LDS History Chronology: Dreams
-- Oct 23, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] ... Droped my watch & broke my crystal to atoms as I dreamed. (1)
-- Nov 1, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] ... I had a peculiar dream last night one that is unutterable & Cannot be written for I cannot comprehend it all myself. I was called to hold the keys of the kingdom of God in all the world with the quorum of the Twelve & traveld with them over much of the world, & finally traveld through many countries alone & when I got through I saw many things I cannot write but in the end Br Joseph Smith Assisted me to come into the place whare he was and Pointed out my work, portion, & labour. I immediately entered into the duties assigned me.
I also had another dream. Was in the Presence of Br Joseph Smith. Was conversing about his death. Told him I felt bad about it & If I had known he would have been taken away so soon I should have conversed more with him & asked him more questions. Said it was not his fault that I did not. Speaking of my work & duties said I had better get a dozen to help me. D (1)
-- Nov 14, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] ...I dreamed of being in Nauvoo. Br Kimball <going to> England. Br Webster, <denied the faith>, my sister Eunice <[left?] in the hands of Elder Young>. (1)
-- Dec 30, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 30th Wind Still dead ahead. Cloudy & cold. Still beating in the channel on the same ground we were yesterday. Gain none at all.
I was in dreams nearly all of last night. Saw A large fire, A field of green corn, repaird old tubs to hold water, ground grain for the Saints Among other things I had an interview with the Patriarch Hiram Smith who was mattered. He wished me to get a plain gold ring made of fine gold set a stone in it & put some of his hair in it & wear it, & also some of Joseph Hair. (1)
-- About Dec 30, 1844
[Wilford Woodruff] ... Joseph Smith visited me a great deal after his death, and taught me many important principles. The last time he visited me was going on my last mission to preside in England. My companions were Brother Leonard W. Hardy, Brother Milton Holmes, Brother Dan Jones, and another brother, and my wife and two other women. ...
We had been traveling three days and nights in a heavy gale, and were being driven backwards. Finally I asked my companions to come into the cabin with me, and I told them to pray that the Lord would change the wind. I had no fears of being lost; but I did not like the idea of being driven back to New York, as I wanted to go on my journey. We all offered the same prayer, both men and women; and when we got through we stepped on to the deck and in less than a minute it was as though a man had taken a sword and cut that gale through, and you might have thrown a muslin handkerchief out and it would not have moved it.
... Joseph and Hyrum visited me, and the Prophet laid before me a great many things. Among other things, he told me to get the Spirit of God; that all of us needed it. He also told me what the Twelve Apostles would be called to go through on the earth before the coming of the Son of Man, and what the reward of their labors would be; but all that was taken from me, for some reason. Nevertheless I know it was most glorious, although much would be required at our hands.
Joseph Smith continued visiting myself and others up to a certain time, and then it stopped. The last time I saw him was in heaven. In the night vision I saw him at the door of the temple in heaven. He came and spoke to me. He said he could not stop to talk with me because he was in a hurry. The next man I met was Father Smith; he could not talk with me because he was in a hurry. I met half a dozen brethren who had held high positions on earth, and none of them could could stop to talk with me because they were in a hurry. I was much astonished.
By and by I saw the Prophet again, and I got the privilege to ask him a question, "Now," said I, "I want to know why you are in a hurry. I have been in a hurry all through my life; but I expected my hurry would be over when I got into the kingdom of heaven, if I ever did."
Joseph said:
I will tell you, Brother Woodruff. Every dispensation that has had the Priesthood on the earth and has gone into the celestial kingdom, has had a certain amount of work to do to prepare to go to the earth with the Savior when He goes to reign on the earth. Each dispensation has had ample time to do this work. We have not. We are the last dispensation, and so much work has to be done, and we need to be in a hurry in order to accomplish it.
Of couse, that was satisfactory to me, but it was new doctrine to me. (2)
Footnotes:
1 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993
2 - Wilford Woodruff Dreams and Visions, Saints Without Halos, Scott Kenny (http://saintswithouthalos.com/n/dreams_ww.phtml)
Mormon Timeline: Dreams
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