Larry Allan Garmus (November 2, 1946 – July 1, 2021) is the author of the book, published in 2004 entitled, “The Coming Indian Prophet.” I (Kelly) read his book many years ago, and the following is quoted in my own book, which is a commentary on his, with his permission to write the book:
“Upon reading Garmus’ book The Coming Indian Prophet my senses were shocked. The scriptures in his book, along with Garmus’ commentary about them were so pertinent, powerful, and necessary that it astounded me—more so than any other non-scriptural book that I had come across…”
From Larry’s own voice on the phone, I confirmed the following:
Garmus began writing the book while in full fellowship of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, upon completion, his membership in the “kingdom” didn’t last. His message had an effect of drawing forty members into a council to discuss his possible excommunication, including in his own words, “the high brethren.” It was then that the Stake President handed him a scripted contract for Garmus to sign. It demanded that Garmus support Church leadership, even if he knows what they are saying or doing is wrong. It was then that Garmus rose up from his chair, politely put the contract back on the table unsigned, and walked out of the room. A week later, he received notice of his excommunication.
Introduction from The Coming Indian Prophet
The LORD, in Proverbs 1:22-28, says,
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof. l also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; …
This work [The Coming Indian Prophet book] is intended primarily for all people who number themselves among those who have accepted as the truth, the restored gospel of JESUS CHRIST.
At our baptism, we acknowledged that JESUS is the CHRIST, our LORD and Savior; and that He and God the Father have restored the gospel, in its fullness, to the earth once again. At that time we covenanted to obey all of His laws. We renew this covenant every time that we partake of the sacrament. We as a people, however, have not been obedient. Almost as a whole, we have broken our covenants; and as a result, we are under condemnation.
The promise of the LORD to us, if we will turn at His reproof, is that He “will pour out His spirit upon us, and make known His words unto us.” He has stretched out His hand, … but we have set at nought all His counsel, and would have none of His reproof. He is telling us that we need to turn at His reproof; and, that if we will do so; that He will teach us. In all of the scriptures, the word of the LORD is never candy coated. It is always straight forward; often scathing, and seldom well received. And, just as His love and blessings upon those who love Him, and love to obey Him, are unfathomable in His great goodness and mercy, so also is inevitable His reproach, scorn and eventual destruction of all those who have turned away from Him. We are either for Him, or against Him. There is never, any middle ground.
In Matthew 22:36-40, when asked, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Then in John 14:15, CHRIST said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” We are commanded to love the LORD our God; and are told that if we do, it will be evidenced by the fact that we keep His commandments.
What we generally fail to realize, is that the commandments—all of them—were given unto us to show us the way back to Him, and how to obtain the only lasting joy in and from this life. The LORD chastens and reproves us because of His pure love for us, and His desire for us to repent and return unto Him and His ways, so that we can enter into His presence once again. The tendency of the natural man, however, whenever a finger of the LORD is pointed at us in reproach, is to mentally step out of the picture so that the finger is left pointing at someone else; anyone else but us. Either that, or to change His laws, ordinances and covenants, as we suppose; or to reject the LORD altogether. When we do this though, we damn ourselves, and stop our own progression; because unless we heed His words by repenting, we will not be able to approach Him.
The situation in this regard becomes especially perilous when we number ourselves in a unity of “faith” with others, who as a group, elevate themselves above the masses. The inclination in such a case, is to think that we are above reproach. This because we have surrounded ourselves by those who constantly reaffirm to us that we are the beloved of the LORD—those who are obeying Him in all things. This is the very trap that we who align ourselves with the restored gospel of JESUS CHRIST, have fallen into.
We, as a people, need to reacquaint ourselves with the gospel of JESUS CHRIST, in its fullness. We need to determine all areas in which we fall short of righteousness. And then, we need to repent and return. If we do not, it will be as it says in 3rd Nephi 16:10-11 & 21:12 & 20-21:
…and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. And then will I remember my COVENANT which I have made unto my people, O HOUSE of ISRAEL, and I will bring my gospel unto them. —3rd Nephi 16:10
…And my people who are a REMNANT of JACOB shall be among the GENTILES, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver… For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel; And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. —3rd Nephi 21
We would do well to ask ourselves in relationship to these scriptures, “Who is this remnant of Jacob, the covenant people of the house of Israel; and who are the Gentiles?” The truth of this is given to us in abundance in the scriptures, if we will only look. It is imperative that we understand the truth and implications of what is being said in these and many other scriptures; because we, as a people, are NOT fulfilling God’s word. There IS another people. We say that we know who the Indians are; and, while we do know in part, we do not fully realize what our relationship to them is, and how we—Gentiles—will be associated with them. We need to know the truth of all these things.
Joseph Smith said, “if any man writes to you or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an impostor.” (Times and Seasons, vo1.5, No.7, pg. 490, Apr 1, 1844) With this in mind, it is my sincere belief and hope that all that is presented herein is the pure and undistorted truth; but, should any error in fact be found, as far as the revealed word of God is concerned, I would count it as a blessing to have some good soul bring it to my attention. We must align ourselves with God our Eternal Father and the eternal truth. May all Glory be given to Him, now and forever more.
Please remember this: the material in this manuscript, at times, is very unpleasant; because if we open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to understand, we find that nearly all of us are under condemnation—some much more than others. We must remember, though, that there is always hope; and, should we be one of the few who repent and return we would do well to emblazon the following scripture upon our mind:
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. —Isaiah 1:16-20
It is my witness to the world that JESUS is the CHRIST; the Messiah; the Son of God our Father—that He is our LORD and Savior; that by Him the gospel, which embodies the truth of the eternities, has been restored to the earth in this dispensation; that this restoration commenced with the introduction of the young man, Joseph Smith Jr., to his LORD and Savior JESUS CHRIST, by God the Eternal Father; that through the Prophet Joseph Smith, then, both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods—along with all of the ordinances appertaining to the salvation and exaltation of man—were restored to the earth in preparation for the establishment of the kingdom of God here upon the earth; which kingdom will be built up to meet the LORD at His second coming; His coming in glory.
That also, through Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon—a portion of the compilation of the ancient records that were written by a remnant of the house of Israel who lived anciently upon this, the Western Hemisphere—came forth to the world; and that this book which we now have, was translated by Joseph Smith through the gift and power of God—having been written specifically for us in this day. Additionally, I testify that that which is to be presented here is also true; regardless of the fact that it is not likely to be very well received by many, because it is contrary to much of what we have accepted as, and perceived to be, the truth. I testify that though it may seem at times that the object is to tear down, this most assuredly is not the case. However, just as the majority of what now occupies the location where the New Jerusalem is to be built will have to be destroyed—wiped clean—the same too is the case with many of our perceptions concerning the restored gospel of JESUS CHRIST if we are to ever have hope of standing upon a firm foundation in our relationship with CHRIST. In this regard, I must further testify that God’s church as stated in D&C 85:7—along with the remainder of the house of God—WILL be set in order.
And finally, I testify that a momentous portion of the great work of the LORD for this dispensation is yet to be performed; that a GREAT AND MARVELOUS WORK will occur prior to the second coming of our LORD and Savior, in His glory. If we desire to have a part in this work with His covenant people—the natural house of Israel—we will, as it says in 3rd Nephi 16:13, have to repent and return unto the LORD through living the fullness of His restored gospel. While we may trifle with His word now, in the end—that end which shall be the beginning—every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that JESUS is the CHRIST.
The Premise: 3rd Nephi 16:4-15
And I command you that ye shall write these sayings after I am gone, that if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall write shall be kept and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles, that through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed, who shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth because of their unbelief, may be brought in, or may be brought to a knowledge of me, their Redeemer.
And then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth; and then will I fulfil the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel.
And blessed are the Gentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which witnesses unto them of me and of the Father.
Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the latter day shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fulness of these things shall be made known unto them.
But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;
And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them—
And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.
And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.
And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel.
But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel.
And I will not suffer my people, who are of the house of Israel, to go through among them, and tread them down, saith the Father.
But if they will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them, and shall tread them down, and they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house of Israel. — 3rd Nephi 16:4-15
The preceding quote from 3rd Nephi 16, is the subject of this work; and, while it is a part of the message of the Book of Mormon to the world, for it to be of the most benefit to us, we should read it as being given directly to all those who consider that they hold the Priesthood of God and/or are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the people who profess to the world that We are the Lord’s people… come to us, hear us and be saved.
The leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sending missionaries to people throughout the world, and as a rule, the missionaries and the church membership alike don’t even wince at the idea of telling the people of the world that they are wrong (invalid baptisms, no authority, etc.), and that the teachings of the church are right. However, to turn the tables on us would be to blaspheme, but it puts into perspective what is proposed here: that the table has been turned on us; that we are the Gentiles that are being spoken of in 3rd Nephi. We were given the fullness of the restored gospel to take to the world; but instead, we ourselves have rejected it, and have lost not only this marvelous privilege, but even our salvation if we do not repent and return.
This is a voice of warning, and the natural inclination will be to not want to hear it. But please, please listen. If we do not hear and understand the message, we cannot repent; and at this point, that is the most important thing for us to be doing.
When the LORD says: “At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations and above all the people of the whole earth…” just what exactly did He mean, and whom is He referring to? And then when He says: “I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them and shall tread them down, and they shall be as salt that has lost its savor…”; in consideration of the two groups of people being talked about here, who else could possibly be considered as the “salt that has lost its savor,” except us, the Gentiles—particularly those who readily accepted the fulness of the gospel, and then went on to reject it?
Can we be totally honest when we are faced with a problem like this? The natural inclination is to search our minds for an escape clause. Thoughts run through our minds like: “We are Ephraim, not the Gentiles; this doesn’t refer to us,” or, “The leaders have said that the church (and the kingdom) have been set up never to be thrown down or to be given to another people.”
The effort here will be to remove all of the stumbling blocks of misconception entailed in our effort to understand these scriptures. To do that, we will have to understand:
1) what the kingdom of God is;
2) who the Gentiles are in relationship to the Jews — including the house of Judah, the house of Israel, the remnant of the house of Israel, and the branch broken off;
3) what is being referred to as “the fulness of my gospel”;
4) who Ephraim, Manasseh and Mulek are in relation to the Gentiles and the remainder of the house of Israel; and how they are involved in the fulfillment of prophecy; and
5) what the LORD means when He says, “I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.”
When we know about these things, and, if we can then conquer our being “lifted up” (pride) then perhaps we will be able to “repent and to return” unto the LORD.
To do all of this we will have to seek the answers with, as Moroni said, “a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ…” because we are promised that if we do, “he will manifest the truth of it unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Moroni 10) Through this process, we are able to learn all things about the gospel and the church, including the misconceptions that we have been taught. When we seek the truth in this manner, we will find that the truth will distill upon us as the dews from heaven.
Humility is the primary key here, humility that can come only through the sacrifice of our pride. In 3rd Nephi 16, it talks about the Gentiles being lifted up in the “pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth.” While the message is open to all who have eyes to see and ears to hear, as a rule our pride tends to make us—as individuals and as a people—blind and deaf. We, with few exceptions, are experts in defending our own particular dogma at the expense of the truth—not to mention castigating anyone who opposes us. We can see this in others in the church, and if we dare look hard enough, most of us will see it in ourselves. The cause of all of this is pride, and it would be of benefit to each of us to reread Ezra Taft Benson’s talk; “Beware of Pride” (Ensign, May 1989; General Conference, Apr. 1989). We need to be extremely careful of this pride when studying 3rd Nephi, because if we are not, we will neither be able to see nor hear the uncloaked message being given to us.
For us to be able to enter into the presence of God the Father in the Celestial Kingdom, we are going to have to develop a personal relationship with our Savior JESUS CHRIST, through the Holy Ghost. To do this we will have to obtain the knowledge that He, JESUS, is the CHRIST, with a conviction that His gospel is true—a testimony of the truth sufficient to give us courage to live the gospel. The gift of this testimony will not be given to us unless we are willing to strive for it in meekness and humility, with all sincerity and with all of our heart. If we do not gain this testimony, we will not be able to stand. This is an individual process; no man can take us there—and no righteous man will say that he can. As a result, anyone who KNOWS that the restored gospel is true must be exceedingly careful to not let themselves put their salvation into the hands of ANY man. We need to be able to discern the truth for ourselves. An excellent example of this is in 2nd Nephi, chapter 3—an understanding of which is very enlightening when it comes to understanding 3rd Nephi, chapter 16—which, in turn, is very helpful in our understanding the situation in our day.
To make this point, we can look at 2nd Nephi 3:22-25. Here it says, Joseph’s father Lehi speaking:
And now, behold, my son Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy. Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for THY SEED shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book. And there shall rise up ONE MIGHTY AMONG THEM, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. And now, blessed art thou, Joseph.
Who is this person that shall rise up out of the seed of Lehi’s son Joseph? Please reread it carefully so that you will see.
This individual is to be a descendant of Lehi’s son Joseph to whom the blessing was given. The footnote, however, given for this individual—”one mighty among them”—in the later editions of the Book of Mormon, refers the reader to Joseph Smith in the topical guide. Clearly, this cannot be. As was pointed out before, this is a very important scripture for us to understand in helping to grasp the importance of what is said in 3rd Nephi; but we will not get it if we think that this individual is Joseph Smith. Errors are often made by men, but it is our responsibility to be sure that we are led by the Spirit. Otherwise, we may find ourselves lost in a maze created by the mistakes of others.
Perhaps we may not see something like this on our own; but is the Spirit of the LORD sufficiently strong within us to recognize and accept the truth when it is pointed out? Of even greater importance, do we have our pride bound and gagged sufficiently to let us admit it?
Pride kills. It poisons the mind and hardens the heart. It kills one with a death that goes beyond the grave. It has the power to kill even the spirit. We need to be ever so careful, and sure to not turn away from the light. When we turn in that direction, ahead there is nothing but darkness and death.
We would do well to be meek, humble followers of JESUS the CHRIST—seeking continually to know, understand, and live His law in accordance with His will if we expect to ever have a part with Him in the kingdom of God.
Where is the Kingdom of God Among Us?