"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the house of the Lord
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
above the hills; and all nations shall flow into it."
Isaiah 2:2-4
By Kevin Graham:
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that this is
indeed the true Church of Christ upon the earth. Because of this statement's boldness,
LDS members have recieved much condemnation. We also believe that there was an apostasy as
I have previously elaborated on in my "Apostasy" article, in which the world was left
without an instituted Church of Christ with his holy priesthood. We believe a restoration of the
original church was needed and prophesied to ocurr. Also we believe that of the
many hundreds of Christian religions that have emerged through the centuries, many if
not all of them contain much light and goodness in them, however the fullness of the gospel
can only be found in the true Church of Christ. For there can be only one Lord, one faith,
and one baptism (Ephesians 4:5). Many ponder as to why there are so many different churches today and one Bible.
Why is it that most churches teach that the Father, Son, and Holy
Gost are all one being substance or essence--three different aspects of the same substance?
The scriptures are clear that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three seperate and distinct
beings.(Matt 3:16-17;Acts 7:55-56.)
Why do some churches teach that God is only a spirit without body when the scriptures teach that
God is a perfect being with a body of flesh and bones? Remember, Christ was raised from the dead
with a body of flesh and bones united with his spirit, never to die again.(Romans 6:9) Therefore,
since death is the separation of the body and the spirit (James 2:26), Christ will always
have his perfect, resurrected body of flesh and bones. Christ is in the express image of the Father
(Hebrews 1:1-3), and he and God created man in their own image and likeness(Genesis 1:26-27).
Therefore, God the Father also has a perfect body of flesh and bones united with his spirit.
Why is it that other churches of today as sincere as each is, do not have a full knowledge and
understanding of the pre-mortal existence and the fact that we all are spirit children of God the
Eternal Father? Why is it that the churches of today do not have apostles and prophets as their foundation?(Ephesians 2:19-21).
If they were necessary as the foundation of the Church in the meridian of time, why not now?
Ephesians 4:11-14 tells us they are necessary for perfecting the members of the church, for the
edification of the members, for the work of the ministry and the preaching of the gospel
until we all come to a unity of the faith. They are also necessary to recieve the requisite revelation to solve
the distinct problems of our own modern times.
Why is it that churches today do not claim revelation from God to guide us in these
modern times? Since God raised up prophets to guide us through all dispensations of time, why
not now(Amos 3:7)? Why is it that none of the other churches have the perfect organization that Christ established consisting of deacons, teachers, priests,
elders, seventies, high priests, bishops, pastors, evangelists, apostles, and prophets?(See Ephesians 2:19-21; 4:11-14.)
Isaiah, speaking of the last days said, "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have
transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth,
and they that dwell therin are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."
(Isaiah 24:5-6.) It takes little imagination to conclude that Isaiah was talking about our times, the last days, before the
second coming of Christ, when the earth will be cleansed by fire. Yet here, in these verses, Isaiah makes clear that in these days people will
have fallen away from the true gospel and ordinances within. In fact, in Isaiah 29:13-14, again speaking of the latter days, he says,"Wherefore
the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me,
and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and
a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." These verses indicate that,
in the last days, the world will be in a state of apostasy, and that a marvelous work and a wonder will occur to redeem the world.
The Prophesied Restoration of the Gospel
One of the most important scriptures that makes the transition from the meridian of time, the time of Christ, to the modern age is Acts 3:19-21. Peter, on the day
of Pentecoststated: "Repent ye...., and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
and he shall send Jesus christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must recieve until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." What are these "times of restitution of all things" or "times of refreshing" spoken of by
Peter? In Ephesians 1:9-10, Paul describes these "times" in terms of the last days: "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath
purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the FULLNESS of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him."
Here Paul describes the "times of retitution of all things"(Acts 3:21) as a time when Christ "might gather together in one all things in Christ." More specifically, he describes
that period as the "dispensation of the fullnes of times."
Isaiah 2:2-3 says,"It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills;
and all nations shall flow into it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;
and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." In the last days,
the Lord's "house" will be established in the top of the mountains. There will be a Zion and a Jerusalem out of which the Lord's law and word will be given. Isaiah in the foregoing scriptures foretold our times.
This prophecy is now being fulfilled because the Lord's temple has been established in teh top of the Rocky Mountains and people from all over the world are flowing into it. As the scriptures have predicted, Israel is now reborn,
and we are anxiously awaiting the second coming of the Lord.
In Daniel 2:31-44, Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the various nations taht would arise from Daniel's time forward, ending in verse 44, where he clearly prophesies about the last days:"In the days of these
kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."
Daniel referred to this day and age when God's kingdom or church would be established, never to be destroyed again by apostasy or otherwise. It will stand forever. Thus, this must refer to the kingdom to be set up by god in
the last days or the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. Some have interpreted this kingdom mentioned in Daniel to mean the church set up bt Christ in the meridian of time. Yet note in Daniel 2:44
that "the kingdom shall not be left to other people." Christ's kingdom was left to other people, as clearly stated in Matthew 21:43, where the Savior said, rebuking the Jews and those of that generation, "The
kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit threreof." Thus, we see that Christ was referring to a kingdom of God in teh future, not the kingdom of God Christ set upin approximately A.D. 34.
