The Consummation.

Time, mighty daughter of Eternity!
Mother of ages and of aeons past!
Assemble now thy children at thy side,
And ere thou diest teach them to be one.
Link to its link rebind the broken chain
Of dispensations, glories, keys and powers,
From Adam's fall unto Messiah's reign—
A thousand years of rest, a day with God,
While Shiloh reigns, and Kolob once revolves.^[1]

Gathering the Gatherers.—The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times is distinctively a gathering dispensation. But it stands for more—far more than the assembling of the dispersed House of Israel. It is the spiritual harvest-time of all the ages, the long-heralded Era of Restitution,^[2] when the great Garnerer of "all things in Christ" will reveal himself in power and glory, and place the capstone on the temple of heaven-inspired human achievement. The gathering of Israel is only the preface to the book, only the prologue to the play. The gathering of the gatherers—such is the meaning of the preliminary work now in progress, a work in which Gods, angels and men have joined.

The Final Development.—This great era of restoration was made necessary by the departure of the Christian word from the faith delivered to the former-day Saints. But that is not its full significance. In accordance with the foreknowledge of God, and in consonance with his sublime, far-reaching purposes, this vast, all-comprehending period was foreordained from the beginning as the final development of the Divine Plan—"the winding-up scene" of the Creator's work pertaining to this planet.^[3]

All in One.—Joseph the Seer, referring to this mighty dispensation, and the object for which it was "ushered in" says:

"It is necessary . . . . that a whole and complete and perfect union and welding-together of dispensations and keys and powers and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time; and not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this the dispensation of the fulness of times."^[4]

Joseph Smith's Work.—These words were uttered by the Prophet less than two years before the tragic termination of his mortal life. He had looked upon the face of God, as did Enoch, Moses, and other seers in times of old. He had communed with Angels, receiving from them the keys of the Priesthood and the principles of the Everlasting Gospel. Thus empowered, he had organized on earth the Church of Christ, the forerunner of the Kingdom that shall stand forever.^[5] Wrapt in celestial vision, he had gazed upon the glories of Eternity, portraying in burning eloquence the destiny of the human race, setting forth in vivid plainness the conditions of man's salvation and exaltation in worlds to come.^[6] He had preached the Gospel in various parts of his native land, and had caused it to be preached in realms beyond the sea. His glorious career, which was about to end in martyrdom, was signalized by the introduction and practice of sacred principles which he affirmed would bring forth Zion and enable the pure in heart to "see God" and inherit celestial glory—the ultimate aim of all righteous endeavor.

The Divine Presence.—"This," said the Prophet, "is why Adam blessed his posterity; he wanted to bring them into the presence of God."^[7] "Moses sought to bring the children of Israel into the presence of God, through the power of the Priesthood, but he could not. In the first ages of the world they tried to establish the same thing, and there were Eliases raised up who tried to restore these very glories, but, did not obtain them. But they prophesied of a day when this glory would be revealed, . . . . when God would gather together all things in one."^[8]

Keys Committed.—The Prophet goes on to say that the Angels who hold the keys of spiritual powers and blessings—"authoritative characters"—men in heaven having children on earth—"will come down and join hand in hand in bringing about this work."^[9] At the time of that utterance, this phase of the Latter-day Work had begun, the founder of the Church having received from heavenly messengers the keys of authority and power held by them in past dispensations. The Aaronic Priesthood had been conferred by John the Baptist,^[10] and the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James and John.^[11] Without this divine authorization the Church could not have been established, the Ensign could not have been raised for the gathering of scattered Israel. Already have I related how the keys of the gathering were committed to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple.

Elias and Elijah—But more was to follow. In that wonderful record of visions manifested to these Elders, and testified of by them, occurs this solemn affirmation:

"Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.

"After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us, for Elijah the Prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us and said—

"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come,

"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse.

"Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors."^[12]

The Same Yet Not the Same.—"Elias," considered as a name, is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew "Elijah." Compared references in the New and Old Testaments clearly establish their verbal identity.^[13] But Joseph Smith distinguished between "the spirit of Elias" and "the spirit of Elijah," the former a forerunner, the latter holding the sealing powers necessary to complete the work of preparation for Messiah's advent.^[14]

Elijah, therefore, is not to be confounded with Elias—that is to say, with the Elias who committed the keys of the Abrahamic dispensation. There are many Eliases, in the sense of the lesser preparing the way before the greater; and by one of them Abraham's keys were restored, in order that the blessings anciently pronounced upon the Father of the Faithful might be extended to his posterity in modern times.

Why Elijah?—"Why send Elijah?" asks the Prophet; and answers his own question thus: "Because he holds the keys of the authority to administer in all the ordinances of the Priesthood; and without the authority is given, the ordinances could not be administered in righteousness." In the same connection he states that "Elijah was the last prophet that held the keys of the Priesthood."^[15]

The Restorer's Mission.—Elijah's mission, as made known by modern revelation, represents the establishment of that condition of perfect unity referred to by Joseph the Seer, whose comment thereon is quoted in the third paragraph of this article. "Mormonism," as already explained, does not stand for one Gospel dispensation alone, but for all the Gospel dispensations, extending, like the links of a mighty chain, through the whole course of Time. The Final Dispensation, made effective by the keys of Elijah, will bring together and weld in one the parted links of this universal chain. The restitution of all things—the setting in order of the Lord's House, preparatory to his coming, such is the significance of the mission of Elijah, who turns the hearts of the fathers (in heaven) to the children (on earth), and the hearts of the children to the fathers.

The Welding Link.—But these hearts must not only be turned; they must be bound together, and beat as one. That thought, no less than the other, was in the Prophet's mind when, from his place of retirement during a season of trouble, he wrote repeatedly to the Church regarding an all-important duty devolving upon its members. Said he: "The earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other, between the fathers and the children." And what is it? "It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect, neither can they without us be made perfect."^[16]

Without Unity, No Perfection.—Perfection is the great end in view; and without unity there can be no perfection. To bring about this great consummation, the Gospel was instituted, the Savior chosen, Earth created, and the human race placed upon this planet. Nothing imperfect can inherit the Divine Presence—the fulness of God's glory. This important lesson is taught by the principle of marriage—celestial marriage—the sealing of the sexes, not for time only, but for all eternity. "The man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord."^[17] United, they represent completeness, perfection, each being the complement of the other. Husband and wife, parent and child, the living and the dead, must be one, lest it be said of them at the celestial gates, as it was said at the gates of Verdun: "They shall not pass." The Latter-day Saints build temples and officiate therein, the living for the dead, not only to save them, but to bring them into that grand Order of Unity, so necessary to the perfection of God's work.

The Keys of Preparation.—Past and present are related. It is the relationship of parent and child. Neither is complete without the other. What has been and what is must join, before perfection can reign. Without unity and the perfecting power of righteousness, the Saints would be unprepared to receive the King of Kings. Earth, unable to endure the overpowering glory of his presence, would vanish from before his face, like hoar-frost in the rays of the rising sun.^[18] That there might be no such calamity, no converting of an intended blessing into a consuming curse, Elijah restored the Keys of Preparation.

The Universal Gathering.—The gathering of the House of Israel is to be supplemented by a greater gathering—the bringing together of all the Gospel dispensations, with all the sacred powers and mighty personages connected therewith.^[19] There is to be a general assembly, a universal union, in which sainted souls from all glorified creations will join.^[20] All things that are Christs's, both in heaven and on earth, will eventually be brought together, and the divided and discordant parts attuned and blended into one harmonious Whole.

Footnotes

1. "Elias," Canto 5, p. 37, annotative edition.2. Acts 3:21.3. D. & C. 77:12.4. Ib. 128:18.5. Dan. 2:44.6. D. & C. 76.7. D. & C. 107:56.8. Ib. 84:23, 24.9. Hist. Ch. Vol. 3, pp. 388, 389.10. D. & C. 13.11. Ib. 27:12; 128:20.12. D. & C. 110:12-16; Hist. Ch. Vol. 3, p. 390.13. See Luke 9:54 and 2 Kings 18:38; also James 5:17 and 1 Kings 17:1.14. Hist. Ch. Vol. 6, pp. 249, 254.15. Hist. Ch. Vol. 4, p. 211.

Elijah the Tishbite, as he is called in Scripture, figured in the history of the Kingdom of Israel about nine centuries before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It was a period of idolatry, when the priests of Baal (whom Elijah overthrew) had Ahab the king and his wife, the wicked Jezebel, completely under their sinister influence. Regarding the great Prophet of Restoration, Dr. Geikie, says:

"The immense influence of Elijah during his life is seen in the place he held in the memory of after generations in Israel. He takes rank along with Samuel and Moses; not like the former, as the apostle of a system yet undeveloped; or as the founder of a religion, like the latter; but as the restorer of the old when it was almost driven from the earth. The prophet Malachi portrays him as the announcer of the great and terrible day of Jehovah. His reappearance was constantly expected as the precursor of the Messiah. So continually was he in the thoughts of the people of New Testament times, that both John the Baptist and our Lord were supposed to be no other than he. The son of Sirach (See Apocrypha) calls him a fire, and says that his word burned like a torch, and that it was he who was to gather together again the tribes of Israel from the great dispersion . . . .

"His final coming, it is believed, will be three days before that of the Messiah, and on each of the three he will proclaim peace, happiness and salvation, in a voice that will be heard over all the earth. So firm, indeed, was the conviction of this in the days of the Talmud, that when goods were found which no owner claimed, the common saying was, Put them by till Elijah comes."—"Hours with the Bible," Vol. 4, pp. 65,66.16. D. & C. 127, 128.17. 1 Cor. 11:11.18. Mal. 3:2; 4:1.19. D. & C. 27:5-14.20. Ib. 76:67; Moses 7:31, 64.