The Evening and the Morning Star

Vol. 1. Independence, Mo. April, 1833. No. 11

By: W.W. Phelps

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

While we read number 11 of Volume 1 of the original Evening and Morning Star, we recognize that the gospel is not an invention of modern times, but an original and continuous principle extending from the earliest moments of human history. This is supported by a chain of events and covenants stretching from Adam to the present. Adam himself, though cast out, is not abandoned but instructed by God and His angels. The sacrifices Adam made through obedience, which were initially obscure in meaning to him, are revealed to be anticipatory symbols of a greater atonement to come, pointing directly toward Jesus Christ.

Tracing this line forward, we observe a remarkable uniformity. The same essential doctrines involving repentance, faith, baptism, and redemption through Christ, are preached by Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses without variation. This is no gradual evolution of belief, but a repeated reassertion of a single truth. The failures of mankind, therefore, cannot be attributed to ignorance, but rather to refusal. Time and again, the light is presented, and time and again it is rejected, giving rise to the recurring moral decay described as “carnal, sensual and devilish.” The pattern is as consistent as it is unfortunate.

Equally significant is the question of authority. It is made abundantly clear in this edition of the Star that the right to preach this gospel is not assumed but conferred. Each legitimate messenger as prophet and seer, or patriarch, is “called and chosen,” thereby establishing a chain of authorization that mirrors the continuity of doctrine. This detail, often overlooked, is in fact essential; for without it, the system would collapse into mere speculation. Here, however, the structure remains intact: the message and the messenger are equally accounted for.

Now, when one broadens the lens to include the various articles within the periodical, a further deduction emerges. These writings, though diverse in subject, such as history, warnings, letters of correspondence, doctrine, newspaper extracts, or even the hymn at the end, are not isolated fragments but interconnected elements of a single design. The article, “Olden Time” provides a historical foundation; the rise of the Church demonstrates modern continuation; “Lamentable Facts” supplies the recurring human failure; while the ordinance of baptism provides the gateway of entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Even narrative accounts, such as the Jaredite voyage, function as illustrative parallels—demonstrations of faith operating under divine direction.

Finally, the so-called “signs of the times” such as wars, famine, and upheaval must be interpreted not as random occurrences, but as corroborative evidence within the larger framework. They serve as indicators that the system is approaching its predicted conclusion: a restoration, a reckoning, and ultimately a redemption.

Thus, the entire body of work in this April issue from 1833, resolves itself into a single, coherent thesis: one gospel, one authority, one continuous history, and one inevitable culmination. If one stands back and imagines the articles in this periodical as a whole, it appears less as a collection of writings on different subjects, and more as a gigantic project where light and shadow, sorrow and promise, all converge toward a single end: the redemption of the children of men, and the return of the King of Zion, the very Rock of Heaven, and those who enter at the gate of baptism, and climb up by Jesus Christ shall never fall.