A Solemn Proclamation

In January of 1841 Joseph Smith was commanded “immediately to make a solemn proclamation of my gospel.” It was to be “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.” The Lord instructed one individual in particular to help write this proclamation: “And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant Robert B. Thompson help you to write this proclamation, for I am well pleased with him, and that he should be with you.” Two others were also commanded to help with the proclamation: “Let [Sidney Rigdon] assist my servant Joseph, and also let my servant William Law assist my servant Joseph, in making a solemn proclamation unto the kings of the earth, even as I have before said unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:2-3, 12, 107). Thompson did in fact produce a draft of the proclamation, but it was not finished and he died on August 27^th of that same year. Later in November 1843 “Joseph Smith instructed Willard Richards, Orson Hyde, John Taylor, and William W. Phelps to write a proclamation to the kings of the earth” (see Doctrine and Covenants Reference Companion). With other priorities it wasn’t until 1845 and after Joseph’s death that the proclamation was finally completed by Parley P. Pratt and published. I have to wonder if at that point in the spirit world Joseph himself didn’t take it to William Henry Harrison, the “president-elect” mentioned in the revelation who was supposed to receive it but who had also died in 1841.    

               In the October 1975 general conference President Ezra Taft Benson (president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the time) spoke about this proclamation to “reaffirm the great truths pronounced in this declaration and that we should proclaim them anew to the world.” He quoted much of the proclamation including the beginning: “To all the Kings of the World; To the President of the United States of America; To the Governors of the several States; And to the Rulers and People of all Nations: Know ye: That the kingdom of God has come: as has been predicted by ancient prophets, and prayed for in all ages; even that kingdom which shall fill the whole earth, and shall stand for ever. The great Eloheem … has been pleased once more to speak from the heavens: and also to commune with man upon the earth, by means of open visions, and by the ministration of Holy Messengers. This High Priesthood, or Apostleship, holds the keys of the kingdom of God, and power to bind on earth that which shall be bound in heaven; and to loose on earth that which shall be loosed in heaven. And, in fine, to do, and to administer in all things pertaining to the ordinances, organization, government and direction of the kingdom of God. Being established in these last days for the restoration of all things spoken by the prophets since the world began; and in order to prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man. And we now bear witness that his coming is near at hand; and not many years hence, the nations and their kings shall see him coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”  

One of the purposes of the revelation was then to declare the coming of Jesus Christ and to urge the world to prepare for His return. Here is how it encourages us to prepare: “Therefore we send unto you with authority from on high, and command you all to repent and humble yourselves as little children, before the majesty of the Holy One; and come unto Jesus with a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and be baptized in his name, for the remission of sins (that is, be buried in the water in the likeness of his burial and rise again to newness of life, in the likeness of his resurrection), and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of the hands of the Apostles and elders, of this great and last dispensation of mercy to man.” That is how we prepare individually, and the world is being prepared as a whole by the gospel going forth to the inhabitants of the earth. The proclamation ends this way: “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.” The gospel must go to all the world, and it is indeed going forth, and our testimony is that this is a crucial part of the preparation for Him to return to the earth to reign for a thousand years. We must each individually repent and be baptized, receiving the Holy Spirit, so we can be ready for that day when He will come in His glory.

We don’t typically give this proclamation to people today in our efforts to share the gospel, but certainly we do share these principles that it proclaims with all who will hear. We rejoice that we have been given in these latter days “the doctrine or gospel of Jesus Christ, in its fulness,” and we still humbly affirm that “it is the only true, everlasting, and unchangeable gospel; and the only plan revealed on earth whereby man can be saved.”