A Revelation in Relation to the Indian Mission, and the Vision thereof Given August 25, 1846.
1a I, James J. Strang, was at Elizabeth, on the Monongahela River, on the twenty-fifth day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, and had a vision;
1b And lo, I beheld a land amidst wide waters, and covered with large timber, with a deep broad bay on one side of it.
1c And I wandered over it upon little hills and among rich valleys, where the air was pure and serene, and the unfading foliage, with its fragrant shades, attracted me till I wandered to bright clear waters, scarcely ruffled by the breeze.
1d And Indians in canoes glided about, and caught fish, and sat down to eat; and they gathered in assemblies, and were taught words of truth and ways of holiness, and they hearkened. And I beheld many wonders there.
2a And one came near unto me, and I said, What meaneth this? And he answered and said,
2b Behold, here shall God establish his people, even the sons of Joseph, on an everlasting foundation; and from hence shall the gospel of the kingdom go unto the tribes, and they shall not any more be despised, for the nations that set the foot upon their necks will be cut off that they be no more a people.
2c Behold, he hath already begun it. The sword is already bathed in blood, which spareth not their destroyers. And blood shall not cease till their most haughty oppressor is laid low to rise no more.
3a And he hath chosen this nation to begin vengeance for them.
3b And if this people will turn unto him, and repent of all their evil deeds, and no more slay the prophets which he sendeth unto them, but will hearken unto them to do the things which they shall speak unto them, and keep the words of the Lord, and his commandments to do them, then will he exalt the nation and establish it,
3c For he hath raised it up by the hands of wise men, whom he set up for that very purpose, to be the instrument of his purpose in the last days.
4a And upon this land where thou standest shall the gospel of the kingdom be established among the Lamanites, and from thence shall it go forth to their tribes.
4b And blessing and honor and great glory shall be on those that teach them, for he will make their arm strong, and their bow shall abide in strength, and they shall not bow to the oppressor;
4c And the power of the Gentile shall not be on them, for the arm of God shall be with them to support.
5a And here shall the Lamanites come to learn the Law of the Lord their God, who hath preserved them, that they be not utterly destroyed.
5b And other barbarians shall come also, and shall learn ways of holiness; for the Lord their God shall teach them, and his people shall instruct them, and shall go forth as ministers of truth unto all people.
6a And I asked him, What meaneth all this? And he said unto me, Thou art carried away in the spirit, and brought to this land in the midst of waters, in the north country, that the Lord might show thee what he will do hereafter.
6b For here shall be a stake and a corner stone of Zion, for the strengthening of her curtains round about. Here shall the house of Manasseh and the house of Ephraim and the Gentiles build a house unto me, and bow down to me therein.
6c For the sons of Jacob shall lay the foundations thereof, and therein shall they worship their God. And to this house shall the thousands of the house of Israel come, when the ice melts at the north.
6d And there shall they meet their brethren in peace, and God shall be in the midst of them.
7a Behold, thou shalt see this land with thine own eyes before thou returnest to thine house, and shalt long to set thy foot upon it.
7b Nevertheless, when the children of the household of faith have peace, then thou shalt go there and minister in the work of the Lord thy God.
7c Spy it out, therefore, and let the servants of God dwell there to do his work, for it hath abundance in the riches of the forest, and in the riches of the earth, and in the riches of the waters; and there shall the children of God learn his law to do it.
8a And the Lord God shall add possessions unto the faithful, and give good gifts unto them that keep his law, and he will establish them therein forever.
8b And their possession shall become as a paradise, yielding fruits every month, and the strength of Zion shall be there to do the work of the Lord, to work deliverance to the captive and judgments upon the ungodly, in the day of the Lord.
8c For he will exalt his people in righteousness, and deliver them in judgments. And the Gentiles shall be made the instruments of his purposes, and by them will he work deliverance. The Lord will show thee all things in his time.
9a For the day is near when thou shalt meet many Lamanites, and shalt talk with them of these things. And with them shalt thou behold this land, and then shalt thou begin this work.
9b If Satan hinder thee, strive against him, and thou shalt overcome and shalt prevail, for the Lord God hath spoken it.