Official Proclamations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Upon arrival in Nauvoo, Illinois the Prophet Joseph Smith received Section 124 of the Doctrine and Covenants wherein he was given specific instructions.

Look for what he was instructed to do, and why he was instructed to do it, in the following:

Section 124:2 Your prayers are acceptable before me; and in answer to them I say unto you, that you are now called immediately to make a solemn proclamation of my gospel, and of this stake which I have planted to be a cornerstone of Zion, which shall be polished with the refinement which is after the similitude of a palace.

3 This proclamation shall be made to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president-elect, and the high-minded governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad.

4 Let it be written in the spirit of meekness and by the power of the Holy Ghost, which shall be in you at the time of the writing of the same;

5 For it shall be given you by the Holy Ghost to know my will concerning those kings and authorities, even what shall befall them in a time to come.

6 For, behold, I am about to call upon them to give heed to the light and glory of Zion, for the set time has come to favor her.

7 Call ye, therefore, upon them with loud proclamation, and with your testimony, fearing them not, for they are as grass, and all their glory as the flower thereof which soon falleth, that they may be left also without excuse—

8 And that I may visit them in the day of visitation, when I shall unveil the face of my covering, to appoint the portion of the oppressor among hypocrites, where there is gnashing of teeth, if they reject my servants and my testimony which I have revealed unto them.

9 And again, I will visit and soften their hearts, many of them for your good, that ye may find grace in their eyes, that they may come to the light of truth, and the Gentiles to the exaltation or lifting up of Zion.

10 For the day of my visitation cometh speedily, in an hour when ye think not of; and where shall be the safety of my people, and refuge for those who shall be left of them?

11 Awake, O kings of the earth! Come ye, O, come ye, with your gold and your silver, to the help of my people, to the house of the daughters of Zion.

Two years had passed since Joseph Smith had received official revelation from the Lord which would be recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. Breaking this silence the Lord gave instruction regarding the building up the Church in Nauvoo, but previous even to that he desired that a “solemn proclamation” be given to the rulers and kings of the world explaining the significance of what was about to take place there. This proclamation was to serve as not only a prophetic warning for them, but as a testimony of truth.

The term “proclamation” was specifically used to describe the discourse that would be given. It is interesting to note that in English law, a proclamation is a formal announcement, made under the great seal, of some matter which the King in Council or Queen in Council desires to make known to his or her subjects. I believe that the Lord did not choose this word lightly. The word in and of itself is very symbolic. Using this definition it is to be understood that the King of Heaven and Earth desired a great matter to be declared, and sealed by his power. It also testified of his place of eminence over all other dominions as King of Kings.

There have been other declarations and testimonies given officially by the leaders of the Church over the years but there have been only five “official proclamations”.

The first proclamation was given just a few days previous to the reception of Section 124, on January 15, 1841. The focus of the Proclamation was directed toward the members of the Church scattered abroad. It described the state of the Church in Nauvoo and urged the member to gather there to receive the ordinances of the soon to be finished Temple.

The Proclamation which the Lord required at the hands of the Saints spoken of in Section 124 was not officially written until 1845. It was published in two different pamphlets, one in New York City on April 6, and one in Liverpool, England, on October 22. This Proclamation was written after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. On October 3, 1975 during General Conference, President Ezra Taft Benson quoted portions of this proclamation in his address:

“To the rulers and peoples of all nations, we solemnly declare again that the God of heaven has established his latter-day kingdom upon the earth in fulfillment of prophecies. Holy angels have again communed with men on the earth. God has again revealed himself from heaven and restored to the earth his holy priesthood with power to administer in all the sacred ordinances necessary for the exaltation of his children. His church has been reestablished among men with all the spiritual gifts enjoyed anciently. All this is done in preparation for Christ’s second coming. The great and dreadful day of the Lord is near at hand. In preparation for this great event and as a means of escaping the impending judgments, inspired messengers have gone, and are now going, forth to the nations of the earth carrying this testimony and warning.

“The nations of the earth continue in their sinful and unrighteous ways. Much of the unbounded knowledge with which men have been blessed has been used to destroy mankind instead of to bless the children of men as the Lord intended. Two great world wars, with fruitless efforts at lasting peace, are solemn evidence that peace has been taken from the earth because of the wickedness of the people. Nations cannot endure in sin. They will be broken up, but the kingdom of God will endure forever.

“Therefore, as humble servants of the Lord, we call upon the leaders of nations to humble themselves before God, to seek his inspiration and guidance. We call upon rulers and people alike to repent of their evil ways. Turn unto the Lord, seek his forgiveness, and unite yourselves in humility with his kingdom. There is no other way. If you will do this, your sins will be blotted out, peace will come and remain, and you will become a part of the kingdom of God in preparation for Christ’s second coming. But if you refuse to repent or to accept the testimony of his inspired messengers and unite yourselves with God’s kingdom, then the terrible judgments and calamities promised the wicked will be yours. . . .

“When the voice of warning goes forth it is always attended by testimony. In the great declaration issued by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1845, this is the testimony which was borne, and we who are the apostles today renew it as our witness:

“‘We say, then, in life or in death, in bonds or free, that the great God has spoken in this age.— And we know it .

“‘He has given us the Holy Priesthood and Apostleship, and the keys of the kingdom of God, to bring about the restoration of all things as promised by the holy prophets of old.— And we know it .

“‘He has revealed the origin and the Records of the aboriginal tribes of America, and their future destiny.— And we know it .

“‘He has revealed the fulness of the gospel, with its gifts, blessings, and ordinances.— And we know it .

“‘He has commanded us to bear witness of it, first to the Gentiles, and then to the remnants of Israel and the Jews.— And we know it .

“‘He has also said that, if they do not repent, and come to the knowledge of the truth, . . . and also put away all murder, lying, pride, priestcraft, whoredom, and secret abomination, they shall soon perish from the earth, and be cast down to hell.— And we know it .

“‘He has said, that when . . . the gospel in all its fulness [is] preached to all nations for a witness and testimony, He will come, and all Saints with him, to reign on the earth one thousand years.— And we know it .

“‘He has said that he will not come in his glory and destroy the wicked, till these warnings were given and these preparations were made for his reception.— And we know it .

“‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of his revealed word shall fail to be fulfilled.

“‘Therefore, again we say to all people, Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for remission of sins; and you shall receive the Holy Spirit, and shall know the truth, and be numbered with the house of Israel.’ ”

Two other proclamations were given, one in 1865 emphasizing the established order of the Church and the process for receiving doctrine, and one in 1980 in celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the organization of the Church.

The last official proclamation was given on September 23, 1995, and is better known as the Proclamation to the Church and to the World on Marriage and Family.

I believe that by the limited number of Proclamations that have been given, it shows the importance the Lord places on the instruction contained therein. These truly show how His kingdom is to be established and be directed on the Earth. As they have been labeled “official” it also shows the King has placed His “seal” on them too.

I have provided links to all of the Proclamations individually. If you have not taken the time to read them for yourself I recommend doing it. The instruction contained in each of them is unique and important.

The Family: Under Attack

I have decided that the two best ways to learn how to practice the law of consecration are marriage and family experience. Is it any wonder that both are under attack so fiercely?

Today the most watched talk on BYU Broadcasting was the one given by Julie Beck at the BYU Women’s conference, May 1, 2009. Her talk was called “Nourishing and Protecting Home and Family.”

In her talk she emphasized the doctrine of the family as summarized so beautifully in the Proclamation on the Family. She also explained the theology of the family, or as it is more commonly referred to, the great plan of salvation or happiness. The three pillars of this theology are:

1) The Creation- of this beautiful earth for families.

2) The Fall- as a means for families to grow and increase.

3) The Atonement- as an event that will tie families together forever.

Elder Robert D. Hales explained, “In the beginning, Adam and Eve were married for time and all eternity by the Lord. The organization of the family existed in the heavens before the world was formed and was historically started with Adam and Eve on the earth, as recorded in Genesis. The family will exist eternally.”

Both Adam and Eve had leadership roles in their family as given to them in their assignments. They got their responsibilities by virtue of that celestial marriage and sealing.

Ezra Taft Benson taught that this was the order of the priesthood. He said, “This order is otherwise described in modern revelation as an order of family government. When a man and a women enter into a covenant with God, just as did Adam and Eve, to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout mortality. This order of the priesthood has been on the earth since the beginning and it is the only means by which we can see the face of God and live.”

Sister Beck explained that marriage is an order of the priesthood, which prepares us for the blessing of Eternal life.

Elder David A. Bednar has taught us two important reasons why marriage is essential. “Reason one, is because the natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each other, and therefore men and women are intended to progress together toward exaltation. And reason two, by divine design, both man and woman are needed to bring children into mortality and to provide the best setting for the rearing and nurturing of children.”

Elder Boyd K, Packer said, “The great plan of happiness, revealed to prophets, is a plan for a happy family. It is the love story between husband and wife, parents and children, that renews itself through the ages. Nothing is more important to the Church, and to civilization, than the family.”

Sister Beck very beautifully explained that families are about “us” and “we”, while the world preaches about “I” and “Me”. It is apparent to me that Satan wishes to dissuade us from living the Celestial law of consecration. “Anti-Christ teachings and principles are always Anti-family and that Anti-family teachings and policies are also Anti-Christ.” I believe that Satan wants us to be unwilling to submit and to be proud and unteachable. Families are the place that we learn how to be consecrated to the Lord, by practice daily, in lessons of unselfish behavior and charity to others. It is no wonder the family is under attack, the importance of the lessons learned in the family are Eternal.

Sister Beck then shared a statement from a talk given in 1980 by Spencer W. Kimball, called “Families Can Be Eternal”.

“There are those who would define the family in such a nontraditional way that they would define it out of existence.

We of all people, brothers and sisters, should not be taken in by the specious arguments that the family unit is somehow tied to a particular phase of development a mortal society is going through. We are free to resist those moves which downplay the significance of the family and which play up the significance of selfish individualism. We know the family to be eternal. We know that when things go wrong in the family, things go wrong in every other institution in society.

Furthermore, many of the social restraints which in the past have helped to reinforce and to shore up the family are dissolving and disappearing. The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their families in the midst of the gathering evil around us.”

This was such a testimony for me of how a prophet of God surely saw our day. As a watchman on the tower, he warned us of the attack that would come upon this Eternal unit. Our salvation and exaltation depends on how we view the doctrine of the family.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this amazing talk on the doctrine of the family, please take the time to do it.

The Different Priesthood Roles of Men and Women

The Priesthood is the power by which all things are created, governed, and ultimately redeemed. Women and men both play integral roles in that priesthood responsibility, as delegated to them from the Father. Both are equally needed and important, and are required to fulfill their priesthood obligations as they covenanted to do, they simply have different assignments within that priesthood organization.

The priesthood responsibility of the woman is to provide physical birth. This is fulfilled through the righteous union of the opposite sexes through the sealing power available in the House of the Lord. Thus, as stated in The Family: A Proclamation to The World,

“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose....

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.”

Although some women may not have that sacred blessing of actually experiencing the physical birthing process in this life, ultimately she will be able to fulfill that priesthood responsibility if she remains true and faithful. As a testimony of that fact, she experiences the cleansing power of blood every month and is pronounced “clean”.

Men, on the other hand, have the sacred responsibility of providing an opportunity for “spiritual” birth. This process is done through the administration of the ordinances required to allow the spiritual birthing process to take place, these include faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. This may be referred to as the process of becoming “born again.” When the man faithfully fulfills his priesthood responsibility he “may become clean” as well.

Once the woman and the man have worked “with one heart and one mind”, submitting their will to that of the Father, by performing these sacred priesthood duties, they are then ready to enter the House of the Lord to administer in the “higher” priesthood saving ordinances together.

Thus, neither is the man without the woman or the woman without the man, in the Lord. Both are needed to further the beautiful plan that the Father has made to “bring to pass the immortality and Eternal life” of His children.

The Priesthood is the power by which this is accomplished.

The Family: A Proclamation To The World and Propostion 8 In California

Last Sunday in our Young Adult Branch we had a combined Priesthood and Relief Society lesson on the document, The Family: A Proclamation to the World. I suppose the reason for the lesson with an emphasis on that document may have been brought about because of the recent discussion of Proposition 8 in California, where once again we, as voters, are being asked to redefine the bounds of marriage.

Although I have studied the proclamation in depth, and even been responsible for giving instruction on it in Seminary, I was once again amazed at the magnitude of such a piece of counsel that it is. We proceeded in class to study it paragraph by paragraph to unlock the council that is given inside.

May I first say that I noticed that it is very bold and to the point. Perhaps in past times of study I had not noticed this fact. But, with the divided discussion even amongst members of the church, pertaining to these bold truths, simply because of the recent political involvement, I had a tendency to squirm in my seat. I felt for the kind instructor who was attempting to teach these truths to a group of youth who may be somewhat "foggy" about them.

The Proclamation to the World does not pull any punches. It boldly states that “marriage is between a man and a woman”. It also states that “gender is an essential characteristic of individual pre-mortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” One of the kids raised their hand and asked, “Then do we believe that it is possible for someone to be born in the wrong body?” Isn’t it amazing that years before this question would be asked; a prophet of God gave the answer in a clear and unmistakable way?

I guess the most important thing I discovered by looking at the document once again is that our church is lead by men authorized by the Lord to speak for him. This document is proof of living prophets who could see beyond their day and look into the future, counseling us on what eternal truths are. At the time that the proclamation was issued, these truths were not being challenged as they are today.

Four words stood out to me the most, as I looked though the actual document. They are “declare”, “warn”, and “call upon”. Our dear sweet prophets who saw our day, declared boldly the truth about marriage and family, knowing those truths would be attacked. They then proceeded to “warn” us as a society about the consequences that would be brought about if these truths were to be violated. Then finally they “call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as a fundamental unit of society.”

This last part where they specifically “call upon” us is so prophetic. That has been fulfilled today right before your eyes. We have been asked by our current prophet Thomas S. Monson, to support our previous prophet and more importantly the decisions of the Lord, in a statement which reads,

“We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage.”

The fulfillment of this prophecy is so exact. The wording in the proclamation asks to “promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.” Proposition 8 is exactly one of those measures.

I have observed something that concerns me far greater than even this pressing one of redefining marriage. For those of you who are unaware, there has become a division in the church over this issue. Many express a concern that “the church” has no place in politics and should remain silent on this issue. Many feel that by supporting Proposition 8 we as a church are showing a lack of tolerance and love for Heavenly Fathers children. Many of these arguments and other issues have arisen that have caused a division amongst the saints.

The major issue, as I see it, is a matter of obedience concerning the saints in the church today. It is one involving the foundational principle of testimony. It is testing the saints to the core, to see if in fact they do believe that this Church of Jesus Christ is being led by Him through modern day prophets. It is requiring a proof of that testimony by showing obedience and action. When a prophet of God requests something, we as a church should be unflinching in our resolve to adhere. Can you see the implications of this request going far beyond that of marriage and the family? It is a refining process for the saints as well.

“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” Matthew 25:32-33

“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:30

“Therefore, I must gather together my people, according to the parable of the wheat and the tares, that the wheat may be secured in the garners to possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory when I shall come in the kingdom of my Father to reward every man according as his work shall be;” Doctrine and Covenants 101:65

There is far more at stake here than families, it is the individual.