MESSAGE GIVEN THROUGH
Elder Howard Parker
August 2018
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Brothers and sisters, I feel compelled to share with you a dream that I had in mid-August. It is not a “thus saith the Spirit”, but I feel it to be a spiritual dream, and a warning of preparation to his people. I simply ask that you consider this experience with prayer. I am not a prophet, and am not interested in being a leader. This is a response, I believe, to much prayer over the state of the Church, and asking how we can prepare for the end times ahead.
Scripture Reference: Genesis 7:67-70 67 And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I made unto you concerning the children of Noah. 68 And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. But before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth. 69 And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; and righteousness will I send down out of heaven, and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men. 70 And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine own elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare; an holy city, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion; a New Jerusalem.
The promise I want to emphasize here is” “my people will I preserve”. Most believe that we are living in the last days, and that this world is only growing darker. This is not an excuse to give up, or take up other interests. This is a day to look up and rejoice, for the Lords coming is nigh. Those of us who grew up in the RLDS faith recognize, at least in part, the trails that will come upon this world, particularly this nation.
Scripture References:
DC 105:9-10 9a Verily, verily I say unto you, Darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face. 9b Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth–a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation–and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. 10a And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord. Micah 3:12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plagued as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.
Honestly, this has never been a pressing issue for me. Perhaps I, like everyone else, thinks about this as something that will happen “later”; that it’s really not my concern. But it has to happen sometime, right? If the scriptures prophecy of this, then it has to happen because God has said “my words will not return to me void”.
I pray, constantly, for the people of the Lord, and the gospel going out to the nations. The church, in her present state, is a mess. So, I am always asking the Lord what I, or we can do. The Lord seems to give me dreams when he desires to get through to me. I always wake up knowing that this is a message from the Lord. My Grandfather has come to me in night visions, and every time, they’ve come true.
A few weeks ago, he came to me again. In this dream, I began by thanking him for allowing me to bear his name, after which, I asked him a question that I have always wondered about. It seems, growing up, that older people would warn me “be careful what you do; someone in heaven is watching”. Could those that have gone on really watch us? I asked Grandpa if he could see us; observe us. He answered “no”. Surprised, I asked again “so, you can’t watch us?” Again, he said “no”. Makes sense. Why would we go on to our rest, only to have to watch the mess down here?
At this point, he turned to leave, so I grabbed his arm and asked him to give me something, some instruction, some advice. He didn’t respond. I asked again. “Anything?” My hopes were that he would give me some spiritual counsel; what he gave me was not at all what I was ready for. He looked right into my eyes and said “Within two years, a great volcano will erupt in Wyoming, setting off catastrophic events across this country.” I immediately thought about the San Andreas and New Madrid fault lines. Then another thought hit me, and I said, “This will open us up to our enemies.” To which he replied “Yes, and they will come quickly, led by evil men.” I awoke in a sweat. Since this event, I’ve started researching, and found an enormous volcano beneath Yellowstone Park. There have been 1400 tremors there in the last two years. There are many articles dealing with this matter. I believed we should prepare.
Anyone who knows me realizes that I don’t seek the spotlight. I’m not a prognosticator of future events. I only know that the time is near, and that we must prepare. The Lord does not want us to fear, but prepare, in faith believing his words “my people will I preserve”. Any temporal preparations we make must be done, not for self-preservation, but for the opportunity to witness. Our greatest goal should be, as Captain Moroni sought in Alma 21, is to “prepare the hearts of the people”. This will be a time of great confusion and grief. We believers need to stand in the gap and be ready to help. What a day of missionary work it will be!
Since I had this dream, I’ve been praying for direction as to what I am to do with this experience. Do I take it to the church, and risk looking like a fool? Do I ignore it, and if the calamity takes place, and the people were caught unaware, remaining the eternal fool? I just wanted the Lord’s expectation.
On the night of January 4th, 2019, I had another dream. In this dream, I was at our church campground for a reunion. A young woman, probably college age, asked me if I could give her a ride home; that there was nothing here for her. I said “Yes,” and told her I’d like to discuss this with her. As we got into my car, one brother called me into the dining hall, telling me I was needed. As I entered the room, all of the people were surrounding someone. When I entered the circle, there was a woman, laying on the floor, with her head propped up against the wall. I recognized this woman! Only, I remembered her much healthier; she presently looked like she would soon pass away. Believing I was sent to administer to her, I bent over and asked how I could be of service. She then asked me to tell her my dream. Surprised by her request, I knelt down next to her, and shared the dream. When I was done, she exclaimed “I believe it! I believe it!” I looked at her, and to my amazement, she looked much healthier; she had taken strength. The dream ended.
As I woke and pondered the dream, my thoughts were taken back to the woman. I knew her! But who was she? I then felt the Lord speak to my mind, and tell me that she was the Church. The young girl represented the youth of the Church. I was going to deal with her, but a more pressing issue came to me: the Church. When the Church responds, so will the youth.