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Chapter 9


An account of the first likeness of Yonder World: corruption, death and decay – The birthplace of God – Complete destruction of the world of the First Power – “What was the cause of such madness?” – The absence of any knowledge concerning good or evil – The nature of First Man – The goodness achieved through dispensations

 

1  These, then, are the things which The One revealed unto me in that day when I was made to stand before him in the presence of many lights.

2  And being in a state overwhelmed by the many mysteries, designs and purposes of The One, I stood in awe of so great a wonder, and regaining the presence of my faculties, I spoke, saying:

3  “Most Gracious Father, holy and unending; speak to me concerning the first nature of that world from which you came; for when I see the world as it is, the endless wars, the tribulations and calamities, the destructions and foolishness of all mankind, I am made to wonder concerning the success of all our efforts in bringing forth man unto God.

4  Therefore, Most Gracious Father, make known to me the first likeness of yonder world; that if there be for us any success of the dispensations administered, I might know of a certainty that we have not worked in vain.”

5  Such were the words which I spoke unto The One, and in an instant was I carried through the veils of time, that I might see and hear, and feel for myself the first likeness of yonder world.

6  Now these are the things which I beheld, being made to stand in the stream of their unfolding; for I beheld a world made brutal and vicious through the workings of man, filled with harshness and cruelty.

7  Evensomuch that the whole earth was filled with corruption and decay; and upon the land, and in the seas, and in the airs above the earth were there few creatures found; for the world which I beheld was filled with death and made malignant beneath the weight of man’s dominion.

8  And I beheld great cities filled with dark shadows, left desolate and wasted, having been devoured in the midst of great madness; for the buildings of the city lay broken and jagged with great towering spires rising upward into a black and sooted sky.

9  Yet in the hidden places of the cities did brooding men scurry about midst piles of great rubble, each moving about in haste looking for some other whom they might kill for the sake of personal gain.

10  And wheresoever I looked, I beheld the bones of men long dead, and they did lay in the streets of every city; and I beheld the rotting corpses of women and children, filled with a dreadful stench, being strewn upon the ground as waste; and behold, the dogs and the vultures did fight among themselves over which of their kind should devour the dead.

11  And seeing a fence post nearby, I beheld the head of a small child which was impaled upon it, and I was filled with sickness and weeping; and the voice of The One spoke unto me, saying:

12  “This, my son, is the true world of my beginning, even the birthplace of God. Will you say now that the dispensations which I have established on yonder world are made of no effect? What is the evil of that world when compared to this?”

13  And I answered midst bitter tears, saying: “What madness is there which could destroy so completely, the world of your beginning?” And The One answered, saying: “The madness is not yet complete, my son. Look and behold.”

14  And I beheld a gathering of men wearing white garments working in haste to bring to bear some great and terrible weapon, even a bomb made bright and shiny, which they would use to destroy the whole of their enemy.

15  And when they were completed, they sat the bomb high above the earth on a great steel tower; and when they themselves were made safe and hidden by some great distance, there did explode suddenly a blue and piercing flame, and in an instant the whole sky was become as broken shards of glass.

16  Thus did I behold the certain doom of that first world; and the men of that earth did gather themselves to fight against the fires which burned in the crust of the earth, but for all their many efforts it raged and burned within, filling the air with noxious fumes of gas and smoke.

17  And the children of men wept with fear and did rush forth in terror to hide themselves from the work of their hands; but the fires in the earth did burn without ceasing, consuming in their lust both mountains and plains.

18  And the rivers did boil and seethe, and steam and ash did mingle themselves together, and upon whatsoever person the steam and ash would fall, even that person would perish in great pain and suffering, writhing upon the ground until he lay entombed midst fire and smoke.

19  Thus in the passing of the years was the earth made as a darkened ember, moving throughout the regions of space; leaving behind a gray and smoking trail filled with bitterness.

20  For the whole of man had perished away forever, and there was none left to weep or mourn their passing save one only; and he, being alone and ever drifting onward, did hover above the blackened ember of the world, a thing heartbroken and filled with sorrow.

21  Such was the madness which I beheld in the world of the First Power; and The One spoke unto me, saying: “Now, my son, have you fully seen the end of my beginning. Will you say now that the dispensations of God are made of no benefit unto the children of men?

22  Behold, my son, how that even now does the world of my beginning still live again in me, having perished not, nor vanished away; and this because of those dispensations which you have placed in the world far beyond.”

23  Thus did The One speak unto me, and I spoke again unto him, saying: “Most Holy Father, gracious and unending; tell me by what means such things were brought to pass. What was the cause of such madness?”

24  And The One answered, saying: “It was not the presence of something which brought such madness about, but rather it was the absence of any knowledge concerning good and evil. This, my son, is what caused the death of yonder world.”

25  Now when The One had said these things, I beheld the very nature of First Man; and behold, the children of men were driven within and without by an insatiable lust for power, being always in their persons cold and unfeeling.

26  Seeking always to get some gain over their fellow man, possessing unto themselves no knowledge of friendship or love, or family affections; for the children of men had no knowledge of spiritual things, for they were without soul; being as animals only, being intelligent by their own desires and passions.

27  Seeking always for some greater power or brutal pleasure; for all men feared death and would by any means seek to preserve themselves against it; being like drowning men which cling and clutch at anything which would further the life of the body.

28  Thus did all men prey upon each the other, hunting and stalking by treacherous means the hope of some advantage, thinking only of themselves and none besides, for they were without friendships or loyalty;

29  Making such alliances as would prove to their benefit, but always ready to betray and destroy; taking great pride in their own strength and cunning; making endless wars and arguments, ever seeking out the weak to destroy them or to place upon them the yoke of some great bondage.

30  For it was war which gave rise to all their cunning, and it was war which gave birth to all the nations upon the earth; and whatsoever man possessed a knowledge greater than any other, even he would rule most harshly in the regions round about; being declared as some mighty one, even among those who were mighty still.

31  For strength and knowledge were the only power, being most sought after in the world of men; and whatsoever person possessed an abundance of such, even they were held in fear and awe, while yet the weak and the fallen were made as food for the belly.

32  For if it should come about that some great enemy should be captured in the midst of battle, then would the victor divide him asunder to consume his flesh; and if there should come a famine upon the land, then would the strong hunt down the weak whereby they might feast upon their flesh, lest they themselves perish from hunger.

33  Now in the affairs of men was I made to see that no man would cleave to a woman to marry her, for women were seen as servants to the body only, to satisfy the lusts of men; for all men thought women to be weak in both mind and body, and therefore of little worth in themselves.

34  Yet would men fight among themselves to possess them, and whosoever should take to himself a multitude of women, even he was thought to be some great master, and among the men which ruled were there some which possessed ten women, while others possessed a hundred, while still the greatest possessed a thousand.

35  But for all of this was it seen that no man would love a woman for the sake of her alone; neither would he grant to her any kindness or courtesy; for all were raped continually and made to serve, being made captive whereby they might satisfy the passions of that man which held them bound.

36  And whatsoever woman should become pregnant, even to her would a man grant favor; for sons were seen as great advantage, being able to stand beside their fathers in the day of battle, fighting furiously onward against the common foe.

37  While yet the daughters which were born unto a man, if they should grow to become beautiful, then would the father take her unto himself to rape her; and when all his passions lay fulfilled, then would the father sell her or give her away for the sake of some alliance.

38  But if there should be a woman which would give birth to any child which was weak or sickly, or deformed, then would she be treated most cruelly, for both the mother and the child would the man bring before many witnesses;

39  And gathering about the hosts of all his other women, even then would the father bind the stricken mother with a strong flaxen cord, and with a whip he would beat her nigh unto death; and taking the sickly infant, he would cast it unto the dogs to be devoured and torn in pieces.

40  And the mother, weeping for the sake of her child, would the father cause to perish also, taking to her throat a knife made sharp and keen, and drawing forth the whole of the body’s blood, he would gather it into a great basin, and taking a cup he would cast the blood into the faces of all the women gathered there; and in a voice made harsh and bitter he would speak, saying:

41  “This is the fate of any woman which would turn my seed into weakness. Look you now and ponder, for this shall I also do unto you if you should bring forth any feebleness from the womb.” And so hearing, the women would weep in terror.

42  And taking the woman’s corpse, the father would hang her by the feet in the women’s quarter where all could see. And terror pressed hard against the women of that house, filling their minds with fear and dread.

43  And if it should come about that a woman should have no issue after ten years of lying with a man, then would she be branded most cruelly upon the cheek; and her left breast would the man cleave from her body, and taking a hot iron, he would sear the wound;

44  And when she was healed of her wounds, then would the man cause her to play the whore unto any man which came unto the house, adding to her master’s purse some small wealth in coin or script.

45  Such was the world which I beheld, and being made witness to so great a terror, I saw clearly still the good which God would grant unto the seed of his beginning through those dispensations which even now are made to serve in the world far beyond.

 

 

1ST ENDOWMENT 9