Mark Burton

So as to dispel any thoughts that you might have as to thinking that I was running away from my family or because of sin or the desire to commit sin, I will say this. You are sadly mistaken for I love and miss my family very much and have done nothing in coming here of which I am ashamed or is in violation of God's laws. As to what brought me to move to Manti--in spite of the fact that Beth, my wife, said she would leave me if I did--I will share this with you so that if you are willing to be open to the spirit of truth, you might receive it.

In June of 1997 a friend of over fifteen years, who at that time was living in Alabama, called me to tell me of the things that he was learning from the Internet. We had spent a great deal of time together in years past while I was his Elders Quorum President, and had discussed many things about the gospel of Jesus Christ and its restoration. Among the things that we discussed there were some things of question that we didn't understand, such as, how could Christ be perfect and qualified to be our Savior as well as be a perfected God if He hadn't even yet come to the earth and received a body? If Christ could have progressed to that level without coming to the earth, then why couldn't we have stayed in a premortal state and progressed a great deal closer to that level of perfection before coming into mortality? In our phone conversations he told me some interesting facts about that question that were taught by the early brethren. He sent me some literature and in studying it, I found answers to that question and other truths. The answers came from the scriptures and teachings of the early LDS leaders.

I know that you may say, "follow the living prophet," but if the early prophets did not teach the truth so that we cannot find the truth in the early prophets, the current "prophet" has no legs to stand upon. The current leaders of the LDS church teach us to leave the mysteries alone, but the scriptures clearly teach us to search the mysteries. Many of us are familiar with the talk by Hugh B. Brown: "Profile of a Prophet." As you will recall, he taught that if a man professed to be a prophet, he must talk like a prophet, and he would speak for God, ("thus sayeth the Lord"), and that his teachings must agree meticulously with the scriptures and with former prophets or he would be proven to be a fraud. The words of all true prophets are in harmony and full agreement--for God is not a changeable God or the author of confusion, for all mankind "must be saved on the same principals" (TPJS p. 308).

In July of 1997 we (my family) came west (from Wilmington, NC) to a family reunion, and while in Utah I wanted to go down to Manti and see if I could learn more about these people, still hoping to expose to myself their fraud for I was not searching for something different than what I had in the LDS church. However, at times I had been frustrated by their complacency and lack of focus on forming a Zion society and really preparing the members to meet Christ and have their calling and election made sure. It seemed that their focus was on numbers and programs and so uncertain over basic teachings, like seeing leaders not even finding it necessary for someone being baptized to be completely immersed at one time as long as they got wet all over. Beth (my wife) wouldn't go to Manti with me, so she and the kids stayed in Ogden with friends while I went down for a day and a half to check it out.

While in Manti, I met several members of the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC for short). Among those members there were two or three former LDS bishops as well as many returned missionaries and people who had been strong active LDS members. What I found that they are teaching in Manti agrees with the scriptures and the teachings of the early brethren, but was in conflict with current teachings and practices of the LDS church. There is no question as to Jesus Christ being the Savior, the truthfulness of the restoration of the gospel to Joseph Smith, and the need for authority to act in the name of God, I know these things are true. What this put me in conflict with was why the LDS church has changed the ordinances and teachings of the early leaders, including the teachings and instructions of the Prophet Joseph Smith who still holds the keys of this dispensation (D&C 90:2-3), and whether or not the LDS church was STILL God's true Church upon the earth.

We as LDS often have had our heads in the sand thinking that the church, "being true," could never go into apostasy, for God would "never allow it." Well, He does allow it--He believes in agency, always has and always will, or He would cease to be God. We often quoted President Wilford Woodruff's statement to the effect that "God would never allow the President of the church to lead the people astray, but would remove him if he tried." Well, this is a true statement but not in the traditional LDS interpretation. Each of us have done things that are wrong; God has allowed us to do it, but expects us to repent. God being no respecter of persons allows all people their agency including, prophets! He allows them their agency, and it is up to us to verify if what they are teaching us is true.

How God would remove them is that they would no longer be His mouth piece until they repented, just as Joseph Smith lost the power to translate for a season when not in harmony with God. Thus even "prophets" who sin would be left on their own to kick against God. This puts the responsibility back on each of us to have the spirit of revelation and to find out for our selves if our leaders are teaching us the word of God or the teachings of man. Brigham Young further emphasizes this by teaching:

I told the people that if they would not believe the revelations that God had given, He would suffer the Devil to give revelations that they—priests and people—would follow after. . . . I told the people that as true as God lived, if they would not have truth, they would have error sent unto them and they would believe it. (Brigham Young, 8 June 1878, Deseret News)

If we will not follow God, He will not force His agency upon us, regardless of our station or supposed status, but He will allow us to follow Satan and even receive revelation from him. So how are we to find out if we are being taught the truth and not just accept it on blind faith like dumb sheep who would follow their leaders over a cliff to destruction?

Well, many who will be reading this have had an endowment in an LDS temple. As you recall Adam sought further light and knowledge from God. Who then appeared? The self appointed "god of this world," Satan. It was then necessary for God to send Peter, James and John down to instruct Adam (and his posterity, for we are all to liken ourselves respectively to Adam and Eve) how to cast Satan and his followers out of our midst, and after doing this, how to get true revelation from the true God by using the true order of prayer. This was the teaching to Adam and was the teaching of the true endowment as revealed to Joseph.

Haven't you ever thought how wonderful it would be to pray in the true order of prayer and get answers to your own questions? The endowment teaches us that we might get our prayers answered by Satan without the keys of the priesthood to detect true messengers from false ones. This was the recipe given of God to receive truth, and like all recipes or formulas, they must be followed exactly or they won't give the desired results--including receiving false revelation from Satan if we don't use the proper keys of the priesthood. This is what those who received an endowment in the early part of this dispensation did, they went home dedicated an alter and offered up prayer in the signs of the priesthood and received revelation from God.

In May of 1978 all LDS stake presidents and bishops received direction that, even though they might recognize the benefits, they were no longer to pray "in stake, ward, or other buildings" (LDS First Presidency Letter to "All Stake Presidents and Bishops," 3 May 1978) using the true order of prayer in their wards and stakes--no more prayer circles. And members weren't allowed to do it in their own homes. That is like giving a farmer the biggest and best tractors and all the equipment to go with it and then forbidding him to use it. It makes no sense at all! Teach you the only way to safely receive answers from God and never, no never allow you to use it. Think about it, even in the temple prayer circles they aren't really praying in the true order because this is only given as instructional information as to how to do it, and members are rarely if ever permitted to act as voice. Just a word of caution at this point: if the keys have been altered from those delivered by God we are subject to receive the revelations of Satan regardless of our sincere desires--and he can give us good feelings too.

While talking about the endowment I feel inclined to mention a couple of other changes in this sacred holy ordinance. The garment has been changed from ankle and wrist length; LDS people are now forbidden to even wear the old long garment but are to put on a shortened version that allows them to wear the fashions of the world. Why?--To fit into the world, and become popular and accepted of the world. aren't God's people to be not of the world? You can't tell a Latter Day Saint from a heathen--no more a peculiar people. When I received my endowment in the LDS Church, we were told to go often to the temple as a reminder of the covenants that we had made and keep them fresh in our minds. This is hard to do when they have changed the endowment from the covenants that we formerly made. They have even removed the holy embrace from the veil whereby we are to be received by the Savior and have our calling and election ratified. The lecture at the veil was changed to remove the declaration of truth that Adam is our Father and God.

Other changes include removal of penalties associated with the tokens of the priesthood. The scriptures clearly teach if there is no penalty there is no justice for breaking the laws of God. If there is no justice, there is no need for mercy. All things must be in balance before God: if there are no penalties for sin there is no need for the gift of God (mercy through the atonement), thus no need for Christ. If we deny the penalty for sin, we are denying Christ and crucifying Him ourselves.

Joseph Smith taught that:

If there is no change of ordinances there is no change of Priesthood. (TPJS p. 158)

Therefore if there is change of ordinance, there is change of priesthood or apostasy. Apostasy has happened to God's true church many times here upon this earth. Just to mention a few: Lehi was called to declare the apostasy in his day, apostasy occurred also in the days of Abinadi, and so it was in the thirty times recorded in the Book of Mormon as noted in Nibley's Teachings of the Book of Mormon. Joseph declared that the church was under condemnation (D&C 33:4 and 50:4 and 84:54-57). So also Ezra Taft Benson declared in conference not too long before his death that the church was still under that same condemnation. The conditions that bring forth God's condemnation lead to apostasy and total rejection by God if not quickly repented of!

Upon returning home I continued to study and fast and pray about these teachings. I couldn't deny the witnesses that I was receiving because I knew in my soul that they are right. In October I went back to Manti to attend a two day seminar and to learn the truth as to whether the LDS Church still had claim on being God's true church on earth. I have never been in any class where the scriptures were taught in such clarity and power. I knew what I must do. I must gather to Manti and be a part of this, God's great and marvelous works of the last day. Even if my family were to abandon me, I knew that what I had heard was true, and I knew that God knew that I knew it, and that I would be under condemnation of God if I were to reject His witness to me.

It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do to go back home and have my family (my wife, my eight children, my son-in-law and my grandson) reject me and walk out on me without even knowing of the things that I had seen and heard. However, I thank God that He blessed me with the strength and courage to follow what the spirit dictated in my heart with such power that I must do. I know that God did lead me here. I pray each day that God will prepare His elect--that your hearts will be prepared to listen to the truth of this message, and not be filled with the fear of truth because of tradition or the influence of Satan. I know that this is of God, and that the leaders of the LDS church either by error, or by the pressures of the world, or by the influence of Satan have led Christ's true Church into complete rejection by God. You can't change God's laws and ordinances and not be rejected of God. There are many other factors but I will not go into more at this time.

God has stretched forth his hand to gather unto Him a remnant in these last days. On the 25th of November 1990 James Dee Harmston was visited by four great dispensation heads Enoch, Noah, Moses and Abraham. These patriarchs placed their hands on his head, and he now has the keys to the apostleship and the responsibility to do the will of God as his representative here on the earth and lead God's people in truth. On the 3rd of May 1994 Christ's church was again organized here upon the earth.

I bear witness that these things are true. God has found the LDS Church in apostasy, has rejected it, and established another in its place with the power and authority to act in His name. I am willing to be separated from my family for this truth's sake if that must be, for I cannot deny the testimony of God that He has given me and not find my soul cast out for I dare not deny the Holy Ghost. These are the last days spoken of in Isaiah and Revelation. The calamities that we see going on in the world are but the wake up call for the elect of God. Manti is the only place west of the Mississippi that has ever been declared (by Brigham Young) as a corner stake of Zion, a gathering place for God's people. Great destructions await the wicked and they who will not repent.

I know this may seem very foreign to you and your first reaction may be to reject this as totally impossible and false but with all soberness and seriousness of my heart I testify in the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that it is true and is most worthy of your time to investigate. May God's spirit and blessings be upon you as you search these things. I pray that you may not reject this message but search it out and find out for yourselves that it is true.

Your friend and brother, Mark

Manti, Utah

6 November 1998