Savior respecting His second advent, and in answer to a question by the disciples: "Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?"

"This Gospel of the kingdom;" "The Everlasting Gospel;" The Gospel of apostles, prophets, revelations, visions, miracles and all the gifts of the Holy Ghost. This only true Gospel could not be preached for a witness unto all nations unless restored to earth by modern revelations, for the religious world, so far as enjoying the true Gospel is concerned, comes under the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter ix:2: "For behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people;" and again, chapter xxiv:5: "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant," all this going to prove the necessity of a Gospel restoration.

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray He instructed them to say, among other things, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." (Matt. vi:10.) If the kingdom referred to by Him had come, He would not have instructed them to pray for what they already possessed. They were looking for a future day.

On one occasion after His resurrection, the apostles asked the Savior this question: "'Wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?' And He said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power." (Acts i:7.) This indicates plainly the establishment of God's kingdom at a future period of time. We may connect with these inspired sayings of the Savior the prophecy of Daniel, recorded in the second chapter of his prophetic utterances. By reading from the second chapter of his book we learn that the king of Babylon had received a dream which, having gone from his mind, he demanded to know of the wise men; and not only the interpretation, but the dream itself. They, of course, failed. Daniel, the prophet, was called in, and in the spirit of a true prophet and Saint of God acknowledged that it was not in man to reveal such things, "But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." The image seen in the dream is next described by Daniel as being in form like a man, with a head of fine gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. The interpretation made known that this image represented the kingdoms of the world, beginning with Babylon, the head of gold; next came the Medio-Persian, under Alexander the Great: then arose the Roman empire, out of which grew the modern kingdoms of Europe, represented by the feet and toes. Here comes the important feature of the prophecy which was to take place in the "latter days," of which the prophet Daniel says, "And 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."

The language of this prophecy shows: first, that unlike the preceding kingdoms, this last named kingdom was to be set up by God Himself, in other words, the kingdom of God, not of man. Second, unlike the other kingdoms, it should never be destroyed. Third, it should not, like the kingdoms of men, pass from one people to another, but should not be left to other people. Fourth, that it should have power to break in pieces and consume all other kingdoms.

The terms of this prophecy, and the history of God's dealings with men since it was uttered, are such that no thoughtful, well-informed man can suppose that this event took place at the first coming and ministry of the Savior, for the following reasons: first, the kingdoms represented by the toes and feet, contemporary with which the kingdom of God was to be set up, did not exist; the Roman empire, symbolized by the legs of iron, was that part of the image then extant. Second, the kingdom spoken of by Daniel was not to be left to other people, whereas the Savior Himself said to the disciples, as recorded in Matthew xxi:43, "Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to the nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." To this the testimony of Paul agrees in Acts xiii:46. "Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."

These statements taken together, as well as many other conditions referred to, prove clearly that the kingdom spoken of by Daniel was not established in the days of our Savior. We are thus forced to the admission that if the kingdom of God has not come in this age, it is yet to come. There are, however, many other prophecies relating to the restoration of the last days, which show not merely that a restoration has been predicted, but that the Gospel veritably has been restored to man in this dispensation, with all the gifts and blessings which characterized the same in the days of the Messiah; and more, that a people are being prepared for the coming and reign of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We have proved from the Bible prophecies that a restoration of the Gospel in its fullness, by modern revelation, would take place in the last days. We now desire to show that this restoration has taken place, and that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was the man through whom God has established anew His Church upon the earth, after the ancient pattern, with apostles, prophets, gifts and blessings, visions and revelations.

Joseph Smith announced to the world that he had received the visitation of heavenly messengers, also that they conferred upon him authority to speak and officiate in the name of the Lord with the same power and authority received and exercised by John the Baptist and the apostle Peter in ancient times.

Now, the prophecies quoted here could not be verified unless some one should come to the world bearing just such a testimony as that borne by Joseph Smith.

Furthermore, when we ask Catholic and Protestant ministers if an angel has come to any of them with the everlasting Gospel, they answer in the negative, and deride the idea of new revelation. Ask them if Elijah the Prophet has come to them, to plant in the hearts of the children the promise made to the fathers. They say no. Has the messenger spoken of by Malachi come to you and taught you how to build a temple to the Lord, that He may "suddenly come to His temple?" The very question itself is treated with utter astonishment, and the man who asks it is regarded as being erratic. We must therefore turn from sects having forms of godliness "but denying the power thereof," to other sources to find some one who has received, or shall receive, the revelations of the Almighty in the last days.

One thing is certain, if the claims of the Latter-day Saints are not true, then some one must come in the future with just such claims. We ask the question, will the world be any better prepared to receive a message of this character in the future than it is today? Certainly the hearts of the people are not being prepared for such testmonies by the influence and teachings of modern ministers. Come, dear readers, let us reason together; let us divest our minds of all prejudice. "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good," and ask the question, what constitutes complete evidence that a man is a prophet of God?

To be a reliable witness in a human court, an individual must be a person of veracity, whose honor cannot be impeached. Such a man was Joseph Smith, the Prophet. His parents were hard-working farmers. They had a standing in the community of virtue, honesty, industry and sincerity in religious devotion, unexcelled by any. His forefathers were among the early founders of New England, who came from the "mother