---- Forwarded Message -----
From: Francis Harper
Francis Harper Message for 6/26/2020
Our Finest Hour
When Jesus was asked: “Master, tell us concerning thy coming? . . . he answered them and said, In the generation in which the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled [June 7, 1967], there shall be . . . upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, like the sea and the waves roaring . . . mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things [pandemics] which are coming on the earth. . . . And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for the day of your redemption draweth nigh. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:24-28).
For those who know the Lord and his word and the surety of his promises, these are the days we have been praying and waiting for! “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation . . .” (Isaiah 25:9). “Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee . . . for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:8-9). Men often learn obedience by the things they suffer” (Hebrews 5:8).
Saints of God: when our neighbor’s “hearts are failing them for fear” as they witness the things happening in our country and around the world, they will be looking to you for answers. If you have found the peace, hope and comfort of God in “fair weather,” you will be blessed with many opportunities to help those who will be frightened by the impending storms.
I recall my father sharing an experience that happened while he was attending the one-room school at Brush Hollow. During a break in their studies, as the children were playing in the school yard, it was noticed that a very dark storm cloud was rapidly approaching. One of the children said, “I believe we better pray.” Another child asked: “What do you mean, pray?” Evidently at that time my father thought everyone knew about God, faith, and answered prayer.
Sadly, I must add, many of our neighbors to this day, do not know God. They need to know Him and that He hears and answers “the fervent prayers of the righteous” (James 5:16). They need to know, the key to life eternal is to know God. John, the beloved apostle, recorded a prayer of Jesus, which has become known as “the other Lord’s prayer.” He prayed: And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Jesus continued: “I manifested thy name unto them which thou gavest me out of the world . . . and they have kept thy word. . . . While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name . . . and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition [Judas].
Surely God will give some to us that we can bring to him. Perhaps it will be someone in our own family, a next door neighbor, or a fellow worker? We need to pray for divine appointments with those who we can bring, not only to the waters of baptism, but those who will go on “. . . unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
“And if it so be that you should labor all your days, in crying repentance unto this people, and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great will be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” (Doctrine and Covenants 16:3-f).
“Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther
4:14). This will be our finest hour. Surely the words of the prophet Joel will soon be fulfilled: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month (a double portion of the Spirit). . . And I will restore to you the (unproductive) years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, (and I will restore) my great army which I sent among you. . . And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call” (Joel 2:23, 25, 32).
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Dear Ones,
I was blessed upon several occasions, beginning in my late teenage years, in receiving the ministry of Apostle Arthur Oakman. In his later years, Patriarch Arthur Oakman gave an inspired message to a group of priesthood in Wichita, Kansas, during the spring of 1974. This was near the end of the Vietnam War which ended April 30, 1975.
The Lord’s message given, nearly fifty years ago, is perhaps even more timely today than it was on the day it was given. I will quote only a portion of the message which I feel is most pertinent for us to consider today: “It will not be long until the earth will again be drenched in blood, and darkness shall cover the world. For many who have heard my voice but did not heed it, it will be too late when they call upon me. I will not answer. Yet there are many who will obey my commandments, [and will] seek my ways in your prayers.
“And when those trials and times come, I will continue to bless them. My gospel will be preached unto all the world, and there shall be times when it will stand still [1984?] but it will gain momentum and my kingdom shall be, for I am in this work.
“There will be a short season until World War III. Our country will be involved. There will be perilous times. People in America will be brought to their knees and even the saints will suffer hardships. It is not a time to fear but rather a time for rejoicing, for only through this means [through suffering] can the gospel go to all parts of the world . . . Soon, yea, very soon, ye shall be free to give the ministry my children are in great need of at this time: First, there must come a cleansing and this cometh soon [1984]. Continue to have faith and remain steadfast and strong.”
Saints of these later, latter days: what will be required of us as we move forward in our short season? “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14); a time, when due to the troubles they are facing, people will be hungering and thirsting for more light and truth. Will we be ready to volunteer when the Lord says, “whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Will you say, “Here am I, send me?” (Isaiah 6:8). For those who are ready it will be their finest hour.
As I prepared for preaching at the Elder’s Conference in April of 2002, I wanted to emphasize two major points: 1) We should be the calm ones, while others are filled with fear. 2) In spite of the odds, our faith should remain “steadfast and unmovable” (1 Corinthians 15:58). When we consider the condition of the world, the enormity of the kingdom building task, and the number of dedicated servants involved in the work, we may become discouraged as was Elijah when he said, “I, even I only, am left . . . and the Lord said, “Go . . . I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed the knees unto Baal” (1 Kings 19:14-18).
I thought of Joseph Smith, Jr.’s statement as he faced martyrdom, saying, “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning. I have a conscience void of offense, toward God and all men.” I would use his words to illustrate our need to be calm in troubled times.
For an illustration of our need for an enduring faith, I was reminded of the words: “I have many spiritual forces at work in the world that ye know not of.” I felt that I should give the references of these quotes in my sermon, but I could not find them!
I was scheduled to preach in the evening of April 9, and that morning I was still searching for the references. It was crunch time. I was praying. I had expected to find Joseph’s statement in Church History but I could not find it there. In my desperate search I finally discovered it in Doctrine and Covenants 113:4.
The other reference was still evading me. I went to the early morning priesthood prayer service, still pleading for divine assistance. During the prayer service Richard Neill shared a testimony of one of his marriage counseling experiences. Then he suddenly said, “Elbert A. Smith gave a prophecy at Lamoni, Iowa, on November 4, 1917, during World War I.” Then he quoted the words: “I have many spiritual forces at work in the world that ye know not of!” Richard did not know I had been praying for the source of these words, but the Lord knew, and I knew he had answered my prayer and had confirmed the importance of the message, I would be delivering later that day. God is never in a hurry, neither is he ever late. After the prayer service I followed Richard out of the sanctuary. I asked him where this message is recorded? Without a pause, or a moment of hesitation, he said: It is recorded in Church History, Vol. 6, page 646.
The message is timeless: “Yea, saith the Lord, I desire many evangelists of love to preach the gospel of love, not only in word but also in deed. . . . again at this time, you are admonished that you be not unduly concerned because you are few in number as compared with the world. That is not your concern, but be concerned only that your righteousness shall be very great. For a few righteous men can accomplish very much, and a ‘a little leaven leaveneth a great lump.’ [See 1 Corinthians 5:6].
“I have many forces at work in the world, saith the Lord. I have many spiritual forces at work in the world that you know not of. You see but the smaller part of my work, and the world perceives it not at all. “Therefore be not concerned because you are few in number but let each one look to himself, and to the condition of his own heart and life. Be humble and righteous and full of love, casting out the spirit of hatred, that you may stand in holy places and receive the blessings of the Lord” (Church History Vol. 6, page 646).
My Love to All,
High Priest Francis Harper
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