Your Time on Earth: When Would You Have Chosen to Come? | Rex E. Lee | 1995

If you could choose one time in the history of the Church to be a part of, which would it be? Do we understand how important our own time is?
This speech was given on January 24, 1995.
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"As a basis for my remarks this morning, I want you to assume-contrary to what we know-that in your premortal life you were permitted to see the end from the beginning. Assume also that you were told you would be privileged to come to the earth as a member of the restored Church and that you could choose one particular period of Church history in which you would lead your active adult life. Given that opportunity, what choice do you suppose you would have made?
Surely the temptation would have been great to pick the very early years, what we might call the New York/Pennsylvania period, when the Book of Mormon was being translated and published, the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods were being restored, and the Church officially organized. Just think how exciting it would have been to be there when men such as Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, the Whitmer family, and Parley and Orson Pratt first came to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Book of Mormon was modern-day scripture, even the companion volume to the Bible, the stick of Joseph foreseen by the prophet Ezekiel.
What a thrill it would have been to hear the Prophet Joseph or Oliver Cowdery recount their personal impressions as John the Baptist returned to earth and on the banks of the Susquehanna River laid his hands upon their heads and said, “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron” (D&C 13:1).
Based on our present-day impressions, it is not likely that many of us would have picked what we might refer to as the Ohio period, from about 1831 through 1838, but if we look more carefully, some very exciting and important events occurred during that time. It was, for example, a period in which no fewer than seventy-seven sections-60 percent of the total pages-of the Doctrine and Covenants were revealed.
The Ohio years also constituted the single period that probably would have presented the greatest opportunities in all Church history to demonstrate your loyalty to the Prophet and to sustain him in times that he was in great need of sustenance. For this was a period of great rebellion from within the Church, including such Church leaders as Martin Harris, Frederick Williams, John Boynton, and William McLellin. It was also the time when faithful leaders were called upon to participate in Zion’s Camp, a venture that, from all outward indications, was a failure, but, when viewed through the long lens of history, proved to be the laboratory that would identify and develop the Church’s top leadership for decades to come.
Surely it would have taken great courage, knowing in advance the events that were to occur there, to have selected the comparatively brief but brutal and even tragic Missouri period, highlighted by the tarring and feathering of Bishop Edward Partridge, the driving of the Saints from Jackson County in the cold of November, and the subsequent battles of DeWitt and Crooked River. These events ultimately culminated in Governor Boggs’ extermination order-and within a matter of days the tragedy of Haun’s Mill, the capture of Far West, and the incarceration of the Prophet and his companions in Liberty Jail. To those of us whose understanding of civil rights and common decency is rooted in the soil of the last half of the twentieth century, it is literally unthinkable that the governor of any of the United States of America would issue an official order that an entire group of people be either expelled from the state or actually exterminated.
The extermination order carries an irony that accompanies its offensive outrage: though the threat of its actual use existed for only a brief period, it was not formally revoked until 1976. Little did I know when I traveled to St. Louis or Kansas City prior to 1976 that I was under official order of the state of Missouri to be dealt with in the same manner that the Orkin Company deals with termites.
How great the temptation would have been to have picked the Nauvoo period. Nauvoo the Beautiful-it was beautiful in many ways. Certainly beauty abounded in its physical surroundings, as anyone can attest who has visited it in its restored condition...."

[@JoeyFTaylor]

Really great talk! Gave me so much to think about… we tend to forget about all the circumstances that had to happen to bring us this far. This talk was 26 years ago. I’m in awe of how far we’ve come since. It’s very exciting.

[@rubenrocha-evjanian3352]

Excellent talk!!! btw those 2 thumbs down are related to his choice of tie not to his talk :)

[@stevenbastian3882]

21:49 "The best time of all is ours. Right now." Could not agree more. Lift where you stand.

[@crisantocabrerajr.222]

I bought and read the book he authored

[@BeeDub57]

Powerful message, really puts the trials of our time in perspective. Thanks for posting.

[@scottbrandon9390]

History is an unusual thing. In retrospect people may have wanted to meet Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, see the building of Kirtland and Nauvoo temples, the first edition of the BM, and see plural marriage up front. However there were many challenges in those days, like low life expectancy, persecution of church members, and watching loved ones die of untreatable illnesses. There is a nostalgia factor. But just think of the Martin handcart companies, and being one of the 217 who died. None of that could be pleasant, nor the people who lived and had amputations.

[@angiehansen2233]

What a great talk! I'm so glad I stumbled upon this.

[@niroms8199]

I had to concentrate to listen to the message as I could not separate how much he looks and sounds like Johnny Carson.

[@bjr1090]

So happy I stumbled onto this talk!

[@guardianangel9517]

I'd be born in the 20s so I could be passed on before the communists took over. But... My grandkids need me TERRIBLY to survive this part of the journey, and our Lord has others in my path who I LOVE to assist. BRING IT ON! 🤺🤍🕊

[@aletajenson4628]

So good! We really do have amazing opportunities. It’s interesting to think how many more temples there are even now compared to when this talk was given. It’s miraculous and exciting!

[@monabiehl6213]

Millennium. You pray and get what you pray for. I might have gotten married and had babies and been a stay-at-home mother and enjoyed lots of grandchildren and enjoyed the technology of that day.

[@blancajuarezsuyo4859]

Happy aniversary BYU