Prophet Onias

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Prophet Onias is a pseudonym used by Robert C. Crossfield, born in 1929 in Canada.

Contents

[edit] Naming

Prophet Onias had already taken the pseudonym before his first revelation. Taking a pseudonym is similar to the early Mormon practice used in the Doctrine and Covenants of assigning scriptural code names to religious leaders. However, the name Onias was a family name of Crossfield. Several of his paternal ancestors had it as a first name. Throughout the revelations, he is called the Prophet Onias, rather than Crossfield, while he is acting as a prophet. When the revelations are directed at Onias as a person, through Onias the Prophet, the revelations are addressed to Bob.

[edit] First Revelation

In 1961, while living near Edmonton, Alberta Canada, Onias received the first of a number of revelations. Onias claimed that this revelation and all subsequent revelations were words of scripture given to him from God. This first revelation stated that the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would no longer receive instruction and guidance from God until the church resumed "the new and everlasting covenant", which is a reference to the observance of plural marriage or polygamy.

This revelation was directed at Mormon church officials, and included the instruction to "marvel not how these revelations come," referring that the revelations were coming through Onias.

This revelation was extremely critical of Mormon church leadership, stating they needed to "speedily repent," and stated that the work of God would continue in spite of wicked current church leadership. This revelation also established Onias as a prophet of God.

Onias received this revelation unexpectedly. He sent it immediately to the President of the Mormon church. Onias also reported that other errors had crept into the Mormon church since early Mormon leaders had died.

No one in the Mormon church, including the President, responded directly to the revelation. The Mormon church did not reinstate polygamy as dictated by the revelation. The Mormon church ignored the first revelation of Onias.

[edit] History

In 1950 Crossfield converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon church), and was ordained into the Melchizedek Priesthood of the church.

After his first revelation in 1961, he continued to receive further revelations, but did not showe them to anyone except church leaders until he published them in book form in 1968, as instructed through a revelation. This volume was called Book of Onias.

During this time, Onias remained alone. He sent free copies of Book of Onias to many libraries in the United States and Canadian. For six years after the book publication, Onias received no new revelations.

In 1972, Onias was excommunicated from the Mormon church, because of his beliefs and claims to revelation.

Soon afterwards, in 1974, he received a revelation concerning the nature of God, now known as Section 23 of the Second Book of Commandments. This clarifies that the Old Testament terms of God, Jehovah, and Michael refer exactly to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. God is Elohiem in Hebrew.

This revelation provides a resolution to scriptural contradictions with the Adam-God theory which was publicized by Brigham Young. This same revelation reported a few significant errors in Young's other teachings.

In 1975 a long revelation (Section 24) was received containing the Parable of the Pear Tree which showed that the Mormon church would be cleansed and not destroyed by the Lord. This, with Sections 25, & 26, were published and mailed to most of the local leadership of Mormon church as a tract. There was hardly any response.

During this time Onias remained alone except for a few people who sought him out on their own. During his solitude, he received additional revelations concerning the setting up of Zion, but they were not published until later. Onias also received personal revelations for himself and others. By 1980, Crossfield received revelation ordering a move to the United States from Canada.

On March 6, 1982, in Boise, Idaho, Onias and others followed a revelation and set up the School of the Prophets. The revelations declared that the School of the Prophets was not a church, and was not to do missionary work. Its purpose was to become the educational arm of Zion. Church members could not appoint themselves to the school or to offices in it, but were instead called by revelation. The school was given the work to compile and study Onias's revelations and to search out truth in all areas of knowledge and to teach this truth to those who come to the School to be taught.

A School of the Prophets for the whole world was set up first, consisting of a President and six counselors. President Crossfield with six counselors continued to direct the School since it was set up in 1982.

Schools were planned for many locations, each with a President and six counselors. The full duties and calling of the members of the School are found written in various revelations. These schools never materialized.

In 1984 the headquarters of the work of the School were relocated to Salem, Utah. At first many began to investigate the School, including Ron Lafferty and Dan Lafferty. However after these two former members of the Provo, Utah School of the Prophets were involved in a high-profile homicide, interest in attendance of the School of the Prophets was drastically reduced. This story is detailed in Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith.

In 1986, Onias reported a revelation that the times of the Gentiles had come to a conclusion. From that time revelations have come forth identifying Israel and the different tribes. The School was instructed that from this time forth those with the signs of Israel would have precedence in the School of the Prophets.

Onias received additional revelations, which instructed Onias to set up Zion in a "Four-square" manner. This refers to having four separate organizations with priesthood authority: 1) the political Kingdom of God, 2) the educational School of the Prophets, 3) the economic United Order, and 4) the missionary Church of Christ.

In 1988 members of the School set up the United Order Society of Utah in order for them to begin living by the principles of the economic laws of Zion.

Because an anticipated gathering together of the faithful had not come about, Onias reported a revelation directing him to leave the Salem, Utah area by 1994.

Onias and a few others have continued to do the works of the School, and another temporary gathering place was set for gathering the Prophet and those support him. Those in the United Order have set up businesses to support themselves, and preparations are being made to set up a political party in line with Crossfield's revelations. An endowment house was also prepared and dedicated at this gathering place.

Onias closed this endowment house in Salem and moved to an undisclosed location in 1999.[1] He currently resides with a small group in an undisclosed location.

[edit] The Second Book of Commandments

Onias's The Second Book of Commandments is a sequel to the Mormon church's Book of Commandments, which is an early version of the Doctrine and Covenants. The original Book of Commandments was published in 1835. The Second Book of Commandments is Onias's compiled revelations is the second volume of these commandments, and begins with a revelation in 1961 and continues to present day.

The Second Book of Commandments was originally called Book of Onias and was published in 1969 by Philosophical Library. This contained revelations 1 through 22.

Onias's revelations were recompiled in 1985, and have been continually updated with new revelations since.

Book of Onias was republished in 1988. This edition contains revelations 1 through 45, with the first 22 revelations preserved identically. It was published by United Order Publications. United Order Publications is a publishing company that only publishes the Second Book of Commandments, and has published The Second Book of Commandments since 1988.

In 1989, the name of Book of Onias was officially changed to The Second Book of Commandments, this was done at the dictate of a revelation.

The Second Book of Commandments is currently published as a spiral-bound book, which allows for rapid republication of new sections. In 2005 it had 235 sections, and currently in 2007 it has 237 sections.[2]

[edit] Revelatees

Onias received revelations that referenced famous people and that were directed at famous people.

People referenced in Onias's revelations:

People that Onias's revelations are directed at:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hales, Brian C.. Robert C. Crossfield. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
  2. ^ The Second Book of Commandments. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.

[edit] Sources

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