Blacks Receive LDS Priesthood
"Revelation?
"In view of what President Young and others have said, it would be foolish indeed to give anyone the false idea that a new revelation is immediately forthcoming on the issue of the Negroes receiving the Priesthood....our present prophets are in complete agreement with Brigham Young and other past leaders on the question of the Negro and the Priesthood. President Mc Kay was asked by a news reporter at the dedication of the Oakland Temple, 'When will the Negroes receive the Priesthood?' He responded to the question over a national television network saying, 'Not in my lifetime, young man, nor yours.'...
"Social pressure and even government sanctions cannot be expected to bring forth a new revelation. This point is mentioned because there are groups in the Church, as well as out, who feel that pressure on the Prophet will cause a revelation to come forth. It would be wise to emphasize that all the social pressure in the world will not change what the Lord has decreed to be. Let those who would presume to pressure the Prophet be reminded that it is God that inspires prophets, not social pressure....It is not the responsibility nor the stewardship of any person on earth to dictate to the Lord or the Lord's servants when a revelation should be given....
"The prophets have declared that there are at least two major stipulations that have to be met before the Negroes will be allowed to possess the Priesthood. The first requirement relates to time. The Negroes will not be allowed to hold the Priesthood during mortality, in fact, not until after the resurrection of all of Adam's children. The other stipulation requires that Abel's seed receive the first opportunity of having the Priesthood....Negroes must first pass through mortality before they may possess the Priesthood ('they will go down to death'). Reference is also made to the condition that the Negroes will have to wait until after the resurrection of all of Adam's children before receiving the Priesthood....the last of Adam s children will not be resurrected until the end of the millennium. Therefore, the Negroes will not receive the Priesthood until after that time.... this will not happen until after the thousand years of Christ's reign on earth....
"The second major stipulation that needs to be met...is the requirement that Abel's seed receive the opportunity of holding the Priesthood first....
"The obvious question is, 'When will Abel's seed be redeemed?' It will first of all be necessary that Abel marry, and then be resurrected, and ultimately exalted in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom so that he can have a continuation of his seed. It will then be necessary for Abel to create an earth for his spirit children to come to and experience mortality. These children will have to be 'redeemed' or resurrected. After the resurrection or redemption of Abel's seed, Cain's descendants, the Negroes, will then be allowed to possess the Priesthood." (The Church and the Negro, 1967, pp. 45-49)
On pages 109-110 of the same book, John L. Lund reiterates: "First, all of Adam's children will have to resurrect and secondly, the seed of Abel must have an opportunity to possess the Priesthood. These events will not occur until sometime after the end of the millennium.
As late as 1974 Apostle Bruce R. McConkie questioned the spirituality of Church members who believed it was time for a new revelation on the blacks. In a conference message delivered Oct. 4, 1974, Apostle McConkie said:
"Am I valiant in the testimony of Jesus if my chief interest and concern in life is laying up in store the treasures of the earth, rather than the building up of the kingdom?...
"Am I valiant if I am deeply concerned about the Church's stand on who can or who cannot receive the priesthood and think it is time for a new revelation on this doctrine?...
"Am I valiant if I engage in gambling, play cards, go to pornographic movies,..." (The Ensign, November 1974, page 35)