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SECTION 117Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, July 8, 1838, concerning the immediate duties of William Marks, Newel K. Whitney, and Oliver Granger. HC 3:45-46. |
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10—16, They are to forsake littleness of soul, and their sacrifices shall be sacred unto the Lord. |
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1 VERILY thus saith the Lord unto my
servant aWilliam Marks, and also unto my servant Newel K.
Whitney, let them settle up their business speedily and journey from the land
of Kirtland, before I, the Lord, bsend again the snows upon
the earth.
2 Let them awake, and arise, and acome forth, and not tarry, for I, the Lord, command it. 3 Therefore, if they atarry it shall not be well with them.
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4 Let them repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous
desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is aproperty
unto me? saith the Lord.
5 Let the properties of Kirtland be turned out for adebts, saith the Lord. Let them go, saith the Lord, and whatsoever remaineth, let it remain in your hands, saith the Lord. 6 For have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not amade the earth? Do I not hold the bdestinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth?
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7 Therefore, will I not make asolitary places
to bud and to bblossom, and to bring forth in abundance?
saith the Lord.
8 Is there not room enough on the mountains of aAdam-ondi-Ahman, and on the plains of Olaha bShinehah, or the land where cAdam dwelta, that you should covet that which is but the drop, and neglect the more weighty matters? 9 Therefore, come up hither unto the land of my people, even Zion.
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8a or the land where Adam dwelt Here it is a matter of identifying three different locations as the 'or' of the lists indicates. The land of Adam-ondi-Ahman, where Adam spoke with God, and the plains of Olaha Shinehah are two different places, as is also now the other 'or' 'land where Adam dwelt'. This leaves the location of the Land where Adam dwelt still open to speculation as to its size and location. Certainly the 'Plains of Olaha Shinehah' could well be a vast plain territory as the great plains of the mid-west canvases many states. And who is to state just where and how large the 'land where Adam dwelt' is? Elder Bruce R. McConkie must read the 'or' as meaning another name for Adam-ondi-Ahman and the Plains of Olaha Shinehah, for he so stipulates that the land where Adam dwelt and Adam-ondi-Ahman is one and the same. Others have speculated that 'Adam-ondi-Ahman' means 'land where Adam dwelt'. But that does not correlate well with the known words of the phrase 'Adam-ondi-Ahman for Adam means 'man' and Ahman means 'God' so the phrase is something to do with Adam/man 'relations' with God. Just what does 'ondi' mean. If it means 'dwells' then the phrase interprets best to the land where 'Adam dwelt with God' which would make Adam-ondi-Ahman the place of the Garden of Eden. This has been speculated and stated upon. If it means 'spoke with', then the phrase means 'Adam spoke with God' and it could either relate to the Garden of Eden or where Adam was spoken to by God after Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. This latter meaning seems to be supported by the location of 'Tower Hill' and the alter which Adam built to worship God after he had been cast out of the Garden and the Lord eventually again spoke to Adam and sent him messengers and administered the Gospel unto him. | |
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10 Let my servant William Marks be afaithful
over a few things, and he shall be a ruler over many. Let him preside in the
midst of my people in the city of Far West, and let him be blessed with the
blessings of my people.
11 Let my servant Newel K. Whitney be ashamed of the aNicolaitane band and of all their bsecret abominations, and of all his littleness of soul before me, saith the Lord, and come up to the land of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and be a cbishop unto my people, saith the Lord, not in the name but in deed, saith the Lord.
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12 And again, I say unto you, I remember my servant
aOliver Granger; behold, verily I say unto him that his
name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation,
forever and ever, saith the Lord.
13 Therefore, let him contend earnestly for the redemption of the First Presidency of my Church, saith the Lord; and when he falls he shall rise again, for his asacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord. 14 Therefore, let him come up hither speedily, unto the land of Zion; and in the due time he shall be made a merchant unto my name, saith the Lord, for the benefit of my people.
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15 Therefore let no man despise my servant Oliver Granger, but let the blessings of my people be on him forever and ever.
16 And again, verily I say unto you, let all my servants in the land of Kirtland remember the Lord their God, and mine house also, to keep and preserve it holy, and to overthrow the moneychangers in mine own due time, saith the Lord. Even so. Amen.
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