On various occasions
throughout the history
of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints,
we have erected
monuments to commemorate
important anniversaries.
On the Prophet Joseph Smith's
100th birthday in 1905,
for example, President
Joseph F. Smith
dedicated a large obelisk
at the Prophet's birthplace
in Sharon, Vermont.
On another significant
centennial--July 24, 1947,
100 years after the pioneers
entered the Salt Lake
Valley--President George Albert
Smith dedicated the This Is
the Place monument at the mouth
of Emigration Canyon in Salt
Lake City, Utah.
As we anticipated the 200th
anniversary of the First
Vision received by Joseph Smith,
the First Presidency and Quorum
of the Twelve
Apostles pondered what
we might do to commemorate
appropriately this unique event
that initiated the Restoration
of the gospel of Jesus Christ
and ushered in the dispensation
of the fulness of times.
We asked ourselves if another
monument should be erected.
But as we considered that unique
manifestation of revelation
and the historic, international
impact of that First Vision,
we felt impressed to establish
a monument of words--words
of solemn and
sacred proclamation,
written not to be carved in
tables of stone but in words
that could be etched in the
fleshy tables of all human
hearts.
During the 190 years since
the Church was organized,
only five
proclamations have been
issued, with the last being
"The Family: A Proclamation
to the World," presented
by President Gordon B.
Hinckley in 1995.
Now as we contemplate
this significant time
in the history of the
world and the Lord's charge
to accelerate the
gathering of Israel
in preparation for the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ, we,
the First Presidency and
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
issue the following
proclamation.
Its title is "The
Restoration of the Fulness
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
A Bicentennial Proclamation
to the World."
It is authored by the
First Presidency and Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles
of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It is dated April 2020.
We solemnly proclaim that
God loves His children
in every nation of the world.
God the Father has given
us the divine birth,
the incomparable life,
and the infinite atoning
sacrifice of His Beloved
Son, Jesus Christ.
By the power of
the Father, Jesus
rose again and gained
the victory over death.
He is our Savior, our
Exemplar, and our Redeemer.
Two hundred years ago, on
a beautiful spring morning
in 1820, young
Joseph Smith, seeking
to know which church to
join, went into the woods
to pray near his home in
upstate New York, USA.
He had questions regarding
the salvation of his soul
and trusted that God
would direct him.
In humility, we declare that
in answer to his prayer,
God the Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ,
appeared to Joseph
and inaugurated
the restitution of all things
as foretold in the Bible.
In this vision, he
learned that following
the death of the
original Apostles,
Christ's New Testament Church
was lost from the earth.
Joseph would be
instrumental in its return.
We affirm that
under the direction
of the Father and the
Son, heavenly messengers
came to instruct
Joseph and reestablish
the Church of Jesus Christ.
The resurrected John the
Baptist restored the authority
to baptize by immersion
for the remission of sins.
Three of the original twelve
Apostles--Peter, James,
and John--restored the
apostleship and keys
of priesthood authority.
Others came as well,
including Elijah,
who restored the authority to
join families together forever
in eternal relationships
that transcend death.
We further witness
that Joseph Smith
was given the gift
and power of God
to translate an ancient
record: the Book of Mormon:
Another Testament
of Jesus Christ.
Pages of this sacred
text include an account
of the personal ministry of
Jesus Christ among people
in the Western Hemisphere
soon after His Resurrection.
It teaches of life's
purpose and explains
the doctrine of Christ, which
is central to that purpose.
As a companion scripture to
the Bible, the Book of Mormon
testifies that all human
beings are sons and daughters
of a loving Father
in Heaven, that He
has a divine plan for our lives,
and that His Son, Jesus Christ,
speaks today as well
as in days of old.
We declare that The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, organized
on April 6, 1830,
is Christ's New Testament
Church restored.
This Church is anchored
in the perfect life
of its chief cornerstone,
Jesus Christ,
and in His infinite Atonement
and literal Resurrection.
Jesus Christ has once
again called Apostles
and has given them
priesthood authority.
He invites all of us to come
unto Him and His Church,
to receive the Holy Ghost,
the ordinances of salvation,
and to gain enduring joy.
Two hundred years have now
elapsed since this Restoration
was initiated by God the Father
and His Beloved Son, Jesus
Christ.
Millions throughout the world
have embraced a knowledge
of these prophesied events.
We gladly declare that
the promised Restoration
goes forward through
continuing revelation.
The earth will never
again be the same,
as God will gather together
in one all things in Christ.
With reverence and gratitude,
we as His Apostles invite all
to know--as we do--that
the heavens are open.
We affirm that God
is making known
His will for His beloved
sons and daughters.
We testify that
those who prayerfully
study the message of the
Restoration and act in faith
will be blessed to gain their
own witness of its divinity
and of its purpose to prepare
the world for the promised
Second Coming of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ.
