having been rent, and torn asunder, from centre to circ.u.mference, I exclaim, Whence all this?
When I read the Book of Mormon, it informs me, that while Christ was crucified among the Jews, this whole American continent was shaken to its foundation, that many cities were sunk, and waters came up in their places; that the rocks were all rent in twain; that mountains were thrown up to an exceeding height; and that other mountains became valleys; the level roads spoiled, and the whole face of the land changed. I then exclaim, These things are no longer a mystery; I have now learned to account for the many wonders, which I everywhere behold, throughout our whole country. When I am pa.s.sing a ledge of rocks, and see they have all been rent and torn asunder, while some huge fragments are found deeply imbedded in the earth, some rods from whence they were torn, I exclaim, with astonishment, These were the groans! the convulsive throes of agonizing nature! while the Son of G.o.d suffered upon the cross!
But men have degenerated, and greatly changed, as well as the earth.
The sins, the abominations, and the many evil habits of the latter ages, have added to the miseries, toils, and sufferings of human life.
The idleness, extravagance, pride, covetousness, drunkenness, and other abominations, which are characteristics of the latter times, have all combined to sink mankind to the lowest state of wretchedness and degradation; while priestcraft and false doctrines have greatly tended to lull mankind to sleep, and cause them to rest infinitely short of the powers and attainments which the ancients enjoyed, and which are alone calculated to exalt the intellectual powers of the human mind, to establish n.o.ble and generous sentiments, to enlarge the heart, and to expand the soul to the utmost extent of its capacity.
Witness the ancients conversing with the Great Jehovah, learning lessons from the angels, and receiving instruction by the Holy Ghost, in dreams by night, and visions by day, until at length the veil is taken off, and they are permitted to gaze, with wonder and admiration, upon all things past and future; yea, even to soar aloft amid unnumbered worlds, while the vast expanse of eternity stands open before them, and they contemplate the mighty works of the Great I AM, until they know as they are known, and see as they are seen.
Compare this intelligence with the low smatterings of education and worldly wisdom which seem to satisfy the narrow mind of man in our generation; yea, behold the narrow-minded, calculating, trading, overreaching, penurious sycophant of the nineteenth century, who dreams of nothing here, but how to increase his goods, or take advantage of his neighbor; and whose only religious exercise or duties consist of going to meeting, paying the priest his hire, or praying to his G.o.d, without expecting to be heard or answered, supposing that G.o.d has been deaf and dumb for many centuries, or altogether stupid and indifferent like himself. And having seen the two contrasted, you will be able to form some idea of the vast elevation from which man has fallen; you will also learn how infinitely beneath his former glory and dignity he is now living, and your heart will mourn, and be exceedingly sorrowful, when you contemplate him in his low estate--and then think he is your brother; and you will be ready to exclaim, with wonder and astonishment: "O man! how art thou fallen! Once thou wast the favorite of heaven; thy Maker delighted to converse with thee, and angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, were thy companions; but now thou art degraded, and brought down to a level with the beasts; yea, far beneath them, for they look with horror and affright at your vain amus.e.m.e.nts, your sports, and your drunkenness, and thus often set an example worthy of your imitation. Well did the Apostle Peter say of you, that you know nothing, only what you know naturally as brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed. And thus you perish, from generation to generation, while all creation groans under its pollution; and sorrow and death, mourning and weeping, fill up the measure of the days of man!" But, O my soul, dwell no longer on this awful scene! let it suffice to have discovered, in some degree, what is lost. Let us turn our attention to what the Prophets have said should be restored.
The Apostle Peter, while preaching to the Jews, says: "And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive, until the times of the rest.i.tution (restoration) of all things which G.o.d hath spoken, by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." It appears from the above, that all the holy Prophets from Adam to Christ, and those that followed after, had their eyes upon a certain time, when all things should be restored to their primitive beauty and excellence. We also learn, that the time of rest.i.tution was to be at or near the time of Christ"s second coming; for the heavens are to receive Him, until the times of rest.i.tution, and the Father shall send Him again to the earth.
We will now proceed to notice Isaiah, xl, 1-5. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your G.o.d. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord"s hand, double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our G.o.d.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and tho glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
From these verses we learn, first, that the voice of one shall be heard in the wilderness, to prepare the way of the Lord, just at tho time when Jerusalem has been trodden down of the Gentiles long enough to have received, at the Lord"s hand, double for all her sins, yea, when the warfare of Jerusalem is accomplished, and her iniquities pardoned. Then shall this proclamation be made as it was before by John, yea, a second proclamation, to prepare the way of the Lord, for His second coming; and about that time every valley shall exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
Thus you see, every mountain being made low, and every valley exalted, and the rough places being made plain, and the crooked places straight--that these mighty revolutions will begin to restore the face of the earth to its former beauty. But all this done, we have not yet gone through our restoration; there are many more great things to be done in order to restore all things.
Our next, is Isaiah, twenty-fifth chapter, where we again read of the Lord"s second coming, and of the mighty works which attend it. The barren desert should abound with pools and springs of living water, and should produce gra.s.s, with flowers blooming and blossoming as the rose, and that, too, about the time of the coming of their G.o.d, with vengeance and recompense, which must allude to His second coming; and Israel is to come at the same time to Zion, with songs of everlasting joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Here, then, we have the curse taken off the deserts, and they becomes fruitful, well-watered country.
We will now inquire whether the islands return again to the continents, from whence they were separated. For this subject we refer you to Revelations, vi, 14. "And every mountain and island were moved out of their places." From this we learn that they moved somewhere; and as it is the time of restoring what has been lost, they accordingly return and join themselves to the land whence they came.
Our next is Isaiah, xiii, 13, 14, where "The earth shall remove out of her place, And shall be as the chased roe, which no man taketh up."
Also Isaiah, lxii, 4: "Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah; for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married."
In the first instance, we have the earth on a move like a chased roe; and in the second place, we have it married. And from the whole, and various Scriptures, we learn, that the continents and islands shall be united in one, as they were on the morn of creation, and the sea shall retire and a.s.semble in its own place, where it was before; and all these scenes shall take place during the mighty convulsion of nature, about the time of the coming of the Lord.
Behold! the mount of Olives rent in twain: While on its top He sets His feet again, The islands, at His word, obedient, flee; While to the north He rolls the mighty sea; Restores the earth in one, as at the first, With all its blessings, and removes the curse.
Having restored the earth to the same glorious state in which it first existed--leveling the mountains, exalting the valleys, smoothing the rough places, making the deserts fruitful, and bringing all the continents and islands together, causing the curse to be taken off, that noxious weeds, and thorns, and thistles shall no longer be produced; the next thing is to regulate and restore the brute creation to their former state of peace and glory, causing all enmity to cease from off the earth. But this will never be done until there is a general destruction poured out upon man, which will entirely cleanse the earth, and sweep all wickedness from its face. This will be done by the rod of His mouth, and by the breath of His lips; or, in other words, by fire as universal as the flood. Isaiah xi, 4, 6-9: "But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion, and the falling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the c.o.c.katrice"s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
Thus, having cleansed the earth, and glorified it with the knowledge of G.o.d, as the waters cover the sea, and having poured out His Spirit upon all flesh, both man and beast becoming perfectly harmless, as they were in the beginning, and feeding on vegetable food only, while nothing is left to hurt or destroy in all the vast creation, the Prophets then proceed to give us many glorious descriptions of the enjoyments of its inhabitants. "They shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them; they shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blest of the Lord, and their offspring with them; and it shall come to pa.s.s, that before they call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear." In this happy state of existence it seems that all people will live to the full age of a tree, and this, too, without pain or sorrow, and whatsoever they ask will be immediately answered, and even all their wants will be antic.i.p.ated. Of course, then, none of them will sleep in the dust, for they will prefer to be translated, that is, changed in the twinkling of an eye, from mortal to immortal; after which they will continue to reign with Jesus on the earth.
Thus we have traced the Prophets through the varying scenes which conspire to restore the earth, and its inhabitants, to that state of perfection in which they first existed, and in which they will exist during the great Sabbath of creation. Having seen all things restored among the living, we will now inquire after those who sleep in the dust; but, in order to understand precisely the nature of their restoration, we must ascertain the particulars concerning the resurrection of Jesus, for He was an exact pattern after which all His Saints will be raised. We recollect, first, that he was clothed upon with flesh, and blood, and bones, like another man, and every way subject to hunger, thirst, pain, weariness, sickness, and death, like any other person--with this difference, that He was capable of enduring more than any other human body. Second, this same body was hung upon the cross, torn with nails, which were driven through His hands and feet, and His side pierced with a spear, from which there came out blood and water. Third, this same body, being perfectly lifeless, like any other corpse, was taken, without a bone being broken, and carefully wrapped in linen and laid in the tomb, where it continued until the third day; when, early in the morning, the women came to the sepulchre, and His disciples also, and found the linen clothes lying useless, and the napkin which was about His head carefully folded and laid by itself, but the body which had lain there was gone.
From all these circ.u.mstances, we discover that the same flesh and bones which were laid in the tomb were actually re-animated, and did arise and lay aside the linen which was no longer needed. And Jesus Christ came forth triumphant from the mansions of the dead, possessing the same body which had been born of a woman, and which was crucified; but no blood flowed in His veins, for blood was the natural life, in which were the principles of mortality, and a man restored to flesh and blood would be mortal, and, consequently, again subject unto death, which was not the case with our Savior, although He had flesh and bones after He arose, for when He appeared to His disciples, and they were afraid, supposing it was only a spirit, in order to show them their mistake, He said: "Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have." And calling for something to eat, He was provided with a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb, and He did eat. And even afterwards, Thomas was invited to put his finger into the prints of the nails in His hands and feet, and to thrust his hand into His side, from which it was evident that He not only possessed the same body, but the same wounds also continued to show themselves for a witness, and will continue until He comes again, when the Jews will look upon Him whom they have pierced, and inquire, "What are these wounds in thy hands and in thy feet?"
O ye hard hearted, ye unG.o.dly children of men! your eyes will very soon behold Him who was crucified for your sins; then shall ye see that the resurrection of the dead is a reality, something tangible, and that eternity is not a land of shades, nor a world of phantoms, as some suppose.
Among other things which Jesus did after the resurrection, we find Him in the humble att.i.tude of broiling fish, and calling His disciples to come and dine. O what simplicity, what love, what condescension!
Wonder, O heavens! Be astonished, O earth! Behold the Redeemer clothed upon with immortality, and yet seated by a fire of coals, in the open air, with His brethren, humbly partaking of a meal of fish, actually prepared by His own hands! O ye great and n.o.ble of the earth, who roll in luxury and refinement! O ye priests, who are loaded with the honors, t.i.tles, dignities, riches, and splendor of the world, here is a lesson for you, which will make you blush: boast no more of being followers of the meek and lowly Jesus!
But to return to the subject of the resurrection. Having proved to a demonstration, that our Savior rose from the dead, with the same body which was crucified--possessing flesh and bones, that He ate and drank with His disciples, it puts the matter forever at rest respecting the resurrection of the Saints. But if more proof were wanting, we have it in the prophecy of Job, quoted in a former part of this work, where he declares that his Redeemer will stand, in the latter-day, upon the earth, and he should see Him in the flesh, though worms should destroy the body which he then had. The fact is, the Saints will again receive their bodies, every joint being in its proper and perfect frame, and clothed upon with flesh, sinews, and skin, like as we now are; the whole being immortal, no more to see corruption, and clothed with a white robe of fine linen, suitable for immortality to wear. Well did the Apostle say, In heaven we have a more enduring _substance_ (not shadow).
But in order to ill.u.s.trate this subject still farther, we will carefully examine Ezekiel x.x.xvii, which we have touched upon before.
In this vision, the Prophet is carried away in the Spirit, and a valley of dry bones is presented before him, and they are very numerous and very dry; and while he stands musing and contemplating the awful scene, a very wonderful question is proposed to him: "Son of man, can these dry bones live?" and he answered: "O Lord G.o.d, thou knowest." And the Lord said: "Son of man, prophesy upon these bones, and say, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." So he prophesied as he was commanded, and, as he prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them.
And again he prophesied to the winds, saying: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live;"
and the breath entered into them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army. We have heard many comments upon this vision; some compare it to sinners being converted, and some to the body of Christ, the Church, when dead as to the spiritual gifts; but the Church becoming dead, can no longer be said to be the body of Christ, as when she abides in the true vine, she lives and bears fruit, and is not dead, and when she does not abide in Him, she is cut off as a branch withered, and burned, instead of rising again. But did you ever hear the Lord"s own explanation of this vision, in the same chapter? It so far surpa.s.ses all other comments, I am inclined to believe it; I will therefore write it in preference to any other, and run the risk of becoming unpopular by so doing. The Lord says: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
Therefore, prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live; and I shall place you in your own land.
Then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord." Thus you have the whole vision unfolded plainly, if the Lord"s authority can once be allowed, which is seldom the case in this age of wisdom and learning. The fact is, all the seed of Israel are to be raised from the dead, and are to be brought into the land of Israel, which was given to them for an everlasting inheritance. And in order to do this, their old dry bones are to be brought together, bone to its bone, and every part of their bodies is to be reinstated; and it will make a great noise, and a wonderful shaking when they come together; and surely when they stand upon their feet they will make an exceeding great army.
This just explains the promise, so oft repeated in Scripture: "My servant David shall be their prince for ever;" indeed this same chapter makes the promise to them, that His servant David shall be raised up, and shall be a prince among them, while the Lord shall be their King; while both they that are alive, and they that are dead, shall be restored, and become one nation, in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; while David comes forth and reigns as a prince and shepherd over them for ever; and the Lord Jesus reigns as King of kings, and Lord of lords, in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.
O glorious day! O blessed hope!
My soul leaps forward at the thought; When in that happy, happy land, We"ll take the ancients by the hand; In love and union hail our friends; And Death and Sorrow have an end.
I now no longer marvel, when I call to mind that Abraham counted himself a stranger and a pilgrim, seeking a better country, and a city whose builder and maker is G.o.d. It seems after this restoration there will be but one more change necessary, in order to fit the earth for man"s eternal inheritance; and that change is to take place at the last day, after man has enjoyed it in peace a thousand years. We have now discovered the great secret, which none but the Saints have understood (but was well understood by them in all ages of the world), which is this, that man is to dwell in the flesh, upon the earth, with the Messiah, with the whole house of Israel, and with all the Saints of the Most High, not only one thousand years, but for ever and ever.