The radios whine. Your cities will be shambles, your churches in ruins. A relatively few people attend their church services, pay their tithing, serve their fellow men. Immortality is a reality. behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. 59-61). Copyright 2023 My Life By Gogo Goff | Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Doctrine of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, Ezra Taft Benson: A Time of Crisis in America April 1968 General Conference, Eldred G. Smith: Can you endure to the end for two hours? 2:27). Spencer W. Kimball - "Preparedness - the Ten Virgins" . It is a choice land, choice above all other lands 1 Ne. Thou shalt not commit adultery Ex. The scriptures and the prophets have taught us clearly that God, who is perfect in his attribute of justice, is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). The Miracle of Forgiveness Quotes by Spencer W. Kimball - Goodreads But real as these challenges are, all of you need to drink in deeply the gospel truths about the eternal nature of your individual identity and the uniqueness of your personality. ), David was a local boy and was ignored until he could no longer be ignored. Yet this common sin and idolatry run hand in hand. "Heave ho!" True, there are some temporary differences and some constraining circumstances. nor ever shall be. I leave this testimony with you with my love and my blessings. The Miracle of Forgiveness - Wikipedia While the iron curtains rise and thicken, we eat, drink, and make merry. These are eternal differenceswith women being given many tremendous responsibilities of motherhood and sisterhood and men being given the tremendous responsibilities of fatherhood and the priesthoodbut the man is not without the woman nor the woman without the man in the Lord (see 1Cor. 10:12, He that fighteth against Zion shall perish 2 Ne. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. How can one see the slackening of traditional moral standards and not notice the decline in decency? But when the cry sounds, there is no time for preparation. Were there ever times when there were more rumors of wars and threats and intrigues? 2:20 It has a tragic and bloody past, but a glorious and peaceful future if its inhabitants really learn to serve their God. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity Ether 2:9. Death seems in the future, for at the moment calamity is absent and hunger is not knocking at the door. Bear in mind, dear sisters, that the eternal blessings which are yours through membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are far, far greater than any other blessings you could possibly receive. There were 832 marriages in a single month, and there were 414 divorces. And ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies. (Matthew 24:43-44.) It is not only worth waiting for; it is worth living for! Unfortunately for me, I am in the hospital here in Salt Lake City and will not be present with you in person, but I will be with you in spirit. They are houses, lands, bank accounts, leisure. It was not simply a call to repentance, but it felt like Spencer W. Kimball was raising a prophetic voice effectively saying YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED so as to wash his garments clean from the blood and sins of our generation. President Boyd K. Packer indicated that Elder Kimball felt that his father came to him in this dream to let Spencer know that he approved of his life. (Matthew 24:29-31, 36. ) I am prepared to live or die and need not fear. The cause is not lost. Decadence which grew in the soil of tolerance and permissiveness soon seeks to drive out all of these. Granaries and barns will bulge in seed time and harvest. They are bombs and ships and armaments. Divorce, ever on the increase, jumping from one divorce for thirty-six weddings in Civil War days now has reached somewhere near one to four. After serving in stake presidencies and as a stake president, in 1943 Spencer W. Kimball was ordained an apostle. Nothing less will do under those conditions. They hastened to make up for lost time. Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself. Perhaps they judged Paul by the timbre of his voice or by his style of speech, not the truths uttered by him. For as the . Even the foolish ones trimmed their lamps, but their oil was used up and they had none to refill the lamps. 31:13 Men golf and boat and hunt and fish rather than to solemnize the Sabbath. O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared . Terror is substituted for reason. The lamps then make patterns of joy on the hillside, and the procession moves on toward the house of banqueting, and those without lamps or oil are left in darkness. Time had passed, and he had not come. Early in his childhood, Spencer W. Kimball suffered the pain that comes with the death of loved ones. (Hebrews 10:35-37.) If race tracks were closed on the Sabbath, if gambling ceased, drinking eliminated, work and play confined to week days; if stores were closed and all people went to their sanctuaries truly to worship even as best they know; if taverns never opened, and transgressors all repented, and broken homes were mended, and children were trained in uprightness; if families all knelt in prayer night and morning, if tithes were paid and integrity and worship reigned in the lives of men, the era of total peace would be ushered in. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Eventually, sweating and straining and puffing, we pulled the catch up on the sand. President Kimball was an instrument in the Lords hands to bring about these and other progresses, and through his devoted and loving leadership the lives of countless Saints, then and now, have been blessed. It was the most monumental and celebrated revelation in the Church in its time. (Matthew 13:47-48.) All kinds of fish were caught, big and little, fat and snakelike. We were in Hamilton, New Zealand, for a large conference with the Saints. Now, too late, they were becoming conscious of the tragedy of unpreparedness. In the daytime, wise and unwise seemed alike; midnight is the time of test and judgmentand of offered gladness. I'll never forget an experience that Sister Nelson and I had about three decades ago with President Spencer W. Kimball and his beloved Camilla. How good God has been to us all in blessing us with these answers and assuranceseven though these truths place upon us serious and everlasting obligations. The masses of the people are much like those who escaped destruction in the ancient days of this continent. President Kimball commissioned extensive study of the scriptures in regard to the matter, and after hearing from Elder Bruce R. McConkie that there was nothing in the scriptures to necessitate the restriction, he made it a matter of fervent and exhaustive prayer in the temple. But even then wickedness did not lessen, men did not learn lessons. We understand further that as families are raised, the talents God has given you and blessed you with can often be put to effective use in additional service to mankind. From that humble beginning has grown a worldwide organization that has touched the lives of millions of people. He oversaw reorganization of the structure of the Church to accommodate extensive growth and globalization. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. These excuses for rejection of the prophets are poor excuses. My beloved brethren and sisters, this is a momentous time. Numerous mothers prefer the added luxuries of two incomes to the satisfactions of seeing children grow up in the fear of God Deut. The dignity and self-esteem that honest work produces are essential to happiness. There is no greater and more glorious set of promises given to women than those which come through the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ. I know that God lives, that Jesus is his Only Begotten Son, the Redeemer of the world, and that this is the Church of Jesus Christ, with him as its head. It must not be passed over. Let us assume the counsel given applies to us, to me. (See Jacob 1:19). Your dead bodies will be piled upon the materialistic things you sought so hard to accumulate and save. Ponder upon these great truths, especially in those moments when (in the stillness of such anxiety as you may experience as an individual) you might otherwise wonder and be perplexed. We had full equality as his spirit children. That night the Lord saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib and his 185,000 troops who did not live the night through to attack 2 Kgs. Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4.) Everybody expresses opinions, but few approach the real cause or the real cure. (Luke 12:19-20.) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.8. and to hear all the other brethren who have given of their rich lives? He gave the parable of the rich young fool who, in the feeling of temporal security, razed his inadequate barns and built greater ones in which to store his fruits and goods. There will be rationing and a scarcity of food and hunger sore. The first area presidents outside of the United States and Canada were also set apart. The righteous were saved in Enochs day and the wicked were drowned in the flood. He goes through an immense personal struggle and emerges victorious. 9:13. Trusting in the Lord: My Greatest Education The Maginot Line in France, these forts thought to be so strong and impassable, were violated as though they were not there. We note the increasing coarseness of language and understand how Lot must have felt when he was, according to Peter, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. (2Pet. The Miracle of Forgiveness. 20:15 italics added). This America is no ordinary country. 20:8 italics added). . It seems that rather than fast and pray, we prefer to gorge ourselves at the banquet tables and drink cocktails. Ve, inc. 1 some special things here that are left undone by other institutions. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. In Tennyson's poem "Guinevere," the queen, repenting her infidelity, recognizes that the harm she has caused cannot be undone: I should like first to pay special tribute to the divinely inspired Primary organization of the Church. Instead of responding to Pauls message, some saw his bodily presence as weak and regarded his speech as contemptible. ye cannot enter now. We have been commanded to follow the signs of the times and that is all the warning we need or will be given, but the membership is asleep. We are led by revelation. "It's not possible that the problems of this world be resolved by the pesimists and sceptics whose horizons are guided by the obvious realities. He is undeviating in his purposes and is clever and relentless in his pursuit of them. . "Be Ye Therefore Perfect" | Spencer W. Kimball - YouTube How can one witness so many of those who ought to be good examples becoming bad examples and not cry out? Spencer W. Kimball was President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints when this devotional address was given at Brigham Young University on 10 October 1975. The people have ignored him, disbelieved him, failed to follow him. It was never baptized by fire, for that is still to come. 4 Miraculous Stories from President Nelson's Life - LDS Living Instead of disciplining ourselves, we yield to urges and carnal desires. The householder said: 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. The following year also brought an important development: the King James Version of the Bible was released with an inclusion of LDS study aids. It is the humble Primary leaders who through their teaching and personal example instill in the hearts and minds of these wonderful little children, in their sensitive and formative years, love for the Savior, the Church, and for its leaders. They were fools, these five unprepared virgins. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy Ex. . By President Spencer W. Kimball From an address delivered to the Young Presidents organization, Sun Valley, Idaho, 15 January 1977 Spencer W. Kimball, "Jesus: The Perfect Leader," Ensign, Aug. 1979, 5 There are far more things to be said about the Lord Jesus Christ's remarkable leadership than The Kimball family moved and Spencer grew up there. I have listened to over 4500 general conference talks. When I heard each one of them say, I have put everything I own or ever have owned upon the altar; its there for the Lord or his servants to identify and to call upon, that pleased me because we know there is still faith in the Church, in Zion, among the youth, and among the young people who are growing up in this church. Few live up to the truth they know. I was thrilled to hear all the Brethren speak. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. Each began as an appetite that needed to be checked but which went unchecked. PDF The Second Century of Brigham Young University With bulging eyes and gasping mouths they struggled. Experience is a dear teacher but fools will learn by no other. But we continue on in our godlessness. It is a capitulation to the carnal in man and a rejection of joy and beauty in this life and in the world to come. (D&C 45:56-58.). Spencer W. Kimball reports that David O. McKay had said "that in his view homosexuality was worse than heterosexual immorality; that it is a filthy and unnatural habit." (20) 1959- Advise and Consent published. 1:26.). Spencer W. Kimball: A Prophetic Warning To the World - Oct. 1961 Let others selfishly pursue false values, but God has given to you the tremendous tasks of nurturing families, friends, and neighbors, just as men are to provide. By President Spencer W. Kimball Read by his wife, Sister Camilla Kimball My beloved sisters: I have been looking forward for months to the pleasure of meeting with you dear sisters once again in a worldwide conference of the women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was baptized by water, and its sins were washed away. . 20:7 italics added). Too late, too late! He gave us the parable of the farmer who sowed good seed in his ground but whose enemy planted tares in the field. It was consecrated as a land of promise to the people of the Americas, to whom God gave these great promises: It will be a land of liberty to its people 2 Ne. He has said, I will fight your battles D&C 105:14 But his commitment is on condition of our faithfulness. (Matthew 24:21-22.) May the Lord continue to bless and prosper the Primary organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, together with all the other organizations who are doing comparable work. So long had it been since they began expecting him that they were rationalizing that he would never appear. Thus misery achieves a ghastly monument. The ways of the world will not prevail, for the ways of God will triumph. His mind is wandering. I bear testimony to the divinity also of this great work which is the greatest thing in the world, as was said by one of the Brethren. How can one share attitudes or chastity, or the experience of a mission? This release was followed up in 1981 by a new edition of the triple combination (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price). Certainly, the fig tree is shooting forth its leaves and the summer is nigh and the signs of the times presage the harvest with its separation of the righteous and unrighteous. been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord 2 Ne. Finally, in 1978 he announced that he had received a revelation which extended the holding of the priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church, also extending temple blessings regardless of race. We can transform, but will we? This talk is AMAZING. "Rationalizing is the bringing of ideals down to the level of one's conduct. They are chosen from among the people, not transported from another planet, dramatic as that would be! The book spent 102 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. How special it is for Latter-day Saint women to be given the lofty assignments they have been given by our Father in Heaven, especially those of you who have been privileged to be born in this part of this last dispensation. 2:7.) I was not a General Authority at that time. I have heard President JosephF. Smith and all who have followed him up to now. (Matthew 13:30.) They suffered the fulfillment of every dire prophecy. Will we ever turn wholly to God? Those who seem to flout the institution of marriage, and who regard chastity before marriage with fidelity after as old-fashioned, seem determined to establish a new fashion on their own and impose it upon others. Feeling a special love and concern for those in the lands of the Book of Mormon, President Kimball conducted several area conferences in South America. PDF Marriage and Divorce When they have belatedly sought to fulfill the requirements and finally reach the hall, the door is shut. As the grandson of Heber C. Kimball and the son of a mission and stake president, Spencer W. Kimball grew up learning of and meeting prophets and apostles. At midnight! Can they not see that, pushed by pleasure, they will become more and more distant from joy? Regardless of your particular circumstances, as you become more and more familiar with the truths of the scriptures, you will be more and more effective in keeping the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. The sun was shining and life moved forward as usual. Absolute Truth - Spencer W. Kimball - BYU Speeches The trouble with rejecting the prophets because they lack prestige is that Paul, who knew something of rejection, forewarned us when he said, speaking of the work of God, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. (1Cor. (See D&C 1:30.) Yet These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the Lord made between him and the children of Israel in Mt. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just. There were 364 temple marriages, and of the temple marriages about 10 percent were dissolved by divorce. The late Elder JohnA. Widtsoe wrote: The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. . The Lord has given us this parable as a special warning. The Second Century of Brigham Young University | BYU Speeches Yet today we worship the gods of wood and stone and metal. Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. But to what extent have we repented? . Jesus was also met with the question, Is not this the carpenters son? (Matt. Bombs are detonated. The trees will be without fruit and the fields without verdure. Ye shall dwell in your land safely and none shall make you afraid. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. We read the headlines. The floods came, the disobedient were drowned. Too late, too late, ye cannot enter now. Spencer W. Kimball | BYU Speeches The outlook is bleak, but the impending tragedy can be averted. While armies are marshaled and march and drill and officers teach men how to kill, we continue to drink and carouse as usual. Spencer Woolley Kimball was born in Salt Lake City, March 25, 1895, one of 11 children born to Andrew and Olive Kimball. So often the prophets have been rejected because they first rejected the wrong ways of their own society. The wise had to go, else the bridegroom would have gone unwelcomed. President Kimball once had a powerful dream about his deceased father Within those great assurances, however, our roles and assignments differ. It has had shorter periods of good health, but longer ones of ailing. He served in the Quorum of the Twelve for thirty years and became the president of the Church in 1973. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and differentin happy waysfrom the women of the world. Like. Fear would vanish, and enemies would be subdued. Jesus Christ our Lord is under no obligation to save this world. I am confident there is not one within the sound of my voice who has not had his or her life influenced for good by the teachings of the devoted officers and teachers of this Primary organization. And your people will be scattered among the nations as slaves and bondsmen. We have the general warning that comes from these world conditions, but we have no precise timetable. Noah warned people that they must repent - Church News I beg of you to listen and act, in the name of Jesus Christ. Precisely at the darkest hour, when least expected, the bridegroom came. May I stress again the value of reading the addresses given at our general conferences in the Ensign magazine. They are boats, cars, and luxuries. We are greatly heartened by your presence not only tonight but in this portion of this dispensation wherein your talents and spiritual strength are so desperately needed. Their examples helped him gain a testimony of their callings as ministers of Jesus Christ. Remember, too, as we focus on the glories and importance of family life here, that all of us belong to the eternal family of our Father in Heaven. Spencer W. Kimball at College - Brigham Young University These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. The spring of the year reminds us, too, of the need to garden so that we can produce some of our own food as well as flowers to beautify our yards and our neighborhoods. The pioneers thought it would be soon and watched for signs; our grandparents watched for the sprouting of the fig tree; our parents watched for the reddening of the sky; and we ourselves have heard all our lives that the Second Coming is near.