At the beginning of Chapter 11, St. John was given a measuring rod to measure the temple of God and the altar and count the worshipers there, but he was to leave the outer court unmeasured because it would be trampled by the Gentiles for 42 months. This prophesied God’s plan to prepare for the Second Phase of Salvation: the Reward and Judgment Time. God wants to do the final counting of His people and His Kingdom on Earth before the hour of reward and judgment.

Actually, this vision of measuring rod had appeared twice in the Old Testament in Ezekiel Chapter 40 and Zechariah Chapter 2. Both these two visions in the Old Testament prophesied the rebuilding of God’s temple. After the vision of the measuring rod in Zechariah, there was another vision of a gold lampstand with two olive trees by its side (Zechariah 4:2-3), which were “the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth”. (Zechariah 4:14) There is a similar vision here in Revelation 11 that after John was given a measuring rod, God send His two witnesses, the “two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth”, (Revelation 11:4) to prophesy to the world.

These visions indicate God’s plan to “rebuild the temple” before the “Second Coming”. God send these two witnesses to come to prepare the way for the “Male Child” in the next chapter, Revelation 12, just like the way God send Zerubbabel and Joshua to rebuild the temple for “the Day of the Lord”. The vision of the measuring rod also prophesied some kind of preparatory “masonry” work for “rebuilding the temple” before the Two Witnesses came. That preparatory “masonry” work was the Freemasonry Movement in the eighteenth to nineteenth century, in accord with the prophecy in the Letter to the Church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3. (See Chapter 1.2 for more details.)

1. Freemasonry Movement

Freemason is a loosely connected fraternity organization across the world with the same principle on Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. It was developed from medieval association of stonemasons who had been building cathedrals and churches across the Europe. When these masons traveled across the Europe to build cathedrals and churches, they needed help from local guilds and also from each other for this kind of large project. Hence the brotherly love for helping each other became the number one principle for this organization.

The most fascinating part of this stonemasons’ guild is its connection to the Knight Templars of the twelfth century, who were believed to have discovered the secret treasures underneath the ruins of King Solomon’s Temple and the manuscripts on the techniques of building such a massive temple. Due to the suppression from a France King, Philip IV, in the fourteenth century, most of Knight Templars were arrested and murdered, and the rest of them fled France and went into underground in other parts of Europe. Therefore, they used some secret signs, rites and symbols to pass on their traditions, which later became the rites and symbols for the Modern Freemasonry.

Due to its principle of brotherly love and tolerance for open discussion on the Truth of Faith disregarding people’s social and religious background, plus some mysterious aura on those secretive rites and symbols and rich historical heritage, the original stonemasons’ guilds attracted many non-masons to join the association, especially those highly educated people and nobles, as honorary members or accepted masons. These non-operative members were called Freemason, Accepted Masons or Speculative Masons, as compared to the traditional professional stonemasons.

By the early eighteenth century, as Freemasonry became popular among men of a certain standing, the members of London’s four “Old Lodges” met together and found the Premier Grand Lodge at Goose and Gridiron Inn in London on June 24, 1717, the St John the Baptist’s Day. That is considered as the beginning of the Modern Freemasonry.

After the establishment of the Grand Lodge, it became a high class social meeting place for men from London society’s upper class. Many prestigious people in the society, like the members of royal family and the influential Royal Society, jointed the organization. Shortly, the Freemasonry spread to the European Continent, and many local lodges were established among European nations, which later spread to the whole world through their colonies. That eventually led to the two most important historical events in the eighteenth century, the American Independence and the French Revolution, and later the independence of South America in the nineteenth century.

The American Revolution started with the famous event of Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, three shipments of British tea were thrown into Boston Harbor. It was said that a group of Freemasons from a Boston Lodge planned and organized such a famous event. During the American Revolution for Independence, the chief commander of the Continental Army and the First President of the United States, George Washington, was a Freemason, and so were the majority of his generals and commanders in the Continental Army. Two of the five men who drafted the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin and Robert Livingston were also Freemasons. When the United States faced difficulties, Franklin used his Freemason’s connection in France, like Lafayette, to get helps from French government. After the Independence, the influence of Freemasonry can be seen from the layout of the capital as well as the design of the US currency. The concepts of equality of people and religious tolerance in Freemasonry were also incorporated into American Constitution. Freemasons had played an important role in the birth of this new nation, as prophesied in Revelation 3 and Revelation 11, to prepare the way for the coming Witnesses of God (Revelation 11) and the “Second Boy” in the Bible. (Revelation 12)

The Freemasons also played an important role in the French Revolution. Almost all the revolutionary leaders, like Duke of Orleans, Valance, Lafayette, Mirabeau, Garat, Marat, Robespierre, Danton, and all the members of Jacobin Club, were Freemasons. Even the “king from Abyss” (Revelation 11:11), Napoleon Bonaparte, was a Freemason. Their initial concept of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity” was coming from the principle of Freemasonry.

However, the result from the French Revolution was drastically different from the result of American Revolution. The major difference is the faith in God. In the American Revolution, the chief commander George Washington was a devout and faithful man. He prayed to God before every military move. And under his influence, most generals and soldiers participated in Sunday Service to pray for God’s help. On the other side, most French Revolutionary leaders abandoned Christianity to embrace rationalism; some of them even turned hostile toward churches and religions of God. That’s when all the hells broke loose and turned the idea of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity” into the cruel and bloody “Reign of Terror”. (See more details in the last chapter)

After the disastrous result of French Revolution and Napoleon’s War, Freemasonry was disdained by most people in Europe. And after William Morgan’s abduction case, anti-mason sentiment swept across America. The once flourished Freemasonry movement went down hill and many of its local lodges were dissolved.

Some anti-mason people may criticize the secrecy and dark side of rites in Freemasonry, but no one should forget Freemasons’ contribution to the birth of this new nation, the United States of America. No matter what the mistakes they made in the later days, there is one thing for sure that God would not trust this new nation of God into the hands of a satanic cult. And people like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, John Hancock, and future leaders in World War II Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt were definitely not some kind of satanic worshippers.

The causes of the fall of Freemasonry are multitudes. First, the all-inclusive policy may bring some bad influence from dark spirits in some early religions through some “mystic” symbols and rites. Second, the secret form from the medieval time caused the lack of transparency and proper supervision in Freemasonry. It could turn a secret order into a hiding place for some evil or dark spirits. When some Grand Lodges of Freemasonry abolished the Bible as an expression of “religious tolerance and equality”, those dark spirits broke free and caused all kinds of misfortunes and disasters.

One of the major mistakes in Freemasonry is that it considers all religions as equal, which is not true. Different religions contain different levels of the Word of God. The higher level of Word of God carries more power of blessing from God. When people abandoned the higher level of Word of God to accept a lower level of Word of God, they would lose the blessing of God. (See more details in Chapter 2.5) Therefore, when Freemasonry turned into rationalism and abolished the Word of God in the Bible, it lost the blessing of God and was led astray by those evil or dark spirits to the straight fall.

And the last important reason that caused the fall of Freemasonry is its secret sworn to put the fraternity’s interest above the national interest and common laws. That became the last straw that stirred the public fear and anti-mason sentiment against this secret Order across all nations, for it could inspire some criminal activities in the name of fraternity, like the case of William Morgan’s abduction. That kind of swear is not acceptable in a modern democratic society.

As prophesied in Revelation 11, the Freemasonry work was just the preparatory work before the coming of the “Two Witnesses” of God. After the fall of Freemasonry in the early nineteenth century, the mission for the “Two Witnesses” began.

2. The Two Witnesses

Who are these two witnesses? Let’s look at what the Bible said:

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, …, These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the Earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies… These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the Earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.” (Revelation 11: 3-6)

Wow! Who can have such power and what does this prophecy really mean? From the Old Testament, we know that Elijah shut up the sky for three years (1 King 17:1) and called fire from heaven to kill the captains from King Ahaziah and their men (2 King 1:10-12). And Moses turned the water of the Nile into blood (Exodus 7:20) and strike the Egypt with all kinds of plagues, like Plague of Frogs, Gnats, Flies, on Livestock, Boils, Hail and Locusts (Exodus 8-11). Elijah and Moses were also “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the Earth” when they came to see Jesus during the time of his transfiguration on the top of the mountain (Matthew 17:1-8). Therefore these two witnesses should have “the spirit and power” of Elijah and Moses. They will also do the missions of Elijah and Moses.

However, these two witnesses of God were not as fortunate as Moses and Elijah who had glorious ending on their mission on earth. After they brought the message of God to people, these two witnesses eventually were overcome and killed by the “Beast” from Abyss (Revelation 11:7-8). And people on earth, including most people of God from traditional religions of God, were happy about their death (Revelation 11:10). So here is one question, why were people of God from mainstream religions of God also happy about the death of these two witnesses of God? Because they all thought that the Revelation from God had ended and these two witnesses of God must be “false prophets”. So, who were these two witnesses of God who brought the message of God to people but were treated as “false prophets” and eventually killed by the “Beast” from Abyss? Let’s first look into the spirit and mission of Moses and Elijah.

I. The First “Second Coming” of Elijah and Moses:

In the Bible, we know that John the Baptist was the “Second Coming” of the Prophet Elijah. When Zechariah prayed for a child, God answered his prayer and gave him a son. And angel Gabriel came to tell him that the boy should be named John and he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:17).

After he grew up and started to baptize people by the Jordan River, Jesus also told his disciples that John the Baptist “is the Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14). "To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him." Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist (Matthew 17:11-13).

This is the first “Second Coming” of Elijah. In God’ revelation to the East, this kind of “Second Coming” is called reincarnation. Reincarnation means that a person is reborn in flesh after death with the same spirit but different body, just like what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:1-8. But most people don’t know what their past lives were after they were reborn, and John the Baptist didn’t know that either. When people asked him whether he was the Elijah to come, he denied (John 1:21). But God knew it, and Jesus knew it.

Moses also had a “Second Coming” to earth. At that time, it was the Prophet Muhammad of Islam, May Peace Upon Him. In Deuteronomy 18:17-18, The Lord said to Moses: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you (Moses) from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” Muhammad fulfilled that prophecy and did the exact same thing for the Arabs as that Moses did for the Israelis. Muhammad got the revelation from God, or called Allah in Islam, but because he was illiterate, he couldn’t read or write. So he had to recite the revelation he received from the Holy Spirit and then passed it to his followers. That’s why God said “I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” Many people in the past thought this prophecy was about Jesus, but Jesus is the Word in Flesh. Jesus didn’t need the Father to put the word in his mouth. He could speak for himself and for the Father in Heaven.

Prophet Muhammad also led his people in Exodus from Mecca to Medina, and he based on God’s revelation, which later was compiled together as the book of Quran (Koran), to set up the laws, government and army for all Muslims, just like what Moses did for the people of Israel. Muhammad carried the spirit and power of Moses and did the same mission as Moses did. Muhammad was that Prophet like Moses for the descendants of Ishmael, the brother of Israeli ancestor, Jacob / Israel (See more details in Chapter 2.6).

II. The Mission of Elijah and Moses

At the end of the Old Testament, the Lord promised to Israelis: “I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6). Jesus also said to his disciples, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things” (Matthew 17:11). In the first reincarnation of Elijah, John the Baptist also had the mission of preparing the way for Jesus.

Therefore, Elijah’s missions can be summed up as following:

§ To restore all things (Matthew 17:11)
§ To prepare the way for the Lord’s coming (Luke 1:17)
§ To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers (Malachi 4:5-6)

In the Exodus, Moses’ mission was:

§ To lead his people in exodus to their own land, although he did not reach there himself
§ To compile new doctrines based on the revelations from God
§ To establish new order for his people with their own government, army, and priesthood

So who had accomplished all these missions?

III. The Two Witnesses like Elijah and Moses

a) The First Witness

The first witness in Revelation 11 was Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), or Mormonism. Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont. During 1820 to 1823, Joseph Smith claimed that he received several visitations from God and the Angel Moroni in answer to his prayer regarding the truth of churches. On September 22, 1827, he saw the gold plates of the Book of Mormon in his vision. And with the help of his wife and some other people as scribes, he translated the Book of Mormon with the “special gift from God”. On March 1830, the Book of Mormon was published and on April 6, 1830, The "Church of Jesus Christ" is officially organized in Fayette, NY. Joseph Smith claimed to be the “Prophet of America” to restore the Word of God and to prepare the way for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon contains the story of Lehi’s family and descendants, who came out of Jerusalem according to the revelation from God and went to a new continent, America. The Book of Mormon contains the similar story of the Old Testament with the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. What differentiates Mormonism Christianity from traditional Christianity is the teaching of Joseph Smith in the Doctrine and Covenants.

At that time, most Christians in America were either Catholic or Protestants, and most Protestants followed the tradition of Martin Luther’s “Faith Alone Salvation” theology. But Joseph Smith emphasized the importance of both faith and work and also the importance of knowledge. From the Biblical standpoint, Martin Luther and the Protestants were following the Paul’s teachings of “Faith Alone Salvation” and Joseph Smith and his Mormon followers were emphasizing James’ teachings on both faith and deed.

However, there was a reason for such a difference or change in the Father’s plan. The time changed. Traditional Christianity was the gospel for the first phase of Salvation, which was forgiveness through faith. But the mission of Joseph Smith was to prepare for the Second Phase of Salvation, which is about reward and judgment. Like Jesus said about the “Second Coming”, “I will repay everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12) That’s why people need to pay more attention to both faith and work, which will determine the reward and judgment for the time of judgment. So in this way, Joseph Smith did restore the teachings of Jesus on Deed, in additional to St. Paul’s teachings on “Faith Alone Salvation”.

Some people may not like Joseph Smith because of the controversy he caused during his time. But from the fruit you can tell the tree. Mormons or Latter-day Saints are now the most family-oriented people in the Christian world, which fulfilled the prophecy of “turning the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” (Malachi 4:5-6) They live their lives according to the Word of God and pay their tithing faithfully. When most parents send their children to colleges, LDS parents use their own money to send their children on the missionary work preparing for the Second Coming (Luke 1:17). Joseph Smith as the “witness” of God in Revelation Chapter 11 did prepare the road for the “Second Boy” in the Chapter 12. Joseph Smith also restored some of the doctrine and temple system partially fulfilling the prophecy in Matthew 17:11. These were similar to the missions of Elijah.

During the earlier time, when people in the east were hostile to LDS, Joseph led his followers in the exodus from New York to Ohio, then to Missouri and Illinois. He also recorded the revelations from God to form the Doctrine & Covenants for LDS. He even became the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, with his own government and military force, just like Moses did. But also like Moses, who did not reach the destination of Canaan, Joseph Smith did not reach the destination of Salt Lake City, Utah. He and his brother were murdered by a mob at Carthage Jail, Illinois on June 27, 1844. Joseph Smith did carry out the missions of both Elijah and Moses, and he was the first Witness in Revelation 11.

The Relationship Between Mormons and Freemasons

In the prophecy in Revelation 11, God show the measuring rod for “masonry work” before He send his Two Witnesses. In history, not only did the Freemasons thrive in the eighteenth century before the Two Witnesses came in the nineteenth century, the majority of early Mormons, including the church leaders like Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young, Heber Kimball, Hyrum Smith, etc., were also the members of Freemasons. Many Mormon Temples show the signs of Masonic symbols and many of the temple rituals were also originated from the rituals of Freemasonry.

In the past when anti-mason sentiment was strong in the country, most Mormons didn’t want to acknowledge their ties with Freemasons. Now, as the prophecy of God was revealed, it is clear that it’s God’s plan for Joseph Smith, one of the Two Witnesses prophesied in Revelation 11, to carry on the “masonry work” to “rebuild the temple”. By now, Mormons/Latter Day Saints have built over one hundred temples around the world. That’s the fulfillment of the prophecy in Revelation 11:1-4.

b) The Second Witness & the Revealer of “the Mystery of God”

The second witness was the forerunner of Baha’ism Sayyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi (1820 – 1850), who was referred to as Bab, in Persia or currently Iran. He was a young merchant before he got the call from God. On May 23, 1844, he came out to announce that He was the Bearer of a long-promised Divine Revelation. He took the name Bab, which means “Gate” or “Door” in Arabic, and prophesied the coming of the second Messenger from God, the Manifestation of God. He wrote many books, which were called Bayans, regarding the religious teachings. But he was put in jail for the most of time due to some of his teachings on violent revolts. In 1848, in the court of Tabriz, the provincial capital of northwest Persia, Bab declared that He was “Mahdi of Islam”. On July 9, 1850, after several revolts against the Persian Government by his followers, Bab was executed in Tehran Prison. There were some miracles about his death.

After his death, a small group of the Babis tried to assassinate Shah in revenge but failed. This led to more persecution on Babis and most of the Babi leaders were killed. One of his students, Mirza Husayn Ali Nuri (1817 – 1892), was spared from death because of his high social position coming from his noble family. He went into exile to Baghdad and helped his brother lead the Babis community there.

In April 1863, he took the name of Baha’u’llah, which means the “Glory of God”, and announced to a group of his Babi companions that he was the one promised by the Bab, the Manifestation of God. But his definition of “Manifestation of God” was different from the traditional definition. In Baha’ism, all those major prophets and founders of major religions like Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha, are considered as the Manifestation of God. Now his teaching is called Baha’ism. As the founder of his religion, he surely could call himself the “Manifestation of God” according to his own definition. But there are some differences between the Word in Flesh, like Buddha and Christ, and the rest of “Manifestation of God”.

Bab is the second witness of God in Chapter 11 of Revelation, who advocated the unity of religion and equality of people and prepared the way for the Second Messenger, Baha’u’llah. According to Revelation 11 in the Bible, after the death of the two witnesses, the seventh angel would sound his trumpet. “The mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7). That’s what Baha’u’llah revealed in his teachings regarding “the Highest Reality (God)” in both Eastern and Western religions. Baha’u’llah was the one to reveal the mystery of God, the Oneness of God, in different religions through different prophets.

The first witness in the West, Joseph Smith, taught people about the importance of both Faith and Work for the time of reward and judgment and prepared the way for the “Second Coming” of the “Man Child” in the Chapter 12 of Revelation. The second witness in the East, Bab, and the following prophet, Baha’u’llah, revealed the unity of religions and oneness of God for all nations. They set up the prelude for the final revelation of the Eternal Gospel for all nations, which was prophesied in Revelation 14:6.

IV. The Fate of the Two Witnesses

In Revelation 11, it is also said that these two witnesses would be killed by the beast and resurrected after three and a half days. What does that mean? Who had been dead for three days and resurrected to heaven? Jesus, and only Jesus. Would these two witnesses actually resurrect like Jesus? Not really. It is a metaphor here. It implied that they would go through the same route as Jesus, starting a new religion out of the old religion and then being sacrificed for their new religions. Joseph Smith started Mormonism out of the traditional Christianity and Bab started Babism, which later transformed into Baha’ism, out of Islam. Later, they were both killed in jails as martyrs for their new religions.

The Mystery of “42 Months”, “1260 Days” and “Three and Half Years”

In the Book of Revelation Chapter 11, 12 and 13, there were several occasions prophesied a time period of “42 months”, “1260 Days” or “Three and Half Years”:

§ “But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.” (Revelation 11:2)
§ “And I will give power to my witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3)
§ “The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:6)
§ “The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.” (Revelation 12:14)
§ “The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.” (Revelation 13:5)

In Jewish calendar, a month is equal to 30 days. 42 months is equivalent to 1,260 days, which is also three and a half years. So, do these events prophesied in these three chapters must to happen within exactly 1,260 days or three and half years? Not necessary.

The concept of “three and half years” tribulation started in the prophecy of Daniel when he was told that beginning from the middle of the “last seven”, there would be “abomination that causes desolation”. (Daniel 9:27) However, the prophecy of Daniel was prophesying the future of Jews and the Book of Revelation is mostly prophesying the future of Christians. The “three and half years” or “42 months” or “1,260 days” in the Book of Revelation is different than the “three and half years” in the Book of Daniel. In fact, the “three and half years” of “desolation” in the Book of Daniel was already fulfilled by the Holocaust during World War II. (See more details in Chapter 1.10)

The “three and half years” in Revelation 11, 12 and 13 is using the same tradition in the Book of Daniel to prophesy the tribulation time under persecution and oppression. Especially in Revelation 12 and 13, when John saw the vision of woman fled into the desert and the beast came to blasphemy, no one told him the exact length of time. And the length of time can only be told, like in the Book of Daniel, not be seen through the vision. Therefore, the “1,260 days”, “forty two months” and “a time, times and half a time” here became the synonymous of “persecution time”, not an exact length of time.

V. The Death of the Two Witnesses.

In Revelation 11:7, it is said, “Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.” And “the inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate” their death (Revelation 11:10). How could a beast kill the witnesses of God? And how could the people on earth, including those people of God like Christians and Muslims, celebrate the death of God’s witnesses? The answer is that both Christians and Muslims believed that the revelation from God already ended a thousand years ago, and there would be no more new revelations from God. Therefore when these two witnesses came to bring the New Message of God to them, most people from traditional religions thought they were false prophets.

Besides, there was another reason that made people think they were false prophets. These two witnesses also made some mistakes in their teachings or in their personal lives, which left the weakness for the beast to attack. If these two witnesses didn’t make those mistakes, this Beast of Satanic Spirit would not have had a chance to kill them and deceive the people of God on earth. Unfortunately, the Beast found the two most common weaknesses in human nature, sex and violence, to defeat and kill these two witnesses.

a) The Mistakes Made by the First Witness –Joseph Smith

i) Polygamy Doctrine

For the first witness in the west, Joseph Smith, the Beast used sex to lure him away from the Word of God. During the time he translated the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith was clearly aware of the teaching of God about marriage. “Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord… Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For they shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none” (Jacob 2: 24-27). The Book of Mormon is against Polygamy, not advocating Polygamy, which later became the most controversial part of the Mormonism.

The ORIGINAL Doctrine & Covenants also contained this statement against polygamy. "Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again" (Doctrine and Covenants, section 101, verse 4). This denial of polygamy, was printed in every edition of the Doctrine and Covenants until 1876, when the Mormon leaders decided to insert section 132, which permitted a plurality of wives. Then this anti-polygamy revelation was removed. Who was the one to seduce people into changing the doctrine of the church or the revelation from God? The Spirit of the Beast that worked behind people’s mind.

At first, the Beast sent Joseph Smith a beautiful teenage girl named Fanny Alger as a servant girl in his house, and let Joseph Smith have an affair with her. She became Joseph Smith’s first plural wife, although Joseph was married to Emma Hale Smith at that time. Later, at the request of Emma, that young girl was forced out of their house and then remarried with a non-LDS.

Then Mr. Smith, under the deception of that Spirit of the Beast, came up with a “new and everlasting covenant” to encourage plural marriage. He claimed that this “new and everlasting covenant” on polygamy would overwrite all the old covenants and anyone who did not abide this “covenant” would be damned and destroyed, including his own wife Emma (D&C 132: 4, 54, 64).

Ironically, his first wife Emma fought against this “covenant” of polygamy throughout the rest of her life and lived till 1879, far beyond the tragic death of Joseph Smith in 1844. And all the recent leaders of LDS Church also abandoned the teachings of polygamy and led the church better than before. None of them were “damned” as cursed by that “new and everlasting covenant”. If from the fruit you would know the tree, then these results proved that the “revelation” on polygamy and its “curse” in D&C 132 were not from God.

God might allow a man to take care of more than one woman in certain time of harsh situations, but He would NEVER require polygamy as a “new and everlasting covenant” to enter the kingdom of God; otherwise all the current members and leaders of LDS Church will be “cursed” and not be able to enter the kingdom of God. Ever since Joseph Smith was deceived by the Beast to start practicing polygamy, the LDS Church and most Latter-day Saints have become the laughing stock of the nation and the polygamy doctrine became the bull’s eye for those anti-Mormon sentiments. It hurt the real mission for the Witness of God.

Although the current leaders of the LDS church denounce the practice of polygamy, the polygamy doctrine is still remained in the official Doctrine & Covenants for the church members. The Polygamy Doctrine in Chapter 132 should be removed from the Doctrine & Covenants in Mormonism, for it was not the “revelation” from God, but the deception from the Beast. The recent abduction case (2002-2003) of a young girl in Salt Lake City as a plural wife for a self-claimed prophet is just another proof how poisonous this false “revelation” on “God-Send” polygamy is. I hope the church leaders have the courage to face the past mistakes and stop defending this wrongful doctrine and practice of polygamy.

In the past, there were numerous cases where some men used the name of God or religion to take sexual advantage of faithful women. Some “religious masters” or “gurus” even claim that sexual intercourse is the way for spiritual “enlightenment” or “purification”. These were the deceptive tricks of the “Beast” from the spirit of “Babylon”, “the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth” (Revelation 17:5). The result of that is the eternal condemnation and judgment from God, and those who followed this kind of doctrine or “revelation” would be led to the big disasters or total destruction like the old empire of Babylon, which used to require women to provide sexual services as part of its religious rituals.

Now, here comes a new message of God for all the sisters in the world. God will NEVER coerce a faithful woman into marriage or sexual relationship for religious or spiritual purposes. And there is no need for women to get into any sexual relationship or provide any sexual service to be “saved” or “rewarded”.

If anyone demands a woman to have sexual relations with him in the name of God or in the name of religion, he is already under the control of the “Beast” or the spirit of “Babylon”, no matter how good he was before. This kind of “Revelation from God” for sex is actually the “revelation” from the Beast. Any religious faithful woman should have courage to reject such kind of sexual advance in the name of God. It will also save those people from the dreadful punishment of God, for God will not forgive those who use His name to take sexual advantage of women. From now on, this is the Protection Order from God for all women against sexual advances in the name of God.

At the beginning, to make this “new and everlasting covenant” on polygamy looks like a legitimate “revelation”, the Beast added some conditions for polygamy to this “revelation” that the new wives must be virgins and must have the consent of the first wife (D&C 132:61). But then the Beast kept firing up Joseph’s sexual desire until it became uncontrollable. Eventually, under the influence of the Beast, Joseph Smith broke all the “covenants” to pursue more young girls without the consent of his first wife Emma and even demanded for the wives of his followers to be his plural “celestial” wives. That led to the schism of the church and eventually to the death of Joseph Smith.

Some earlier leaders of the church, including all three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, were excommunicated from the church for their accusations on Joseph Smith’s adultery and fornication. Some of the leaders who were familiar with the inside information started to reveal the secret of polygamy practice.

On June 7, 1844, Austin Cowles (the former First Counselor to the LDS Church) and William Law (the former Second Counselor) published accusations of heresy, polygamy, and adultery against Joseph Smith in the first and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor. On June 10th, Joseph Smith, as the mayor of Nauvoo, ordered the Expositor's press destroyed, which violated federal law. Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were soon arrested. In the night of June 27th in 1844, Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith were murdered by a mob in a jail in Carthage, Illinois. This was a tragic end for the prophet / witness of God. It shows how the sexual immorality could lead to big tragedies, even for the people who was chosen by God.

ii) Blasphemy & Self Exaltation

After Joseph Smith was misled by that Beast from the Abyss and lost control of his sexual desire, he also made some fatal mistakes by denying the eternity of God and exalting himself. At the Mormon church's official general conference on April 6, 1844, Joseph Smith, in what is now called "The King Follet Discourse", said,

“...for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345; Journal of Discourses, 6:3).

He taught people that “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man”, and “you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you.” He really didn’t understand the spiritual nature of God and confused the monotheism with polytheism. Eventually he claimed:

“My Father worked out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same; and when I get my kingdom, I shall present it to my Father, so that he may obtain kingdom upon kingdom, and it will exalt him in glory. He will then take a higher exaltation, and I will take his place, and thereby become exalted myself.” (King Follett Discourse)

He thought that he could exalt God through his work and then take God’s place to become an exalted man, or “God”, himself. That is totally wrong. It is blasphemy. God, our Heavenly Father, does not need any man’s work to be exalted to a “higher exaltation”, nor can anyone take God’s place by pushing Him to a higher place. When Joseph Smith refuted the eternity of God and claimed he could exalt God and take His place, he made a big mistake. He didn’t know what he was talking about. Joseph Smith might think that he could bring his followers closer to God and had no ill intention against God. But he was misled by the spirit of Beast to give false teaching regarding God, which was very damaging to the mission of God. Therefore, one month later, God called the second witness Bab in Persia / Iran to come out on May 23, 1844 to prophesy and preach the Word of God to the public.

Then on May 26, 1844, Joseph Smith also made another big mistake by boasting about his own works:

“I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I.” (History of the Church, Vol. 6 P. 408-409)

Joseph Smith even boasted of his work above Jesus Christ’s work. He went too far. And with no exception, God would humble those who exalt themselves. Finally, God decided to end Joseph Smith’s mission on the earth and took away His protection on him. One month later, on June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith were killed by the mobs in the Carthage jail. That’s how a prophet of God was “overpowered and killed” by the Beast from the Abyss as prophesied in the Bible (Revelation 11:7). The chronicle of these events and the closeness of these dates show the immediate effect and serious consequence of his mistakes near the end of his life.

Joseph Smith was one of the witnesses for God prophesied in Revelation 11, but his mistakes in the later years led him to the “defeat by the Beast”. That’s why most mainstream Christians do not accept him as a prophet or “witness” of God and deny Mormonism as the religion from God. But his preaching on the importance of both faith and works was indeed the plan of God to prepare for the initial time of reward and judgment. As Jesus said in the Bible, “My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12).

Joseph Smith also gave some good teachings on the importance of intelligent knowledge, which can lead to higher exaltation. That’s the similar teaching of Buddha on spiritual enlightenment. When Joseph Smith gave the revelation that the Father was once manifested as a man on the earth like Jesus was, he was right but he didn’t know the details. The Father did come to the earth and manifested as Buddha in India twenty five hundred years ago, five hundred years before the Son came to the West as Jesus Christ. In the nineteenth century, there was not many, if any, Buddhism materials in the West. Joseph Smith did receive the revelations from the Holy Spirit on the Father’s teachings in Buddhism, but he had no way to verify and confirm them. That’s why he was later misled by the spirit of the Beast and made some mistakes regarding the Word of God. But some of his unorthodox teachings on Mormonism can be found in more details in Buddhism. Hence Mormonism can be considered as Semi Buddhism Christianity. And that’s one of the main reasons God send the “Second Boy” in the Bible to Salt Lake City to reveal the complete picture of the Word of God, especially the Buddhism Christianity, the Second Phase of the Word of God for both the East and West. (See Chapter 2.5)

Therefore, it’s important for LDS/ Mormons to see both good works and mistakes of Joseph Smith, and learn the lesson from history to avoid the same mistakes in the future. It’s also important for mainstream Christians to see good teachings of Joseph Smith beyond some misunderstandings and personal mistakes to fully understand the plan of the Father. Sharing the Word of God with each other, instead of criticizing each other, will be more helpful for understanding and preaching the Word of God.

b) The Death of the Second Witness

The death of the second witness of God, Bab, was caused by the human nature of violent intent, which was inspired and magnified by the spirit of the Beast. Initially, Bab’s teachings of the equality of people and of religious unity were right, and he attracted a large number of followers. But gradually his teachings turned toward violence and he began to preach to his followers the Jihad against the Islamic government in Persia. He even called for the abrogation of Islam. Therefore, his followers started to revolt in several places in the country trying to overthrow the government. Then they faced severe persecution from the government and Bab was executed at the age of 30. After another attempt to assassinate the emperor failed, more severe persecution on Bab’s followers followed and most of the Babi leaders were executed. Only after Baha’u’llah took over the leadership and stopped his followers from additional violent revolts, did the reformed Babism, which is now called Baha’ism, survive and prosper throughout the world.

After the death of the two witnesses, there was the bloodiest Civil War in American history; and after the death of Baha’u’llah, there were the two bloodiest wars in world history, Word War I and World War II, and a Great Depression in between. These were the disasters in fulfillment of the prophecies in Revelation 11:13 and 11:19.

6. The Causes of the Death of the Two Witnesses

At Revelation 11:8, it is prophesied that these two witnesses were killed in the great city called Sodom and Egypt, and also Jerusalem “where the Lord was crucified”. But everyone knows that Sodom, Egypt and Jerusalem were three difference places. What does this prophecy of God trying to tell? This prophecy actually reveals the cause of death of these two witnesses.

The name of Egypt is the symbol of oppression because it is where Israelis were treated as slaves before Moses led them to exodus. This name prophesied that these two witnesses and their followers would be oppressed by the mainstream society and authority, which was exactly how these two witnesses were treated.

The names of Sodom and Jerusalem reveal the causes of death of these two witnesses as both cities had been destroyed and deserted for a long time. Sodom was destroyed because of the sin of sexual immorality and Jerusalem was destroyed after the Jew’s violent revolt in the first century. These are the exact causes that led to the death of these two witnesses. Those people hated Joseph Smith not because of his revelation from God, but because of his secret practice of polygamy. And Bab was executed not because of his teaching for unity but because of his call for violent revolt. The Beast used his weapon of sex and violence to defeat these two witnesses and led them to be killed.

Sexual desire and violent intent are the two most common weaknesses in human nature; even the prophets of God were not immune to these weaknesses. Only those people who can put these two human weaknesses under proper control can have great achievement in this life and the life after. Any loss of control on either one of them in large scale could lead to big disasters.

Currently, Satan is using these two weapons, sex and violence, to attack the people in this world again. The direct results are the AIDS disaster and ethnic/religious conflicts throughout the world. In certain regions in Africa, almost one quarter of the populations is AIDS-infected. Losing control on sexual desire to sexual promiscuity and adultery is the main reason for this disaster. Some nations in Africa even believe that having sex with virgin girls can cure AIDS. This is the evil concept that could destroy whole generation of young girls. To save African nations from this AIDS disaster, governments should let people learn the Word of God against promiscuity, adultery, and other sexual immoralities. Without stopping the source of the sin, there could be more disasters ahead.

Violence is another weapon of Satan to cause of social instability and conflicts. Currently, there are many religious and ethnic conflicts in the world caused by the violence and hatred between or within different nations. The conflicts in the Middle East and Kashmir are the two typical examples. Now violence even gets into the children of school age through movies and computer games. That’s why there is so much campus violence and shooting rampages in America.

The only way to stop the violence is to learn the Word of God with love and mercifulness. People need to know the Principle of Fortune Credit and Spiritual Oneness in this New Revelation. Anytime when people hurt others, they hurt themselves through negative Fortune Credit or bad karma. Sooner or later, these negative Fortune Credits and bad karma will cause personal misfortunes and tragedies to themselves or their families.

From the lesson of these two witnesses, people should be aware of the trick and lure of the Beast through sex and violence. Even the prophets of God sometime couldn’t help falling into the trap of the Beast. Only after people have a strong faith in God and learn the lessons through history, will people be able to resist the temptation of the beasts, and be protected by God from the attacks of the beasts.

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