"The Long Promised Day Has Come

By Timothy Oliver

Spencer W. Kimball announced June 9, 1978 that the Mormon priesthood would be extended to include "every faithful, worthy man in the Church. without regard for race or color." In doing so, he also mentioned a fact that would be very significant to anyone seriously interested in establishing the truth and sincerity of his words, and his new policy. He stated that he was "aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood." In fact, he said awareness of those promises was part of the reason he had "pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance" (Official Declaration - 2).

It seems very strange then, that President Kimball either did not know or did not care that those promises to which he referred contained time elements or conditions that specify when that blessed day was supposed to arrive. Unfortunately for Mr. Kimball's credibility, they do not point to June 9, 1978. In fact, it is acknowledged that they do not point to any exact calendar date. They do, however, make it crystal clear, in relation to the whole schema of man's progress to salvation, where that blessed event would fit. It is a time, at which no one can honestly suppose the world has arrived.

Not only is this another proof ruining Mr. Kimball's credibility as a true prophet of God, the very priesthood authority of the Church is at stake, if not from Brigham Young's time, then at least since June 9, 1978. This is the case, even assuming that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God who actually restored the gospel and priesthood authority to the earth.

>In the quotes below is found ample evidence to show that the time at which blacks were to receive the priesthood was at the very end of the world, when every other child of Adam and Eve had already received the priesthood, or the opportunity to receive it. The following four paragraphs, taken from addresses and sermons by Brigham Young, exemplify the prophet's belief that people of African descent are cursed:

"What is that mark? You will see it on the countenance of every African you ever did see upon the face of the earth,. the Lord told Cain that he should not receive the blessings of the priesthood nor his seed, until the last of the posterity of Abel had received the priesthood, until the redemption of the earth. If there never was a prophet, or apostle of Jesus Christ spoke it before, I tell you, this people that are commonly called negroes are the children of old Cain . they cannot bear rule in the priesthood, for the curse on them was to remain upon them, until the residue of the posterity of Michael and his wife receive the blessings,. until the times of the restitution shall come . Then Cain's seed will be had in remembrance, and the time come when that curse should be wiped off.." (Brigham Young Addresses, Ms d 1234, Box 48, folder 3, dated February 5, 1852, located in the LDS Church Historical Department; quoted in Tanner, Mormonism-Shadow or Reality?, fifth edition, p. 293-A).

"Cain conversed with his God every day, and knew all about the plan of creating this earth, for his father told him. But, for the want of humility, and through jealousy, and an anxiety to possess the kingdom, and to have the whole of it under his own control, and not allow anybody else the right to say one word, what did he do? He killed his brother. The Lord put a mark on him; and there are some of his children in this room. When all the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood, and of coming into the kingdom of God, and of being redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, and have received their resurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity. He deprived his brother of the privilege of pursuing his journey through life, and of extending his kingdom by multiplying upon the earth; and because he did this, he is the last to share the joys of the kingdom of God" (Brigham Young, Dec., 3, 1854, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 142-43).

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race-that they should be the 'servant of servants;' and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree. How long is that race to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon them, and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof. Until the last ones of the residue of Adam's children are brought up to that favourable position, the children of Cain cannot receive the first ordinances of the Priesthood. They were the first that were cursed, and they will be the last from whom the curse will be removed. When the residue of the family of Adam come up and receive their blessings, then the curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will receive blessings in like proportion" (Brigham Young, October 9, 1859, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, pp. 290-91).

"Why are so many of the inhabitants of the earth cursed with a sin [sic] of blackness? It comes in consequence of their fathers rejecting the power of the Holy Priesthood, and the law of God. They will go down to death. And when all the rest of the children have received their blessings in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are entitled to" (Brigham Young, August 19, 1866, Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 272; the context makes it evident that "skin" was intended). Suppose one is determined to believe that both Young and Kimball were true prophets of God, and that the time for the blacks to receive the Mormon priesthood prophesied by Brigham Young has arrived. Then one must also believe that every person born since June 9, 1978, is somehow not related to, not a descendant of, Adam and Eve; the resurrection has already occurred; the redemption of the earth has occurred; and all the descendants of Adam and Eve but those descended through Cain have already received the priesthood and its blessings. If all that is too much to swallow, then one must concede at least one of the following:

Brigham Young was guilty of false prophecy, and thus was a false prophet. All his racist doctrine, if not enough to convince one he was a false prophet to begin with, can be discarded. The priesthood authority, however, even if legitimate under Joseph Smith, has been corrupted since Brigham Young. That means that Kimball, who traced his priesthood ordination lineage back through Brigham Young, received a bogus priesthood himself, and was not a true prophet holding authority to speak in the name of God.
Brigham Young was a true prophet, but his racist teaching was mistaken and should have been discarded. To take this view, however, immediately plunges one into difficulties as great as those it seems to correct. Mormon leaders claim the President of the Church will never lead the Church astray, that God would remove him from his office should he try. If Young's racist doctrines were not true, then he obviously succeeded in leading the Church into nearly 130 years of very serious error. Moreover, his prophecies concerning the time at which the blacks would receive the priesthood, grounded in his false doctrine as they were, are still shown to be false prophecies - false in their very nature, as well as in their failed fulfillment.
Brigham Young was a true prophet, whose racist doctrines were all true and to be believed, and whose prophecies concerning the time at which blacks would receive the priesthood provide a time framework that ought to have been observed. This means that Kimball and all the church leaders who approved his "revelation" were guilty of apostasy, and for their attempt to corrupt the priesthood with the seed of Cain, they lost it all together. By denying the validity of Young's prophecies they denied the power of the priesthood. Though they now carry on with an outward "form of godliness," they have "denied the power thereof." No real priesthood, then, has been transferred to any black, despite the ordinations and laying on of hands, nor will there be until the time prophesied by Brigham Young.

>Young made one other prophecy, which, if one starts with the supposition that he was a true prophet to begin with, throws enormous weight in the favor of the last proposition, above. Young seemed almost to anticipate the very thing that occurred in 1978, even to the manner in which it was carried out. Here is his prophecy (spelling errors intact):

"Let this Church which is called the kingdom of God on the earth; we will sommons the first presidency, the twelve, the high counsel, the Bishoprick, and all the elders of Israel, suppose we sommons them to appear here, and here declare that it is right to mingle our seed, with the black race of Cain, that they shall come in with us and be partakers with us of all the blessings God has given to us. On that very day, and hour we should do so, the priesthood is taken from this Church and kingdom and God leaves us to our fate. The moment we consent to mingle with the seed of Cain the Church must go to destruction, - we should receive the curse which has been placed upon the seed of Cain, and never more be numbered with the children of Adam who are heirs to the priesthood untill that curse be removed" (Brigham Young Addresses, Ms d 1234, Box 48, folder 3, dated February 5, 1852, located in the LDS Church Historical Department; quoted in Tanner, Mormonism-Shadow or Reality? fifth edition, p. 293-A; emphasis added).

Compare the prophecy above both with what Kimball made available to blacks, and with how the Church officially describes what actually occurred in 1978:
"In early June of this year, the First Presidency announced that a revelation had been received by President Spencer W. Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church.. the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple.

"President Kimball . presented it to his counselors, who accepted it and approved it. It was then presented to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who unanimously approved it, and was subsequently presented to all other General Authorities, who likewise approved it unanimously" (Official Declaration - 2; emphasis added). >Thus all the General Authorities of the Church in their several capacities and Quorums joined in agreement to do exactly what President Young declared would, if they ever did it, remove the priesthood from the church and send it to destruction. Persons unable to face the dire consequences to the Church of the facts above may argue that "mingle our seed" and "mingle with the seed" in President Young's prophecy does not mean mingling of individuals together in the Church and priesthood, but miscegenation - mingling of literal seed by racial interbreeding. That, too, however, is approved under the new policy, and black and white racially mixed marriages are performed within Mormon temples. It seems impossible, then, to come to any conclusion other than that the Mormon Church today is without its claimed priesthood authority. The Church never possessed anything of the kind to begin with. Mormons, however, must face the fact that even if the Church once was true, it has nevertheless slipped deep into that sin with which it has always charged Christendom - apostasy.