Jesus the Christ Chapter 1 Introduction
January 20, 2005
Bruce told
us about his Spiritual Rebirth process as an 18 year old in
Elder
Talmage’s work is his own testimony of Christ, just like the 4 Gospels or Elder
McConkie or anyone else who studies and writes about the Savior.
It isn’t
advisable to HARMONIZE the 4 gospels since each writer included what he wanted
his audience to understand about Jesus.
Important messages are lost when we harmonize their words. Each had a point they were making, it was
their personal testimony. Do we
harmonize each others testimonies? Of
course not, my testimony is mine, though it may have the same ingredients as
others, it is a gift given to me by the Holy Ghost.
The Living Christ
The Testimony of the Apostles
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our
testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His
great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all
who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.
He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under
the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were
made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).
Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about
doing good” (Acts
He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He
was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and
sentenced to die on
We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history,
neither began in
He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1
Corinthians
Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of
fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone
above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing
of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:
“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am
your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).
Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which
have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of
him: That he lives!
“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing
record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and
the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C
76:22–24).
We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been
restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of … apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).
We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will
rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and
every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be
judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.
We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living
Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands
today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope
of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal
life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine
Son.
(Signed by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve on
He
is our Savior and Redeemer not just our “Elder Brother”, Bruce doesn’t like
that term, we aren’t equal with Christ!
Christ as God, not as brother
In a missionary satellite broadcast
in 1998, Elder M. Russell Ballard, of the Twelve, explained the following:
“We occasionally hear some members refer to Jesus as our Elder Brother, which is
a true concept based on our under-standing of the premortal life with our
Father in Heaven. But like many points of gospel doctrine, that simple truth
doesn’t go far enough in terms of describing the Savior’s role in our present
lives and His great position as a member of the Godhead.
“Thus, some non-LDS Christians are uncomfortable with what they perceive as a
secondary role for Christ in our theology. They feel that we view Jesus as a
spiritual peer. They believe that we view Christ as an implementer ... for God
but that we don’t view Him as God to us and to all mankind ...
“... We can understand why some Latter-day Saints have tended to focus on
Christ’s Sonship as opposed to His Godhood.... [We] can relate to Him as a
child, as a Son, and as a Brother because we know how that feels.... And so in
an attempt to draw closer to Christ and to cultivate warm and personal feelings
toward Him, some tend to humanize Him, sometimes at the expense of
acknowledging His Divinity.
“So let us be very clear on this point: it is true that Jesus was our Elder
Brother in the premortal life, but we believe that in this life it is crucial
that we become ‘born again’ as His sons and daughters in the gospel covenant.”
(“Building Bridges of Understanding,” Logan, Utah, 17 February 1998.)
(Colossians
1:15-20.) – The 1st act of our Heavenly Parents, create an heir.
15 Who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all
things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all
things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of
the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that
in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the
Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace
through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by
him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
15. The image of the invisible God] Christ is the image of the Father
physically and spiritually, in person and in personality. Physically the
Resurrected Lord—who ate and drank with his disciples after he attained
immortality, and whose body of flesh and bones they felt and handled—is in
"the express image of his [Father's] person." (Heb. 1:3.) They look
alike; in appearance one could pass for the other. Spiritually our Lord is
"in the form of God" (Philip. 2:6); he has acquired all of the
attributes of godliness in their perfection; as it is with the Father, so it is
with him; he is the embodiment of justice, mercy and truth, of faith, hope and
charity, of wisdom, virtue and knowledge, and of every good thing; thus he is
in the likeness of and a projection of the personality of the Father.
The firstborn of every creature] God is the Father, Christ in the Son—in
pre-existence. He is our Elder Brother, the first of the spirit children born
to his exalted Parent. "I was in the beginning with the Father," he
said, "and am the Firstborn." (D. & C. 93:21.) In that spirit
sphere he advanced and progressed until he became "like unto God"
(Abra.
16-17. Christ created the universe and all
things that in it are, but in doing so he acted in the power, might, and
omnipotence of the Father. "Worlds without number have I created," is
God's language, "and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only
Begotten." (Moses 1:33.) "By him, and through him, and of him, the
worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and
daughters unto God." (D. & C. 76:24; John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:2.)
18. Head of the... church] Whenever there is a true Church on
earth, it is Christ's. He is its Author and Creator. He ordains and establishes
it. By his power it shall triumph. He acts as directed by his Fathers. And he
is the One who said: "Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not
planted, shall be rooted up." (Matt. 15:13.)
18. Firstborn from the dead] Firstfruits of the resurrection;
first person to be resurrected.
(Bruce R.
McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 3: 25.)
The Colossians had a heresy of teaching a
false doctrine of depreciating Christ, he wasn’t divine just a good human. Paul raises him to his rightful status.
Colossians (ca. A.D. 61)
Colossians is the only one of the prison epistles in which Paul appears
to be contending with a serious doctrinal problem. The nature of the problem,
which is often called the "Colossian heresy," is not known precisely.
Paul gave us only a few hints concerning it, and rather than dealing directly
with the problem, he taught proper doctrine in an affirmative way — presumably
in an effort to counterbalance falsehood with increased emphasis on truth. In
the letter he wrote at great length concerning the role of Christ as the
preeminent being in the universe, giving us one of the greatest statements
found anywhere in sacred writings concerning the nature and mission of Jesus
(Colossians 1:12-23; cf. 2:9-10). Paul's emphasis suggests that the so-called
"Colossian heresy" included incorrect ideas concerning Jesus'
standing among the powers of the heavens. In fact, Paul denounced the worship of others who had
begun to be revered: "Do not be taken in by people who like groveling to
angels and worshiping them; people like that are always going on about some
vision they have had, inflating themselves to a false importance with their
worldly outlook" (Colossians 2:18, JB).
Some commentators believe that Paul's
reference to the worship of angels is evidence of elements of Gnosticism or
something similar at
One problem that Christian Gnostics
faced was that of the nature of Jesus Christ. As Christ was believed to have
been both God and man, having had a material body, his position in the heavenly
hierarchies was problematic. Perhaps when Paul emphasized Christ's position in
a cosmic perspective that was unprecedented in any other letter, the apostle
was responding to this kind of ambivalence regarding the role of Jesus. Paul
pointed out:
For in him all things were created,
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or authorities — all things were created through him and for
him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians
He stated further, "For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," and Jesus "is the
head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2:9-10). Paul's emphasis
on Jesus' preeminence makes good sense in light of the Gnostic hierarchy of
intermediary subdeities and the impossibility of fitting Jesus into the system.
The letter to the Colossians is a
letter of urgent warning, and rightly so considering the perversion of doctrine
to which the saints at
Paul continued, "Beware lest any
man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men,
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Colossians 2:8).
If Gnosticism in some primitive form
was indeed the heresy that was making inroads into the church at
(John M.
Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in
Honor of Hugh W. Nibley on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March
1990, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for
Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1990], 1: 113 - 114.)
- Image of invisible God –
Understand God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Christ’s work is twofold:
- Reveal the nature of the
Father
- Redeem mankind from their
fallen state.
- Firstborn of EVERY creature – The
1st act of our Heavenly Parents was to create an heir,
Jesus. All other creations (worlds)
were made by Jesus, an act of complete unselfishness by our Heavenly
Parents; they didn’t do anything for themselves! All they want is for the heir and the
joint-heirs to inherit all (if we are worthy and faithful).
D & C
76 Poetic Version teaches that Jesus made all other creations. It is a response to a poem from W. W. Phelps.
A VISION
(Poetic Version of
D&C 76)
Joseph Smith
Nauvoo, Feb. 1843.
Times and Seasons 4:82-85
1. I will go, I will go,
to the home of the Saints,
Where the virtue's the value, and life the reward;
But before I return to my former estate
I must fulfil the mission I had from the Lord.
2. Wherefore, hear, O ye
heavens, and give ear O ye earth;
And rejoice ye inhabitants truly again;
For the Lord he is God, and his life never ends,
And besides him there ne'er was a Saviour of men.
3. His ways are a wonder;
his wisdom is great;
The extent of his doings, there's none can unveil;
His purposes fail not; from age unto age
He still is the same, and his years never fail.
4. His throne is the
heavens, his life time is all
Of eternity now, and eternity then;
His union is power, and none stays his hand,--
The Alpha, Omega, for ever: Amen.
5. For thus saith the
Lord, in the spirit of truth,
I am merciful, gracious, and good unto those
That fear me, and live for the life that's to come;
My delight is to honor the saints with repose;
6. That serve me in
righteousness true to the end;
Eternal's their glory, and great their reward;
I'll surely reveal all my myst'ries to them,--
The great hidden myst'ries in my kingdom stor'd--
7. From the council in
Kolob, to time on the earth.
And for ages to come unto them I will show
My pleasure & will, what my kingdom will do:
Eternity's wonders they truly shall know.
8. Great things of the
future I'll show unto them,
Yea, things of the vast generations to rise;
For their wisdom and glory shall be very great,
And their pure understanding extend to the skies:
9. And before them the
wisdom of wise men shall cease,
And the nice understanding of prudent ones fail!
For the light of my spirit shall light mine elect,
And the truth is so mighty 't will ever prevail.
10. And the secrets and
plans of my will I'll reveal;
The sanctified pleasures when earth is renew'd,
What the eye hath not seen, nor the ear hath yet heard;
Nor the heart of the natural man ever hath view'd.
11. I, Joseph, the
prophet, in spirit beheld,
And the eyes of the inner man truly did see
Eternity sketch'd in a vision from God.
Of what was, and now is, and yet is to be.
12. Those things which
the Father ordained of old,
Before the world was, or a system had run,--
Through Jesus the Maker and Savior of all;
The only begotten, (Messiah) his son.
13. Of whom I bear
record, as all prophets have,
And the record I bear is the fulness,--yea even
The truth of the gospel of Jesus--the Christ,
With whom I convers'd, in the vision of heav'n.
14. For while in the act
of translating his word,
Which the Lord in his grace had appointed to me,
I came to the gospel recorded by John,
Chapter fifth and the twenty ninth verse, which you'll see.
Which was given as follows:
"Speaking of the
resurrection of the dead,--
"Concerning those who shall hear the voice of the son of man--
"And shall come forth:--
"They who have done good in the resurrection of the just.
"And they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust.
15. I marvel'd at these
resurrections, indeed!
For it came unto me by the spirit direct:--
And while I did meditate what it all meant,
The Lord touch'd the eyes of my own intellect:--
16. Hosanna forever! they
open'd anon,
And the glory of God shone around where I was;
And there was the Son, at the Father's right hand,
In a fulness of glory, and holy applause.
17. I beheld round the
throne, holy angels and hosts,
And sanctified beings from worlds that have been,
In holiness worshipping God and the Lamb,
Forever and ever, amen and amen!
18. And now after all of
the proofs made of him,
By witnesses truly, by whom he was known,
This is mine, last of all, that he lives; yea he lives!
And sits at the right hand of God, on his throne.
19. And I heard a great
voice, bearing record from heav'n,
He's the Saviour, and only begotten of God--
By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made,
Even all that career in the heavens so broad,
20. Whose inhabitants,
too, from the first to the last,
Are sav'd by the very same Saviour of ours;
And, of course, are begotten God's daughters and sons,
By the very same truths, and the very same pow'rs.
21. And I saw and bear
record of warfare in heav'n;
For an angel of light, in authority great,
Rebell'd against Jesus, and sought for his pow'r,
But was thrust down to woe from his Godified state.
22. And the heavens all
wept, and the tears drop'd like dew,
That Lucifer, son of the morning had fell!
Yea, is fallen! is fall'n, and become, Oh, alas!
The son of Perdition; the devil of hell!
23. And while I was yet
in the spirit of truth,
The commandment was: write ye the vision all out;
For Satan, old serpent, the devil's for war,--
And yet will encompass the saints round about.
24. And I saw, too, the
sufficing and mis'ry of those,
(Overcome by the devil, in warfare and fight,)
In hell fire, and vengeance, the doom of the damn'd;
For the Lord said, the vision is further: so write.
25. For thus saith the
Lord, now concerning all those
Who know of my power and partake of the same;
And suffer themselves, that they be overcome
By the power of Satan; despising my name:--
26. Defying my power, and
denying the truth;--
They are they--of the world, or of men, most forlorn,
The Sons of Perdition, of whom, ah! I say,
'T were better for them had they never been born!
27. They're vessels of
wrath, and dishonor to God,
Doom'd to suffer his wrath, in the regions of woe,
Through the terrific night of eternity's round,
With the devil and all of his angels below:
28. Of whom it is said,
no forgiveness is giv'n,
In this world, alas! nor the world that's to come;
For they have denied the spirit of God.
After having receiv'd it: and mistry's their doom.
29. And denying the only
begotten of God,--
And crucify him to themselves, as they do,
And openly put him to shame in their flesh,
By gospel they cannot repentance renew.
30. They are they, who
must go to the great lake of fire,
Which burneth with brimstone, yet never consumes,
And dwell with the devil, and angels of his,
While eternity goes and eternity comes.
31. They are they, who
must groan through the great second death,
And are not redeemed in the time of the Lord;
While all the rest are, through the triumph of Christ,
Made partakers of grace, by the power of his word.
32. The myst'ry of
Godliness truly is great;--
The past, and the present, and what is to be;
And this is the gospel--glad tidings to all,
Which the voice from the heavens bore record to me:
33. That he came to the
world in the middle of time,
To lay down his life for his friends and his foes,
And bear away sin as a mission of love;
And sanctify earth for a blessed repose.
34. 'Tis decreed, that
he'll save all the work of his hands,
And sanctify them by his own precious blood;
And purify earth for the Sabbath of rest,
By the agent of fire, as it was by the flood.
35. The Savior will save
all his Father did give,
Even all that he gave in the regions abroad.
Save the Sons of Perdition: They're lost; ever lost.
And can never return to the presence of God.
36. They are they, who
must reign with the devil in hell,
In eternity now, and eternity then,
Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quench'd;--
And the punishment still, is eternal. Amen.
37. And which is the
torment apostates receive,
But the end, or the place where the torment began,
Save to them who are made to partake of the same,
Was never, nor will be, revealed unto man.
38. Yet God shows by
vision a glimpse of their fate,
And straightway he closes the scene that was shown:
So the width, or the depth, or the misery thereof,
Save to those that partake, is forever unknown.
39. And while I was
pondering, the vision was closed;
And the voice said to me, write the vision: for lo!
'Tis the end of the scene of the sufferings of those,
Who remain filthy still in their anguish and woe.
40. And again I bear
record of heavenly things,
Where virtue's the value, above all that's pric'd--
Of the truth of the gospel concerning the just,
That rise in the first resurrection of Christ.
41. Who receiv'd and
believ'd, and repented likewise,
And then were baptis'd, as a man always was,
Who ask'd and receiv'd a remission of sin,
And honored the kingdom by keeping its laws.
42. Being buried in
water, as Jesus had been,
And keeping the whole of his holy commands,
They received the gift of the spirit of truth,
By the ordinance truly of laying on hands.
43. For these overcome,
by their faith and their works,
Being tried in their life-time, as purified gold,
And seal'd by the spirit of promise, to life,
By men called of God, as was Aaron of old.
44. They are they, of the
church of the first born of God,--
And unto whose hands he committeth all things;
For they hold the keys of the kingdom of heav'n,
And reign with the Savior, as priests, and as kings.
45. They're priests of
the order of Melchisedek,
Like Jesus, (from whom is this highest reward,)
Receiving a fulness of glory and light; As written:
They're Gods; even sons of the Lord.
46. So all things are
theirs; yea, of life, or of death;
Yea, whether things now, or to come, all are theirs,
And they are the Savior's, and he is the Lord's,
Having overcome all, as eternity's heirs.
47. 'Tis wisdom that man
never glory in man,
But give God the glory for all that he hath;
For the righteous will walk in the presence of God,
While the wicked are trod under foot in his wrath.
48. Yea, the righteous
shall dwell in the presence of God,
And of Jesus, forever, from earth's second birth--
For when he comes down in the splendor of heav'n,
All these he'll bring with him, to reign on the earth.
49. These are they that
arise in their bodies of flesh,
When the trump of the first resurrection shall sound;
These are they that come up to
Where the blessings and gifts of the spirit abound.
50. These are they that
have come to the heavenly place;
To the numberless courses of angels above:
To the city of
And to the home of the blessed, the fountain of love:
51. To the church of old
Enoch, and of the first born:
And gen'ral assembly of ancient renown'd.
Whose names are all kept in the archives of heav'n,
As chosen and faithful, and fit to be crown'd.
52. These are they that
are perfect through Jesus' own blood,
Whose bodies celestial are mention'd by Paul,
Where the sun is the typical glory thereof,
And God, and his Christ, are the true judge of all.
53. Again I beheld the
terrestrial world,
In the order and glory of Jesus, go on;
'Twas not as the church of the first born of God,
But shone in its place, as the moon to the sun.
54. Behold, these are
they that have died without law;
The heathen of ages that never had hope,
And those of the region and shadow of death,
The spirits in prison, that light has brought up.
55. To spirits in prison
the Savior once preach'd,
And taught them the gospel, with powers afresh;
And then were the living baptiz'd for their dead,
That they might be judg'd as if men in the flesh.
56. These are they that
are hontrable men of the earth;
Who were blinded and dup'd by the cunning of men:
They receiv'd not the truth of the Savior at first;
But did, when they heard it in prison, again.
57. Not valiant for
truth, they obtain'd not the crown,
But are of that glory that's typ'd by the moon:
They are they, that come into the presence of Christ,
But not to the fulness of God, on his throne.
58. Again I beheld the
telestial, as third,
The lesser, or starry world, next in its place,
For the leaven must leaven three measures of meal,
And every knee bow that is subject to grace.
59. These are they that
receiv'd not the gospel of Christ,
Or evidence, either, that he ever was;
As the stars are all diff'rent in glory and light,
So differs the glory of these by the laws.
60. These are they that
deny not the spirit of God,
But are thrust down to hell, with the devil, for sins,
As hypocrites, liars, whoremongers, and thieves,
And stay 'till the last resurrection begins.
61. 'Till the Lamb shall
have finish'd the work he begun;
Shall have trodden the wine press, in fury alone,
And overcome all by the pow'r of his might:
He conquers to conquer, and save all his own.
62. These are they that
receive not a fulness of light,
From Christ, in eternity's world, where they are,
The terrestrial sends them the Comforter, though;
And minist'ring angels, to happily there.
63. And so the telestial
is minister'd to,
By ministers from the terrestrial one,
As terrestrial is, from the celestial throne;
And the great, greater, greatest, seem's stars, moon, and sun.
64. And thus I beheld, in
the vision of heav'n,
The telestial glory, dominion and bliss,
Surpassing the great understanding of men,--
Unknown, save reveal'd, in a world vain as this.
65. And lo, I beheld the
terrestrial, too,
Which excels the telestial in glory and light,
In splendor, and knowledge, and wisdom, and joy,
In blessings, and graces, dominion and might.
66. I beheld the
celestial, in glory sublime;
Which is the most excellent kingdom that is,--
Where God, e'en the Father, in harmony reigns;
Almighty, supreme, and eternal, in bliss.
67. Where the church of
the first born in union reside,
And they see as they're seen, and they know as they're known;
Being equal in power, dominion and might,
With a fulness of glory and grace, round his throne.
68. The glory celestial
is one like the sun;
The glory terrestrial is one like the moon;
The glory telestial is one like the stars,
And all harmonize like the parts of a tune.
69. As the stars are all
different in lustre and size,
So the telestial region, is mingled in bliss;
From least unto greatest, and greatest to least,
The reward is exactly as promis'd in this.
70. These are they that
came out for Apollos and Paul;
For Cephas and Jesus, in all kinds of hope;
For Enoch and Moses, and Peter, and John;
For Luther and Calvin, and even the Pope.
71. For they never
received the gospel of Christ,
Nor the prophetic spirit that came from the Lord;
Nor the covenant neither, which Jacob once had;
They went their own way, and they have their reward.
72. By the order of God,
last of all, these are they,
That will not be gather'd with saints here below,
To be caught up to Jesus, and meet in the cloud:--
In darkness they worshipp'd; to darkness they go.
73. These are they that
are sinful, the wicked at large,
That glutted their passion by meanness or worth;
All liars, adulterers, sorc'rers, and proud;
And suffer, as promis'd, God's wrath on the earth.
74. These are they that
must suffer the vengeance of hell,
'Till Christ shall have trodden all enemies down,
And perfected his work, in the fulness of times:
And is crown'd on his throne with his glorious crown.
75. The vast multitude of
the telestial world--
As the stars of the skies, or the sands of the sea;--
The voice of Jehovah echo'd far and wide,
Ev'ry tongue shall confess, and they all bow the knee.
76. Ev'ry man shall be
judg'd by the works of his life,
And receive a reward in the mansion prepar'd;
For his judgments are just, and his works never end,
As his prophets and servants have always declar'd.
77. But the great things
of God, which he show'd unto me,
Unlawful to utter, I dare not declare;
They surpass all the wisdom and greatness of men,
And only are seen, as has Paul, where they are.
78. I will go, I will go,
while the secret of life,
Is blooming in heaven, and blasting in hell;
Is leaving on earth, and a budding in space:--
I will go, I will go, with you, brother, farewell.
Bruce tells
a story of Stephen Robinson as a graduate student at the University of North
Carolina seeing his Professor W D Davies (Famous NT Scholar) holding his head
in his hands one day saying: “We lost Him”, meaning scholarship has lost the
meaning of Christ.
The world
is trying to remove Him from our lives, the state religion is secularism. Our Church meetings must be centered on
Christ, all else moves us from Him.
Looking
forward to Elder Talmage’s testimony of Christ!
Pre-Mortality and
Foreordination
Before
opening prayer, Bruce gave a mini lesson on D&C 88:118-121
(Doctrine and Covenants
88:118-121.)
118 And as all have not
faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye
out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by
faith.
119 Organize yourselves;
prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a
house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a
house of order, a house of God;
120 That your incomings
may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the
Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted
hands unto the Most High.
121 Therefore, cease from
all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from
all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings.
Learning
coupled with faith brings the desired result.
Asking our Heavenly Father in prayer for the necessary guidance to learn
what He would want us to learn, use the Holy Ghost to increase your capacity!!
In The Progress of Man, by Joseph Fielding Smith, page eleven,
the following is quoted:
"MAN WAS ALSO IN THE BEGINNING WITH GOD"
"Man was also in the
beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created nor
made, neither indeed can be. . . . For man is spirit. The elements are eternal,
and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; and
when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy." [ D&C 93:29, 33-34.]
Some of our writers have endeavored
to explain what an intelligence is, but to do so is futile, for we have never
been given any insight into this matter beyond what the Lord has fragmentarily
revealed. We know, however, that there is something called intelligence which
always existed. It is the real eternal part of man, which was not created nor
made. This intelligence combined with the spirit constitutes a spiritual
identity or individual.
There are so many things in the
gospel which are essential for us to know and observe that we need not bother
about the mysteries which have never been revealed. There are many things that
we will know when we receive the resurrection and attain to the glories of the
kingdom of our Eternal Father, which we cannot understand in this mortal state
even if they were revealed to us. The Lord expects us to spend our time
preparing for eternity, and he has given us his laws and will reveal to us line
on line as we study, all things that are essential for our preparation for
salvation in his celestial kingdom. It is the duty of the children of men to
seek out fundamental truths and ordinances of the gospel which are made known.
A little child commences its motivation by creeping on the floor. Then a step
or two holding on to a chair or other object, and eventually it gains power and
confidence to move short distances to the waiting hands of its mother. Thus
step by step it becomes strong. We may be compared to this little child. We
gain knowledge, wisdom, and power to act by observation, study, and practice of
correct principles. Too many members of the Church expect the Lord to make
known to them his purposes, to reveal knowledge, to give them wisdom, without
their putting forth any physical, mental, or prayerful effort. Knowledge, like
anything else worthwhile, comes to the individual through his study and
practice. The words of
It is given unto many to
know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command
that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he
doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which
they give unto him.
And therefore, he that
will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and
he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the
word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know
them in full.
And they that will harden
their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know
nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil,
and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the
chains of hell. (
(Joseph Fielding
Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1957-1966], 4: 126.)
Unorganized
Intelligence>>Organized Intelligence>>Mortality>>Spirit
World>>Millennium>>
Have always existed
Pre-Mortality
Family Godhood
The Plan of
Salvation takes us from one realm to the other; it’s a process of evolution,
moving forward.
The great
work of the Church is to organize the family here and in the Spirit World, see
D&C 128.
THE
ORIGIN OF MAN
By The First Presidency
of the Church
Messages of the First Presidency, 4:200-206
"God created man in
his own image."
Inquiries arise from time
to time respecting the attitude of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints upon questions which, though not vital from a doctrinal standpoint, are
closely connected with the fundamental principles of salvation. The latest
inquiry of this kind that has reached us is in relation to the origin of man.
It is believed that a statement of the position held by the Church upon this
important subject will be timely and productive of good.
In presenting the
statement that follows we are not conscious of putting forth anything
essentially new; neither is it our desire so to do. Truth is what we wish to
present, and truth -- eternal truth -- is fundamentally old. A restatement of
the original attitude of the Church relative to this matter is all that will be
attempted here. To tell the truth as God has revealed it, and commend it to the
acceptance of those who need to conform their opinions thereto, is the sole
purpose of this presentation.
"God created man in
his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he
them." In these plain and pointed words the inspired author of the book of
Genesis made known to the world the truth concerning the origin of the human
family. Moses, the prophet-historian, "learned," as we are told,
"in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," when making this important
announcement, was not voicing a mere opinion, a theory derived from his
researches into the occult lore of that ancient people. He was speaking as the
mouthpiece of God, and his solemn declaration was for all time and for all
people. No subsequent revelator of the truth has contradicted the great leader
and lawgiver of
The creation was two-fold
firstly spiritual, secondly temporal. This truth, also, Moses plainly taught
much more plainly than it has come down to us in the imperfect translations of
the Bible that are now in use. Therein the fact of a spiritual creation,
antedating the temporal creation, is strongly implied, but the proof of it is
not so clear and conclusive as in other records held by the Latter-day Saints
to be of equal authority with the Jewish scriptures. The partial obscurity of
the latter upon the point in question is owing, no doubt, to the loss of those
"plain and precious" parts of sacred writ, which, as the Book of
Mormon informs us, have been taken away from the Bible during its passage down
the centuries (I Nephi 13:24-29). Some of these missing parts the Prophet Joseph
Smith undertook to restore when he revised those scriptures by the spirit of
revelation, the result being that more complete account of the creation which
is found in the book of Moses, previously cited. Note the following passages:
And now, behold, I say
unto you, that these are the generations of the heaven and of the earth, when
they were created, in the day that I, the Lord God, made the heaven and the
earth;
And every plant of the
field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew.
For I, the Lord God,
created all things of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were
naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to
rain upon the face of the earth.
And I, the Lord God, had
created all the children of men, and not yet a man to till the ground; for in
heaven created I them, and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in
the water, neither in the air.
But, I, the Lord God,
spake, and there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of
the ground.
And I, the Lord God,
formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth,
the first man also.
Nevertheless, all things
were before created, but spiritually were they created and made, according to
my word (Pearl of Great Price -- Book of Moses, 3: 4-7. See also chapters 1 and
2, and compare with Genesis 1 and 2).
These two points being
established, namely, the creation of man in the image of God, and the two-fold
character of the creation, let us now inquire: What was the form of man, in the
spirit and in the body, as originally created? In a general way the answer is
given in the words chosen as the text of this treatise. "God created man
in his own image." It is more explicitly rendered in the Book of Mormon
thus: "All men were created in the beginning after mine own image: (Ether
Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, is "the express image" of His Father's person (Hebrews 1:3). He
walked the earth as a human being, as a perfect man, and said, in answer to a
question put to Him: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father"
(John 14:9). This alone ought to solve the problem to the satisfaction of every
thoughtful, reverent mind. The conclusion is irresistible, that if the Son of
God be the express image (that is, likeness) of His Father's person, then His
Father is in the form of man; for that was the form of the Son of God, not only
during His mortal life, but before His mortal birth, and after His
resurrection. It was in this form that the Father and the Son, as two
personages, appeared to Joseph Smith, when, as a boy of fourteen years, he
received his first vision. Then if God made man--the first man --in His own
image and likeness, he must have made him like unto Christ, and consequently
like unto men of Christ's time and of the present day. That man was made in the
image of Christ, is positively stated in the Book of Moses: "And I, God,
said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning, Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. * * * And I, God, created
man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him, male
and female created I them" (2:26, 27).
The Father of Jesus is
our Father also. Jesus Himself taught this truth, when He instructed His
disciples how to pray: "Our Father which art in heaven," etc. Jesus,
however, is the firstborn among all the sons of God the first begotten in the
spirit, and the only begotten in the flesh. He is our elder brother, and we,
like Him, are in the image of God. All men and women are in the similitude of
the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of
Deity.
"God created man in
His own image." This is just as true of the spirit as it is of the body,
which is only the clothing of the spirit, its complement; the two together
constituting the soul. The spirit of man is in the form of man, and the spirits
of all creatures are in the likeness of their bodies. This was plainly taught
by the Prophet Joseph Smith (Doctrine and Covenants, 77: 2).
Here is further evidence
of the fact. More than seven hundred years before Moses was shown the things
pertaining to this earth, another great prophet, known to us as the brother of
Jared, was similarly favored by the Lord. He was even permitted to behold the
spirit-body of the foreordained Savior, prior to His incarnation; and so like
the body of a man was gazing upon a being of flesh and blood. He first saw the
finger and then the entire body of the Lord -- all in the spirit. The Book of
Mormon says of this wonderful manifestation:
And it came to pass that
when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched
forth His hand and touched the stones one by one with His finger; and the veil
was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of
the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the
brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.
And the Lord saw that the
brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him, Arise,
why hast thou fallen?
And he saith unto the
Lord, I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I
knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.
And the Lord said unto
him, Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and
blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast;
for were it not so, ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than
this?
And he answered, Nay,
Lord, show thyself unto me.
And the Lord said unto
him, Believest thou the words which I shall speak?
And he answered, Yea,
Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth and
canst not lie.
And when he had said
these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said, Because thou
knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought
back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
Behold, I am He who was
prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am
Jesus Christ, I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have light,
and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall
become my sons and my daughters.
And never have I shewed
myself unto man whom I have created, for never hath man believed in me as thou
hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image?, Yea, even all men
were created in the beginning after mine own image.
Behold, this body, which
ye now behold, is the body of my spirit, and man have I created after the body
of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit, will I appear
unto my people in the flesh. (Ether 3:6-16.)
What more is needed to
convince us that man, both in spirit and in body, is the image and likeness of
God, and that God Himself is in the form of man?
When the divine Being
whose spirit-body the brother of Jared beheld, took upon Him flesh and blood,
He appeared as a man, having "body, parts and passions," like other
men, though vastly superior to all others, because He was God, even the Son of
God, the Word made flesh: in Him "dwelt the fulness of the Godhead
bodily." And why should He not appear as a man? That was the form of His
spirit, and it must needs have an appropriate covering, a suitable tabernacle.
He came into the world as He had promised to come (III Nephi,
Adam, our progenitor,
"the first man," was, like Christ, a pre-existent spirit, and like
Christ he took upon him an appropriate body, the body of a man, and so became a
"living soul." The doctrine of the pre-existence, -- revealed so
plainly, particularly in latter days, pours a wonderful flood of light upon the
otherwise mysterious problem of man's origin. It shows that man, as a spirit,
was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the
eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal
body to undergo an experience in mortality. It teaches that all men existed in
the spirit before any man existed in the flesh, and that all who have inhabited
the earth since Adam have taken bodies and become souls in like manner.
It is held by some that
Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being
was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are
the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was "the
first man of all men" (Moses
True it is that the body
of man enters upon its career as a tiny germ embryo, which becomes an infant,
quickened at a certain stage by the spirit whose tabernacle it is, and the
child, after being born, develops into a man. There is nothing in this,
however, to indicate that the original man, the first of our race, began life
as anything less than a man, or less than the human germ or embryo that becomes
a man.
Man, by searching, cannot
find out God. Never, unaided, will he discover the truth about the beginning of
human life. The Lord must reveal Himself, or remain unrevealed; and the same is
true of the facts relating to the origin of Adam's race --God alone can reveal
them. Some of these facts, however, are already known, and what has been made
known it is our duty to receive and retain.
The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient
and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. God
Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, and supreme. By His almighty
power He organized the earth, and all that it contains, from spirit and
element, which exist co-eternally with Himself. He formed every plant that
grows, and every animal that breathes, each after its own kind, spiritually and
temporally -- "that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which
is temporal, and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is
spiritual." He made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the elephant but
He did not make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason and
intelligence. Nevertheless, the whole animal creation will be perfected and
perpetuated in the Hereafter, each class in its "distinct order or
sphere," and will enjoy "eternal felicity." That fact has been
made plain in this dispensation (Doctrine and Covenants, 77: 3).
Man is the child of God,
formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the
infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a
man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by
experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God.
JOSEPH F. SMITH,
JOHN R. WINDER,
ANTHON H. LUND,
First Presidency of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Someone
asked about other Lords and Gods, we are only concerned with our own God and
Lord.
Spirit Creation Council in Heaven Mortality
Division of Spirits some wanted Godhood, others
didn’t
(Abraham 3:22-27.)
22 Now the Lord had shown
unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was;
and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls
that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I
will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw
that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou
wast chosen before thou wast born.
24 And there stood one
among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We
will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials,
and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25 And we will prove them
herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall
command them;
26 And they who keep their
first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate
shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first
estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their
heads for ever and ever.
27 And the Lord said: Whom
shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me.
And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will
send the first.
22-23 – 2
Groups of Spirits, Noble and Great and the Not So Noble and Great!
Harold B. Lee
From The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, p. 23
Between the extremes of the "noble and the great" spirits, whom God
would make His rulers (see Abraham 3:22-23), and the disobedient and the
rebellious, who were cast out with Satan, there were obviously many spirits
with varying degrees of faithfulness. May we not assume from these teachings
that the progress and development we made as spirits have brought privileges
and blessings here according to our faithfulness in the spirit world? Now don't
be too hasty in your conclusions as to what conditions in mortality constitute
the greater privileges. That condition in life which gives the greatest
experience and opportunity for development is the one to be most desired and
any one so privileged is most favored of God. . . .
Now, don't misunderstand
as to just what may be a great privilege or opportunity. Sometimes to be born
through the channels of adversity is to have had the greatest opportunity. Just
because we haven't been born rich, for instance, may be the greatest blessing
we could possibly have. Perhaps some physical infirmities might be a blessing.
Howard W. Hunter
While on earth, we are dual beings comprised of a physical body and a spirit.
Our bodies are of recent origin and come to us from mortal elements. Our
spirits were begotten by God and have had an extensive period of growth and
development in the spirit world, where we came to know God and to comprehend
the nature of spiritual realities. Some of our Father's sons developed
spiritual talents to a marked degree, and they were foreordained to spiritual
callings in mortality whereby their talents would be utilized to administer
salvation to our Father's children. [From The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter,
p. 12]
24-25 – The
Council in Heaven, there were many meeting to plan what was going to happen
(this is a Church organization after all!)
President Joseph Fielding Smith made
the following statement about councils in premortal life: "When the time
arrived for us to be advanced in the scale of our existence and pass through
this mundane probation, councils were held and the spirit children were
instructed in matters pertaining to conditions in mortal life, and the reason
for such an existence" (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:57).
(M. Russell
Ballard, Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the
Church and in the Family [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 22.)
Although spoken of as a single
council, there may have been multiple meetings where the gospel was taught and
appointments were made. Jesus and the prophets were foreordained in the
council.
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 329.)
The Holy Scriptures give an account
of a great council which was held in the spirit world before man was placed on
the earth. This meeting, known as the Council in Heaven, was presided over by
God our Eternal Father; and those in attendance were His sons and daughters. It
was one, perhaps, of many similar meetings held in the heavenly realm; but on
this occasion the problems discussed and the decisions made were of such
magnitude that God has seen fit to reveal to His prophets the main events that
occurred there.
The principal purposes of the great
gathering were to consider carefully the problem of the eternal progression of
man and to present to the assembled throng the "Great Plan of
Salvation." fn
(Milton R.
Hunter, The Gospel through the Ages [Salt Lake City: Stevens &
Wallis, Inc., 1945], 12.)
26-27 – The
War in Heaven, there was a division of Spirits all along, but here a final
split occurred. We didn’t sit on the
sidelines!
Ezra Taft Benson
We understand that the purpose of the Council in Heaven was to announce and
present the plan of redemption for the salvation of all of God's children. The
council was called so that every man and woman could sustain the provisions of
the Father's plan, which required that all people obtain mortal bodies, be
tried and proven in all things, and have opportunity to choose of their own
free will to obey the laws and ordinances essential to their exaltation.
Because a fallen
condition was an essential part of this plan, an infinite, eternal sacrifice
was also required to redeem us from this state. We are all familiar with the
facts: how Lucifer -- a personage of prominence -- sought to amend the plan,
while Jehovah sustained the plan. The central issue in that council, then, was:
Shall the children of God have untrammeled agency to choose the course they
should follow, whether good or evil, or shall they be coerced and forced to be
obedient? Christ and all who followed Him stood for the former proposition --
freedom of choice; Satan stood for the latter -- coercion and force. Because
Satan and those who stood with him would not accept the vote of the council,
but rose up in rebellion, they were cast down to the earth, where they have
continued to foster the same plan. The war that began in heaven is not yet
over. The conflict continues on the battlefield of mortality. And one of
Lucifer's primary strategies has been to restrict our agency through the power
of earthly governments. Proof of this is found in the long history of humanity
(see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 357). [From Teachings of Ezra
Taft Benson, p.23-24]
Heavenly
Father was very quiet during this meeting, Jesus Christ was doing the talking,
and when Satan talked he showed his true rebellious nature. He wanted to jump from the pre-existence to
the Celestial kingdom, why go through the test without any guarantees, who
needs pain, trial, joy or AGENCY. He
wanted the honor of Godhood, but also he wanted Gods OWN HONOR.
Our
Heavenly Parents live a life of complete unselfishness and total devotion to
their children.
We do not know with any precision
exactly what we "brought with us" from being intelligences as, later
on, we become spirit sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. But we can
scarcely blame God for our untoward propensities, for it is clear that God did
not fashion us ex nihilo. Our intrinsic makeup is not His
responsibility; there is no such "easy out" in the true gospel of
Jesus Christ. Perhaps the input from our intelligence state was a
"given" within which God Himself had to work—in which case it would
help to explain why this proving estate is so vital and why our obedience to
God is so important.
(Neal A.
Maxwell, Even As I Am [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 37.)
Intelligences
existed long before we were clothed with a spirit body. There we continued to grow and develop by
using our agency and proving our loyalty to our Heavenly Father. We did not have divine potential as
unorganized intelligences, once we were clothed with a spirit body and became
organized then we obtained divine potential from our Heavenly Parents.
(Doctrine and Covenants
138:55-56.)
55 I observed that they
were also among the noble and great ones
who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the
56 Even before they were
born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the
world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to
labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.
Pondering such verses as these evokes
humble gratitude but also wonderment. They can freshen and stiffen one's
determination to rise to his or her moment in history and to be in the world
but not of it.
Words like "chosen" and
"prepared" and "received their first lessons in the world of
spirits" brace us as we are now being further prepared and are now
receiving our second lessons in the second estate.
(Neal A. Maxwell, Sermons Not
Spoken [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1985], 99.)
(Alma 13:3.)
3
And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world
according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and
good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore
they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called
with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and
according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
Foreknowledge
of God based on exceeding faith and good works.
Agency existed in the pre mortal world as well as good and evil, we
needed the ability to choose.
Division of Spirits
- Noble and not so noble spirits
- Exceeding faith and good works
- Agency
- Good and Evil existed
- Foreordination because of loyalty
to God
- All started with an equal
opportunity
- Holy callings and Priesthood
existed there.
President Joseph Fielding Smith said
this:
"In regard to the holding of the
priesthood in pre-existence, I will say that there was an organization there
just as well as an organization here, and men there held authority. Men
chosen to positions of trust in the spirit world held priesthood. (
"To Adam, after he was driven
from the Garden of Eden, the plan of salvation was revealed, and upon him the fullness
of the priesthood was conferred. As Michael, the prince, he holds the keys
of all dispensations, which appointment he received under Jesus Christ,
`Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him
upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the counsel
and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of
life.' (See D&C 78:16.)
"Adam received the holy
priesthood and was commanded by the Lord to teach his children the principles
of the gospel. Moreover, Adam was baptized for the remission of his sins, for
the same principles by which men are saved now were the principles by which men
were saved in the beginning. In that day as many as repented and were baptized
received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Adam made all
these things known to his sons and daughters." (Doctrines of Salvation,
Bookcraft, 1956, 3:81-82.)
(Mark E.
Petersen, Adam: Who Is He? [
The choice
was between LOYALTIES versus REBELLION.
We trusted Christ and remained loyal.
(Revelation 12:9-11.)
9 And the great dragon was
cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the
whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him.
10 And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast
down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved
not their lives unto the death.
Michael] See Jude 7-13.
9. The Devil] "The devil (literally meaning
slanderer) is a spirit son of God who was born in the morning of pre-existence.
(D. & C. 76:25-26.) Endowed with agency, the free power of choice, he chose
the evil part from the beginning, thus placing himself in eternal opposition to
the divine will. He was 'a liar from the beginning.' (D. & C. 93:25.)"
(Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., p. 192.) See Commentary I, pp. 166-169; 266-269;
307-314; 416-417.
Satan] "Satan is a formal Hebrew
name for the devil and means adversary, signifying that he wages open war with
the truth and all who obey its principles." (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., p.
677.)
10. Now is the time and the day when
salvation may be won because Satan has been cast down to earth. He and his
followers are here in opposition to all righteousness. It is only by resisting
his wiles and rising above his carnal way of life that men can pass the test of
mortality which assures them of salvation. Without opposition there could be no
salvation; "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.
If not so,. . . righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness,
neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Ne. 2:11.)
11. Overcame him by the blood of the
lamb] If there had
been no atonement of Christ, Satan's designs for men would have prevailed. In
that event, there would have been neither immortality nor eternal life, and all
men would have remained forever in "the grasp of this awful monster . . .
death and hell." (2 Ne. 9:6-26.) Except for the shedding of the blood of
Christ there is no way to overcome the world and gain salvation.
12 12Rev 12 1312-13. Satan
makes war with the saints in the meridian of time.
14. He prevails; the Church is taken from
the earth—for a specified period, for the age of spiritual darkness and
universal apostasy.
15-17. Again the Church is found among men;
there has been a restoration of the everlasting gospel. Satan continues his
warfare, but the Lord preserves his latter-day kingdom. As Satan centers his
opposition upon the gathered remnants of a once glorious people, the especial
targets of his fiery darts are those who are obedient and faithful.
(Bruce R.
McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 3: 519.)
Church members were faithful spirits.
We have got to be
watchful, for I tell you God has sent us here to test us and to prove us. We
were true in keeping our first estate. The
people that are here today stood loyally by God and by Jesus, and they did not
flinch. If you had flinched then, you would not be here with the Priesthood upon
you. The evidence that you were loyal, that you were true and that you did not
waver is to be found in the fact that you have received the Gospel and the
everlasting Priesthood.
This life a higher test. Now you are in your second estate,
and you are going to be tested again. Will you be true and loyal to God with
the curtain drawn between you and Him, shut out from His presence, and in the
midst of darkness and temptation, with Satan and his invisible hosts all around
you, bringing all manner of evil influences to bear upon you? The men and the
women that will be loyal under these circumstances God will exalt, because it
will be the highest test to which they can be subjected.
A veil between God and man. It is not as it was before. We were
then in the presence of God. Now there is a veil between us and our Father, and
we are left to ourselves, to a certain extent. We are left to be governed by
the influences that we invite, and there are any number of evil influences
around us, whispering into our ears and hearts all manner of things. If we will
open our hearts to receive them or allow them to enter our hearts, we will
think evil of our brethren and of our sisters; we will have malice towards
them; we will envy them; and we will say bad things about them. God will test
us in all this. (Oct. 9, 1892, DW 45:621)
(George Q.
Cannon, Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon,
selected, arranged, and edited by Jerreld L. Newquist [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1987], 7.)
Faith in Premortality
- Absolute confidence in things
we cannot see – can we see ourselves succeed in mortality, or can you see
yourself in the Celestial kingdom?
- Combined with correct action
- That your actions are in
absolute conformity to the will of God
- All of this is according to
God’s timetable
As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said,
"Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually,
when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is
best—better than does God. Or, at least, we
are asserting that our timetable is better than his. Either way we are
questioning the reality of God's omniscience."
(Joseph B.
Wirthlin, Finding Peace in Our Lives [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1995], 207.)
Our faith
will be PERFECTED and INDEPENDENT in the Celestial kingdom.
(Doctrine and Covenants
76:92-95.)
92 And thus we saw the
glory of the celestial, which excels in all things—where God, even the Father,
reigns upon his throne forever and ever;
93 Before whose throne all
things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever.
94 They who dwell in his
presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and
know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;
95 And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in
dominion.
(Doctrine and Covenants
88:107.)
107
And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the
saints shall be filled with his glory, and
receive their inheritance and be made equal with him.
We have the mind of Christ] Christ
acts and speaks by the power of the Spirit. Those saints who walk in the light
as he is in the light, who keep his commandments, who actually enjoy the
presentment or gift given them following baptism, thereby have his mind. They
think what he thinks, know what he knows, say what he would say, and do what he
would do in every situation—all by revelation from the Spirit. As joint-heirs
with him of the fulness of his Father's kingdom, their destiny is to "be
made equal with him." (D&C 88:107.)
1 Cor 2 16 Joseph Smith taught that
the Father and the Son possess "the same mind, the same wisdom, glory,
power, and fulness," and that "all those who keep his commandments
shall grow up from grace to grace, and become heirs of the heavenly kingdom,
and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ; possessing the same mind, being transformed
into the same image or likeness, even the express image of him who fills all in
all; being filled with the fulness of his glory, and become one in him, even as
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one." (Lectures on Faith, pp. 50-51.)
(Bruce R.
McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [
The Need for a Redeemer
February 3, 2005
The temple
endowment is mainly symbolic, there is a deeper meaning beyond what we see and
hear. The subtle serpent, eating etc,
why aren’t we reading about a moose or cow tempting Eve, it would make us
laugh; there isn’t anything funny about a snake ;-).
I think the temple is the most sacred
spot on the earth. These are places to which the Savior will come. These are
His houses. How do we know but what personages from the unseen world are here
today? Perhaps prominent people who would have lived in this community in the
past. President Harold B. Lee said to the missionaries in the
We are a covenant-making people. The
temple is one of the holy places in which the Savior commanded the faithful to
stand. It is a holy place because it is a house of covenants. (Boise Idaho
Temple Dedication, 25 May 1984.)
There are many Latter-day Saints who
do not understand the nature of the obligations they are assuming in the
temple. The late Elder George Q. Cannon said that young people go to the temple
"with no particular desire, only to get married, without realizing the
character of the obligations that they take upon themselves or the covenants
that they make and the promises involved in the taking of these covenants. The
result is that hundreds among us go to the house of the Lord and receive these
blessings and come away without having any particular impression made upon
them." (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truths, 1:227-28.) What is said about the
young people may be said today concerning some of the older ones as well.
("
The temple ceremony was given by a wise Heavenly Father to help us
become more Christlike. The endowment was revealed by revelation and can be
understood only by revelation. The instruction is given in symbolic language.
The late Apostle John A. Widtsoe taught, "No man or woman can come out of
the temple endowed as he should be, unless he has seen, beyond the symbol, the
mighty realities for which the symbol stands" ("
All the covenants we make in the
temple are made before God. "With the taking of each covenant and the
assuming of each obligation, a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon
the faithful observance of the conditions" (Elder James E. Talmage, The
House of the Lord, p. 84).
In the course of our visits to the
temple, we are given insights into the meaning of the eternal journey of man.
We see beautiful and impressive symbolisms of the most important events-past,
present and future-symbolizing man's mission in relationship to God. We are
reminded of our obligations as we make solemn covenants pertaining to
obedience, consecration, sacrifice, and dedicated service to our Heavenly
Father. ("
In the peace of these lovely temples,
sometimes we find solutions to the serious problems of life. Under the
influence of the Spirit, sometimes pure knowledge flows to us there.
I would like to direct my remarks to
you parents and grandparents. I would like to share with you what I would hope
you would teach your children about the temple. The temple is a sacred place,
and the ordinances in the temple are of a sacred character. Because of its
sacredness we are sometimes reluctant to say anything about the temple to our
children and grandchildren. As a consequence, many do not develop a real desire
to go to the temple, or when they go there, they do so without much background
to prepare them for the obligations and covenants they enter into.
I believe a proper understanding or
background will immeasurably help prepare our youth for the temple. This
understanding, I believe, will foster within them a desire to seek their
priesthood blessings just as Abraham sought his. ("What I Hope You Will
Teach Your Children About the
Jesus described the temple as "a
house of order" (D&C 132:8). Temples of God are houses of order,
because only in this holy place may a man and a woman enter the new and
everlasting covenant of marriage (D&C 131:2). After its dedication, this
temple becomes our Heavenly Father's house-a house of order, a house of sacred
ordinances, a house of prayer.
This temple will be a constant,
visible symbol that God has not left man to grope in darkness. It is a place of
revelation. Though we live in a fallen world-a wicked world-holy places are set
apart and consecrated so that worthy men and women can learn the order of
heaven and obey God's will.
We will not be able to dwell in the
company of celestial beings unless we are pure and holy. The laws and
ordinances which cause men and women to come out of the world and become
sanctified are administered only in these holy places. They were given by revelation
and are comprehended by revelation. It is for this reason that one of the
Brethren has referred to the temple as the "University of the Lord."
(Atlanta Georgia Temple Cornerstone Laying, 1 June 1983.)
If our children-and their
children-are taught well by us, this temple will have special significance. It
will be an ever-present reminder that God intends the family to be eternal.
(Chicago Illinois Temple Cornerstone Laying, 9 August 1985.)
No member of the Church can be
perfected without the ordinances of the temple. We have a mission to assist
those who do not have these blessings to receive them. ("Our Duty as
Latter-day Saints," Springfield-Burke Virginia Chapel Dedication,
The work we are performing here has
direct relationship to the work over there. Someday you will know that there
are ordinances performed over there, too, in order to make the vicarious work
which you do effective. It will all be done under the authority and power of
the priesthood of God. (Sao Paulo Brazil Temple, 26 February 1979.)
The Lord has accepted your temple
labors and has blessed you and will continue to bless you. You have made
investments here that will never turn sour. You have laid up treasures in
heaven where moth and rust will not corrupt and where thieves will not break
through to steal; and where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
(see Matthew 6:20). The Lord's great program moves forward on both sides of the
wall. (Mesa Arizona Temple Rededication, 16 April 1975.)
The veil is very thin. We are living
in eternity. All is as with one day with God. I imagine that to the Lord there
is no veil. It is all one great program. I am sure there is rejoicing in heaven
as we meet here today. Our progenitors are rejoicing, and my hope and prayer is
that we will take advantage of the opportunities now afforded us to come
regularly to the temple. ("
(Ezra Taft
Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1988], 250.)
Elder John A. Widtsoe explained, "The endowment itself is symbolic;
it is a series of symbols of vast realities, too vast for full understanding.
Those who go through the temple and come out feeling that the service is
unbeautiful have been so occupied with the outward form as to fail to
understand the inner meaning. It is the meaning of things that counts in life.
. . .
"
"To the man or woman who goes through the temple, with open
eyes, heeding the symbols and the covenants, and making a steady,
continuous effort to understand the full meaning, God speaks his word, and
revelations come. The endowment is so richly symbolic. . . . It is so packed
full of revelations to those who exercise their strength to seek and see, that
no human words can explain or make clear the possibilities that reside in the
temple service. The endowment which was given by revelation can best be
understood by revelation; and to those who seek most vigorously, with pure
hearts, will the revelation be greatest." ("
(S. Michael
Wilcox, House of Glory: Finding Personal Meaning in the Temple [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], 13.)
Remember,
we don’t have the full story of the Garden.
The story of the Fall is universal for all of us, we are Adam and Eve in
our lives, we face trials and temptations also.
Good versus evil is the story.
Who do we listen to in mortality?
There are
many examples in the scriptures of those who were fallen then redeemed, the
Israelites (several times), the apostasy after Christ’s death, our personal
lives. We can all be redeemed, it’s our
choice.
The Temple Endowment, as administered in modern temples,
comprises instruction relating to the significance and sequence of past
dispensations, and the importance of the present as the greatest and grandest
era in human history. This course of instruction includes a recital of the most
prominent events of the creative period, the condition of our first parents in
the Garden of Eden, their disobedience and consequent expulsion from that
blissful abode, their condition in the lone and dreary world when doomed to
live by labor and sweat, the plan of redemption by which the great transgression
may be atoned, the period of the great apostasy, the restoration of the Gospel
with all its ancient powers and privileges, the absolute and indispensable
condition of personal purity and devotion to the right in present life, and a
strict compliance with Gospel requirements.
As will be shown, the temples erected
by the Latter-day Saints provide for the giving of these instructions in
separate rooms, each devoted to a particular part of the course; and by this
provision it is possible to have several classes under instruction at one time.
The ordinances of the endowment
embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and
promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable,
benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the
spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the
cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation
that the earth may be made ready to receive her King,—the Lord Jesus Christ.
With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised
blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the
conditions.
No jot, iota, or tittle of the temple
rites is otherwise than uplifting and sanctifying. In every detail the
endowment ceremony contributes to covenants of morality of life, consecration
of person to high ideals, devotion to truth, patriotism to nation, and
allegiance to God. The blessings of the House of the Lord are restricted to no
privileged class; every member of the Church may have admission to the temple
with the right to participate in the ordinances thereof, if he comes duly
accredited as of worthy life and conduct.
(James E. Talmage, The House of
the Lord [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1968], 83.)
Moses 3-5 describe the Garden and
the circumstances of the Fall, the overall picture is good versus evil, choice
and accountability, the order of events isn’t as important as the events
themselves.
The Fall
God – Christ Satan
Instructions
Adam (Priesthood Prophets) Serpent (World)
2 Nephi 14:10
Instructions
Pure Doctrine Enmity
(Hatred)
Light of Christ creates this!
Eve
Righteous
actions All Beings
Abominations
Church
King Benjamin and King Noah are
examples of good and evil in the Book of Mormon
Mans agency is left intact and God
is not responsible for the outcome.
People can learn to love sin; this is the danger of mortality, the risk
that 1/3rd of the host of heaven didn’t want to take.
God Will Not Tamper
With Man's Agency
Boyd K. Packer
But
the decision, the action, must begin with the individual. The Lord will not
tamper with our agency. (The Holy Temple, p. 236.)
David O. McKay
Men
may choose the right or they may choose the wrong; they may walk in darkness or
they may walk in the light; and, mind you, God has not left his children
without the light. He has given them in the various dispensations of the world
the light of the gospel wherein they could walk and not stumble, wherein they
could find that peace and happiness which he desires, as a loving Father, his
children should enjoy, but the Lord does not take from them their free agency.
(Gospel Ideals, p.301)
We Must Give God the One Thing He Will Not Take From Us -
Our Agency
Boyd K. Packer
Now,
my young friends, I would like to make reference to another experience, one I
think of often but one I seldom talk about. I shall not mention it in detail; I
only want to refer to it. It happened many years ago when I was perhaps not
quite as young as you are now, and it had to do with my decision to follow that
guide.
I
knew what agency was and knew how important it was to be individual and to be
independent, to be free. I somehow knew there was one thing the Lord would
never take from me, and that was my free agency. I would not surrender my
agency to any being but to Him! I determined that I would give Him the one
thing that He would never take--my agency. I decided, by myself, that from that
time on I would do things His way.
That
was a great trial for me, for I thought I was giving away the most precious
thing I possessed. I was not wise enough in my youth to know that because I
exercised my agency and decided myself, I was not losing it. It was strengthened!
("Spiritual Crocodiles," Ensign, May 1976, p. 32)
Essential Conditions of Agency
Bruce R. McConkie
Four
great principles must be in force if there is to be agency:
1.
Laws must exist, laws ordained by an Omnipotent power, laws which can be obeyed
or disobeyed;
2.
Opposites must exist--good and evil, virtue and vice, right and wrong--that is,
there must be an opposition, one force pulling one way and another pulling the
other.
3.
A knowledge of good and evil must be had by those who are to enjoy the agency,
that is, they must know the difference between the opposites; and
4.
An unfettered power of choice must prevail. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 26)
Harold B. Lee
But,
you ask, why does God, if He truly loves his children, permit Satan to tempt us
and thereby jeopardize our chances to gain the best experiences in mortality
and return to enjoy eternal life in His presence? The answer is given by a
great prophet-teacher: "Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should
act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be
that he was enticed by the one [which is evil] or the other [which is
good]." (2 Nephi 2:16.) Think about that for a moment. If there were no
opposition to good, would there be any chance to exercise your agency or right
to choose? To deny you that privilege would be to deny you the opportunity to
grow in knowledge, experience, and power. God has given laws with penalties
affixed so that man might be made afraid of sin and be guided into paths of
truth and duty. (See Alma 42:20.) [Stand Ye In Holy Places, p.219]
Next
to life itself, free agency is God's greatest gift to mankind, providing
thereby the greatest opportunity for the children of God to advance in this
second estate of mortality. A prophet-leader on this continent explained this
to his son as recorded in an ancient scripture: that to bring about these, the
Lord's eternal purposes, there must be opposites, an enticement by the good on
the one hand and by the evil on the other, or to say it in the language of the
scriptures, "... the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life;
the one being sweet and the other being bitter." This father further
explained, "Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for
himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was
enticed by the one or the other." (2 Nephi 2:15-16.) [Stand Ye In Holy
Places, p.235]
Agency in Pre-mortality
Howard W. Hunter
There
are, of course, those who, in bitterness and disbelief, have rejected the idea
of an independent spirit in man that is capable of free will and choice and
true liberty.
We
declare a bright and glorious view of God and man to all who will hear, a view
revealed in and illuminated by the restored light of the gospel of Jesus
Christ. We testify of God's loving goodness and of his eternal respect for each
of us, for us as individual children of God and for what each of us may become.
As
our prophet leader, President Ezra Taft Benson has declared, "The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims that life is eternal, that it
has purpose. … [God has a] plan … for the benefit and blessing of us, His
children. …
"Basic
to [that] all-important plan is our free agency. …
"The
right of choice … runs like a golden thread throughout the gospel … for the
blessing of His children." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988, pp. 80-81.)
Part
of our reassurance about the free, noble, and progressing spirit of man comes
from the glorious realization that we all existed and had our identities, and
our agency, long before we came to this world. To some that will be a new
thought, but the Bible teaches clearly just such an eternal view of life, a
life stretching back before this world was and stretching forward into the
eternities ahead.
God
said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and
before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee
a prophet unto the nations." (Jer. 1:5.) At another time God reminded Job
that "all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job 38:7) before there
was yet any man or woman on the earth God was creating. The Apostle Paul taught
that God the Father chose us "before the foundation of the world."
(Eph. 1:4.)
Where
and when did all of this happen? Well, it happened long before man's mortal
birth. It happened in a great premortal existence where we developed our
identities and increased our spiritual capabilities by exercising our agency
and making important choices. We developed our intelligence and learned to love
the truth, and we prepared to come to earth to continue our progress.
Our
Father in Heaven wanted our growth to continue in mortality and to be enhanced
by our freedom to choose and learn. He also wanted us to exercise our faith and
our will, especially with a new physical body to master and control. But we
know from both ancient and modern revelation that Satan wished to deny us our
independence and agency in that now-forgotten moment long ago, even as he
wishes to deny them this very hour. Indeed, Satan violently opposed the freedom
of choice offered by the Father, so violently that John in the Revelation
described "war in heaven" (Rev. 12:7) over the matter. Satan would
have coerced us, and he would have robbed us of that most precious of gifts if
he could: our freedom to choose a divine future and the exaltation we all hope
to obtain.
Through
Christ and his valiant defense of our Father's plan, the course of agency and
eternal aspirations prevailed. In that crucial, premortal setting, a major
milestone was passed, a monumental victory was won. As a result, we would be
allowed to continue to pursue what President David O. McKay once described as
the "eternal principle of progress." Later Christ himself would come
to earth, President McKay noted, "to perfect society by perfecting the
individual, and only by the exercising of Free Agency can the individual even
approach perfection." (In Conference Report, Apr. 1940, p. 118). [Howard
W. Hunter, "The Golden Thread of Choice," Ensign, Nov. 1989,
p. 18]
SPIRITUAL DEATH IS BANISHMENT
In Section 29:41, we have a
definition of the spiritual death which is banishment, which shall be
pronounced upon the wicked. In the 44th verse of this same section we read:
"And they that believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be
redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not." This verse
could well refer to the sons of perdition also because it is pronounced against
all those "who repent not." We may well believe that all others
except sons of perdition will eventually repent, else they could not
find a place in any degree of salvation. True,
the vast majority will not repent until after their suffering, especially those
who go to the telestial kingdom, and their repentance will come in the spirit
world. It is strange but there are those who, because of their evil deeds get
beyond the power of repentance. This is the condition of Satan and his angels.
I think we, most of us, have made a dreadful, but not unpardonable,
mistake in thinking that the sons of perdition will be very few. I have heard
some say they can be "counted on the fingers of one hand." Where this
thought originated I do not know. In my thinking there will be a large number,
exceedingly large, that will become sons of perdition.
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to
Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-1966], 5:
111.)
(Ephesians 5:21-28.)
21 Submitting yourselves
one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit
yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the
saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church
is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands
in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love
their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
The Results
of the Fall
(Moses 6:48-50.)
48 And he said unto them:
Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made
partakers of misery and woe.
49 Behold Satan hath come
among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have
become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of
God.
50 But God hath made known
unto our fathers that all men must repent.
All of creation went from a
terrestrial state to a telestial state, physical and spiritual death entered
into the world, see True to the Faith, Fall of Adam and Eve.
Fall of Adam
In the Garden of Eden, God
commanded, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless,
thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but remember that I
forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"
(Moses 3:16–17). Because Adam and Eve transgressed this command and partook of
the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were cast out
from the presence of the Lord (see D&C 29:40–41). In other words, they
experienced spiritual death. They also became mortal—subject to physical death.
This spiritual and physical death is called the Fall.
Our Fallen Condition
As descendants of Adam and
Eve, we inherit a fallen condition during mortality (see Alma 42:5–9, 14). We
are separated from the presence of the Lord and subject to physical death. We
are also placed in a state of opposition, in which we are tested by the difficulties
of life and the temptations of the adversary (see 2 Nephi 2:11–14; D&C
29:39; Moses 6:48–49).
In this fallen condition, we
have a conflict within us. We are spirit children of God, with the potential to
be "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). However, "we
are unworthy before [God]; because of the fall our natures have become evil
continually" (Ether 3:2). We need to strive continually to overcome
unrighteous passions and desires.
Repeating the words of an
angel, King Benjamin said, "The natural man is an enemy to God, and has
been from the fall of Adam." King Benjamin warned that in this natural, or
fallen, state, each person will be an enemy to God forever "unless he
yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and
becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a
child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to
all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth
submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19).
Benefits of the Fall
The Fall is an integral part
of Heavenly Father's plan of salvation (see 2 Nephi 2:15–16; 9:6). It has a
twofold direction—downward yet forward. In addition to introducing physical and
spiritual death, it gave us the opportunity to be born on the earth and to
learn and progress. Through our righteous exercise of agency and our sincere
repentance when we sin, we can come unto Christ and, through His Atonement,
prepare to receive the gift of eternal life. The prophet Lehi taught:
"If Adam had not
transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden
of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state
in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained
forever, and had no end.
"And [Adam and Eve]
would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of
innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew
no sin.
"But behold, all things
have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
"Adam fell that men
might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
"And the Messiah cometh
in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the
fall" (2 Nephi 2:22–26; see also 2 Nephi 2:19–21, 27).
Adam and Eve expressed their
gratitude for the blessings that came as a result of the Fall:
"Adam blessed God and
was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth,
saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are
opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see
God.
"And Eve, his wife,
heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression
we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and
the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the
obedient" (Moses 5:10-11).
Redemption from the Fall
Because of our fallen,
mortal nature and our individual sins, our only hope is in Jesus Christ and the
plan of redemption.
Through the Atonement of
Jesus Christ, everyone will be redeemed from the effects of the Fall. We will
be resurrected, and we will be brought back into the presence of the Lord to be
judged (see 2 Nephi 2:5–10; Alma 11:42–45; Helaman 14:15–17).
In addition to redeeming us
from the universal effects of the Fall, the Savior can redeem us from our own
sins. In our fallen state, we sin and distance ourselves from the Lord,
bringing spiritual death upon ourselves. As the Apostle Paul said, "All
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If we
remain in our sins, we cannot dwell in the presence of God, for "no
unclean thing can dwell . . . in his presence" (Moses 6:57). Thankfully,
the Atonement "bringeth to pass the condition of repentance" (Helaman
14:18), making it possible for us to receive forgiveness for our sins and dwell
in the presence of God forever. Alma taught, "There was a space granted
unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary
state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state
which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the
dead" (Alma 12:24).
Gratitude for the
Savior's Atoning Sacrifice
Just as we do not really
desire food until we are hungry, we will not fully desire eternal salvation
until we recognize our need for the Savior. This recognition comes as we grow
in our understanding of the Fall. As the prophet Lehi taught, "All mankind
were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely
on this Redeemer" (1 Nephi 10:6).
(Genesis 3:15.)
15 And I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The Doctrine Of The Fall Revealed In
The Pearl Of Great Price
The Transgression of Adam and Eve
The story of the transgression of
Adam and Eve is confirmed and clarified in the Pearl of Great Price. Within the
Garden of Eden God placed two trees of special significance: the tree of life
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To Moses, the Lord explained:
. . . I, the Lord God, commanded the
man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat,
But of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose
for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for
in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. fn
The above statement indicates that in
giving man the commandment not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge
of good and evil, God also gave him his agency in the matter. A strict
commandment therefore was associated with a clarification of man's free agency
on earth. Man was considered an independent being who could make decisions for
himself. But he would also be responsible for his actions. These points are not
specifically stated in the biblical account.
Another contribution made by the Book
of Moses is that it places the story of the transgression of Adam and Eve in
context with the pre-earth rebellion of Lucifer. To Moses the Lord explained
that Lucifer had rebelled in his first estate and had been cast out.
Continuing, God explained: "And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the
father of all lies, to deceive and blind men, and to lead them captive at his
will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice." fn But before
Satan could achieve his desires, it was necessary for him to acquire power in
the earth that had been created. In explaining to Moses how Satan accomplished
this purpose, the Lord said:
. . . now the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made.
And Satan put it into the heart of
the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to
beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy
the world.
And he said unto the woman: Yea, hath
God said—Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (And he spake by the
mouth of the serpent.)
And the woman said unto the serpent:
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
But of the fruit of the tree which
thou beholdest in the midst of the garden, God hath said—Ye shall not eat of
it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman:
Ye shall not surely die;
For God doth know that in the day ye
eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing
good and evil.
And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also
gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat. fn
From the above statement it seems
evident that a serpent was involved in the temptation of Eve. But the
clarification in parentheses that Satan "had drawn away many after
him" evidently has reference to his success in the War in Heaven, not that
he had drawn away many serpents after him in the garden.
The report of Satan's temptation of
Eve contains that which may be designated as his formula for transgression. In
applying his cleverly devised formula, he first played upon Eve's sense of
freedom, implying in his initial question that she was unduly restricted in her
actions by the commandment of God. "Yea, hath God said—Ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?" fn he inquired. His insinuating question
aroused within her a false sense of independence. Of course she could partake
of the fruit of the tree if she so desired. Was she not free? Could she not do
as she pleased in the matter?
At first Eve sought to suppress this
false sense of independence, and she replied, "We may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in
the midst of the garden, God hath said—Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye
touch it, lest ye die." fn Observe that the tempting fruit was placed in
the midst of the garden, not in some secluded corner. It was not God's plan to
exclude the forbidden fruit from man's view. The plan of life requires that man
meet temptation and overcome it, though he should avoid even the very
appearance of evil. fn
Satan's retort implied that God was
holding something back from Adam and Eve; that God possessed something He had
not given them, nor informed them about; and it was something to be desired.
Eve then began to look with desire upon the forbidden fruit. The record states:
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she
took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with
her, and he did eat." fn Eve allowed desire to gain the mastery over her
intention to obey the commandment of God. Acting upon the stimulus she received
from Satan, she partook of the forbidden fruit. Regardless of what other
reasons Eve may have had for doing so, the fact remains that she submitted to
the will of the Adversary. Satan emerged victorious and by the subsequent
transgression of Adam acquired dominion in the earth.
For Adam there was no deception.
Consequently, the Apostle Paul wrote: "Adam was not deceived, but the
woman being deceived was in the transgression." fn Lehi added an important
insight into the situation by indicating that Adam's transgression of the law
of God was thoughtfully undertaken, that he might remain with Eve and fulfill
God's commandment to multiply and replenish the earth. Lehi thus concluded:
"Adam fell that men might be." fn
General Results of Transgression
Satan had not spoken idle words to
Eve when he said of the effects that would follow if she partook of the
forbidden fruit: "God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." fn
True to form, Satan had taken a truth and applied it in such a way as to
achieve his unrighteous purposes. The result was not long in occurring. The
record states of Adam and Eve:
And the eyes of them both were
opened, and they knew that they had been naked. And they sewed fig-leaves
together and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the Lord
God, as they were walking in the garden, in the cool of the day; and Adam and
his wife went to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the
trees of the garden. fn
As Adam and Eve sought to hide
themselves, God called unto Adam and said, "Where goest thou?"
Adam replied, "I heard thy voice
in the garden, and I was afraid, because I beheld that I was naked, and I hid
myself."
God then inquired, "Who told
thee thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that
thou shouldst not eat, if so thou shouldst die?"
The man answered apologetically,
"The woman thou gavest me, and commanded that she should remain with me,
she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat."
God then turned to the woman and
asked, "What is this thing which thou hast done?"
Eve replied, "The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat." fn
Then followed God's pronouncements
upon the transgressors concerning that which would befall them in the temporal
state of life which they had caused Him to institute on earth. To the serpent,
as a result of his participation in the fall, the Lord said:
Because thou hast done this thou
shalt be cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy
belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life;
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and
her seed; and he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel. fn
One aspect of God's decree had an extended meaning concerning the enmity
that was to exist between the serpent and the seed of the woman. At this point,
the serpent was made representative of Satan, and the seed of the woman—not of
the man also—alludes to Christ. "He [not "it," as in Genesis
3:15] shall bruise thy head," God said to the serpent (or Satan) of the
seed of the woman, fn or of Mary. Thus Christ would ultimately tread upon and
crush Satan and his powers. But on the other hand, the Lord said to the serpent
concerning the seed of the woman: "Thou shalt bruise his heel." Satan
would have power, by the dominion he had obtained in the earth, to cause Christ
pain and sorrow, but the final victory would be given to the great Redeemer,
who was to come as the seed of the woman and have power to crush the head of
the serpent. Of His ultimate triumph in power, Christ said in a revelation to
Joseph Smith: "I, having accomplished and finished the will of him whose I
am, even the Father, concerning me—having done this that I might subdue all
things unto myself—retaining all power, even to the destroying of Satan and
his works at the end of the world, and the last great day of
judgment." fn
To Eve, God said of the conditions of
mortality that would affect her because of her transgression: "I will
greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee." fn Sin brings sorrow; and in mortality, where the power of the
original transgression resulted in the establishment of the temporal order on
earth, the sorrow of woman was to be greatly multiplied. God therefore said,
"In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." fn Since Eve took the
lead over man in instituting the fall, against the lawful order which God had
established when He placed Adam on earth first and gave Eve to him as a help
meet, the Lord re-affirmed to Eve, "Thy desire shall be to thy husband,
and he shall rule over thee." fn This did not mean, however, that man was
privileged to exercise coercive dominion over woman. Instead, he was to take
the lead in establishing righteousness, truth, faith, and charity in the home,
and the woman was to be subordinate to him in doing these things.
To Adam, the Lord said of the
conditions of mortality as they would affect him:
. . . cursed shall be the ground for
thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
Thorns also, and thistles shall it
bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.
By the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground—for thou shalt surely
die—for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou
return. fn
The curse was not placed arbitrarily
upon the earth. It was pronounced for the good of man, so that he might achieve
the benefits of labor, and so that opposition and adversity might exercise
their refining influences upon him. Mortality was designed to teach man to
exert himself in achieving, first, the joy of productive labor and second, the
joy of returning by righteous endeavors into the presence of God. The latter
kind of joy is that to which Eve referred when she spoke of "the joy of
our redemption." fn This is the joy that comes from having experienced
spiritual darkness and then returning to light and truth, or glory. It is the
joy found in the revelation of the Gospel. Lehi therefore wrote: "Men are
that they might have joy." fn The fallen temporal order on earth was designed
to give man the opportunity to achieve such joy.
(Hyrum L. Andrus, Doctrinal
Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1967], 184.)
(Doctrine and Covenants
19:2-3.) – The Hebrew word for bruise = CRUSH.
The Lord destroys Satan and his works of darkness.
2 I, having accomplished
and finished the will of him whose I am, even the Father, concerning me—having
done this that I might subdue all things unto myself—
3 Retaining all power,
even to the destroying of Satan and his works at the end of the world, and the
last great day of judgment, which I shall pass upon the inhabitants thereof,
judging every man according to his works and the deeds which he hath done.
First Death – Natural man causes these deaths,
through the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are all able to
overcome these deaths, it is an UNCONDITIONAL GIFT.
The Three Stages of Existence. Since, then, the great work of the
Lord is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, we must
expect the fact to be that man is found inhabiting these worlds throughout the
universe. The destiny of man is to pass through three estates. First he existed
as a spirit in the presence of God. Second, by and through the goodness and
mercy of the Father, he is privileged to come to earth, here or somewhere else,
and pass through mortality partaking of all the vicissitudes of which the
mortal life has to offer. The third and final estate is that of the
resurrection, the coming forth from the grave after death, the spirit and body
being inseparably united. This is immortality. This gift will be given to every
mortal creature whether he be good or bad, whether or not he seek it. This is
unconditional redemption. Of this unconditional redemption, Elder Orson Pratt has said:
Unconditional Salvation. The universal redemption of the
posterity of Adam from the fall will be fully accomplished after the earth has
been filled with its measure of inhabitants, and all men have been redeemed
from the grave to immortality, and the earth itself has been changed and made
entirely new. * * * The children of Adam had no agency in the transgression of
their first parent, and therefore they are not required to exercise any agency
in their redemption from its penalty. They are redeemed from it without faith,
repentance, baptism, or any other act, either of the mind or body. * * *
Unconditional redemption is a gift forced upon mankind which they cannot
reject, though they were disposed. Not so with conditional redemption; it can
be received or rejected according to the will of the creature. * * *
Redemption from the original sin is
without faith or works; redemption from our own sins is given through faith and
works. Both are the gifts of free grace; but while one is a gift forced upon us
unconditionally, the other is a gift merely offered to us conditionally. * * *
Millennial Star 12 (
The earth, like the posterity of
Adam, was cursed because of the original sin, and like them, it will be
redeemed unconditionally, and restored again unto the presence of God.
(Joseph Fielding Smith, The
Progress of Man [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1964], 507.)
(Mormon 9:13.)
13 And because of the
redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the
presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the
death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a
redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by
the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both
small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed
from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.
Redemption from First Spiritual Death Given to All by Atonement
A previous chapter has pointed out
that as a result of Adam's transgression the earth and all life upon it
suffered a spiritual death which is referred to scripturally as the first
spiritual death. fn In redeeming all men from physical death, Christ will also
bring them back into the presence of God, by the power of the atonement. All
men, whether they are wicked or righteous, will then be brought back to a
similar state of glory as that from which Adam fell by his transgression in
Eden. At this point, the power of the atonement will be manifest to abolish
every consequence of Adam's transgression so that all men will be as though
there had been no fall, except that they will have acquired physical bodies in
a probationary state and they will be required to give a just account of all
their actions in the divine program which they accepted and pledged to sustain
before the earth was created.
Like the resurrection, redemption
from the first spiritual death which Adam brought upon himself and his
posterity is universal and unconditional. All men will be brought back into the
presence of God regardless of their personal faith or actions. As with physical
or temporal death, so it is with the first spiritual death: no man but Adam is
responsible for the earth's fall from its state of paradisiacal glory. It is
therefore consistent with the justice and mercy of God that without regard for
personal merit all men should be redeemed by the power of the atonement from
the spiritual death which resulted from Adam's transgression. Samuel the
Lamanite prophet said of the universal redemption of men from the first
spiritual death:
. . . behold, this death
[i.e., Christ's death] bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all
mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the
fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as
dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.
But behold, the
resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth
them back into the presence of the Lord, Helaman 14:16, D&C 29:41
The point should be stressed that the
redemption of all men from the first spiritual death will not bring them back
to the exact spiritual state that existed before the fall any more than their
redemption from the power of temporal death will bring them back to the exact
physical state that existed before Adam's transgression. The spirit of man will
be reunited with his body and he will be brought back into the presence of God
from whence Adam fell. This is the redemption, or restoration, that is spoken
of in the scriptures concerning man. But the resurrected state will be a new
state of being, different in many ways from the state which Adam was in before
he fell.
The redemption of all men from the
grave and from the power of the first spiritual death will consummate the plan
of life and salvation so far as man's mortal probation is concerned, except for
the final judgment which will then follow. Jacob, the Nephite prophet,
explained:
. . . because of the way
of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have
spoken, which is the temporal [death], shall deliver up its dead; which death
is the grave.
And this death of which I
have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which
spiritual death is hell, wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead.
. . .
On the other hand, the
paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave
deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored
to itself again. . . .
And then cometh the
judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God, 2 Nephi 9:11-13, 15
(Hyrum L. Andrus, God, Man, and
the Universe [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], 455 - 456.)
(Moses 6:50-56.
50 But God hath made known
unto our fathers that all men must repent.
51 And he called upon our
father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men
before they were in the flesh.
52 And he also said unto
him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and
repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name
of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ,
the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come
unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking
all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.
53 And our father Adam
spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized
in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy
transgression in the Garden of Eden.
54 Hence came the saying
abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt,
wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the
children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.
55 And the Lord spake unto
Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they
begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter,
that they may know to prize the good.
56 And it is given unto
them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I
have given unto you another law and commandment.
Bruce said to study Articles of
Faith chapter 3 on the Transgression and the Fall, it was written before Jesus
the Christ and Elder Talmage was very detailed in his explanations, it covers
20 pages, 46-66!
Second Death -
We can all think of people we know
who seem to exhibit no spark of spiritual awareness. They appear to be totally
concerned with only physical and material matters. The apostle Paul
warned us of this danger. He said, "If ye live
after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live." (Romans
8:13.)
A Book of Mormon prophet taught a
similar lesson: "Whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the
fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death,
for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness.
"Therefore repent ye,
repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer
yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second
death." (Helaman 14:18-19.)
Therefore, spiritual (or the second) death becomes a matter of great
importance to us while we sojourn here in mortality. Even the Savior cannot
save individuals in their sins. He will redeem them from their sins, but then
only through their repentance. Only rarely may we be responsible for physical
death, but we are solely responsible for spiritual death.
Whether spiritual death be numbered as the second or the first death is
incidental. The real objective is to avoid it. The Master so declared: "Wherefore, I, the
Lord God, caused that [Satan] should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from
my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead,
which is the first death, even that same death which is the last death, which
is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say:
Depart, ye cursed.
"But, behold, I say
unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they
should not die as to the temporal death, until I, the Lord God, should send
forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on
the name of mine Only Begotten Son.
"And thus did I, the
Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation—that by his natural death
he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would
believe; and they that believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be
redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not; for they love
darkness rather than light, and their deeds are evil, and they receive their
wages of whom they list to obey." (D&C
29:41-45.)
The concept of rescue from spiritual
death helps us to understand how we may be "born again" through
baptism and reception of the gift of the Holy Ghost. It helps us to see how we
can obtain a "new heart" in a spiritual sense. When our hearts
change, we think and behave differently. When our hearts truly change, we can
walk with confidence and in harmony with God.
(Russell M. Nelson, The Gateway We
Call Death [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1995], 13.)
The capacity for sin is in all of
us, the atonement is for each of us also.
If I don’t repent I’m out of God’s presence. I can prove here (mortality) that I can
overcome when I’m surrounded by sin! My
agency is always left intact. Christ
frees us from BOTH DEATHS.
Jesus the Christ, pg. 17 – “Eve was an associate and indispensable to Adam in their
appointed mission of peopling the earth”
2 Nephi 25:20, 23-30 and Mosiah 3:16-19 – We
need to become as little children, totally dependant on Christ, see 3 Nephi
11:37-38.
19. The natural man is an enemy to
God] Benjamin is not
teaching that men are depraved. We are the offspring of God and inherit both
body and spirit from him. We sustain the doctrine of the Psalmist who wrote:
"Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High" (Psalms
82:6). Ours is a divine nature. Yet ours is a world of sin, a world in which
"sin conceiveth in [our] hearts" (Moses
19. Putteth off the natural man] The natural man is an enemy to God;
the sanctified man is not. Through the atonement of Christ all mankind may, by
obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, sanctify themselves, cease
to be God's enemies, and become one with him. Such must yield to the enticings
of the Holy Spirit. The Book of Mormon seeks to invite all men to pursue such a
course. "Come unto Christ," Moroni pleaded as he completed his record,
"and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if
ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might,
mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye
may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ,
ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God
are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye Sanctied in
Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of
Christ." (
19. Becometh a saint] The word saint is tied to the Hebrew root kadosh, which
means to separate, to be apart from, and to become sacred and holy (Brown,
Driver, Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon, p. 872). In all dispensations of time the
Lord's people have been called Saints, thus emphasizing that they are a people
who have separated themselves from that which is worldly and are seeking
through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel to become a holy
people. They have consecrated themselves-they have through covenant agreement
chosen to do all that they do "with sacredness." The angel's choice
of words, "becometh a saint," stresses that sanctification-becoming a
saint-is indeed the labor of a lifetime, a process rather than a singular
spiritual experience or event.
19. Becometh as a child] "Except ye be converted, and
become as little children," the Savior said to those of the
The present text suggests what was
intended in the divine directive that we become as little children, namely that
we be "submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit
to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child
doth submit to his father." It is a complete trust in God that this
expression describes a total acknowledgment of the wisdom of the Omniscient
One. It is an absolute acknowledgment that salvation is to be had only on the
Lord's terms. Our unconditional surrender to the mind and will of God restores
to us that simplicity and faith and unwavering confidence otherwise known only
to little children.
(Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert
L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4 vols. [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1987-1992], 2: 153.)
37-38. Become as a little child . . .
or ye can in nowise receive these things . . . or ye can in nowise inherit the
(Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert
L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4 vols. [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1987-1992], 4: 61.)
One of the ironies associated with
spiritual maturity is that we must start over, start from the beginning, become
as little children, before we can grow up and proceed along the gospel path.
The angel explained to King Benjamin that every person must put off the natural
man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, become
"as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to
submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a
child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19.) In contrast to the world's
ways, gospel maturity is accomplished through submission, through surrender. It
is evident in the lives of those who have overcome self, who have postponed the
gratification of present pleasures and chosen instead to seek for peace in this
life and eternal life in the world to come. Those who have "chosen that
good part" (Luke
(Robert L. Millet, Steadfast and
Immovable: Striving for Spiritual Maturity [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1992], viii.)
Salvation Gained by Becoming as Little Children
"Contrary to the wicked heresies
prevailing in an apostate Christendom, little children are saved through the
atonement of Christ, without any act on their part or on the part of any other
person for them. 'Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning,' the Lord
says, meaning that in the morning of pre-existence, in the day of their spirit
birth, before some began to use their agency to break divine law, all the
spirit offspring of the Father were innocent, pure, untainted with sin. Then
the Lord adds: 'And God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in
their infant state, innocent before God.' (D. & C. 93:38.) That is, because
of the grace of God, manifested through the atoning sacrifice of our Lord, all
spirits begin their mortal life in a state of innocence and purity without sin
or taint of any sort attaching to them.
"'Little children are redeemed
from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten,' the Lord has
revealed. 'Where—fore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to
tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me,' (D.
& C. 29:46-47.) Children, as spirits, are in the presence of God before
birth, and since they begin their mortal life innocent and free from sin, it
follows that if they die before they arrive at the years of accountability,
they are still in the state of purity and innocence which entitles them to go
back into the presence of God and have salvation." (Mormon Doctrine, pp.
606-607.)
Since God is no respecter of persons
and deals fairly and impartially with every person, it follows that if an adult
is to gain salvation, he must cleanse himself and become "as a child,
submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all
things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit
to his father." (Mosiah 3:19.)
Matt. 18:1. Kingdom of heaven] The
Church or kingdom which the promised Messiah was to set up on earth when he
came. The apostles had been contending about precedence in the earthly kingdom
of their Lord. Peter, James, and John had been singled out for special
blessings, among them those given just before on the Mount of Transfiguration.
But who of them all should be the greatest? Who should be the prime minister?
The chief judge? And so forth. Or, as is sometimes wondered in the Church
today, who will be chosen as the new bishop, or stake president, or apostle?
2. A little child] As this discussion apparently took
place in
3. Be converted] See Luke 22:32. As little children]
Childlike, not childish. "Brethren, be not children in understanding:
howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." (1 Cor.
14:20.) Enter into the kingdom of heaven] Jesus is here saying in so
many words that little children shall enter into the celestial kingdom of
heaven in the eternal worlds.
4. True greatness in the Lord's earthly kingdom is
measured, not by positions held, not by pre-eminence attained, not by honors
bestowed by mortals, but by intrinsic merit and goodness. Those who become as
little children and acquire the attributes of godliness for themselves,
regardless of the capacity in which they may be called to serve, are the
"greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Mark
I. V. Mark 9:34. Those who receive
Christ in humility of heart and contrition of soul are to be received into his
Church by baptism. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth my
gospel receiveth me; and he that receiveth not my gospel receiveth not me. And
this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism
of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and
teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom." (D. & C. 39:5-6.)
35. "He that receiveth me receiveth
my Father; And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father's kingdom."
(D. & C. 84:37-38.)
(Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1:
414.)
A pure Christ suffered in 2 ways, on
behalf of the sinner and for the one sinned against.
VICARIOUS SUFFERING
Still, some are haunted by the final
three words in Hebrews
According to the scriptures, he knows
more of the dark side than any of us. In fact, he knows more about pain, grief,
loneliness, contradiction, shame, rejection, betrayal, anguish, depression, and
guilt than all of us combined. For in the
I would like to draw attention to a
few aspects of the Savior's vicarious suffering that often escape notice, but
that are important for understanding our relationship with him. First, Jesus
Christ did not just assume the punishment for our sins—he took the guilt
as well. The sin, the experience itself with all of its negative consequences
and ramifications, and not just the penalty for sin, became his. This is a
crucial distinction. In the Atonement, Jesus does not just suffer our
punishment for us, he becomes the guilty party in our place—he becomes
guilty for us and experiences our guilt: "For he hath made him to be
sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him." (2 Cor. 5:21.)
In Christ there is a real transfer of
guilt for innocence. Through the oneness of our covenant relationship, my guilt
becomes Jesus' guilt, which he experienced and for which he suffered. At the
same time, his innocence and perfection become mine, and I am rendered clean
and worthy. In Christ our sins cease to be ours, and as far as the justice of
God is concerned, we never committed them. Through the Atonement, we are not
merely forgiven—we are rendered innocent once again.
If Jesus had assumed only the
punishment for our sins but not the sins themselves, then when the penalty was
paid, we would merely be "guilty but forgiven," instead of being
sanctified through the Atonement, being perfect-in-Christ, and being innocent
and worthy of the
In experiencing both our punishment
and our guilt, Jesus learned vicariously through the Atonement what it would
have felt like to commit the sins he never committed. Thus, in a sense it would
be correct to say that while Jesus committed no sins, he has been guilty of
them all and knows intimately and personally their awful weight. Through us, by
bearing our guilt, the sinless One experienced the full horror of human
sinfulness, not merely the sins of one life, but of all lives—the sins of the
world. Thus through his vicarious atonement, Jesus knows more than anyone about
the dark side of being human. Even in that he is preeminent among us.
At one point in his vicarious agony,
Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt.
27:46.) Is it possible that the Heavenly Father had really forsaken him? Could
God have abandoned him in this most sacred and terrible hour? Yes, indeed. For
Christ had become guilty of the sins of the world, guilty in our place. What
happens to the rest of us when we are guilty of sin? The Spirit of God
withdraws from us, the heavens turn to brass, and we are left alone to stew in
our guilt until we repent. In
There was for him no support, no
help— neither from his friends who slept through his agony, or from the Spirit
of God, which departed from him. No one has ever been as alone as Christ in the
Garden. This is the significance of Isaiah 63:3: "I have trodden the winepress
alone." (See also D&C 76:107.)
In Hebrew the word Geth [
What an appropriate name for the Garden
where Jesus took upon himself the infinite weight of the sins and sorrows of
the world and was pressed with that tremendous load until the blood flowed
through his skin. (See Luke 22:44; D&C 19:18D&C
In Gethsemane and on
Thus when we are tempted to think that our sins have put us beyond the
understanding or reach of God, we are simply mistaken, and we grossly
underestimate the scope of the Atonement. However low we may fall, our Redeemer
has already been there, and he went there for the sole purpose of finding and
bringing us lost sheep back. I have occasionally heard people say things like,
"How can I come back to Church, or pray, or approach God after what I've
done. I've sunk too low; I've put myself beyond his reach. I'm too vile to
save." To this the Savior responds essentially, "I know where you
are; I've been where you are—and worse than that. I know what you're
feeling, for I have felt it. I remember my own pain when I went through it, and
my heart aches for you. But I want you back. I'll even carry you back, if
you'll let me." No matter how lost we get, Jesus Christ, the way back, the
door home, is always at our elbow.
(Stephen E. Robinson, Believing
Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1992], 120.)
INFINITE ATONEMENT
In preparatory times of the Old
Testament, the practice of atonement was finite—meaning it had an end. It was a
symbolic forecast of the definitive atonement of Jesus the Christ. His
Atonement is infinite—without an end (2 Nephi 9:7; 25:16: Alma34:10, 12, and
14). It was also infinite in that all
humankind would be saved from never-ending death. It was infinite in terms of
His immense suffering. It was infinite in time, putting an end to the preceding
prototype of animal sacrifice. It was infinite in scope— (Hebrews
Jesus was the only one who could
offer such an infinite atonement, since He was born of a mortal mother and an
immortal Father. Because of that unique birthright, Jesus was an infinite
Being.
(Russell M. Nelson, Perfection
Pending, and Other Favorite Discourses [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1998], 171.)
"There is no compulsion in any
part of the gospel. The Lord said in 1833, 'Behold, here is the agency of man,
and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning
is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light.' (D&C
93:31.)
"This means that since Adam the Lord has taught us correct
doctrines and we may accept or reject them, but the responsibility is ours. It
means that, having the Holy Ghost which we received at baptism time, we all
know good from evil. The conscience whispers to us what is right and what is
wrong. We cannot blame others or circumstances. We know what is right.
"Every person has his free
agency. He may steal or curse or drink; he may defile himself with pornographic
material; he may laze away his life, fail to do his duty, commit sexual sins,
or even take life. There is no force, but he must know that sin brings its
proper punishment, sooner or later and in total, so that one is stupid indeed
to choose to do the wrong things.
"Every person can fail to attend
his meetings, fail to pay his tithing, fail to fill a mission, ignore his
temple obligations and privileges, but if he is smart, he must know that he is
the deprived one." (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, May 1974, p. 87.)
"One of God's greatest gifts to
man is freedom of choice.
"At an early period in the
journey through life, man finds himself at a crossroad where he must choose one
of two great highways—the right, leading to progress and happiness; and the
wrong, leading to retardation and sorrow. There exists this eternal law that
each human soul, through the choices he makes, will shape his own destiny. Our
success or failure, peace or discontent, happiness or misery, depend on the
choices we make each day." (N. Eldon Tanner, Ensign, July 1973,
p.7.)
"The agency of man is not
interfered with by Divine Providence. If men were not left free to choose the
good and refuse the evil, or vice versa, there would be no righteousness or
even reason in bringing them to judgment. In consequence of the power of
volition they become responsible beings, and therefore will receive the results
of their own doings. They will be rewarded or punished according to their
works, when the books are opened and they are judged out of the things written
therein.
"God, doubtless, could avert war, prevent crime, destroy poverty,
chase away darkness, overcome error, and make all things bright, beautiful and
joyful. But this would involve the destruction of a vital and fundamental
attribute in man, the right of agency. It is for the benefit of His sons and
daughters that they become acquainted with evil as well as good, with darkness
as well as light, with error as well as truth, and with the results of the
infraction of eternal laws. Therefore He has permitted the evils which have
been brought about by the acts of His creatures, but will control their
ultimate results for His own glory and the progress and exaltation of His sons
and daughters when they have learned obedience by the things they suffer. The
contrasts experienced in this world of mingled sorrow and joy are educational
in their nature, and will be the means of raising humanity to a full
appreciation of all that is right and true and good. The foreknowledge of God
does not imply His action in bringing about that which man does or refuses to
do. The comprehension of this principle makes clear many questions that puzzle
the uninformed as to the power and works of Deity." (Joseph Fielding Smith,
Deseret News, December 1914.)
Scriptural References:
D&C 29:35-39; 58:27; 88:86;
93:31; 98:8; 101:78; 134:2, 7;
(Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to
Your Study of the New Testament: The Four Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1982], 103.)
We had a brief discussion about the
difference between transgression and sin; this is from Elder Oaks in a
Conference Talk October, 1993, The Great Plan of Happiness
Some Christians condemn Eve
for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it.
Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve's act and
honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall (see Bruce R.
McConkie, "Eve and the Fall," Woman,
This suggested contrast
between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the
second article of faith: "We believe that men will be punished for their
own sins and not for Adam's transgression" (emphasis added). It also
echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes
because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a
license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these
distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin--inherently
wrong--but a transgression--wrong because it was formally prohibited. These
words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction
seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.
Modern revelation shows that
our first parents understood the necessity of the Fall. Adam declared,
"Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are
opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see
God" (Moses 5:10).
Note the different
perspective and the special wisdom of Eve, who focused on the purpose and
effect of the great plan of happiness: "Were it not for our transgression
we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and
the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the
obedient" (Moses 5:11). In his vision of the redemption of the dead,
President Joseph F. Smith saw "the great and mighty ones" assembled
to meet the Son of God, and among them was "our glorious Mother Eve"
(D&C 138:38-39).
Light of Christ and Names of God
February 10, 2005
The Light of Christ is
everywhere, like electricity, it is acted upon by Christ it is also controlled
by Him to create all things. It entices
men to do good. Scriptures : D&C 50:23-27; 84:45; 88:7-13;
93:29-40; Moroni 7:13-19
The Light of Christ
President Marion G.
Romney
Conference Report, Apr. 1977, p. 59-63;
or Ensign, May 1977, p. 43-45
My brethren, I pray, and
ask you to join in that prayer, that while I speak we will enjoy the Spirit of
Christ. If we don't enjoy it, we won't enjoy these remarks, because my topic is
"The Light of Christ." There are three phases of the light of Christ
that I want to mention.
The first one is the
light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world;
The second phase is the gift of the Holy Ghost;
And the third is the more sure word of prophecy.
The Light of Christ
In the eighty-eighth
section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says, "The light of Christ
. . . proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of
space." (Vv. 7, 12 [D&C 88:7, 12] .)
In another revelation, it
is written that this light, which is "the Spirit of Jesus Christ . . .
giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit
enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the
Spirit." (D&C 84:4546.)
This Spirit is, no doubt,
the source of one's conscience, which Webster defines as "a knowledge or
feeling of right and wrong with a compulsion to do right."
Mormon was alluding to
this Spirit when he wrote to his son
"Wherefore, take
heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of
God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
"For behold, my
brethren, it is given unto you to judge, [and that gift is because the light of
Christ enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world], that ye may know
good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a
perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
"For behold, the
Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil."
(Moro. 7:1316 [
President Joseph F. Smith
says that this Spirit of Christ "strives with . . . men, and will continue
to strive with them [if they will resist the enticings of Satan], until it
brings them to a knowledge of the truth and the possession of the greater light
and testimony of the Holy Ghost." (Gospel Doctrine, Deseret Book Co.,
1973, pp. 6768.)
Gift of the Holy Ghost
Now, this statement of
President Smith's brings us to a consideration of the second phase of our
subject: the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is a
person, a [Ensign, p. 44] spirit, the third member of the Godhead. He is a
messenger and a witness of the Father and the Son. He brings to men testimony,
witness, and knowledge of God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the truths
of the gospel. He vitalizes truth in the hearts and souls of men.
"There is a
difference," said the Prophet Joseph Smith, "between the Holy Ghost
and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was
baptized, which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the
Gospel, but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was
baptized. Had he not [been baptized], the Holy Ghost which convinced him of the
truth of God, would have left him." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, p. 199.) That's not my statement; that's the statement of the Prophet
Joseph Smith. But I know it's true.
The gift of the Holy
Ghost confers upon one, as long as he is worthy, the right to receive light and
truth.
Obtaining the gift of the
Holy Ghost is preceded by faith, repentance, and baptism. Retaining the spirit,
power, and guidance of the Holy Ghost requires a righteous life--a dedicated
effort to constantly comply with the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
Member of the Godhead
The Holy Ghost is, as we have
said, the third member of the Godhead. Of Him the Prophet Joseph said:
"The Holy Ghost has
not a body of flesh and bones [as we know that God and Jesus Christ have], but
is a personage of Spirit." (D&C 130:22.)
The Holy Ghost is the
great witness of, the messenger for, and testifier of the Father and the Son.
The Savior, speaking of Him as the "Spirit of truth," said:
"When he, the Spirit
of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come.
"He shall glorify
me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:1314.)
By the witness and power
of the Holy Ghost we receive personal testimonies of the truths of the gospel,
including knowledge of God the Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our
Savior and Redeemer.
Notwithstanding the
availability of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, there are many people who live
within reach of them who fail to see them. Concerning such tragedy, the Lord
said:
"Behold, I am Jesus
Christ, the Son [CR, p. 61] of God. I am the same that came unto mine own, and
mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the
darkness comprehendeth it not." (D&C 6:21.)
Comprehending the light
All three of the synoptic
Gospel writers record the following classic illustration of the difficulty one
in darkness has in comprehending the light. Matthew's version reads:
"When Jesus came
into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do
men say that I the Son of man am?
"And they said, Some
say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one
of the prophets." (Matt. 16: 1314.)
Now, the people who
expressed these opinions were Christ's contemporaries. Their conclusions
evidenced the fact that they knew something about His mighty works. No doubt
they were aware of His claim that He was the Son of God. Their minds, however,
were opaque to the light of His true identity. Although the light was shining
brightly about them, they "comprehended it not."
Having heard their answer
as to who men said He was, Jesus directed to His disciples the question,
"But whom say ye that I am?" (Matt.
Then Peter, speaking for
himself and presumptively for the others, answered, "Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God." (Matt.
In His response to
Peter's answer, Jesus declared a truth understood only by those who comprehend
the light by and through the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, for Jesus'
answer was:
"Flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee," He said, "but my Father which is in
heaven, . . . and upon this rock"--meaning, upon the rock of revelation,
which comes by means of the Holy Ghost--"I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:1718 [Matthew
16:1718] .)
How difficult it is to
get one in darkness to comprehend the light or to believe that there is such
light is illustrated by John's account of the interview between Jesus and
Nicodemus.
"There was,"
says John, "a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
"[Who] came to Jesus
by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from
God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
"Jesus answered and
said . . . Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the
"Nicodemus saith
unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb, and be born?
"Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the
One is born again by
actually receiving and experiencing the light and power inherent in the gift of
the Holy Ghost.
"More sure word of
prophecy"
Now, concerning the third
phase of our theme, "the more sure word of prophecy" (D&C 131:5),
which is obtained by making one's "calling and election sure" (2 Pet.
"After a person has
faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his
sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands) . . . then let
him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness,
and [CR, p. 62] living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto
him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and
finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will
find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to
receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is
recorded in the testimony of
In the eighty-eighth section
of the Doctrine and Covenants is recorded a revelation in which the Lord,
addressing some of the early Saints in
"I now send upon you
another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts,
even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I
promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.
"This Comforter is
the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the
celestial kingdom." (D&C 88:34.)
I should think that all
faithful Latter-day Saints "would want that more sure word of prophecy,
that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the
Anchor to men's souls
As I read the sacred
records, I find recorded experiences of men in all dispensations who have had
this more sure anchor to their souls, this peace in their hearts.
Lehi's grandson Enos so
hungered after righteousness that he cried unto the Lord until "there came
a voice unto [him], saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be
blessed." (Enos 5 [Enos 1:5] .) Years later Enos revealed the nature of
this promised blessing when he wrote:
"I soon go to the
place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall
rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and
shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will
say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the
mansions of my Father." (Enos 27 [Enos
To
To His twelve Nephite
disciples, the Master said:
"What is it that ye
desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?
"And they all spake,
save it were three, saying: We desire that after we have lived unto the age of
man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we
may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom.
"And he said unto
them: Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me; therefore, after that
ye are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with
me ye shall find rest." (3 Ne. 28:13 [3 Nephi 28:13] .)
As
"Thou hast been
faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast
seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the
place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father." (Eth.
Paul, in his second
epistle to Timothy, wrote:
"I am now ready to
be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
"I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
"Henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give me at that day." (2 Tim. 4:68 [2 Timothy 4:68] .)
Assurances in our day
In this dispensation many
have received like assurances. In the spring of 1839, while the Prophet Joseph
and his associates were languishing in Liberty Jail, Heber C. Kimball, our
president's grandfather, labored against great odds caring for the Saints and
striving to free the brethren who were in jail. On the sixth of April he wrote:
"My family having
been gone about two months, during which time I heard nothing from them; our
brethren being in prison; death and destruction following us everywhere we
went; I felt very sorrowful and lonely. The following words came to mind, and
the Spirit said unto me, 'write,' which I did by taking a piece of paper and
writing on my knee as follows: . . .
"Verily I say unto
my servant Heber, thou art my son, in whom I am well pleased; for thou art
careful to hearken to my words, and not transgress my law, nor rebel against my
servant Joseph Smith, for thou hast a respect to the words of mine anointed,
even from the least to the greatest of them; therefore"--listen to
this--"thy name is written in heaven, no more to be blotted out for
ever." (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Bookcraft, 1975, p.
241; italics added.)
To the Prophet Joseph
Smith the Lord said:
"I am the Lord thy
God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all
eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for
you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father." (D&C
132:49; italics added.)
Witness of truths
Now my beloved brethren,
by way of summary and conclusion, I bear witness to the verity of these great
truths. I know that the Spirit of Christ enlighteneth "every man that
cometh into the world; and [that] the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the
world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit." (D&C 84:46.)
I know that everyone who,
following the whisperings of the Spirit, develops faith, is baptized, and
receives the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands by those having authority,
may, by compliance with the teachings of the gospel, receive the gifts and the
power of the Holy Ghost.
And I bear further
witness that every such person who, having come this far, will follow the
Prophet's admonition to "continue to humble himself before God, hungering
and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God"
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150), may obtain the more sure word
of prophecy.
That the Lord will bless
all of us priesthood bearers that we will so understand these great truths,
that in the end we shall, by making our calling and election sure, enjoy the
full light of Christ, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
Amen.
More Quotes:
Teachings
Concerning
The Light of Christ
Bruce R. McConkie
There is a spirit - the
Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Christ, the light of truth, the light of
Christ - that defies description and is beyond mortal comprehension. It is in
us and in all things; it is around us and around all things; it fills the earth
and the heavens and the universe. It is everywhere, in all immensity, without
exception; it is an indwelling, immanent, ever-present, never-absent spirit. It
has neither shape nor form nor personality. It is not an entity nor a person
nor a personage. It has no agency, does not act independently, and exists not
to act but to be acted upon. As far as we know, it has no substance and is not
material, at least as we measure these things. It is variously described as
light and life and law and truth and power. It is the light of Christ; it is
the life that is in all things; it is the law by which all things are governed;
it is truth shining forth in darkness; it is the power of God who sitteth upon
his throne. It may be that it is also priesthood and faith and omnipotence, for
these too are the power of God.
This light of truth or
light of Christ is seen in the light of the luminaries of heaven; it is the
power by which the sun, moon, and stars, and the earth itself are made. It is
the light that proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity
of space." It is "the light which is in all things, which giveth life
to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the
power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who
is in the midst of all things." It is the agency of God's power; it is the
means and way whereby "he comprehendeth all things," so that
"all things are before him, and all (A New Witness for the Articles of
Faith, pp. 257-258)
From True to the
Faith: A Gospel Reference (Published by the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 2004)
The Light of Christ
"proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of
space." It is "the light which is in all things, which giveth life to
all things, which is the law by which all things are governed" (D&C
88:12-13; see also D&C 88:6-11). This power is an influence for good in the
lives of all people (see John 1:9; D&C 93:2). In the scriptures, the Light
of Christ is sometimes called the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of God, the
Spirit of Christ, or the Light of Life.
The Light of Christ
should not be confused with the Holy Ghost. It is not a personage, as the Holy
Ghost is. Its influence leads people to find the true gospel, be baptized, and
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (see John
Conscience is a
manifestation of the Light of Christ, enabling us to judge good from evil. The
prophet Mormon taught: "The Spirit of Christ is given to every man,
that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge;
for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in
Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know
with a perfect knowledge it is of God. … And now, my brethren, seeing that
ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ,
see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge
ye shall also be judged" Moroni 7:16, Moroni 7:18). [p. 96]
Joseph F. Smith
The Holy Ghost as a
personage of Spirit can no more be omnipresent in person than can the Father or
the Son, but by his intelligence, his knowledge, his power and influence, over
and through the laws of nature, he is and can be omnipresent throughout all the
works of God. It is not the Holy Ghost who in person lighteth every man who is
born into the world, but it is the light of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, which
proceeds from the source of intelligence, which permeates all nature, which
lighteth every man and fills the immensity of space. You may call it the Spirit
of God, you may call it the influence of God's intelligence, you may call it
the substance of his power, no matter what it is called, it is the spirit of
intelligence that permeates the universe and gives to the spirits of men
understanding, just as Job has said. (Job 32:8; Doc. and Cov. 88:3-13.) [Gospel
Doctrine, p.61]
Joseph Fielding Smith
- President Joseph F. Smith has expressed it thus:
"The Holy Ghost as a personage of Spirit can no more be omnipresent
in person than can the Father or the Son, but by his intelligence, his
knowledge, his power and influence, over and through the laws of nature,
he is and can be omnipresent throughout all the works of God." Thus
when it becomes necessary to speak to us, he is able to do so by acting
through the other Spirit, that is, through the Light of Christ. (Doctrines
of Salvation, 1:40)
- LIGHT OF CHRIST IS THE POWER OF GOD. This Light
of Christ is not a personage. It has no body. I do not know what it is as
far as substance is concerned; but it fills the immensity of space and
emanates from God. It is the light by which the worlds are controlled, by
which they are made. It is the light of the sun and all other bodies. It
is the light which gives life to vegetation. It quickens the understanding
of men, and has these various functions as set forth in these
verses. It is: "The light which is in all things, which giveth
life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed,
even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of
eternity, who is in the midst of all things." This is our explanation
in regard to the Spirit of Christ, or Light of Truth, which every man
receives and is guided by. Unless a man had the blessings that come from
this Spirit, his mind would not be quickened; there would be no vegetation
grow; the worlds would not stay in their orbits; because it is through
this Spirit of Truth, this Light of Truth, according to this revelation,
that all these things are done. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:52)
- THE HOLY GHOST WORKS THROUGH THE LIGHT OF CHRIST.
The person of the Holy Ghost can work through the Spirit of Christ that
permeates everything, or he can work by personal contacts. The Holy Ghost
can act through some other influence or force. This may be a crude
illustration, and yet I think it answers our purpose. We have in this
building a young lady sitting down at the switchboard. Someone on this
floor wants to get in touch with someone on the second floor; somebody
else in another part of the building wants to talk with someone in another
building; and so on. They are all connected with the parties they want to
talk to. In a similar way the Holy Ghost could speak to someone here,
someone over there, and someone way off in some other part of the country,
even in a foreign land, and each receive the message intended for him.
That is not hard to understand when we think of telegraphy. They send
several messages over a wire at the same time. Radio stations send
messages of different wave lengths all over the earth. (Doctrines of
Salvation, 1:54)
- INVENTIONS COME BY SPIRIT OF LORD. There has
never been a step taken from that day to this, in discovery or invention,
where the Spirit of the Lord (that is, the spirit of which Joel spoke, the
Light of Christ, not the Holy Ghost!) was not the prevailing force,
resting upon the individual, which caused him to make the discovery or the
invention. The world does not understand that but it is perfectly clear to
me; nor did the Lord always use those who have faith, nor does he always
do so today. He uses such minds as are pliable and can be turned in
certain directions to accomplish his work, whether they believe in him or
not. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:178)
- INVENTORS USED BY THE LORD. Now, do you think
that these discoveries and inventions by Marconi, by Edison, by Bell, by
Stephenson and by the other inventors and discoverers without naming them,
have come just because these men have been sitting down and concentrating
their minds upon these matters and have discovered them through their
thought or accidentally? Not in the least, but the Spirit of the Lord, the
Light of Christ, has been back of it, and has been impelling them to do
these very things; and why? Because the time is here; it is ripe. We are
ready for these discoveries, these inventions, and they all have a bearing
upon the restoration of the gospel and preparation for the time which is
yet future, but which is shortly to come, when Christ shall reign on the
earth, and for a thousand years peace shall be established. That is what
it is all for. Now, a man like
Richard G. Scott
The ability to have an
unsettled conscience is a gift of God to help you succeed in this mortal life.
It results principally from the influence of the Light of Christ on your mind
and heart. The Light of Christ is that divine power or influence that emanates
from God through Jesus Christ [see Topical Guide, "Light of Christ,"
p. 290]. It gives light and life to all things. It prompts all rational
individuals throughout the earth to distinguish truth from error, right from
wrong. It activates your conscience [see
Joseph B. Wirthlin
As the sun gives life and
light to the earth, a spiritual light gives nourishment to our spirits. We call
this the Light of Christ. The scriptures teach us that it "lighteth every
man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9; see also Moro.
The Light of Christ
should not be confused with the personage of the Holy Ghost, for the Light of
Christ is not a personage at all. Its influence is preliminary to and
preparatory to one's receiving the Holy Ghost. The Light of Christ will lead
the honest soul to "hearkeneth to the voice" (D&C 84:46) to find
the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost.
("The Unspeakable Gift," Ensign, May 2003, p. 26)
Whatever light you keep
is the glory you will receive. Those who
receive the fulness will be found in the
(Moses 1:9-15.)
9 And the presence of God
withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto
himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth.
10 And it came to pass
that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his
natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I
know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.
11 But now mine own eyes
have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes
could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but
his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before
him.
12 And it came to pass
that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting him, saying:
Moses, son of man, worship me.
13 And it came to pass
that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of
God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I
should worship thee?
14 For behold, I could not
look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured
before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?
15 Blessed be the name of
my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is
thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God;
for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.
Christ showed him the
past, present and future, while Satan can only show what you and I can already
see!
(Doctrine and Covenants
88:6-13.)
6 He that ascended up on
high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all
things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
7 Which truth shineth.
This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the
sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
8 As also he is in the
moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;
9 As also the light of the
stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;
10 And the earth also, and
the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.
11 And the light which
shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes,
which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
12 Which light proceedeth
forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
13 The light which is in
all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all
things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is
in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.
If I want to have this
power I must exercise faith to access that power, through the priesthood.
As heretofore shown in another
connection, the Father operated in the work of creation through the Son, who
thus became the executive through whom the will, commandment, or word of the
Father was put into effect. It is with incisive appropriateness therefore, that
the Son, Jesus Christ, is designated by the apostle John as the Word; or as
declared by the Father "the word of my power. fn The part taken by Jesus
Christ in the creation, a part so prominent as to justify our calling Him the
Creator, is set forth in many scriptures. The author of the Epistle to the
Hebrews refers in this wise distinctively to the Father and the Son as separate
though associated Beings: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners
spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom
also he made the worlds." fn Paul is even more explicit in his letter to
the Colossians, wherein, speaking of Jesus the Son, he says: "For by him
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and
by him all things consist." fn And here let be repeated the testimony of
John, that by the Word, who was with God, and who was God even in the
beginning, all things were made; "and without him was not anything made
that was made." fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 31.)
Heavenly Father has
given a power of attorney to the Son to act in His name in all things, Abraham
4.
Elder Talmage didn’t use
the Inspired Version of the Bible in his work, it would have helped him by
shining light on obscure passages of scripture in the Old and New Testament
that discuss Christ, see John 1:1-34 in the Inspired Version.
God’s faith = God’s
power
Our faith = Access this
power
Like Nephi who couldn’t
get the plates by himself, he needed to listen to the Holy Ghost, have faith to
believe and obey, then the reward! We
act in faith to obey the revelation given to us.
See Elder Withlin’s talk
on Faith in Oct, 2002.
A question came up about
the names and titles used by Heavenly Father and Christ, this got deep very
fast.
LDS theology separates
God – Eloheim and Christ – Jehovah. It
isn’t that simple in the Old Testament.
Remember, Christ is the executor of what Father wants done.
Old Testament
Deity Terms Translation
Eloheim God, god, gods
Eloh
god
El God,
god
Jehovah LORD
Adon Lord,
lord (king, man etc)
Baal Lord,
lord, master, husband
Hebrew
Language
Perfect (Complete) TO BE Imperfect (on going)
The door is shut The
door is shutting
HE IS HE WAS
I AM I WAS
Moses wanted to know
what to call God, since the only ones he knew from
The Name of God
Names identify and describe. In
biblical thought a name was an expression of the nature of its bearer. The
Hebrew word for name is shem, meaning "memorial." To declare
one's name was to reveal one's self. Nowhere is the importance of properly
descriptive names more evident than in the names of Deity. When the Lord called
Moses from the burning bush and commissioned him to bring his people out of
Within the two passages just quoted,
the personality of Moses' God is distinctly expressed. Jehovah is the
English rendering of the Hebrew tetragram YHWH. It is derived from the
verb "to be," which implies his eternal nature. I AM is the
first person singular form of the verb "to be." In the name Jehovah,
or I AM, God manifests himself as a personal living being who labors in behalf
of Israel and who will fulfill the promises made to the fathers. All of this
conveys the idea of an unchanging, ever-living God, who through all generations
is true to his word. "God's personal existence, the continuity of His
dealings with man, the unchangeableness of His promises, and the whole
revelation of His redeeming mercy, gather round the name Jehovah"
(Girdle-stone, p. 38).
Thus, to declare the name of the Lord
was to testify of the Lord, a concept lost to both Jews and Christians alike by
false traditions and faulty Bible translations. "For this cause," the
Lord told Moses, "have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and
that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Exodus
(Joseph Fielding McConkie, Gospel
Symbolism [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1999], 177.)
Jehovah is the Anglicized rendering of the
Hebrew, Yahveh or Jahveh, signifying the Self-existent One,
or The Eternal. This name is generally rendered in our English version
of the Old Testament as LORD, printed in capitals. fn The Hebrew, Ehyeh,
signifying I Am, is related in meaning and through derivation with the
term Yahveh or Jehovah; and herein lies the significance of this
name by which the Lord revealed Himself to Moses when the latter received the
commission to go into Egypt and deliver the children of Israel from bondage:
"Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and
shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they
shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said
unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children
of
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983],
34.)
"Jehovah is the Anglicized
rendering of the Hebrew, Yahveh or Jahveh, signifying the Self-existent One, or
The Eternal. This name is generally rendered in our English version of the Old
Testament as LORD, printed in capitals. The Hebrew, Ehyeh, signifying I Am, is
related in meaning and through derivation with the term Yahveh or Jehovah....
"Jesus, when once assailed with
question and criticism from certain Jews who regarded their Abrahamic lineage
as an assurance of divine preferment. met their abusive words with the
declaration. 'Verily, verily. I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am .' The
true significance of this saying would be more plainly expressed were the
sentence punctuated and pointed as follows: 'Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Before Abraham, was I AM;' which means the same as had He said—Before Abraham,
was I, Jehovah." (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, pp. 36-37.)
"To believe in Abraham is to
believe in Christ. No one can claim kinship to that ancient patriarch without
believing what he believed and accepting the testimony he bore. Jesus once said
to the unbelieving Jews: 'Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for
he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my
words?' (John 5:46-47.) And so it is with Abraham. Had the Jews believed in
their great patriarch—who of old worshiped Jehovah and looked forward to his
mortal birth and atoning sacrifice—they would have accepted that same Jehovah
when he ministered among them." (Bruce R. McConkie, Promised Messiah, p.
109.)
(H. Donl Peterson, The Pearl of
Great Price: A History and Commentary [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1987], 242.)
The word from the Hebrew Bible most commonly translated
"God" or "gods" is 'elohim, the plural of 'eloah
or 'el which means "lofty one" or "exalted one." The plural ending -im may indicate
royal loftiness as well as plurality (see Elohim).
The formal name of God in the Old
Testament is "Jehovah" or "YHWH" (Hebrew yhwh),
which comes from a root suggesting "I was, am, and will be forever."
Some consider yhwh to be a name too sacred to be spoken; consequently,
in many Bible versions, yhwh is translated "lord" (see
Jehovah, Jesus Christ).
(Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4
vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 980.)
Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus Christ
February 17, 2005
Someone
asked about the number of times Heavenly Father visited this earth, or was seen
in a vision. Acts 7:55-56, 1st
Vision, D&C 76, and
The
question came up of what did the people in Christ’s time actually know and
understand about the Messiah coming.
Bottom line: Not very much, too
many conflicting views. The Jews then
were about as united as Christianity today!
(Luke 4:16-20.)
16 ¶ And he came to
17 And there was delivered
unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he
found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the
acceptable year of the Lord.
20 And he closed the book,
and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all
them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
The word
synagogue was a gathering place for all kinds of activities, school, city hall,
court of law, and a religious gathering place, (Sabbath day, verse 16). After the destruction of the temple in 70 AD,
the synagogue became a spiritual gathering place.
A person
could ask for a scroll and read it to those present, afterwards he would sit
down and a discussion would take place.
Christ read Isaiah 61:1-2, declaring it referred to Him.
(Isaiah 61:1-2.)
1 The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound;
2 To proclaim the
acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort
all that mourn;
61:1-2 These verses of Isaiah were quoted
by Jesus Christ in the synagogue at
These references to the opening of
the prison and the proclaiming of liberty to the captives evidently have
reference to the dead who had been confined in darkness not knowing their fate.
Shortly after the Savior entered his ministry he visited his home town,
(Daniel H.
Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Old Testament [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1981], 310.)
Isa. 61:1-3. The Savior's attributing verses 1-2a
to Isaiah is a witness for the single authorship of the book of Isaiah, and
speaks against the so-called Third Isaiah theory. A comparison of the Isaiah
and Luke texts is revealing:
When Jesus sat down following his
reading and "the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened
on him," he announced, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your
ears" (Luke 4:20-21). Thus he proclaimed these verses to be a prophecy of
his mission. It is significant that he read only part of the prophecy, thus
showing that this text of Isaiah prophesies of his entire mission, which
extends to his second coming. His mission, as characterized by these verses,
may be categorized as follows:
1. To preach the gospel to the poor
(to proclaim the plan of salvation).
2. To heal the brokenhearted (to
provide forgiveness of sin).
3. To preach deliverance to the
captives (to open the spirit world for the preaching of the gospel).
4. To recover sight to the blind (to
perform miracles of healing and to overcome ignorance and superstition).
5. To open the prison to those who
are bound (to provide vicarious ordinances for the dead).
6. To proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord (to identify the earthly ministry of the Messiah).
7. To declare the day of vengeance of
our God (to foretell his second coming).
8. To comfort all who mourn (to give
the Holy Ghost as a companion).
9. To appoint certain blessings to
those who mourn in
Although only part of these nine
aspects of the Savior's mission applied to the meridian of time, they all
pertain to the latter days. The Prophet Joseph declared: "It [these last
days] is the acceptable year of the Lord: liberate the captives that they may
sing hosanna" (TPJS, p. 77). Peter's reference to Christ's preaching to
the spirits in prison confirms this as a part of his ministry (see 1 Pet.
When John's disciples came to Jesus
to learn whether he was the Christ, he sent them back to John with a message of
the miracles they had seen and a summary of Isaiah's prophecy, which would
enable them to know that he was the Messiah and not an imposter (see Matt.
11:2-5; Luke 7:19-22).
(Monte S.
Nyman, Great are the Words of Isaiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980],
234.)
Bruce
went into detail about the written and oral law of Judaism. Sadducees accepted only the written law of
the scriptures, while the Pharisees accepted the oral traditions as law. The Sadducees were out when the temple was
destroyed in 70 AD. The Pharisees
survived.
Like Jesus, the Sadducees did not
accept the Pharisaic oral law, the "traditions of the elders," and
insisted that only the written Torah was valid. They did not believe in the
existence of angels and demons, and they did not believe in the resurrection of
the dead or in the continued existence of the spirit after death. fn However,
they did believe in free agency. The First Jewish Revolt in A.D. 66 spelled the
doom of the Sadducees, for those who were not killed as traitors by their
fellow Jews lost their base of power, their wealth, and their function in
Jewish society when the temple was destroyed.
(Kent P.
Jackson and Robert L. Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The
Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986], 24 - 25.)
By New Testament times, biblical law
had evolved in several respects. fn Several Jewish sects interpreted the
ancient law differently. The Sadducees accepted only the written law, while the
Pharisees accepted oral traditions as law. Beginning in the second century
a.d., the oral law was codified as the Mishnah. Therefore, the Mishnah may
indicate to some extent the state of Jewish law during New Testament times.
(The
Romans in Judea, BYU Studies, vol. 36 (1996-97), Number 3--1996-97.)
Idolatry of Tradition
The religion of the Jews at the time
of Christ consisted of scripture, fable, legend, and allegory tied together
with the bonds of tradition. Of his nation Christ said, they worship in
"vain," preferring the commandments of men to those of
God—whose commandments they have made of "none effect" by
their traditions (Matthew 15:3, 6, 9). Paul frequently warned the church of his
day against "Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the
truth" (Titus
Such was the spiritual status of a
nation in which rabbis had replaced prophets and traditions had replaced
revelations. "The wise man (that is, the rabbi) is greater than the
Prophet," their law held. Prophecy had ceased because "it was no
longer esteemed a necessity" (Farrar, Frederic W. History of
Interpretation.
According to the Jewish view, God
gave Moses both the written and the oral law on Sinai. That is, Moses had
revealed to him at that time all that would subsequently be expounded by their
scholars. In answer to the obvious question as to why so much was left
unwritten, it was said that Moses wanted to write down all that was revealed to
him but the Lord could not allow it. The reason for this was that God knew that
other peoples would claim divine support from the Bible—thus the
unwritten or oral traditions would remain the exclusive province of the Jews
and would act to keep them separate from the Gentiles.
Tradition took this a step further
and placed the oral law above the written law. "The sayings of the elders
have more weight than those of the prophets," stated one Jewish source.
Another source stated it thus: "An offence against the sayings of the
Scribes is worse then one against those of Scripture" (Edersheim,
Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah.
"The hedge was made; its
construction was regarded as the main function of Rabbinism; it excluded all
light from without and all egress from within; but it was so carefully
cultivated that the shrine itself was totally disregarded. The Oral Law was
first exalted as a necessary supplement to the Written Law; then substituted in
the place of it; and finally identified with the inferences of the
Rabbis." (Farrar, Frederic W. History of Interpretation.
The oral traditions were used first to explain the written law, and then
to explain it away. Thus the understanding of the words of the prophets became
lost to them. "Search the scriptures," the Savior told them,
"for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify
of me" (John
Not only did they tamper with the meaning of the law, they tampered with
and destroyed scriptural texts as it was necessary to sustain their traditions.
"Woe unto you, lawyers!" Christ said, "for ye have taken away
the key of knowledge, the fulness of the scriptures; ye enter not in yourselves
into the kingdom; and those who were entering in, ye hindered" (Joseph
Smith Translation, Luke
(Joseph Fielding McConkie, Gospel
Symbolism [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1999], 218.)
The Mishnah was the interpretation
of written law. The Talmud included the
minutes of the council meetings which discussed the written and oral law. Bruce mentioned Rabbi Prince Judah.
Rabbi Jochanan ben Zakkai led out in
practicing the mishnaic method, and a later teacher named Rabbi Akiva (d. 135)
clarified and elaborated the arrangement of the Halakhot, or laws, as they
continued to be passed down orally. Akiva's pupil, Rabbi Meir, further refined,
organized, and expanded the body of mishnaic exposition. This process of
organization and refinement reached its peak in the work of Rabbi Yehudah
ha-Nasi ("
(David B. Galbraith, D. Kelly Ogden,
and Andrew C. Skinner, Jerusalem: The Eternal City [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1996], 243 - 244.)
Bruce briefly discussed Matthew 2;
King Herod was a practicing Jew, with an evil twist. In his mind only he could be king so he saw
no problem with killing a wife or 10 of his sons! That’s why he was so fearful of a babe born
who was proclaimed the King of the Jews.
Augustus once said: “I would
rather be Herod’s pig then one of his sons” Killing a pig would be considered
an unclean act!
Matthew, Mark, and Luke only discuss
Jesus going to
The people generally didn’t catch
the concept of a Messiah coming, there were a few who did know who he was, and
curiously it was mainly women who knew.
(Luke 2:36-38.)
36 And there was one Anna,
a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great
age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a
widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple,
but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that
instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that
looked for redemption in
(Matthew 26:6-13.)
6 ¶ Now when Jesus was in
7 There came unto him a
woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his
head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disciples
saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this
waste?
9 For this ointment might
have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus understood it,
he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work
upon me.
11 For ye have the poor
always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath
poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13 Verily I say unto you,
Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there
shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Remember the ointment cost an
individual laborer 1 year’s wage! It was
Mary who performed the act. Also, look
at Luke 10:38-42, Martha missed the message of Christ; Mary understood who he
was perfectly, her actions spoke clearly, the ointment, preparing dinner, the
resurrection.
(Matthew 16:13-28.)
13 ¶ When Jesus came into
the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say
that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say
that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one
of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But
whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto
thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his
disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
21 ¶ From that time forth
began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto
22 Then Peter took him,
and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be
unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said
unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou
savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto
his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find
it.
26 For what is a man
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of man
shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward
every man according to his works.
28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall
not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Verse 28 refers to John the Beloved,
see D&C 7.
Peter had a testimony of Christ
borne to him by the Holy Ghost, but he didn’t understand what that means. The apostles don’t understand who he is yet.
(Luke 19:11.)
11 And as they heard these
things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to
These terms are used in
various combinations and with varying meanings. Generally speaking, the
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the
THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH
The mission of the Church is to
prepare the way for the final establishment of the
President David O. Mckay, Conference
Report, April 1941, Church of the Air Broadcast 106.)
(Doctrine and Covenants
65:1-6.)
1 Hearken, and lo, a voice
as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth
is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men—Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight.
2 The keys of the
3 Yea, a voice
crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make
ready for the Bridegroom.
4 Pray unto the Lord, call
upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people.
5 Call upon the Lord, that
his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may
receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man
shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the
kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.
6 Wherefore, may the
kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God,
mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued;
for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen.
What kingdom is coming? It is the
While the expressions "
The
(Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to
Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1978], 2: 37.)
(Acts 1:3-7.)
3 To whom also he shewed
himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them
forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled
together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye
have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized
with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were
come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to
7 And he said unto them,
It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put
in his own power.
The 40 day ministry is finished,
Jesus taught about the kingdom to come.
3. The Time of Christ's Advent Not
Known.-The Lord's
statement that the time of His advent in glory was unknown to man, and that the
angels knew it not, "neither the Son," but that it was known to the
Father only, appears plain and unambiguous, notwithstanding many and
conflicting commentaries thereon. Jesus repeatedly affirmed that His mission
was to do the will of the Father; and it is evident that the Father's will was
revealed to Him from time to time. While in the flesh He laid no claim to
omniscience; though whatever He willed to know He learned through the medium of
communication with the Father. Christ had not asked to know what the Father had
not intimated His readiness to reveal, which, in this instance, was the day and
hour of the Son's appointed return to earth as a glorified, resurrected Being.
We need not hesitate to believe that at the time Jesus delivered to the
apostles the discourse under consideration, He was uninformed on the matter;
for He so states. In the last interview between Christ and the apostles
immediately before His ascension (Acts 1:6Acts 1:6, 7) they asked, "Lord,
wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 546.)
Moses 5:1 and Leviticus 1 – Adam
told to sacrifice in the similitude of Christ, he didn’t know why until later,
the Olah offering. Adam received and
gave the 1st prophesy of Christ.
Three days was a lot of time for
Abraham to think about what was going to happen. On day two they passed through
the area where a future town would be called El Khalil or Hebron,
meaning "the friend," referring to Abraham, "the Friend of
God" (James 2:23). Then "on the third day" (cf. Luke 24:46)
Abraham "lifted up his eyes [as one would do who is walking along], and
saw the place afar off" (Gen. 22:4). The area of the Mount of Olives and
Abraham laid the wood upon Isaac to
carry to the place of sacrifice; Jesus also carried the wood, the cross, to the
place of his death (cf. John
(David B. Galbraith, D. Kelly Ogden,
and Andrew C. Skinner, Jerusalem: The Eternal City [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1996], 32.)
Jesus Christ placed it all on the altar
just like this sacrifice done twice a day for centuries. This is what Adam was taught by the
sacrifices he performed. We also are to
put our all on the altar to prove our devotion and obedience to the Savior and
our Heavenly Father. This is essential
to know.
(Omni 1:26.)
26 And now, my beloved
brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of
Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea,
come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue
in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will
be saved.
Sacrifice
Real, personal sacrifice never was
placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal
in us upon the altar and letting it be consumed! (Ensign, May 1995, p.
68.)
When we have truly given what
we have, it is like paying a full tithe; it is, in that respect, all
that was asked. The widow who cast in her two mites was neither self-conscious
nor searching for mortal approval. (Deposition of a Disciple, p. 30.)
By putting everything we have on the altar of the Lord and not waiting
for Him to give us a receipt, we show our submissiveness. Otherwise our giving
may become linked with expecting recognition or with soliciting proof of the
Lord's appreciation. ("Not My Will, But Thine", p. 96.)
Since the natural man is too attached
to his possessions anyway, the plan requires that we must have experience in
giving possessions away-in sharing and even losing them-in order to give us
experience with the principle of sacrifice without worrying about getting
credit or receiving recognition as we worship Him who made the "great and
last sacrifice" (Alma 34:10). (Lord, Increase Our Faith, p. 42.)
The submission of one's will is placing on
God's altar the only uniquely personal thing one has to place there. The many
other things we "give" are actually the things He has already given
or loaned to us. (If Thou Endure It Well, p. 54.)
(Cory H. Maxwell, ed., The Neal A.
Maxwell Quote Book [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], 292.)
4. Such was, and always will be, the
situation of the saints of God, that unless they have an actual knowledge that
the course they are pursuing is according to the will of God they will grow
weary in their minds, and faint; for such has been, and always will be, the
opposition in the hearts of unbelievers and those that know not God against the
pure and unadulterated religion of heaven (the only thing which insures eternal
life), that they will persecute to the uttermost all that worship God according
to his revelations, receive the truth in the love of it, and submit themselves
to be guided and directed by his will; and drive them to such extremities that
nothing short of an actual knowledge of their being the favorites of heaven,
and of their having embraced that order of things which God has established for
the redemption of man, will enable them to exercise that confidence in him,
necessary for them to overcome the world, and obtain that crown of glory which
is laid up for them that fear God.
5. For a man to lay down his all, his
character and reputation, his honor, and applause, his good name among men, his
houses, his lands, his brothers and sisters, his wife and children, and even
his own life also—counting all things but filth and dross for the excellency of
the knowledge of Jesus Christ—requires more than mere belief or supposition
that he is doing the will of God; but actual knowledge, realizing that, when
these sufferings are ended, he will enter into eternal rest, and be a partaker
of the glory of God.
(Lectures on Faith [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1985], 6:4.)
The 2nd coming of Christ
will happen here just like His visits to other worlds He has created, however
He died on only one earth, OURS!
Meridian of Time
Lesson 6
February 24, 2005
Modern research and scholarship has
expanded our knowledge concerning this chapter, but Elder Talmage did an
excellent job with what he had, examples of updated information in archeology
and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi texts.
Isaiah 53 – Mosiah 14, verse 2 of a
tender plant growing in dry ground, this means Christ was born in a time of
intense apostasy in Judaism.
D&C 88:6 – He was born in a time
period of a famine of hearing the word of God.
He was born in the least favorable time period in this earth’s history,
2 Nephi 10:3-5 and Matthew 11:21-23, He cursed 3 cities.
(Doctrine and Covenants
88:6.)
6 He that ascended up on
high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all
things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
BELOW ALL THINGS
Still, however we may try to
understand the
In Gethsemane and on
Thus when we are tempted to think
that our sins have put us beyond the understanding or reach of God, we are
simply mistaken, and we grossly underestimate the scope of the Atonement. However
low we may fall, our Redeemer has already been there, and he went there for the
sole purpose of finding and bringing us lost sheep back. I have occasionally
heard people say things like, "How can I come back to Church, or pray, or
approach God after what I've done. I've sunk too low; I've put myself beyond
his reach. I'm too vile to save." To this the Savior responds essentially,
"I know where you are; I've been where you are—and worse than that.
I know what you're feeling, for I have felt it. I remember my own pain when I
went through it, and my heart aches for you. But I want you back. I'll even
carry you back, if you'll let me." No matter how lost we get, Jesus
Christ, the way back, the door home, is always at our elbow.
(Stephen E. Robinson, Believing
Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1992], 120.)
Below All Things
Alma spoke with poetic and prophetic
power when he described the coming of the Messiah and the suffering necessary
to accomplish the Atonement: "He shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which
is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen
vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost,
and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God. And he shall go forth,
suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that
the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the
sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose
the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their
infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh,
that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to
their infirmities." (
Can we, even in the depths of disease, tell Him anything at
all about suffering? In ways we cannot comprehend, our sicknesses and
infirmities were borne by Him even before they were borne by us. The very
weight of our combined sins caused Him to descend below all. We have never
been, nor will we be, in depths such as He has known. Thus His atonement made
perfect His empathy and His mercy and His capacity to succor us, for which we
can be everlastingly grateful as He tutors us in our trials. There was no ram
in the thicket at
And when we feel so alone, can we presume to teach Him who
trod "the wine-press alone" anything at all about feeling forsaken?.
. .
Should we seek to counsel Him in courage? Should we rush forth
eagerly to show Him our press clippings and mortal medals—our scratches and
bruises—as He bears His five special wounds. . .
Indeed, we cannot teach Him anything! But we can listen to
Him. We can love Him; we can honor Him; we can worship Him. We can keep His
commandments, and we can feast upon His scriptures. Even As I Am, pp. 116-19
And so it was that our Savior
descended below all things. (See Eph. 4:8-10;D&C 88:6.) The Redeemer has
indeed "trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the
fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God." (D&C 76:107; 88:106; Isa.
63:3.) And the voice of him who shall come again to reward the righteous and
heap vengeance upon the ungodly shall yet be heard: "I have trodden the
wine-press alone, and have brought judgment upon all people; and none were with
me; and I have trampled them in fury, and I did tread upon them in mine anger,
and their blood have I sprinkled upon my garments, and stained all my
raiment." (D&C 133:50-51.) In the meantime, the miracle, the miracle
and blessings of the Atonement—timeless in their scope—continue to be extended
to all who come to the Lord with righteous intent.
"I am Christ," the Lord
declared in a modern revelation, "and in mine own name, by the virtue of
the blood which I have spilt, have I pleaded before the Father for them."
(D&C 38:4.) The nature of that pleading, that intercession, was elucidated
some two months later in another revelation: "Listen to him who is the
advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—saying: Father,
behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well
pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou
gavest that thyself might be glorified; wherefore, Father, spare these my
brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have
everlasting life." (D&C 45:3-5.)
(Kent P. Jackson and Robert L.
Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1986], 436.)
(2 Nephi 10:3-5.)
3 Wherefore, as I said
unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the
angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews,
among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify
him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that
would crucify their God.
4 For should the mighty
miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be
their God.
5 But because of
priestcrafts and iniquities, they at
He descended below all things so he
could rise above all things. His entire
life was one tough trial. It was the
only way he could lift us up through the atonement, there isn’t anything anyone
could experience that He hasn’t seen and felt!!
Satan dogged his steps throughout his life; it wasn’t just his 3 year
ministry. If Satan could get him to
stumble then he wins!!
Christ Descended Below
All Things
D&C 88:6-7
He
that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he
comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the
light of truth; which truth shineth.
D&C 122
1
The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee
in derision, and hell shall rage against thee;
2
While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek
counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.
3
And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors.
4
And although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, and into bars and
walls, thou shalt be had in honor; and but for a small moment and thy voice
shall be more terrible in the midst of thine enemies than the fierce lion,
because of thy righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever.
5
If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among
false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by
land or by sea;
6
If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall
upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and
brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from
the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although
but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my
father, why can't you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do
with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be
dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the
blood of the lamb;
7
And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and
the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the
billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if
the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way;
and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after
thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and
shall be for thy good.
8
The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
Brigham Young,
It
is written of the Saviour that he descended below all things. If he did he
descended in capacity. I will merely tell you what I believe on this point. I
believe that there never was a child born on this earth with any less capacity
than dwelt in the child that was born in a manger of his mother Mary. I believe, according to the natural ability
which he received from his mother and from his supposed father Joseph, that
there never was a child that descended lower in capacity, or that knew less.
Yet, according to the history given of him, his power of mind developed with
such wonderful rapidity that when he was but a few years old he propounded
questions to the learned doctors of his day which they could not answer, and
answered questions propounded to him which the querists could not answer. He
increased in wisdom and knowledge, and came into communication with his Father.
The Being whom we call Father was the Father of the spirit of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and he was also his Father pertaining to the flesh. Infidels and
Christians, make all you can of this statement. The Bible, which all Christians
profess to believe, reveals that fact, and it reveals the truth upon that
point, and I am a witness of its truth. The Apostles who were personally
acquainted with Jesus Christ did know and understand what they wrote, and they
wrote the truth. (Journal of Discourses, 7:286)
John Taylor
The
object of man's taking a body is, that through the redemption of Jesus Christ,
both soul and body may be exalted in the eternal world, when the earth shall be
celestial, and to obtain a higher exaltation than he would be capable of doing
without a body. For when man was first made, he was made "a little lower
than the angels," Heb. 2:7; but through the atonement and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, he is placed in a position to obtain an exaltation higher than
that of angels. Says the Apostle, "Know ye not that we shall judge
angels?" 1 Cor. 6:3. "Jesus descended below all things, that he might
be raised above all things." He took upon him a body, that he might die as
a man, and "that through death, he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the Devil." Heb. 2:14. Having conquered Death, then, in his
own dominions, burst the barriers of the tomb, and ascended with his body
triumphant to the right hand of God, he has accomplished a purpose which God
had decreed from before the foundation of the world, "and opened the
kingdom of heaven to all believers." Hence man, through obedience to the
Gospel, is placed in a position to be an adopted son of God, and have a
legitimate right to his Father's blessings, and to possess the gift of the Holy
Ghost. And the Apostle says, that "If the spirit of him that raised up
Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall
also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Rom.
8:11. Thus, as Jesus vanquished death, so may we; as he overcame, so may we;
and, if faithful, sit with him upon his throne, as he has overcome, and sat
down upon his Father's throne. Rev. 3:21. Thus, an will not only be raised from
degradation, but will also be exalted to a seat among the intelligence which
surround the throne of God. This is one great object of our coming here and
taking bodies. (The Government of God, Ch.5)
Groaning
beneath this concentrated load, this intense, incomprehensible pressure, this
terrible exaction of Divine justice, from which feeble humanity shrank, and
through the agony thus experienced sweating great drops of blood, He was led to
exclaim, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." He
had wrestled with the superincumbent load in the wilderness, He had struggled
against the powers of darkness that had been let loose upon him there; placed
below all things, His mind surcharged with agony and pain, lonely and
apparently helpless and forsaken, in his agony and the blood oozed from His
pores. Thus rejected by His own, attacked by the powers of darkness, and seemingly
forsaken by His God, on the cross He bowed beneath the accumulated load, and
cried out in anguish, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!"
When death approached to relieve Him from His horrible position, a ray of hope
appeared through the abyss of darkness with which He had been surrounded, and
in a spasm of relief, seeing the bright future beyond, He said, "It is
finished! Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." As a God, He
descended below all things, and made Himself subject to man in man's fallen
condition; as a man, He grappled with all the circumstances incident to His
sufferings in the world. Anointed, indeed, with the oil of gladness above His
fellows, He struggled with and overcame the powers of men and devils, of earth
and hell combined; and aided by this superior power of the Godhead, He
vanquished death, hell and the grave, and arose triumphant as the Son of God,
the very eternal Father, the Messiah, the Prince of peace, the Redeemer, the
Savior of the world; having finished and completed the work pertaining to the
atonement, which His Father had given Him to do as the Son of God and the Son
of man. As the Son of Man, He endured all that it was possible for flesh and
blood to endure, as the Son of God He triumphed over all, and forever ascended
to the right hand of God, to further carry out the designs of Jehovah
pertaining to the world and to the human family. ( Mediation and Atonement,
Ch.21)
Wilford Woodruff
The
Lord has said concerning Jesus, that he descended below all things that he
might rise above all things, and comprehend all things. No man descended lower
than the Savior of the world. Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, he
traveled from there to the cross through suffering, mingled with blood, to a
throne of grace; and in all his life there was nothing of an earthly nature
that seemed to be worth possessing. His whole life was passed in poverty,
suffering, pain, affliction, labor, prayer, mourning and sorrow, until he gave
up the ghost on the cross. Still he was God's firstborn son and the Redeemer of
the world. The question might be asked why the Lord suffered his Son to come
here and to live and die as he did. When we get into the spirit world, and the
vail is withdrawn, we shall then perhaps understand the whys and wherefore of
all these things. In the dispensations and providences of God to man it seems
that we are born to suffer pain, affliction, sorrows and trials; this is what
God has decreed that the human family shall pass through; and if we make a
right use of this probation, the experience it brings will eventually prove a
great blessing to us, and when we receive immortality and eternal life,
exaltation, kingdoms, thrones, principalities and powers with all the blessings
of the fulness of the Gospel of Christ, we shall understand and comprehend why
we are called to pass through a continual warfare during the few years we spent
in the flesh. (Journal of Discourses, Vol.18, p.33)
Then
let us be careful. Let us realize our condition. Let us realize we are here
upon a mission. Let us realize that we will be held responsible for the manner
in which we will it. We should be willing to sacrifice everything for the
upbuilding of the Kingdom of God. Any man who will seek to save his life and
desert the principles of the Gospel, is not worthy of eternal life. How many
have laid down their lives since the creation of the world for the sake of the
truth? Jesus Himself descended below all things. He descended, I believe, lower
than any other man will be called to descend. Are we greater than Jesus? If we
are called upon to-day to lay down our lives, what of it? Is it not as well to
die for the Gospel's sake as to die for anything else? A million of men, a few
years ago, sacrificed their lives for the honor of this nation. No matter what
we may be called to pass through, let us maintain our integrity to God. Where
is the man whose mind has been lit up by the inspiration of God to comprehend
the celestial kingdom, or the celestial law, or the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who
can bear the idea of pursuing a course whereby he will be cut off from
inheriting the blessings for which he has hoped in the future? No, I would
rather die a thousand deaths than be deprived of these blessings. We have a
long time to live when we get through here. There is all eternity before us. It
will pay you, it will pay me--no matter what comes, no matter what this nation
may do to oppress us--to be true and faithful to our covenants, to our wives
and children, to our God and to our country; it will pay us to be faithful to
the end. (Journal of Discourses, Vol.25, p.12)
Joseph F. Smith (First Presidency
Statement - Dec. 1904)
We
celebrate an anniversary of the birth of the world's Redeemer and Who, we
believe, will be its Lord and King. His entrance into the world was the signal
for the songs of angels and the rejoicings of the heavenly host. He descended
below all things that He might rise above all things, and in that experience
comprehend and obtain power over all things. (Messages of the First
Presidency, Vol.4, pp.92-93)
Ezra Taft Benson
It
was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in
Gethsemane that His pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in
Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come
to Him. The mortal mind fails to fathom, the tongue cannot express, the pen of
man cannot describe the breadth, the depth, the height of the suffering of our
Lord - nor His infinite love for us. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,
p.14)
Now
let me describe to you what faith in Jesus Christ means. Faith in Him is more
than mere acknowledgment that He lives. It is more than professing belief.
Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him. As God, He has
infinite power, intelligence, and love. There is no human problem beyond His
capacity to solve. Because He descended below all things, He knows how to help
us rise above our daily difficulties. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,
p.66)
Bruce R. McConkie
Crucifixion
was the form of death chosen from the beginning for Christ, that in his death,
having descended below all things, he might in his resurrection ascend above
all things. (Mormon Doctrine, p.174)
Neal A. Maxwell
President
Brigham Young spoke of what evoked the "why" from Jesus, saying that
during the axis of agony which was Gethsemane and Calvary, the Father at some
point withdrew both His presence and His Spirit from Jesus (see Journal of
Discourses 3:205-6). Thereby Jesus' personal triumph was complete and His
empathy perfected. Having "descended below all things," He
comprehends, perfectly and personally, the full range of human suffering!
(D&C 88:6; see D&C 122:8). A spiritual sung in yesteryear has an
especially moving and insightful line: "Nobody knows the troubles I've
seen, nobody knows but Jesus" (see also Alma 7:11-12). Truly, Jesus was
exquisitely "acquainted with grief," as no one else (Isa. 53:3).
["Apply the Atoning Blood of Christ," Ensign, Nov. 1997, p.
23]
D&C 10:52-55 and
(Doctrine and Covenants 18:20.)
20 Contend against no
church, save it be the church of the devil.
The Lord commanded several early leaders
of his church to "contend against no church, save it be the church of the
devil" (D&C
(Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr., Doctrine
and Covenants Encyclopedia [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 85.)
Other religions advance our cause at
their level of understanding; we can’t do this work alone. We have many friends who fight against
wickedness and want it stopped just like we do.
Bruce said to be very careful using the term Great Apostasy, like Elder
Packer, we need to find a new way of describing the time when the gospel wasn’t
on the earth. Good people lived then
too, expanding the reach of Christianity around the world.
President Wilford Woodruff said:
Now I have thought many times that
some of those ancient kings that were raised up, had in some respects more
regard for the carrying out of some of these principles and laws, than even the
Latter-day Saints have in our day. I will take as an ensample Cyrus. . . . To
trace the life of Cyrus from his birth to his death, whether he knew it or not,
it looked as though he lived by inspiration in all his movements. He began with
that temperance and virtue which would sustain any Christian country or any
Christian king. . . . Many of these principles followed him, and I have thought
many of them were worthy, in many respects, the attention of men who have the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 315-16.)
God, the Father of us all, uses the
men of the earth, especially good men, to accomplish his purposes. It has been
true in the past, it is true today, and it will be true in the future.
Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Council
of the Twelve said:
Perhaps the Lord needs such men on
the outside of His Church to help it along. They are among its auxiliaries, and
can do more good for the cause where the Lord has placed them, than anywhere
else. . . . Hence, some are drawn into the fold and receive a testimony of the
truth; while others remain unconverted . . . the beauties and glories of the
gospel being veiled temporarily from their view, for a wise purpose. The Lord
will open their eyes in His own due time. God is using more than one people for
the accomplishment of His great and marvelous work. The Latter-day Saints cannot
do it all. It is too vast, too arduous for any one people. . . . We have no
quarrel with the Gentiles. They are our partners in a certain sense. (Conference
Report, April 1928, p. 59.)
(Ezra Taft Benson, God, Family,
Country: Our Three Great Loyalties [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1974], 317.)
JS History verse 19 – Christianity
does not possess the POWER (ordinances of the priesthood) to exalt man, even
though they do much good in the world, they can’t bring man back into the
presence of God. Heavenly Father’s goal
is for all of His children back in the
The fulness of the gospel is found
in the Book of Mormon, Faith – Repentance – Baptism – Holy Ghost.
Joseph Smith stated that the Book of
Mormon is the keystone of the religion of the Latter-day
Saints.<#>3 It teaches the gospel or doctrine of Christ as
repetitively and clearly as any other scriptural work—that salvation is in
Christ, and that men and women may come unto Christ through faith, repentance,
baptism, and the receipt of the Holy Ghost. (2 Ne. 31; 3 Ne. 27.) These
principles weave their way through the narrative for most of the 531 pages. As
a fundamental scriptural record, the Book of Mormon sets forth the fundamental
doctrines of salvation, namely, what people must do to be saved. Its writers do
not concern themselves with many other doctrinal matters that are taught, for
example, in the Doctrine and Covenants. The Book of Mormon does not treat
directly such items as degrees of glory in the hereafter, eternal marriage, or
the corporeal nature of God. The Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the
gospel—the glad tidings concerning Jesus Christ—not the fullness of gospel
doctrine. In a similar vein, most Christians are not troubled by the fact that
the epistles of Paul contain many doctrinal matters that are not even mentioned
by Jesus and the apostles in the four Gospels.
(Robert L. Millet, The Mormon
Faith: Understanding Restored Christianity [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1998], 170.)
Bruce discussed in great detail the
migrations between the 2 kingdoms, (mainly north to south).
KINGS AND PROPHETS IN DIVIDED ISRAEL
(1 KINGS 12-2 KINGS 10; 2 CHRONICLES 10-22)
ANDREW C. SKINNER
After Solomon's death, long-standing
jealousies, antagonisms, and tensions between
The message is subtle but profound.
God is not outside the historical process. He is the principal agent in
history. He has a plan for
The Division of the Kingdom (1 Kgs. 12; 2 Chron. 10)
When the forty-one-year-old Rehoboam
traveled to Shechem to be installed as the new king, he met Jeroboam, the
Ephraimite adversary of Solomon, who had returned from exile in Egypt at the
request of the northern tribes of Israel (1 Kgs. 12:1-3; 2 Chron. 10:1-3). It
was important for Rehoboam to go to Shechem to be formally recognized as king
because Shechem was among the most ancient of the sacred towns of northern
But the people of the North attached
conditions to their acceptance of Rehoboam. Before supporting him, they asked
for a decrease in the severe financial and labor demands that had been
instituted by Solomon (1 Kgs. 12:3-19; 2 Chron. 10:3-19). When the new king
made known his decision to increase their burdens instead (the record says he
answered roughly or harshly), northern support was effectively destroyed,
assuring a divided nation. The author of this section of the biblical narrative
puts it succinctly: "So
Rehoboam reacted to the secession by
mobilizing an army from Judah and Benjamin to quell the rebellion, force the
return of the errant
Jeroboam's Perversions (1 Kgs. 12-13; 2 Chron. 11)
Jeroboam the son of Nebat was made
king over the Israelites in the North, with their first capital city at
Shechem. His kingdom, which consisted of the northern ten tribes, was usually
called
The most significant aspect of
Jeroboam's reign in
In imitation of the Feast of
Tabernacles, which was also related to the Exodus, Jeroboam instituted his own
perverted feast in the North, created his own priesthood, cast out of his
kingdom true priesthood holders, and made unauthorized sacrifices (2 Chron.
11:13-17; 13:9; 1 Kgs. 12:26-31). In all this he sinned greatly (1 Kgs.
Decline of the North and the South (1 Kgs. 14-16; 2 Chr. 12:132 Chron.
12-16)
Because of Jeroboam's wickedness, the
Lord foretold the destruction of his royal house through the same prophet,
Ahijah, who had predicted his rise (1 Kgs.
As a consequence of the moral,
emotional, social, and physical weakness that accompanies such behavior among
an unfit people in 918 B.C. a foreign power, Egypt, led by Pharaoh Shishak,
invaded Judah and ravaged the temple in Jerusalem by taking away as booty all
"the treasures of the house of the Lord" (1 Kgs. 14:25-26). A
fragment of Shishak's inscription has been found at
From this point in the historical
narrative (1 Kgs. 15) to the account of the actual fall and deportation of the
kingdom of Israel (2 Kgs. 17:6), the writers of Kings skillfully weave back and
forth from one kingdom to the other to report contemporaneous occurrences in
both. It is important to note that the compilers of the biblical text as
presently constituted used sources no longer in existence today (1 Kgs. 14:19).
Those missing official records, kept by the kings of both
The house of David continued on
throughout the entire history of the kingdom of Judah, while a series of
kings—some related to each other and some not—reigned in Israel after the
slaughter of all the house of Jeroboam by Baasha, just as had been prophesied
(1 Kgs. 15:29). The Bible depicts all of
Among Ahab's great mistakes was his
marriage to a woman whose very name has come to stand for the ultimate in
wicked influence. Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who not only promoted Baal
worship to the exclusion of true religion but also was personally responsible
for slaying the prophets of the Lord and other righteous men (1 Kgs. 18:13). It
has been said that more than any other single event, the marriage of Ahab to
Jezebel caused the downfall of the
(Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies in
Scripture, Vol. 4: 1 Kings to Malachi [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1993], 20.)
Those in the Northern kingdom
eventually migrated south to observe the true worship at the temple in
(2 Chronicles 15:8-9.)
8 And when Asa heard these
words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the
abominable idols out of all the
9 And he gathered all
Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them out of Ephraim and Manasseh,
and out of Simeon: for they fell to him out of
(2 Chronicles 17:3-9.)
3 And the LORD was with
Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and
sought not unto Baalim;
4 But sought to the LORD
God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of
5 Therefore the LORD
stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all
6 And his heart was lifted
up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves
out of
7 ¶ Also in the third year
of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Ben-hail, and to Obadiah,
and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of
8 And with them he sent
Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and
Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah,
Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests.
9 And they taught in
Each tribe has or will have a
mission to perform, today its Ephraim’s turn to teach the gospel to the world,
Deuteronomy 33.
In
this section the dates are ascertained with more accuracy, help being derived
from synchronisms with profane history, which become more numerous with every
succeeding century.
|
B.C. |
THE UNDIVIDED KINGDOM |
PERSONS AND EVENTS OF EXTERNAL
HISTORY |
|
1095 |
Commencement
of Saul's reign. Samuel lives for a great part of Saul's reign. |
Nahash,
king of Ammon. Tiglath-pilesar I, king of |
|
1063 |
David
anointed by Samuel. |
|
|
1055 |
David king
in |
|
|
1047 |
David king
in |
Hiram,
king of |
|
1015 |
Solomon
made king. Death of David. |
|
|
1012 |
Solomon
begins to build the temple. |
Hiram,
king of |
|
1004 |
Solomon
begins to build his own house. |
|
|
991 |
The whole
buildings finished. |
Hada the
Edomite is protected in |
|
975 |
Death of
Solomon. The ten tribes revolt from Rehoboam. |
|
In the following table the first column of dates follows the books of Kings and
Chronicles; the third column contains a revised chronology derived from
inscriptions on Assyrian and other monuments. The kings of
|
B.C. |
KINGS OF |
Rev. Chr. |
INTERNAL HISTORY |
EXTERNAL HISTORY |
SYNCHRONISMS |
|
975 |
Rehoboam
Jeroboam I |
953 |
Ahijah the
Shilomite prophesies, also Shemaiah. Penuel build (1 Kgs. 12: 25). |
|
Shishak,
king of |
|
|
|
949 |
Shishak
plun- ders |
|
|
|
957 |
Abijam |
932 |
|
|
|
|
955 |
Asa |
929 |
|
|
|
|
954 |
Nadab |
927 |
Oden and
Aza- riah prophesy. |
Asa's war
with Zerah the Ethiopian. |
|
|
953 |
Baasha |
925 |
War of |
|
|
|
930 |
Elah |
901 |
|
Asa's
alliance with Benhadad I. |
|
|
929 |
Zimri |
899 |
|
|
|
|
929 |
Omri (at
war with Tibni) |
897 |
|
|
|
|
925 |
Omri
(victorious) |
|
Benhadad I
conquers Omri (1 Kgs. 20:
34). |
|
|
|
918 |
Ahab |
875 |
|
|
Ethbaal
(Eitho- balus), king of Zidon |
|
914 |
Jehoshaphat |
873 |
Elijah the
Tishbite. |
Syrian
invasion of |
Mesha, king
of |
|
898 |
Ahaziah |
853 |
Jahaziel
prophesies (2 Chr. 20: 14).
Eliezer of Mareshah prophesies (2 Chr. 20: 27). |
|
|
|
897 |
Jehoram |
851 |
Elisha
prophesies. Obadiah prophesies |
|
Hazael,
king of |
|
893 |
Joram |
848 |
|
|
|
|
885 |
Ahaziah |
844 |
|
|
|
|
884 |
Athaliah
Jehu |
843 |
|
|
|
|
878 |
Joash |
837 |
Joash buys
off Hazaels invasion (2
Kgs. 12: 18). |
Syrian
victories over |
Sardanapalus
dies |
|
856 |
Jehoahaz |
|
Joel
prophesies. |
|
|
|
842 |
Jehoash |
798 |
|
|
|
|
841 |
Amaziah |
797 |
|
|
Shalmaneser
II. |
|
826 |
Jeroboam
II |
790 |
Hosea
prophesies. Jonah prophesies (2 Kgs. 14: 25). |
Amaziah
subdues |
Shalmaneser
III. |
|
811 |
Azariah or
Uzziah |
792 |
Amos
prophesies. |
|
|
|
773 |
Zechariah |
749 |
|
|
First
Olympiad. |
|
772 |
Shallum |
748 |
|
|
|
|
772 |
Menahem |
748 |
|
Pul, king
of |
|
|
761 |
Pekahiah |
|
|
|
|
|
759 |
Pekah |
|
|
Rezin,
king of |
|
|
758 |
Jotham |
740 |
Isaiah
begins to prophesy. |
|
|
|
|
Pekahiah
(R.C.) |
737 |
|
Era of
Nabonassar, 747. |
|
|
|
Pekah
(R.C.) |
735 |
|
|
|
|
742 |
Ahaz |
734 |
|
Tiglath-pileser
II, king of |
|
|
730 |
Hoshea |
733 |
|
|
|
|
726 |
Hezekiah |
728 |
|
Shalmaneser
IV, king of |
|
|
721 |
End of the
|
722 |
Micah
prophesies. |
Sargon.
Merodach- Baladan, king of |
|
|
697 |
Manasseh |
697 |
|
Psammetichus,
king of |
|
|
642 |
Amon |
642 |
Nahum
prophesies. |
Assurbanipal
(667-626). |
|
|
640 |
Josiah |
640 |
Huldah the
prophetess. Jeremiah begins to prophesy, 628. Zephaniah prophesies. |
Pharaoh-necho,
king of |
|
|
609 |
Jehoahaz |
609 |
Obadiah
prophesies. |
Fall of
Ninevah, 606. |
|
|
609 |
Jehoiakim |
609 |
Daniel
carried captive, 606. |
Nebuchadnezzar
king of |
|
|
598 |
Jehoiachin |
598 |
Habakkuk
prophesies. |
|
|
|
598 |
Zedekiah |
598 |
Ezekiel
prophesies. |
|
|
|
587 |
Capture of
|
587 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
President James E. Faust “Priesthood
Blessings”, October, 1995 Conference Report.
Elder John A. Widtsoe
stated, “Every father, having children born to him under the covenant, is to
them as a patriarch, and he has the right to bless his posterity in the
authority of the Priesthood which he holds.”
4
We know that the gospel
always has and always will operate through families. Since early biblical
times, order has been brought into the house of
We are most fortunate some
men are specifically ordained and authorized by their priesthood office and calling to give blessings and declare our lineage in the house of
The Church is expanding at a
tremendous rate. We now have stakes of
Nephi tells us that “as many
of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord.”
9 Therefore it makes no difference if the blessings of the house of
Some might be disturbed
because members of the same family have blessings declaring them to be of a different
lineage. A few families are of a mixed lineage. We believe that the house of
(Acts 17:26-29.)
26 And hath made of one
blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek
the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not
far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and
move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we
are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we
are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto
gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
"It would seem very clear, then,
that those born to the lineage of Jacob, who was later to be called Israel, and
his posterity, who were known as the children of Israel, were born into the
most illustrious lineage of any of those who came upon the earth as mortal
beings.
"All these rewards were
seemingly promised, or foreordained, before the world was. Surely these matters
must have been determined by the kind of lives we had lived in that premortal
spirit world. Some may question these assumptions, but at the same time they
will accept without any question the belief that each one of us will be judged
when we leave this earth according to his or her deeds during our lives here in
mortality. Isn't it just as reasonable to believe that what we have received
here in this earth life was given to each of us according to the merits of our
conduct before we came here?" (CR, October 1973, pp. 7-8.)
(Joseph Fielding McConkie
and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4
vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1987-1992], 2: 75.)
Bruce talked about Cyrus the Great
and the return of the Jews back to
Cyrus, the Lord's Anointed
Isa. 45-47
The mention of Cyrus in Isa. 44:28
has led some scholars to suppose that the division between chapters 44 and 45
should have been made elsewhere. However, the earlier chapter is merely
referring to the revelation given to Isaiah concerning the future Cyrus who was
to be raised up. He tells us in chapter 44 that the Lord has foretold the
mission of Cyrus, then in chapter 45 he records the revelation. Chapters 46 and
47 seem to be a continuation of the same general theme and may be part of the
same revelation; chapter 46 concerns the gods of
1. Cyrus will subdue nations before
him (45:1-4).
a. The Lord will go before him
(45:2).
b. Cyrus will know that the Lord is
the God of Israel (45:3).
c. The Lord will bless Cyrus for
2. There is no God beside the Lord
(45:5-19).
a. The Lord armed Cyrus that the
nations might know of God from the east to the west (45:5-6).
b. The Lord is the creator and
governor of all things (45:7-12).
c. He will raise up Cyrus and direct
him, and all nations will be confounded and acknowledge that the God of Israel
is with Cyrus (45:13-16).
d. But
e. The Lord has spoken the truth
openly (45:18-19).
3. All who escape from the nations
are invited to come to the Lord (45:20-25).
a. The graven images cannot save them
(45:20).
b. Every knee will bow and every
tongue confess the Lord (45:21-23).
c. In the Lord will all the seed of
4. The Babylonian gods could not
deliver
5. The Lord gave
a. There is no one like the Lord;
there is no other God (46:5-9).
b. He knows the end from the
beginning (46:10).
c. He will call Cyrus from the east
for his purposes (46:11).
d. Salvation for
6.
a.
b.
c.
d. Evil and desolation will come to
NOTES AND COMMENTARY
The best source of help in
understanding these chapters is the New Testament. President Joseph Fielding
Smith commented on two passages in chapter 45 and referred to the Book of
Mormon to provide an insight into one of these. The Jewish historian Josephus
also made an enlightening statement about Cyrus.
Isa. 45:1-4 . As previously noted, this prophecy foretelling the
mission of Cyrus has led many to reject Isaiah as its author. However, the
Jewish historian Josephus wrote that the prophecy was Isaiah's and that it was
given 140 years before the destruction of the temple. This would have been
nearly 200 years before Cyrus issued the decree for the Jews to return. The
account in Josephus is as follows:
In the first year of the reign of
Cyrus, which was the seventieth from the day that our people were removed out
of their own land into Babylon, God commiserated the captivity and calamity of
these poor people, according as he had foretold to them by Jeremiah the
prophet, before the destruction of the city, that after they had served
Nebuchadnezzar and his posterity, and after they had undergone that servitude
seventy years, he would restore them again to the land of their fathers, and
they should build their temple, and enjoy their ancient prosperity; and these
things God did afford them; for he stirred up the mind of Cyrus, and made him
write this throughout all Asia:-"Thus saith Cyrus the King: -Since
God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe
that he is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; for indeed he
foretold my name by the prophets, and that I should build him a house at
Jerusalem, in the country of Judea."
This was known to Cyrus by his
reading the book which Isaiah left behind him of his prophecies; for this
prophet said that God had spoken thus to him in a secret vision:-"My will
is, that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations,
send back my people to their own land, and build my temple." This was
foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the temple was
demolished. Accordingly, when Cyrus read this, and admired the divine power, an
earnest desire and ambition seized upon him to fulfil what was so written; so
he called for the most eminent Jews that were in Babylon, and said to them,
that he gave them leave to go back to their own country, and to rebuild their
city Jerusalem, and the temple of God, for that he would be their assistant,
and that he would write to the rulers and governors that were in the neighbourhood
of their country of Judea, that they should contribute to them gold and silver
for the building of the temple, and, besides that, beasts for their sacrifices.
(Flavius Josephus, Josephus: Complete Works, trans. William Whiston
[Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1972], Antiquities of the Jews,
11.1.1-2.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith cited
this passage as evidence of the Lord's foreordaining not only prophets but
other leaders as well (AQ, 5:181).
(Monte S. Nyman, Great are the
Words of Isaiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980], 162.)
We also discussed the various
parties in Christ’s time, there are no writings from any of them except the
Essenes, and they didn’t like anyone!
There are only 3rd party descriptions of the groups, see Bible
Dictionary.
Origin of the Feast of Dedication.-Concerning the second temple, known
as the
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 464.)
Luke Chapter 1
March 3, 2005
Bruce opened up the class by
discussing the genealogy in Matthew 1 and Luke 3, Mark and John don’t include
one in their writings. Again, look at
the purpose of each writer, who are they trying to reach? Matthew was reaching out to the Jews, Luke,
to the Gentile world.
In Hebrew, the alphabet and numbers
are the same; the 1st letter is also the 1st number etc.
So, Matthew was playing a numbers
game with Christ’s kingly line, it’s called Gematria.
Most ancient people did not have a
separate numbering system and alphabet, so letters also served as numbers.
Generally the first nine letters of the alphabet stood for numbers one through
nine, the next nine for numbers ten through ninety, and so on. In one kind of
riddle, a name was translated into its numerical equivalent. For example a line
of graffiti from
(Richard D. Draper, Opening the
Seven Seals: The Visions of John the Revelator [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1991], 149.)
In a related manner, Matthew placed
great stress upon the King and his kingdom. Messiah is a royal title,
and Jesus' royal/messianic status was critically important to Matthew. The
genealogy of Jesus given in Matthew (1:1-17) is the Lord's royal line. Matthew
laid out the genealogy in such a manner as to divide the forty-two generations
into three sections of fourteen (from Abraham to David, from David to
Babylonian captivity, and from exile to Jesus). For Matthew, the very number fourteen has royal significance.
How so? The name David in Hebrew consists of three Hebrew consonants,
each having numerical equivalents. Thus: Dahlet (d =4) + Vav (v =6) + Dahlet (d
=4) =14.
Aspects of the Savior's life that
highlight his royal status in Matthew include such things as the wise men
searching for the King (messiah) of the Jews (2:1-12); Herod's alarm over the
birth of a potential rival king (2:7-16); parables of the kingdom (13:1-52);
the triumphal entry (21:1-11); Christ's mention of his eventual position at the
throne of glory (25:31); and the inscription prepared by Pilate and placed
above Jesus' head on the cross—"This is Jesus, the King of the Jews"
(27:37). In the words of one New Testament scholar, "Matthew is the Jewish
Gospel, dealing with the King and the Kingdom. In Greek, the term 'kingdom of
heaven' occurs thirty-three times, and the term 'kingdom of God' four
times." fn Indeed, the ever-present plea of the disciple to the Father in
the Gospel of Matthew is "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as
it is in heaven" (
(Kent P. Jackson and Robert L.
Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1986], 51 - 52.)
Genealogies of Joseph and Mary.—"It is now almost certain that
the genealogies in both Gospels are genealogies of Joseph, which if we may rely
on early traditions of their consanguinity involve genealogies of Mary also.
The Davidic descent of Mary is implied in Acts 2:30;
The writer of the article
"Genealogy of Jesus Christ" in Smith's Bible Dict. says:
"The New Testament gives us the genealogy of but one person, our Savior
(Matt. 1; Luke 3). . . . The following propositions will explain the true
construction of these genealogies (so Lord A. C. Hervey): 1. They are both the
genealogies of Joseph, i.e. of Jesus Christ, as the reputed and legal son of
Joseph and Mary. 2. The genealogy of Matthew is, as Grotius asserted, Joseph's
genealogy as legal successor to the throne of David. That of Luke is Joseph's
private genealogy, exhibiting his real birth, as David's son, and thus showing
why he was heir to Solomon's crown. The simple principle that one evangelist
exhibits that genealogy which contained the successive heirs to David's and
Solomon's throne, while the other exhibits the paternal stem of him who was the
heir, explains all the anomalies of the two pedigrees, their agreements as well
as their discrepancies, and the circumstance of their being two at all. 3.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was probably the daughter of Jacob, and first cousin
to Joseph her husband."
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 84.)
The
Bruce Satterfield
Deparment of Religious Education,
The
Figure 1
General Use
S. Safrai has noted that
during the Second Temple period, "The Israelites came to the Temple for
various reasons: a) to fulfil their obligations, such as the offering of the
first fruits, the tithes and the wave-offerings and obligatory sacrifices, b)
to worship and pray during the liturgy and at other times, or to pose questions
on legal tradition and to study the Torah, c) to participate in Temple worship
alongside the priests, especially in the form of deputations" (Safrai,
"The Temple," in The Jewish People in the First Century, p.
876; hereafter, Safrai). These will each be briefly discussed.
A) The Law of Moses
required that all men make a pilgrimage to the temple three times a year to
celebrate the feasts or festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Jews
would also come to the temple "to offer either the obligatory sacrifices
or those which he volunteered as thanks-offering or as whole-offering. Many
came to the Temple to cleanse themselves of severe impurities such as
defilement by the dead, which required sprinkling with 'cleansing water'. . .
and many people came to the Temple to cleanse themselves ritually, particularly
before the festivals" (Safrai, pp. 876-877).
B) Aside from the
obligatory offerings and becoming ritually clean, "Many Jews would go up
daily to the Temple in order to be present at the worship, to receive the
priestly benediction bestowed up- on the people at the end, to pray during the
burning of the incense, and to prostrate themselves before God upon hearing the
singing of the Levities. Others would go up to hear or to teach the Torah; or
they would combine several such activities" (Safrai, p. 877).
C) The public sacrificial
offerings performed by the Priests were accompanied by common Israelites.
"The participation of the Israelites in the ritual of the sacrifices was
by deputations. The Mishna states: 'What are the deputations? In that it is
written: 'Command the children of
Appearance and
Description
The
South and west of the
On the northwest corner
of the
East of the
Figure 2
Herod's
Generally, Israelite
worshipers entered the
Referencing the
Palestinian Talmud, Safrai has noted: "Everyone, priest or layman, took a
ritual bath, even if he were clean, before entering the
The stairs leading up
from the triple gate opened into a large open court known as the Court of the
Gentiles (Fig. 2, no. 13). As the Salt Lake Temple is surrounded by Temple
Square, so this court surrounded the Temple proper (which included the inner
courts and Sanctuary as depicted in Fig. 3) and received its name from the fact
that gentiles could proceed no closer to the Temple proper than this court.
Surrounding the Court of the Gentiles were porticoes two columns deep and each
25 cubits high upon which lay a flat roof. The rituals associated with the
Mosaic Law were not performed in the Court of the Gentiles; "rather, its
colonnades served as a gathering place for the people before and after worship,
or for those who ascended the
Figure 3
Herod's
The
"No foreigner is to
enter within the forecourt and the balustrade around the sanctuary. Whoever is
caught will have himself to blame for his subsequent death."
Beyond the balustrade
preventing gentiles from passing lay the
On the western end of the
Court of Women (Fig. 3, no. 24; Fig. 4, steps) was a flight of 15 stairs
in a semicircle that led to the Gate of Nicanor (also known as the
"Beautiful Gate" - Acts 3:2,10). Beyond this gate was the Court of
the Israelites followed by the Court of the Priests. The Court of the
Israelites (Fig. 4, Court of Israelites) "was actually that portion
of the Court of the Priests open to all male Jews . . . The Court of the
Israelites was long and narrow . . . set off from the Court of the Priests by
blocks of large polished ashlars and according to others by the levities' stand
and stairs leading up to it, so that the Court of the Priests was 2 1/2 cubits
higher than that Court of Israelites" (Safrai, Encyclopedia Judaica
Vol. 15, p. 966). Within the Court of the Priests was the sanctuary. In the
forecourt of the Court of the Priests between the Court of Men and the
Sanctuary was the massive Altar of Burnt Offerings (Fig. 3, no. 25; Fig. 4, Altar)
upon which all animal sacrifices were offered. Between the altar and the
sanctuary was the large laver where the priests washed their hands and feet
(Fig. 4, Laver). North of the altar was the slaughtering area for the
animal sacrifices.
Within the wall
surrounding the Court of the Priests were various chambers. Each chamber was
used in the various actions associated with the rituals of the Law of Moses
with the exception of the Chamber of Hewn Stone (Fig. 4, letter I). It was in
this chamber that the Sanhedrin met. Besides the Gate of Nicanor, six other
gates lead into the Court of the Priests. Beginning on the north-west end, the
names of the gates were as follows: the Gate of Flame, the Gate of the
Offerings, and the Gate of the Kindling. Continuing on the south-west side: the
Gate of Fuel, the Gate of Firstlings, and the Water Gate.
The most imposing feature
of the Temple Mount was the sanctuary or Temple proper (Fig. 1, no. 5; Fig. 2,
no. 17-32; Fig. 3, no. 29). It was no less than a hundred cubits high. The
structure was divided into three rooms: the vestibule, the
Figure 4
Floor plan of Herod's
Degrees of Holiness
It should be noted
"that the temple area consisted of areas of increasing sanctity and that
admission was progressively restricted" (Sanders, Judaism: Practice
& Belief, p. 70). In fact, the view of the Mishna is that there were
ten degrees of holiness in ancient Judaism ( Kelim 1:6-9).
This holiness was
symbolized by elevation. Walled cities were always built on hills.
Accessibility within each
holiness was dependent upon ritual fitness and purity. Israel was more holy
than any other land because it was the promised land, the land of the Jews,
while all other lands were gentile . . . walled cities were holier than the
land itself for lepers could not live therein neither could a corpse be buried
within the walls . . . the Temple Mount was more holy because men or women with
any excessive or unnatural discharge of body fluids were not able to pass
further . . . the rampart was more holy than the Temple Mount because gentiles
could pass no further. And so it went. The closer to the Holy of Holies the
greater the ritual fitness was required. This was so because the Holy of Holies
was the place of God's presence and the symbol of his kingdom "and there
cannot any unclean thing enter into the
The Priesthood
During the
The priesthood had a
three-fold hierarchy with each order separate and distinct and with each having
clearly defined duties. The high priest stood at the head of the hierarchy.
"The chief feature of his position was the conjunction in one person of a
political and a priestly dignity. Not only was he the supreme officer in the
filed of religion who alone had the right to perform certain cultic acts of the
highest ritual significance, such as the offering of the sacrifice on the Day
of Atonement; he was at the same time the political leader of the nation, the
head of state,in so far, that is, as it was not under the domination of foreign
overlords. In the days of national independence, the hereditary Hasmonaean High
Priests were simultaneously princes and kings; later, the High Priests were
Presidents of the Sanhedrin as well as the supreme representatives of the
nation vis-a-vis the Romans even in political matters. One consequence
of the High Priest's distinguished social position was that he officiated as a
priest only on festive occasions. By law, he was obliged to do so only on the
Day of Atonement, when he presented the great sin-offering of the nation to God
(Lev. 16); according to later practice, he also offered the daily sacrifice
[which will be discussed later] during the week preceding the Day of Atonement.
Otherwise, he was completely free to sacrifice whenever he wished. According to
Josephus, he did this as a rule every Sabbath day and on the feasts of New Moon
and New Year.
"The uniqueness of
his position also found expression in the special purity and holiness required
of him [even above other priests] as well as in the magnificent vestments worn
in the performance of his priestly duties" (Schurer, History of the
Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ, pp. 275-276).
Next to the high priest
in rank were the priests. The main duties of the priests centered on the
sacrifices (only priests could sacrifice) and the care of the vessels of the
sanctuary (the candelabra, table of shewbread, and the altar of incense). Even
within this order there was a hierarchy. The order of precedence went as
follows. First, was the Captain of the
The Levites were that
portion of the Tribe of Levi who were not descended from Aaron. Typically,
their function in
The Inner Sanctuary of the Temple.—The Holy of Holies in the
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 85.)
The Olah (Burnt offering) was done
twice a day, 9and 3, on the Sabbath it was done 4 times, The Lord’s crucifixion
was at 9, his death at 3. The last
sacrifice!
Prayer and incense of Luke 1 and
Revelations 5:8.
Luke 1 – A
In verse 17, the spirit and power of
Elijah is more than genealogy.
(1 Kings 18:36-37.)
36 And it came to pass at the
time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the
prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it
be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am
thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O LORD, hear
me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that
thou hast turned their heart back again.
Elijah's latter-day mission is the
ultimate extension of his earth-life mission: to turn hearts to God, to family,
and to the promises made to the fathers (Mal. 4:5-6 and fn.; cf. 1 Kgs. 18:371
Kgs.
(Ellis T. Rasmussen, A Latter-day
Saint Commentary on the Old Testament [Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1993],
698.)
(Doctrine and Covenants
45:9.)
9 And even so I have sent
mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be
a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a
messenger before my face to prepare the way before me.
(Doctrine and Covenants
65:1-3.)
1 Hearken, and lo, a voice
as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth
is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men—Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight.
2 The keys of the
3 Yea, a voice
crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make
ready for the Bridegroom.
For the people in
When the New Testament quotes the
Old Testament it is using the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old
Testament, see Bible Dictionary pp. 771.
Bruce talked a lot about the role of
the priests in the
Before the astonished gaze of
Zacharias, at this supreme moment of his priestly service, there appeared,
standing on the right of the golden altar of incense, an angel of the Lord.
Many generations had passed in Jewry since any visible presence other than
mortal had been manifest within the temple, either in the Holy Place or the
Holy of Holies; the people regarded personal visitations of heavenly beings as
occurrences of the past; they had come almost to believe that there were no
longer prophets in Israel. Nevertheless, there was always a feeling of anxiety,
akin to that of troubled expectancy, whenever a priest approached the inner
sanctuary, which was regarded as the particular abode of Jehovah should He ever
again condescend to visit His people. In view of these conditions we read
without surprise that this angelic presence troubled Zacharias and caused fear
to fall upon him. The words of the heavenly visitant, however, were comforting
though of startling import, embodying as they did the unqualified assurance
that the man's prayers had been heard, and that his wife should bear him a son,
who must be named John. fn The promise went even further, specifying that the
child to be born of Elisabeth would be a blessing to the people; many would
rejoice at his birth; he would be great in the sight of the Lord, and must be
guarded against wine and strong drink; fn he would be filled with the Holy
Ghost, would be the means of turning many souls to God, and would go before to
make ready a people prepared to receive the Messiah.
Doubtless Zacharias recognized in the
predicted future of the yet unborn child, the great forerunner, of whom the
prophets had told and the psalmist had sung; but that such a one should be
offspring of himself and his aged wife seemed impossible despite the angel's
promise. The man doubted, and asked whereby he should know that what his
visitant had spoken was true: "And the angel answering said unto him, I am
Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and
to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able
to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou
believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." fn When
the highly blessed though sorely smitten priest at length came from within and
appeared before the expectant congregation, already made anxious by his delayed
return, he could but mutely dismiss the assembly and by signs indicate that he
had seen a vision. The penalty for doubt was already operative: Zacharias was
dumb.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 72.)
A Handmaid, servant is equal to a
slave, the master can do with them as he wants, verse 38.
John was the forerunner who would
bring to a conclusion the Law of Moses.
The Annunciation to the Virgin
His message delivered, Gabriel
departed, leaving the chosen Virgin of Nazareth to ponder over her wondrous
experience. Mary's promised Son was to be "The Only Begotten" of the
Father in the flesh; so it had been both positively and abundantly predicted.
True, the event was unprecedented; true also it has never been paralleled; but
that the virgin birth would be unique was as truly essential to the fulfillment
of prophecy as that it should occur at all. That Child to be born of Mary was
begotten of Elohim, the Eternal Father, not in violation of natural law but in
accordance with a higher manifestation thereof; and, the offspring from that
association of supreme sanctity, celestial Sireship, and pure though mortal
maternity, was of right to be called the "Son of the Highest." In His
nature would be combined the powers of Godhood with the capacity and
possibilities of mortality; and this through the ordinary operation of the
fundamental law of heredity, declared of God, demonstrated by science, and
admitted by philosophy, that living beings shall propagate—after their kind.
The Child Jesus was to inherit the physical, mental, and spiritual traits,
tendencies, and powers that characterized His parents—one immortal and
glorified—God, the other human—woman.
Jesus Christ was to be born of mortal
woman, but was not directly the offspring of mortal man, except so far as His
mother was the daughter of both man and woman. In our Lord alone has been
fulfilled the word of God spoken in relation to the fall of Adam, that the
seed of the woman should have power to overcome Satan by bruising the
serpent's head. fn
In respect to place, condition, and
general environment, Gabriel's annunciation to Zacharias offers strong contrast
to the delivery of his message to Mary. The prospective forerunner of the Lord
was announced to his father within the magnificent temple, and in a place the
most exclusively sacred save one other in the Holy House, under the light shed
from the golden candlestick, and further illumined by the glow of living coals
on the altar of gold; the Messiah was announced to His mother in a small town
far from the capital and the temple, most probably within the walls of a simple
Galilean cottage.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 77.)
The Babe in Bethlehem
March 9, 2005
Remember the gospels of Matthew and
Luke are to very different audiences.
Matthew is writing to Jews, showing how Christ fulfilled OT
prophesies. Luke is writing to Gentiles,
he could care less about Jewish prophesies, he is writing to the rest of the
known world.
Matthew 2 – The Wise Men from the
East were Gentiles coming to worship the Christ child, they paid attention to
the signs of his coming (new star etc) while the Jews ignored or were totally
oblivious of such signs.
Much has been written, beyond all
possible warrant of scriptural authority, concerning the visit of the magi, or
wise men, who thus sought and found the infant Christ. As a matter of fact, we
are left without information as to their country, nation, or tribal
relationship; we are not even told how many they were, though unauthenticated
tradition has designated them as "the three wise men," and has even
given them names; whereas they are left unnamed in the scriptures, the only
true record of them extant, and may have numbered but two or many. Attempts
have been made to identify the star whose appearance in their eastern sky had
assured the magi that the King was born; but astronomy furnished no
satisfactory confirmation. The recorded appearance of the star has been
associated by both ancient and modern interpreters with the prophecy of Balaam,
who, though not an Israelite had blessed Israel, and under divine inspiration
had predicted: "there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall
rise out of Israel." fn Moreover, as already shown, the appearance of a
new star was a predicted sign recognized and acknowledged among the people of
the western world as witness of Messiah's birth. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 93.)
Jews –
Gentiles – Not a chosen people who
accept and worship Christ
To Matthew this is a reoccurring
theme in his gospel.
This continues throughout the NT,
Jewish Christians reject Gentiles coming into the Church, hence the Council at
Luke and Acts constantly have a
thread between the temple versus a house, Luke 1 shows two different
revelations, Zach arias in the temple, Mary at her home in
Joseph was a “just man” meaning he
was right with the law, in Greek the word is Dikaios.
The term righteous (Greek dikaios)
denotes what is in keeping with the sovereignty of God, by which his laws are
kept inviolate.
(Richard D. Draper, Opening the
Seven Seals: The Visions of John the Revelator [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1991], 206.)
REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW STRICTLY
OBSERVED
The Child was born a Jew; the mother
was a Jewess, and the reputed and legal father, Joseph, was a Jew. The true
paternity of the Child was known to but few, perhaps at that time to none save
Mary, Joseph, and possibly Elisabeth and Zacharias; as He grew He was regarded
by the people as Joseph's son. fn The requirements of the law were carried out
with exactitude in all matters pertaining to the Child. When eight days old He
was circumcised, as was required of every male born in
Part of the law given through Moses to the Israelites in the wilderness
and continued in force down through the centuries, related to the procedure
prescribed for women after childbirth. fn In compliance therewith, Mary
remained in retirement forty days following the birth of her Son; then she and
her husband brought the Boy for presentation before the Lord as prescribed for
the male firstborn of every family. It is manifestly impossible that all such presentations
could have taken place in the temple, for many Jews lived at great distances
from
In connection with the ceremony of purification, every mother was required
to furnish a yearling lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or dove for
a sin offering; but in the case of any woman who was unable to provide a lamb,
a pair of doves or pigeons might be offered. We learn of the humble
circumstances of Joseph and Mary from the fact that they brought the less
costly offering, two doves or pigeons, instead of one bird and a lamb.
Among the righteous and devout
Israelites were some who, in spite of traditionalism, rabbinism, and priestly
corruption, still lived in righteous expectation of inspired confidence,
awaiting patiently the consolation of
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." fn
Then under the spirit of prophecy,
Simeon told of the greatness of the Child's mission, and of the anguish that
the mother would be called to endure because of Him, which would be even like
unto that of a sword piercing her soul. The Spirit's witness to the divinity of
Jesus was not to be confined to a man. There was at that time in the temple a
godly woman of great age, Anna, a prophetess who devoted herself exclusively to
temple service; and she, being inspired of God, recognized her Redeemer, and
testified of Him to all about her. Both Joseph and Mary marveled at the things
that were spoken of the Child; seemingly they were not yet able to comprehend
the majesty of Him who had come to them through so miraculous a conception and
so marvelous a birth.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 103.)
We discussed the purification of
women after giving birth, the 40 days and giving a sacrifice at the temple
afterwards.
We also discussed the setup of
houses in the ancient world, the term is Beit Ab or House of, and it opened my
eyes to the scripture
(John 14:2.)
2 In my Father's house are
many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you.
A family lives in several houses
close by each other, enclosed by a wall which protects them from the outside.
Family Structure
-The structure of Israelite society begins
with the beit 'ab, or the extended family. The families were organized through
kinship groups. The beit' ab consisted of several small nuclear units (Bendor,
1996; 45). The beit' ab could consist of four generations of a family. Survival
depended on family support. There are numerous passages that affirm the
importance of the beit' ab. This passage shows the importance of the beit' ab
in everyday life, "I revealed myself to the house of your father.and gave
to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of
-Since there was such a dependency for family
support, orphans and family less people were forced to live harsh, destitute
lives. Nevertheless, the monotonous life-style of the ancient Judean people was
spiced with festivals of celebrations and religious ceremonies.
-Although the family unit was almost necessary
for survival, there were several conflicts that beit' abs faced. Most of these
conflicts were caused by internal tensions in the beit' ab. This internal
tension can most easily be seen as envy. There was great envy for the first,
male born of a beit' ab. This is because the first-born received special
treatment and privileges.
-In the nuclear unit, the other brothers would
still have a place in the family, but no control in leadership. This was done
by the eldest son, who, inevitably was placed in charge of the family after the
death of the eldest father. It was the tradition for authority to be passed
down to the eldest son. Isaac claims to his
first-born son Esau, "Behold I have made him your lord, and all his
brothers I have given to him for servants. (Gen. 27:37)." So, there was
tension between brothers. An interesting text from the Bible shows this tension
when Jacob says to his son Joseph, "And now your two sons.Ephraim and
Manasseh shall be mine.And the offspring born to you after them shall be yours;
they shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance (Gen.
48: 5-6)." This is significant because the brothers born after the first
two were not part of the inheritors and their names would not be passed down.
-It should also be noted that it was the
custom for the first born to receive double portions of inheritance. This would
further cause tensions within the beit' ab. Finally, tensions between sons and
their fathers also caused conflicts within the beit' ab. There have been
several biblical reports showing that some sons, out of envy, drove the father
or killed the eldest son for inheritance. Here for example, portrays the shame
that a son would face if he were to dishonor his family. "He who does
violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and
brings reproach (Micah
-Larger than the beit' ab was the mispaha.
This was known as a clan. The clan could consist of several beit' abs. The clan
also worked together to provide for its needs. With the increasing growth of
settlements, clans formed together to form tribes or sebet. These gave way to
what we now call chiefdoms. The formation of these chiefdoms was mainly due to
the patron-client system. From the chiefdoms arose the beginning of the
monarchy in ancient
-While the clans struggled to support
themselves, some became more powerful and wealthier than those who were
misfortunate from various reasons (drought, epidemics, etc). The weaker units
then relied on the stronger units for support. Thus, this became known as the
patron-client system. The patrons would offer help to its client while the
client provided loyalty and services to the patron in return. The chief who had
the most clients became more powerful. Client members were all loyal to the
patron. The chiefdoms can be seen as an intermediate political stage between
the tribes and the monarchy. Rapidly, a centralized state was forming. This
embarked the beginning of the monarchy.
I found this on the internet in a paper
written at
Bruce talked about Luke writing
about the people’s traditionalism and ritualism while forgetting why they were
doing what they are doing, this was the ministry of John the Baptist. This happens today when we go through the
motions and take for granted the sacrament.
Neither the man nor his message could
be ignored; his preaching was specific in promise to the repentant soul, and
scathingly denunciatory to the hypocrite and the hardened sinner. Where Pharisees
and Sadducees came to his baptism, prating of the law, the spirit of which they
ceased not to transgress, and of the prophets, whom they dishonored, he
denounced them as a generation of vipers, and demanded of them: "Who hath
warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" He brushed aside their
oft-repeated boasts that they were the children of Abraham, saying, "Bring
forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within
yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able
of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." fn The ignoring of
their claims to preferment as the children of Abraham was a strong rebuke, and
a cause of sore affront alike to aristocratic Sadducee and rule-bound Pharisee.
Judaism held that the posterity of Abraham had an assured place in the kingdom
of the expected Messiah, and that no proselyte from among the Gentiles could
possibly attain the rank and distinction of which the "children" were
sure. John's forceful assertion that God could raise up, from the stones on the
river bank, children to Abraham, meant to those who heard that even the lowest
of the human family might be preferred before themselves unless they repented
and reformed. fn Their time of wordy profession had passed; fruits were
demanded, not barren though leafy profusion; the ax was ready, aye, at the very
root of the tree; and every tree that produced not good fruit was to be hewn
down and cast into the fire.
The people were astonished; and many,
seeing themselves in their actual condition of dereliction and sin, as John,
with burning words laid bare their faults, cried out: "What shall we do
then?" fn His reply was directed against ceremonialism, which had caused
spirituality to wither almost to death in the hearts of the people. Unselfish
charity was demanded—"He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that
hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." The publicans or
tax-farmers and collectors, under whose unjust and unlawful exactions the people
had suffered so long, came asking: "Master, what shall we do? And he said
unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you." To the
soldiers who asked what to do he replied: "Do violence to no man, neither
accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 115.)\
Joseph Fielding McConkie – “A
Scriptural Search for the Ten Tribes and Other Things We Lost”, BYU Annual
Religious Education Faculty Summer Lecture, June 1987.
The Danger of Judaizing
Mormonism
In each season of growth it is
necessary to prune the trees that are to produce fruits. Root sprouts and limb
over-growth will rob nourishment from that fruit. The spiritual parallel takes
place when the root sprouts of scholarship and tradition rob nourishment from
the spirit of prophecy. Such was the plight of ancient
Zenos spoke of the unpruned olive
tree of modern
By A.D. 200 the rabbinical traditions
were committed to writing and became known as the Mishnah. Scholarly commentary
upon these commentaries ensued, resulting in the multi-volume collection called
the Talmud. Within the covers of the Talmud are accounts of rabbinic debate,
quaint sayings, fancies, fables, legends, superstitions, and anecdotes.
Illustrating the exalted role of
tradition, the Babylonian Talmud contains a fanciful account of a debate
between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua over the possibility that revelation
could be given beyond what had been spoken on Sinai. After exhausting every
possible argument to no avail, Eliezer, sustaining God's right to continue to
speak, called upon the carob tree to prove it. The carob tree, we are told, was
torn from the ground and hurled 150 cubits. This sign was rejected on the
grounds that no proof can be brought from a carob tree. Next Eliezer called upon
a stream of water as proof, and the stream started to flow backwards. Joshua
objected, "What sort of demonstration is does a stream afford?"
Eliezer then said, "If the oral tradition agrees with me, let the walls of
the schoolhouse prove it," whereupon the walls inclined to fall. Rabbi
Joshua rebuked them, for when scholars are engaged in a debate over the law, he
argued, the school has no right to interfere. The walls did not fall, but
remained on an angle or incline. Seeking an irrefutable witness, Rabbi Eliezer
then called on the heavens to speak for themselves. A heavenly voice sounded
forth and said, "What have ye against Rabbi Eliezer after whose opinion
the law is always to be framed?"At this, Rabbi Joshua arose and said,
"The Torah declares concerning itself, 'It is not up in heaven'; that is
to say, once the Torah was given on Mount Sinai, we pay no heed to heavenly
voices but, as the Torah ordains further, we follow the opinion of the
majority." [Milton Steinberg, Basic Judaism (New York: Harcourt,
Brace, and World, Inc., 1947), pg 68-69.]
"Thus," Jesus said to those
of his day, "ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your
tradition" (Mt 15:6), as the law given to prepare them to receive him
became the justification by which they as a nation rejected him. By such
references it is not my intent to cast aspersions upon the Jewish community in
our day any more than Mormon or
Mine is not a call to
repentance; such is not my office. Mine is an expression of concern, concern
about the extend to which we as Latter-day Saints have allowed ourselves to be
bound with the cords of tradition, the extent to which we are preoccupied, with
doctrines established upon the authority of what someone said that someone said
they heard Joseph Smith tell somebody else. I could fill a volume in the Mormon
Talmud with apocryphal stories that have been told to me about my own father
and my grandfather Joseph Fielding Smith. If there were room, I could add
stories about Jessie Evans Smith. Such a volume would add the same reliability
to the history and faith of the Latter-day Saints as the Talmud does to Judaism.
The plain fact of the matter is that frauds are frauds, historical frauds are
frauds, pious frauds are frauds, and doctrinal frauds are frauds. It is a
little hard to argue that black bears are bears while brown bears and polar
bears aren't. White bears can be as dangerous as black bears, and a Mormon
Talmud has no more power to save than the Jewish Talmud or a Talmud compiled by
any other people.
Fabrications, forgeries,
imaginative tales, and embellished stories are not the only sources that threaten
to Judaize Mormonism. We too have a rabbinic tradition; we have the idea that
truth is established by the authority of what teachers of an earlier day said.
Thus, we often expend greater energy in searching for quotations than in
searching for understanding. We become more concerned with scriptural
commentary than with scripture. So-and-so said it, or said that So-and-so said
it, and thus the matter is settled. Again we find ourselves establishing our
own oral tradition, developing our own Mishnah and Talmud. Supposedly, if
someone else had the ability to think, write, and even part the heavens, we are
spared the same effort and responsibility. And so we no longer teach as one
having authority, but rather as the scribes and Pharisees.
When an issue needs resolving, rather
than entering into a search for truth, we play a game of theological checkers.
Proponents of one view line up their authorities with appropriate quotations
while those of a differing viewpoint line up theirs, and the game begins. The
object is to see who can outmaneuver whom. To make matters worse, when we
cannot refute an opponent's authoritative quotations, we are faced with the
temptation of discrediting his authorities by attacking their credibility. A
common way to do this is to rehearse some instances in which they were known or
at least believed to be in error. Thus we malign some of the best people the
earth has ever known and all in the name of reverence and respect.
Apparently it has not dawned on many
that we are all responsible for what we choose to believe and teach and that
this is as true of those holding high office and position in the Church as it
is for the rest of us.
Unscriptural Doctrines
Judaism and historical
Christianity both provide marvelous case studies for the process by which
tradition supplants revelation and is elevated to the status of doctrine. What
of Mormonism? Do we face the same danger? Do we commonly teach as doctrine
things for which there is not a shred of scriptural evidence? I am fearful that
we do. Let me suggest four illustrations, matters that are frequently the
subject of discussions in Church classes. My challenge of the theological roots
of these so-called doctrines will probably be sufficient to cause some
annoyance this evening. Should that be true, it will help establish my concern
that we may be every bit as susceptible to the enticements of traditions in
preference to revelation as were our ancient Jewish and Christian counterparts.
My first illustration is what we have
come to call eternal progression. The phrase "eternal
progression" is not found anywhere in the Standard Works, and we have no
evidence that the phrase ever fell from the lips of Joseph Smith. When it first
appeared in our conversations and literature I do not know. The scriptures do
explicitly state that all who are exalted will enjoy the "fulness of the
Father," be "joint heirs" with him, and be equal with him in
power, might, and dominion (see D&C 93:5-17; Rom 8:14-18; D&C 76:94-95;
84:33-41). Scores of scriptural passages attest that God has all wisdom and
knowledge, both in heaven and on earth (see Mosi 4:9;
Second, let us take the idea of unconditional
love. In Latter-day Saint sermons of recent years it has been common for
speakers to challenge the congregation to emulate God in exercising
"unconditional love." I do not know who first figured out that God's
love is unconditional. I do know, however, that he did it without the help of
scripture. Again, the phrase itself is entirely unscriptural; if there are
scriptures that sustain the idea, I have been unable to find them. When I have
asked people who teach this so-called doctrine how they distinguish God's
"unconditional love" from salvation by grace as taught in the
Protestant world, they have been unable to do so.
"He that hath my commandments
and keepeth them," Christ said, "he it is that loveth me: and he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
myself to him" (Jn
As a third illustration, let us
consider guardian angels. Once again we are using a phrase that is
without scriptural warrant. True, it is found in hymns, patriarchal blessings,
and sermons. Certainly a righteous father who has died will continue to look
after his family and scores of illustrations could be cited where people have
been protected by angels--indeed our revelations tell us that the hosts of
heaven have been charged to protect those who honor their covenants (D&C
84:42, 88)--but where does the theory that some poor soul from the world of
spirits has been assigned to follow each of us around "silent notes
taking" come from? The idea would make an entertaining movie plot, but it
is poor theology.
Fourth, consider the on-going
argument as to the possibility of advancing after the resurrection from one
degree to another. More properly stated, can we advance from one resurrection
to another? The debate ignores the scriptural definition of resurrection as the
inseparable union of body and spirit (see
The Mingling of
Scripture and Tradition
Along with those would-be doctrines
that have no roots in the scriptures are those that have been grafted into the
tree of life. It is important that we separate the wheat from the chaff. One
cannot make good bread with chaff, and certainly not the bread of life.
Authority is a difficult issue in this instance. To what extent, for instance,
does our faith obligate us to reverence the writings of the early brethren, and
in what instances are we to let go of something they said in order to improve
upon it? Harold B. Lee responds in this manner:
It is not to be thought
that every word spoken by the General Authorities is inspired, or that they are
moved upon by the Holy Ghost in everything they speak and write. Now you keep
that in mind. I don't care what his position is, if he writes something or
speaks something that goes beyond anything that you can find in the standard
works, unless that one be the prophet, seer, and revelator--please note that
one exception--you may immediately say, "Well, that is his own idea!"
And if he says something that contradicts what is found in the standard works
(I think that is why we call them "standard"--it is the standard measure
of all that men teach), you may know by that same token that it is false;
regardless of the position of the man who says it. [Harold B. Lee, "The
Place of the Living Prophet, Seer, and Revelator," Address to Seminary and
You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the
Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the
revealed word in the standard works.
Every man who writes is
responsible, not the Church, for what he writes. If Joseph Fielding Smith writes
something which is out of harmony with the revelations, then every member is
duty bound to reject it. If he writes that which is in perfect harmony with the
revealed word of the Lord, then it should be accepted." (Joseph Fielding
Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 3:203-204.)]
The matter is not easily resolved,
but there is much that we can do to lessen the difficulties. First, as Joseph
Smith suggested, we ought to allow that a good man can err in doctrine. [Joseph
Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7
vols., B. H. Roberts, ed. (SLC: Deseret Book, 1949), Vol 5:340. Hereafter cited
as HC.] Second, we should remember that it is the system of heaven to
dispense its treasures line upon line, precept upon precept. This means that our
generation ought to be able to improve upon the doctrinal understanding of
previous generations; if we are continuing the journey they started, we ought
to be a bit closer to the top of Mount Zion and our view ought to be a bit
better. This also implies that we will find instances in which our greatest
theologians will change and improve their views on various matters.
On a number of occasions
during the preparation of lessons, I have studied a matter out and then gone to
my father seeking the benefit of his insight and understanding, only to go into
the classroom and have someone quote some statement or supposed statement by my
father which refuted what he had just taught me. I am also aware of matters on
which he contradicts himself within the books he wrote. When I have pointed
these out to him and suggested that he might have one statement or the other
changed for subsequent editions, his response was, "Goodness no! Let it
stand." When he changed his mind on a matter he had no interest in covering
the trail. He also had no difficulty in saying, "I was wrong." There
is no reason to suppose that such attitudes were distinctive or peculiar to him
and are not shared to a greater or lesser degree by all of our prominent
theologians.
It reflects a rather acute case of
spiritual anemia to argue that because someone once said something that was
wrong, he is never to be trusted again. This affliction is common to those who
seek to disqualify something one of our leaders has said which they don't want
to accept. Supposedly they are excused from accepting the present counsel if
they show some previous error or mistake in judgment on the leader's part. This
can be likened to a man saying to his wife, "You burned the toast once,
and I will never eat anything you cook again." At best, such an attitude
would weaken the marriage and in some instances it could result in starvation.
So it is in the realm of spiritual things: if we reject the inspired counsel of
a leader because he once burned the toast, we have certainly weakened the bonds
of our covenants and enhanced the possibility of spiritual starvation.
This very reasoning is the
cornerstone of the fundamentalist argument for the necessity of an inerrant and
infallible Bible: no errors can be acknowledged in the Bible or it will be
deemed untrustworthy. In fact, a greater lesson is that as we can be inspired
by a book that is not without flaws so we can be inspired by men who are less
than perfect. Indeed, the whole system of salvation is that we, with our
leaders, advance from grace to grace, from understanding to greater
understanding, from seedlings to sequoias.
The sum of the matter is that if we
are to avoid becoming as the scribes and Pharisees, we must do more than quote
from the past. The scriptures, the spirit of revelation, and the words of our
living prophet must act as our compass rather than Mormon legends and
traditions, however popular. On the other hand, it is not our right to quote
what others have said without assuming the responsibility to assure that what
they have said accords with scripture. Often even that which others have said
that accords with holy writ can be said better. If we can improve upon
something I think the Lord expects us to do it.
(Luke 2:25-38.)
25 And, behold, there was
a man in
26 And it was revealed
unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen
the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the
Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do
for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in
his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou
thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen
thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast
prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people
33 And Joseph and his
mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed
them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the
fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken
against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall
pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be
revealed.
36 And there was one Anna,
a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great
age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a
widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple,
but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that
instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that
looked for redemption in
The workings of the Holy Ghost bore
testimony to Simeon and Anna concerning Christ.
Only Luke records this story.
The "just and devout"
Simeon met Joseph and Mary in the temple. This man knew by the power of the
Holy Ghost that the child Jesus was also the Christ, and he said to Mary:
"Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in
Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against: yea, a spear shall pierce
through him to the wounding of thine own soul also; that the thoughts of many
hearts may be revealed" ([Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]. The Holy
Scriptures: Inspired Version.
In many ways Joseph and Mary lived in hard
times.
monarchs. The Jews were in apostasy
and were burdened by rigid formalism and spiritual wickedness. Jewish religious
leaders of that time are characterized as "the more wicked part of the
world .... because of priestcrafts and iniquities" (2 Ne. 10:3, 5).
It was in these circumstances that
the tender, pure, and chosen Mary, protected and attended by the spiritually
receptive, capable, and kindly Joseph, brought forth her firstborn son and laid
him in a manger. The unpretentious circumstances of this little family blessed
with the special holiness of the child Jesus were in strong contrast to the
spiritually barren and parched condition of a people led by proud and insistent
Pharisees, sumptuous Sadducees, exclusive rabbis, and learned scribes conquered
by a pagan empire. Isaiah knew of this contrast and had predicted that the
Messiah would grow up "as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry
ground" (Isa. 53:2).
(Robert J. Matthews, Behold the
Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 83.)
By Wilford Woodruff
(Wilford Woodruff, who became the
fourth president of the Church was baptized at Richland, New York, in 1833. The
following narrative of his conversion and the remarkable vision of his aged
friend Robert Mason are from his own pen. Wilford Woodruff became one of the
greatest missionaries of the Church.—P.N.)
I SPENT the first years of my life
under the influence of what history has called the "Blue Laws" of
No man, boy, or child of any age was
permitted to play or do any work from sunset Saturday night until Sunday night.
After sunset on Sunday evening, men might work, and boys might jump, shout, and
play as much as they pleased.
There was an aged man in
I will here relate one vision, which
he related to me. The last time I ever saw him, he said: "I was laboring
in my field at mid-day when I was enwrapped in a vision. I was placed in the
midst of a vast forest of fruit trees; I was very hungry, and walked a long way
through the orchard, searching for fruit to eat but I could not find any in the
whole orchard, and I wept because I could find no fruit. While I stood gazing
at the orchard, and wondering why there was no fruit, the trees began to fall
to the ground upon every side of me, until there was not one tree standing in
the whole orchard; and while I was marveling at the scene, I saw young sprouts
start up from the roots of the trees which had fallen, and they opened into
young, thrifty trees before my eyes. They budded, blossomed, and bore fruit
until the trees were loaded with the finest fruit I ever beheld. I stepped up
to a tree and picked my hands full of fruit, and marveled at its beauty, and as
I was about to taste of it the vision closed, and I found myself in the field
in the same place I was at the commencement of the vision.
"I then knelt upon the ground
and prayed unto the Lord, and asked Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to show
me the meaning of the vision. The Lord said unto me: 'This is the
interpretation of the vision: The great trees of the forest represented the
generation of men in which you live. There is no
When the old prophet had finished
relating the vision and interpretation, he said to me, calling me by my
Christian name: "I shall never partake of this fruit in the flesh, but you
will, and you will become a conspicuous actor in that Kingdom." He then
turned and left me. These were the last words he ever spoke to me upon the
earth.
He had the vision about the year
1800, and he related it to me in 1830—the same spring that the Church was
organized.
In the winter of 1833 I heard, for
the first time in my life, an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. He preached in a schoolhouse near where I lived. I attended the
meeting, and the Spirit of the Lord bore record to me that what I heard was
true. I invited the Elder to my house, and next day I, with my eldest brother,
went down into the water and was baptized. We were the first two baptized in
Oswego Country,
When I was baptized I thought of what
the old prophet had said to me.
I took the first opportunity and
wrote a long letter to Father Mason, and told him I had found the
The first opportunity I had, after
the doctrine of baptism for the dead was revealed, I went forth and was
baptized for him. He was a good man and a true prophet, for his prophecies have
been fulfilled.
(Preston Nibley, Missionary
Experiences [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1942], 28.)
Bruce told us this story of how
people are influenced by the Holy Ghost just like Simeon and Anna.
Bruce talked about religious icons
found in other churches, think about a people who cannot read, how else can they
understand the stories of the Bible? Don’t judge them because of their limited
understanding.
Even in a day of intense apostasy
there were and are people who are true to the faith, they stay on the path of
righteousness.
Luke is the only writer to record
the events at the temple when Jesus turned 12.
The Messiah as a Youth
When Jesus was twelve years of age his parents
took him to the temple in
law of Moses, for the Passover
observance (Luke 2:42Luke
Such an experience would be almost
overwhelming for any of us with our natural children-Mary and Joseph would have
all the pain we would have, but more in addition, for they had lost the very
Son of God. That is worse than losing 116 pages of manuscript, or almost
anything else that could have happened to them. After three days of searching
they found him. What did they really find when they found him? A normal
twelve-year-old boy? "They found him in the temple, sitting in the midst
of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions" (Luke
It is something to write about any
time a twelve-year-old boy will sit for three days and listen to a discussion
of the scriptures and even ask questions. However, that is the lesser part of
the story. The Joseph Smith Translation reads: "They found him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, and they [the doctors] were
hearing him, and asking him questions" ([Joseph Smith Translation of the
Bible]. The Holy Scriptures: Inspired Version.
With this clarification, the next
verse takes on more meaning: "And all that heard him were astonished at
his understanding and answers."
What did the learned doctors discover
when they "found" the Messiah in the temple courts? They found a
youth who looked like other boys but was possessed of wisdom and knowledge and
more understanding of the spiritual things of life and of the message of the
scriptures than they collectively had been able to acquire through years of
study and experience.
How does it happen that Jesus came by such
wisdom at so early an age? When he was born a veil was placed over his mind and
his memory the same as it has been with us, but he had the power of the Spirit,
the Holy Ghost. In Joseph Smith Translation John
The Joseph Smith Translation offers
another passage that permits us a glimpse of the unusual ability and
personality of the Messiah as a youth and as a young man. (In The King James
Version these verses would be inserted at the end of Matthew chapter 2.)
"And it came to pass that Jesus grew up with his brethren, and waxed
strong, and waited upon the Lord for the time of his ministry to come. And he
served under his father, and he spake not as other men, neither could he be
taught; for he needed not that any man should teach him. And after many years,
the hour of his ministry drew nigh."
We often hear it said that we know
but very little about the Savior's early life, but we can see from these
passages that we do have some guidelines concerning what type of youth he was.
(Robert J. Matthews, Behold the
Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 92.)
Joseph and Mary also attended the
Passover in
Though the record is silent
concerning the later life of Joseph, most scholars assume that he died sometime
during the eighteen years between the family's visit to Jerusalem when Jesus
was twelve and the beginning of Christ's formal ministry. If Joseph had been
alive, he would likely have been mentioned as being at the marriage celebration
in Cana (see John 2:1-11) and almost certainly Jesus would not have given John
the charge to care for his mother (see John 19:25-27).
(Gerald N. Lund, Selected Writings
of Gerald N. Lund: Gospel Scholars Series [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1999], 155.)
Childhood of Jesus
March 17, 2005
Bruce said we know less now about
the time of Christ’s childhood than what earlier writers say about it. Many looked at the time period 200 years
after Christ and thought it would be the same that nothing would have changed
in Jewish society for 200 years! Look
at our history 200 years ago or in the future for that matter, our assumptions
would be wildly off base! Same with that
time period from 7BC to 200AD
(Isaiah 53:1-3.)
1 Who hath believed our
report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up
before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no
form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that
we should desire him.
3 He is despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it
were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
In such simplicity is the normal,
natural development of the Boy Jesus made clear. He came among men to
experience all the natural conditions of mortality; He was born as truly a
dependent, helpless babe as is any other child; His infancy was in all common
features as the infancy of others; His boyhood was actual boyhood, His
development was as necessary and as real as that of all children. Over His mind
had fallen the veil of forgetfulness common to all who are born to earth, by
which the remembrance of primeval existence is shut off. The Child grew, and
with growth there came to Him expansion of mind, development of faculties, and
progression in power and understanding. His advancement was from one grace to
another, not from gracelessness to grace; from good to greater good, not from
evil to good, from favor with God to greater favor, not from estrangement
because of sin to reconciliation through repentance and propitiation. fn
Our knowledge of Jewish life in that
age justifies the inference that the Boy was well taught in the law and the
scriptures, for such was the rule. He garnered knowledge by study, and gained
wisdom by prayer, thought, and effort. Beyond question He was trained to labor,
for idleness was abhorred then as it is now; and every Jewish boy, whether
carpenter's son, peasant's child, or rabbi's heir, was required to learn and
follow a practical and productive vocation. Jesus was all that a boy should be,
for His development was unretarded by the dragging weight of sin; He loved and
obeyed the truth and therefore was free. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 105.)
(JST Matthew 3:24-26)
24 And it came to pass
that Jesus grew up with his brethren, and waxed strong, and waited upon the
Lord for the time of his ministry to come.
25 And he served under his
father, and he spake not as other men, neither could he be taught; for he
needed not that any man should teach him.
26 And after many years,
the hour of his ministry drew nigh.
His tutoring by his earthly parents
and also the Holy Ghost and his Heavenly Parents
Difference between a person being from
The question came up of how Mary
kept all of this inside her, who could she tell? She is a very strong, valiant and choice
woman!
What marvelous and sacred secrets
were treasured in that mother's heart; and what new surprises and grave
problems were added day after day in the manifestations of unfolding wisdom
displayed by her more than mortal Son! Though she could never have wholly
forgotten, at times she seemingly lost sight of, her Son's exalted personality.
That such conditions should exist was perhaps divinely appointed. There could
scarcely have been a full measure of truly human experience in the relationship
between Jesus and His mother, or between Him and Joseph, had the fact of His
divinity been always dominant or even prominently apparent. Mary appears never
to have fully understood her Son; at every new evidence of His uniqueness she
marveled and pondered anew. He was hers, and yet in a very real sense not
wholly hers. There was about their relation to each other a mystery, awful yet
sublime, a holy secret which that chosen and blessed mother hesitated even to
tell over to herself. Fear must have contended with joy within her soul because
of Him. The memory of Gabriel's glorious promises, the testimony of the
rejoicing shepherds, and the adoration of the magi must have struggled with
that of Simeon's portentous prophecy, directed to herself in person: "Yea,
a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also." fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ:
A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both
Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 109.)
There were other children in the
family, they didn’t believe at first but some came around in time to their older
brother’s role as the Messiah for all creation.
(JST Matthew 13:55-59.)
55 And when he was come
into his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, insomuch that they
were astonished, and said, Whence hath this Jesus this wisdom and these mighty
works?
56 Is not this the
carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and
Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us?
57 Whence then hath this
man all these things? And they were offended at him.
58 But Jesus said unto
them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own
house.
59 And he did not many
mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
James and Jude were converted in
time, perhaps as witnesses to Christ’s resurrection
(1 Corinthians 15:4-9.)
4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of
Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen
of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen
of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was
seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of
the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God.
(Galatians 1:19.)
19 But other of the
apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.
Who Belongs to the Family of Jesus?
All men, Jesus included, are spirit
children of the Father. They were born as his offspring in pre-existence. Both
the righteous and the wicked are brethren in this literal sense. But by
obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, the true disciples of Jesus
are adopted as members of his family in a special and restricted sense. They
become, here in mortality, his brothers, sisters, mothers, and children. This
adoption takes place incident to the covenant of baptism. As King Benjamin
expressed it, "Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be
called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this
day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed
through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his
sons and his daughters." (Mosiah 5:7.)
Matt. 12:46. His brethren] Jesus had
brothers and sisters who were the offspring of Joseph and Mary. False teachings
about Mary and her supposed perpetual virginity have caused the Catholics and
others to go to great lengths to make it appear that those specifically named
as his brothers and sisters were cousins or kinsmen of some other degree. They
hold it to be irreverent to think that Mary, the wife of Joseph, could have
lived a normal life with him and been the mother of his children. In reality,
of course, motherhood is the crowning glory of womanhood, and God himself has
ordained the manner in which children shall be brought into the world.
In Mary's case, the plain meaning of
a host of scriptures is that she bore Joseph's children, children who were the
half-brothers and half-sisters of the Son of God. Jesus had more than one
sister and at least four brothers—James, Joses (Joseph), Simon, and Judas.
(Matt. 13:55.) These children lived with Mary and were regarded by the people as
members of her family. (John 2:12; 7:3.) They seem to have been jealous of
Jesus and may not have believed in his divine Sonship until after the
resurrection. (Mark 3:21; 6:3-4; John 7:5.) None of his brothers were included in the original Twelve, but they
seem to have been converted after the resurrection by his appearance to James.
(1 Cor. 15:7.) Thereafter they associated themselves with the disciples. (Acts
1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5.) One of them, James, was later called to the apostle—ship. (Gal.
1:19.)
Luke 11:27-28. Apparently the message
that his mother and his brethren sought audience with Jesus caused another
woman (undoubtedly herself a mother) to speak these words of praise for Mary.
With them Jesus agreed. But then he taught that it is not motherhood of itself,
but obedience to the word of God, that brings blessings.
(Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1:
280.)
(Luke 1:1-3.)
1 Forasmuch as many have
taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are
most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered
them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the
word;
3 It seemed good to me
also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to
write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Bruce gave us this thought to
consider: Where did Luke receive the
information to write his gospel? It
contains details that only one person would know, Mary! How else could he know of the personal events
of chapters 1-2? This information is not
found in any other gospel. Paul received
his knowledge by revelation and vision, see 1 Corinthians 11.
Feast of the Passover, what did
Jesus see, the sacrifice of the lamb.
Did he understand at age 12 that this was done in place of him and that
at future date it would be him sacrificed for all creation? He was about his Father’s business, but it
wasn’t his time yet, he still had a lot to learn before he began his ministry.
How could they lose him? 1st, the town was packed, 2nd,
have you ever been to a ward party? ;-)
(JST Luke 2:46-52.)
46 And it came to pass,
that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, and they were hearing him, and asking him questions.
47 And all who heard him
were astonished at his understanding, and answers.
48 And when his parents
saw him, they were amazed; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou
thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them,
Why is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be about my Father's
business?
50 And they understood not
the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with
them, and came to
52 And Jesus increased in
wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Think about who you are raising,
future Gods and Goddesses, they aren’t ours yet don’t forget who you have at
home, what are you teaching them, what are they learning from you?
Bruce talked briefly about the
Levite and priest coming home from temple service in the parable of the Good
Samaritan, the direction of their travel, “down”.
John the Baptist – Jesus Baptism
March 31, 2005
John taught in the wilderness away
from Jerusalem and other cities, he saw the temple the same way Jesus say it,
as a polluted house, filled with iniquity.
He taught only the House of Israel,
teaching the Gentiles came in Acts 10.
John: Forerunner and Herald of the Messiah
John the Baptist is one of the great figures
in sacred literature. Though his brief mortal ministry was limited in time and
travel to a small portion of the
A Child of Promise
Most of us know two things about John: He
baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, and he ordained Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood near Harmony, Pennsylvania on the
banks of the Susquehanna River. Although in our eyes these may be the two most
significant things he did, there is a great deal more that is interesting and
even thrilling concerning his life, character, and ministry. His mission was
important enough that it was made known to prophets and seers hundreds of years
beforehand. His forthcoming birth was announced by the angel Gabriel and
attended by miraculous circumstances showing him to be an unusual child of
promise. During his life he was emphatically and singularly eulogized by the
Lord Jesus Christ himself.
The work of John is spoken of by
Isaiah (40:3-5; compare Matt. 3:1-3) and Malachi (3:1; compare Luke
In praise of John the Baptist the
Prophet Joseph Smith said: "he had his authority from God, and the oracles
of God were with him, and the
After he baptized Jesus, John saw the
Holy Ghost descend as a sign that Jesus was the Messiah (John
Extensive Knowledge of the Gospel
Latter-day revelation projects a much broader
and deeper appreciation for John's preaching than we are able to obtain from
the King James Version alone. We learn that John's knowledge of the gospel was
far more extensive than is usually accredited him. The Joseph Smith Translation
takes special note of this and states that John
"came into the world for a witness... to bear record of the gospel through
the Son, unto all" ([Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]. The Holy
Scriptures: Inspired Version.
And he came into all the
country about
As it is written in the
book of the prophet Esaias; and these are the words, saying, The voice of one
crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths
straight.
For behold, and lo, he
shall come, as it is written in the book of the prophets, to take away the sins
of the world, and to bring salvation unto the heathen nations, to gather
together those who are lost, who are of the sheepfold of Israel;
Yea, even the dispersed
and afflicted; and also to prepare the way, and make possible the preaching of
the gospel unto the Gentiles;
And to be a light unto all
who sit in darkness, unto the uttermost parts of the earth; to bring to pass
the resurrection from the dead, and to ascend up on high, to dwell on the right
hand of the Father.
Until the fulness of time,
and the law and the testimony shall be sealed, and the keys of the kingdom
shall be delivered up again unto the Father;
To administer justice unto
all; to come down in judgment upon all, and to convince all the ungodly of
their ungodly deeds, which they have committed; and all this in the day that he
shall come;
For it is a day of power;
yea, every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought
low; the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
([Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]. The Holy Scriptures: Inspired
Version.
Not only does the above passage
attest to John's wide knowledge of the gospel but also it clearly shows that
John understood the difference between certain events that would occur in the
meridian of time and those of the fulness of time. The day of judgment, the day
of power, bringing low the mountains and the valleys being filled, was to occur
at the time of Jesus' second coming. The way these verses are presented in all
other Bibles makes it appear that John thought those events were for his time.
The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies this matter and at the same time gives a
glimpse of John's extensive knowledge.
Significance of John's
John singlehandedly challenged the network of
priestcraft and apostasy that existed among the Jewish hierarchy and was given
the divine appointment "to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews and to make
straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for
the coming of the Lord" (D&C 84:28). John was an Elias, which means he
was the forerunner, a preparer of people, and the proclaimer of the Messiah.
Being the forerunner was neither a
simple task nor an honorary title. Difficult and dangerous work needed to be
done. We learn from the Book of Mormon that priestcrafts and iniquities at
The term forerunner is
descriptive. Forerunners anciently would run before the chariot of the king and
clear the path of rocks or other obstacles, and loudly proclaim the coming of
the ruler. This practice is referred to in 1 Sam.
John was both a forerunner and a proclaimer of
Jesus. He was the divinely appointed herald. These two roles are reflected in
the scriptures. The records of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell of John's vigorous
preaching to "prepare the way" for the Lord, whereas John's record
emphasizes that John the Baptist came to "bear witness" (John 1:6-7)
and to identify the Messiah in person among the people. These different points
of emphasis are complementary to one another. The difference between them is
that Matthew, Mark, and Luke deal with the preaching of John before he
baptized Jesus, hence the emphasis that the Messiah will come (Matt. 3,
Mark 1, Luke 3), whereas John the Apostle's Testimony deals with the preaching
of John after he baptized Jesus, hence his emphasis that the Messiah has
come (John 1). Jesus' forty-day experience in the wilderness took place between
these two phases of John's testimony of Christ.
Multitudes recognized the
magnificence of John. He was so successful that there "went out to him
An understanding of the way that taxes were
collected in those days makes the foregoing passage more meaningful. The
publicans were not popular as tax collectors because they were Jewish persons
collecting taxes for the Roman government. Jews were naturally reluctant to pay
taxes to the enemy, and to have a Jewish collector at one's door made it worse.
But what was still worse was that the tax collector was given a quota from each
area, and anything he could collect above that amount was his to keep. This was
an incentive to collect all that was possible. For that reason the collector-that
is, the publican-would have a Roman soldier accompany him, so as to lend
authority to his request. The soldier also received a cut of the surplus tax.
Citizens were less likely to refuse to pay when an armed soldier stood in the
doorway. Hence John said to the publicans "exact no more than is appointed
you"; and to the soldiers he said, "Be content with your wages."
Popularity of John
John the Baptist was an excellent preacher and
soon became very popular. Not only did he have a wide range of doctrinal and
scriptural knowledge but also he preached by the power of the Holy Ghost. He
had a timely message to give. For the first time in four hundred years there
was a prophet in the
John met all the requirements of a forerunner
and a herald. He preached repentance, spoke against the evils and wrongdoing of
the people (including the adulterous and incestuous marriage of Herod Antipas
and Herodias), proclaimed the imminent arrival of the Messiah, and identified him
personally and publicly when he arrived. John fulfilled his ministry with
dignity and thoroughness, and while not everyone obeyed him, those who heard
him knew that he was a preacher of righteousness and a proclaimer of the
Messiah. After his death people were heard to say: "John did no miracle;
but all things that John spake of this man [Jesus] were true" (John
Likewise, Jesus left no doubt in people's
minds of his great admiration and love for John. While John was confined in
Herod's dungeon, Jesus sent angels to minister to him ([Joseph Smith
Translation of the Bible]. The Holy Scriptures: Inspired Version.
What went ye out into the
wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out for
to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously
apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.
But what went ye out for
to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.
This is he, of whom it is
written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy
way before thee.
For I say unto you, Among
those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the
Baptist. (Luke 7: 24-28.)
Many Bible commentators have thought
that John himself was wavering while in prison, wondering and even doubting
whether Jesus was the Messiah, and therefore had sent these two disciples to
enquire. That is not likely, however, since John knew by revelation who Jesus
was. Furthermore, Jesus' own words, just cited, declare that John was not a
"reed shaken with the wind," which he would not have said if John had
been wavering.
The Prophet Joseph Smith explained
John's greatness:
How is it that John was considered
one of the greatest prophets? His miracles could not have constituted his
greatness.
First. He was entrusted with a divine
mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord. Whoever had such a
trust committed to him before or since? No man.
Secondly. He was entrusted with the
important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man.
Whoever had the honor of doing that? Whoever had so great a privilege and
glory? Whoever led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the
privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather
in the sign of the dove, in witness of that administration?...
Thirdly. John, at that time, was the only
legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on the earth,
and
holding the keys of power. The Jews
had to obey his instructions or be damned, by their own law; and Christ Himself
fulfilled all righteousness in becoming obedient to the law which he had given
to Moses on the mount, and thereby magnified it and made it honorable, instead
of destroying it.... These three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet
born of a woman. (Joseph Fielding Smith, comp. Teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith.
A Tutor of Future Apostles
John's responsibility to prepare the
way before Christ went beyond teaching the multitudes. He soon attracted those
individuals who would later become the Apostles and special witnesses of the
Lord. Andrew was a disciple of John and brought his brother Peter to meet Jesus,
because of John's teaching (John
(Robert J. Matthews, Behold the
Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 69.)
M E R I D I A
N M A G A Z I N E
Lesson 4
“Prepare
Ye the Way of the Lord”
Matthew 3-4; John 1:35-51
by Bruce Satterfield
Matthew 3-4 is divided
into the ministry of John the Baptist (3:1-12), the baptism of Christ
(3:13-17), the temptations of Jesus (4:1-11), and the early Galilean ministry
of Jesus (4:12-25).
The Doctrinal Foundation of the Ministry of John the Baptist
When
Isaiah prophesied of the coming of Christ, he declared, “For he shall grow up
before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground” (Isaiah
53:2). Regarding this prophecy, Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote that Jesus
Christ “grew up in the arid soil of a spiritually degenerate society—in a Holy
City that had become like Egypt and Sodom: among a people who chose darkness
rather than light because their deeds were evil: and in the midst of a people
who had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof. . . . He grew up in
the arid and sterile soil of a Judaism where the priesthood was bought and sold;
where his Father’s house had become a den of thieves; where sacrifices and
feasts and fasts and Sabbaths all testified of a then‑unknown Jehovah.”[i]
For
the most part, the Jews had either strayed from the intent of the Law of Moses
or from the law itself, which was to have governed
The
Lord told Adam that the process of spiritual rebirth was similar to the process
of physical birth: “Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these
things freely unto your children, saying: That by reason of transgression
cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into
the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became
of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of
heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood
of mine Only Begotten” (Moses 6:58-59).
The
process of physical birth begins with the conception of the child.
Successful conception leads to gestation, lasting about nine months. During
this period, enveloped in water and being sustained by the blood of the mother,
the embryo grows into a fetus. Eventually the spirit enters into the
fetus and gestation ends with the event of physical birth, giving life
to the child.
Similarly,
the process of spiritual rebirth begins when the person is awakened to
their spiritual need (see Mosiah 4:1-5; Alma 5:6-7; 2 Nephi 1:13-14).
There are “three essentials that are necessary to inspire one to live a
Christlike life,” taught President Harold B. Lee. “The first essential I
would name in order to qualify is: There must be awakened in the individual who
would be taught or who would live perfectly an awareness of his needs.”[ii]
The awakening leads to a child-like belief (for an example see
Similar
to conception and gestation which lead to the event of physical birth, the
awakening, development of child-like belief, correct doctrinal teaching,
exercise of faith and repentance, leads to the event of spiritual
rebirth. Spiritual rebirth is brought about through ordinances.
Joseph Smith declared, “Being born again, comes by the Spirit of God through
ordinances.”[iii]
The Savior taught what those ordinances are: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
These
ordinances must be performed by legal administrators. Elder Orson Pratt,
an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “A person
cannot be born again legitimately without a legal administrator. If you
are born of the Spirit, there must needs be a man authorized to administer that
Spirit. Paul says, ‘Who hath also made us able ministers of the New
Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter killeth, but
the spirit giveth life.’ Why? because he was authorized to lay his hands
on baptized believers, and confirm upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, that
they might be born of the Spirit and become new creatures.”[iv]
The
ordinance of water baptism is the first ordinance of spiritual rebirth.
But in and of itself, it is insufficient. Without the baptism of the Holy
Ghost, there is no spiritual rebirth. President Marion G. Romney taught,
“One is born again by actually receiving and experiencing the light and power
inherent in the gift of the Holy Ghost.”[v]
This is exemplified in the baptism of Adam: “And it came to pass, when the Lord
had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was
caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and
was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And
thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was
born of the Spirit, and became quickened [Old English for “made alive”] in the
inner man” (Moses 6:64-65).
The
baptism of water, however, is preparatory for the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
In water baptism, the recipient covenants to keep the commandments of God (see
2 Nephi 31:7). Having repented and entered into this covenant, the
recipient is forgiven of his/her sins–the first part of remission of sins (see
D&C 19:31). Having been forgiven, the recipient is now qualified to
be spiritually born again or come into the presence of God. Speaking of
this, President Joseph Fielding Smith taught when one receives the Gift of the
Holy Ghost, “We are back in the presence of God. The question might
naturally be raised: How do we come back into the presence of God if we do not
see him? We do not see him now, but are we not in his presence when we
have the gift of the Holy Ghost, one of the members of the Godhead, to lead and
direct us in righteousness? We are back in his presence, if we keep the
commandments and do not longer live in sin; then we are in spiritual
life. That is an important thing in connection with baptism not generally
understood.”[vi]
The Ministry of John the Baptist
The
mission of John the Baptist was to get a people ready for the promised coming
of the Messiah who would bring the gift of the Holy Ghost, and thus spiritual
rebirth. John’s preaching was to create an awaken people who would have
sufficient faith to repent, be baptized, and accept Jesus as the Christ along
with his baptism of fire. Indeed, as Isaiah foretold, John would “Prepare
. . . the way of the LORD,” and “make straight in the desert a highway for our
God” (Isaiah 40:3). In line with this, John the Baptist came in the
spirit of Elias. Joseph Smith explained: “The spirit of Elias is to
prepare the way for a greater revelation of God.” This preparatory
mission “is the Priesthood that Aaron was ordained unto. And when God
sends a man into the world to prepare for a greater work, holding the keys of
the power of Elias, it was called the doctrine of Elias, even from the early
ages of the world.”[vii]
The
Baptist’s mission was similar to the prophet Elijah. As Elijah’s mission
was to “turn”
The
very manner of the Baptist’s dress would have reminded
John
ministered to the people under the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood which
holds the keys of the preparatory gospel (D&C 84:26-27). The preparatory
gospel “is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins,
and the law of carnal commandments” (D&C 84:27). Indeed, the
preparatory gospel prepares one for spiritual rebirth through the Melchizedek
Priesthood ordinance of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost. Therefore, as part of his calling, John baptized the repentant
(Matt. 3:6).
Though
the preparatory gospel includes the remission of sins, it does not have power
to actually remit sins in the fullest sense. It can begin the process of
remission of sins in the life of a sinner. But a higher power is
necessary for full remission of sins. Full “remission of sins” comes “by
baptism, and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost” (D&C 19:31).
Therefore, only through the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood by which the
gift of the Holy Ghost is given can full remission come. Only through the
Holy Ghost can man be cleansed from the effects of sin.
This
is confirmed by Nephi: “the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and
baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the
Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 31:17). Joseph Smith declared: “John’s mission was
limited to preaching and baptizing; but what he did was legal; and when Jesus
Christ came to any of John’s disciples, He baptized them with fire and the Holy
Ghost.”[ix]
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained further: “Thus the Aaronic Priesthood
performs the outward ordinance of baptism, but it takes the Melchizedek
priesthood to bring the inward and spiritual change by which sin and evil are
burned out of a human soul as though by fire”[x]
In
view of this, John taught the people of his day: “I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes
I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [with]
fire” (Matt. 3:11). The one coming was Christ. It was his mission
to bring the power whereby man may be free from the effects of sin.
The
concept of cleansing by fire is brought up four times in John’s
teachings. First, speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees, John
questioned: “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath
to come?” (Matt. 3:7) In other words, who warns the snakes and other vermin of
the fire used by farmers to clear his field after the harvest? The answer
is obvious: no one does! So who warned the Pharisees and Sadducees of the
fire that will come in the future that will cleanse the earth? And why
are they coming to John’s baptism? They have not repented or changed
their view of the Law of Moses or the coming of the Messiah. Therefore,
John declared that in order to avoid the future cleansing of this earth, they
must “bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” (Matt. 3:8).
Second,
the Jews cannot think that because they are descendants of Abraham that their
salvation is secure. Recall that Abraham’s descendants were to receive an
“election of grace” (D&C 84:98-102; Rom. 11:1-5) which “has reference to
one’s situation in mortality; that is, being born at a time, at a place, and in
circumstances where one will come in favorable contact with the gospel.”[xi]
But this election did not promise and unconditional salvation to Abraham’s
posterity! They were promised that they would have the ordinances of the
gospel necessary for full remission of sins. They still must
repent. Therefore, the Baptist exclaimed that those who do not repent and
follow God are like a tree that does not produce fruit. He warned:
“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree
which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matt.
3:9-10).
Third,
has already been discussed. Repentance and baptism does not cleanse the
effects of sin. Only through the gift of the Holy Ghost can sin be
eradicated. Thus John taught: “I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am
not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire”
(Matt. 3:11).
Fourth,
John taught that in the hand of the Savior is a fan or a winnowing fork.
By it “he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the
garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt.
3:12). The imagery behind this statement is that of the farmer who using
his winnowing fork throws threshed wheat into the air, allowing the kernels to
fall to the ground while the lighter chaff is blown away by the light
winds. The wheat is then gathered while the chaff is burned. The
mission of Christ was to divide the wheat from the chaff, the repentant from
the non-repentant. The repentant will be cleansed by fire while the
non-repentant will be destroyed by fire.
The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew’s
section on the ministry of John the Baptist concludes with the baptism of
Jesus. Even Christ needed to submit to the preparatory gospel by being
baptized. When the Savior came to John, “John forbade him, saying, I have
need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” To which the Savior
replied, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all
righteousness” (Matt. 3:14-15).
In
what way did the baptism of Jesus “fulfil all righteousness”? The Greek
word translated “righteousness,” is dikaiosunay, a legal term meaning
the observance of law or the fulfillment of a duty. In a religious sense
it refers to proper conduct before God.[xii]
When the Savior declared that he needed to be baptized because it was a
necessary part of being righteous, he was saying that it is part of our legal
duty and proper conduct before God.
As
previously noted, when one is baptized, he covenants with God to be obedient to
all God’s commandments. With this in mind, Nephi asked, “And now, I would
ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all
righteousness in being baptized by water?” He answered his own question,
saying, “Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy,
he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth
himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be
obedient unto him in keeping his commandments” (2 Nephi 31:7).
Thus,
the Savior, like all of God’s children, had to enter into the strait and narrow
path that leads to eternal life by being baptized. Through baptism, the
Savior covenanted to fully submit His will to the will of the Father. The
Savior honored his covenant with God which meant that if obeying the will of
the Lord, the Savior suffered and died for man. Abinadi stated: “Yea,
even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even
unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father”
(Mosiah 15:7).
The
concept of baptism is the complete submission of our will to the will of
God. Elder Neal A. Maxwell posed this question, “Why do we need outward
ordinances, anyway? God surely knows our inner thoughts and
feelings, our hearts, minds, and intentions, and can judge us perfectly.
So why not judge us without reference to any outward ordinances? After
all, some in the world regard themselves as Christians but disdain any
ordinances at all.” He answered: “Ordinances, in fact, are required for
several vital reasons. To begin with, ordinances show our visible,
outward obedience to the Lord and His plan of salvation.”[xiii]
Forty Days in the Wilderness
After
the Savior’s baptism, he was led by the Spirit “into the wilderness, to be with
God” (JST Matt. 4:1). During this time, the Savior “fasted forty days and
forty nights” (Matt. 4:2). The only thing we are told as to what
transpired between God and the Savior during the forty days is that the Savior
“communed with God” (JST Matt. 4:2). This story is reminiscent of the
exodus of ancient
Further,
the Savior’s going into the wilderness to be with God continues a theme
established by Matthew in chapter two: Jesus is the Prophet that was to come
that would be like Moses. The Lord said to Moses, “I will raise them up a
Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee” (Deut. 18:18). In
chapter two, Matthew shows several similarities between the birth of Moses and
the birth of Christ. Just as there was an attempt to destroy the infant
Moses by Pharaoh (Exodus 1) so Herod attempted to destroy the child Jesus
(Matt. 2:16-18 ). As Moses came from
Though
it is clear that during the forty days and nights, the Savior was instructed by
God, it is evident that the instruction of the Savior was not complete at the
end of the forty days for even during the period of temptation, the Savior was
taken by the Spirit to the temple and to “an exceeding high mountain” (JST
Matt. 4:5, 8). The instruction through the entire period must have
consisted of a variety of things relative to understanding his mortal mission.
It
may also be that during this time, the Savior received the rest of the
ordinances necessary for salvation. Joseph Smith taught, “If a man gets a
fullness of the priesthood of God he has to get it in the same way that Jesus
Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying
all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.”[xiv]
Joseph Smith does not tell us when the Savior received those ordinances.
However, in light of the fact that this story continues the theme of Christ as
the new Moses, it is interesting to note that on another occasion Joseph Smith
taught that Moses received his temple ordinances while on a mountain: “The rich
can only get them in the Temple–the poor may get them on the Mountain top as
did Moses.”[xv]
Therefore, it seems probable that while in the wilderness, the Savior received
his ordinances and thus communed with God.
The Temptations
Matthew
records three temptations that the Savior suffered. The temptations were
intended to cast doubt within the Savior regarding his own divinity. For
example, as the Messiah, the Savior would claim to be the Jehovah of the Old
Testament. If he really was Jehovah he should have power to produce bread
just as manna was brought forth by Jehovah in the Old Testament. Though
the Savior would eventually show to the world that he was the Messiah by
multiplying bread (Matt. 14:15-21; 16:32-38) - the single miracle recorded by
all four gospels as well as 3 Nephi - it would not be at the insistence
of Satan but according to the will of God. Therefore the Savior said to
Satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 3:4). Already, His baptismal covenant was
being tested!
The
testing of his baptismal covenant did not end there but continued through two
more temptation experiences. The last temptation is very reminiscent of
the temptation faced by Moses when he was “caught up into an exceedingly high
mountain.” After he talked with God “face to face,” Satan appeared to
Moses and said: “Moses, son of man [or, mortal man], worship me” (Moses
1:12). Similarly, after Christ had been taken by the Spirit “into an
exceeding high mountain” where he was shown “all the kingdoms of the world, and
the glory of them,” Satan appeared to Christ and said, “All these things will I
give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Christ, however,
showed his discipleship by saying, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matt.
4:8-9).
After
the third temptation, Matthew states: “Then the devil leaveth him” (Matt.
4:11). However, the Savior suffered further temptations before His
death. Matthew records that while on the cross, the chief priests,
scribes, and elders mocked him saying, “He saved others; himself he cannot
save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross,
and we will believe him” (Matt. 27:41-42). Once again, the “if” was used
to cast doubt and prove His divinity. Had he given in it would have been
at the insistence of Satan and the world instead of the will of God. The
Savior did not succumb.
Galilee –
Sometime
after his wilderness experience, Matthew tells us that the Savior “departed
into
Galilee
is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Jordan River and Sea of
Galilee to the east, the
At
the time of Christ, the Galilean hills were littered with villages, mainly of
Jewish population.[xvi]
Besides the villages, there were three major cities in the
Though
forming the eastern border of Galilee, the Sea of Galilee is of a far more
moderate climate than the rest of
The
When
the Savior began his public ministry, the
From
Archaeological evidence, it appears that
From
the size of the harbor it can be seen that
The Savior Begins His Ministry
Having
moved to
Jesus Call’s His First Disciples
To
help in this ministry, the Savior called four disciples, Peter, Andrew his
brother, James, and John his brother. These four men along with Zebedee,
the father of James and John, had formed a fishing business. They would
have contracted with the local broker (probably Matthew) for the fishing rights
of a portion of the lake.
Matthew
records the following: “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two
brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and
I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and
followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James
the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the
ship and their father, and followed him” (Matt. 4: 18-22).
The
calling of these four men reflects a theme found throughout the gospel of
Matthew: the cost of discipleship. When Peter and Andrew were called, “they
straightway left [their] nets, and followed him” (Matt. 4:20). Likewise,
when James and John were called “they immediately left the ship and their
father, and followed him” (Matt. 4:22). For these men, the cost of their
discipleship included giving up their occupation and family. The message
of the calling of the disciples is that the cost of discipleship demands that
we give up whatever is required by God and whatever holds us back from full
dedication to the kingdom.
John 1:35-51
In the gospel or “testimony”
(see JST) of John, additional information is given regarding the ministry of
John the Baptist. As the other gospels portray, John had confrontations
with the Jewish leaders (John1:19-28). And as the other gospel portray,
John testifies that Jesus came to John to be baptized (John 1:29-34).
Additionally, John reveals that the Baptist was successful in engaging
disciples.
Jesus’ First Disciples
It was the mission of the
Baptist to bring men to Christ. Therefore, John took every occasion to
direct his disciples to Jesus. According to Gospel of John, the day after
the Savior was baptized, the Baptist was at the place of baptism with two of
his disciples, Andrew and John (John 1:35).[xx]
Sometime after the Baptist and his disciples had gathered, the Savior came to
the place of baptism. When the Baptist saw the Savior, he directed the
attention of his disciples towards the Savior by saying: “Behold the Lamb of
God!” (John 1:36) This expression seems to equate Jesus with the
sacrifices of the Mosaic Law. In other words, John was saying that Jesus
was the sacrifice that all the sacrifices of the Mosaic Law foreshadowed.
Immediately, the two
disciples focused their attention upon the Savior. When the Savior left,
the two disciples “followed Jesus” (John 1:37). As the pair followed
Jesus, “Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek
ye?” The disciples responded, “Rabbi, (which is to say, being
interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?” The term Rabbi was what
disciples called their teachers at that time. It seems that the two
disciples desired to spend time with the Savior in order to be instructed by Him.
John states: “They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day:
for it was about the tenth hour [4 PM]” (John 1:39).
Of this incident, Elder
James E. Talmage wrote: “The spirit of our Lord’s invitation to the young truth
seekers, Andrew and John, is manifest in a similar privilege extended to all.
The man who would know Christ must come to Him, to see and hear, to feel and
know. Missionaries may carry the good tidings, the message of the gospel,
but the response must be an individual one. Are you in doubt as to what
that message means today? Then come and see for yourself. Would you
know where Christ is to be found? Come and see.”[xxi]
Peter
After this, Andrew sought
out his brother, known by Christians as Peter but whose real name was
Simon. John records: “He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith
unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ”
(John 1:41).
The Hebrew word, messiah,
literally means “anointed one.” The view that comes to mind for a
Christian who hears the word, messiah, or its Greek equivalent, christ,
is the suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However,
this was not the view held by anyone at the time of Jesus’ ministry. The
word messiah conjured up other things. In the Old Testament, the
word messiah could refer to prophets, kings, and priests, since all were
anointed to perform their various duties (e.g., 1 Sam. 16:6; Lev. 4:3; Psalms
105:15). The general consensus among scholars is that the people viewed
the Messiah to be a royal messiah.
What Andrew conceived the
Messiah to be when he uttered to Peter, “We have found the Messias” we can
hardly know. But it seems to be certain that none of the twelve apostles
initially had an accurate understanding of the messianic role Jesus of Nazareth
came to fulfill. This is seen in the following story recorded by
Matthew. Sometime after the Savior began his public ministry (perhaps two
years later), the Savior gathered the twelve together and asked them, “Whom do
men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matt. 16:13) They replied that the
people considered Jesus to be no more than a prophet of God. The Savior asked the
twelve, “Whom say ye that I am?” Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15-16). The correct answer!
The Savior testified that Peter’s witness of the Savior’s messianic role and
divine sonship came by revelation and not through the witness of the miracles
he had seen the Savior perform.
Yet, further reading of
this story reveals that though Peter had a testimony that Jesus was the Christ,
he did not understand what role the Savior would play as the Messiah.
After Peter bore his testimony of Jesus, Matthew tells us: “From that time
forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto
Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matt. 16:21). This is
the view Christians have of the messianic role of Jesus. But apparently,
this did not fit the preconceived idea of the messianic role Peter held for
“Peter took [Jesus], and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord:
this shall not be unto thee” (Matt. 16:22). The Savior severely chastised
Peter for this view. Though later the Savior continued to teach the
twelve of his divine mission as the Messiah (see Matt. 20:17-19; 26:2), it
appears that the twelve did not fully understand the Savior’s messianic role
until after his resurrection.
Though we do not know
precisely what Andrew, or any of the twelve initially conceived the messianic
role to be, what is sure is that Andrew, like Peter came to know later, knew
Jesus was the Messiah. He led his brother to see Jesus. When the
Savior first gazed upon Peter, he said, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou
shalt be called Cephas” (John 1:42). Cephas is the Aramaic word for
“rock.” The Joseph Smith Translation revises this verse in this way: “And
when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jona, thou shalt be
called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, A seer, or a stone. And they
were fishermen. And they straightway left all, and followed Jesus” (JST John
1:42). The name, Peter, given to Simon by the Savior was a foreshadowing
of his future role as the Prophet and leader of the Church on earth after the
resurrection of Christ.
Philip and Nathanael
John records that soon
after the Savior engaged Peter, Andrew, and John as disciples, Jesus left the
Jordan valley and went to Galilee. After he arrived in the beautiful
hills that surround the sweet water lake, he met and converted another man whom
He would make one of his disciples. His name was Philip. “Now
Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter” (John 1:44).
Philip had a friend named
Nathanael whom he wanted to introduce to the Savior. Leaving the Savior,
he found Nathanael sitting under a fig tree. Fig trees were common
throughout ancient Palestine (as they are today). With its large, broad
leaves, the fig tree provided ample shade to any desiring to get out of the hot
Middle Eastern sun. If Nathanael was doing something more than escaping
the heat of direct sunlight is not known. But what is sure, as our
account reveals, is that the Savior had supernatural knowledge of Nathanael’s
whereabouts.
Philip said to Nathanael,
“We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write,
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Hearing the Jesus came from
Nazareth, a small, little village of no consequence in the highlands, Nathanael
replied: “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith
unto him, Come and see” (John 1:43-44). As Philip and Nathanael approached
the Lord, Jesus said of Nathanael: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no
guile!” Confused, Nathanel responded, “Whence knowest thou me? Jesus
answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast
under the fig tree, I saw thee.” Nathanael was surprised, then
impressed! It was apparent to him that Jesus was no ordinary man.
All doubts as to whom Jesus was vanished in light of the extraordinary gift
exhibited by the Savior. He exclaimed, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God;
thou art the King of Israel.” Because of his immediate but sincere
belief, the Savior promised: “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the
fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And
he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see
heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
man”(John 1:46-51).
Although the Savior was
directly addressing Nathanael, in both the English and Greek text, the original
language of the New Testament, the “ye” of verse 51 is plural, meaning that
what he was saying to Nathanael was meant for all the twelve (and perhaps by
extension to all those who believe on Jesus Christ). The imagery of
angels ascending and descending comes from the dream of the ladder given to
Jacob (see Gen. 28:12). But was not a ladder that twelve would see angels
ascending and descending upon but the Savior himself. Through these
promised future spiritual experiences, the twelve would come to understand the
true messianic role of Jesus of Nazareth. They would learn that He is the
true mediator between heaven and earth. He is the true path that leads to
eternal life. Indeed, the twelve would come to understand that the
messianic role of Jesus is to save all who would believe on His name from sin
and bring them back into the presence of God, the Father.
Endnotes
[i] Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah (The Messiah
Series, vols. 2‑5. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1979‑1982), 1:1.
[ii] Harold B. Lee, Teachings of the Presidents of the
Church: Harold B. Lee (Salt Lake City: The Church of the Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 2000), p. 196.
[iii] Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
(Joseph Fielding Smith [Ed.] Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938), p. 162.
[iv] Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses (George D.
Watt [Ed.], 26 vols. Liverpool: F. D. Richards, et al., 1854-1886), 7:265.
[v] Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, Apr. 1977, p.
61; or Ensign, May 1977, p. 44.
[vi] Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation:
Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith (3 Vols., Bruce R. McConkie
[Ed.], Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-56), 2:328.
[vii] Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
p. 335.
[viii] Gerhard Kittle (Ed.), Theological Dictionary of
the New Testament (10 Vols. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1967), 4:976.
[ix] Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
p. 336.
[x] Bruce R McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles
of Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 347.
[xi] “Election,” in LDS Bible Dictionary, p.
662-663.
[xii] Kittle, Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament, 2:192,198.
[xiii] Neal A. Maxwell, Lord, Increase Our Faith
(Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994), p. 74.
[xiv] Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
p. 308.
[xv] Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith: The
Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph
(Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W Cook (Eds), Orem, Utah: Grandin Book Company), pp.
119-120.
[xvi] For a concise history and societal treatise
concerning Galilee, see Richard A. Horsley, Archaeology, History, and
Society in Galilee: The Social Context of Jesus and the Rabbis (Valley
Forge, PN: Trinity Press, 1996).
[xvii] See Mendel Nun, “Ports of Galilee: Modern Drought
Reveals Harbors from Jesus’ Time,” Biblical Archaeology Review
(July/August 1999, Vol. 25, No. 4), pp. 18-31, 64.
[xviii] The Decapolis (Gr. for ‘ten cities’) was a region of
ten Hellenistic cities that were unified only by their Hellenistic
character. They have often been portrayed as a league of independent
cities. But there is no ancient documentation that demonstrates
this. Hippos and Gadara were to nothern most cities of the Decapolis and
were located on the souther-eastern region of the Sea of Galilee.
[xix] K. C. Hanson & Douglas E. Oakman, Palestine in
the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts (Minneapolis, MN:
Fortress Press, 1998), p. 106.
[xx] Andrew is the only one of the two specifically named
(vs. 40). But from earliest times, it has been generally conceded that
John, the author of the gospel, is the other disciple.
[xxi] James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ (15th ed.,
rev.
(Hosea 2:14.)
14 ¶ Therefore, behold, I
will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto
her.
In the Jewish world baptism was a
ritual of cleansing oneself; it is not viewed in the same light as we see it. It is also done by you no one administers
this to you.
John had authority since he was 8
days old! He received his name by
baptizing others, The Jewish leaders questioned him about his authority, and it
is interesting that they came out to him, he didn’t seek them!!
(Doctrine and Covenants
84:26-28.)
26 And the lesser
priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of
angels and the preparatory gospel;
27 Which gospel is the
gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of
carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the
house of Aaron among the children of
28 For he was baptized
while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the
time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the
Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people,
to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power.
Like John, the Church’s purpose is
to prepare the way for the 2nd coming of Christ.
Preparatory Gospel – Aaronic
Priesthood
Everlasting Gospel – Melchizedek
Priesthood –
(Doctrine and Covenants
45:3-10.)
3 Listen to him who is the
advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—
4 Saying: Father, behold
the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased;
behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest
that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare
these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have
everlasting life.
6 Hearken, O ye people of
my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called
today, and harden not your hearts;
7 For verily I say unto
you that I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the light and the
life of the world—a light that shineth in darkness and the darkness
comprehendeth it not.
8 I came unto mine own,
and mine own received me not; but unto as many as received me gave I power to
do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that
believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.
9 And even so I have sent
mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be
a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a
messenger before my face to prepare the way before me.
10 Wherefore, come ye unto
it, and with him that cometh I will reason as with men in days of old, and I
will show unto you my strong reasoning.
(Doctrine and Covenants
65:1-6.)
1 Hearken, and lo, a voice
as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth
is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men—Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight.
2 The keys of the
3 Yea, a voice
crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make
ready for the Bridegroom.
4 Pray unto the Lord, call
upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people.
5 Call upon the Lord, that
his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may
receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven,
clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set
up on the earth.
6 Wherefore, may the
kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God,
mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued;
for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Verse 5 – Come down in heaven means
coming into our atmosphere.
Bruce spent some time on John’s
mission to declare repentance to the people.
John had an extensive knowledge of the gospel, he taught pure doctrine,
yet there isn’t a recorded case of him performing any miracles.
(JST Matthew 3:27-36.)
27 And in those days came
John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of
28 And saying, Repent ye;
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
29 For I am he who was
spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.
30 And the same John had
his raiment of camels' hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his
food was locusts and wild honey.
31 Then went out to him
32 And many were baptized
of him in
33 But when he saw many of
the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O,
generation of vipers! who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
34 Why is it that ye
receive not the preaching of him whom God hath sent? If ye receive not this in
your hearts, ye receive not me; and if ye receive not me, ye receive not him of
whom I am sent to bear record; and for your sins ye have no cloak.
35 Repent, therefore, and
bring forth fruits meet for repentance;
36 And think not to say
within yourselves, We are the children of Abraham, and we only have power to
bring seed unto our father Abraham; for I say unto you that God is able of
these stones to raise up children into Abraham.
37 And now, also, the axe
is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not
forth good fruit, shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire.
38 I indeed baptize you
with water, upon your repentance; and when he of whom I bear record cometh, who
is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, (or whose place I am
not able to fill,) as I said, I indeed baptize you before he cometh, that when
he cometh he may baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire.
39 And it is he of whom I
shall bear record, whose fan shall be in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge
his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but in the fullness of his own
time will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
40 Thus came John,
preaching and baptizing in the
41 And then cometh Jesus
from Galilee to
42 But John refused him,
saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and why comest thou to me?
43 And Jesus, answering,
said unto him, Suffer me to be baptized of thee, for thus it becometh us to
fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.
44 And John went down into
the water and baptized him.
45 And Jesus when he was
baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and John saw, and lo, the
heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove and lighting upon Jesus.
46 And lo, he heard a
voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Hear ye him.
The Greek word Metanoeo (after a
view) is used in the New Testament many times to define repentance. It is used by the gospel writers in quoting
John’s teachings.
The word means to adopt a new view,
it isn’t so much a change of action as it is a change of view, looking at
something from God’s point of view and not mans or Satan’s.
The most common Greek words used in
the New Testament for "repentance" are metanoeo (the verb), metanoia
(the noun), and metamelomai (the present participle). These Greek words
usually mean not merely feeling sorry, or changing one's mind, but a complete
alteration of the basic motivation and direction of one's life. This explains
why John the Baptist demanded baptism as an expression of this repentance, not
just for obvious "sinners," but for the "righteous" Jews as
well. Metanoia was often used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew nisham.
So defined, repentance might seem purely intellectual, but this is not the
case, for writers of the Bible seemed to be aware of the unity of human
personality. To change one's mind was to change one's attitude, and thus to
change the actions and even the whole way of life. fn Metanoeo occurs
thirty-four times and is mostly used in a favorable sense to include faith. Metanoia
is used twenty-three times in the sense of the whole process of change. It can
mean an inward change of mind, affections, and convictions as well as a
commitment rooted in the fear of God and sorrow for offenses committed against
him. When accompanied by faith in Jesus Christ, this repentance results in an
outward turning from sin to God and his service in all of life. It is a gift
from God, and the repentant person never regrets having repented. fn The Roman
Catholic Douai version of the Bible interprets metanoia as penance, the
performance of ecclesiastically prescribed acts to make satisfaction for
postbaptismal sin. According to The New International Dictionary of the
Christian Church, this use of the word has no place in New Testament
Christianity. fn Metamelomai is used very seldom and means
"regretting" or "having remorse."
If the use of repentance is both
God's gift and man's responsibility, then the call for repentance on the part
of man "is a call for him to return to his creaturely and covenant
dependence on God." fn It should be clear to all of us that it is God's
way that is important, not ours. Paul said it best in Romans 8:6: "Set
your minds on things which are above, where God and Christ dwell, for to be
carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life eternal."
God encouraged the Saints, after they had forgotten or erased undesirable
thoughts and attitudes and things which were behind, to plant good thoughts in
their place, as in Philippians 3:13-14 (or Article of Faith 13): "But this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ." Paul must have experienced repentance
in a big way, for prior to his conversion on the road to
As I read some of these passages of
scripture before my own conversion, I had to ask myself a few questions: Is it
true that all things are new for me, too? Do I feel renewed in the mind and
spirit? If not, is it perhaps because I feel repentance is only for committed
sin, not an act which is calculated to bring me ever closer to the Father?
Hence, my own change from human thinking to divine understanding was truly a
necessary consequence in "putting on the new man." The act of
repentance had always been for me a mere remorse for sin and often a
half-hearted promise "never to do it again," even though I suspected
that the next chance I got I would sin again—such was the force of
"negative" theology in my life. It is important to consider, then,
that true conversion is incomplete unless it is preceded not only by a remorse
for former sins and future rejection of them, but a total transformation of
one's entire thought process—one implying an erasure of thoughts and images
foreign to the pure gospel revealed to us by the Holy Ghost.
(John M. Lundquist and Stephen D.
Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley
on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March 1990, 2 vols. [Salt Lake
City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon
Studies, 1990], 2: 410.)
BIBLE DICTIONARY
REPENTANCE
The Greek word of which this is the
translation denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about
oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality,
repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation
of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no
progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all accountable persons are
stained by sin, and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God (D&C 18: 9-22; D&C 20: 29; D&C 133: 16). The
preaching of repentance by John the Baptist formed the preparation for the
ministry of our Lord. See Matt.
3: 2; Matt. 4: 17; Mark 1: 4, 15; Mark 2: 17; Luke 3: 3,8; Acts 2: 38; Acts 3: 19; Acts 8: 22; Rom. 13: 11-14; James 5: 1-6; Rev. 2: 5, 16; Rev. 3: 3, 19; cf. Isa. 1: 16-20; Jonah 3: 5-10; Jer. 3 - 5; Jer. 26; Ezek. 18: 19-31; Ezek. 33: 7-20; Hosea 13: 14; Hosea 14; Joel 1: 8; Joel 2; Zeph. 2; Zech. 1; Mal. 1 - 4.
THE MEANING OF REPENTANCE
ELDER THEODORE M. BURTON
All of us need to understand and
appreciate that repentance is the mechanism for personal growth and
development. Repentance is so fundamental that the Lord gave a revelation to
Oliver Cowdery through the Prophet Joseph Smith in which he said: "Say
nothing but repentance unto this generation: keep my commandments, and assist
to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be
blessed." (D&C 6:9.)
The Lord repeated this statement word
for word to Hyrum Smith as recorded in Doctrine & Covenants 11:9. Later he
gave two other identical revelations on repentance, one to John Whitmer, the
other to Peter Whitmer, with one revelation following the other, concluding
with these words: "And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which
will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this
people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in
the kingdom of my Father." (D&C 15:6; 16:6; italics added.)
Why would the Lord give two identical
revelations—and have them published in the Doctrine and Covenants—one following
the other word for word, unless they were especially intended to be given not
only to the Whitmers, but also to all of us?
Actually, I must repent for saying
that the two revelations are identical—there is one word that is
different, but very important. In section 15, the fourth word is
"John," and in section 16, the fourth word is "Peter." I
feel justified in applying these revelations to all of us because of this
repeated instruction. In the first revelation, I can place my own name so that
it is addressed to me: "Hearken, my servant Theodore!" In the second revelation,
you can insert your own name to make it apply to you: "Hearken, my servant
Bill," or "my handmaiden Sue"! Thus these revelations can apply
to you and to me to help us understand that the thing of greatest worth to each
of us is to declare repentance, not only to others, but to ourselves as well.
In fact, the importance of repentance is stressed seventy-one times in the
Doctrine and Covenants alone! The Lord is a master teacher and knows the value
of repetition in learning. It is time to understand why and how repentance is a
matter of such great worth to you in your individual life!
THE MEANING OF REPENTANCE
Just what is repentance?
Actually it is easier for me to tell you what repentance is not than to
tell you what repentance is.
One of my assignments as a General
Authority was to assist the First Presidency in preparing information for them
to use in considering applications to readmit transgressors into the Church and
to restore priesthood and/or temple blessings. Many times a bishop will write:
"I feel he has suffered enough!" But suffering is not repentance.
Suffering comes from lack of complete repentance. A stake president will
write: "I feel he has been punished enough!" But punishment is not
repentance. Punishment follows disobedience and precedes
repentance. A husband will write: "My wife has confessed everything!"
But confession is not repentance. Confession is an admission of guilt that
occurs as repentance begins. A wife will write: "My husband is
filled with remorse!" But remorse is not repentance. Remorse and sorrow
continue because a person has not yet fully repented. But if suffering,
punishment, confession, remorse, and sorrow are not repentance, what is
repentance?
REPENTANCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
To answer this question, let us go
back to the Old Testament. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the
word used for this concept of repentance is shube. Let me read a passage
from Ezekiel 33:8-11 and insert the word shube into the English
translation to help us understand what repentance is: "When I say unto the
wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the
wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood
will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way
to [shube, or] turn from his way and live: [shube, shube!] turn
ye, turn ye from your evil ways: for why will ye die, O house of
I know of no kinder, sweeter passage
in the Old Testament than those beautiful lines. Can you hear a kind, wise,
gentle, loving Father in Heaven pleading with you to shube or turn back
to him, to leave unhappiness, sorrow, regret, and despair behind and now turn
back to your Father's family where you can find happiness, joy, and acceptance
among his other children? In the Father's family, you are surrounded with love
and affection. That is the message of the Old Testament, and prophet after
prophet writes of shube, which is that turning back to the family of the
Lord where you can be received with joy and rejoicing. There is an implicit
message there that we in the family of Jesus Christ ought never forget. We must
receive the former transgressor back into this family with open arms and
comfort and bless him for making the change.
That is what Isaiah had in mind when
he wrote: "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while
he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him [shube, or] return unto the Lord, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon [if he will only shube]."
(Isa. 55:6-7.)
Throughout the Old Testament, a
fundamental theme is forsaking or turning from evil and doing instead that
which is noble and good. Not only must we change our ways; we must as well
change our very thoughts, which control our actions. Repentance is turning back
to God!
REPENTANCE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Let us now turn to the New Testament,
which was written in Greek. How did those Greek writers translate the word shube
into Greek and still retain its concept of repentance? They used the word metaneoeo,
which is a compound word of two parts. The first part, meta, we use as a
prefix in our English vocabulary. When we eat, we convert food by a process of
metabolism into fat, muscle, and connective tissue. When we see a crawling
caterpillar stop, attach itself to a limb, and spin a cocoon, the insect inside
its silken case undergoes metamorphosis. It changes its form into a moth or a
beautiful butterfly. The prefix meta, then, refers to change.
The second part of the word metaneoeo
is subject to various spellings. The letter n, for instance, is
sometimes transliterated as pn, as in the French word pneu,
meaning an air-filled tire. We also find pneu in our word pneumatic, as,
for instance, a pneumatic hammer or a pneumatic drill, which are air-driven
tools. It is also found in our word pneumonia, which is an air sickness of the
lungs. There are several spellings of this root and many meanings attached to
this word, like air, mind, thought, thinking, or spirit, depending on how it is
used.
The Greek usage of words is similar
to that of English, as, for example, with the word spirit. To a child,
spirit might mean a ghost; to you, spirit may mean influence, such as team
spirit or the spirit of Elijah. But to me—since I was an organic chemist during
my university years—or to a pharmacist, spirit simply means ethyl alcohol. In
the context where meta and neoeo are used in the New Testament,
the word metaneoeo means a change of mind or thought or thinking so
powerful and so strong that it changes our very way of life. I think metaneoeo
is an excellent translation of shube. The meaning of both these words is
to turn or change from evil to righteousness and to God.
But trouble came when Greek was
translated into Latin. Only the educated people spoke Greek. When the New
Testament was translated into Latin for the use of the common people who spoke
that language, an unfortunate choice was made in translation. Metaneoeo
was translated into the word poenitere. The root poen in that
word is the same root found in our English words punish, penance, penitent, and
repentance. So the beautiful meaning of Hebrew and Greek was changed in Latin
to an ugly meaning involving hurting, punishing, whipping, cutting, mutilating,
disfiguring, starving, or even torturing. Small wonder then that most people
have come to fear and dread the word repentance, which they were taught and now
understand to mean repeated or never-ending punishment. People must somehow be
made to realize that the true meaning of repentance is that we do not require
people to be punished or to punish themselves, but to change their lives so
they can escape eternal punishment. If they have this understanding, it will
relieve their anxiety and fears and become a welcome and treasured word in our
religious vocabulary.
THREE STEPS OF REPENTANCE
Let me read again to you from Ezekiel
33, which outlines three main steps of repentance: (1) commitment, (2)
restitution, and (3) forsaking sin. "If the wicked restore the pledge,
give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing
iniquity: he shall surely live, he shall not die." (V. 15.)
"RESTORE THE PLEDGE"
Let us analyze these three steps of
repentance. The first thing to do is to "restore the pledge," and
this is the most difficult step in the repentance process. But what does the
statement "restore the pledge" mean?
To restore the pledge means to renew
one's covenant with the Lord. Forget all excuses and finally recognize fully,
exactly, what you have done. Don't say, "If I hadn't been so angry,"
"If my parents had only been more strict," "If my bishop had
only been more understanding," "If my teachers had only taught me
better," "If it hadn't been so dark," "If I hadn't been so
hungry," "If the stake president had only helped me to
understand," etc., etc., etc. There are hundreds of such excuses, none of
which matter much in the final analysis.
Forget all such self-justification
and rationalization. Just kneel down before God and openly and honestly admit
that what you did was wrong. Open your heart to your Father and commit yourself
completely to him: "Dear Father, what I did was wrong, and I recognize
that I have sinned. I make no excuses, but with thy help, I promise that I'll
never do that thing again. I will straighten out my life, and, if necessary, go
to my bishop and seek his help! From now on I pledge that I will be obedient!
Please help me now to earn thy forgiveness!"
To really commit oneself and to
really mean it is the beginning of repentance. Our Savior's great commitment
came in the
He realized there was no other
way, and he fully committed himself to do whatever he had been appointed to do.
He was now willing! Though it cost him tremendous suffering, he made up his
mind and committed himself to be obedient in every particular, regardless of
cost and suffering. It was then that the angels came to minister to him and
strengthen him for his coming ordeal. That commitment made his sacrifice on the
cross bearable. Such a similar struggle may cost you agony of mind and soul as
well, but it will also make the repentance possible and bearable for you.
One thing we should remember is that
the Lord does not punish us for our sins. He simply withholds his blessings and
we punish ourselves. The scriptures tell us again and again that the wicked are
punished by the wicked. A simple illustration can show how easily that is done.
If Mother tells me not to touch a hot stove because it will burn and hurt me,
she is only stating the law. If I should forget or deliberately touch that hot
stove, I would be burned. I could cry and complain of my hurts, but who would
be punishing me? Would it be Mother—or the hot stove? I would be punishing
myself. Even after my finger healed, I would have to remember the law, for
every time I would touch that hot stove I would be burned, again and again,
until I could learn to obey the law. It was and is the law, and justice would
have to be done. This illustration, however, disregards the important element
of mercy.
REPAY YOUR DEBT
The second step in the process of
repentance is to "give again that which you have robbed." In other
words, you must restore or pay back that which you have taken. If you have
stolen money or goods, it is relatively easy for you to repay—even to repay
sizable amounts with time. But what if you have robbed a person of virtue? Is
there anything you can do, of yourself, to restore virtue? Even if you gave
your very life, could that restore virtue? No, but—perish the thought—does that
then mean it is useless to attempt restitution by significant good works or
that your sin is unforgivable? No! Jesus Christ can restore that virtue, and he
can thus show you mercy. His repayment will satisfy justice, and he will make
that payment for you if you will only repent.
True repentance on your part,
including a change in your life-style, will enable Jesus, in mercy, to transfer
your debt to him. But, as Elder Boyd K. Packer explained in his conference
address of
This may appear to you to be a new
doctrine, but it is reasonable and consistent with the following scripture from
Mosiah. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon, which explains how we can
repay Jesus Christ for his great mercy to us. His sacrifice atoned even for our
personal sins and makes mercy available to you and to me. King Benjamin may
have explained how repayment is possible: "And behold, I tell you these
things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the
service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
(Mosiah 2:17.)
This service to others can include
significant good works that could compensate Jesus for his restitution made for
us. God's work and glory is to redeem his children. If we participate in this
redemptive service, he pays us in blessings for which we qualify by that
service. What this scripture then means is that you can repay Jesus for his
mercy to you by being kind, thoughtful, considerate, and helpful to those
around you. By such service to others, you can gradually pay back your
indebtedness to your Savior. You can put the evil you have done out of your
mind by charitable service to others.
As you begin to repay your debt
through service to your family, neighbors, and friends, the painful elements of
your sin will gradually fade from your mind. They will no longer fill your soul
with anxiety and concern, nor will you be plagued by worries over previous
transgressions. Instead of being filled with vain regrets over past deeds that
are already done, events you are powerless to change, you will now be so busy
doing good deeds for others that you will not have a desire to sin or disobey,
nor to recall past sin or disobedience. You will be helpful and considerate of
everyone you meet. You will develop a loving personality and be accepted and
appreciated by your associates. But as long as you dwell on sin or evil and
refuse to forgive yourself, you will be subject to return again to that sin. If
you turn from your problems and sins and put them behind you in both thought
and action, you can concentrate on good and positive things. You will thus
become fully engaged in good causes. Sin will no longer be such a temptation
for you.
Jesus himself said of those who
attain his presence in the celestial kingdom that he would put his sheep on his
right hand but place the goats to his left: "Then shall the King say unto
them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye
gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye
took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in
prison, and ye came unto me.
"Then shall the righteous answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and
gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and
clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
"And the King shall answer and
say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
"Then shall he say also unto
them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels; For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no
meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me
not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me
not.
"Then shall they also answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or
naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
"Then shall he answer them,
saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of
these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting
punishment; but the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25:34-46;
italics added.)
In service to others, you can repay
your Savior for his mercies and blessings unto you and repay him at least in
part for his atonement for you. Jesus can and will lift all burdens from your
soul if you will only shube, or turn from sin back to God.
It stands to reason that the more
serious the sin, the longer it takes to complete the repayment. If you work at
repayment daily over the years, even very great sins you may have committed can
eventually be repaid, and you can then stand blameless before your Savior.
Remember that Church leaders can forgive you for your sins against the Church,
but final forgiveness for sin has to come from the Great Judge on the day of
reckoning when each of us must give an account of our lives.
It takes time for repentance to be
final. An injury to the soul is similar to an injury to the body. Just as it
takes time for a wound in the body to heal, so it also takes time for a wound
of the soul to heal. The deeper the cut in the body, the longer it takes to
heal, and if broken bones are involved, that healing process is extended. If I
cut myself, for example, the wound will gradually heal and scab over. But as it
heals, it begins to itch, and if I scratch at the itching scab, it will take
longer to heal, for the wound will open up again. But there is a greater
danger. Because of the bacteria on my fingers as I scratch the scab, the wound
may become infected, and I can poison the wound and can lose that part of my
body and eventually even my life!
Allow injuries to follow their
prescribed healing course, or, if serious, see a doctor for skilled help. So it
is with injuries to the soul. Allow the injury to follow its prescribed healing
course without scratching it through vain regrets. If it is serious, go to your
bishop and get skilled help. It may hurt as he disinfects the wound and sews
the flesh together, but it will heal properly that way. Don't hurry or force
it, but be patient with yourself and with your thoughts. Be active with
positive and righteous thoughts and deeds. Then the wound will heal properly,
and you will become happy and productive again.
FORSAKE YOUR SINS
Now we come to the third step of
repentance, which is to "walk in the statutes of life, without committing
iniquity." In other words, we must forsake our sins, one by one, and never
repeat them. When we do this in sincerity and with honesty of heart, the Lord
has said through his prophets:
To Ezekiel: "None [not even one]
of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him; he hath done
that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live." (33:16.)
To Isaiah: "I, even I, am he
that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember
thy sins." (43:25.)
To Joseph Smith: "Behold, he who
has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them
no more." (D&C 58:42.)
But how do we know if a man or a
woman has repented of his or her sins? The Lord has even answered that
question: "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he
will confess them and forsake them." (D&C 58:43.)
Naturally, that confession which
precedes repentance should be to a bishop or stake president who has authority
to forgive sins. Confessions to others, particularly confessions repeated again
and again in open meetings, as is sometimes done, only demean both the
confessor and the hearer. But the final step of repentance in forsaking sin
means that you do not repeat that transgression again.
How grateful we should be for a kind,
wise, loving Savior who will help us overcome our faults, our mistakes, our
sins. He understands us and is sympathetic to the fact that we must face
temptations. He is also merciful and has provided a way so that we can apply
these principles of repentance in our lives and thus escape the bondage of
pain, sorrow, suffering, and despair that comes from disobedience, either
conscious or unconscious. After all is said and done, we are his sons
and his daughters, and he loves each of us dearly. For those who understand its
true meaning, repentance becomes a beautiful word and a marvelous refuge.
(Repentance [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1990], 9.)
We are awash with opposing views to
the Lords way. The Sermon on the Mount
and the Sermon at the
Both John and Jesus taught about the coming of
the kingdom of heaven (Millennium) in Matthew 3:2 and
Matthew 3:7 – The burning of the field and the
killing of the vipers, was John referring to the story of Zenos (Jacob 5)? Did Paul also know the story?
Matthew
The people were astonished; and many,
seeing themselves in their actual condition of dereliction and sin, as John,
with burning words laid bare their faults, cried out: "What shall we do
then?" fn His reply was directed against ceremonialism, which had caused
spirituality to wither almost to death in the hearts of the people. Unselfish
charity was demanded—"He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that
hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." The publicans or
tax-farmers and collectors, under whose unjust and unlawful exactions the
people had suffered so long, came asking: "Master, what shall we do? And
he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you." To the
soldiers who asked what to do he replied: "Do violence to no man, neither
accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." fn
The spirit of his demands was that of
a practical religion, the only religion of any possible worth—the religion of
right living. With all his vigor, in spite of his brusqueness, notwithstanding
his forceful assaults on the degenerate customs of the times, this John was no
agitator against established institutions, no inciter of riot, no advocate of
revolt, no promoter of rebellion. He did not assail the tax system but the
extortions of the corrupt and avaricious publicans; he did not denounce the
army, but the iniquities of the soldiers, many of whom had taken advantage of
their position to bear false witness for the sake of gain and to enrich
themselves by forcible seizure. He preached, what in the now current
dispensation we call the first fundamental principles of the gospel—"the
beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God," fn comprising
faith, which is vitalized belief, in God; genuine repentance, which comprises
contrition for past offenses and a resolute determination to turn from sin;
baptism by immersion in water at his hands as the hands of one having
authority; and the higher baptism by fire or the bestowal of the Holy Ghost by
an authority greater than that possessed by himself. His preaching was
positive, and in many respects opposed to the conventions of the times; he made
no appeal to the people through the medium of miraculous manifestations; fn and
though many of his hearers attached themselves to him as disciples, fn he
established no formal organization, nor did he attempt to form a cult. His
demand for repentance was an individual call, as unto each acceptable applicant
the rite of baptism was individually administered.
To the Jews, who were living in a
state of expectancy, waiting for the long-predicted Messiah, the words of this
strange prophet in the wilderness were fraught with deep portent. Could it be
that he was the Christ? He spoke of One yet to come, mightier than himself,
whose shoe-latchet he was not worthy to loosen, fn One who would separate the
people as the thresher, fan in hand, blew the chaff from the wheat; and, he
added, that mightier One "will gather the wheat into his garner; but the
chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable." fn
In such wise did the predicted herald
of the Lord deliver his message. Himself he would not exalt; his office,
however, was sacred to him, and with its functions he brooked no interference
from priest, Levite, or rabbi. He was no respecter of persons; sin he
denounced, sinners he excoriated, whether in priestly vestments, peasant garb,
or royal robes. All the claims the Baptist had made for himself and his mission
were later confirmed and vindicated by the specific testimony of Christ. fn
John was the harbinger not alone of the kingdom but of the King; and to him the
King in person came.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 116.)
John’s baptism was for cleansing but
also for admission into the kingdom, this was higher than the Law of
Moses. He had this authority since he
was 8 days old. He did not baptize for
the remission of sins, it wasn’t considered a covenant like it is today.
The one performing the baptism puts
his right arm to the square representing Christ, one with authority. Covenant ritual; submit to the will of the
Father, Mosiah 15, swallowed up in the will of God.
(2 Nephi 31:4-12.)
4 Wherefore, I would that
ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which
the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take
away the sins of the world.
5 And now, if the Lamb of
God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all
righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be
baptized, yea, even by water!
6 And now, I would ask of
you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness
in being baptized by water?
7 Know ye not that he was
holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men
that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and
witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his
commandments.
8 Wherefore, after he was
baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.
9 And again, it showeth
unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the
gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.
10 And he said unto the
children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow
Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
11 And the Father said:
Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
12 And also, the voice of
the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the
Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the
things which ye have seen me do.
Temptations of Christ
The 3 temptations of Christ were
about one issue; will you submit to the will of the Father?
The same question is asked of us
everyday, how do you answer?
(JST Matthew 4:1-11.)
1 Then Jesus was led up of
the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God.
2 And when he had fasted
forty days and forty nights, and had communed with God, he was afterwards an
hungered, and was left to be tempted of the devil.
3 And when the tempter
came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be
made bread.
4 But Jesus answered and
said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then Jesus was taken up
into the holy city, and the Spirit setteth him on the pinnacle of the temple.
6 Then the devil came unto
him and said, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written,
He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It
is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 And again, Jesus was in
the Spirit, and it taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth
him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.
9 And the devil came unto
him again, and said, All these things will I give unto thee, if thou wilt fall
down and worship me.
10 Then said Jesus unto
him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy
God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him.
11 And now Jesus knew that
John was cast into prison, and he sent angels, and, behold, they came and
ministered unto him.
(JST Mark 1:10-11.)
10 And immediately the
Spirit took him into the wilderness.
11 And he was there in the
wilderness forty days, Satan seeking to tempt him; and was with the wild
beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
(JST Luke 4:1-12.)
1 And Jesus, being full of
the Holy Ghost, returned from
2 And after forty days,
the devil came unto him, to tempt him. And in those days, he did eat nothing;
and when they were ended, he afterwards hungered.
3 And the devil said unto
him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
4 And Jesus answered him,
saying, It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word of God.
5 And the Spirit taketh
him up into a high mountain, and he beheld all the kingdoms of the world, in a
moment of time.
6 And the devil came unto
him, and said unto him, All this power will I give unto thee, and the glory of
them; for they are delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give them.
7 If thou therefore, wilt
worship me, all shall be thine.
8 Jesus answered and said
unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
9 And the Spirit brought
him to
10 For it is written, He
shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee; and in his hands they
shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
11 And Jesus answering,
said unto him, It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
12 And when the devil had
ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Who would Christ obey? Look at who was commanding him? Satan was, so Jesus would say no. if God
asked him to do the same, Christ would do it. This was Christ’s temptation, who
would He obey? We MUST follow His example.
Satan used the “IF” clause in order
to plant doubt in Christ’s mind.
Remember this was done right after His baptism. If you are the Son of God then do this. .
. You made bread as Jehovah for the
children of
4. The Order in which the Temptations
Were Presented.—But
two of the Gospel-writers specify the temptations to which Christ was subjected
immediately after His baptism; Mark merely mentions the fact that Jesus was
tempted. Matthew and Luke place first the temptation that Jesus provide for
Himself by miraculously creating bread; the sequence of the later trials is not
the same in the two records. The order followed in the text is that of Matthew.
5. The Devil's "If."—Note the later taunting use of that
diabolical if as the Christ hung upon the cross. The rulers of the Jews,
mocking the crucified Jesus in His agony said, "Let him save himself if
he be the Christ." And the soldier, reading the inscription at the
head of the cross derided the dying God, saying: "If thou be the king
of the Jews, save thyself." And yet again, the unrepentant malefactor by
His side cried out, "If thou be Christ, save thyself and us."
(Luke 23:35-39.) How literally did those railers and mockers quote the very
words of their father the devil (see John
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 129.)
The temptations take us back to the
baptismal covenant and to the Sacrament Prayers; the test is Then, when He was
hungry and physically weak, the tempter came with the insidious suggestion that
He use His extraordinary powers to provide food. Satan had chosen the most
propitious time for his evil purpose. What will mortals not do, to what lengths
have men not gone, to assuage the pangs of hunger? Esau bartered his birthright
for a meal. Men have fought like brutes for food. Women have slain and eaten
their own babes rather than endure the gnawing pangs of starvation. All this
Satan knew when he came to the Christ in the hour of extreme physical need, and
said unto Him: "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be
made bread." During the long weeks of seclusion, our Lord had been
sustained by the exaltation of spirit that would naturally attend such
all-absorbing concentration of mind as His protracted meditation and communion
with the heavens undoubtedly produced; in such profound devotion of spirit,
bodily appetites were subdued and superseded; but the reaction of the flesh was
inevitable.
Hungry as Jesus was, there was a
temptation in Satan's words even greater than that embodied in the suggestion
that He provide food for His famishing body—the temptation to put to proof the
possible doubt implied in the tempter's "If." The Eternal Father had
proclaimed Jesus as His Son; the devil tried to make the Son doubt that divine
relationship. Why not prove the Father's interest in His Son at this moment of
dire necessity? Was it proper that the Son of God should go hungry? Had the
Father so soon forgotten as to leave His Beloved Son thus to suffer? Was it not
reasonable that Jesus, faint from long abstinence, should provide for Himself,
and particularly so since He could provide, and that by a word of command, if
the voice heard at His baptism was that of the Eternal Father. If thou
be in reality the Son of God, demonstrate thy power, and at the same time
satisfy thy hunger—such was the purport of the diabolical suggestion. To have
yielded would have been to manifest positive doubt of the Father's
acknowledgment.
Moreover, the superior power that
Jesus possessed had not been given to Him for personal gratification, but for
service to others. He was to experience all the trials of mortality; another
man, as hungry as He, could not provide for himself by a miracle; and though by
miracle such a one might be fed, the miraculous supply would have to be given,
not provided by himself. It was a
necessary result of our Lord's dual nature, comprising the attributes of both
God and man that He should endure and suffer as a mortal while possessing at
all times the ability to invoke the power of His own Godhood by which all
bodily needs could be supplied or overcome. His reply to the tempter was
sublime and positively final: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." fn The
word that had proceeded from the mouth of God, upon which Satan would have cast
mistrust, was that Jesus was the Beloved Son with whom the Father was well
pleased. The devil was foiled; Christ was triumphant.
Realizing that he had utterly failed
in his attempt to induce Jesus to use His inherent power for personal service,
and to trust in Himself rather than rely upon the Father's providence, Satan went
to the other extreme and tempted Jesus to wantonly throw Himself upon the
Father's protection. fn Jesus was standing upon one of the high parts of the
temple, a pinnacle or battlement, overlooking the spacious courts, when the
devil said unto Him: "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it
is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone." Again appears the implication of doubt. fn If Jesus was in
fact the Son of God, could He not trust His Father to save Him, and
particularly so as it was written fn that angels would guard Him and bear Him
up? Christ's reply to the tempter in the wilderness had embodied a scriptural
citation, and this He had introduced with the impressive formula common to
expounders of sacred writ—"It is written." In the second attempt, the
devil tried to support his suggestion by scripture, and employed a similar
expression—"for it is written." Our Lord met and answered the devil's
quotation with another, saying: "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt
the Lord thy God." fn
Beside the provocation to sin by
wantonly placing Himself in danger, so that the Father's love might be
manifested in a miraculous rescue, or by refusing so to challenge the Father's
interposition demonstrate that He doubted His status as the Beloved Son, there
lurked an appeal to the human side of Christ's nature, in thought of the fame
which an astounding exploit, such as that of leaping from the dizzy height of
the temple turrets and alighting unhurt, would surely bring. We cannot resist
the thought, though we be not justified in saying that any such had even
momentary place in the Savior's mind, that to act upon Satan's suggestion,
provided of course the outcome proved to be such as he had indicated, would
have been to insure public recognition of Jesus as a Being superior to mortals.
It would have been a sign and a wonder indeed, the fame of which would have
spread as fire in the dry grass; and all Jewry would have been aflame with
excitement and interest in the Christ.
The glaring sophistry of Satan's
citation of scripture was unworthy a categorical reply; his doctrine deserved
neither logic nor argument; his misapplication of the written word was
nullified by scripture that was germane; the lines of the psalmist were met by
the binding fiat of the prophet of the exodus, in which he had commanded Israel
that they should not provoke nor tempt the Lord to work miracles among them.
Satan tempted Jesus to tempt the Father. It is as truly a blasphemous
interference with the prerogatives of Deity to set limitations or make
fixations of time or place at which the divine power shall be made manifest as
it is to attempt to usurp that power. God alone must decide when and how His
wonders shall be wrought. Once more the purposes of Satan were thwarted and
Christ again was victor.
In the third temptation the devil
refrained from further appeal to Jesus to put either His own power or that of
the Father to the test. Twice completely foiled, the tempter abandoned that
plan of assault; and, discarding all disguise of purpose, submitted a definite
proposition. From the top of a high mountain Jesus looked over the land with
its wealth of city and field, of vineyard and orchard, of flocks and of herds;
and in vision He saw the kingdoms of the world and contemplated the wealth, the
splendor, the earthly glory of them all. Then saith Satan unto Him, "All
these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." So
wrote Matthew; the more extended version by Luke follows: "And the devil
said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that
is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore
wilt worship me, all shall be thine." We need not concern ourselves with
conjecture as to whether Satan could have made good his promise in the event of
Christ's doing him homage; certain it is Christ could have reached out, and
have gathered to Himself the wealth and glory of the world had He willed so to
do, and thereby have failed in His Messianic mission. This fact Satan knew full
well. Many men have sold themselves to the devil for a kingdom and for less,
aye, even for a few paltry pence.
The effrontery of his offer was of
itself diabolical. Christ, the Creator of heaven and earth, tabernacled as He
then was in mortal flesh, may not have remembered His preexistent state, nor
the part He had taken in the great council of the Gods; fn while Satan, an
unembodied spirit—he the disinherited, the rebellious and rejected son—seeking
to tempt the Being through whom the world was created by promising Him part of
what was wholly His, still may have had, as indeed he may yet have, a
remembrance of those primeval scenes. In that distant past, antedating the
creation of the earth, Satan, then Lucifer, a son of the morning, had been
rejected; and the Firstborn Son had been chosen. Now that the Chosen One was
subject to the trials incident to mortality, Satan thought to thwart the divine
purpose by making the Son of God subject to himself. He who had been vanquished
by Michael and his hosts and cast down as a defeated rebel, asked the embodied
Jehovah to worship him. "Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:
for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou
serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto
him." fn
It is not to be supposed that
Christ's victorious emergence from the dark clouds of the three specified temptations
exempted Him from further assaults by Satan, or insured Him against later
trials of faith, trust, and endurance. Luke closes his account of the
temptations following the forty-day fast as follows: "And when the devil
had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season." fn This
victory over the devil and his wiles, this triumph over the cravings of the
flesh, the harassing doubts of the mind, the suggested reaching out for fame
and material wealth, were great but not final successes in the struggle between
Jesus, the embodied God, and Satan, the fallen angel of light. That Christ was
subject to temptation during the period of His association with the apostles He
expressly affirmed. fn That His temptations extended even to the agony in
Few events in the evangelical history
of Jesus of Nazareth have given rise to more discussion, fanciful theory, and
barren speculation, than have the temptations. All such surmises we may with
propriety ignore. To any believer in the Holy Scriptures, the account of the
temptations therein given is sufficiently explicit to put beyond doubt or
question the essential facts; to the unbeliever neither the Christ nor His
triumph appeals. What shall it profit us to speculate as to whether Satan
appeared to Jesus in visible form, or was present only as an unseen spirit;
whether he spoke in audible voice, or aroused in the mind of his intended
victim the thoughts later expressed by the written lines; whether the three
temptations occurred in immediate sequence or were experienced at longer
intervals? With safety we may reject all theories of myth or parable in the
scriptural account, and accept the record as it stands; and with equal
assurance may we affirm that the temptations were real, and that the trials to
which our Lord was put constituted an actual and crucial test. To believe
otherwise, one must regard the scriptures as but fiction.
A question deserving some attention
in this connection is that of the peccability or impeccability of Christ—the
question as to whether He was capable of sinning. Had there been no possibility
of His yielding to the lures of Satan, there would have been no real test in
the temptations, no genuine victory in the result. Our Lord was sinless yet
peccable; He had the capacity, the ability to sin had He willed so to do. Had
He been bereft of the faculty to sin, He would have been shorn of His free
agency; and it was to safeguard and insure the agency of man that He had
offered Himself, before the world was, as a redeeming sacrifice. To say that He
could not sin because He was the embodiment of righteousness is no denial of
His agency of choice between evil and good. A thoroughly truthful man cannot
culpably lie; nevertheless his insurance against falsehood is not that of
external compulsion, but of internal restraint due to his cultivated
companionship of the spirit of truth. A really honest man will neither take nor
covet his neighbor's goods, indeed it may be said that he cannot steal; yet he
is capable of stealing should he so elect. His honesty is an armor against
temptation; but the coat of mail, the helmet, the breastplate, and the greaves,
are but an outward covering; the man within may be vulnerable if he can be
reached.
But why proceed with labored
reasoning, which can lead to but one conclusion, when our Lord's own words and
other scriptures confirm the fact? Shortly before His betrayal, when
admonishing the Twelve to humility, He said: "Ye are they which have
continued with me in my temptations." fn While here we find no exclusive
reference to the temptations immediately following His baptism, the exposition
is plain that He had endured temptations, and by implication, these had
continued throughout the period of His ministry. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews expressly taught that Christ
was peccable, in that He was tempted "in all points" as are the rest
of mankind. Consider the unambiguous declaration: "Seeing then that we
have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin." fn And further: "Though he
were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 121.)
Overcoming our human side just like
Christ had to do
Judea to
We began the lesson listening to
Bruce describing the Synoptic gospels.
Mark was probably the 1st book written, John Mark was the
scribe for Peter, it was a short book which leads to an idea that Mark wrote a
2nd book, called the “Secret Gospel of Mark” which is a temple text,
Brother C. Wilford Griggs thinks it’s the real deal.
Matthew and Luke could have used
Mark’s gospel as a starting off point for their more detailed gospels.
Future discoveries may well reveal,
therefore, that different editions of the Gospels existed through the years. In
this connection it is worthwhile to consider an excerpt from a somewhat controversial
document known as the "Secret Gospel of Mark." This document was
discovered in 1958 by Morton Smith in the Mar Saba monastery, some twelve miles
southeast of
Now of the things they keep saying
about the divinely inspired Gospel according to Mark, some are altogether
falsifications, and others, even if they do contain some true elements,
nevertheless are not reported truly. For the true things being mixed with
inventions, are falsified, so that, as the saying goes, even the salt loses its
savor.
As for Mark, then, during Peter's
stay in Rome he wrote an account of the Lord's doings, not, however, declaring
all of them, nor yet hinting at the secret ones, but selecting what he thought
most useful for increasing the faith of those who were being instructed. But
when Peter died a martyr, Mark came over to
It may be that the Gospels as we now
have them represent a truncated version of the Gospels as first written by
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Nephi saw in vision the day when the Old and New
Testaments would suffer a willful interference by a church whose dominions were
great and whose desires and actions were abominable. "Plain and precious
things [would be] taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of
God" (1 Ne. 13:28); that is to say, "many important points touching
the salvation of men, [would be] taken from the Bible, or lost before it was
compiled." fn We need, therefore, to be extremely grateful that the Lord
has seen fit to preserve those portions of the Gospels that have been secured
for us.
In forming the message of the
gospel into what we have come to call a Gospel, the writers became the
initiators of a remarkably important literary genre. The Gospels are not, as we
have seen, purely biographical, in the modern sense of revealing or developing
the thoughts or personalities of the main characters; possibly not more than
thirty days of the life of Christ receive treatment through all four Gospel
accounts. On the other hand, the Gospels represent laudatory biographies
written to elicit faith and emulation. fn
The four Gospels "do not claim
to be exhaustive accounts of all that Jesus said or did." Rather,
"each gospel was selective according to the purpose of the author, and is
complete in the sense that it carries out his intent." fn The Gospels were
"standard works" in the sense that they were given to guide the
Saints in emulating the Sinless One as well as to transmit the witness that
Jesus died, was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven.
(See 1 Cor. 15:3-4.) fn The Gospels were written to convey the "portion of
the word" (to use
(Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet,
eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1986], 45 - 46.)
Aspects of an Early Christian Initiation Ritual
William J. Hamblin
Joseph Smith and other leaders of the
early Church were convinced that the temple endowment was an authentic
restoration of ancient Christian and Jewish initiation ceremonies, a concept
which is still generally held among most Latter-day Saints. fn In recent
decades Latter-day Saint scholars, foremost among whom has been Hugh Nibley,
have pointed to numerous interesting parallels between some aspects of the
Latter-day Saint temple endowment and different forms of ancient Near Eastern
initiation rituals. fn
But the fact that similarities may
exist between ancient and Latter-day Saint ideas and ritual motifs fn does not
answer the more significant question concerning the precise nature of
interdependence between the texts or ritual systems manifesting the parallels.
Generally speaking, there are five possible explanations for these parallels.
The first three could be called naturalistic:
1. The parallels are either
coincidental or on closer examination prove to be based on false comparisons
and strained interpretations.
2. Whatever valid parallels may exist
are due to the fact that human beings frequently express their religious and
social solidarity by ritual acts. Latter-day Saint and ancient rituals may be
broadly similar but are fundamentally distinct in all significant details.
Existing parallels are general and universal rather than specific and
historical.
3. Joseph Smith invented the
Latter-day Saint endowment based on readily available early nineteenth-century
sources such as the Bible as well as Masonic or magical practices and rituals.
Some of these nineteenth-century sources may be tenuously linked back to more
ancient ritual traditions, which could account for some of the apparent
resemblances.
These three naturalistic explanations
are by no means mutually exclusive. Some combination or variation of them is
generally accepted by most non-Mormons as well as a small portion of Latter-day
Saints.
The other two possible explanations
are supernaturalistic:
1. The Latter-day Saint endowment
represents an inspired restoration of authentic ancient revealed initiation
rituals. The parallels between ancient and modern rituals exist because the
ancient rituals are either themselves revealed or are counterfeit copies and
corruptions of revealed rituals. Some variation of this explanation is accepted
by most practicing Latter-day Saints who have considered the matter. This is
the position which I personally believe best accounts for all of the available
evidence.
2. Joseph Smith received the
endowment from a supernatural source other than God, such as the devil. Some
evangelical Christians and other groups might accept some variation of this
proposition. fn
Given that some level of parallels
exists between ancient and Latter-day Saint ritual motifs, the question now
becomes, which of these five explanations, or combination and variation
thereof, best accounts for the parallels? It is impossible to deal adequately
with all the ramifications of this question in the short space available here.
I will therefore limit myself to a discussion of only one aspect of the broader
historical problem: a possible method of transmission and transformation of
some late first- and early second-century Christian secret rituals into Gnostic
writings and rituals. fn Specifically I will examine some of the evidence for the
following seven propositions:
1. Jesus himself established a
secret, graded initiation ritual.
2. This ritual system was transmitted
through Peter to Mark the Evangelist, who brought the ritual system to
3. These rituals were secretly
practiced by at least some branches of "orthodox" Alexandrian
Christianity until at least the late second century A.D.
4. During the early second century
A.D., Carpocrates, an early Gnostic Christian, gained access to at least part
of this ritual system through an apostate elder at
5. Carpocrates and other Gnostics
transformed and transmitted various modified forms of these ideas and rituals
to some of the branches of Gnostic Christianity.
6. Possible manifestations of this
transformed ritual system can be found in various early Christian writings by
or about the Gnostics.
7. The parallels between the
Latter-day Saint temple endowment and some Gnostic rituals and writings can be
seen as reflections of parallels with the original rituals established by
Jesus.
Let me now briefly examine the
evidence for each of these seven propositions.
1. Jesus himself established a
secret, graded initiation ritual. Did some early Christians believe that Jesus during his
lifetime established secret, graded rituals of salvation? The answer to this
question is most certainly yes. fn The early Christian eucharist (or sacrament)
is the clearest example of this. Although today the eucharistic rituals of most
branches of Christianity are public rites, the opposite was true in the first
through the third centuries A.D. As the Catholic scholar Jean Daniélou writes,
"It might seem astonishing that there is nothing like [the early
descriptions of baptism] to be found in relation to the Eucharist, but the
reason is that the discipline of the arcana, or secrecy, forbade the
revelation of the Mysteries. The only teaching given on this subject,
therefore, could not be preserved for use in writing." fn The idea that
the eucharist and other sacraments should be secret rituals is expressed in
numerous early Christian writings. For example, the Apostolic Constitutions
advises that "the doors be watched [during the eucharist], lest any
unbelieving or uninitiated person enter." fn Thus, according to nearly all
branches of earliest Christianity, Jesus instituted a ritual of salvation,
known as the eucharist (or sacrament), which was to be performed in secret.
Was the eucharist the only secret
ritual established by Jesus? Here the evidence is much more controversial, but
a wide range of documents discovered and studied in the last few decades
clearly shows that many branches of earliest Christianity maintained that Jesus
did indeed institute other secret rituals, known variously as the "Mystery
of Redemption," the "Great Mysteries," or the "Mystery of
the Kingdom of God."
One of the most interesting of these
new documents was discovered several decades ago by Professor Morton Smith. fn
The document is a fragment of a letter of Clement of Alexandria who lived from
about A.D. 150-213 and who is generally considered an "orthodox"
Christian. In this letter Clement quotes a fascinating passage from a
previously unknown work he calls the Secret Gospel of Mark. Although
nothing is known for certain about the date, authorship, or provenance of this Secret
Gospel of Mark, the following is a summary of the current evidence and
scholarly hypotheses:
Author: Clement claims the document was
written by Mark the Evangelist. Most modern scholars feel that the document is
an early second-century pseudepigraphic gospel. fn
Date: For the Secret Gospel of Mark
to have been quoted by Clement, it must have been in existence by at least A.D.
150. Morton Smith provides convincing evidence that it probably dates to the late
first or early second century, an hypothesis that is generally accepted today.
fn If it was actually written by Mark, it could not have been written much
later than about A.D. 80. It is important to note that many scholars believe
that they can establish that the canonical Gospel of Mark was literarily
dependent on, and therefore written after, the Secret Gospel of Mark. fn
Hans-Martin Schenke believes that "this apocryphal version of Mark from
Alexandria would by no means have been an enlargement of our Second Gospel;
rather, our Gospel [of Mark] would have been a purified abridgement of the
Alexandrian apocryphon," and may represent an old tradition which
"reflect[s] a historical event." fn John Crossan agrees that the Secret
Gospel of Mark "is independent of [the Gospels of] John . . . [and] of
Mark. . . . Dependence, in fact, is in the opposite direction, from Secret Mark
to John and Mark." fn In other words, there is good evidence that the
material in the Secret Gospel of Mark represents Christian ideas from
the first century A.D.
Provenance: Clement says that the document was
written in
In summary, the Secret Gospel of
Mark is an Egyptian Christian document of uncertain authorship, written
sometime in the late first or early second centuries A.D.
The following passage is part of the
only extant fragment from the Secret Gospel of Mark, which tells the
story of what happened to Lazarus after he was raised from the dead by Jesus:
And they [Jesus and the Apostles]
come into
This passage provides us a very clear
description of Jesus performing a secret initiation ritual called the
"Mystery of the
A. There was a period of six days of
preparation, with the initiation taking place on the seventh day. This waiting
period may be coincidental, but in its ancient setting probably represents a
period of some type of ritual purification. fn
B. The "Mystery of the
C. Instruction in the "Mystery
of the
D. The "Mystery of the
2. This ritual system was
transmitted through Peter to Mark the Evangelist, who brought the ritual system
to
As for Mark, during Peter's stay in
Rome he wrote [an account of] the Lord's doings, not, however, declaring all
[of them], nor yet hinting at the secret [ones], but selecting those he thought
most useful for increasing the faith of those who were being instructed. But
when Peter died as a martyr, Mark came over to
This fascinating passage implies the
following:
A. Clement believed that Jesus taught
secret teachings which were not recorded in the New Testament. fn
B. There existed a document in
C. In addition to the written
teachings in Mark's Secret Gospel, there were other secret oral
teachings known to Clement as the "Hierophantic Teaching of the
Lord."
D. These most secret oral teachings
were only for "those who are being initiated into the Great
Mysteries," which were somehow related to an "innermost sanctuary . .
. hidden by seven [veils]."
Thus, if Clement's report is
accurate, by at least A.D. 180 in
The discovery of this new letter by
Clement has now clearly shown that Clement did not see these mysteries in an
allegorical sense as has often been previously assumed, but had in mind actual
secret initiation rituals which he believed to have been instituted by
Christ himself.
Schenke also sees the importance of
this new evidence of early secret Christian initiation rituals:
How may it be explained that in
4. During the early second century
A.D., Carpocrates, an early Gnostic Christian, gained access to at least
part of this ritual system through an apostate elder at
Carpocrates [one of the original
Gnostic teachers who flourished ca. A.D. 117-138] . . . using deceitful arts,
so enslaved a certain elder of the church in Alexandria that he [Carpocrates]
got from him [the elder] a copy of the secret Gospel which he both interpreted
according to his blasphemous and carnal doctrine and, moreover, polluted,
mixing with the spotless and holy words utterly shameless lies. From this
mixture is drawn off the teaching of the Carpocratians. fn
If Clement's statement is accurate,
it implies that:
A. The Secret Gospel of Mark
must have been extant for some years before about A.D. 125, when Carpocrates
got a copy of it.
B. An unnamed Alexandrian elder
defected to Carpocrates, giving him a copy of the Secret Gospel of Mark
and perhaps orally transmitting parts of the Hierophantic Teaching and the
Great Mysteries.
C. Before the recent discovery of
Clement's letter it had usually been maintained by modern scholars that the
theologians of Alexandrian Christianity were influenced by Gnostic and
Hellenistic concepts. fn The new letter of Clement shows that the Great
Mysteries and Hierophantic Teaching were not copied by the Alexandrians from
the Gnostics or Greek Pagans, but, as maintained by Schenke, were part of the
earliest ideas and practices of Alexandrian Christianity. fn
D. The ideas and rituals of at least
some branches of Gnostic Christianity can thus in part be seen as variations
and modifications of the secret teachings and rituals of the early Alexandrian
Christians.
6. Possible manifestations of this
transformed ritual system can be found in various early Christian writings by
or about the Gnostics. Is it possible to determine any details of the
Hierophantic Teaching or the Great Mysteries? Clement refused to discuss the
subject openly, although there are many interesting allusions to such matters
in his surviving writings, as we have seen. fn However, explicit discussions of
purported secret doctrines and rituals have survived in the teachings of the
Gnostics, which, according to Clement, were derived at least in part from
Carpocrates' access to the secret teachings of the Alexandrian Christians.
Modern scholars are now beginning to
recognize that, in addition to the esoteric doctrines of the Gnostics, there
also existed a body of esoteric ritual, which receives frequent allusions in
Gnostic writings. fn Indeed, J.J. Buckley maintains that the Nag Hammadi Gospel
of Philip is essentially a preparatory manual for a secret initiation
ritual. fn
The ritual background to the Gospel
of Philip is quite explicit. For example, we learn that "The Lord
[did] all things by means of a mystery Oor ritualO: baptism, chrism Oor
anointingO, eucharist, ransom Oor redemptionO, and bridal
chamber." fn According to the Gospel of Philip, these rituals thus
form the essence of Christ's teachings. The Great Mysteries are also
allegorically equated with the temple in
7. The parallels between the
Latter-day Saint temple endowment and some Gnostic rituals and writings can be
seen as possible reflections of parallels with the original rituals established
by Jesus. It is precisely in the Gnostic writings that we find some of the
most fascinating parallels to some ritual motifs in the Latter-day Saint temple
endowment. Among the many doctrines and ritual motifs mentioned in Gnostic
writings which parallel Latter-day Saint temple endowment ritual motifs, we
note only the following twelve general aspects here: fn
A. The secret tradition originates
with Jesus. Irenaeus reports: "Jesus, [the Gnostics] say, spoke in a
mystery to his disciples and apostles privately, and charged them to hand these
things on to the worthy and those who assented." fn
B. The secret initiatory rituals
are the center of Christ's gospel. The Gospel of Philip says:
"The Lord [did] all things by means of a mystery OritualO: baptism,
chrism OanointingO, eucharist, ransom OredemptionO, and bridal
chamber." fn
C. Rituals of baptism and
anointing with oil. "The chrism Oor anointingO is superior to
baptism, for it is from the word 'chrism' that we have been called
'Christians,' certainly not because of the word 'baptism.' And it is because of
the chrism that 'the Christ' has his name. For the father anointed the son, and
the son anointed the apostles, and the apostles anointed us. He who has been
anointed possesses everything. He possesses the resurrection, the light, the cross,
the holy spirit. The father gave him this in the bridal chamber; he merely
accepted (the gift). The father was in the son and the son in the father. This
is [the] kingdom of heaven." fn
D. Ritual prayer circles
(described at length by Hugh Nibley). fn
E. Use of ritual clothing.
"The (demonic) powers do not see those who are clothed in the perfect
light, and consequently are not able to detain them. One will clothe himself in
this light sacramentally in the union." fn
F. Handclasps as tokens of recognition.
Epiphanius explains: "The hand is held out, in greeting, of course, and a
tickling stroke is made in the palm of the hand, so as to indicate secretly
that the visitor is of the same religion as they." fn
G. Knowledge of the sacred name of
God is necessary for exaltation. "One single name is not uttered in
the world, the name which the Father gave to the Son, the name above all
things: the name of the Father. For the Son would not become Father unless he
wears the name of the Father. Those who have this name know it, but they do not
speak it. But those who do not have it do not know it." fn
H. Preexistence of mankind.
"[The Gnostics claim that] I derive my being from him who was
pre-existent, and I go again to that which is my own, whence I came forth."
fn
I. Sacred marriage is necessary to
complete the ordinance.
"If anyone becomes a son of the
bridal chamber, he will receive the light. If anyone does not receive it while
he is here, he will not be able to receive it in the other place." fn
"Those who have united in the bridal chamber will no longer be
separated." fn "Some of [the Gnostics] prepare a bridal chamber and
perform a mystic rite, with certain invocations, for those who are being
consecrated, and they claim that what they are effecting is a spiritual
marriage, after the image of the conjunctions above." fn
J. The initiation rituals
symbolize a heavenly ascent. Origen provides a detailed description of such
an ascent, which is too long for full quotation here. fn
K. A veil separates the initiate
from God. "Therefore the perfect things have opened to us [through the
veil], together with the hidden things of truth. The holies of the holies were
revealed, and the bridal chamber invited us in." fn
L. Mankind can become like God.
"You saw the spirit, you became spirit. You saw Christ, you became Christ.
You saw [the father, you] shall become father." fn
I believe we can make the following
conclusions based on the evidence of Clement's letter and the fragment of the Secret
Gospel of Mark. Clement's early branch of Christianity in
Thus by means of the newly discovered
letter of Clement of Alexandria, it is possible to reconstruct a detailed
outline of the origin, nature, transmission, and transformation of an early
Christian secret initiation ritual system, purportedly established by Jesus
himself.
(John M. Lundquist and Stephen D.
Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley
on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March 1990, 2 vols. [Salt Lake
City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon
Studies, 1990], 1: 202.)
Bruce briefly discussed the Early
Christian Theologian, Origen and the 40 day ministry of Acts 1:3.
Recently this writer went through all
the then-available early Christian writings dealing with the activities of the
Lord during the forty days after the resurrection and found that with all their
pseudognostic corruptions they all have four things in common, these things
being demonstrably the original Christian tradition—what remains after all the
speculations and embellishments and fabrications have been drained off. The
four things are (1) insistence on secrecy, (2) emphasis on the limited sojourn
of the Church upon the earth at that time, (3) bodies of doctrine, and (4)
rites and ordinances that differ substantially from the teachings and rituals
of conventional Christianity. fn These four things characterize Christ's
post-resurrectional teaching in the Book of Mormon as well; but since we cannot
here examine scores of Coptic and Syriac texts, we may take as a sampling a
writer which no less an authority than Origen claims to be older than the
Gospel of Luke and which was accepted by Christians as perfectly orthodox down
to the time of the Patristic writers.
(Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah,
2nd ed. [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient
Research and Mormon Studies, 1988], 174.)
However, since it is primarily from
fourth-century Alexandria — location both of the Museion, the justly famous
center for scholarship on classical literature, and of the Christian
Catechetical School — that later mainstream Christianity, both Greek Orthodox
and Roman Catholic, derives its exegetical tradition, and since most of the
patristic commentators date to the fourth century or later, they use an
extremely refined mode of allegorical interpretation of the scriptures. This
tradition had been developed at the famous
(John M. Lundquist and Stephen D.
Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley
on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March 1990, 2 vols. [Salt Lake
City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon
Studies, 1990], 1: 250.)
Common Jewish belief that certain
Prophets would return from the dead, (Elijah and Jeremiah) and John the Baptist
was one of them. They were all looking
for the Messiah to come but not now, it would ruin their way of life! John said he is the forerunner before
Christ’s 1st coming. Like 2
Nephi 3 – Joseph Smith is the forerunner before the 2nd coming of
Christ!
THE BAPTIST'S TESTIMONY OF JESUS
During the period of our Lord's
retirement in the wilderness the Baptist continued his ministry, crying
repentance to all who would pause to hear, and administering baptism to such as
came duly prepared and asking with right intent. The people generally were
greatly concerned over the identity of John; and as the real import of the
voice fn dawned upon them, their concern deepened into fear. The ever recurring
question was, Who is this new prophet? Then the Jews, by which expression we
may understand the rulers of the people, sent a delegation of priests and
Levites of the Pharisaic party to personally question him. He answered without
evasion, "I am not the Christ," and with equal decisiveness denied
that he was Elias, or more accurately, Elijah, the prophet who, the rabbis said
through a misinterpretation of Malachi's prediction, was to return to earth as
the immediate precursor of the Messiah. fn Furthermore, he declared that he was
not "that prophet," by which was meant the Prophet whose coming Moses
had foretold, fn and who was not universally identified in the Jewish mind with
the expected Messiah. "Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may
give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am
the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord,
as said the prophet Esaias." fn The Pharisaic envoys then demanded of him
his authority for baptizing; in reply he affirmed that the validity of his
baptisms would be attested by One who even then was amongst them, though they
knew Him not, and averred: "He it is, who coming after me is preferred
before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." fn
John's testimony, that Jesus was the
Redeemer of the world, was declared as boldly as had been his message of the
imminent coming of the Lord. "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world," he proclaimed; and, that none might fail to
comprehend his identification of the Christ, he added: "This is he of whom
I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before
me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel,
therefore am I come baptizing with water." fn That the attestation of the
ministering presence of the Holy Ghost through the material appearance
"like a dove" was convincing to John is shown by his further
testimony: "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from
heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent
me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the
Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God."
fn On the day following that of the utterance last quoted, John repeated his
testimony to two of his disciples, or followers, as Jesus passed, saying again:
"Behold the Lamb of God." fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 130.)
3.
The Testimony of John the Baptist.—Observe that the Baptist's testimony to the divinity
of Christ's mission is recorded as having been given after the period of our
Lord's forty-day fast and temptations, and therefore approximately six weeks
subsequent to the baptism of Jesus. To the deputation of priests and Levites of
the Pharisaic party, who visited him by direction of the rulers, probably by
appointment from the Sanhedrin, John, after disavowing that he was the Christ
or any one of the prophets specified in the inquiry, said: "There standeth
one among you whom ye know not; he it is who coming after me is preferred
before me." On the next day, and again on the day following that, he bore
public testimony to Jesus as the Lamb of God; and on the third day after the
visit of the priests and Levites to John, Jesus started on the journey to
Galilee (John 1:19-43).
John's use of the designation
"Lamb of God" implied his conception of the Messiah as One appointed
for sacrifice, and his use of the term is the earliest mention found in the
Bible. For later Biblical applications, direct or implied, see Acts 8:32; 1
Pet. 1:19; Rev. 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 17; etc.
4. "Come and See."—The spirit of our Lord's invitation
to the young truth seekers, Andrew and John, is manifest in a similar privilege
extended to all. The man who would know Christ must come to Him, to see and
hear, to feel and know. Missionaries may carry the good tidings, the message of
the gospel, but the response must be an individual one. Are you in doubt as to
what that message means today? Then come and see for yourself. Would you know
where Christ is to be found? Come and see.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 141.)
Jesus calls Peter Patros – small
rock, pebble, Jesus is
(JST John 1:36-51.)
36 And looking upon Jesus
as he walked, he said; Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples
heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and
saw them following him, and said unto them, What seek ye? They say unto him,
Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master;) Where dwellest thou?
39 He said unto them, Come
and see. And they came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day; for
it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two who
heard John, and followed Jesus, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41 He first findeth his
own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is,
being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to
Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jona, thou
shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a seer, or a stone. And
they were fishermen. And they straightway left all, and followed Jesus.
43 The day following,
Jesus would go forth into
44 Now Philip was at
45 Philip findeth
Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and
the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto
him, Can there any good thing come out of
47 Jesus saw Nathanael
coming unto him, and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no
guile!
48 Nathanael said unto
him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answering said unto him, Before Philip
called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and
said unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said
unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest
thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he said unto him,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the
angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
"THE SON OF MAN"
In the promise and prediction made by
Christ to Nathanael, we find the significant title—The Son of Man—appearing for
the first time, chronologically speaking, in the New Testament. It recurs,
however, about forty times, excluding repetitions in parallel accounts in the
several Gospels. In each of these passages it is used by the Savior
distinctively to designate Himself. In three other instances the title appears
in the New Testament, outside the Gospels; and in each case it is applied to
the Christ with specific reference to His exalted attributes as Lord and God.
fn
In the Old Testament, the phrase
"son of man" occurs in ordinary usage, denoting any human son; fn and
it appears over ninety times as an appellation by which Jehovah addressed
Ezekiel, though it is never applied by the prophet to himself. fn The context
of the passages in which Ezekiel is addressed as "son of man"
indicates the divine intention of emphasizing the human status of the prophet
as contrasted with the divinity of Jehovah.
The title is used in connection with
the record of Daniel's vision, fn in which was revealed the consummation, yet
future, when Adam—the Ancient of Days—shall sit to judge his posterity; fn on
which great occasion, the Son of Man is to appear and receive a dominion that
shall be everlasting, transcendently superior to that of the Ancient of Days,
and embracing every people and nation, all of whom shall serve the Lord, Jesus
Christ, the Son of Man. fn
In applying the designation to Himself,
the Lord invariably uses the definite article. "The Son of
Man" was and is, specifically and exclusively, Jesus Christ. While as a
matter of solemn certainty He was the only male human being from Adam down who
was not the son of a mortal man, He used the title in a way to conclusively
demonstrate that it was peculiarly and solely His own. It is plainly evident
that the expression is fraught with a meaning beyond that conveyed by the words
in common usage. The distinguishing appellation has been construed by many to
indicate our Lord's humble station as a mortal, and to connote that He stood as
the type of humanity, holding a particular and unique relationship to the
entire human family. There is, however, a more profound significance attaching
to the Lord's use of the title "The Son of Man"; and this lies in the
fact that He knew His Father to be the one and only supremely exalted Man, fn
whose Son Jesus was both in spirit and in body—the Firstborn among all the
spirit-children of the Father, the Only Begotten in the flesh—and therefore, in
a sense applicable to Himself alone, He was and is the Son of the "Man of
Holiness," Elohim, fn the Eternal Father. In His distinctive titles of
Sonship, Jesus expressed His spiritual and bodily descent from, and His filial
submission to, that exalted Father.
As revealed to Enoch the Seer,
"Man of Holiness" is one of the names by which God the Eternal Father
is known; "and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus
Christ." We learn further that the Father of Jesus Christ thus proclaimed
Himself to Enoch: "Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of
Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also." fn
"The Son of Man" is in great measure synonymous with "The Son of
God," as a title denoting divinity, glory, and exaltation; for the
"Man of Holiness," whose Son Jesus Christ reverently acknowledges
Himself to be, is God the Eternal Father.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 133.)
Can’t fight against the Gospel of
Jesus Christ and win. It is His work for
our benefit!
Son of Man in Hebrew = Mortal
(Acts 5:33-42.)
33 ¶ When they heard that,
they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
34 Then stood there up one
in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in
reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a
little space;
35 And said unto them, Ye
men of
36 For before these days
rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men,
about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as
obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
37 After this man rose up
Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after
him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were
dispersed.
38 And now I say unto you,
Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be
of men, it will come to nought:
39 But if it be of God, ye
cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
40 And to him they agreed:
and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded
that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 ¶ And they departed
from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to
suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the
temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
Miracle of Cana in
Bruce said this couldn’t be Christ’s
own wedding, 1st; he would be too old, since the start of His own
ministry was at age 30, and people got married in their teens. 2nd, Jesus was bidden to come,
since when do the bride and groom get invited to their own wedding?
However, Mary was involved, so it
may have been a family member or relative.
It was a 7 day feast, and near the end they ran out of wine, this was a
major gaff that needed to be remedied immediately. Mary asked Jesus for help, she knew of his
abilities! When Mom asks just do it!
The best wine is usually served in
the first days of the feast; this wine was so good the master over the event
asked why this wine wasn’t served at the beginning of the feast.
John is the only one who records
this story; it was Christ’s 1st recorded miracle. Signs follow them that believe, Elder Oaks
talk “Miracles”.
THE MIRACLE AT CANA IN
Soon after the arrival of Jesus in
Galilee we find Him and His little company of disciples at a marriage party in
Cana, a neighboring town to
It was customary to provide at
wedding feasts a sufficiency of wine, the pure though weak product of the local
vineyards, which was the ordinary table beverage of the time. On this occasion
the supply of wine was exhausted, and Mary told Jesus of the deficiency. Said
He: "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come."
The noun of address, "Woman," as applied by a son to his mother may
sound to our ears somewhat harsh, if not disrespectful; but its use was really
an expression of opposite import. fn To every son the mother ought to be
preeminently the woman of women; she is the one woman in the world to whom the
son owes his earthly existence; and though the title "Mother" belongs
to every woman who has earned the honors of maternity, yet to no child is there
more than one woman whom by natural right he can address by that title of
respectful acknowledgment. When, in the last dread scenes of His mortal
experience, Christ hung in dying agony upon the cross, He looked down upon the
weeping Mary, His mother, and commended her to the care of the beloved apostle
John, with the words: "Woman, behold thy son!" fn Can it be thought
that in this supreme moment, our Lord's concern for the mother from whom He was
about to be separated by death was associated with any emotion other than that
of honor, tenderness and love? fn
Nevertheless, His words to Mary at
the marriage feast may have conveyed a gentle reminder of her position as the
mother of a Being superior to herself; even as on that earlier occasion when
she had found her Boy, Jesus, in the temple, He had brought home to her the
fact that her jurisdiction over Him was not supreme. The manner in which she
told Him of the insufficiency of wine probably suggested an intimation that He
use His more than human power, and by such means supply the need. It was not
her function to direct or even to suggest the exercise of the power inherent in
Him as the Son of God; such had not been inherited from her. "What have I
to do with thee?" He asked; and added: "Mine hour is not yet
come." Here we find no disclaimer of the ability to do what she apparently
wanted Him to do, but the plain implication that He would act only when the
time was right for the purpose, and that He, not she, must decide when that
time had come. She understood His meaning, in part at least, and contented
herself by instructing the servants to do whatsoever He directed. Here again is
evidence of her position of responsibility and domestic authority at the social
gathering.
The time for His intervention soon
arrived. There stood within the place six water pots; fn these He directed the
servants to fill with water. Then, without audible command or formula of
invocation, as best we know, He caused to be effected a transmutation within
the pots, and when the servants drew therefrom, it was wine, not water that
issued. At a Jewish social gathering, such as was this wedding festival, some
one, usually a relative of the host or hostess, or some other one worthy of the
honor, was made governor of the feast, or, as we say in this day, chairman, or
master of ceremonies. To this functionary the new wine was first served; and
he, calling the bridegroom, who was the real host, asked him why he had
reserved his choice wine till the last, when the usual custom was to serve the
best at the beginning, and the more ordinary later. The immediate result of
this, the first recorded of our Lord's miracles, is thus tersely stated by the
inspired evangelist: "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of
Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on
him." fn
The circumstances incident to the
miraculous act are instructive to contemplate. The presence of Jesus at the
marriage, and His contribution to the successful conduct of the feast, set the
seal of His approval upon the matrimonial relationship and upon the propriety
of social entertainment. He was neither a recluse nor an ascetic; He moved among
men, eating and drinking, as a natural, normal Being. fn On the occasion of the
feast He recognized and heeded the demands of the liberal hospitality of the
times, and provided accordingly. He, who but a few days before had revolted at
the tempter's suggestion that He provide bread for His impoverished body, now
used His power to supply a luxury for others. One effect of the miracle was to
confirm the trust of those whose belief in Him as the Messiah was yet young and
untried. "His disciples believed on him"; surely they had believed in
some measure before, otherwise they would not have followed Him; but their
belief was now strengthened and made to approach, if indeed it did not attain,
the condition of abiding faith in their Lord. The comparative privacy attending
the manifestation is impressive; the moral and spiritual effect was for the
few, the inauguration of the Lord's ministry was not to be marked by public
display.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 135.)
Early Incidents in our Lord’s Public Ministry
The early class discussed D&C
38-40, The Law of Consecration (D&C 38) Fast Offerings and the PEF, be
generous!! Also the life of James
Covill, he had many blessings that he lost through disobedience and doubt, how
do I compare in my life?
Rich Rewards Promised
James Covill, the clergyman, was
informed that the Lord had looked upon him and his works and, at that time, his
heart was right before him. (Ibid., 39:7-8.) There had been times in the
past, however, when the things of the world had brought sorrow into Mr.
Covill's life. Notice the important fact made known in verse 6 that if this man
would accept Jesus as his Savior, the Holy Ghost, which he had not received,
would give him the "peaceable things of the kingdom." It would seem
from the circumstances which brought this clergyman to the Prophet, that he was
not at peace. There were unanswered questions and difficulties which had not
been resolved in his mind.
In applying this idea to us who are
members of the kingdom, how may we receive peace of mind? A function of the
Holy Ghost is to give to the son or daughter of Jesus Christ a sense of security,
peace, and joy. This satisfaction comes by having the influence of the Holy
Spirit through living the laws of the gospel, just as James Covill was promised
"a blessing so great as you never have known" (Ibid., 39:10)
by his adherence to the same laws.
A greater work in teaching the
fulness of the gospel than the work in which he had formerly engaged was before
Covill, predicated upon his obedience. His contribution would be to assist in
moving the kingdom forward that, eventually,
Our forefathers were gathered from
out of the world that they might eventually receive eternal life. Mr. Covill
was promised that he could participate in this great undertaking of gathering
The Rejection of a Covenant
Notwithstanding that great blessings
were promised James Covill upon his acceptance of the true gospel, he did not
have sufficient faith in the Redeemer to accept his counsel. The day of his
deliverance from the sorrows of the world was at hand (ibid., 39:10),
provided he would be obedient. But Covill returned to his former principles and
people, and of him the Lord said:
Behold, verily I say unto you, that
the heart of my servant James Covill was right before me, for he covenanted
with me that he would obey my word.
And he received the word with
gladness, but straightway Satan tempted him; and the fear of persecution and
the cares of the world caused him to reject the word.
Wherefore he broke my covenant, and
it remaineth with me to do with him as seemeth me good. Amen. (Ibid.,
40:1-3.)
James Covill was a covenant breaker.
It is apparent that his former weaknesses gained ascendancy over the gladness
which came into his heart, and he succumbed to fear. It was a fear of
persecution and the cares of the world. Unmindful of the beatitude of promised
blessings to those who are persecuted for righteousnes sake (for their reward
was to be an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven), Covill's actions were not
motivated to this extent. (Matt. 5:10-12.) The fear that he might not be able
to provide for himself temporally, also was a factor in his rejection of the
gospel.
Blessings Predicated upon Obedience
Judgment of all such individuals is
in the hands of the Lord. There have been many in the world who have come to
the threshold of the
I preach three sermons every week and
execute other ministerial duties, but I never preach anything contrary to the
doctrines of "Mormonism," not designedly but necessarily, because I
see the fundamentals of Holy Scripture are the same as those restored by what
people call "Mormonism."
He then posed this question:
What is to become of such as me, who
believes this about you, and yet are tied and bound by circumstances such as
mine?
The President of the Church wrote:
In answer to the question, "What
is to become of such as me?" let it be said that every person will receive
his just reward for the good he may do and for his every act. But let it be
remembered that all blessings which we shall receive, either here or hereafter,
must come to us as a result of our obedience to the laws of God upon which
these blessings are predicated. Our friend will not be forgotten for the
kindness he has extended to the work and the servants of the Lord, but will be
remembered of Him and rewarded for his faith and for every good deed and word.
But there are many blessings that result from obeying the ordinances of the
gospel, and acknowledging the priesthood authorized by the Father and restored
to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that cannot be obtained,
until the person is willing to comply with the ordinances and keep the
commandments revealed in our day for the salvation of mankind. The true
searcher will see and understand this truth and act upon it, either in this
world or in the world to come, and not until then, of course, may he claim all
the blessings. The earlier he accepts, the earlier will he obtain the blessings,
and if he neglects to accept the laws, in this world, knowing them to be true,
it is reasonable to suppose that disadvantages will result that will cause him
deep regret. (Improvement Era, November 1912, 71-72.)
(Roy W. Doxey, The Doctrine and
Covenants Speaks [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1964], 1: 213.)
The 4 Gospels each record Christ
cleansing the temple once; however Matthew, Mark, and Luke report the incident
during his last week, while John records it in the beginning of His ministry.
(Matthew 21:12-17.)
12 ¶ And Jesus went into
the
13 And said unto them, It
is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a
den of thieves.
14 And the blind and the
lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15 And when the chief
priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children
crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore
displeased,
16 And said unto him,
Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never
read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?
17 ¶ And he left them, and
went out of the city into
Jesus Cleanseth the
See John 2:13-17. Near the beginning
of his public ministry, at the time of the Passover, Jesus had gained general
attention by driving from the temple those who made merchandise in his Father's
house. Now, during the last week of his mortal ministry, quoting what he
himself as the Lord Jehovah had said through Isaiah (Isa. 56:7), "Mine
house shall be called an house of prayer," he again exercised his divine
prerogative to cleanse that which was both his and his Father's.
Then, having with physical force
driven the wicked from the holy sanctuary, he remained to heal, teach, and
receive again from believing disciples a renewal of the same acclaim, hosannas,
and vocal acceptance of his divine Sonship, as he previously accepted while
entering
14. From these adult "children of
the kingdom," these members of the Church who through repentance and
baptism had become "newborn babes" in Christ (1 Pet. 2:2), came
"perfected praise." How could such come from any except those who had
knowledge and who were subject to the dictates of the Holy Spirit?
Mark 11:18-19. During the day, when
the people thronged around him, Jesus taught openly in the temple, and his
enemies feared to arrest him. At night, when the people returned to their
homes, Jesus retired quietly to
(Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1:
585.).
Matthew 11:20-24 – The cursing of
the 3 cities who rejected His teachings.
Bruce went into a detailed lesson of where the cities were located the
excavations over the last 25 years. See the map titled Jesus’ Galilean Ministry.
Christ performed miracles at
(JST Luke 10:12-17)
12 But I say unto you,
That it shall be more tolerable in the day of judgment for
13 Then began he to
upbraid the people in every city wherein his mighty works were done, who
received him not, saying,
14 Woe unto thee,
Chorazin! Woe unto thee,
15 But it shall be more
tolerable for
16 And thou,
17 And he said unto his
disciples, He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you,
despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him who sent me.
Priestcraft was the main problem. A lot of traditions have been added to
Passover since Christ’s time. The
priests charged fees for everything associated with the
It would be like going to our temple
and being charged $100 or renting clothes for a session!
(2 Nephi 10:3-5.)
3 Wherefore, as I said
unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the
angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews,
among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify
him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that
would crucify their God.
4 For should the mighty
miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be
their God.
5 But because of
priestcrafts and iniquities, they at
(2 Nephi 26:29.)
29 He commandeth that
there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach
and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and
praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.
A small group made a lot of money
and held great power, no concern for the poor.
This was one reason why robber groups formed.
Legal and Social Perspectives on
Robbers in First-Century
John W. Welch
Robbers, bandits, zealots, Sicarii,
and other groups operating outside of normal legal channels were prominent
features on the political landscape in and around the Roman
There are two viewpoints concerning
such rebels. As robbers or bandits, they appear very different from one perspective
than from the other. Government officials, who generally favor law and order,
see robbers as an extremely negative element in society. Legally, they perceive
robbers as violent, destructive criminals, whose very existence threatens the
public order. Not surprisingly, Josephus, who wrote his histories to please his
Roman patrons, presents a very negative view of antiestablishment operators.
The average citizen in the city or village however, probably viewed these bands
of fighters much more favorably. To the oppressed or disempowered, social
bandits like Robin Hood can become sympathetic folk heroes who set out at all
cost to right what they and many of their fellow citizens perceive to be
fundamental wrongs. Without understanding both sides of this explosive social
and political phenomenon, observers will never come to grips with the essence
of the dynamics behind
The Legal Establishment’s View
Considerable evidence allows us to
reconstruct a profile of what it meant to be a robber under most legal systems
in the ancient world. Especially interesting is the distinction between being a
thief and being a robber. In ancient times, a thief was a fairly innocuous
person, primarily perceived as a local person who worked alone and stole in
secret from his neighbor. He was dealt with judicially; he was tried and
punished civilly (usually by monetary fines), most often by a court composed of
his fellow townspeople. Robbers, on the other hand, were typically outsiders,
brigands or highwaymen who attacked in groups with open and deadly force. When
possible, robbers were dealt with militarily. In most instances, the army was
responsible to rid the countryside of robbers, and such outlaws could be
executed summarily without any legal recourse.
The legal concepts of theft and
robbery in the ancient world have been analyzed most thoroughly by BernardS.
In Hebrew, the terms gazal (to rob)
and gazlan (robber) normally mean taking property openly and blatantly, while
the words ganab (to steal) and gannab (thief) usually connote stealing in
secret. fn Similarly, the Greek term kleptes "is used to describe a
stealthy person who, without violence, deprives another person of his
property," whereas by contrast, "in the Old Testament and Apocrypha,
a l+stw [leøsteøs] is always a brigand, a marauder, a member of a gang whose
activity takes place out of doors. He belongs to a troop that attacks caravans
or settlements with weapons and robs them of their goods." fn According to
Jackson, this distinction between secret and open taking became a "firmly
distinguished" and "clearly established" point of law in
rabbinic Judaism in the first and second centuries a.d. fn
A gazlan is typically an outsider,
whereas a gannab is an insider who belongs to and lives within the same
community as his victim. fn The terminology might change from culture to
culture, but ancient languages regularly used two different words to convey the
persistent social and legal distinction between neighborhood thieves and
outside bands of robbers. fn
Robbers normally acted with force and
violence, while thieves were usually unseen and did not harm their victims. fn
Indeed, robbery was "usually committed by a group"; the Hebrew word
gedud, meaning "bandit" (literally, "band"), conveys the collective
character of these groups. fn In early Roman law, the use of a gang was vital
to the definition of brigandage. fn The laws of some peoples even provided
numerical tests for distinguishing thieves (acting alone or in very small
groups) from robbers (working in a group large enough to be considered a band).
fn
Some of these groups were organized
as "professionals," with recognized leaders and rules of the pack.
Achilles Tatius describes one very large militant band with a leader called
"king." fn Where the men in these bands had come from is not often
clear, but Lutz speculates they were dissidents, foreigners, descendants of
foreign mercenaries, and social outcasts—groups begotten especially by
"political, economic, and social conditions [that] made for a distinct
class of human dross." fn
(Masada and Life in First-Century
Judea, BYU Studies, vol. 36 (1996-97), Number 3--1996-97.)
The Story of Nicodemus
The Savior’s 1st teaching
is the Spiritual Rebirth process. This
story is only recorded by John.
JESUS AND NICODEMUS
That the wonderful deeds wrought by
Christ at and about the time of this memorable Passover had led some of the
learned, in addition to many of the common people, to believe in Him, is
evidenced by the fact that Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee in profession and who
occupied a high place as one of the rulers of the Jews, came to Him on an
errand of inquiry. There is significance in the circumstance that this visit
was made at night. Apparently the man was impelled by a genuine desire to learn
more of the Galilean, whose works could not be ignored; though pride of office
and fear of possible suspicion that he had become attached to the new Prophet
led him to veil his undertaking with privacy. fn Addressing Jesus by the title
he himself bore, and which he regarded as one of honor and respect, he said:
"Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do
these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." fn Whether his
use of the plural pronoun "we" indicates that he was sent by the Sanhedrin,
or by the society of Pharisees—the members of which were accustomed to so
speak, as representatives of the order—or was employed in the rhetorical sense
as indicating himself alone, is of little importance. He acknowledged Jesus as
a "teacher come from God," and gave reasons for so regarding Him.
Whatever of feeble faith might have been stirring in the heart of the man, such
was founded on the evidence of miracles, supported mainly by the psychological
effect of signs and wonders. We must accord him credit for sincerity and
honesty of purpose.
Without waiting for specific
questions, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
The surprise manifested by Nicodemus
was probably due, in part at least, to the universality of the requirement as
announced by Christ. Were the children of Abraham included? The traditionalism
of centuries was opposed to any such view. Pagans had to be born again through
a formal acceptance of Judaism, if they would become even small sharers of the
blessings that belonged as a heritage to the house of
Jesus repeated the declaration, and
with precision, emphasizing by the impressive "Verily, verily," the
greatest lesson that had ever saluted the ears of this ruler in
Rabbi and eminent Sanhedrist though
he was, there at the humble lodging of the Teacher from
The purpose of the foreappointed
death of the Son of Man was: "That whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have eternal life"; for to this end, and out of His boundless
love to man had the Father devoted His Only Begotten Son. And further, while it
was true that in His mortal advent the Son had not come to sit as a judge, but
to teach, persuade and save, nevertheless condemnation would surely follow
rejection of that Savior, for light had come, and wicked men avoided the light,
hating it in their preference for the darkness in which they hoped to hide
their evil deeds. Here again, perhaps, Nicodemus experienced a twinge of
conscience, for had not he been afraid to come in the light, and had he not
chosen the dark hours for his visit? Our Lord's concluding words combined both
instruction and reproof: "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light that
his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
The narrative of this interview
between Nicodemus and the Christ constitutes one of our most instructive and
precious scriptures relating to the absolute necessity of unreserved compliance
with the laws and ordinances of the gospel, as the means indispensable to
salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, through whom alone men may
gain eternal life; the forsaking of sin by resolute turning away from the gross
darkness of evil to the saving light of righteousness; the unqualified
requirement of a new birth through baptism in water, and this of necessity by
the mode of immersion, since otherwise the figure of a birth would be
meaningless; and the completion of the new birth through baptism by the
Spirit—all these principles are taught herein in such simplicity and plainness
as to make plausible no man's excuse for ignorance.
If Jesus and Nicodemus were the only
persons present at the interview, John, the writer, must have been informed
thereof by one of the two. As John was one of the early disciples, afterward
one of the apostles, and as he was distinguished in the apostolic company by
his close personal companionship with the Lord, it is highly probable that he
heard the account from the lips of Jesus. It was evidently John's purpose to
record the great lesson of the occasion rather than to tell the circumstantial
story. The record begins and ends with equal abruptness; unimportant incidents
are omitted; every line is of significance; the writer fully realized the deep
import of his subject and treated it accordingly. Later mention of Nicodemus
tends to confirm the estimate of the man as he appears in this meeting with
Jesus—that of one who was conscious of a belief in the Christ, but whose belief
was never developed into such genuine and virile faith as would impel to
acceptance and compliance irrespective of cost or consequence. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 149.)
One must be born again to comprehend
the gospel of Jesus Christ; you must have the ordinances of the gospel, which
includes the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
Understanding the
Verse 6 – You are spiritually dead,
you must be spiritually born again.
Verse 9 – It isn’t visible yet it’s
literal, how do we gain spiritual life?
By being quickened by the Spirit!
Teachings
Concerning
Spiritual Rebirth
The Necessity of Spiritual Rebirth
John 3:1-8
1 THERE was a man of the
Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus
by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from
God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said
unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto
him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into
his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of
the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said
unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where
it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Moses 6:58-61
58 Therefore I give unto
you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
59 That by reason of
transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye
were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have
made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born
again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be
cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be
sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and
eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;
60 For by the water ye
keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are
sanctified;
61 Therefore it is given
to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of
immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things,
which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all
power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.
Mosiah 27:25-26
25 And the Lord said unto
me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds,
tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from
their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of
God, becoming his sons and daughters;
26 And thus they
become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the
kingdom of God.
Alma 7:14
14 Now I say unto you that
ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not
born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be
baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may
have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is
mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
Joseph Smith
But except a man be born
again, he cannot see the
Bruce R. McConkie
Such is the plan of
salvation for all men in all ages. Adam fell and brought death--both temporal
death and spiritual death--into the world. The effects of his fall passed upon
all men; all die temporally, and all are subject to spiritual death. Spiritual
death is to die as pertaining to the things of the Spirit, as pertaining to
things of righteousness. If men are to live again as pertaining to the things
of righteousness, they must receive a spiritual rebirth. (The Mortal Messiah,
1:473)
What Is Spiritual
Rebirth?
Moses 6:64-65
64 And it came to pass,
when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord,
and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the
water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.
65 And thus he was
baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was
born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. [The word quicken
is defined in the Noah Webster's 1828 An American Dictionary of the English
Language as "To become alive."]
Harold B. Lee
[Quotes Moses 6:65] Now
there is a definition of what it means to be born again. It means to be
quickened in the inner man. That's another way of saying it. (Stand Ye In
Holy Places, p.54)
Mosiah 5:7
And now because of the
covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his
sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you;
for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name;
therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
Harold B. Lee
[Quotes Mosiah 5:7]
There's another explanation: when our hearts are changed through faith on his
name, we are born again. (Stand Ye In Holy Places, p.55)
Mosiah 27:25-29
25 And the Lord said unto
me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds,
tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from
their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of
God, becoming his sons and daughters;
26 And thus they
become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit
the kingdom of God
27 I say unto you, unless
this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to
be cast off.
28 Nevertheless, after
wandering through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in
mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born
of God.
29 My soul hath
been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I
was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My
soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained
no more.
Alma 5:14
14 And now behold, I ask
of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have
ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced
this mighty change in your hearts?
Bruce R. McConkie
There is a natural birth,
and there is a spiritual birth. The natural birth is to die as pertaining to
premortal life, to leave the heavenly realms where all spirits dwell in the
Divine Presence, and to begin a new life, a mortal life, a life here on earth.
The natural birth creates a natural man, and the natural man is an enemy to
God. In his fallen state he is carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature.
Appetites and passions govern his life and he is alive -- acutely so -- to all that
is evil and wicked in the world.
The spiritual birth comes after the natural birth. It is to die as
pertaining to worldliness and carnality and to become a new creature by the
power of the Spirit. It is to begin a new life, a life in which we bridle our
passions and control our appetites, a life of righteousness, a spiritual life.
Whereas we were in a deep abyss of darkness, now we are alive in Christ and
bask in the shining rays of his everlasting light. Such is the new birth the
second birth, the birth into the household of Christ. (A New Witness for the
Articles of Faith, p.282)
Spiritually Rebirth Comes Through
Ordinances
Joseph Smith
Being born again, comes
by the Spirit of God through ordinances. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, p.162)
Marion G. Romney
One is born again by
actually receiving and experiencing the light and power inherent in the gift of
the Holy Ghost. ("The Light of Christ," Ensign, May 1977, p.
44.)
John 3:5
5 Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Harold B. Lee
The Master's admonition
to Nicodemus, who came confessing Jesus as a teacher come of God, and
undoubtedly seeking to know, like so many others who are true seekers after
truth, just what he must do to be saved. He was told that he must be born again
if he would see the
This new birth, then, was
to be accomplished through the medium of baptism by immersion and by the laying
on of hands for the conferring of the Holy Ghost, as the disciples,
thereafter as they went out among the people, administered these sacred
ordinances. (Conference Report, April 1961, p.32)
Moses 6:64-65
64 And it came to pass,
when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord,
and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the
water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.
65 And thus he was
baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was
born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.
Joseph Fielding Smith
- We must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; we
must be born again; we must have sin and iniquity burned out of our souls
as though by fire; we must gain a new creation by the power of the Holy
Ghost. ("The Plan of Salvation," Ensign, Nov. 1971, p. 5)
- This second death is not, then, the dissolution
or annihilation of both spirit and body, but banishment from the presence
of God and from partaking of the things of righteousness.In speaking of
the transgression of Adam, the Lord has said: "Wherefore, I, the Lord
God, caused that he should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my
presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually
dead, which is the first death, even that same death which is the last
death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when
I shall say: Depart, ye cursed." The second death is spiritual;
it is banishment from the presence of the Lord. It is similar to the first
spiritual death, which has passed upon all men who have remained
unrepentant and who have not received the gospel. Those who have suffered
the first spiritual death or departure, which is a shutting out from the
presence of God, have the privilege of being redeemed from this death
through obedience to the principles of the gospel. Through baptism and
confirmation they are born again and thus come back into spiritual life,
and through their continued obedience to the end, they shall be made
partakers of the blessings of eternal life in the celestial
Mark E. Petersen
We receive confirmation
by the laying on of hands and are given the gift of the Holy Ghost. But we must
remember that in that ordinance we also receive a newness of life. If we are
sincere, we are literally born again. In a very real sense we become different
and better persons. We receive a new heart. We put away the man of sin, as Paul
describes it, and take upon ourselves the name and the image of Christ (see
Col. 3:9-10). ["The Image of a Church Leader," Ensign, Aug.
1980, p. 5]
Bruce R. McConkie
- The first death, in point of time, was spiritual.
Spiritual death is to die as pertaining to the things of the Spirit; it is
to die as pertaining to the things of righteousness; it is to be cast out
of the presence of the Lord, in which presence spirituality and
righteousness abound. Adam died this death when he left
- If a man "yields to the enticings of the
Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through
the atonement of Christ the Lord" (Mosiah
Spiritual Rebirth Is Most
Often Gradual Process
Bruce R. McConkie
- Sometimes men are born again
miraculously and suddenly, as was
- Except in miraculous and unusual
circumstances, as with
Merrill J. Bateman
For most of us, trying to
be Christlike is a lifelong process and comes "line upon line, precept
upon precept" (2 Ne. 28:30). Most of us, if faithful, are baptized
"with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites … were baptized
… and they knew it not" (3 Ne.
What Are the Signs of
Spiritual Rebirth?
See "What Is
Spiritual Rebirth?" Above
George Q. Cannon
We need to be born again,
and have new hearts put in us. There is too much of the old leaven about us. We
are not born again as we should be. Do you not believe that we ought to be born
again? Do you not believe that we should become new creatures in Christ Jesus,
under the influence of the Gospel? All will say, yes, who understand the
Gospel. You must be born again. You must have new desires, new hearts, so to
speak, in you. But what do we see? We see men following the ways of the world
just as much as though they made no pretensions to being Latter-day Saints.
Hundreds of people who are called Latter-day Saints you could not distinguish
from the world. They have the same desires, the same feelings, the same
aspirations, the same passions as the rest of the world. Is this how God wants
us to be? No; He wants us to have new hearts, new desires. He wants us to be a
changed people when we embrace His Gospel, and to be animated by entirely new
motives, and have a faith that will lay hold of the promises of God. (Conference
Report, October 1899, p.50)
Harold B. Lee
To become converted,
according to the scriptures, meant having a change of heart and the moral
character of a person turned from the controlled power of sin into a righteous
life. It meant to "wait patiently on the Lord" until one's prayers
can be answered. . . .
Conversion must mean more
than just being a "card carrying" member of the Church with a tithing
receipt, a membership card, a temple recommend, etc. It means to overcome the
tendencies to criticize and to strive continually to improve inward weaknesses
and not merely the outward appearances. (Conference Report, 1971April, p. 92)
Marion G. Romney
While conversion may be
accomplished in stages, one is not really converted in the full sense of the
term unless and until he is at heart a new person. Born again is the scriptural
term.
In one who is wholly
converted, desire for things inimical to the gospel of Jesus Christ has
actually died, and substituted therefore is a love of God with a fixed and
controlling determination to keep his commandments. (Look to God and Live,
p. 109)
Marion G. Romney
Now since eternal life is
the greatest of all the gifts of God, and obtaining it is conditioned upon
being converted and healed, it is vital that we who are seeking eternal life
understand what it means to be converted and healed. Converted means to turn
from one belief or course of action to another. Conversion is a spiritual and
moral change. Converted implies not merely mental acceptance of Jesus and his
teachings but also a motivating faith in him and his gospel. A faith which
works a transformation, an actual change in one's understanding of life's
meaning and in his allegiance to God in interest, in thought, and in conduct.
In one who is really wholly converted, desire for things contrary to the gospel
of Jesus Christ has actually died. And substituted therefore is a love of God,
with a fixed and controlling determination to keep his commandments.
Paul said that such an
one would walk in newness of life. (See Romans 6:4.) Peter taught that by
walking in this newness of life and developing within himself faith, virtue,
knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity,
one becomes a partaker of the divine nature. (See 2 Pet.1:4-7.) That is to say,
he becomes like God. [Area Conference Report (
Dallin H. Oaks
How can we measure our
progress? The scriptures suggest various ways. I will mention only two.
After King Benjamin's
great sermon, many of his hearers cried out that the Spirit of the Lord
"has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more
disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). If we
are losing our desire to do evil, we are progressing toward our heavenly goal.
The Apostle Paul said
that persons who have received the Spirit of God "have the mind of
Christ" (1 Cor.
J. Richard Clarke
From the pages of our
missionary journal comes an event repeated often throughout the missions of the
Church. John and Shirley Withers were successful advertising executives. They
were on the fast track, indulging themselves in worldly pleasures. When
contacted by our missionaries, they were impressed by their clean, sparkling
countenances so unlike other young men they had known.
Previous behavior became
incompatible with gospel principles. A [page 10] new set of priorities and
values replaced worldly interests. Alcohol and tobacco habits became
expendable, although with great effort. Modesty became the dress standard.
Prayer, scripture study, Relief Society and priesthood service became the
focus. They were baptized and received the Holy Ghost.
As Sister Clarke and I,
with some of our missionaries, assembled in the
Dramatic Spiritual
Manifestations Not Necessary in Spiritual Rebirth
Harold B. Lee
The question, then, that
sometimes we wrestle with is must there always be a visible, spiritual
manifestation before one might be said to be born of the Spirit? We have some
very dramatic incidents in which this is illustrated including the Apostle
Paul's theophany, when he heard and he saw, in his conversion. And perhaps that
experience is only matched by the great conversion of younger
"For, said he, I
have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born
of the Spirit.
"And the Lord said
unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations,
kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed
from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed
of God, becoming his sons and daughters;"
Then he describes a
little more intimately his experience:
". . . I ask you, my
brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received
his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your
hearts?
"I say unto you, ye
will know at that day that ye cannot be saved, for there can no man be saved
except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until
they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been
spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their
sins." (
And then, again, he
summarizes and ecstatically tells us about how he felt:
"And oh, what joy,
and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filed with joy as
exceeding as was my pain!
"Yea, I say unto
you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my
pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can
be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my Joy.
"Yea, methought I
saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with
numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their
God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.
"But behold, my
limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did
manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.
"Yea, and now from
that time even until now I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring
souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of
which I did taste; that they might also be born of God and be filled with the
Holy Ghost." (
There are some of us who
think that that same kind of experience has to be experienced by everybody, or
he can't be saved. I once ran into a very serious situation where one of our
teachers had inflamed some women, in a class he was teaching, until they almost
had the kind of feeling that they had to have some kind of demonstration or
else they hadn't been born of the Spirit.
Another story that some
people who support that idea recite is the conversion of Lorenzo Snow.
President Snow had been a young college student; when he finally had an
intellectual conviction of the truth, he sought for a deep-seated testimony,
which he had not had at his baptism. And so, he reported, he went out one night
to pray. This is how he describes the experience:
"It was a complete
baptism, a tangible immersion in the heavenly principle or element, the Holy
Ghost, and even more real and physical in its effect upon my system, than the
immersion of water. Dispelling forever, as long as reason and memory last, all
possibility of doubt and fear in relation to the fact handed down to us
historically, that the babe of Bethlehem is truly the Son of God; also
communicating knowledge, the same as in apostolic times."
Now, I repeat, because of
some of these dramatic experiences, some of our teachers jump to the conclusion
that one isn't born of the Spirit until he has had some such dramatic
experience. (Stand Ye In Holy Places, p.59-60)
Bruce R. McConkie
Though there may be
miraculous manifestations attending specific instances of spiritual rebirth,
such are in addition to the actual fact of being "born of the
Spirit." When the Holy Ghost falls upon a worthy recipient, it has the
effect of pouring out pure intelligence upon him; all is calm and serene; the
still small voice speaks peace to the spirit within man; and the sanctifying,
cleansing power of the Spirit begins to manifest itself. (Teachings, pp.
149-150.) [Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:142]
Those Spiritually Reborn
Have Overcome the World
Bruce R. McConkie
Those who are born of the
Spirit thereby -- that is, by virtue of their spiritual rebirth -- overcome the
world. They die as to carnality and evil; they live as to spirituality and
godliness. And it all comes to pass because they have faith in Christ.
"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God," John
says. Those who are born anew love the Lord and keep his commandments.
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. ... For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith." There is no way to overcome the world
except by turning to Christ and his gospel. It is by living the gospel that men
forsake the world and are born again. "Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (A New
Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.289)
Those Spiritually Reborn
Become the Sons and Daughters of Christ
Mosiah 5:7
7 And now, because of the
covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his
sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you;
for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore,
ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
Bruce R. McConkie
Those who are born again
not only live a new life, but they also have a new father. Their new life is
one of righteousness, and their new father is God. They become the sons of God;
or, more particularly, they become the sons and daughters of Jesus Christ. They
bear, ever thereafter, the name of their new parent; that is, they take upon
themselves the name of Christ and become Christians, not only in word but in
very deed. They become by adoption the seed or offspring of Christ, the
children in his family, the members of his household which is the perfect
household of perfect faith. And further: Having become the sons of God
(Christ), they also become joint-heirs with him of the fulness of the glory of
the Father, thus becoming by adoption the sons of God the Father.
John tells us that the
Lord Jesus, who came in time's meridian unto his own, was rejected by them.
"But as many as received him as their Messiah and Savior, "to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
(John 1:12.) Speaking of that same meridian day, the same Lord said in our day:
"To as many as received me, gave I power to become my sons." Be it
noted that true believers are not automatically born to a newness of life by
the mere fact of belief alone. That belief and that acceptance of the Savior
gives them power to become the sons of God. And in our day the divine word
continues: "Even so will I give unto as many as will receive me, power to
become my sons." And how are those who receive the Lord identified? By way
of answer, he tells us: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth
my gospel receiveth me; and he that receiveth not my gospel receiveth not
me." (D&C 39:4-5.) Those who have accepted the fulness of the
everlasting gospel as it has come again in our day through the instrumentality
of Joseph Smith have power to become the sons of God; those who reject this
heaven-sent message of salvation reject that Lord whose message it is and
remain outside the Lord's family.
In addressing a
congregation of contrite and penitent Nephites, King Benjamin, using that
simplicity of speech and clarity of expression in which Book of Mormon prophets
so excel, said to his fellow saints: "Because of the covenant which ye
have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his
daughters." They thus gain a new father, and he gains new children.
"For behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you." Their new
birth is not a natural but a spiritual birth. "For ye say that your hearts
are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have
become his sons and his daughters."
Thus it is that the
saints are born of Christ because they have been born of the Spirit; they are
alive in Christ because they enjoy the companionship of the Spirit, and they
are members of his family because they are clean as he is clean. "And
under this head ye are made free" -- being in Christ, they are free from
the bondage of sin -- "and there is no other head [other than Christ our
Head] whereby ye can be made free." Only those who accept Christ and receive
the Spirit can free themselves from the sins of the world. "There is no
other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should
take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant
with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives." (Mosiah
5:7-8.)
Those who receive the
Lord Jesus and believe in their hearts that he is the Son of God by whom
salvation comes; those who then covenant in the waters of baptism to serve him
and keep his commandments; those who believe the gospel and are members of the
earthly kingdom -- these are the ones who have power to become his sons and
daughters. Thus they are the ones who take upon themselves his name.
In our day the divine
word from the Lord Jesus commands: "Take upon you the name of Christ, and
speak the truth in soberness. Behold, Jesus Christ is the name which is given
of the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved;
wherefore, all men must take upon them the name which is given of the Father,
for in that name shall they be called at the last day; wherefore, if they know
not the name by which they are called, they cannot have place in the kingdom of
my Father." (D&C 18:21-25.)
It was ever thus. Isaiah
prophesied of the "seed" of Christ. (Isaiah 53:10.) Abinadi says
"his seed" consists of the prophets and saints who hearken to his
word, who believe he will "redeem his people," who gain "a
remission of their sins," and who are thus "heirs of the
Our theologically gifted
friend Paul teaches the doctrine of spiritual rebirth and of becoming sons and
daughters of both the Father and the Son, explaining that true believers,
converted souls, righteous saints, those who are born again, "walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit." To walk after the manner of the
flesh is to live after the manner of the world; to walk after the manner of the
Spirit is to overcome the world and live by the standards of the gospel.
"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh"
-- they live carnal and evil lives -- but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit. Theirs is a godly course of conduct. "For to be
carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: so then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God." The Lord cannot look upon sin with the least
degree of allowance. Those who live after the manner of the flesh are damned;
those who bridle their passions and overcome the world are saved.
As to the saints of God,
Paul says: "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that
the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his." In the full and eternal sense even in the true church,
only those saints who enjoy the companionship of the Spirit belong to the Lord;
they are the only ones who are the Lord's people in the sense of gaining
salvation. "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but
the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you -- if you have the companionship of
the Holy Ghost -- he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Ye shall be born
again; ye shall become new creatures of the Holy Ghost; your bodies shall be
quickened, shall be made new shall become fit tabernacles in which the Spirit
may dwell. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
after the flesh." The saints must not live in sin. "For if ye live
after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live." Those who live after the manner of the
world are spiritually dead; those who control the appetites of the flesh and
pursue a godly course are alive spiritually. "For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear." Ye are made free from the bondage of sin
through Christ. "But ye have received the Spirit of adoption [of sonship],
whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Abba is an Aramaic word that means father;
the meaning here is that we sense and feel our newly found relationship with
God the Father and hence feel free to address him in a friendly and familiar
way.
"The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." That is,
because we have been adopted into the family of Christ, because we have taken
his name upon us, and because he has accepted us in full, we are also accepted
by his Father. We become joint-heirs with the Son. We are adopted into a state
of sonship by the Father. Christ is his natural heir, and as adopted sons, we
become joint-heirs, receiving, inheriting, and possessing as does the Natural
Heir. Because we conform "to the image of his Son," we are also
"glorified" with him. (Romans 8:4-30.) And thus in like manner, the
inhabitants of all worlds "are begotten sons and daughters unto God"
the Father through the atonement of Christ the Son. (D&C 76:24.) [A New
Witness for the Articles of Faith, pp. 284-287]
Spiritual Rebirth the
Beginning of Righteousness
Bruce R. McConkie
"How can these
things be?" Nicodemus asked. 'How can the water of baptism, and the Spirit
of the Lord, and the blood of the Only Begotten, constitute a birth into the
kingdom of heaven? How can the serene and calm influence of the Spirit--the
still small voice, as it were--descend, as from nowhere, upon a human soul?'
"Art thou a master
of
D&C 109:14-15
14 And do thou grant, Holy
Father, that all those who shall worship in this house may be taught words of
wisdom out of the best books, and that they may seek learning even by study,
and also by faith, as thou hast said;
15 And that they
may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost . . .
Beginning of the 2nd set of classes
Woman at Jacob’s Well
May 12, 2005
The 4 Gospels cover about 33-35 days
out of a 3 year period! Study what they
are trying to teach!
Jesus the Christ = Jesus the
Anointed, meaning He was consecrated, and set apart for His ministry. But what was He to do??
Bruce again emphasized the importance
of studying the 4 gospels separately not harmonizing what they are trying to
teach us, we may miss the message each is trying to convey. He also described his conversion between his
junior and senior year in High School.
The trip to
Bruce reviewed each chapter from last
class, he said to study chapter 3 and teach it, “The Need for a Redeemer”, and
information has come to light that makes chapter 6 dated. We don’t know as much now as Elder Talmage
thought in the early 20th century.
Christ wasn’t trained for the
ministry like the Priests, Scribes, and those serving on Councils. His power and authority came from His
Father. In order for people to listen He
performed miracles, people would come to hear Him and be taught.
(John 3:1-2.)
1 There was a man of the
Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus
by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from
God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Rabbi = Master
(John 2:23-25.)
23 ¶ Now when he was in
24 But Jesus did not
commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any
should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.
(John 20:30-31.)
30 ¶ And many other signs
truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this
book:
31 But these are written,
that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through his name.
One of the greatest gifts of the
Holy Ghost is to teach us UNDERSTANDING!
(Matthew 16:13-17.)
13 ¶ When Jesus came into
the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men
say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say
that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one
of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But
whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven
Verse 13 – coasts = border, Caesarea
Philippi is inland by mountains.
(Matthew 16:22.)
22 Then Peter took him,
and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be
unto thee.
Peter had a testimony of who Jesus
was, but he didn’t know what it meant, how do you use a testimony?
Luke 9;51 – Christ turns toward
Jerusalem, chapters 10-19 was the journey toward the city, He stops and tells a
parable (Luke 19:11), I won’t be back for quite awhile, the Millennium. He taught them to pray for the kingdom to
come (Luke 11).
Bruce quickly reviewed the contents
of the last chapters of Jesus the Christ to show the end of His mortal ministry
and the beginning of His resurrected ministry, preparing for the 2nd
coming and Millennium.
Luke
One person does understand the
Lord’s purpose here on earth, Mary the sister to Martha and Lazarus, Matthew
26:7-13 and John 11:2.
The Apostles finally understood near
the very end of Christ’s mortal ministry and gained much further insight during
the 40 day ministry.
(Joseph Smith-Matthew: 1.)
1 For I say unto you, that
ye shall not see me henceforth and know that I am he of whom it is written by
the prophets, until ye shall say: Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the
Lord, in the clouds of heaven, and all the holy angels with him. Then
understood his disciples that he should come again on the earth, after that he
was glorified and crowned on the right hand of God.
(Acts 1:3-5.)
3 To whom also he shewed
himself alive after his passion by many
infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled
together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye
have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized
with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
According to Andrew Skinner the many
infallible proofs in verse 3 means “sure signs or tokens” this comes from the
Greek word, tekmeriois, (Greek-English
Lexicon, 695). The Garden Tomb,
pg 185.
Christ is Anointed to do the following
- Bring the
- To perform the Atonement for all creation
- To reveal who the Father is – Colossians 1
We worship the Father; miracles show
the correct and true nature of God.
(John 14:1-10.)
1 Let not your heart be
troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are
many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I
am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye
know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him,
Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye
should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have
seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him,
Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him,
Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he
that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew
us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that
I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I
speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Elder
The
Grandeur of God
Elder Jeffery R. Holland
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Nov. 2003, pp. ??
[Note: Original footnotes have been placed within the text.]
Of the many magnificent
purposes served in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, one great
aspect of that mission often goes uncelebrated. His followers did not
understand it fully at the time, and many in modern Christianity do not grasp
it now, but the Savior Himself spoke of it repeatedly and emphatically. It is
the grand truth that in all that Jesus came to say and do, including and
especially in His atoning suffering and sacrifice, He was showing us who and
what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His
children in every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to
reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in
Heaven.
He did this at least in
part because then and now all of us need to know God more fully in order to
love Him more deeply and obey Him more completely. As both Old and New
Testaments declare, "The first of all the commandments is . . . thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first [and great]
commandment" (Mark 12:29-30; see also Matthew 22:37-38; Deuteronomy 6:5).
Little wonder then that
the Prophet Joseph Smith taught: "It is the first principle of the gospel
to know for a certainty the character of God." "I want you all to
know Him," he said, "and to be familiar with Him" (History of
the Church, 6:305.). We must have "a correct idea of his . . .
perfections, and attributes," an admiration for "the excellency of
[His] character" (Lectures on Faith (1985), 38, 42.). Thus the
first phrase we utter in the declaration of our faith is, "We believe in
God, the Eternal Father" (Articles of Faith 1:1.). So, emphatically, did
Jesus. Even as He acknowledged His own singular role in the divine plan, the
Savior nevertheless insisted on this prayerful preamble: "And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee the only true God" (John 17:3).
After generations of
prophets had tried to teach the family of man the will and the way of the
Father, usually with little success, God in His ultimate effort to have us know
Him, sent to earth His Only Begotten and perfect Son, created in His very
likeness and image, to live and serve among mortals in the everyday rigors of
life.
To come to earth with
such a responsibility, to stand in place of Elohim-speaking as He would speak,
judging and serving, loving and warning, forbearing and forgiving as He would
do-this is a duty of such staggering proportions that you and I cannot
comprehend such a thing. But in the loyalty and determination that would be
characteristic of a divine child, Jesus could comprehend it and He did it.
Then, when the praise and honor began to come, He humbly directed all adulation
to the Father.
"The Father . . .
doeth the works," He said in earnest. "The Son can do nothing of
himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever [the Father]
doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 14:10; 5:19). On another
occasion He said: "I speak that which I have seen with my Father."
"I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me." "I
came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me" (John 8:38, 28; 6:38).
I make my own heartfelt
declaration of God our Eternal Father this morning because some in the
contemporary world suffer from a distressing misconception of Him. Among these
there is a tendency to feel distant from the Father, even estranged from Him,
if they believe in Him at all. And if they do believe, many moderns say they
might feel comfortable in the arms of Jesus, but they are uneasy contemplating
the stern encounter of God (see William Barclay, The Mind of Jesus
(1961), especially the chapter "Looking at the Cross" for a
discussion of this modern tendency). Through a misreading (and surely, in some
cases, a mistranslation) of the Bible, these see God the Father and Jesus
Christ His Son as operating very differently, this in spite of the fact that in
both the Old Testament and the New, the Son of God is one and the same, acting
as He always does under the direction of the Father, who is Himself the same
"yesterday, today, and forever" (for example, 1 Ne. 10:18; 2 Nephi
27:23; Moroni 10:19; D&C 20:12).
In reflecting on these
misconceptions we realize that one of the remarkable contributions of the Book
of Mormon is its seamless, perfectly consistent view of divinity throughout
that majestic book. Here there is no Malachi-to-Matthew gap, no pause while we
shift theological gears, no misreading the God who is urgently, lovingly,
faithfully at work on every page of that record from its Old Testament
beginning to its New Testament end. Yes, in an effort to give the world back
its Bible and a correct view of Deity with it, what we have in the Book of
Mormon is a uniform view of God in all His glory and goodness, all His richness
and complexity-including and especially as again demonstrated through a personal
appearance of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
How grateful we are for all
the scriptures, especially the scriptures of the Restoration, that teach us the
majesty of each member of the Godhead. How we would thrill, for example, if all
the world would receive and embrace the view of the Father so movingly
described in the Pearl of Great Price.
There, in the midst of a
grand vision of humankind which heaven opened to his view, Enoch, observing
both the blessings and challenges of mortality, turns his gaze toward the
Father and is stunned to see Him weeping. He says in wonder and amazement to
this most powerful Being in the universe: "How is it that thou canst weep?
. . . Thou art just [and] merciful and kind forever; . . . Peace . . . is the
habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end;
how is it thou canst weep?"
Looking out on the events
of almost any day, God replies: "Behold these thy brethren; they are the
workmanship of mine own hands. . . . I gave unto them . . . [a] commandment,
that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their
Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood.
. . . Wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?"
(Moses 7:29-33, 37)
That single, riveting
scene does more to teach the true nature of God than any theological treatise
could ever convey. It also helps us understand much more emphatically that
vivid moment in the Book of Mormon allegory of the olive tree, when after
digging and dunging, watering and weeding, trimming, pruning, transplanting,
and grafting, the great Lord of the vineyard throws down his spade and his
pruning shears and weeps, crying out to any who would listen, "What could
I have done more for my vineyard?" (Jacob 5:41; see also vv. 47, 49)
What an indelible image
of God's engagement in our lives! What anguish in a parent when His children do
not choose Him nor "the gospel of God" He sent! (Romans 1:1) How easy
to love someone who so singularly loves us!
Of course the
centuries-long drift away from belief in such a perfect and caring Father
hasn't been helped any by the man-made creeds of erring generations which
describe God variously as unknown and unknowable----formless, passionless,
elusive, ethereal, simultaneously everywhere and nowhere at all. Certainly that
does not describe the Being we behold through the eyes of these prophets. Nor
does it match the living, breathing, embodied Jesus of Nazareth who was and is
in "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
[Father]" (Hebrews 1:3; see also 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15).
In that sense Jesus did
not come to improve God's view of man nearly so much as He came to improve
man's view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He
has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the
holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion
to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children,
they still did not fully know-until Christ came.
So feeding the hungry,
healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith-this was Christ
showing us the way of the Father, He who is "merciful and gracious, slow
to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness" (Lectures on Faith,
42). In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, "This
is God's compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own."
In the perfect Son's manifestation of the perfect Father's care, in Their mutual
suffering and shared sorrow for the sins and heartaches of the rest of us, we
see ultimate meaning in the declaration: "For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John
3:16-17).
I bear personal witness
this day of a personal, living God, who knows our names, hears and answers
prayers, and cherishes us eternally as children of His spirit. I testify that
amidst the wondrously complex tasks inherent in the universe, He seeks our
individual happiness and safety above all other godly concerns. We are created
in His very image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26-27; Moses 2:26-27), and Jesus
of Nazareth, His Only Begotten Son in the flesh, came to earth as the perfect
mortal manifestation of His grandeur. In addition to the witness of the
ancients we also have the modern miracle of Palmyra, the appearance of God the
Father and His Beloved Son, the Savior of the world, to the boy prophet Joseph
Smith. I testify of that appearance, and in the words of that prophet I, too,
declare: "Our heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless
in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive. . . .
God does not look on sin with [the least degree of] allowance, but . . . the
nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with
compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our
shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs" (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, Sel Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 257, 240-41).
I bear witness of a God
who has such shoulders. And in the spirit of the holy apostleship, I say as did
one who held this office anciently: "Herein [then] is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one
another"(1 John 4:10)-and to love Him forever, I pray. In the sacred name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
Bruce next discussed the hatred
between the Jews and the Samaritans
BIBLE DICTIONARY
SAMARITANS
The title is used to
describe the people who inhabited
Bruce briefly described where the
story of the woman at Jacobs Well took place, just east of
The story shows how Jesus and
Heavenly Father view people; they are no respecter of persons.
Bruce suggested we read from Joshua
to Malachi and see how God is so kind and loving, different then what people
think, He is not harsh like humans can be.
The Savior was physically thirsty
but when the woman shows an inclination to be taught he forgot his thirst and
began to teach. The woman was in
spiritual trouble, He is willing to bless her life, He comes to save not
condemn. She was looking for the
Messiah, Christ said she could stop her search; He was standing in front of
her!!!
He was led to the woman by
revelation, He asked to do the will of the Father, and so He did.
Christ and the Sabbath
May 19, 2005
(Doctrine and Covenants
38:32-33.)
32 Wherefore, for this
cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there
I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on
high;
33 And from thence,
whosoever I will shall go forth among all nations, and it shall be told them
what they shall do; for I have a great work laid up in store, for Israel shall
be saved, and I will lead them whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my
hand.
Bruce used this verse in the early
class.
Christ was considered a liberal by the scribes, lawyers, and Pharisees of His day.
A PHARISAICAL PLOT
Again on a Sabbath, Jesus went into a
synagog, and saw in the congregation a man whose right hand was withered. fn
There were Pharisees present, and they watched to see whether Jesus would heal
the man, their purpose being to accuse Him if He did so. The Pharisees asked:
"Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?" Our Lord countered their
poorly veiled purpose by asking: "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath
days?" and extended the question, "or to do evil? to save life, or to
kill?" They held their peace, for the question was double-edged. To reply
in the affirmative would have been to justify the work of healing; a negative
answer would have stultified them. He put another question: "What man
shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit
on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then
is a man better than a sheep?"
As the Pharisees could not or would
not reply, He summed up the whole matter thus: "Wherefore it is lawful to
do well on the sabbath days." He called upon the man with the withered
hand to stand forth before the congregation. Grief and anger were mingled in
His penetrating and sweeping glance; but, turning with compassion toward the
afflicted one, He commanded him to stretch forth his hand; the man obeyed, and
lo! the hand "was restored whole, like as the other."
The discomfited Pharisees were
furious, "filled with madness" Luke says; and they went out to plot
anew against the Lord. So bitter was their hatred that they allied themselves
with the Herodians, a political party generally unpopular among the Jews. The
rulers of the people were ready to enter into any intrigue or alliance to
accomplish their avowed purpose of bringing about the death of the Lord Jesus.
Aware of the wicked determination against Him, Jesus withdrew Himself from the
locality. Other accusations of Sabbath-breaking, brought against Christ by
Jewish casuists, will be considered later. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 200.)
Sadducees = 300-400, Pharisee =
6,000, a very small group with a great deal of power over the rest of the
population.
Hypocrite was a Greek word meaning
one who interprets the Torah or the written Law of Moses (the first 5 books of
the OT.
The Holy Ghost is our personal
teacher; he stands between us and the written and spoken words, our greatest
spiritual experiences should be alone!!
Outside books teachers etc are merely auxiliaries to the learning we are
to experience here on earth.
The Pharisees loved the Oral Law
(Mishna 200AD, Talmud 600AD) over the Written Law and the writings of the
Prophets. When Christ answered their
questions He used the written scriptures and ignored their Oral traditions and
interpretations of the Law.
(Luke 10:25-29.)
25 ¶ And, behold, a
certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What
is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him,
Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to
justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
The Oral Law is a series of Do’s and
Don’ts, there is no room for mercy or love of our neighbor.
Leaven of the Modern Pharisees
Our day is not unlike a time almost
two thousand years ago. Jesus Christ came to the earth at a time of unrest, an
era when men’s hearts were closed to new revelation. Our Lord would, as Isaiah
had prophesied, grow up “as a root out of a dry ground” (Isa. 53:2). The
parched soil of first-century Judaism was deeply in need of living water, but
few there were who would dip even the tip of their fingers in the cooling
draught to soothe their agonizing thirst; indeed, some were not even aware of
the drought.
Jesus was in constant confrontation
with the Pharisees. He attacked the hypocrisy associated with purity of ritual
action but paucity of moral and spiritual values. He spoke vehemently against
those who zealously attended to rabbinic tradition-matters with little eternal
significance-and at the same time ignored or violated the “weightier matters of
the law, judgment, mercy, and faith” (Matt.
On one occasion the Pharisees came to
Jesus demanding a sign-a physical evidence of his claim to the Messiahship (see
Matt. 16:1–4). The Lord took this opportunity to contrast their ability to read
the face of the sky (and thus discern signs associated with weather patterns)
against their marked inability to read the “signs of the times” and thus
discern the true meanings of Messianic prophecies and testimonies. Soon
thereafter Christ warned his disciples: “Take heed and beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matt. 16:6). The disciples finally came to
appreciate that the Lord was bidding them to beware of the doctrine, as
well as the hypocrisy, of the Jewish leaders (see Matt. 16:5–12; Luke
12:1). The Savior’s rejection of hallowed rabbinic traditions, his growing
popularity as a result of opening eyes and minds, and his attack upon the heart
and hearth of the Pharisaic craft-all these things eventually led to his arrest
and death. But the well had been dug, living water had begun to spring up,
thirsty souls had been satisfied, and a spiritual foothold had been established
for the meridian day.
Growth, expansion, innovation, and
technology have led to remarkable changes in the world over the past two
thousand years. On the other hand, some things never change. Religionists
without revelation continue to reject living oracles and hold tenaciously to
the spiritual status quo. Preachers of a way of life barren of that animation
that is breathed into religious practice by the Holy Ghost still seal the
canon, applying mortar that blocks the light of new truth and ultimately blocks
their progress and that of their followers. Congregations still cry out: “We
have enough! There is no need for more revelation!” The challenge of the true
believer in all ages is the same: whether former-day Saint or Latter-day Saint,
we encounter a world opposed to that change and way of life associated with
embracing the new yet everlasting covenant.
Is it not an odd thing to observe
charismatic Christians-people who claim to prophesy and speak in tongues-who at
the same time reject the notion of modern Apostles and prophets? Is it not
strange that religious leaders across the world-persons who preach of a God
interested and involved in human concerns-warn their patrons against kneeling
in prayer to ascertain the truthfulness of the message and claims of Latter-day
Saint missionaries and members? As Nephi taught his people anciently: “If ye
would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that
ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him
that he must not pray” (2 Ne. 32:8). Is it not perplexing and tragic that so
many outside the Church-those who believe God to be their Father and Jesus
Christ to be their pattern for living-should, in the words of Elder Boyd K. Packer, “with the help of clergymen, belittle in the
most unchristian ways our teaching that we are the literal sons and daughters
of God”? (In Conference Report, October 1984, p. 82.) These practices and
myriad other attitudes reveal clearly that the spirit of Pharisaic hypocrisy is
flourishing in the dispensation of the fulness of times. Individuals and
congregations will go to any length-including inconsistency, contradiction, or
conduct unbecoming a follower of the Prince of Peace-to oppose or halt the
progress of a modern revelation of truth.
Doctrine not delivered through the
pipeline of living oracles will neither be understood nor properly applied.
Without such illuminating lenses as the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and
Covenants, the Joseph Smith Translation, the Pearl of Great Price, and words of
modern Church leaders, the Bible has been and will be forever a sealed book.
Its doctrines and principles will always be wrestled over. The message of
Christ given anciently to the doctors of the law has remarkable modern
application: “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of
knowledge, the fulness of the scriptures; ye enter not in yourselves into the
kingdom; and those who were entering in, ye hindered.” (JST, Luke 11:53.) To
deny the Restoration is to deny access to that Spirit by which the will, mind,
word, and voice of the Lord-in other words, scripture-is given and comprehended
(see D&C 68:3–4). To accept the Restoration and the servants of the Lord is
to become open to the mysteries of the
(Joseph Fielding McConkie, Joseph
Smith: The Choice Seer [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996],.)
Bruce mentioned
Modern name for the Old Testament –
Ancient name in Hebrew, The Law and the Prophets
Torah = Law
Naviim = Prophets
Catovim = Written
(JST Matthew 3:4-6.)
4 And when he had gathered
all the chief priests, and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them,
saying, Where is the place that is written of by the prophets, in which Christ
should be born? For he greatly feared, yet he believed not the prophets.
5 And they said unto him,
It is written by the prophets, that he should be born in Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus have they said,
6 The word of the Lord
came unto us, saying, And thou Bethlehem, which lieth in the land of Judea, in
thee shall be born a prince, which art not the least among the princes of
Judea; for out of thee shall come the Messiah, who shall save my people Israel.
Herod wants to know, even if he
didn’t believe, he was a rigid converted Jew who would not tolerate any
disruption in his stable kingdom, even if it meant killing his own wives and
sons!!
The Jews of today are followers of
the Pharisees; they study the Mishna and Talmud to understand the
interpretations of the Law. They are
very good with the Do’s and Don’ts but they miss the meaning of the gospel
principle.
(Matthew 23:2-4.)
2 Saying, The scribes and
the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever
they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their
works: for they say, and do not.
4 For they bind heavy
burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but
they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
The Savior would question them or
provoke them just to try and teach a correct doctrine or principle, like
healing the cripple on the Sabbath.
(John 5:1-18.)
1 After this there was a
feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
2 Now there is at
3 In these lay a great
multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of
the water.
4 For an angel went down
at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first
after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever
disease he had.
5 And a certain man was
there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie,
and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto
him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man
answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into
the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him,
Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man
was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the
sabbath.
10 ¶ The Jews therefore
said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee
to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He
that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12 Then asked they him,
What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 And he that was healed
wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that
place.
14 Afterward Jesus findeth
him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more,
lest a worse thing come unto thee.
15 The man departed, and
told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
16 And therefore did the
Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things
on the sabbath day.
17 ¶ But Jesus answered
them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18 Therefore the Jews
sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but
said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
Jesus' mortal life was destined to be
difficult from the start. Lucifer, his archenemy from the premortal life, would
see to that. It was no doubt Lucifer's influence that led Herod the Great to
attempt to kill the infant Jesus. And immediately after the Lord's baptism
Lucifer sought to overcome him, first by an attempt to plant doubt in Jesus'
heart as to his calling and his divinity, and then by trying to buy his
allegiance with the riches of the world. In addition Jesus had to endure the
never-ending criticism from the spiritual and political leaders of the Jews,
who found fault with almost everything he said and everything he did, and who
were systematically plotting his death. He did not smile and say gentle things
in all cases, for in Mark 3:5 we read that when his enemies eagerly watched for
him to heal a man on the Sabbath in the synagogue, hoping they would find
something on which to accuse him, "he looked round about on them with
anger" Then he healed the man. He knew that in doing so on the Sabbath it
would evoke criticism. Jesus had to combat sophisticated wickedness in high
places, because ofttimes the power and influence of the highest officials was
arrayed against him.
There is also evidence of Jesus'
sometimes being weary and seeking rest and solitude, but often not finding the quiet
he desired, because many people were coming to him, wanting his help. In these
cases his compassion overruled his physical and mental weariness (see John 4:6;
Mark
Even those who believed he was the Christ were
sometimes slow to understand him. For example, on at least one occasion after a
period of many healings and great popularity, Jesus and the Twelve went into a
house as multitudes of people gathered without. It appears that Jesus went out
and talked with the crowds. But his "friends" (whoever that may have
been) came to lay hold on him, to lead him away, for they said he was
"beside himself," which literally means they thought that he was out
of his senses (Mark 3:21). On another occasion, after he had taught the
multitudes in parables, the disciples asked him the meaning. He replied:
"Are ye also yet without understanding?" (Matt. 15:16). When they
asked him specifically about the parable of the sower he asked them: "Know
ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?" (Mark
The constant pressure from his
enemies combined with the sometimes lack of appreciation from his friends would
have frustrated a lesser man. I do not think Jesus was ever frustrated, but
these passages of scripture seem to imply that he experienced moments of
exasperation and disappointment.
The unusual demands of his ministry,
made more difficult by persecution from enemies, the disloyalty of some of his
followers, and the lack of appreciation from friends, required that Jesus have
the utmost spiritual strength and courage in order to complete his assigned
work.
Why Jesus Contended with His Enemies
Someone might ask, "Why did the Savior
contend with the priests, who were so encrusted with priestcraft and
selfishness? Why not just ignore them?" Jesus surely would have had less
trouble if he had not spoken so openly to his enemies in their wickedness. We
need to consider that he had no enemies except for the gospel's sake. It was
his righteousness and his true doctrine that made them angry. If he had not
corrected them, those wicked persons could have charged him with negligence on
the Day of Judgment. But as he did challenge them, they are left
without excuse, as he said: "If
I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no
cloke for their sin" (John
Jesus would not be the Redeemer if he
had failed to rebuke the rebellious people among whom he lived. One of his
basic responsibilities was to testify against sin and wickedness. He had to
mark the way for all to see. To fail to speak harshly against sin would be
interpreted by the people as condoning it.
Jesus' spiritual maturity and courage enabled
him to do "all things well" (Mark
(Robert J. Matthews, Behold the
Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 257.)
He never violated the written law,
but gave them fits with the oral interpretations!!
Spiritual Spiritual
Death Life
Ordinances
Separation
Baptism – Gift of the Holy Ghost
From God
Spiritual Rebirth Process and the Doctrine of
the Sabbath, the key to maintaining spiritual life is the Sacrament, it renews
spiritual life by bringing us back into Fathers presence. I can’t do anything to overcome spiritual
death. The ultimate healing (miracle) is
spiritual life; it is the greatest miracle of all.
Joseph F. Smith,
PARTAKING OF THE SACRAMENT
SERMONS
Delivered by President Joseph F.
Smith,
in the Meeting House,
Every creature that is born in the
image of God—and this law may apply to every creature that lives,—after death
will live again. This appertains to the temporal death. There are two deaths—a spiritual death as well as a temporal death—and
through the atonement of Christ all were again given spiritual life. In the
spiritual death none can be made alive until he complies with the requirements.
The first death or spiritual was pronounced upon Adam after his fall—a
complete cutting off of that communion which existed between God and man. In
this condition Satan has power over us, and had it not been for the atonement
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we would have remained separated from our
Creator. Through this mighty atonement all those that comply with the law of
baptism are again brought into communion with the Lord. In this way only can
any one be redeemed from death and in partaking of the sacrament we witness
unto God all that Christ has done for us and we again renew our covenant with
Him and take upon ourselves renewed obligations of the gospel. And this is the
religion of Christians, as by the sacrament we witness before God that we are
His children. Those who have been baptized and neglect to partake of the
sacrament violate one of God's sacred commandments. It is our duty to meet
together often to partake of the Lord's Supper. But we should partake of this
emblem worthily, as by partaking of this ordinance unworthily we may bring upon
ourselves sickness and even death. If I have aught against my brother it is my
duty to go to him alone and talk it over in prayer and settle that difficulty
before partaking of the sacrament.
(Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected Discourses,
5 vols. [
I live and obey the Law of the
Sabbath when I come unto Christ; I receive His healing power to my soul. We must focus on things that give us this gift!! The Sabbath is a tool to help us maintain a
spiritual life.
Bruce R. McConkie
The law of the Sabbath is
so basic, so fundamental, that the Lord Jehovah named it as number four in the
Ten Commandments themselves. The first three commandments call upon men to
worship the Lord and reverence his great and holy name. The fourth gives us the
Sabbath day as the weekly occasion on which we perfect our worship and put
ourselves in tune to the full with Him by whom all things are. It is in no
sense an exaggeration nor does it overstate the fact one whit to say that any
person who keeps the Sabbath, according to the revealed pattern, will be saved
in the celestial kingdom. The Sabbath is a day of worship; the requirement to
rest from our labors, to do no servile work therein, is simply an incident to
the real purpose of the day. Vital as it is to refrain from toil and to turn
away from temporalities, these requirements are for the purpose of putting men
in a position to do what should be done on the Sabbath, that is, to worship the
Father in the name of the Son, to worship him in Spirit and in truth. True
worship includes keeping the commandments, and those who devote their Sabbaths
to true and proper worship obtain the encouragement that leads to full obedience.
(The Promised Messiah, pp. 390-391)
What fits the purpose of
the Sabbath? Here are a few suggestions: Activities that contribute to greater
spirituality; essential Church meetings in the house of prayer; acquisition of
spiritual knowledge--reading the scriptures, Church history and biographies,
and the inspired words of the Brethren; resting physically, getting acquainted
with the family, relating scriptural stories to children, bearing testimonies,
building family unity; visiting the sick and aged shut-ins; singing the songs
of Zion and listening to inspired music; paying devotions to the Most
High--personal and family prayer; fasting, administrations, father's blessings;
preparing food with singleness of heart--simple meals prepared largely on Saturday.
(Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.439)
The disciples ate in the field on
the Sabbath, which was not against the written law, but ruffled the feathers of
the Pharisees who observed their act.
The Savior said; He in the field is greater than the temple in
Understanding gospel principles and
doctrine bring freedom, His yoke is easy and the burden is light. Spiritual death is a heavy burden; you
separate yourself from God’s helping hand. Matthew 11:28.
Those who find living the Gospel
hard:
- See the Gospel as a bunch of Do’s and Don’ts,
“I’m a Mormon because I Can’t”
- Hand on the door of the
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
Unfortunately, some in
the Church may believe sincerely that their testimony is a raging bonfire when
it really is little more than the faint flickering of a candle. Their faithfulness has
more to do with habit than holiness, and their pursuit of personal
righteousness almost always takes a back seat to their pursuit of personal
interests and pleasure. With such a feeble light of testimony for protection,
these travelers on life's highways are easy prey for the wolves of the
adversary. ("Spiritual Bonfires of Testimony," Ensign, Nov.
1992, p. 34)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
From Men and Women of
Christ:
If we enlist and take the
Savior's yoke upon us we "shall find rest unto [our] souls" (Matthew
Strange as it seems, a
few of the partially yoked, undeservedly wearing the colors of the kingdom, are
just close enough to the prescribed path and process to be able to observe in
others some of the visible costs of discipleship. Sobered by that observation,
they want victory without battle and expect campaign ribbons merely for
watching; but there is no witness until after the trial of their faith (see
Ether 12:6).
These same Church members
know just enough about the doctrines to converse superficially on them, but
their scant knowledge about the deep doctrines is inadequate for deep
discipleship (see 1 Corinthians
From "Overcome ...
Even As I Also Overcame":
Events and circumstances
in the last days make it imperative for us as members of the Church to become
more grounded, rooted, established, and settled (see Col. 1:23; Col. 2:7; 2
Pet. 1:12). Jesus said to His disciples, "settle this in your hearts, that
ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you" (JST Luke
Some Church members,
alas, are neither reconciled to the will of God nor are they sufficiently
settled as to their covenants. . . .
Some give of their time
yet withhold themselves, being present without giving of their presence and
going through the superficial motions of membership instead of the deep
emotions of consecrated discipleship.
Some try to get by with
knowing only the headlines of the gospel, not really talking much of Christ or rejoicing
in Christ and esteeming lightly His books of scripture which contain and
explain His covenants (see 2 Ne. 25:26).
Some are so proud they
never learn of obedience and spiritual submissiveness. They will have very
arthritic knees on the day when every knee shall bend. There will be no gallery
then to play to; all will be participants!
Maintaining Church
membership on our own terms, therefore, is not true discipleship.
Real disciples absorb the
fiery darts of the adversary by holding aloft the quenching shield of faith
with one hand, while holding to the iron rod with the other (see Eph.
The Calling of the 12
June 9, 2005
Matthew 5-7 = Sermon on the Mount –
Given to Disciples (before 12 were called, though they were in attendance).
Luke 6 = Sermon on the Plain – Given
to a multitude.
Separate sermons on the same
subject, greater insights given in the JST, especially Matthew 7.
The Setting
The popular title given to this
discourse is the Sermon on the Mount, because it was delivered on a mount in
A close look at the scriptures gives a
somewhat different perspective. Matt. 4:23-25 states that as a result of his
miracles Jesus became very popular and "great multitudes of people" followed
him. Matt. 5:1-2 says that "seeing the multitudes, he went up into a
mountain," and his disciples came to him, "and [he] taught
them." As used here the word them can only reasonably refer to the
disciples, not to the multitudes. Furthermore, Joseph Smith Translation Matt.
5:1 gives us the additional information that when "he was set down"
his disciples came and he taught them. These passages give us two important facts
that cannot be overlooked if one wishes to understand the Savior's teachings on
this occasion. First, his audience was those who were already disciples, not
the multitude; and second, he was sitting down. This suggests a smaller
audience.
The concept of sitting to speak is
well established in the Bible. The practice in the synagogue was that one would
stand to read the scripture and then sit down to discuss it. Today the custom
is different-we suppose a person is through when he leaves the pulpit and sits,
but in Bible times it was not so. The custom of standing out of respect for the
scripture seems to have begun at least by the time of Ezra (around 520 B.C.)
when he read to the congregation and "all the people stood up" (Neh.
8:1-5). Further, when Jesus visited the synagogue in
The record shows that Jesus
"went into a ship, and sat... and he spake many things unto [the
multitude] in parables." In the temple too he "sat down, and
taught" the people (John 8:2).
Instead of being surprised to learn that Jesus
sat down to instruct the disciples in the "Sermon" on the Mount, we
should be startled if he did it in any other way. We note, though, that
Webster's New International Unabridged Dictionary defines the word sermon
as a formal religious, public discourse. If that is the case, strictly
speaking we are incorrect in calling the Savior's private instruction to a few
disciples the Sermon on the Mount. Perhaps Jesus' Instructions to the Twelve
would be appropriate.
One might ask, what difference does
it make? Why should we care whether the event involved the Twelve only or
thousands? One reason why we should care is simply to have it right. Another
reason would be the understanding of what Jesus said. If he were speaking to a
select group he might say something that would not appropriately be said to the
unbelieving world (
Jesus said on this occasion, "Ye
are the salt of the earth" (Matt.
We have evidence too from the many
items to be found in the Prophet Joseph's inspired restoration of Matt. 5-7,
coupled with what we discern from the Book of Mormon. From these sources it is
clear beyond any reasonable question that the sermon recorded in Matt. 5-7 was
a private meeting, and it would be a gross misapplication of the situation and
of the message to think of it as a public discourse. Of course, the moral
directives are applicable to all people, but the doctrinal content can be
correctly understood only in its natural original setting. To take these things
out of their context is to imagine a sermon that did not actually occur.
Specific Instructions to Disciples
Some of the directives in the Savior's
instructions are not applicable to the world in general. For example, Jesus
said:
"Take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you
shall put on .... Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow
shall take thought for the things of itself." (Matt. 6:25, 34.)
Some readers of the New Testament
think they note an impractical attitude in Jesus' teachings and cite the
foregoing quotation as an example. They feel that Jesus' teachings are not
applicable to our modern world. When it is understood, however, that the
instruction was given to certain disciples only, it is seen that this
particular injunction does not apply to the masses of mankind, or even to the
general membership within the Church. This interpretation is borne out by the
sermon in 3 Nephi, which is similar to the one delivered in
In the 3 Nephi account Jesus was
speaking to a combined group of a multitude of Church members that included
twelve special disciples. At a particular point in the sermon he turned from
the multitude and addressed himself to the twelve disciples only. This passage
from the Book of Mormon is as follows: "And now it came to pass that when
Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and
said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they
whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take
no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ....Take
therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the
things of itself" (3 Ne. 13:25, 34).
Having thus directed these particular
words to the Nephite Twelve, Jesus "turned again to the multitude, and did
open his mouth unto them again" (3 Ne. 14:1).
It is enlightening and informative
that the Savior said these particular words (which are the same as those of
Matt.
There are other evidences within the discourse
itself that reveal the true setting of the biblical account. One of these is
found in Matt. 5:14, in which Jesus tells his audience, "ye are the light
of the world." He evidently was not addressing the world or he would not
have said this group was the light. I-His words make a distinction between his
listeners and the world. Another evidence is found in a comparison of the
Lord's Prayer as in the Nephite record with that in the biblical record. To the
Galilean disciples he said they should pray, "Give us this day our daily
bread" (Matt.
Matthew Chapter 7. We
have carefully established the fact that this discourse by the Savior was given
to disciples only and consisted largely of missionary-type instruction. Matthew
chapters 5 and 6 deal primarily with personal behavior and preparation of the
disciples. Chapter 7 takes on a slightly different character. Whereas the two
earlier chapters were teachings to the Twelve, chapter 7 consists primarily of
information which they are to give to the people. They are to go among them and
teach them how to judge properly, and to have confidence in prayer. They are to
teach repentance, and not give the pearls of the gospel (the mysteries) to the
people who are not ready for them. Furthermore the King James Version would
lead the reader to think Jesus called his disciples hypocrites (Matt. 7:5)
whereas the Joseph Smith Translation shows that the disciples were to go among
the people, especially among the scribes, Pharisees, priests, and Levites, and
tell them that they were hypocrites.
Chapter 7 as given in the Joseph Smith
Translation strongly reinforces the private nature of the discourse and shows
clearly that Jesus was preparing his disciples (chiefly the Twelve and perhaps
those who would become the Seventy) for their ministry. In this regard the
Joseph Smith Translation adds yet another interesting, even dramatic, episode
to the occasion. When Jesus told his disciples the strong words he wanted them
to use with the Jewish religious leaders, they reacted fearfully, and protested
to him their reluctance to face the people in that manner. They expressed their
feeling of inadequacy to debate with the learned priests and scribes. Jesus
then told them what to say, and how to say it. He told the Twelve that the
Jewish priests lacked faith in God and thus also in prayer. He said the
disciples were to teach the Jewish leaders how to have faith in prayer, and to
tell them that God would hear and answer their prayers. None of this exchange
is even hinted at in the King James Version. The Joseph Smith Translation
presents a dialogue of Jesus and his disciples-an aside almost an interruption
to the discourse or at best a question/answer dimension totally unknown in any
other Bible. Jesus warned his disciples not to try to teach the people the
mysteries until the people had first developed faith and prayer. That concept
in chapter 7 is a major contribution of the Joseph Smith Translation. It is
slightly evident in the King James Version, but is brilliantly demonstrated in
the Joseph Smith Translation. This passage in the Joseph Smith Translation is
so important to the proper understanding of what Jesus said, that it is
included here for easy access:
And Jesus said unto his disciples,
Beholdest thou the Scribes, and the Pharisees, and the Priests, and the
Levites? They teach in their synagogues, but do not observe the law, nor the
commandments; and all have gone out of the way, and are under sin.
Go thou and say unto them, Why teach
ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the children of
corruption?
Say unto them, Ye hypocrites, first
cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Go ye into the world, saying unto
all, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come nigh unto you.
And the mysteries of the kingdom ye
shall keep within yourselves; for it is not meet to give that which is holy unto
the dogs; neither cast ye your pearls unto swine, lest they trample them under
their feet.
For the world cannot receive that
which ye, yourselves, are not able to bear; wherefore ye shall not give your
pearls unto them, lest they turn again and rend you.
Say unto them, Ask of God; ask, and
it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you.
For everyone that asketh, receiveth; and he
that seeketh, findeth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
And then said his disciples unto him,
They will say unto us, We ourselves are righteous, and need not that any man
should teach us. God, we know, heard Moses and some of the prophets; but us he
will not hear.
And they will say, We have the law
for our salvation, and that is sufficient for us.
Then Jesus answered, and said unto
his disciples, Thus shall ye say unto them,
What man among you, having a son, and
he shall be standing out, and shall say, Father, open thy house that I may come
in and sup with thee, will not say, Come in, my son; for mine is thine, and
thine is mine?
Or what man is there among you, who,
if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him
a serpent?
If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him? ([Joseph Smith Translation of the
Bible]. The Holy Scriptures: Inspired Version.
Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on
the Plain
In his sixth chapter Luke records an event
similar to the "Sermon on the Mount" but places it on the plain after
Jesus had come down from the mountain, having just ordained the Twelve (Luke
6:10-17). There is a question whether these are two different sermons or two
accounts of one sermon. It has been noted that Matthew's account is to
disciples only, whereas Luke's account seems to include a multitude as well as
the disciples (see Luke
(Robert J. Matthews, Behold the
Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 119.)
Consecration, putting God 1st
in our lives, In Matthew 4:18-22, he demonstrates that one gives up everything
for the kingdom, there is a choice that everyone has to make. Like Matthew 10:34-39, the 1st
commandment is 1st for a reason.
(Matthew 4:18-22.)
18 ¶ And Jesus, walking by
the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them,
Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left
their nets, and followed him.
21 And going on from
thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John
his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he
called them.
22 And they immediately
left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Sharing Insights
from My Life
NEAL A. MAXWELL
Neal A. Maxwell was a member of the Council of the
Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
when this devotional address was delivered at BYU on 12 January 1999.
This is a small portion of this talk.
Then, in like manner, as I have
watched a few personal friends over the years go through the ebb and flow of
faith, I have wondered about the underlying causes. What happened? And again
and again a verse in the Book of Mormon is the most satisfactory explanation. It is an interrogative in Mosiah 5:13:
"For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a
stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"
This describes what usually happens: otherwise basically decent people simply
get caught up with the cares of the world. If instead of drawing closer to the
Master we become a stranger to Him, then we have lost our way. The decent
people to whom this happens haven't engaged in major transgression, as a rule,
but they have distanced themselves from the Savior and He has become a stranger
to them. If, on the other hand, we really are drawing closer to Jesus and we
are becoming however incrementally more like Him, then we are progressing. To
use another Book of Mormon phrase, we must be "willing to submit to all
things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict" (Mosiah 3:19). Whenever our
wills are increasingly subsumed by His--the Book of Mormon calls it "swallowed
up in the will of the Father" (Mosiah 15:7)--then we really are on the
road to discipleship. But that can't happen with the sort of superficiality
with which some approach discipleship.
I am going to preach a hard doctrine
to you now. The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal
thing we have to place on God's altar. It is a hard doctrine, but it is true.
The many other things we give to God, however nice that may be of us, are
actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us. But when
we begin to submit ourselves by letting our wills be swallowed up in God's
will, then we are really giving something to Him. And that hard doctrine lies
at the center of discipleship. There is a part of us that is ultimately
sovereign, the mind and heart, where we really do decide which way to go and
what to do. And when we submit to His will, then we've really given Him the one
thing He asks of us. And the other things are not very, very important. It is
the only possession we have that we can give, and there is no resulting
shortage in our agency as a result. Instead, what we see is a flowering of our
talents and more and more surges of joy. Submission to Him is the only form of
submission that is completely safe.
This ought to be more obvious to us
than it is sometimes, brothers and sisters, because developmentally, as well as
doctrinally, all the other commandments hang, as Jesus said, on the two great
interactive commandments. Let me read them to you now because they are so
vital.
Jesus said unto
him, 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 neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets. [Matthew 22:37–40]
Now we don't think about it enough in the Church, but the first
commandment is first for a reason. And the second commandment is second for a
reason. True, the second commandment is like unto the first, but it isn't the
first commandment. We worship the perfect object of that first commandment,
God, because of His spiritual supremacy. We do not worship our neighbors. We
are to love them but not worship them. This recognition of God's supremacy on
all counts is why that commandment is first and why it is completely safe for
us to submit to Him. Besides, at a university it is not inappropriate to remind
you that that first commandment includes all of our heart, soul, and mind. The
mind must surrender to God, too. It is my impression, looking about the world,
that there are comparatively more knees bent in reverence to God than there are
minds bent in reverence to Him. That human stubbornness tends to show up in
terms of our unwillingness to submit our minds to Him.
C. S. Lewis put it well when he said,
"We are bidden to 'put on Christ,' to become like God. That is, whether we
like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we
want" (The Problem of Pain, chapter 3, paragraph 18). Hence it is
so vital for us to be submissive because we'll be puzzled when He gives us what
we need in order to become more like Him and the Son, unless we are submissive
in mind.
Now that grand key, therefore, is why
we will have missed the train if Jesus is a stranger and far from the thoughts
and intents of our heart. Because of his intellectual submissiveness, Enoch
learned about what Paul called "the deep things of God" (1
Corinthians 2:10). I love that phrase of Paul's. Enoch personally saw the tears
of the Lord. He personally heard the Lord's lamentations about the human
family. God recited how He has given us our agency, commanded us to love and to
choose Him and likewise love one another. Here again are the two great
commandments. Yet we mortals so often choose evil or let the cares of the world
crowd out the important things.
Instead of choosing God and His ways,
we get busy with the cares of the world, and that is when neighbors get
excluded, too. So obeying that first great commandment permits us to
acknowledge and love the Lord and to accept His love of us, brothers and
sisters, including the timing and shaping of us. Remember Nephi's meek
acceptance of God's will: "I know that [God] loveth his children;
nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things" (1 Nephi 11:17). We
don't know the meaning of all things, but we know that God loves us, and that
is sufficient to get us by and through anything.
We have a lot of people who partially
keep the second commandment more than they truly keep the first. The trouble
with just focusing on the second commandment to the exclusion of the first is
that we may momentarily do some good deed for a neighbor, but it may not mean
that we have worshipped God with all our mind. The first commandment sets the
high tone, the divine standard. If it were not so, then, as the scriptures say,
"Every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god,
whose image is in the likeness of the world" (D&C 1:16). That first
commandment is the linchpin for everything else. Even self-centered people find
themselves doing good, keeping the second commandment at times, but it is
almost a kind of sidebar thing, as though they really have other things to do
but are going to do a modicum of service here and feel good about it. We must
not, therefore, overlook how crucial that first commandment is.
Furthermore, regarding that
commandment, mortal choices need not necessarily be wicked in order to do harm.
Some choices are diversions more than they are transgressions. As a result of
these diversions, the sins of omission mount up. And they constitute a real
deprivation because of what we withhold from our fellow human beings. Perhaps
it is unintentional, but without that first commandment, some things get
omitted.
In contrast, the Lord's reach for us
is so redemptive and constant. His arm, we are told in the Book of Mormon,
extends all the day long (see 2 Nephi 28:32). And the prophet Mormon spoke in
powerful lamentation of those who did not respond even so (see Mormon 6:16–22).
Yet Jesus waits with open arms to receive you, and if we are fully faithful at
a much later date, we can eventually know at the entrance to His kingdom that
sublime moment the prophet Mormon described when we could be "clasped in
the arms of Jesus" (Mormon 5:11). There, the Lord Himself, by choice, is
the gatekeeper, "and he employeth no servants there" (2 Nephi 9:41).
This is why King Lamoni's father surely had it right. In His halting initial
faith he said to the Lord, "I will give away all my sins to know
thee" (Alma 22:18). That sacred deep act of discipleship is so crucial. I
love, therefore, this statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I find it
encouraging, as you doubtless have in terms of your discipleship. The Prophet
Joseph said:
We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of
instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and
diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and
that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the
greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost
every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith
where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to
dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever
arrived in a moment. [Teachings, p. 51]
King Benjamin said of that
moment, that when we reach it, we will "have no more disposition to do
evil" (Mosiah 5:2). And we can tell in our hearts and with the help of our
conscience how we are doing on the basis of those two criteria. This means,
frankly, that our sins of omission, at least speaking for myself, need more
attention and appreciation and more repentance. They don't involve, as said earlier,
transgression, but they are a matter of deflection.
Perhaps it is true in discipleship as
it is in athletics that the legs go first. Good spiritual legs such as those of
ancient Joseph, in the face of temptation from Potiphar's wife, are so crucial.
In that terse verse we read of Joseph that he "fled" (Genesis 39:12).
It takes courage to run away from evil, and good legs. And those same good legs
are needed for us to lengthen our stride and to continue. That's why we sing
the song "Do not weary by the way" ("If the Way Be Full of
Trial, Weary Not," Deseret Sunday School Songs [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Sunday School Union, 1909], no. 148). And if we don't worry by the way,
we will pass life's daily quizzes, not just the major exams. And that takes
good legs.
The 12 were 1st called as
disciples, like many others, later in Matthew 10 and Luke 6, the call to the 12
took place. Jesus did a lot of teaching
and performing miracles before the 12 were called.
Bruce reviewed each of the 12 from Jesus the Christ;
it was a very unique group, varied backgrounds, income etc. Peter was middle class or higher, he employed
many to work on his boats with his partners, Andrew, James and John. Bruce told 2 stories about new members to the
12, Elder Scott’s 1st meetings was rough and tumble, someone passed
him a note “Welcome to the Quorum of the 12, here we play hardball”. Elder Packer correcting Elder Romney!!
Matthew 19:16-30 – They gave up
everything to follow Christ, and He was very aware of their sacrifice,
(JST Matthew 19:23-30)
23 Then said Jesus unto
his disciples, Verily, I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into
the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto
you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a
rich man to enter the
25 When his disciples
heard this, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld their thoughts, and said unto them, With
men this is impossible; but if they will forsake all things for my sake, with
God whatsoever things I speak are possible.
27 Then answered Peter and
said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we
have therefore?
28 And Jesus said unto
them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, shall, in the
resurrection, when the Son of man shall come sitting on the throne of his
glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
29 And every one that has
forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or
children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive a hundred-fold, and shall
inherit everlasting life.
30 But many of the first
shall be last, and the last first.
The parable in Matthew 20:1-15 helps
explain His teachings of chapter 19.
John 21:3 – Peter and the 12 were
still learning after Christ’s death, it wasn’t over, their mission was just
beginning!
(John 21:15.)
15 ¶ So when they had
dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.
He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
Do you love me more than your
job? Then get back to work in your
ministry, “Feed my sheep”.
Peter had an attitude of “what’s in
it for me”, Bruce said some members don’t get that far!!
Both books of Luke-Acts show the
tremendous transformation of Peter, before having the Holy Ghost (Luke 5:1-11)
then in Acts 2 receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, there wasn’t any
faltering, he was strong and devout.
Judas – he failed his foreordination
by denying Christ.
We had a discussion about the
meaning of Disciples (Follower) and Apostle (Priesthood office and calling as a
special witness of Jesus Christ).
Priesthood –
Authority – Power to act in Gods
name
Keys – Right to direct priesthood
authority, inherent keys are given to an individual upon confirmation (blessing
the sick being one)
Offices – Delegation within the
priesthood authority
Callings – Specific responsibilities
within the priesthood
We had a brief discussion about the
12 Disciples in 3rd Nephi, if they were Apostles.
While abridging the record of the
period just before Jesus' appearance to the Nephite nation, Mormon stated:
And behold, I am called Mormon, being
called after the
What a disciple of Jesus Christ is
and what Mormon may have meant by the phrase is revealed a few chapters later.
Following the resurrected Savior's appearance among the people, Mormon noted
that 12 men were "called," given "power and authority," and
instructed (see 3 Nephi 12). They were known as "disciples," a New
Testament term used to describe Jesus' followers and also, on occasion, the
Twelve Apostles. Mormon notes that he was called to declare Christ's
word. An apostle is a special witness of Jesus Christ (D&C 107:23).
The Prophet Joseph Smith expanded the
meaning of the Book of Mormon term "disciple" when he wrote about
their church organization: "They had Apostles, Prophets . . . the
same ordinances, gifts, powers, and blessings, as were enjoyed on the eastern
continent" (HC 4:537; emphasis added). It seems apparent that
Joseph Smith believed that the 12 disciples chosen by the resurrected Jesus
were apostles. Parley P. Pratt also noted in The Key to the Science of
Theology, "On the Western Hemisphere, the apostleship, oracles,
miracles, and gifts of the Spirit, ceased from among the people in the fourth
century." Later on he said, "Translated men, like Enoch, Elijah, John
the Apostle, and three of the Apostles of the Western Hemisphere, are in
these respects like the angels" (74, 112; emphasis added).
If the same organization operated
among the
The words of Christ, which he spake
unto his disciples, the twelve whom he had chosen, as he laid his hands upon
them. And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my
name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to
him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my
name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles. (
Because it appears that Christ makes
a parallel between the disciples and the apostles, it therefore seems
reasonable to assume that Mormon was not simply a disciple in the classical
sense (a follower of a great teacher), but was an apostle and prophet of the
Lord among the Nephites.
(Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate,
Jr., eds., Fourth Nephi through Moroni: From Zion to Destruction [Provo:
BYU Religious Studies Center, 1995], 123.)
Were the Nephite Twelve Apostles?
by Joseph Fielding Smith
Question: "In the class in Sunday School
the question was asked if the twelve chosen by the Savior among the Nephites
were Apostles. At the same time the Apostles chosen by Jesus in
Answer: The twelve men chosen by our Savior
among the Nephites are called disciples in the Book of Mormon. Nephi wrote of
his vision given nearly six hundred years before the birth of the Lord as
follows:
And the angel spake unto me, saying:
Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister unto thy
seed.
And he said unto me: Thou rememberest
the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall judge the
tribes of
And these twelve ministers whom thou
beholdest shall judge thy seed. And, behold, they are righteous forever; for
because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his
blood. (1 Ne. 12:8-10.)
In fulfilment of this prophesy, when
the Savior came to the Nephites he chose twelve men and gave them authority to
minister in his name among the Nephites on this American continent in all the
ordinances essential to their salvation. These twelve went forth healing the
sick and performing many miracles and administering the ordinances as they had
been commanded to do. The fulness of the gospel with the power and the
authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood were given to the Nephites the same as
they were to the Church in the
While in every instance the Nephite twelve are spoken of as disciples,
the fact remains that they had been endowed with divine authority to be special
witnesses for Christ among their own people. Therefore, they were virtually
Apostles to the Nephite race, although their jurisdiction was, as revealed to
Nephi, eventually to be subject to the authority and jurisdiction of Peter and
the twelve chosen in Palestine. According to the definition prevailing in the
world an Apostle is a witness for Christ, or one who evangelizes a certain
nation or people; "a zealous advocate of a doctrine or cause."
Therefore the Nephite twelve became Apostles, as special witnesses (See Doc.
Hist of the Church, IV, 575.), just as did Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in
the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.
When the Savior taught the Nephites
he informed them that he had "other sheep" which were not of the
Nephites, neither of the
(A Book of Mormon Treasury:
Selections from the Pages of the Improvement Era [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1959], 152.)
We also had a brief discussion about
James the Lords brother, who converted after the resurrection; he wasn’t an
Apostle, but a church leader in
(1 Corinthians 15:4-10.)
4 And that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
5 And that he was seen of
Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen
of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was
seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of
the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted
the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God
I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in
vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of
God which was with me.
Bruce said to read Elder Bednar’s
BYU Devotional talk given in May, 2005 “Quick to Observe”
“Quick to Observe”
DAVID A. BEDNAR
David A. Bednar was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this
devotional address was given at Brigham Young University on 10 May 2005.
Sister Bednar and I are
delighted to be with you. She and I have been anxiously engaged in university
life for more than 30 years, and we love the young people of the Church. Time
spent with you this morning is a sacred privilege for us. I now seek for and
invite the assistance of the Holy Ghost as I speak with you about essential spiritual
truths.
In October 1987 Elder Marvin
J. Ashton, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, spoke in general conference
about spiritual gifts. I recall with fondness the impact his message had upon
me at that time, and the things he taught then continue to influence me today.
In his message Elder Ashton detailed and described a number of less conspicuous
spiritual gifts—attributes and abilities that many of us might not have
considered being spiritual gifts. For example, Elder Ashton highlighted the gifts
of asking; of listening; of hearing and using a still, small voice; of being
able to weep; of avoiding contention; of being agreeable; of avoiding vain
repetition; of seeking that which is righteous; of looking to God for guidance;
of being a disciple; of caring for others; of being able to ponder; of bearing
mighty testimony; and of receiving the Holy Ghost (see Marvin J. Ashton, “There
Are Many Gifts,” Ensign, November 1987, 20–22).
This morning I want to talk
with you about another seemingly simple and perhaps underappreciated spiritual
gift—the capacity of being “quick to observe.” I will also attempt to explain
why appropriately seeking for this blessing is vitally important for you and
for me in the world in which we do now and will yet live.
The Spiritual Gift of
Being Quick to Observe
All of us have learned
important lessons from the central characters in the Book of Mormon. As we read
about and study the lives of Nephi, Laman, Alma, King Noah, Moroni, and many
others, we discover things we should and should not do, and we realize more
completely the kinds of people we should and should not become.
In my study of the Book of
Mormon I have been especially impressed with a particular description of
Mormon, the principal compiler of the Nephite record. The specific depiction of
this noble prophet to which I would direct our attention is contained in the
first five verses of the first chapter of Mormon:
And now I, Mormon, make a
record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of
Mormon.
And about the time that
Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten
years of age . . . ) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober
child, and art quick
to observe;
Therefore, when ye are about
twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye
have observed concerning this people. . . .
And behold, ye shall . .
. engrave on the plates of Nephi all the things that ye have observed concerning this people.
And I, Mormon, . . .
remembered the things which Ammaron commanded me. [Mormon 1:1–5; emphasis added]
Please note that the root
word observe is used three times in these verses. And Mormon, even in
his youth, is described as being “quick to observe” (Mormon 1:2). As you study
and learn and grow during your time as a university student, I hope you also
are learning about and becoming quick to observe. Your future success and
happiness will in large measure be determined by this spiritual capacity.
Please consider the
significance of this important spiritual gift. As used in the scriptures, the
word observe has two primary uses. One use denotes “to look” or “to see”
or “to notice”—as we learn in Isaiah 42:20: “Seeing many things, but thou observest
not; opening the ears, but he heareth not” (emphasis added).
The second use of the word observe
suggests “to obey” or “to keep”—as is evident in the Doctrine and Covenants:
“But blessed are they who have kept the covenant and observed the
commandment, for they shall obtain mercy” (D&C 54:6; emphasis added).
Thus when we are quick to
observe, we promptly look or notice and obey. Both of these fundamental
elements—looking and obeying—are essential to being quick to observe. And the
prophet Mormon is an impressive example of this gift in action.
I now want to present
several examples of the lessons that can be learned when you and I are blessed
to be quick to observe.
I have a dear friend who
served as a stake president. The patriarch in the stake over which he presided
had experienced some health challenges and was unable to perform in his
calling. The ailing patriarch had difficulty moving about and dressing and
caring for himself, and his strength was limited. One Sabbath afternoon this
good stake president visited the home of the patriarch to encourage him and
check on his well-being. As the stake president entered the home, he found the
patriarch dressed in his suit and white shirt and tie, sitting in a recliner in
the front room. The stake president greeted the dear patriarch and, knowing how
hard it must have been to dress himself, graciously suggested to the patriarch
that it was not necessary for him to get dressed up on the Sabbath or to meet
visitors. In a kind but firm voice, the patriarch reproved the stake president
and said, “Don’t you know that this is the only way I have left to show the
Lord how much I love Him?”
The stake president was
quick to observe. He both heard and felt the lesson, and he applied it.
Reverence for the Sabbath day and the importance of respect and appropriate
demeanor and dress took on added importance in the ministry of the stake
president. The spiritual ability to see, hear, remember, and act upon that
lesson was a great blessing in his life—and in the lives of many others.
Before attending her
sacrament meetings, Sister Bednar frequently prays for the spiritual eyes to
see those who have a need. Often as she observes the brothers and sisters and
children in the congregation, she will feel a spiritual nudge to visit with or
make a phone call to a particular person. And when Sister Bednar receives such
an impression, she promptly responds and obeys. It often is the case that as
soon as the “amen” is spoken in the benediction, she will talk with a teenager
or hug a sister or, upon returning home, immediately pick up the phone and make
a call. As long as I have known Sister Bednar, people have marveled at her
capacity to discern and respond to their needs. Often they will ask her, “How
did you know?” The spiritual gift of being quick to observe has enabled her to
see and to act promptly and has been a great blessing in the lives of many
people.
Your president, Elder
Samuelson, participates each month in a Church Board of Education meeting in
Salt Lake City. President Hinckley serves as the chair of that board. The
counselors in the First Presidency, several members of the Quorum of the
Twelve, and other General Authorities and general auxiliary leaders also sit on
that board. During my years of service at Brigham Young University—Idaho, I also
was blessed to participate in monthly board meetings.
At the conclusion of the
June 2004 board of trustees meeting, President Hinckley called upon Elder David
B. Haight to offer the benediction. It was the last board meeting in which
Elder Haight ever participated. At the age of 97, Elder Haight had some
difficulty as he tried to stand and offer the prayer.
After several attempts to
rise to his feet, President Hinckley courteously said, “David, it is all
right”—suggesting, I believe, that it was permissible for Elder Haight to
remain in his chair and offer the prayer.
Elder Haight responded in a
voice that was both firm and appropriate and said, “President, I must stand!”
There was simply no way that
mighty Apostle was going to sit and pray in the presence of the First
Presidency and his colleagues of the Twelve. And of greater importance, he was
not going to sit as he communicated with his Heavenly Father. So once again
Elder Haight worked to stand—and was successful. I shall never forget the
spirit I felt as I listened to Elder Haight pray. I hope on that occasion I was
quick to observe a powerful lesson about the dignity and the humility that
should always attend our prayers. In my present calling I am blessed by Elder
Haight’s example and feel a deep sense of gratitude for what I saw and felt and
learned that day.
Sister Bednar and I are
acquainted with a returned missionary who had dated a special young woman for a
period of time. This young man cared for the young woman very much, and he was
desirous of making his relationship with her more serious. He was considering
and hoping for engagement and marriage. Now this relationship was developing
during the time that President Hinckley counseled the Relief Society sisters
and young women of the Church to wear only one earring in each ear.
The young man waited
patiently over a period of time for the young woman to remove her extra
earrings, but she did not take them out. This was a valuable piece of
information for this young man, and he felt unsettled about her
nonresponsiveness to a prophet’s pleading. For this and other reasons, he
ultimately stopped dating the young woman, because he was looking for an
eternal companion who had the courage to promptly and quietly obey the counsel
of the prophet in all things and at all times. The young man was quick to
observe that the young woman was not quick to observe.
Now before I continue, I
presume that some of you might have difficulty with my last example. In fact,
this particular illustration of the young man being quick to observe may even
fan the flames of controversy on campus, resulting in letters of disagreement
to the Daily Universe! You may believe the young man was too judgmental
or that basing an eternally important decision, even in part, upon such a
supposedly minor issue is silly or fanatical. Perhaps you are bothered because
the example focuses upon a young woman who failed to respond to prophetic
counsel instead of upon a young man. I simply invite you to consider and ponder
the power of being quick to observe and what was actually observed in the case
I just described. The issue was not earrings!
Now one final example. I
have long been fascinated by the nature of the interaction between the Spirit
of the Lord and Nephi found in chapters 11 through 14 of 1 Nephi. As you
recall, Nephi desired to see and hear and know the things his father, Lehi, had
seen in the vision of the tree of life (see 1 Nephi 8). In chapters 11 through
14 the Holy Ghost assisted Nephi in learning about the nature and meaning of
his father’s vision. Interestingly, 13 times in these chapters the Spirit of
the Lord directed Nephi to “look” as a fundamental feature of the learning
process. Nephi repeatedly was counseled to look, and because he was quick to
observe, he beheld the tree of life (1 Nephi 11:8); the mother of the Savior (1
Nephi 11:20); the rod of iron (1 Nephi 11:25); and the Lamb of God, the Son of
the Eternal Father (1 Nephi 11:21).
I have described only a few
of the spiritually significant things Nephi saw. You may want to study these
chapters in greater depth and learn from and about Nephi’s learning. As you
study and ponder, please keep in mind that Nephi would not have seen what he
desired to see, he would not have known what he needed to know, and he could not
have done what he ultimately needed to do if he had not been quick to observe.
Brothers and sisters, that same truth applies to you and to me!
Quick to observe. Prompt to
watch and to obey. A simple gift that blesses us individually and in our
families and extends blessings to so many other people. Each of us can and
should strive to be worthy of this significant spiritual gift—even the capacity
of being quick to observe.
Why the Spiritual Gift of
Being Quick to Observe Is So Vital Today
Let me now address the
question of why the spiritual gift of being quick to observe is so vital for us
in the world in which we do now and will yet live. Simply stated, being quick
to observe is an antecedent to and is linked with the spiritual gift of
discernment. And for you and for me, discernment is a light of protection and
direction in a world that grows increasingly dark.
Much like faith precedes the
miracle, much like baptism by water comes before the baptism by fire, much like
gospel milk should be digested before gospel meat, much like clean hands can
lead to a pure heart, and much like the ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood
are necessary before a person can receive the higher ordinances of the
Melchizedek Priesthood, so being quick to observe is a prerequisite to and a
preparation for the gift of discernment. We can only hope to obtain that
supernal gift of discernment and its light of protection and direction if we
are quick to observe—if we both look and obey.
President George Q. Cannon,
who served as a counselor to four presidents of the Church, taught powerfully
about the gift of discernment:
One of the gifts of the
Gospel which the Lord has promised to those who enter into covenant with Him is
the gift of discerning of spirits—a gift which is not much thought of by many
and probably seldom prayed for; yet it is a gift that is of exceeding value and
one that should be enjoyed by every Latter-day Saint. . . .
Now, the gift of
discerning of spirits not only gives men and women who have it the power to
discern the spirit with which others may be possessed or influenced, but it
gives them the power to discern the spirit which influences themselves. They
are able to detect a false spirit and also to know when the Spirit of God
reigns within them. In private life this gift is of great importance to the
Latter-day Saints. Possessing and exercising this gift they will not allow any
evil influence to enter into their hearts or to prompt them in their thoughts,
their words or their acts. They will repel it; and if perchance such a spirit
should get possession of them, as soon as they witness its effects they will
expel it or, in other words, refuse to be led or prompted by it. [Gospel Truth: Discourses and
Writings of President George Q. Cannon, comp. Jerreld L. Newquist (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974), 1:198–99]
Can we recognize how crucial
this spiritual gift is in our lives today and how being quick to observe is a
powerful invitation for the blessings of discernment?
President Stephen L
Richards, who served as a counselor to President David O. McKay, has provided
additional instruction about the nature and blessings of discernment:
First, I mention the gift
of discernment, embodying the power to discriminate . . . between right and
wrong. I believe that this gift when highly developed arises largely out of an
acute sensitivity to impressions—spiritual impressions, if you will—to read
under the surface as it were, to detect hidden evil, and more importantly to
find the good that may be concealed. The highest type of discernment is that
which perceives in others and uncovers for them their better natures, the good
inherent within them. . . .
. . . Every member in the restored Church
of Christ could have this gift if he willed to do so. He could not be
deceived with the sophistries of the world. He could not be led astray by
pseudo-prophets and subversive cults. Even the inexperienced would recognize
false teachings, in a measure at least. . . . We ought to be grateful every day
of our lives for this sense which keeps alive a conscience which constantly
alerts us to the dangers inherent in wrongdoers and sin. [CR, April
1950, 162–63; emphasis added]
As we integrate the
teachings of Presidents Cannon and Richards, we learn that the gift of
discernment operates basically in four major ways.
First, as we “read under the
surface,” discernment helps us detect hidden error and evil in others.
Second, and more important,
it helps us detect hidden errors and evil in ourselves. Thus the spiritual gift
of discernment is not exclusively about discerning other people and situations,
but, as President Cannon taught, it is also about discerning things as they
really are within us.
Third, it helps us find and
bring forth the good that may be concealed in others.
And fourth, it helps us find
and bring forth the good that may be concealed in us. Oh, what a blessing and a
source of protection and direction is the spiritual gift of discernment!
The teachings of Presidents
Cannon and Richards concerning the power of discernment to detect hidden evil
and to identify good that may be concealed become even more important to you
and to me in light of a specific element of Lehi’s vision. In the vision
various groups of individuals were pressing forward that they might obtain the
path which led unto the tree of life (see 1 Nephi 8:21). The strait and narrow
path came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree (see 1 Nephi 8:20). The
mists of darkness described in the vision represent the temptations of the
devil which blind the eyes of the children of men and lead them into broad
roads so that they are lost (see 1 Nephi 12:17). Now please pay particular
attention to verse 23 in 1 Nephi 8, and let us liken this scripture to our day
and the challenges we face in an increasingly wicked world:
And it came to pass that
there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of
darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way,
that they wandered off and were lost. [1 Nephi 8:23]
I repeat again for emphasis
the truth that discernment is a light of protection and direction in a world
that grows increasingly dark. In these latter days you and I can press forward
safely and successfully through the mist of darkness and have a clear sense of
spiritual direction. Discernment is so much more than recognizing right from
wrong. It helps us to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant, the
important from the unimportant, and the necessary from that which is merely
nice.
The gift of discernment
opens to us vistas that stretch far beyond what can be seen with natural eyes
or heard with natural ears. Discerning is seeing with spiritual eyes and
feeling with the heart—seeing and feeling the falsehood of an idea or the
goodness in another person. Discerning is hearing with spiritual ears and
feeling with the heart—hearing and feeling the unspoken concern in a statement
or the truthfulness of a testimony or doctrine.
I frequently have heard
President Boyd K. Packer counsel members and priesthood leaders: “If all you know
is what you see with your natural eyes and hear with your natural ears, then
you will not know very much.” His observation should help all of us to
appropriately desire and seek these spiritual gifts.
Observing and discerning
also enable us to assist others who are seeking to obtain the path and who
desire to press forward with steadfastness in Christ. Blessed with these
spiritual gifts, we will not lose our way; we will not wander off; we will not
be lost. And we can only hope to obtain the supernal gift of discernment and
its light of protection and direction if we are quick to observe. As Alma
taught his son Helaman, “See that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see
that ye look to God and live” (Alma 37:47).
I declare my special witness
that Jesus is the Christ, our Redeemer and our Savior. I know that He lives. I
invoke His blessing upon each of you—that indeed you may desire to be and
become quick to observe and truly discerning. In the sacred name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
Sermon on the Mount
Sermon at the Bountiful Temple
Some portions of this comprehensive
address were expressly directed to the disciples, who had been or would be
called to the apostleship and in consequence be required to renounce all their
worldly interests for the labors of the ministry; other parts were and are of
general application. Jesus had ascended the mountain side, probably to escape
the crowds that thronged Him in or near the towns. fn The disciples gathered
about Him, and there He sat and taught them. Fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 215.)
(Deuteronomy 18:15-22.)
15 ¶ The LORD thy God will
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto
me; unto him ye shall hearken;
16 According to all that
thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying,
Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this
great fire any more, that I die not.
17 And the LORD said unto
me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.
18 I will raise them up a
Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his
mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
19 And it shall come to
pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak
in my name, I will require it of him.
20 But the prophet, which
shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to
speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall
die.
21 And if thou say in
thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
22 When a prophet speaketh
in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is
the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it
presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
A new Moses (Jesus) prophesies,
Matthew is saying to his audience; here is the one we have been waiting for,
listen and obey His teachings.
Christ didn’t come to destroy the
Law but to fulfill it completely.
Old Law –
New Law – Mt. in
THE BEATITUDES
The opening sentences are rich in
blessing, and the first section of the discourse is devoted to an explanation
of what constitutes genuine blessedness; the lesson, moreover, was made simple
and unambiguous by specific application, each of the blessed being assured of
recompense and reward in the enjoyment of conditions directly opposite to those
under which he had suffered. The blessings particularized by the Lord on this
occasion have been designated in literature of later time as the Beatitudes.
The poor in spirit are to be made rich as rightful heirs to the kingdom of
heaven; the mourner shall be comforted for he shall see the divine purpose in
his grief, and shall again associate with the beloved ones of whom he has been
bereft; the meek, who suffer spoliation rather than jeopardize their souls in
contention, shall inherit the earth; those that hunger and thirst for the truth
shall be fed in rich abundance; they that show mercy shall be judged
mercifully; the pure in heart shall be admitted to the very presence of God;
the peacemakers, who try to save themselves and their fellows from strife,
shall be numbered among the children of God; they that suffer persecution for
the sake of righteousness shall inherit the riches of the eternal kingdom. To
the disciples the Lord spake directly, saying: "Blessed are ye, when men
shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your
reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you." fn
It is evident that the specified
blessings and the happiness comprised therein are to be realized in their
fulness only beyond the grave; though the joy that comes from the consciousness
of right living brings, even in this world, a rich return. An important element
in this splendid elucidation of the truly blessed state is the implied
distinction between pleasure and happiness. fn Mere pleasure is at best but
fleeting; happiness is abiding, for in the recollection thereof is joy renewed.
Supreme happiness is not an earthly attainment; the promised "fulness of
joy" lies beyond death and the resurrection. fn While man exists in this
mortal state he needs some of the things of the world; he must have food and
clothing and provision for shelter; and besides these bare necessities he may
righteously desire the facilities of education, the incidentals of advancing
civilization, and the things that are conducive to refinement and culture; yet
all of these are but aids to achievement, not the end to attain which man was
made mortal.
The Beatitudes are directed to the
duties of mortal life as a preparation for a greater existence yet future. In
the kingdom of heaven, twice named in this part of the Lord's discourse, are
true riches and unfailing happiness to be found. The kingdom of heaven was the
all-comprising text of this wonderful sermon; the means of reaching the kingdom
and the glories of eternal citizenship therein are the main divisions of the
treatise.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 215.)
(3 Nephi 12:1-6.)
1 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called,
(now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority
to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the
multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed
unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister
unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they
may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold,
I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye
if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know
that I am.
2 And again, more blessed
are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye
have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall
believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be
baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and
shall receive a remission of their sins.
3 Yea, blessed are the
poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 And again, blessed are
all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 And blessed are the
meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 And blessed are all they
who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost.
To the survivors, Christ gets right to the
doctrine of ordinances, it’s a review of the process of spiritual rebirth.
Verse 1 – The requirement of baptism
and the Gift of the Holy Ghost
Verse 2 – Awakening, Childlike
belief, and the ordinances
Verse 3 – Poor in Spirit who come
unto Christ, living in Spiritual death
Verse 4 - Mourn = Need for
Repentance
Verse 5 – Meek = Need for Baptism in
order to enter the Celestial kingdom
Verse 6 – Hunger and Thirst after
Righteousness = Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost
Christ isn’t teaching ethics but
pure doctrine. The doctrine is to lift
men up, to rise above the world. It is
very interesting in Matthew how the disciples followed Him UP the mountain to
be taught.
Again, study the JST of Matthew 7;
it is much deeper and clearer than the King James Version.
The Sermon on the Mount and the
Sermon at the
The Sermon on the Mount cont
June 23, 2005
Righteousness – to live right with
the law, but not perfect
Gospel Study Intensity and
Focus on Building up the Kingdom
Mighty Prayer
Fasting with a Purpose
Obedience
The Beatitudes are a pattern of a
righteous life
Persecution – This comes to the peacemakers
Peacemaker –
Becoming a friend of God
Pure in Heart – My
motive to act
Merciful – Giving mercy
to those in need, must give in order to receive
Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness
– Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost
Meek – Baptism, inherit the
Celestial kingdom
Mourn – Repentance, we all must repent, turning, changing our view to
Christ’s view
Poor in spirit – Spiritual Death,
those who come unto Christ
Bruce went into great detail on a
few of these points
To hunger and thirst after
righteousness means we can’t rest! We
must keep the fire burning within us, striving to do and be better, and then
the Holy Ghost will direct us and guide us toward our ultimate destination,
home.
To be merciful means to give mercy
to someone in trouble, we must extend mercy (serving others) in order to
receive mercy, no complaining here.
To be pure in heart comes down to my
motivation. What are my motives to do
well? Why am I doing what I’m doing, my
self interest or someone else’s interest?
The major sermon he delivered at the
April general conference a few weeks later dwelled on the pure love of Christ,
the theme exemplified by the temple ordinances and suggested in the beautiful,
heavenly appearance of the
(Francis M. Gibbons, Dynamic
Disciples, Prophets of God: Life Stories of the Presidents of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1996],
301.)
Christ and Melchizedek along with
Joseph Smith were peacemakers, see JST Genesis 14, Alma 13, and Abraham
1:2. They turned the enemies of God to
friends of God. Peacemakers are ones who
have gone through the process and want others to go through the same process.
However, Satan and his hosts will
not let this happen without a fight, so persecution will come to those people
who follow the steps of a righteous life.
1 Nephi 8 and 11 – the
Beatitudes are the same as the steps of Lehi’s and Nephi’s dreams.
The fulness of this process comes
after the grave.
It is evident that the specified
blessings and the happiness comprised therein are to be realized in their
fulness only beyond the grave; though the joy that comes from the consciousness
of right living brings, even in this world, a rich return. An important element
in this splendid elucidation of the truly blessed state is the implied
distinction between pleasure and happiness. fn Mere pleasure is at best but
fleeting; happiness is abiding, for in the recollection thereof is joy renewed.
Supreme happiness is not an earthly attainment; the promised "fulness of
joy" lies beyond death and the resurrection. fn While man exists in this
mortal state he needs some of the things of the world; he must have food and
clothing and provision for shelter; and besides these bare necessities he may
righteously desire the facilities of education, the incidentals of advancing
civilization, and the things that are conducive to refinement and culture; yet
all of these are but aids to achievement, not the end to attain which man was
made mortal.
The Beatitudes are directed to the
duties of mortal life as a preparation for a greater existence yet future. In
the kingdom of heaven, twice named in this part of the Lord's discourse, are
true riches and unfailing happiness to be found. The kingdom of heaven was the
all-comprising text of this wonderful sermon; the means of reaching the kingdom
and the glories of eternal citizenship therein are the main divisions of the
treatise.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 216.)
We had a good discussion on pleasure
versus happiness.
Pleasure – Decreasing returns,
reward and time
Eating, Riding a Rollercoaster, etc,
Fun at first but the reward decreases in time, like eating too much at once!!
Happiness – Joy – Increasing
returns, reward and time
Playing the piano, Scripture study,
May not be great at 12 years old, but continue through life and the reward is
evident!
2. Pleasure Versus Happiness.—"The present is an age of
pleasure-seeking, and men are losing their sanity in the mad rush for
sensations that do but excite and disappoint. In this day of counterfeits,
adulterations, and base imitations, the devil is busier than he has ever been
in the course of human history, in the manufacture of pleasures, both old and
new; and these he offers for sale in most attractive fashion, falsely labeled, Happiness.
In this soul-destroying craft he is without a peer; he has had centuries of
experience and practice, and by his skill he controls the market. He has
learned the tricks of the trade, and knows well how to catch the eye and arouse
the desire of his customers. He puts up the stuff in bright-colored packages,
tied with tinsel string and tassel; and crowds flock to his bargain counters,
hustling and crushing one another in their frenzy to buy.
"Follow one of the purchasers as
he goes off gloatingly with his gaudy packet, and watch him as he opens it.
What finds he inside the gilded wrapping? He has expected fragrant happiness,
but uncovers only an inferior brand of pleasure, the stench of which is
nauseating.
"Happiness includes all that is
really desirable and of true worth in pleasure, and much besides. Happiness is
genuine gold, pleasure but gilded brass, which corrodes in the hand, and is
soon converted into poisonous verdigris. Happiness is as the genuine diamond,
which, rough or polished, shines with its own inimitable luster; pleasure is as
the paste imitation that glows only when artificially embellished. Happiness is
as the ruby, red as the heart's blood, hard and enduring; pleasure, as stained
glass, soft, brittle, and of but transitory beauty.
"Happiness is true food,
wholesome, nutritious and sweet; it builds up the body and generates energy for
action, physical, mental and spiritual; pleasure is but a deceiving stimulant
which, like spiritous drink, makes one think he is strong when in reality
enfeebled; makes him fancy he is well when in fact stricken with deadly malady.
"Happiness leaves no bad
after-taste, it is followed by no depressing reaction; it calls for no
repentance, brings no regret, entails no remorse; pleasure too often makes
necessary repentance, contrition, and suffering; and, if indulged to the extreme,
it brings degradation and destruction.
"True happiness is lived over
and over again in memory, always with a renewal of the original good; a moment
of unholy pleasure may leave a barbed sting, which, like a thorn in the flesh,
is an ever-present source of anguish.
"Happiness is not akin with
levity, nor is it one with light-minded mirth. It springs from the deeper
fountains of the soul, and is not infrequently accompanied by tears. Have you
never been so happy that you have had to weep? I have."—Article by the
author, Improvement Era, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 172-73.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 230.)
We need both for balance, see
website for Doctrine of Recreation, and the Doctrine of Work.
Salt = Covenant – Salt cannot be changed, it is eternal, everlasting, yet it can be polluted.
(Doctrine and Covenants
101:39-40.)
39 When men are called
unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they
are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men;
40 They are called to be
the savor of men; therefore, if that salt of the earth lose its savor, behold,
it is thenceforth good for nothing only to be cast out and trodden under the
feet of men.
Savor – Quality that renders a thing
valuable, Webster 1828 Dictionary. So,
being a savor of men is helping make men valuable to God.
The JST makes clear that Moses and the
prophets had been good salt. The law and the witness given through them were
intended to bring people to a knowledge of Christ. But to those who rejected
their witness and even suggested that they stand in place of Christ, they
became adulterated salt, salt to be cast out, salt to be trodden under foot of
men.
The law and the prophets, distorted
and misunderstood by the Jewish teachers of Jesus' day, had ceased to savor.
The light of the Mosaic law and of generations of sacrificial fires was about
to be superseded by the transcendent light of the great and last sacrifice. New
apostles and new disciples were to replace the salt of the former covenant,
for, as Jesus taught, "except your righteousness shall exceed that of the
Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven" (JST Matthew
Jesus therefore commissions new salt.
JST Matthew and 3 Nephi express the Savior's words in the form of a commission,
leaving no doubt as to its source. In place of "Ye are the salt" (KJV
Matthew
In more recent revelation, the Lord
has defined the twin symbols. In the Doctrine and Covenants he identifies
priesthood holders of our day as "a light unto the Gentiles" and
"a savior unto my people
(Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate,
Jr., eds., Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious
Things [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1985], 173.)
Salt. (1) Is an emblem of preservation from
corruption. Salt was so essential to the sacrificial ordinance that it was the
symbol of the covenant being made (Lev.
(Joseph Fielding McConkie, Gospel
Symbolism [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1999], 271.)
An example of salt mixed with dirt
was Hellenized Christianity during the times of the
LDS Doctrine Compared With Other
Christian Doctrines
As biblical scholar W. D. Davies once
pointed out, LDS doctrine can be described as biblical Christianity separated
from hellenized Christianity, a conjunction of first-century Judaism and
Christianity. Latter-day Saints accept the Bible and its apostolic teachings as
God's word, but reject many later interpretations of the Bible that express
Greek philosophical concerns-they accept John and Paul but reject Augustine.
For example, Latter-day Saints accept both the threeness of God and the oneness
of God as biblical teachings. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three divine
personages who together constitute one Godhead. But Mormons reject the attempts
of postbiblical, nonapostolic Christianity to define how the oneness and the
threeness of God are related. They accept the biblical doctrine of the Trinity,
but reject the philosophical doctrine of the Trinity as defined at the Council
of Nicaea and later. In short, Latter-day Saints reject the authority and conclusions
of theologians and philosophers to define or interpret what the Bible,
apostles, or prophets have not. They accept biblical Christianity, but not its
extension in extrabiblical creeds and traditions.
To those Christians who have welded
the Bible to its later interpretation and cannot separate Plato and Augustine
from Peter and Paul, and cannot think of "true" Christianity in
first-century categories, LDS doctrine may seem iconoclastic in separating
biblical texts from their later "traditional" interpretation.
Nevertheless, Latter-day Saints feel that New Testament Saints would have been
just as uncomfortable with the philosophical creeds of later Christianity as
they themselves are.
(Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4
vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 404.)
The Doctrinal Tradition
Now, one might respond that it is not
the customs and traditions of the historical church that must be
accepted after all, but only the doctrines of the historical councils
and creeds. But if the councils and creeds teach doctrines not found in the New
Testament, on what authority must they be accepted? And if the councils and
creeds merely repeat or summarize the doctrines of the New Testament without
adding to them, then why is it necessary to accept them in addition to
the New Testament itself? Only by making the councils the primary sources of
Christian doctrine and the New Testament scriptures secondary can the
historical exclusion work, even theoretically. And if other churches argue that
it is necessary for Latter-day Saints to accept the councils in order to be
Christian, then we might well ask, Which councils must be accepted? How
can these other churches themselves accept only three, or four, or seven, and
not all twenty-one? In actuality many denominations reject some of the
councils for the same reasons that the Latter-day Saints reject them all-because
they add to and conflict with the New Testament gospel as the Holy Spirit
leads us to understand it.
The Latter-day Saints believe, and
modern scholarship agrees, that the theology of the councils and creeds
represents a radical change from the theology of the New Testament Church, The
Latter-day Saints see this change between the first and fourth centuries as
part of a great apostasy; scholars refer to it as the Hellenization of
Christianity, meaning the modification of the Christian message into forms that
would be acceptable in the gentile Greek cultural world. But in that process of
modification and adaptation, Christian teaching became Greek teaching, and
Christian theology became Greek philosophy. In the LDS view the admixture of
Greek elements with the original message of the gospel did not improve it but
diluted it. The resulting historical church was still generically Christian,
but was no longer the pure, true Church of the New Testament period.
To a large extent the councils were
an attempt to reconcile the simple statements of the scriptures with the
philosophical requirements of Greek thinking, and to this extent they represent
the conversion of Christianity to Hellenism. According to Maurice Wiles,
"all Christian thinking, and especially all Christian thinking about the
being and nature of God, was influenced, often unconsciously, by philosophical
ideas current in the Hellenistic world.
Concerning this Hellenization of
Christianity, the great Anglican scholar Edwin Hatch noted as early as 1888, in
a work that is still a classic, that "a large part of what are sometimes
called Christian doctrines, and many usages which have prevailed and continue
to prevail in the Christian Church, are in reality Greek theories and Greek
usages changed in form and colour by the influence of primitive Christianity,
but in their essence Greek still."
At a later time this adopted Greek
element in the Christian tradition would lead to the condemnation of Galileo by
the religious authority of the church-not because his theories conflicted with
the Bible, but because they conflicted with Aristotle, and no distinction was
then being made between Greek philosophy and biblical Christianity. Now, in
modern times, though the traditional church has been forced by science to give
up its Greek cosmology, it still clings tenaciously to its Greek theology.
Hatch insightfully observed:
The habit of defining and of making
inferences from definitions, grew the more as the philosophers passed over into
the Christian lines, and logicians and metaphysicians presided over Christian
churches. The speculations which were then agreed upon became stamped as a body
of truth, and with the still deeper speculations of the Councils of
Constantinople and Chalcedon, the resolutions of the Nicene Fathers have come
to be looked upon as almost a new revelation, and the rejection of them as a
greater bar to Christian fellowship than the rejection of the New Testament
itself.
This is exactly what has happened to
the Latter-day Saints. When the historical exclusion is used against them,
their acceptance of the New Testament is outweighed by their rejection of the
Greek philosophical theology. While rejection of the literal truth of the New
Testament witness is seen as a trivial thing or at least as a negotiable issue
in many modern Christian denominations, rejection of the philosophical
tradition created by the Hellenized church is another matter-that, for
the excluders, puts the Latter- day Saints outside the Christian pale. Thus,
under the historical exclusion the Latter-day Saints are accused of being
"non-Christian" not because they reject the biblical Christ and his
church, but because they commit the more serious "sin" of rejecting
the philosophers. In much of modern Christianity the message of Christ and the
message of Plato have become practically indistinguishable.
One of my revered non-LDS teachers in
graduate school, W. D. Davies, once described Mormonism as an attempt to return
to Christianity as it was before its Hellenization. While many Protestants
attempt to reform Christianity by giving up the papacy and returning to
the church of the conciliar period (A.D. 325-787), the Latter-day Saints seek
to restore primitive Christianity by giving up Hellenism and returning
to the Church of the New Testament period.
(Stephen E. Robinson, Are Mormons
Christians? [
Stephen Robinson has described an
especially critical period in the history of Christianity out of which emerged
serious doctrinal deficiencies that have plagued man ever since:
The second half of the first
century... [to] the middle of the second century. ... might be called the blind
spot in Christian history, for it is here that the fewest primary historical
sources have been preserved. We have good sources for New Testament
Christianity; then the lights go out, so to speak, and we hear the muffled
sounds of a great struggle. When the lights come on again a hundred or so years
later, we find that someone has rearranged all the furniture and Christianity
has become something very different from what it was in the beginning. That
different entity can accurately be described as hellenized Christianity.
. . . Hellenization refers to the
imposition of Greek culture and philosophy upon the cultures of the East. The
result was a synthesis of East and West, a melting pot of popular culture that
was virtually worldwide. In the realm of religion, however, synthesis means
compromise, and when we speak in terms of the gospel, compromise with popular
beliefs means apostasy from the truth.
. . . The Greeks' world-view
eventually won, and Jewish Christianity was revised to make it more attractive
and appealing to a Greek audience.
. . . In order to satisfy the
Gentiles steeped in Greek philosophy, Christianity had to throw out the
doctrines of an anthropomorphic God and the resurrection of the dead, or
reinterpret them drastically. Denying or altering the doctrine of the
resurrection of the dead is precisely what some Greek Christians at
In Doctrine and Covenants 86:3, the
Lord identifies the whore, Babylon, as the apostate church: "After they
[the Apostles] have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the
apostate, the whore, even Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup,
in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he
soweth the tares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the church
into the wilderness."
. . . It [the earliest apostate
church] dethroned God in the church and replaced him with man by denying the
principle of revelation and turning instead to human intellect. (Stephen E.
Robinson, "Warring Against the Saints of God," Ensign, January 1988,
pp. 38, 39.)
These and other serious errors of
perception and assumption set in motion enormous theological and behavioral
consequences which now wash over societies like eroding surf. Indeed there is
much hindering history!
(Neal A. Maxwell, A Wonderful
Flood of Light [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990], 3.)
The law was superceded by the gospel; our progress comes in 3 steps.
Obey – Sacrifice – Consecrate (Law of Motives), the Endowment!
We move on to further obedience,
moving up the ladder, further up the path to the tree.
Christ added Spirit to the law,
expanded and deepened its meaning, anger >> kill, look>>adultery.
Matthew
Matthew
In the New Testament the Greek word
translated "perfect" is teleios. It means ripe, mature, ready,
complete, whole, and so forth. An apple on the tree might be called teleios
when it was ripe and ready to be picked, but that doesn't mean it was an
unimprovable apple. It might still have a worm in it.
Here is another of the great secrets:
To be perfect means to be doing the best you can do under the circumstances you
are in. As Brigham Young once explained:
We all occupy diversified stations in
the world, and in the
Brigham Young can say that doing the
best we know how is being perfect because it fulfills our part of the covenant,
and as we do this, Jesus Christ fulfills his part of the covenant and makes us
perfect through his merit and mercy. The perfection we receive in this manner
is perfection-in-Christ. This is also the perfection that allows us to enter
the celestial kingdom. The other perfection, the actual, personal,
"I-never-make-a-mistake" kind of perfection comes even later than
that—much later.
(Stephen E. Robinson, Believing
Christ: The Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1992], 98.)
We are to work on our weaknesses to
overcome the natural man within each of us, work on a higher level, and raise
our motives, like what we learn in the temple.
Do we stay at the same level we were
at baptism? We move forward and upward
to a higher level. We keep the
commandments to help us become what matters.
The Lords Prayer is a pattern of
prayer not an actual prayer we should be giving, the method of prayer is taught
in the temple.
Go to the temple and read Matthew or
3rd Nephi, this is a temple talk and should be read there.
(Doctrine and Covenants
97:10-14.)
10 Verily I say unto you,
that it is my will that a house should be built unto me in the land of Zion,
like unto the pattern which I have given you.
11 Yea, let it be built
speedily, by the tithing of my people.
12 Behold, this is the
tithing and the sacrifice which I, the Lord, require at their hands, that there
may be a house built unto me for the
salvation of
13 For a place of thanksgiving for all saints,
and for a place of instruction for all
those who are called to the work of the ministry in all their several callings
and offices;
14 That they may be
perfected in the understanding of their ministry, in theory, in principle, and
in doctrine, in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on the earth, the
keys of which kingdom have been conferred upon you.
3 purposes of temples:
- Salvation of
- Place of Thanksgiving
- Place of Instruction
When you struggle with sin go to the
temple, go to where the world is cutoff.
President Hinckley and Elder Oaks gave this counsel when someone is
fighting with pornography.
Pornography – April 2005 Conference
Report.
My brethren who are caught in this
addiction or troubled by this temptation, there is a way.
First, acknowledge the evil. Don't defend it
or try to justify yourself. For at least a quarter century our leaders have
pleaded with men, and also with women and children, to avoid this evil. 2 Our current Church magazines are full
of warnings, information, and helps on this subject—with more than a score of
articles published or to be published this year and last year alone. 3
Second, seek the help of the Lord and His
servants. Hear and heed President Hinckley's words:
"Plead with the Lord out of the
depths of your soul that He will remove from you the addiction which enslaves
you. And may you have the courage to seek the loving guidance of your bishop
and, if necessary, the counsel of caring professionals" (Liahona
and Ensign, Nov. 2004, 62).
Third, do all that you can to avoid
pornography. If you ever find yourself in its presence—which can happen to
anyone in the world in which we live—follow the example of Joseph of Egypt.
When temptation caught him in her grip, he left temptation and "got him
out" (Genesis 39:12).
Don't accommodate any degree of temptation. Prevent sin and avoid having
to deal with its inevitable destruction. So, turn it off! Look away! Avoid it
at all costs. Direct your thoughts in wholesome paths. Remember your covenants
and be faithful in temple attendance. The wise bishop I quoted earlier reported
that "an endowed priesthood bearer's fall into pornography never
occurs during periods of regular worship in the temple; it happens when he has
become casual in his temple worship" (letter of Mar. 13, 2005).
We must also act to protect those we
love. Parents install alarms to warn if their household is threatened by smoke
or carbon monoxide. We should also install protections against spiritual
threats, protections like filters on Internet connections and locating access
so others can see what is being viewed. And we should build the spiritual
strength of our families by loving relationships, family prayer, and scripture
study.
Finally, do not patronize pornography. Do not
use your purchasing power to support moral degradation. And young women, please
understand that if you dress immodestly, you are magnifying this problem by
becoming pornography to some of the men who see you.
Please heed these warnings. Let us
all improve our personal behavior and redouble our efforts to protect our loved
ones and our environment from the onslaught of pornography that threatens our
spirituality, our marriages, and our children.
I testify that this is what we should
do to enjoy the blessings of Him whom we worship. I testify of Jesus Christ,
the Light and Life of the World, whose Church this is, in the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
(Doctrine and Covenants
97:15-17.)
15 And inasmuch as my
people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any
unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon
it;
16 Yea, and my presence
shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall
come into it shall see God.
17 But if it be defiled I
will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will not come
into unholy temples.
No unclean thing should enter the
temple. In one
of the early revelations in this dispensation, it was made known by the Lord
that it was His will that a holy house should be built with the promise that
His glory would rest upon it and His presence would be here and He would come
into it, and all the pure in heart that should come into it should see God on
one condition. That condition was that they "do not suffer any unclean
thing to come into it, that it be not defiled" (D&C 97:15). Obedient
to that instruction, these holy temples are carefully safeguarded, not because
of the necessity of secrecy but because of the sacredness of the work performed
therein, by forbidding those who by the measure of the Lord's standards may be
considered "unclean" in that they do not keep His commandments.
(45-16, p. 137)
(Harold B. Lee, The Teachings of
Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1996], 580.)
We don’t pass final judgment on
individuals, but we do judge every day
HYPOCRISY FURTHER CONDEMNED
Men are prone to judge their fellows
and to praise or censure without due consideration of fact or circumstance. On
prejudiced or unsupported judgment the Master set His disapproval. "Judge
not, that ye be not judged," He admonished, for, according to one's own
standard of judging others, shall he himself be judged. The man who is always
ready to correct his brother's faults, to remove the mote from his neighbor's
eye so that that neighbor may see things as the interested and interfering
friend would have him see, was denounced as a hypocrite. What was the speck in
his neighbor's vision to the obscuring beam in his own eye? Have the centuries
between the days of Christ and our own time made us less eager to cure the
defective vision of those who cannot or will not assume our point of view, and
see things as we see them?
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 232.)
It matters most what have
become. If our works haven’t produced
knowledge of God in me, then I have not become what I must be.
President Packer February 2004 CES
address, serving the Lord with full Consecration.
“Quick to Observe”
DAVID A. BEDNAR
David A. Bednar was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this
devotional address was given at Brigham Young University on 10 May 2005.
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Sister Bednar and I are
delighted to be with you. She and I have been anxiously engaged in university
life for more than 30 years, and we love the young people of the Church. Time
spent with you this morning is a sacred privilege for us. I now seek for and
invite the assistance of the Holy Ghost as I speak with you about essential
spiritual truths.
In October 1987 Elder Marvin
J. Ashton, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, spoke in general conference
about spiritual gifts. I recall with fondness the impact his message had upon
me at that time, and the things he taught then continue to influence me today.
In his message Elder Ashton detailed and described a number of less conspicuous
spiritual gifts—attributes and abilities that many of us might not have
considered being spiritual gifts. For example, Elder Ashton highlighted the
gifts of asking; of listening; of hearing and using a still, small voice; of
being able to weep; of avoiding contention; of being agreeable; of avoiding
vain repetition; of seeking that which is righteous; of looking to God for
guidance; of being a disciple; of caring for others; of being able to ponder;
of bearing mighty testimony; and of receiving the Holy Ghost (see Marvin J.
Ashton, “There Are Many Gifts,” Ensign, November 1987, 20–22).
This morning I want to talk
with you about another seemingly simple and perhaps underappreciated spiritual
gift—the capacity of being “quick to observe.” I will also attempt to explain
why appropriately seeking for this blessing is vitally important for you and
for me in the world in which we do now and will yet live.
The Spiritual Gift of
Being Quick to Observe
All of us have learned
important lessons from the central characters in the Book of Mormon. As we read
about and study the lives of Nephi, Laman,
In my study of the Book of
Mormon I have been especially impressed with a particular description of
Mormon, the principal compiler of the Nephite record. The specific depiction of
this noble prophet to which I would direct our attention is contained in the
first five verses of the first chapter of Mormon:
And now I, Mormon, make a
record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of
Mormon.
And about the time that
Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten
years of age . . . ) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober
child, and art quick
to observe;
Therefore, when ye are
about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that
ye have observed concerning this people. . . .
And behold, ye shall . .
. engrave on the plates of Nephi all the things that ye have observed concerning this people.
And I, Mormon . . .
remembered the things which Ammaron commanded me. [Mormon 1:1–5; emphasis added]
Please note that the root
word observe is used three times in these verses. And Mormon, even in
his youth, is described as being “quick to observe” (Mormon 1:2). As you study
and learn and grow during your time as a university student, I hope you also
are learning about and becoming quick to observe. Your future success and
happiness will in large measure be determined by this spiritual capacity.
Please consider the
significance of this important spiritual gift. As used in the scriptures, the word
observe has two primary uses. One use denotes “to look” or “to see” or
“to notice”—as we learn in Isaiah 42:20: “Seeing many things, but thou observest
not; opening the ears, but he heareth not” (emphasis added).
The second use of the word observe
suggests “to obey” or “to keep”—as is evident in the Doctrine and Covenants:
“But blessed are they who have kept the covenant and observed the
commandment, for they shall obtain mercy” (D&C 54:6; emphasis added).
Thus when we are quick to
observe, we promptly look or notice and obey. Both of these fundamental
elements—looking and obeying—are essential to being quick to observe. And the
prophet Mormon is an impressive example of this gift in action.
I now want to present
several examples of the lessons that can be learned when you and I are blessed
to be quick to observe.
I have a dear friend who
served as a stake president. The patriarch in the stake over which he presided
had experienced some health challenges and was unable to perform in his
calling. The ailing patriarch had difficulty moving about and dressing and
caring for himself, and his strength was limited. One Sabbath afternoon this
good stake president visited the home of the patriarch to encourage him and
check on his well-being. As the stake president entered the home, he found the
patriarch dressed in his suit and white shirt and tie, sitting in a recliner in
the front room. The stake president greeted the dear patriarch and, knowing how
hard it must have been to dress himself, graciously suggested to the patriarch
that it was not necessary for him to get dressed up on the Sabbath or to meet
visitors. In a kind but firm voice, the patriarch reproved the stake president
and said, “Don’t you know that this is the only way I have left to show the Lord
how much I love Him?”
The stake president was
quick to observe. He both heard and felt the lesson, and he applied it.
Reverence for the Sabbath day and the importance of respect and appropriate
demeanor and dress took on added importance in the ministry of the stake
president. The spiritual ability to see, hear, remember, and act upon that
lesson was a great blessing in his life—and in the lives of many others.
Before attending her
sacrament meetings, Sister Bednar frequently prays for the spiritual eyes to
see those who have a need. Often as she observes the brothers and sisters and
children in the congregation, she will feel a spiritual nudge to visit with or
make a phone call to a particular person. And when Sister Bednar receives such
an impression, she promptly responds and obeys. It often is the case that as
soon as the “amen” is spoken in the benediction, she will talk with a teenager
or hug a sister or, upon returning home, immediately pick up the phone and make
a call. As long as I have known Sister Bednar, people have marveled at her
capacity to discern and respond to their needs. Often they will ask her, “How
did you know?” The spiritual gift of being quick to observe has enabled her to
see and to act promptly and has been a great blessing in the lives of many
people.
Your president, Elder
Samuelson, participates each month in a Church Board of Education meeting in
At the conclusion of the
June 2004 board of trustees meeting, President Hinckley called upon Elder David
B. Haight to offer the benediction. It was the last board meeting in which
Elder Haight ever participated. At the age of 97, Elder Haight had some
difficulty as he tried to stand and offer the prayer.
After several attempts to
rise to his feet, President Hinckley courteously said, “David, it is all
right”—suggesting, I believe, that it was permissible for Elder Haight to
remain in his chair and offer the prayer.
Elder Haight responded in a
voice that was both firm and appropriate and said, “President, I must stand!”
There was simply no way that
mighty Apostle was going to sit and pray in the presence of the First
Presidency and his colleagues of the Twelve. And of greater importance, he was
not going to sit as he communicated with his Heavenly Father. So once again
Elder Haight worked to stand—and was successful. I shall never forget the
spirit I felt as I listened to Elder Haight pray. I hope on that occasion I was
quick to observe a powerful lesson about the dignity and the humility that
should always attend our prayers. In my present calling I am blessed by Elder
Haight’s example and feel a deep sense of gratitude for what I saw and felt and
learned that day.
Sister Bednar and I are
acquainted with a returned missionary who had dated a special young woman for a
period of time. This young man cared for the young woman very much, and he was
desirous of making his relationship with her more serious. He was considering
and hoping for engagement and marriage. Now this relationship was developing
during the time that President Hinckley counseled the Relief Society sisters
and young women of the Church to wear only one earring in each ear.
The young man waited
patiently over a period of time for the young woman to remove her extra
earrings, but she did not take them out. This was a valuable piece of
information for this young man, and he felt unsettled about her
nonresponsiveness to a prophet’s pleading. For this and other reasons, he
ultimately stopped dating the young woman, because he was looking for an
eternal companion who had the courage to promptly and quietly obey the counsel
of the prophet in all things and at all times. The young man was quick to
observe that the young woman was not quick to observe.
Now before I continue, I
presume that some of you might have difficulty with my last example. In fact,
this particular illustration of the young man being quick to observe may even
fan the flames of controversy on campus, resulting in letters of disagreement
to the Daily Universe! You may believe the young man was too judgmental
or that basing an eternally important decision, even in part, upon such a
supposedly minor issue is silly or fanatical. Perhaps you are bothered because
the example focuses upon a young woman who failed to respond to prophetic
counsel instead of upon a young man. I simply invite you to consider and ponder
the power of being quick to observe and what was actually observed in the case
I just described. The issue was not earrings!
Now one final example. I
have long been fascinated by the nature of the interaction between the Spirit
of the Lord and Nephi found in chapters 11 through 14 of 1 Nephi. As you
recall, Nephi desired to see and hear and know the things his father, Lehi, had
seen in the vision of the tree of life (see 1 Nephi 8). In chapters 11 through
14 the Holy Ghost assisted Nephi in learning about the nature and meaning of
his father’s vision. Interestingly, 13 times in these chapters the Spirit of
the Lord directed Nephi to “look” as a fundamental feature of the learning
process. Nephi repeatedly was counseled to look, and because he was quick to
observe, he beheld the tree of life (1 Nephi 11:8); the mother of the Savior (1
Nephi
I have described only a few
of the spiritually significant things Nephi saw. You may want to study these
chapters in greater depth and learn from and about Nephi’s learning. As you
study and ponder, please keep in mind that Nephi would not have seen what he
desired to see, he would not have known what he needed to know, and he could
not have done what he ultimately needed to do if he had not been quick to
observe. Brothers and sisters, that same truth applies to you and to me!
Quick to observe. Prompt to
watch and to obey. A simple gift that blesses us individually and in our
families and extends blessings to so many other people. Each of us can and
should strive to be worthy of this significant spiritual gift—even the capacity
of being quick to observe.
Why the Spiritual Gift of
Being Quick to Observe Is So Vital Today
Let me now address the
question of why the spiritual gift of being quick to observe is so vital for us
in the world in which we do now and will yet live. Simply stated, being quick
to observe is an antecedent to and is linked with the spiritual gift of
discernment. And for you and for me, discernment is a light of protection and
direction in a world that grows increasingly dark.
Much like faith precedes the
miracle, much like baptism by water comes before the baptism by fire, much like
gospel milk should be digested before gospel meat, much like clean hands can
lead to a pure heart, and much like the ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood
are necessary before a person can receive the higher ordinances of the
Melchizedek Priesthood, so being quick to observe is a prerequisite to and a
preparation for the gift of discernment. We can only hope to obtain that
supernal gift of discernment and its light of protection and direction if we
are quick to observe—if we both look and obey.
President George Q. Cannon,
who served as a counselor to four presidents of the Church, taught powerfully
about the gift of discernment:
One of the gifts of the
Gospel which the Lord has promised to those who enter into covenant with Him is
the gift of discerning of spirits—a gift which is not much thought of by many
and probably seldom prayed for; yet it is a gift that is of exceeding value and
one that should be enjoyed by every Latter-day Saint. . . .
Now, the gift of
discerning of spirits not only gives men and women who have it the power to
discern the spirit with which others may be possessed or influenced, but it
gives them the power to discern the spirit which influences themselves. They
are able to detect a false spirit and also to know when the Spirit of God
reigns within them. In private life this gift is of great importance to the
Latter-day Saints. Possessing and exercising this gift they will not allow any
evil influence to enter into their hearts or to prompt them in their thoughts,
their words or their acts. They will repel it; and if perchance such a spirit
should get possession of them, as soon as they witness its effects they will
expel it or, in other words, refuse to be led or prompted by it. [Gospel Truth: Discourses and
Writings of President George Q. Cannon, comp. Jerreld L. Newquist (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974), 1:198–99]
Can we recognize how crucial
this spiritual gift is in our lives today and how being quick to observe is a
powerful invitation for the blessings of discernment?
President Stephen L
Richards, who served as a counselor to President David O. McKay, has provided
additional instruction about the nature and blessings of discernment:
First, I mention the gift
of discernment, embodying the power to discriminate . . . between right and
wrong. I believe that this gift when highly developed arises largely out of an
acute sensitivity to impressions—spiritual impressions, if you will—to read
under the surface as it were, to detect hidden evil, and more importantly to
find the good that may be concealed. The highest type of discernment is that
which perceives in others and uncovers for them their better natures, the good
inherent within them. . . .
. . . Every member in the restored
As we integrate the
teachings of Presidents Cannon and Richards, we learn that the gift of
discernment operates basically in four major ways.
First, as we “read under the
surface,” discernment helps us detect hidden error and evil in others.
Second, and more important,
it helps us detect hidden errors and evil in ourselves. Thus the spiritual gift
of discernment is not exclusively about discerning other people and situations,
but, as President Cannon taught, it is also about discerning things as they
really are within us.
Third, it helps us find and
bring forth the good that may be concealed in others.
And fourth, it helps us find
and bring forth the good that may be concealed in us. Oh, what a blessing and a
source of protection and direction is the spiritual gift of discernment!
The teachings of Presidents
Cannon and Richards concerning the power of discernment to detect hidden evil
and to identify good that may be concealed become even more important to you
and to me in light of a specific element of Lehi’s vision. In the vision
various groups of individuals were pressing forward that they might obtain the
path which led unto the tree of life (see 1 Nephi
And it came to pass that
there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of
darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way,
that they wandered off and were lost. [1 Nephi 8:23]
I repeat again for emphasis
the truth that discernment is a light of protection and direction in a world that
grows increasingly dark. In these latter days you and I can press forward
safely and successfully through the mist of darkness and have a clear sense of
spiritual direction. Discernment is so much more than recognizing right from
wrong. It helps us to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant, the
important from the unimportant, and the necessary from that which is merely
nice.
The gift of discernment
opens to us vistas that stretch far beyond what can be seen with natural eyes
or heard with natural ears. Discerning is seeing with spiritual eyes and
feeling with the heart—seeing and feeling the falsehood of an idea or the
goodness in another person. Discerning is hearing with spiritual ears and
feeling with the heart—hearing and feeling the unspoken concern in a statement
or the truthfulness of a testimony or doctrine.
I frequently have heard
President Boyd K. Packer counsel members and priesthood leaders: “If all you
know is what you see with your natural eyes and hear with your natural ears,
then you will not know very much.” His observation should help all of us to
appropriately desire and seek these spiritual gifts.
Observing and discerning
also enable us to assist others who are seeking to obtain the path and who
desire to press forward with steadfastness in Christ. Blessed with these
spiritual gifts, we will not lose our way; we will not wander off; we will not
be lost. And we can only hope to obtain the supernal gift of discernment and
its light of protection and direction if we are quick to observe. As
I declare my special witness
that Jesus is the Christ, our Redeemer and our Savior. I know that He lives. I
invoke His blessing upon each of you—that indeed you may desire to be and
become quick to observe and truly discerning. In the sacred name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
Parables Chapters 18-19
Class Members Notes
President Heber J. Grant,
October, 1942 Conference Talk
"I Was Willing to Vote for
Myself"
I was made one of the apostles in
October 1882. On the sixth of October, 1882, I met brother George Teasdale at
the south gate of the temple. His face lit up, and he said: "Brother
Grant, you and I"—very enthusiastically—and then he commenced coughing and
choking, and went on into meeting and did not finish his sentence. It came to
me as plainly, as though he had said the words: ". . . are going to be
chosen this afternoon to fill the vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles."
I went to the meeting, and my head
swelled, and I thought to myself, "Well, I am going to be one of the
apostles," and I was willing to vote for myself, but the conference
adjourned without anyone being chosen.
Ten days later I received a telegram
saying, "You must be in Salt Lake tomorrow without fail." I was then
president of Tooele Stake. The telegram came from my partner, Nephi W. Clayton.
When I got to the depot, I said: "Nephi, why on earth are you calling me
back here? I had an appointment out in Tooele Stake."
"Never mind," he said,
"it was not I who sent for you; it was Brother Lyman. He told me to send
the telegram and sign my name to it. He told me to come and meet you and take
you to the President's office. That is all I know.'
So I went to the President's office,
and there sat Brother Teasdale, and all of the ten apostles, and the presidency
of the Church, and also Seymour B. Young and the members of the Seven
Presidents of the Seventies. And the revelation was read calling Brother
Teasdale and myself to the apostleship, and Brother Seymour B. Young to be one
of the Seven Presidents of the Seventies.
Brother Teasdale was blessed by
President John Taylor, and George Q. Cannon blessed me.
After the meeting I said to Brother
Teasdale, "I know what you were going to say to me on the sixth of October
when you happened to choke half to death and then went into the meeting."
He said, "Oh, no, you
don't."
"Yes, I do," and I repeated
it: "You and I are going to be called to the apostleship."
He said, "Well, that is what I
was going to say, and then it occurred to me that I had no right to tell it,
that I had received a manifestation from the Lord." He said, "Heber,
I have suffered the tortures of the damned for ten days, thinking I could not
tell the difference between a manifestation from the Lord and one from the
devil, that the devil had deceived me."
I said, "I have not suffered
like that, but I never prayed so hard in my life for anything as I did that the
Lord would forgive me for the egotism of thinking that I was fit to be an
apostle, and that I was ready to go into that meeting ten days ago and vote for
myself to be an apostle."
Heber J. Grant in Conference
Report, October 3, 1942, pp. 24-25.
(Leon R. Hartshorn, comp., Classic
Stories from the Lives of Our Prophets [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1971], 210 - 211.)
These chapters cover the
healing miracles of Jesus and His use of parables to teach doctrine.
The Centurion’s servant
healed, the young man of Nain raised from the dead.
John the Baptist sent his
disciples to Jesus to ask if he was the Messiah, more on this later.
Mary and the family come to
see Jesus; it is hard to understand the Catholic position of Mary not having
children other than Jesus. It shows that
tradition is more powerful than the scriptures and doctrine.
Mary had to be mortal and
subject to a telestial world (fallen) just as Christ had to be to redeem us
all, if not He could not say He has overcome all, he came into a mortal body
but remained without sin, 2 Nephi 9.
Bruce went into some detail of the
relationships of Herod the Great, Augustus, Mark Anthony, Cleopatra. A lot of court intrigue took place, like a
Herod’s Alliance with Rome
In the struggle for power after Caesar’s
death, Caesar’s lieutenant Marc Antony and Caesar’s nephew and adopted son,
Octavian Caesar (the future Augustus), emerged as the two primary claimants of
power in the Roman world.
In 42b.c., when
The occasion for
Judea as a
From 37 to Herod’s death in 4b.c. and
into the brief reign ofHerod’s son Archelaus, which came to an end in a.d.6,
Judea was technically not a
During the early years of Herod’s
rule, civil war decided the contest for power between
(The Romans in Judea, BYU
Studies, vol. 36 (1996-97), Number 3--1996-97.)
(Matthew 11:2-11.)
2 Now when John had heard
in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art
thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said
unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their
sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead
are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6 And blessed is he,
whosoever shall not be offended in me.
7 ¶ And as they departed,
Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into
the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
8 But what went ye out for
to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing
are in kings' houses.
9 But what went ye out for
to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10 For this is he,
of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall
prepare thy way before thee.
11 Verily I say unto you,
Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the
Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he.
John’s
mission was to bring people to Christ, not to himself. They aren’t really John’s disciples, yet
writers place them as such! John didn’t
want disciples. John while in prison
tries to get those who listened to him to find, listen and follow Christ.
John is
killed in prison as a gift to one of the wicked women on earth.
To be offended means to
stumble. Verse 7, John was true to his
calling, no wavering at all, John pointed toward Christ. Jesus knew what John was doing. Matthew is teaching about the cost of
discipleship, John’s mission and death, Christ’s mission and death, we are to
devote all to the kingdom
(John 3:26-30.)
26 And they came unto
John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond
27 John answered and said,
A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me
witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride
is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth
him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore
is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I
must decrease.
John was the friend
introducing the bride to the bridegroom, a go between like Abraham’s servant
finding a wife for Isaac. The bridegroom
increases while the friend (his mission complete) fades into the woodwork, his
role decreases.
Today this is like a
missionary introducing a convert to the gospel, many attach themselves to the
missionary, they seem converted to him or her and not the gospel, the
missionary is transferred and out of the picture. Don’t want to be converted to the missionary.
(Luke 7:36-50.)
36 ¶ And one of the
Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the
Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
37 And, behold, a woman in
the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in
the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet
behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them
with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with
the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee
which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man,
if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is
that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answering
said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master,
say on.
41 There was a certain
creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other
fifty.
42 And when they had
nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them
will love him most?
43 Simon answered and
said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him,
Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the
woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house,
thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears,
and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss:
but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou
didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore I say unto
thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom
little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
48 And he said unto her,
Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at
meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins
also?
50 And he said to the
woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Luke tells the story of
Jesus as a guest in Simon the Pharisee’s house, there is a lot happening here. Simon has a very nice house, courtyard, gated
area; the house is built around this.
The table is U shaped 12 to 14 inches off the floor, with people
reclining toward the table with their feet pointed toward the door. It isn’t uncommon for strangers to come and
go, part of the hospitality of the
We don’t know who the woman
who bathed Christ’s feet, her point was worshipping from the heart, not from
ritual teachings. This is different from
the story of Mary before the atonement.
This is an act of deep reverence and honor to Him. She understood He was her Redeemer. Christ knew what was in her heart and in her
mind; He looked at her heart not on how she looked on the outside. Compare this to how Christ thought of Simon
and what was in his heart!! Ouch!
Christ teaches a parable
and asks Simon to interpret it, 500 pence 1 ½ wages versus 50 pence.
The one who was owed the
debts frankly forgave both. Who loves
him more? The one who sinned the
most! Need to study that one; I don’t
want to go out sinning as much as possible!!!
Justify a lot of sin, so when we are forgiven you love God more?!?
Luke writes more about
women than any other gospel.
Ritual ruled their lives;
there wasn’t room for compassion, humility, or mercy!
Story of the Good Samaritan
Priest going home would not
help the stranger; he would have to go through the process of ritual cleansing.
The gospel of Luke shows
the tension between the
Interpretation and
application of parables, we need to understand the interpretation and not be
caught up in the personal application, see BD
The original interpretation
is most important, it is the key. Look
at the original context, setting to see the interpretation, what is the point
of the author? Parables are hard to
understand it requires work and the Spirit to understand.
With the parable to Simon,
don’t get caught up on subordinate incidents, paying of the debt etc.
The point is one is
forgiven more than the other, they are both debtors, and both need repentance,
they who repented the most also loves the most.
Simon has not yet responded to Christ, so he loves less. She who responded to her Savior loves the
most, she accepts her Savior, Simon does not.
The more I repent, the more I realize my dependence on my Savior, which
is the whole point of this parable!
BIBLE DICTIONARY
PARABLES
(1) Most teachers,
especially Oriental teachers, have used some form of parable in their
instruction, but none so exclusively as Jesus at one period of his ministry.
During part of the Galilean ministry the record states that “without a parable
spake he not unto them” (Mark
4: 34). From our Lord’s words (Matt. 13: 13-15; Mark 4: 12; Luke 8: 10) we learn the
reason for this method. It was to veil the meaning. The parable conveys to the
hearer religious truth exactly in proportion to his faith and intelligence; to
the dull and uninspired it is a mere story, “seeing they see not,” while to the
instructed and spiritual it reveals the mysteries or secrets of the kingdom of
heaven. Thus it is that the parable exhibits the condition of all true
knowledge. Only he who seeks finds.
(2) The word parable is Greek in origin, and means a setting side by
side, a comparison. In parables divine truth is presented by comparison with
material things. The Hebrew word, mashal, which parable is used
to translate, has a wider significance, and is applied to the balanced metrical
from in which teaching is conveyed int he poetical books of the Old Testament.
See Matt. 13: 35.
(3) Interpretation of parables. It is important to distinguish between the
interpretation of a parable and the application of a parable. The only true
interpretation is the meaning the parable conveyed, or was meant to convey,
when first spoken. The application of a parable may vary in every age and
circumstance. But if the original meaning is to be grasped, it is important to
consider its context and setting. The thought to which it is linked, the
connection in which it is placed, the persons to whom it is addressed, all give
the clue to the right interpretation. Other rules of interpretation are: (a) Do
not force a meaning on subordinate incidents. (b) Do not regard as parallel
parables that are connected by superficial likeness of imagery. (c) Bear in
mind that the same illustration does not always have the same significance -
leaven, e.g., signifies a principle of good as well as a principle of evil. (d)
Remember that the comparison in a parable is not complete, does not touch at
every point. Thus, the characters of the unjust judge or the unjust steward or
the nobleman who went into a far country - possibly referring to the infamous
Archelaus - do not concern the interpretation of the parable. The parable draws
a picture of life as it is, not as it ought to be, and compares certain points
in this picture with heavenly doctrine. (e) Observe the proper proportions of a
parable, and do not make the episode more prominent than the main line of
teaching.
(4) Classification of parables. The greatest importance should be attached to
the grouping of the parables by the writers themselves. In Matthew three main
lines of teaching are illustrated by parables: (a) The Church of the future-
its planting and growth, internal and external, the enthusiasm for it, the
mingling within it of good and evil, the final judgment of it (ch. 13). (b) The
Jewish Church and nation, its history, and the causes of its fall (Matt. 21: 18-19, 23 -
22: 14). (c) The ministry of the Church in the parables given on the
Mark follows the lines of Matthew in (a) Mark 4: 1-34, and (b) Mark 12: 1-12; but in each
division fewer parables are reported, and in (b) one only. In (a), however,
occurs the one parable peculiar to this Gospel.
Luke also omits the parables given on the
(1) Prayer and earnestness in religious life (Luke 11: 5-8; Luke 16: 1-13; Luke 18: 1-8).
(2) Forgiveness and the love of God (Luke 7: 41-43; Luke 15).
(3) Reversal of human judgment, as to just and unjust (Luke 10: 25-27; Luke 12: 16-21; Luke 18: 9-14); rich and
poor (Luke 16: 19-31).
John has no true parables, but presents two allegories: the good shepherd (Luke 10: 1-16), and the
vine and the branches (Luke
15: 1-7).
Parable of the Prodigal Son
(Luke 15:11-32.)
11 ¶ And he said, A
certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them
said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to
me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after
the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country,
and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent
all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined
himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed
swine.
16 And he would fain have
filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto
him.
17 And when he came to
himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and
to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to
my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
before thee,
19 And am no more worthy
to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came
to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto
him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more
worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to
his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a
ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the
fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead,
and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25 Now his elder son was
in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and
dancing.
26 And he called one of
the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him,
Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he
hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and
would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
29 And he answering said
to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither
transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid,
that I might make merry with my friends:
30 But as soon as this thy
son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for
him the fatted calf.
31 And he said unto him,
Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32 It was meet that we
should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive
again; and was lost, and is found.
Jesus was teaching the Publicans and
sinners, the Pharisees didn’t approve, they are rebuked for their self
righteousness.
The story
isn’t about the younger son, pay close attention to the older son. The father is the Savior.
The older
son was angry, thinking about him, me, me, me, and my and I, etc.
The son
was jealous of the attention given to his once wayward brother. His heart was hardened, no compassion or
mercy shown. Like an inactive coming
back to the fold of the gospel, how do we react? This isn’t about repentance but my attitude
toward sinners coming back to their Redeemer, aren’t we all bought with a
price??
Be very
careful of the intent of this parable and its context, it takes effort to
understand.
We love
the Savior most after repenting and coming unto Him.
Simon’s
attitude should have been to welcome the woman into his house and be glad of
her change of heart, her repentance, turning and worshipping her Savior, That
wasn’t the case however.
Luke was
teaching that love, mercy and repentance was more important than ritual, mercy
will receive mercy, back to the Sermon on the Mount.
(Hosea 6:6.)
6 For I desired mercy, and
not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Sacrifice
is important, yet baptism, temple, and true worship will only work if it is in
the heart
Bruce told
a story of a family receiving groceries from another member on Sunday, The Bishop wouldn’t help the family because
of the law, ritual. But how important
was it to help the family in need? Mercy
is more important than ritual.
The Priest
should have stopped and helped the injured on the side of the road, the
Samaritan showed mercy.
We have
all violated the law, and must have God’s mercy as we repent. The Atonement will satisfy the law, if we
have truly repented, again he who has repented more loves more.
Apostolic
A question came up about shaking the
dust off your feet if the message is rejected.
Bruce said it is so rare that we don’t see or hear about it.
This is a gospel ordinance that is
left to the 12 Apostles, not to be done by 19-21 year olds!!
Bruce explained the 10 ritual levels
from entering
Samuel the Lamanite on the wall
promised the certain destruction of the Nephites if they did not repent and
turn back toward Christ.
Rejection of the Lord's Servants
The sharing of the gospel must
always be accompanied by the bearing of testimony as a witness that the message
is true. Those who are recipients of the message may choose to receive it or
reject it according to their use of their agency. There may be occasions when
someone rejects it in such a way as to be offensive to the Lord. Under such
circumstances, the Lord may desire that the testimony of the elders be sealed by
the shaking off of the dust of the feet as a testimony against those who so
rejected the message. (See D&C 60:15)
The bearing of this type of testimony has been discussed and counsel has been
given as follows:
Our Lord instructed His first
Apostles to shake the dust off their feet, when they departed from a house or a
city in which their message had been rejected. Paul and Barnabas did so, when
they were forced to leave
Jesus came to his home town in
The 12 went on missions 2 by 2 in
the surrounding region going to the House of Israel; Jesus was alone on his
personal ministry.
Jews and Muslims cannot understand
the concept of a redemptive Messiah. The
Jews will be taught and converted by the Savior at the 2nd coming.
Bruce gave us a great nugget
concerning the Hebrew word Ga’al = to Redeem, to buy back that which was
lost. And the title Go’el = Redeemer,
the one who buys back that which was lost.
Adam and Eve because of their
transgression in the Garden were asked to leave, they lost the land. Christ will buy it back when He returns at
the 2nd coming.
To the Jews, land is the issue, a poor person can lose his parcel of land to
a rich neighbor if he cannot pay his rent, it is now out of the family name, no
inheritance for his children.
Leviticus 25:47-48
25:25-34 If thy brother be waxen
poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to
redeem it
Redemption of land by a kinsman
(Heb., go'el, "redeemer") was an alternative to waiting for
the jubilee to get former possessions back. This concept is well illustrated in
the book of Ruth (TG, "Redeem, Redeemed.")
A house in a walled city could be
sold and become the permanent property of the buyer if it was not redeemed
within a year, but there were exceptions in villages and Levite cities (Lev. 25:29-33).
25:35-55 if thy brother be waxen
poor, . . . then thou shalt relieve him; yea, though he be a stranger, or a
sojourner
Principles were prescribed to
protect the poor from slavery among Israelites and provide for redemption of
any in bondage to others.
Brother – 1st to buy him
back
Uncle – 2nd to buy him
back
Cousin – 3rd to buy him
back
Isaiah was the 1st to
write about Christ being the Redeemer to buy us back, us who are lost, Nephi
understood this, 1 Nephi 19:8-18, 23.
This idea is all over the Book of Mormon. Article of Faith 10, it is also a land issue!
The story of Ruth is a classic on
this issue.
RUTH
See "Ruth" in the Bible
Dictionary, page 764.
1:1-4 The Moabites were
Semitic people related to Abraham, the father of the Hebrews; they were
descendants of
1:14-22 The decision of
Ruth to stay with Naomi, and the events that resulted from that decision,
affected generations yet unborn and provided Ruth an eternal niche in history.
Ruth became the grandmother of King David and an ancestress of Jesus Christ.
In
3-4 The Levirate marriage
system provided that a brother (or near kinsman if there were no brothers) of
the deceased husband could marry the young widow and, if she were still in
child-bearing years, raise up seed unto the deceased husband. (See
"Levirate Marriage," BD, p. 724.)
3:9 The root of the Hebrew
word translated "skirt" was translated "wings" in Ruth 2:12. The
essential meaning is the same as the English idiom "to take under one's
wing," meaning to provide security and protection. In effect, Ruth is
proposing marriage to Boaz, and one basis of her proposal is that Boaz is
"a near kinsman."
4:1-10 Ellis Rasmussen has
written the following commentary on these verses:
The legal proceedings were duly
accomplished. Apparently the writer of the tale did not even bother to find the
name of the opportunist kinsman who was only willing to do the duty of a
redeemer of his dead kinsman's property until he found that the responsibility
of marrying a young widow and raising up a son to the name of the dead was
entailed. The first son of such a marriage would be counted the son and heir of
the dead husband, and thus, though the "redeemer" paid to get the
land back into the possession of the family, it would go to that heir and not
increase his own estate.
The word here rendered
"redeemer" we translate literally from Hebrew go'el and this
is its proper translation. It is rendered merely "kinsman" in the
King James English translation. The function of a go'el was to make it possible
for a widow who had lost home and property to return to her former status and
security and to have seed to perpetuate her family.
It is easy to see why the later
prophets borrowed this word from the social laws of Israel and used it to
describe the functions of Him who would become the Divine Redeemer: Think of
what He does to restore us to proper status with God, and to give us future
security and eternal "seed."
The socio-economic law involved is
found in Deuteronomy
25:5-10. (IOT 1:157.)
Companion to Your Study of the Old
Testament, Daniel H. Ludlow
HEBREW CONCEPTS OF ADOPTION AND REDEMPTION IN THE WRITINGS OF PAUL
For Latter-day Saints, Paul's
statement that "the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we
are the children of God" (Romans 8:16)
seems perfectly natural. In jumping to that phrase we pass over the preceding
verse, in which Paul declares that "ye have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption" (Romans 8:15).
His use of the Greek term for adoption, huiothesia, has long been a
subject of scholarly debate. The term is found five times in his epistles (Romans 8:15; 8:23; 9:4; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5).
Neither that term nor a Hebrew equivalent exists in the Septuagint or the Old
Testament, and many scholars have argued that Paul was referring to a Greek or
Roman concept of adoption. There is some merit to that claim, but it does not
fully explain the Israelite context in which Paul's statements about adoption
are found. Other scholars note incidents of adoption in the Old Testament and
the use of adoption imagery to express the relationship between the Lord and
his people to argue for an Israelite conception of adoption in the writings of
Paul. Between them, these biblical models explain many aspects of Paul's use of
huiothesia, but none fully explains the repeated association of adoption
with redemption. The Roman model does have some associations with redemption
but does not fit the Israelite context.
A model that does connect adoption
with redemption, however, can be found in the Israelite world of ideas. In
ancient
REDEMPTION AND ADOPTION IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT
In the Old Testament two words, ga'al
and padah, are primarily translated as redeem in English and lutron
in the Greek of the Septuagint. Both incorporate the idea of "buying
back" or "release by the payment of a price." 1
The term for a redeemer, go'el, derives from ga'al. Ga'al
refers to redemption being made out of family obligation or responsibility. The
person who carries this responsibility is known as the go'el, the
present participle of ga'al. One excellent translation of go'el
captures both the family relationship and the action:
"kinsman-redeemer." 2
The five essential duties of the go'el were to buy back sold property,
to buy back a man who had sold himself to a foreigner as a slave, to avenge
blood and kill a relative's murderer, to receive atonement money, and,
figuratively, to be a helper in a lawsuit. 3
The go'el was the "cultural gyroscope" of
Throughout the Old Testament
Yahweh is described as the go'el of
Adoption is an important metaphor
to explain the relationship between the Lord and
Israelite practices of making
covenants and renaming further explain how the relationship between the Lord
and his people can be understood as adoptive. The biblical concept of covenant
was to create a new relationship. The Hebrew word berît is translated covenant,
but the range of the concept of covenant in the Old Testament extends the
meaning of the term to include the action of creating a relationship. 5
A covenantal relationship could be formed in a variety of ways, including
exchanging gifts, shaking hands, eating something together, oath-making, and
even performing ceremonies with oil. 6
The Israelites saw covenant making
as a way of creating family relationships. Families were the basis of society,
but strangers could enter into households by covenants that implied "an
adoption into the household, an extension of kinship, the making of a
brother." 7
The covenant meal "means admission into the family circle of another,
since only the kinsmen will eat together." 8
Exodus 24:9-11
records a covenant meal that signifies adoption as Moses and the elders of
Israel partook of a ritual meal with the Lord as part of the covenant at Sinai
(Exodus 24:9-11).
McCarthy comments: "To see a great chief and eat in his place is to join
his family . . . the whole group related by blood or not which stood under the
authority and protection of the father. One is united to him as a client to his
patron who protects him and whom he serves. . . . Covenant is something one
makes by a rite, not something one is born to or forced into, and it can be
described in family terms. God is patron and father,
Satan rules on the earth for the
moment, but when Christ comes again, Satan will be bound. Christ will redeem the land when He stands on
the
Bruce told us stories of his mission
in
The Miracle of Jesus Feeding the
Five Thousand, counting in the women and children the number could be 15,000 to
20,000!
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
And it came to pass that he brake
bread again and blessed it, and gave to the disciples to eat. And when they had
eaten he commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the
multitude. And when they had given unto the multitude he also gave them wine to
drink, and commanded them that they should give unto the multitude. Now, there
had been no bread, neither wine, brought by the disciples, neither by the
multitude; But he truly gave unto them bread to eat, and also wine to drink.
And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul;
and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his
soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled. (3 Ne. 20:3-8.)
He Prepares a Table in the
Wilderness
(Luke 9:10-11;
JST Luke 9:10; Matthew 14:13;
Mark 6:30-32;
JST Mark 6:32-33)
Jesus now plans to feed five
thousand men, "beside women and children," with five small barley
loaves and two sardine-like fish. The spartan banquet—if such it may be called
when contrasted with the gluttonous feasts at Machaerus—is to be held in a
solitary meadow near Bethsaida-Julias to the north and east of the Sea of
Galilee. As to the multiplying of the loaves and fishes, John tells us that
Jesus "himself knew what he would do" beforehand (John 6:6), and
that this foreknowledge applied also to the preparation for the desert feast we
cannot doubt.
And so, before the miraculous
banquet can be served, the table in the desert must be prepared. The question,
"Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" must be answered anew,
as it was in the day of Moses when Jehovah served quail to all
It should not be thought a thing
unreasonable among them that the Son of God would exercise his creative power
to give meat to hungering men. Indeed, their tradition was that when the Messiah
came he would—as Moses had done—give them bread from heaven, provide them water
to drink, feed them flesh according to their needs. Others before had fed
Had not Moses, the servant of
Jehovah—when they, lusting for the fleshpots of
Was not Elijah fed by the ravens
as he hid himself by the brook Cherith? Did not the fowls of heaven bring him
"bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening,"
lest he die of the famine? And did he not say to the widow of Zarephath,
"The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail,
until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth," and it was so? (1 Kgs. 17:1-16.)
And Elisha, upon whom the mantle
of Elijah fell, did he not bring oil and bread and corn into being from the
very elements, as it were? What of the widow whose husband had been a prophet
and whose two sons were to be taken as bondmen by a creditor? Did not Elisha
cause them to pour oil from one small vessel until many great vessels were
full, so they might sell the great store of oil thus created and have
sufficient means to meet their needs? And does not the scripture say of Elisha:
And there came a man from
Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty
loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give
unto the people, that they may eat.
And his servitor said, What,
should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that
they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
So he set it before them and
they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kgs. 4:1-7, 42-44.)
Why, then, should it be thought a
thing unreasonable among them that the Son of God himself should give them a
simple peasant-type meal of barley loaves and fish? Had he not, for that
matter, as they all knew, turned water into wine at
And so now, Jesus and his
disciples leave
1. Both he and the Twelve are
greatly in need of physical rest. They have all been teaching and healing
and traveling, almost with greater zeal than their strength permits. The Twelve
have just returned from their missions and have told Jesus "all things,
both what they had done, and what they had taught." They too had been
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, casting out devils, healing the sick,
perhaps even raising the dead, for such was included in the promises made to
them. And so Jesus said unto them: "Come ye yourselves apart into a
solitary place, and rest a while; for there were many coming and going, and
they had no leisure, not so much as to eat. And they departed into a solitary
place by ship, privately."
2. Their departure will have a
much-needed quieting effect upon the people.
3. It seemed wise for Jesus and
the Twelve to withdraw from the domains and power of Herod.
4. The feeding of the hungering
thousands could only take place in a solitary place, in the deserts and
hills where no food was available; otherwise the need for divine intervention
would not be compelling. And Jesus must work this miracle, not alone to
fulfill the Messianic tradition had among them, but to bear witness in a way
none others can that he is indeed the One of whom Moses and the prophets spoke.
Those of old who had fed the hungering by divine power had all done it in
Jehovah's name. Jesus must go forth and say he is the Son of God, the Promised
Messiah, and then work the miracle; then exercise divine power; then multiply
the loaves and fishes—a thing he could not do if he were a deceiver.
5. And, finally, as we shall
hereafter see in some detail, the multitude must be fed, at the appointed
place, so that Jesus, back again in
Jesus Teaches, Heals, and Feeds
the Multitude
(John 6:1-15;
JST John 6:12-13; Mark 6:33-46; JST Mark 6:36, 39; Matthew 14:14-23;
Luke 9:11-17;
JST Luke 9:10-13)
This miracle, with its attendant
circumstances, is recounted by all four of the Evangelists. Each preserves his
own views as to what transpired on this never-to-be-forgotten day, and all of
the accounts taken together enable us to paint a vivid picture of the only
scenes of this kind ever to transpire among men. The Man whose words we love
and whose deeds we revere first taught his scattered sheep; then he healed
those who were lame and maimed among them; after this, he fed them all with
earthly manna; then he went off by himself to commune alone with his Father;
and finally, he walked on the ridges of the waves as a tempestuous wind whipped
the Galilean sea into a frothy and frenzied maelstrom.
John tells us the Feast of the
Passover "was nigh," and Mark specifies that the multitudes sat on
"green grass." It was spring—early April of A.D. 29—and great throngs
of Galileans had left their fields and shops to travel to
Jesus and the Twelve took ship.
From
Their departure was seen by the
people, who followed on foot, out of all the cities; word of his destination
went from mouth to mouth; a great congregation awaited him across from the
Perhaps Jesus and his party gained
some rest, at least some respite from the crowds, as they crossed the sea and
as they sat on the mountain. But when Jesus saw the multitudes, he "was
moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things." So says Mark. Luke says he
"spake unto them of the
Jesus was doing what he had done
before. It was his age-old pattern; as he always did, he preached the gospel,
summarized the plan of salvation, told the people in whom they must believe and
what they must do to be saved. He told them who he was and who the Twelve were.
How important it is to know this, and how often it is repeated by the inspired
authors!
As he said at the first Passover
of his ministry, 'Though men destroy this body, I shall rise again the third
day'; as he said to Nicodemus, 'I am the Son of Man who came down from heaven;
whosoever believeth in me shall not perish but have eternal life; I am the Only
Begotten Son; through me all men may be saved'; as he said to the woman of
Samaria at Jacob's Well, 'I that speak unto thee am the Messias'; as he said in
the synagogue in Nazareth, 'I am he of whom Isaiah spake; in me are the
Messianic prophecies fulfilled; I am the Messiah'; as he said in healing one
sick of the palsy, 'I Jesus, who am God, forgive you of your sins'; as he said
at the second Passover, after healing the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda,
'I am the Son of God; my Father and I are equal; the Father hath committed all
judgment into my hands; he that believeth on me hath everlasting life; even the
dead shall hear my voice; all men must honor me even as they honor the
Father'—as he said day in and day out, everywhere and everlastingly, always, in
season and out of season, early and late, to men, women, and children, to every
living soul, so he said again to the multitude near Bethsaida-Julias: 'I am the
Son of God; salvation comes by me; believe my words and live my law, and I will
give you a place in my Father's kingdom.'
Again we say: How important it is
to know this! Jesus preached the gospel first and healed afterwards; the
healings came to those who believed his words and accepted him as God's Son.
However much this runs counter to the speculative views of the divines, it yet
remains as a basic reality that must be understood if we are to come anywhere
near a true view of him who, though mortal for a season, is Lord of all
everlastingly.
And so Jesus first preached the
gospel to the multitudes who came to hear his word. Then, as Luke says, he
"healed them that had need of healing," or as Matthew recounts, he
"was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."
Sometime during the day, Jesus
said to Philip, one of the Twelve: "Whence shall we buy bread, that these
may eat?" That Jesus had no intention of buying bread but was simply
testing Philip—and through him all of the Twelve—is clear from John's comment:
"And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would
do." Philip answered: "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not
sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little." That sum,
obviously, was more than the disciples had in their common purse.
His conversation with Philip
caused the apostles to discuss the matter among themselves, and to wonder what
should be done. At some point in time, "One of his disciples, Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five
barley loaves, and two small fishes; but what are they among so many?" And
Philip's words are but a far-off echo of a servitor in another day who said:
"What, should I set this"—this meal of twenty barley loaves and a few
ears of corn in the husk—"before an hundred men?" And Jesus' coming
response was but an echo of Elisha's word: "Give the people, that they may
eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof." (2 Kgs. 4:43-44.)
Finally, following full discussion
among themselves, and after their faith had been tested—and found
wanting—"when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said
unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country
round about, and lodge, and get victuals; for we are here in a solitary
place."
This, then, was their answer; and
this was the perfect teaching moment, the time for divine intervention. Jesus
said: "They need not depart; give ye them to eat." They said:
"Shall we go and buy two hundred penny-worth of bread, and give them to
eat?" Jesus said: "How many loaves have ye? go and see." The
answer came: "We have but five loaves and two fishes; and except we should
go and buy meat, we can provide no more food for all this multitude."
"And he commanded them to
make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in
ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and
the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and
gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he
among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled."
"When they had eaten and were
satisfied, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain,
that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve
baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and
above unto them that had eaten."
Thus was the miracle wrought; so
was the deed done; and such are the attendant circumstances. The concordant
testimony of four independent witnesses appends a solemn certitude to the
wonder that has happened. Needless to say, the creative power thus exercised by
him who for the moment is as a mortal is in fact the power of God.
As the reality of what was done
this day in a green lowland place not far from Bethsaida-Julias (literally, the
house of fishing, or, as we might say, Fisher-town) dawns upon
us; as we ponder the wonder of it all, bread and fish springing instantly into
being, from the very elements, because he willed it—as we marvel at such a
miracle, we ask: Why and for what purpose was it done? What message are we to
receive from this miracle of two millenniums ago? To all of this, these
thoughts readily occur:
1. He did it—and such an
ordinary and prosaic reason it is!—because men were hungry and there was no
food available to them. Unless men eat, they die; mortal meat is part of
mortal life.
2. He acted out of love and
compassion for his fellowmen. Though he would not turn stones into bread to
appease his own hunger—a famishing, gnawing hunger born of forty days of
fasting—yet for others, whose needs were less and whose hunger was but one day
old, he would exercise his own divine power. As his Father makes the rains fall
and the sun shine upon all his children, be they good or evil, so will the Son
provide bread for those who have come to hear his words.
3. But he will not glut their
souls with the delicacies that grace Herod's board, nor will he sate their
appetites with rich food. They shall have barley bread, the foodstuff of
the peasant and the poor. They shall spread upon this coarse product of the
baker's oven a savory made of fish. John's account uses "a peculiar word
for 'fish,' opsarion, which properly means what was eaten along with the
bread, and specially refers to the small, and generally dried or pickled fish
eaten with bread, like our 'sardines' or the 'caviar' of Russia, the pickled
herrings of Holland and Germany, or a peculiar kind of small dried fish, eaten
with the bones, in the North of Scotland." (Edersheim 1:682.)
4. In the course of the day, as
various conversations led up to the climactic miracle, he tested the faith
of his disciples—as he tests all of us hour by hour in the most ordinary
affairs of our lives—and as we have seen, his chosen ones, in this case, failed
to pass the test.
5. He dramatized his own saying,
given in the Sermon on the Mount, that his missionaries, his servants, those
who go forth on his errand to teach his word, need take no thought for their
temporal wants. Such will be supplied by the Father. He who feeds the fowls
of the air and clothes the lilies of the field will care for the needs of his
own.
6. The miracle came as a sign—nay,
not a sign only, but as a crowning proof—of his Messiahship. He first
claimed to be the Son of God and then performed miracles, which he could not
have done if he were a deceiver.
7. Would it be amiss, as some have
done, to say the miracle acclaimed him as the bread of the world; as the
source—unexhausted and inexhaustible—of all that sustains life; as the one in
whom there is always enough and to spare; as the one who, now and always, will
care for all the spiritual needs of all the hungering souls of all the ages?
8. Does it not also testify
that all that he does is organized and regulated? His house is a house of
order and not of confusion. The recipients of his goodness sat down in
companies and in ranks; they were counted and numbered; there was no disorder,
no commotion, no disturbance. None sought to come afore, and none resisted the
command to be seated systematically. There was peace and serenity, and the
Spirit of the Lord was present.
9. Here also divine economy was
in operation. Though he could supply loaves and fishes that the world
itself could not contain, yet the uneaten fragments, the crusts and crumbs, the
slivers of uneaten fish—all these were picked up in baskets and saved, for
waste is sin.
10. Jesus offered a blessing on
the food; he gave thanks to a gracious God, who is the source of all good
things, for that which was then supplied. And as he himself offered the prayer,
it means, according to the Jewish custom, that he himself also ate of the food.
11. He manifest his own creative
powers. He did not call upon the Lord as did Elisha; he did not act in the
name of another as had Elijah and Moses; but acting himself, in his own name,
because he was God, he created loaves and fishes. If worlds come rolling into
being at his word and by his creative power, then why not a few barley loaves
and sufficient fish savory to go with them?
12. And, finally, the supplying
of bread from heaven, as it were, formed the basis for the not-far-distant
sermon on the bread of life—one of the greatest and most powerful sermons
of his ministry as we shall see.
No doubt other points could be
made, and the attentive student can search out his own types and shadows and
applications, as he should; but what is here given illustrates, at least, what
can be learned from any of the glorious teaching situations concerning Jesus
our Lord.
"The miracle produced a
profound impression. It was exactly in accordance with the current expectation,
and the multitude began to whisper to each other that this must undoubtedly be
'that Prophet which should come into the world'; the Shiloh of Jacob's
blessing; the Star and the Sceptre of Balaam's vision; the Prophet like unto
Moses to whom they were to hearken; perhaps the Elijah promised by the dying
breath of ancient prophecy; perhaps the Jeremiah of their tradition, come back
to reveal the hiding-place of the Ark, and the Urim, and the sacred fire."
(Farrar, pp. 310-11.)
And since he was "that
Prophet"—the very Messiah; their Deliverer; the one through whom all
That such misdirected zeal must
not go unchecked was perfectly clear to the one around whom the swell of
zealotry surged. His disciples must withdraw lest they partake of this false
spirit, and the people must disperse to ponder, in less excitable circumstances,
the true meaning and significance of the doings of that day. "And
straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go
before him unto the other side." He was insistent that they depart
immediately. They must leave the environs of Bethsaida-Julias and go to that
Then "he went up into a
mountain apart to pray." He must thank his Father for the marvels of that
day, for he of himself did only that which his Father commanded. He must
counsel again with the great God whose Son he was, lest he overstep any of the
bounds or vary so much as a hair's breadth from the course decreed by the
Father. He must receive that spiritual refreshment and guidance which even he
needed to bear the growing burden that rested upon his divine shoulders. From
the hallowed spot where he communed with the Eternal he soon returned—perhaps
having been so directed by him to whom he prayed—to walk on the surging waves
of that lake which was so much a part of his life.
Mortal Messiah: From
Line of Authority
Heavenly Father >>>>>
Jesus Christ >>>>> 12 Apostles >>>>>Church
John 6 – The Bread of Life Sermon
The True Bread of Life
The events of the
ancient Exodus from
Thomas R.
Valletta, “The True Bread of Life,” Ensign, Mar. 1999, 7
The Savior’s sermon on the Bread of Life is one of the most edifying discourses
ever given. Grappling with and ultimately accepting the Lord’s message
contained in this discourse is essential for all who would follow Him. Yet the
sermon is so intimately bound to the other events and literary pattern of the
sixth chapter of John that it is clarified only by studying the entire
chapter’s setting, pattern, symbols, and types.
Consider this general
pattern: a multitude follows a man they regard as a possible prophet to a
solitary place; the multitude is miraculously fed; the prophet departs alone
into a mountain; a spectacular crossing of the sea occurs wherein Jesus Christ
saves His disciples; murmuring and debate among the multitude follows, leading
to criticism of Him; and finally a profound discourse is given on the meaning
of the preceding events.
Do these events seem
familiar? This pattern is a general outline of the Exodus of Israel out of
Egyptian bondage. The same pattern also fits the events in chapter 6 of John,
which reveal a new exodus. In the Exodus of ancient
The
Exodus of Ancient Israel
|
Exodus of |
The New Exodus: John 6 |
|
The multitude was led by
God through the wilderness and through the |
The multitude followed
Jesus across the |
|
Moses went to the “ |
Jesus went up to a
mountain (see John 6:3, 15). |
|
Jehovah multiplied signs
and wonders (see Ex. 7–11). |
People followed because of
signs (see John 6:2, 26, 30). |
|
The Passover was
instituted by the Lord (see Ex. 12). |
It was the time of the
Passover (see John 6:4). |
|
|
The great company was
miraculously fed from the five loaves and two fishes (see John
6:5–14). |
|
Manna was gathered
according to the Lord’s instructions (see Ex. 16:16–26). |
Jesus instructed them to
gather fragments “that nothing be lost” (John 6:12). |
|
Moses foretold the coming
of another prophet, a deliverer (see Deut. 18:13–18). |
Jesus was called “that
prophet that should come into the world” (John 6:14). |
|
The power of God saved |
The disciples, fighting
the stormy sea, were rescued after Jesus walked on the sea to their ship. The
darkness and wind were emphasized (see John 6:16–21). |
|
|
The Jews murmured against
the Lord (see John 6:43, 61). |
|
Jehovah declared His name
“I AM” (Ex. 3:14). |
Jesus declared, “I am the
bread of life” (John 6:35). |
|
Jehovah taught the meaning
and significance of the Exodus experience (see Ex. 12, 19). |
Jesus taught about the
meaning and significance of the Bread of Life (see John 6:32–65). |
|
Prophets testified about
the meaning and significance of the Exodus experience (see Ex.
15:1–22; Deut. 6; Deut.
26:5–9, 16–19; 1 Ne. 17:23–32;
2
Ne. 25:20). |
Peter testified that Jesus
has the “words of eternal life” (see John 6:66–69). |
|
Each parallel in the chart
portrays our Redeemer as loving, caring, and nourishing in spite of a
sometimes murmuring |
|
The Exodus Pattern in John 6
Scripture declares that “all
things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record”
of Jesus Christ (Moses 6:63).
The Book of Mormon certifies that “all things which have been given of God from
the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him [Jesus Christ]”
(2 Ne.
11:4; see also Mosiah 3:15; Mosiah
13:10, 31; Alma 13:16; Alma 25:15;
Alma
33:19; Alma 37:45).
A scriptural pattern, or
type, frequently cited in the standard works is the ancient Exodus of Israel
out of bondage from Egypt and into the promised land (see Isa. 11:11,
15–16; Jer. 16:12–15;
1
Ne. 17:23–35; 2 Ne. 3:9–10; Hel.
8:11–16; Acts 3:22–23;
Acts
7:37; 1 Cor. 10:1–6).
And “it is in the Gospel of John that we encounter the most concentrated Exodus
typology,” wrote one author.
1
A type can be defined
as “a person, event, or ritual with likeness to another person, event, or
ritual of greater importance which is to follow. … True types will have
noticeable points of resemblance, show evidence of divine appointment, and be
prophetic of future events.”
2
The chart below shows some
parallels between the Exodus events and events in John 6. John focused
on their historical and symbolic similarities to teach God’s eternal plan for
all of His children. Both the ancient Exodus and the pattern of the new exodus
in John 6
typify that our salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.
The Multitude Follows Jesus
Let’s study John 6
closely. Verse 2 indicates that a great multitude followed Jesus across the
The Exodus pattern echoes
similar stories of wanderers being led through a strange land, or a lonely and
dreary world where tests and trials occur. “The idea that this life is a
pilgrimage through the desert did not originate with the Christians or even the
Jews: it has been the religious memory of the human race from the earliest
dispensations of the Gospel.”
3 The pattern for these stories seems to have been set in the premortal
existence, when it was said, “We will go down, … and we will make an earth
whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will
do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abr.
3:24–25).
Thus, the stage was set for
our mortal sojourn, wherein we become “wanderers in a strange land” (Alma 26:36).
But “the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world” (1 Ne.
10:18) so that “whosoever will may walk therein and be saved”
(Alma
41:8). Ultimately, our return to the heavenly promised land
depends upon our faithful obedience to God and His prophets. Like the Jews of
John’s time and the Israelites of Moses’ time, all mankind is in the same
probationary predicament, but the Savior has promised, “I will also be your
light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be
that ye shall keep my commandments” (1 Ne. 17:13).
The Miraculous Feeding of the 5,000
John 6:5–14 recounts the
miracle wherein the 5,000 are nourished with “five small barley loaves and two
small fish,” multiplied by the power of God. This event corresponds to the
providing of manna and quail to
Another similitude of the
Bread of Life is introduced in verse 11, which parallels both the symbolism of
the manna and the loaves of the sacrament. Jesus “took the loaves; and when he
had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them
that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would” (John 6:11).
John’s words foreshadow the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, wherein Jesus
“took” the bread, gave “thanks,” and “gave” it to His Apostles to eat (see Matt.
26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19;
1
Cor. 11:24). The phraseology effectively alerts the reader to
the possible sacramental symbolism of both the miraculous multiplication of the
loaves and of the manna of the Exodus.
The association of the
symbols of the Exodus manna, the miraculous feeding, and the Last Supper is
intensified by John’s report that “the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh”
(John
6:4). The Passover plays a major role in the writings of
John. His central theme in this regard presents Jesus Christ as the Paschal
Lamb (John
1:29; John 19:36)
and as the way for us to pass over from this world of death to the Father and
eternal life (see John 5:24; John 13:1).
One Passover symbol is of
particular interest in the context of John 6. The
unleavened bread, or “the bread of affliction” that was to be eaten during
Passover week to remind the Israelites of their Exodus in haste from
“Christ our passover is
sacrificed for us:
“Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:7–8).
The similitudes of
unleavened bread, the manna, the loaves, and the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
sustain each other in testifying of “the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32).
In verse 12, Jesus
admonishes His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be
lost.” [John 6:12] They do so and consequently fill
“twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained
over and above unto them that had eaten” (John 6:13).
These actions echo the commandment to ancient
One is also reminded of the
table of shewbread, “the bread of the presence,” which stood in the
The significant phrase that
Jesus uses in John 6:12,
“that nothing be lost,” seems to foreshadow His statement in the sermon that
follows: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the
last day” (John 6:39).
These statements parallel John 17:12 and
John
18:9 and may imply that “gather[ing] up the fragments”
relates to gathering the faithful. Jesus’ concern that “nothing be lost”
corresponds to the truth that Jesus would ultimately say to the Father, “Of
them which thou gavest me have I lost none” (John 18:9).
4 The imagery of eating all of the Passover meal, collecting the manna,
consuming the shewbread, and gathering the fragments blend together in John’s
testimony of the Savior’s role in gathering the faithful back to His Father.
Many in attendance at the
miraculous feeding identified Jesus as “that prophet that should come into the
world” (John 6:14).
This relates to Deuteronomy 18:15–18 [Deut. 18:15–18], wherein Moses prophesies of the future
prophet that God will raise up like unto him. The “great company” then sought
to take Jesus “by force, to make him a king” (John 6:15).
Crossing the Sea
A crucial episode of John 6
is the crossing of the sea. Literarily, this section functions as the axis for
the entire chapter. In the midst of a turbulent sea in a darkened storm, the
disciples are saved and attain their destination only by and through Jesus
Christ (see Matt. 14:30–32).
John’s focus on the images of darkness (see John 6:17) and
wind (John
6:18) emphasize the sea crossing as an intimation of the
Exodus (see Ex. 14:20–21).
John’s account paints a
stirring depiction of people in trouble. His record speaks of the darkness of
the night: “And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them” (John 6:17).
As their predicament worsened because of “a great wind that blew” (John 6:18),
Jesus miraculously walked on the water toward the boat, and the disciples grew
afraid (see John 6:19).
Their fears subsided with the simple yet profound assurance, “It is I; be not
afraid” (John 6:20). As
they “willingly” accepted the Savior into their ship, they arrived “immediately
… at the land whither they went” (John 6:21).
Unlike the writers of the synoptic gospels, John’s attention focuses not on the
calming of the sea, nor on Peter’s attempt to walk upon the water, but on safe
passage through the sea and the striking impression of the divine name (compare
Ex.
3:14). The disciples’ receiving Jesus into their ship and
then landing safely may be compared with the Israelites’ crossing the Red Sea
by the power of Jehovah (see Ex. 14:15–31).
Both accounts seem to typify Jehovah as the deliverer with whom
Manna and the True Bread of Life
Like the Israelites of the
Exodus, the multitudes of John’s narrative misunderstood the significance of
the signs and events surrounding Jesus. After important junctures in Exodus
history, the Lord and His prophets committed much time to teaching, chastening,
and testifying (see Ex. 14:13–18;
Ex.
15:25–26; Ex. 16:4–36; Ex. 17:4–7;
Ex. 19–23).
This same pattern is in John 6. The powerful
Bread of Life discourse unfolds within the context of Jesus’ confrontation with
the Jews. Potent and penetrating, His words offended some of His own disciples
(see John
6:61, 66). Important background for this sermon occurred on the
previous day when Jesus wondrously increased the provisions to sustain the
hungry thousands. After they attempted to make Him their king, He departed into
a mountain, and they did not locate Him till the next day in
Upon meeting Him again, they
inquired, “How camest thou hither?” (John 6:25, The
Holy Scriptures: Inspired Version [1974]). Jesus frankly confronted them
with their real concern by declaring, “Ye seek me, not because ye desire to
keep my sayings, neither because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of
the loaves, and were filled” (JST, John 6:26,
footnote a). Like their ancestors in the wilderness of the Exodus, these people
were less interested in obeying the commandments than in eating (see Ex. 15:24;
Ex.
16:2–3). Jesus Christ was offering “words of eternal life,”
and the people were hoping for a handout.
Jesus taught the crowd that
they should “labour … for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which
the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed” (John 6:27).
They queried, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” (John 6:28).
Jesus responded that they should “believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29).
They reacted by soliciting a sign (John 6:30).
After all, they claimed, Moses gave them “bread from heaven to eat” (John 6:31).
Jesus corrected them, asserting that “Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32).
He then stated His preeminent point: “The bread of God is he which cometh down
from heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (John 6:33). In
other words, He, Jesus Christ, was the very sign for which they were asking.
The manna of Moses’ time was a type of the true bread given of the Father, and
that is none other than the Son. In a darkened spiritual state, these people
could not or would not understand. To their request for this bread, Jesus
unambiguously announced, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall
never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
Like their ancestors who
perished in the wilderness during the ancient Exodus, these people responded by
murmuring (John 6:41).
6 They asked, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and
mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?” (John 6:42).
Jesus answered by proclaiming, “No man can come unto me, except he doeth the
will of my Father who hath sent me. And this is the will of him who hath sent
me, that ye receive the Son; for the Father beareth record of him; and he who
receiveth the testimony, and doeth the will of him who sent me, I will raise up
in the resurrection of the just” (JST, John
6:44, Bible appendix).
He then declared that those
who have “learned of the Father” will come unto the Son of God (John 6:45).
Because they were mortal men, they could not see and be taught directly by
Heavenly Father in their carnal state, but He, Jesus Christ, was “of God” and
had seen and been taught by Heavenly Father (John 6:46).
Therefore Jesus exclaimed, “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47).
This was an unexpected and startling proclamation to a group of people
committed more to temporal survival and political ends than to everlasting
life. Again, the Savior reminded them of their ancient Exodus progenitors,
saying, “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead” (John 6:49).
“We come now,” declared
Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “to the
crowning teaching of the sermon on the bread of life, which is, that men are
saved by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God.”
7 Jesus Himself stated:
“This is the bread which
cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
“I am the living bread which
came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever” (John
6:50–51).
Jesus further declared, “The
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world” (John 6:51).
It is plain from the
reaction of His Galilean audience that this was a “hard saying” (John 6:60).
To convey these sacred truths to those who would listen and learn, Jesus again
used similitudes:
“Except ye eat the flesh of
the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
“Whoso eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
“For my flesh is meat
indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
“He that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him” (John 6:53–56).
Elder McConkie also
explained that “to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God is,
first, to accept him in the most literal and full sense, with no reservation
whatever, as the personal offspring in the flesh of the Eternal Father; and,
secondly, it is to keep the commandments of the Son by accepting his gospel,
joining his Church, and enduring in obedience and righteousness unto the end.
Those who by this course eat his flesh and drink his blood shall have eternal
life, meaning exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world.”
8
Jesus spoke figuratively on
this occasion, and the context of the discourse reveals as much. Elder James E.
Talmage (1862–1933), a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained
that “there was little excuse for the Jews pretending to understand that our
Lord meant an actual eating and drinking of His material flesh and blood. The
utterances to which they objected were far more readily understood by them than
they are by us on first reading; for the representation of the law and of truth
in general as bread, and the acceptance thereof as a process of eating and
drinking, were figures in everyday use by the rabbis of that time. Their
failure to comprehend the symbolism of Christ’s doctrine was an act of will,
not the natural consequence of innocent ignorance.”
9
Many were offended by Jesus’
”hard saying” (John 6:60). He
perceived their thoughts and asked, “What and if ye shall see the Son of man
ascend up where he was before?” (John 6:62).
Jesus knew their attitudes and tried to help them: “It is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
Like murmuring Israel of Moses’ day, Jesus’ audience preferred to focus on the
temporal level. Yet His truths still today can only be understood by the
Spirit.
Prophets Testify of the Redeemer
In the ancient Exodus and John 6,
prophets bore witness of the Lord’s words and His power to save. For example,
immediately after receiving “the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments”
from the Lord (Deut. 6:1), Moses
assembled the people and taught them to observe God’s words “all the days of
thy life” (Deut. 6:2). He
bore testimony of the Lord and His words. Moses told the people to “teach them
diligently unto thy children” (Deut. 6:7) and to
“bind them for a sign” (Deut. 6:8). He
then promised the children of
The concluding sequence of John 6
contains a similar prophetic testimony of God’s words (see John
6:66–71). When many of Jesus’ disciples turned away and
“walked no more with him” (John 6:66),
Jesus asked His Twelve, “Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67).
Simon Peter declared, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of
the living God” (John 6:68–69).
Peter’s witness of Christ follows the pattern of all the prophets (compare Acts 10:43;
Jacob
4:4–5).
Scriptural Patterns
President Boyd K. Packer,
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, maintains that the
eternal plan of happiness “is worthy of repetition over and over again. Then
the purposes of life, the reality of the Redeemer, and the reason for the
commandments will stay with [you].”
10 President Ezra Taft Benson declared that we should use “the messages and
the method of teaching found in the [scriptures] to teach this great plan of
the Eternal God.”
11 The scriptures often teach the eternal plan through types and shadows,
patterns and similitudes. The ancient Exodus and the events in John 6
both teach, among other things, the importance of following Jesus Christ, that
He provides all spiritual nourishment, and that He is our hope of deliverance
from the bondage and sins of the world. Essentially, these patterns show us
that only Jesus has the “words of eternal life” (John 6:68). In
the Bread of Life sermon, the Savior brought the events described in John 6
into eternal perspective. The sermon itself becomes more understandable as we
see how and why the Savior fused ancient and contemporary symbols to testify of
His divine calling.
Gospel topics: Jesus Christ, New Testament, Old Testament
Notes
1. Joseph Fielding
McConkie, Gospel Symbolism (1985), 274.
2. George S. Tate,
“The Typology of the Exodus Pattern in the Book of Mormon,” in Literature of
Belief, ed. Neal E. Lambert (1981), 256.
3. Hugh Nibley, An
Approach to the Book of Mormon (1976), 116.
4. The relationship
of these phrases is also sustained from early Christian tradition. The
sacramental prayer over the bread, recorded in the Didache, a
compilation of Church regulations dated to the first decade of the second
century, reads: “As this fragmented bread was scattered on the mountains, but
was gathered up and became one, so let the Church be gathered up from the four
corners of the earth into your kingdom” (Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel
According to John [I–XII], vol. 29 of The Anchor Bible [1966], 248).
5. In locating these
events in
6. In the Septuagint,
the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the word for murmur in John 6:41
is the same one used in the account of the murmuring Israelites (see Gospel
According to John, 29:270).
7. The Mortal
Messiah, 4 vols. (1980), 2:377.
8. Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, 3 vols. (1965), 1:358.
9. Jesus the
Christ, 3rd ed. (1916), 342.
10. “The Great Plan of
Happiness” (address to seminary and institute instructors,
11. “The Book of Mormon and
the Doctrine and Covenants,” Ensign, May 1987, 84.
John has SEVEN I AM declarations in
his Gospel, it helps understand who Christ is.
Many left Him after this talk in John 6.
Persecution Intensifies
Chapter 22
Bruce described teaching a freshman
class the Book of Mormon this semester.
What did they do in Seminary for 4 years? He can tell who was born again and who played
games! Teach them doctrine and pull them
up, don’t teach down to them. Pres.
Benson and the Book of Mormon
John 6-15 – The 7 I AM declarations,
John in his gospel shows how Christ is light and truth, also, Jesus declares
who He is, life to all who come unto Him.
- John
- John
- John 10:7 – I AM the Door of the Sheep
- John
- John
- John 14:6 – I AM the Way the Truth and the Life
- John 15:1, 5 – I AM the True Vine
Bruce spent the rest of class on a
major geography and history lesson about Christ and the Apostles trip out of
Galilee, north into modern
"There followed him great
multitudes of people from Galilee, and from
In the New Testament, the
Caesarea Philippi
At the southern foot of Mount
Hermon, and at the headwaters of one source of the Jordan River, forty miles
north of the
"When Jesus came into the
coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say
that I the Son of man am?" (Matt. 16:13.)
They reported the circulating rumors that he was perhaps John the Baptist or
Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet. Then Peter responded with forceful
affirmation, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (V.
16.) Jesus blessed Peter for listening to the voice of revelation from the
Father.
Two geographical points may be
made regarding this site. First, it is the only place in the country with a
river flowing through the city. This is appropriate to what Jesus taught there:
revelation must be continuous and flowing, like the river. Second, it provided
a point of comparison for the Lord. As Hebrew writers loved to do, Jesus used
paronomasia, wordplay, on Peter's name. Said Jesus, "Thou art Peter
[Greek, petros, or a rock], and upon this rock [Greek,
Because of the context of the
statement, which immediately follows the Lord's blessing of Peter for receiving
revelation, the rock—
Where Jesus Walked: The Land and Culture of New Testament Times,
D. Kelly Ogden
Christ asked the people following
Him to be obedient to put His words into action, they were simply happy to have
someone to feed and heal them “Miracle Max”, John 6. They didn’t see Him as a Redeemer for their
souls.
We had a big discussion about the
groups in
The
Religious Parties During
the Second
_______________________________
Bruce Satterfield
Department of Religious Education,
The following are
selected statements from various New Testament scholars concerning the
religious parties that existed within Judaism during the intertestamental or
the second temple period.
Introduction
"The Judaism of the intertestamental period is a very complex system
indeed comprising many religious and political groups (these two ideas can
hardly be separated), and a multitude of ordinary Jews who belonged to no
identifiable party. Three important parties mentioned by Josephus are the
Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes, to which he adds a fourth, later to
be known as the Zealots, which made its appearance around the year A.D. 6"
(Russell, The Jews From Alexander to Herod, pp. 155).
Sadducees
We know very little regarding the Sadducees. The reason being is as Samuel
Sandmel has written, "The Sadducees are known to us essentially from their
portrayal by their critics or opponents, including bitter ones. If any Sadducee
ever wrote anything, not a line has come down to us" (Judaism and
Christian Beginnings, p. 156). Consequently, our only knowledge of
Sadducees come from their enemies. Not a good source! Nevertheless, the
following scholars have gleaned the following concerning the Sadducees.
Frederick J. Murphy
wrote: "Josephus, the New Testament, and rabbinic literature all speak of
the Sadducees, but very little is really known about them. All three sources
contrast the Sadducees and the Pharisees. In rabbinic literature, ritual purity
and sabbath observance are debated by the two groups. The rabbis supply little
information for reconstructing Sadducean organization or beliefs. The only two
solidly established traits of the Sadducees are that they were members of the
ruling class, and that they did not believe in resurrection" (Murphy, The
Religious World of Jesus, pp. 239).
Stephen E. Robinson has
given this view concerning the make up and political role and influence of the
Sadducees: "The Sadducees were a small party of very wealthy and
influential aristocrats. Most Sadducees were priests, and the high priestly
families (those families from whom the high priests traditionally came)
controlled the sect and its membership. The term Sadducee comes from the
name of Zadok, who had been high priest at the time of King Solomon, and whose
descendants had served in the office ever since, except for the time of the
early Maccabean period. The name thus underscores the nature of the Sadducees
as an exclusive circle of wealthy and influential high priestly families and
their followers.
"The Sadducees
controlled the
Concerning this same
topic D.S. Russell wrote, "We can picture them, then, as a small and
select group of influential and wealthy men who exercised considerable power in
the civic and religious life of the nation. The powerful priesthood was
represented within this social aristocracy by the High Priest and his retinue
and by other leading priestly officials. Not all the priests, however, were
Sadducees; some indeed were members of the rival party of the Pharisees. Nor,
as we have seen, were all Sadducees priests, for in the party were wealthy
traders and high-ranking government officials. They were in fact a company of
people, priestly and lay, who enjoyed the same social standing and were
determined to maintain the existing state of society both in Church and State.
They did not begin, therefore, as a religious party, but because of their close
association with the
Russell continued his
discussion of the Sadducean politics and religion in these words: "In
politics and in religion they were conservative in outlook, determined at all
costs to maintain the status quo in both State and Church. As
conservatives in politics they stood for the Israelite ideal of a theocratic
state under the leadership of the High Priest. For this reason they were
suspicious of the popular eschatological faith in the coming of a Messiah: as
such teaching was a menace to the existing social and political order and had
to be handled with the greatest care. As conservative in religion they set
themselves to preserve all that they believed to be best in the priestly
tradition. In particular they championed the observance of the Temple ritual
and the prerogative of the priests to interpret the Law, maintaining that their
interpretations, together with priestly ordinances and usages arising out of
them, were in themselves a sufficient guide for those who sought to obey the
commands of God. From an early date their authority as interpreters of the Law
met a serious challenge from the Pharisees, who developed their own oral
tradition of lay interpretation (see below). The Sadducees rejected this
tradition and stoutly defended the Torah as alone authoritative; it is
unlikely, however, that they denied the sacredness of the Prophets and the
Writings . . ." (Russell, The Jews From Alexander To Herod, pp.
158-159). The Prophets and the Writings are all of the Old Testament aside from
the Torah or five books of Moses.
The Pharisees
Russell introduced his discussion on the Pharisees in these words: "Over
against the Sadducees stood the Pharisees, who in matters of religion were as
progressive as their rivals were conservative. Although priests were to be
found in their ranks, theirs was essentially a laymen's movement, whose
members, unlike the aristocratic Sadducees, were drawn largely from the middle
class. Although they were first and foremost a religious party they were not
averse to political power, and in the course of the years acquired for
themselves an influential position in the state" (Russell, The Jews
From Alexander To Herod, pp. 159-160).
Robinson has written:
"In the first century, the most prominent of the Jewish sects was the
Pharisees. The precise origin of the term Pharisee is unclear, but it
seems most likely that it is derived from the Hebrew word parash and
should be interpreted to mean something like 'separatist.' Certainly the
Pharisees prided themselves on being 'set apart' or 'separated' from the rest
of the Jews by their strict observance of the minutest requirements of the law
of Moses. According to Josephus, there were approximately six thousand
Pharisees in the first century. They were the party that was most popular with
the masses, and their interpretation of the scriptures was the one most readily
accepted, even by those who were not themselves Pharisees. They were the
popular party, the religion of the great mass of Jews--even through their
actual membership was small.
"Much of the
Pharisees' influence was due to their control of what is called the 'oral law.'
The Pharisees claimed that Moses had received the law on
"The Pharisees'
strength was in the local synagogues, which they controlled; and their
religious leaders were called rabbis (meaning teachers or masters). In matters
pertaining to national government or to the administration of the temple and
its rituals, they recognized the authority of the Sadducean priesthood, for the
Pharisees were generally scholars and preachers rather than priests"
(Robinson, The Gospels, pp. 22-23).
Concerning the "oral
law," Russell wrote: "It was a body of 'decisions' or 'judgements' in
oral form, explanatory of the written Law and developing alongside it. It is
generally referred to as 'the tradition of the elders' or . . . 'the oral
tradition'. It is possible that part of this tradition is to be traced back
into pre-exilic times and represents older traditions and collections of laws
which may have been lost or destroyed but were preserved in oral form by
succeeding generations. Much of it, however, is based rather on custom and
usage that grew up in relation to some particular command or ordinance in
Scripture. Take as an example the command about doing work on the Sabbath day.
The command itself was clear enough; but what was meant by 'work'? The written
law left this undefined. Where Scripture could not help, however, custom could.
Certain things were 'done' and other things were 'not done'. Thus custom was
able to provide a well-defined code of its own as binding as the written Law,
which took its place as oral tradition alongside the word of Scripture. Sometimes
laws of this kind could find no real justification in the written Torah;
nevertheless they could be justified as forming 'a fence round the Torah'(Pirke
Abhoth 1,1) i.e. they gave a danger signal, as it were, which halted a man
before he came within reach of breaking the law. For the most part, however,
the oral tradition consisted of authoritative regulations arising out of an
exegesis of biblical laws of a civil or religious kind. This teaching was
called Halakhah Hebrew halach, to walk) because it showed how men
should walk in obedience to the Law of God in every detail"
(Russell, The Jews From Alexander To Herod, pp. 117-118).
Epstein noted that
"The earliest method of teaching the oral law was by means of a running
commentary, MIDRASH, on the biblical text. When the exposition yielded a legal
teaching, the result was Midrash HALACHAH; if nonlegal, ethical, or devotional
teaching, it was Midrash Haggadah ('narration')." In the last half of the
Epstein continues:
"The adoption of the Mishna method did not, however, oust altogether the
older Midrash form." In fact, "Midrash and Mishna continued to exist
side by side as media for teaching Halachah." After the time of Christ at
around 200 A.D., the oral law taught in the Mishna style was codified and
written down by Rabbi
The Essenes
Concerning this religious party, Robinson wrote: "According to Josephus,
the third major Jewish sect was the Essenes. It appears that there may have
been more that one type of Essene, but those that are best known to us lived in
a desert community on the shores of the
"Basically, Essenes
believed that the Sadducean Jerusalem priesthood was illegitimate and that all
who associated with Sadducean priests were apostate. The Essenes withdrew into
their own wilderness community to wait for the end of the world and their own
vindication. They believed that they were living in the last days, that the end
of the world was near at hand, and that the Messiah would soon come to
establish his kingdom and restore legitimate priests (Essenes, of course) to
serve in a renewed temple. In the meantime, they withdrew as much as possible
from what they perceived to be an apostate Jewish society.
"Essenes were more
strict and rigorous than even the Pharisees, whom they called 'seekers after
smooth things,' that is, those who look for the easy way. Yet in their beliefs
they were very close to the Pharisees, and it appears that the Essenes and the
Pharisees were two branches of a single movement that had its beginnings in
Maccabean times. Like the Pharisees, the Essenes believed in the validity of
some kind of oral law. They believed in the existence of angels and demons, in
the continued existence of the spirit after death, and in the resurrection of
the body. Like the Pharisees, the Essenes were anti-Roman, and in the first
Jewish revolt, Essenes were active in the fighting" (Robinson, The
Gospels, pp. 25-26).
The Zealots
With regards to the Zealots Robinson wrote: "Strictly speaking, the
Zealots should probably be considered as a branch of Pharisaism, because their
theology was basically that of Pharisees. However, the Zealots were rabid
nationalists who actively resisted Roman rule of the Jews even to the point of
armed insurrection. . . .
"Zealots believed
that if Jews would only rise up and fight, God would send them victory as he
had in the days of
The 'Am Ha-aretz
"The vast majority of the population in Jewish
The Scribes
Concerning the development of the occupational class known as scribes,
Russell has given us this insight: "From an early stage in the development
of the written Torah as sacred Scripture the need must have arisen for both
definition and interpretation of its contents. For some considerable time after
Ezra it was not always self-evident what exactly constituted the Law of God,
nor was it clear how particular laws were to be applied in everyday life. To
meet this need there emerged a body of men known as Sopherim or
'scribes', in succession to Ezra (described in Ezra 7:6 as 'a ready scribe in
the torah of Moses'), who gradually won for themselves an authoritative place
within Judaism. . . Although they belonged to the priestly caste, being members
of priestly or Levitic families (cf. 2 Chron. 34:13; Neh. 8:7-13), their
interpretations of Scripture were not confined to cultic laws and regulations,
but included ethical teaching. . . .
"Their influence
continued throughout the Persian period, but shortly after the beginning of the
Greek period it came to an end. The reason for this is no doubt to be found in
the radically changed circumstances that now prevailed and for which their
particular interpretations of Scripture were no longer adequate. The Greek culture
brought with it a flood of new customs and new ideas with which the priestly
scribes could not cope. At this point a development took place that was to have
the greatest significance in years to come--there arose a class of scribes,
chiefly lay, who applied themselves diligently to the task of interpreting and
applying the Law in the light of the prevailing circumstances of their own day.
This group of men, together with their adherents, exercised a great political
and religious influence in subsequent years . . ." (Russell, The Jews
From Alexander To Herod, pp. 115-116).
C. L. Feinberg tells us:
"The function of the scribes was threefold.
"1. They preserved
the law. They were the professional students of the law and its defenders,
especially in the Hellenistic period, when the priesthood had become corrupt.
They transmitted unwritten legal decisions which had come into existence in
their efforts to apply the Mosaic law to daily life. They claimed this oral law
was more important than the written law (Mk. 7:5ff.). By their efforts religion
was liable to be reduced to heartless formalism.
"2. They gathered
around them many pupils to instruct them in the law. The pupils were expected
to retain the material taught and to transmit it without variation. They
lectured in the
"3. They were
referred to as 'lawyers' and 'teachers of the law', because they were entrusted
with the administration of the law as judges in the Sanhedrin (cf. Mt.
After noting that scribes
could come from any segment of Jewish society, or from any of the religious
parties then extant, Joachim Jeremias notes that "It was knowledge alone
which gave their power to the scribes. Anyone who wished to join the company of
scribes by ordination had to pursue a regular course of study for several
years." It was only then could he "be received into the company of
scribes as a member with full rights, and 'ordained scholar' (hakam).
Henceforth he was authorized to make his own decisions on matters of religious
legislation and of ritual (b. Sanh. 5a), to act as a judge in criminal
proceedings (ibid. 3a), and to pass judgment in civil cases either as a
member of the court or as an individual (ibid. 4b Bar.)."
(Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, pp. 235-236).
The
Bruce Satterfield
Deparment of Religious Education,
Figure 1
The
General Use
S. Safrai has noted that
during the Second Temple period, "The Israelites came to the Temple for
various reasons: a) to fulfil their obligations, such as the offering of the
first fruits, the tithes and the wave-offerings and obligatory sacrifices, b)
to worship and pray during the liturgy and at other times, or to pose questions
on legal tradition and to study the Torah, c) to participate in Temple worship
alongside the priests, especially in the form of deputations" (Safrai,
"The Temple," in The Jewish People in the First Century, p.
876; hereafter, Safrai). These will each be briefly discussed.
A) The Law of Moses
required that all men make a pilgrimage to the temple three times a year to
celebrate the feasts or festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Jews
would also come to the temple "to offer either the obligatory sacrifices
or those which he volunteered as thanks-offering or as whole-offering. Many
came to the Temple to cleanse themselves of severe impurities such as
defilement by the dead, which required sprinkling with 'cleansing water'. . .
and many people came to the Temple to cleanse themselves ritually, particularly
before the festivals" (Safrai, pp. 876-877).
B) Aside from the
obligatory offerings and becoming ritually clean, "Many Jews would go up
daily to the Temple in order to be present at the worship, to receive the
priestly benediction bestowed up- on the people at the end, to pray during the
burning of the incense, and to prostrate themselves before God upon hearing the
singing of the Levities. Others would go up to hear or to teach the Torah; or
they would combine several such activities" (Safrai, p. 877).
C) The public sacrificial
offerings performed by the Priests were accompanied by common Israelites.
"The participation of the Israelites in the ritual of the sacrifices was
by deputations. The Mishna states: 'What are the deputations? In that it is
written: 'Command the children of
Appearance and
Description
The
South and west of the
On the northwest corner
of the
East of the
Figure 2
Herod's
Generally, Israelite
worshipers entered the
Referencing the
Palestinian Talmud, Safrai has noted: "Everyone, priest or layman, took a
ritual bath, even if he were clean, before entering the
The stairs leading up
from the triple gate opened into a large open court known as the Court of the
Gentiles (Fig. 2, no. 13). As the Salt Lake Temple is surrounded by Temple
Square, so this court surrounded the Temple proper (which included the inner
courts and Sanctuary as depicted in Fig. 3) and received its name from the fact
that gentiles could proceed no closer to the Temple proper than this court.
Surrounding the Court of the Gentiles were porticoes two columns deep and each
25 cubits high upon which lay a flat roof. The rituals associated with the
Mosaic Law were not performed in the Court of the Gentiles; "rather, its
colonnades served as a gathering place for the people before and after worship,
or for those who ascended the
Figure 3
Herod's
The
"No foreigner is to
enter within the forecourt and the balustrade around the sanctuary. Whoever is
caught will have himself to blame for his subsequent death."
Beyond the balustrade preventing
gentiles from passing lay the
On the western end of the
Court of Women (Fig. 3, no. 24; Fig. 4, steps) was a flight of 15 stairs
in a semicircle that led to the Gate of Nicanor (also known as the
"Beautiful Gate" - Acts 3:2,10). Beyond this gate was the Court of
the Israelites followed by the Court of the Priests. The Court of the
Israelites (Fig. 4, Court of Israelites) "was actually that portion
of the Court of the Priests open to all male Jews . . . The Court of the
Israelites was long and narrow . . . set off from the Court of the Priests by
blocks of large polished ashlars and according to others by the levities' stand
and stairs leading up to it, so that the Court of the Priests was 2 1/2 cubits
higher than that Court of Israelites" (Safrai, Encyclopedia Judaica
Vol. 15, p. 966). Within the Court of the Priests was the sanctuary. In the
forecourt of the Court of the Priests between the Court of Men and the
Sanctuary was the massive Altar of Burnt Offerings (Fig. 3, no. 25; Fig. 4, Altar)
upon which all animal sacrifices were offered. Between the altar and the
sanctuary was the large laver where the priests washed their hands and feet
(Fig. 4, Laver). North of the altar was the slaughtering area for the
animal sacrifices.
Within the wall
surrounding the Court of the Priests were various chambers. Each chamber was
used in the various actions associated with the rituals of the Law of Moses
with the exception of the Chamber of Hewn Stone (Fig. 4, letter I). It was in
this chamber that the Sanhedrin met. Besides the Gate of Nicanor, six other
gates lead into the Court of the Priests. Beginning on the north-west end, the
names of the gates were as follows: the Gate of Flame, the Gate of the
Offerings, and the Gate of the Kindling. Continuing on the south-west side: the
Gate of Fuel, the Gate of Firstlings, and the Water Gate.
The most imposing feature
of the Temple Mount was the sanctuary or Temple proper (Fig. 1, no. 5; Fig. 2,
no. 17-32; Fig. 3, no. 29). It was no less than a hundred cubits high. The
structure was divided into three rooms: the vestibule, the
Figure 4
Floor plan of Herod's
Degrees of Holiness
It should be noted
"that the temple area consisted of areas of increasing sanctity and that admission
was progressively restricted" (Sanders, Judaism: Practice & Belief,
p. 70). In fact, the view of the Mishna is that there were ten degrees of
holiness in ancient Judaism ( Kelim 1:6-9).
This holiness was
symbolized by elevation. Walled cities were always built on hills.
Accessibility within each
holiness was dependent upon ritual fitness and purity. Israel was more holy
than any other land because it was the promised land, the land of the Jews,
while all other lands were gentile . . . walled cities were holier than the
land itself for lepers could not live therein neither could a corpse be buried
within the walls . . . the Temple Mount was more holy because men or women with
any excessive or unnatural discharge of body fluids were not able to pass
further . . . the rampart was more holy than the Temple Mount because gentiles
could pass no further. And so it went. The closer to the Holy of Holies the
greater the ritual fitness was required. This was so because the Holy of Holies
was the place of God's presence and the symbol of his kingdom "and there
cannot any unclean thing enter into the
The Priesthood
During the
The priesthood had a
three-fold hierarchy with each order separate and distinct and with each having
clearly defined duties. The high priest stood at the head of the hierarchy.
"The chief feature of his position was the conjunction in one person of a
political and a priestly dignity. Not only was he the supreme officer in the
filed of religion who alone had the right to perform certain cultic acts of the
highest ritual significance, such as the offering of the sacrifice on the Day
of Atonement; he was at the same time the political leader of the nation, the
head of state,in so far, that is, as it was not under the domination of foreign
overlords. In the days of national independence, the hereditary Hasmonaean High
Priests were simultaneously princes and kings; later, the High Priests were
Presidents of the Sanhedrin as well as the supreme representatives of the
nation vis-a-vis the Romans even in political matters. One consequence
of the High Priest's distinguished social position was that he officiated as a
priest only on festive occasions. By law, he was obliged to do so only on the
Day of Atonement, when he presented the great sin-offering of the nation to God
(Lev. 16); according to later practice, he also offered the daily sacrifice
[which will be discussed later] during the week preceding the Day of Atonement.
Otherwise, he was completely free to sacrifice whenever he wished. According to
Josephus, he did this as a rule every Sabbath day and on the feasts of New Moon
and New Year.
"The uniqueness of
his position also found expression in the special purity and holiness required
of him [even above other priests] as well as in the magnificent vestments worn
in the performance of his priestly duties" (Schurer, History of the
Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ, pp. 275-276).
Next to the high priest
in rank were the priests. The main duties of the priests centered on the
sacrifices (only priests could sacrifice) and the care of the vessels of the
sanctuary (the candelabra, table of shewbread, and the altar of incense). Even
within this order there was a hierarchy. The order of precedence went as
follows. First, was the Captain of the
The Levites were that
portion of the Tribe of Levi who were not descended from Aaron. Typically,
their function in
David B. Galbraith, D.
Kelly Ogden, Andrew C. Skinner
Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.)
In 40 B.C., having stood by the
Romans during an invasion of Parthians from the east, Herod was received with
honors in
Few in history have been led by
their jealousies and suspicions to murder more family members and others than
did Herod, and yet there has been no greater builder in the history of the
Of all Herod's building
enterprises there were none greater than in the capital,
The Roman Government of
Before Herod the Great died, he
prepared four different wills distributing inheritances to the sons of his ten
wives. His final will stipulated, subject to the emperor's concurrence, that
his eighteen-year-old son Archelaus become king in his stead and that two
autonomous principalities (tetrarchies) be assigned to Archelaus' younger
brother Antipas 8
(Galilee and Peraea) and to his half-brother Philip (the newly acquired
northeastern territories, today's Golan and beyond). Archelaus was to have the
title of king but no jurisdiction over his brothers. 9
The Jewish people, on the other
hand, wanted to reinstate the sacerdotal government of the Hasmonaean period
and abolish the monarchy. They sent a deputation of fifty persons to Augustus
in
Archelaus, who was half Idumaean
and half Samaritan (hardly a popular combination with the Jews), was such a
brutal tyrant that after ten years Rome banished him to Vienna in Gaul, and in
A.D. 6 his principality of Judaea and Samaria came under direct Roman
administration. To be governor, a man was chosen from the knights, the
equestrian order (not from the Senate, as were most provincial governors), and
was appointed by the emperor himself, to whom he was directly responsible. He
bore the title of praefect. 10
For the most part, the governors of the new province lacked ability and
experience, which was unfortunate because Jewish issues were complex and
volatile. Violence often erupted.
The seat of government was Herod's
port city of
Provincial status involved the
oath of loyalty to the emperor, permanent military occupation, taxation by
Roman officials, and Roman supervision of public order. At the establishment of
Judaea as a province, Quirinius, the legate of
The Council of Elders and its
successor, the Sanhedrin, ruled as a Jewish law court in matters of faith,
manners, and law in which Roman interests were not directly affected. The
Council possessed no powers of capital jurisdiction (without confirmation of
the imperial magistrate), except against a pagan who trespassed into the inner
courts of the
Jewish religious practices were
usually respected by Roman authorities. Jews were exempt from military service,
and their privilege of the Sabbath was safeguarded. Jews throughout the empire
were allowed to collect and send to
Roman governors at first kept
charge of the sacred high priestly vestments in the Antonia Fortress, but this
was considered interference by the Romans in Jewish ritual matters. It was bad
enough when Herod had kept them, but the Roman control was in flagrant violation
of Jewish law, which prohibited the robes being taken outside the
The First Praefects 15
The governors of Roman Judaea
under Augustus Caesar were Coponius (A.D. 7-8), Marcus Ambivious (A.D. 9-12),
and Annius Rufus (A.D. 12-15). The next Roman emperor, Tiberius, appointed
Valerius Gratus, who served a comparatively long term (A.D. 15-26). Gratus
appointed Joseph Caiaphas to the priestly hierarchy, and this Caiaphas, who was
son-in-law of Annas, the previous high priest (see John 18:13),
cooperated with Annas in laying down religious policy. Caiaphas remained in
office through the long rule first of Gratus and then of Pontius Pilate (A.D.
18-36) and was involved in the trial of Jesus. 16
The Administration of Pontius
Pilate
The relationship between Romans
and Jews deteriorated during Pilate's rule. 17
His was described by Philo as a harsh and corrupt regime. 18
Pilate was widely disliked, was influenced by bribery, and angered the Jews by
his extortions and frequent executions without trial. Pilate was supported
during the first part of his administration (until A.D. 31) by Sejanus,
commander of the praetorian guard and chief spokesman in
Several incidents helped destroy
the legitimacy of Pilate's administration in the eyes of his Jewish subjects.
The first serious clash occurred when Pilate took a cohort's ensigns bearing
the emperor's image into
Another uproar followed Pilate's
use of sacred
Pilate displayed conspicuous
disregard for Jewish custom once again when he minted coins with
superscriptions showing pagan symbols—something all his predecessors had
scrupulously avoided. Even Pilate's harsh successors never dared mint such
coins.
During the second half of Pilate's
rule, he set up in Herod's palace in
The incident that probably led to
Pilate's dismissal was his brutal suppression of a disturbance among the
Samaritans, some of whom had followed a would-be messiah to the top of
A temporary governor named
Marcellus was appointed for Judaea by the governor of
Jesus did not like going to
The Chief Priests made a lot of
money from the taxes and fees for the population to use and worship at the
The Gentile women pleading and
persisting with the Savior to give her daughter a blessing, she never gave up,
we should do likewise.
Matthew 15:21-28
21 ¶ Then Jesus went thence, and departed
into the coasts of
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan
came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O
Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word.
And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth
after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am
not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
25 Then came she and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is
not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said
unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Ministering among the Heathen
(Mark 7:24-30; JST Mark 7:22-23,
26-27; Matthew 15:22-28)
Whether Jesus entered
We have heretofore shown that the
Gospels contain only selected sayings and doings of Jesus. Of the months he
spent in the borders of
Once we have learned how and under
what circumstances certain miracles are wrought, for instance, there is no
compelling need to record numerous similar illustrations. Generally speaking
our evangelist friends have selected matters to record that we need to know
about and that, taken as a whole, give us the knowledge and understanding we
need in order to follow him whose words and deeds should guide our lives.
As pertaining to the ministerial
service here involved, this selection concerns a Syro-Phoenician woman. Mark,
who gained his knowledge from Peter, begins the account by saying that when
Jesus came "into the borders of
This we do know, the "woman of
Canaan" came out of "the coasts of
Mark says she was a Greek and a
Syro-Phoenician by nation. She would thus be a subject of
Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Jesus,
compassionate and merciful as none other has ever been, would not even speak to
her, let alone reward her faith and heal her daughter, as he had been doing in
like cases in all
Jesus is declining not only to heal,
but even to give a courteous response, to a Gentile woman who has faith, for no
other reason than the fact that she is a Gentile and not an Israelite.
Sectarian commentators—not knowing the plans and purposes of the Lord; having
no knowledge of preexistence and foreordination; incapable of explaining why
and how a just God can show mercy and compassion to one person and deny it to
another, and how he can "make one vessel unto honour, and another unto
dishonour" (Rom. 9)—sectarian commentators almost go wild devising reasons
and explanations to justify the course here pursued by the Compassionate One.
In reality he is doing only what he
has always done. In all the earth he chose only Noah and his family to enter
the ark; upon all the rest of mankind—men, women, and children—he sent the
flood to sweep them into a watery grave. In all of
Why? Because the house of Israel is composed of the spirits from
preexistence who there developed a talent for spirituality, and who are
therefore entitled to the blessings of heaven in this life on a preferential
basis. All men, in due course, either in this life or in the spirit world, will
be offered the blessings of salvation. But there is an eternal system of
priorities; there is a law of election, a doctrine of foreordination; and
Israel is entitled to the blessings of the holy word ahead of their Gentile
fellows. During his lifetime Jesus took the gospel and its blessings, with
isolated exceptions, to his kinsmen in Israel; after his resurrection he will
send his apostolic witnesses to all men, irrespective of creed or race or
ancestry. The Lord Jehovah—Jesus in the flesh—is simply conforming to the
eternal law of gospel priorities that he and his Father ordained from before
the foundations of the world, and such a limited exception to the eternal
provisions of the eternal law as may properly be made is about to be shown
forth.
By combining the accounts of Matthew
and Mark we are led to believe that the importunings of our Gentile friend
began before Jesus entered the house, that they were made both to him and to
his disciples, and that his refusal even to converse with her was in the open
for all men to see. Then, after he sought seclusion in the house, she yet
entered—we can suppose she insisted upon so doing—and fell at his feet
importuning and worshipping. "Lord, help me," she pled, as "she
besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter." It
was as though she had made the suffering of her daughter her own sorrow, even
as He would do who came to bear the griefs and carry the sorrows of all men on
conditions of repentance.
No longer could Jesus remain silent,
but even now his spoken words carried little hope to the sorrowing mother.
"Let the children of the kingdom first be filled," he said—'Let the
gospel and its blessings go in this day to the Jews; it is the right and
privilege of the chosen seed first to hear the message'—"for it is not
meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs."
"But not all the snows of her
native Lebanon could quench the fire of love that was burning on the altar of
her heart, and prompt as an echo came forth the glorious answer" (Farrar,
p. 367): "Yes, Lord; thou sayest truly, yet the dogs under the table eat
of the children's crumbs."
How common it was among the Jews to
refer to those without—to the Gentiles—as dogs. The Jews were the children of
the kingdom, as they supposed: the heathen, none of whom were more accursed
than the Canaanites, were the dogs who growled and sniveled and snapped at
those within. But here the reference is more particularly to the little dogs,
the household pets, who, though still Gentile dogs, yet fed themselves with
such cast-off food as fell from the Jewish table.
"O woman, great is thy faith: be
it unto thee even as thou wilt," Jesus said. "And her daughter was
made whole from that very hour." The woman of Canaan triumphed; hers were
not only the crumbs, but she ate of the children's bread; by faith she was
adopted into the house of
"For this saying go thy
way," Jesus said, "the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when
she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid
upon the bed."
(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal
Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1979-1981], 3: 8.)
WITHIN THE BORDERS OF TYRE AND SIDON
Unable to find in Galilee rest,
seclusion, or adequate opportunity of instructing the Twelve as He desired to
do, Jesus departed with them northward, and journeyed into the coasts or
borders of Phenicia, a district commonly known by the names of its prominent
cities, Tyre and Sidon. In one of the little towns near the border, the party
took lodgings; but the attempt to secure privacy was futile, for the Master's
presence "could not be hid." His fame had preceded Him beyond the
boundaries of the
A woman, hearing of His presence
within her own land, came asking a boon. Mark tells us she was a Greek, or more
literally a Gentile fn who spoke Greek, and by nationality a Syro-Phenician;
Matthew says she was "a woman of
The woman, with importunate desire
came near, possibly entering the house; she fell at the Lord's feet and
worshiped Him, pleading pitifully, "Lord, help me." To her Jesus
said, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to
dogs." The words, harsh as they may sound to us, were understood by her in
the spirit of the Lord's intent. The original term here translated
"dogs" connoted, as the narrative shows, not the vagrant and despised
curs elsewhere spoken of in the Bible as typical of a degraded state, or of
positive badness, fn but literally the "little dogs" or domestic
pets, such as were allowed in the house and under the table. Certainly the
woman took no offense at the comparison, and found therein no objectionable
epithet. Instantly she adopted the analogy, and applied it in combined argument
and supplication. fn "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which
fall from their masters' table"; or, in the words of Mark's version:
"Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's
crumbs." Her prayer was immediately granted; for Jesus said unto her,
"O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her
daughter was made whole from that very hour." Mark emphasizes the special
recognition of her final plea, and adds: "And when she was come to her
house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed."
The woman's commendable persistency was based on the faith that overcomes
apparent obstacles and endures even under discouragement. Her case reminds one
of the lesson taught by the Lord on another occasion through the story of the
importunate widow. fn
Many have queried as to why Jesus
delayed the blessing. We may not be able to fathom His purposes; but we see
that, by the course He adopted, the woman's faith was demonstrated and the
disciples were instructed. Jesus impressed upon her that she was not of the
chosen people, to whom He had been sent; but His words prefigured the giving of
the gospel to all, both Jew and Gentile: "Let the children first be
filled" He had said. The resurrected Christ was to be made known to every
nation; fn but His personal ministry as a mortal, as also that of the apostles
while He was with them in the flesh, was directed to the house of
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 327.)
The seat of government was Herod's
port city of
Provincial status involved the oath
of loyalty to the emperor, permanent military occupation, taxation by Roman
officials, and Roman supervision of public order. At the establishment of
Judaea as a province, Quirinius, the legate of
The Council of Elders and its
successor, the Sanhedrin, ruled as a Jewish law court in matters of faith,
manners, and law in which Roman interests were not directly affected. The
Council possessed no powers of capital jurisdiction (without confirmation of
the imperial magistrate), except against a pagan who trespassed into the inner
courts of the
Jewish religious practices were
usually respected by Roman authorities. Jews were exempt from military service,
and their privilege of the Sabbath was safeguarded. Jews throughout the empire
were allowed to collect and send to
Roman governors at first kept charge
of the sacred high priestly vestments in the Antonia Fortress, but this were
considered interference by the Romans in Jewish ritual matters. It was bad
enough when Herod had kept them, but the Roman control was in flagrant
violation of Jewish law, which prohibited the robes being taken outside the
The First Praefects
The governors of Roman Judaea under
Augustus Caesar were Coponius (A.D. 7-8), Marcus Ambivious (A.D. 9-12), and
Annius Rufus (A.D. 12-15). The next Roman emperor, Tiberius, appointed Valerius
Gratus, who served a comparatively long term (A.D. 15-26). Gratus appointed
Joseph Caiaphas to the priestly hierarchy, and this Caiaphas, who was son-in-law
of Annas, the previous high priest (see John 18:13), cooperated with Annas in
laying down religious policy. Caiaphas remained in office through the long rule
first of Gratus and then of Pontius Pilate (A.D. 18-36) and was involved
in the trial of Jesus. fn
The Administration of Pontius Pilate
The relationship between Romans and
Jews deteriorated during Pilate's rule. fn His was described by Philo as a
harsh and corrupt regime. fn Pilate was widely disliked, was influenced by
bribery, and angered the Jews by his extortions and frequent executions without
trial. Pilate was supported during the first part of his administration (until
A.D. 31) by Sejanus, commander of the praetorian guard and chief spokesman in
Several incidents helped destroy the
legitimacy of Pilate's administration in the eyes of his Jewish subjects. The
first serious clash occurred when Pilate took a cohort's ensigns bearing the
emperor's image into
Another uproar followed Pilate's use
of sacred
Pilate displayed conspicuous
disregard for Jewish custom once again when he minted coins with
superscriptions showing pagan symbols—something all his predecessors had
scrupulously avoided. Even Pilate's harsh successors never dared mint such
coins.
During the second half of Pilate's
rule, he set up in Herod's palace in
The incident that probably led to
Pilate's dismissal was his brutal suppression of a disturbance among the
Samaritans, some of whom had followed a would-be messiah to the top of
A temporary governor named Marcellus
was appointed for Judaea by the governor of
(David B. Galbraith, D. Kelly Ogden,
and Andrew C. Skinner, Jerusalem: The Eternal City [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1996], 155.)
Mount of Transfiguration
Chapter 23-24
August 4, 2005
What Happened on the Mount of Transfiguration?
Until men attain a higher status of
spiritual understanding than they now enjoy, they can learn only in part what
took place upon the Mount of Transfiguration. From the New Testament accounts
and from the added light revealed through Joseph Smith it appears evident that:
(1) Jesus singled out Peter, James,
and John from the rest of the Twelve; took them upon an unnamed mountain; there
he was transfigured before them, and they beheld his glory. Testifying later,
John said, "We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only be—gotten of the
Father" (John 1:14); and Peter, speaking of the same event, said they
"were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Pet. 1:16.)
(2) Peter, James, and John, were
themselves "transfigured before him" (Teachings, p. 158), even as
Moses, the Three Nephites, Joseph Smith, and many prophets of all ages have
been transfigured, thus enabling them to entertain angels, see visions and
comprehend the things of God. (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 725-726.)
(3) Moses and Elijah—two ancient
prophets who were translated and taken to heaven without tasting death, so they
could return with tangible bodies on this very occasion, an occasion preceding
the day of resurrection—appeared on the mountain; and they and Jesus gave the
keys of the kingdom to Peter, James, and John. (Teachings, p. 158.)
(4) John the Baptist, previously
beheaded by Herod, apparently was also present. It may well be that other
unnamed prophets, either coming as translated beings or as spirits from
paradise, were also present.
(5) Peter, James, and John saw in
vision the transfiguration of the earth, that is, they saw it renewed and
returned to its paradisiacal state—an event that is to take place at the Second
Coming when the millennial era is ushered in. (D. & C. 63:20-21; Mormon
Doctrine, pp. 718-719.)
(6) It appears that Peter, James, and
John received their own endowments while on the mountain. (Doctrines of
Salvation, vol. 2, p. 165.) Peter says that while there, they "received
from God the Father honour and glory," seemingly bearing out this
conclusion. It also appears that it was while on the mount that they received
the more sure word of prophecy, it then being revealed to them that they were sealed
up unto eternal life. (2 Pet. 1:16-19; D. & C. 131:5.)
(7) Apparently Jesus himself was
strengthened and encouraged by Moses and Elijah so as to be prepared for the
infinite sufferings and agony ahead of him in connection with working out the
infinite and eternal atonement. (Jesus the Christ, p. 373.) Similar comfort had
been given him by angelic visitants following his forty-day fast and its
attendant temptations (Matt. 4:11), and an angel from heaven was yet to
strengthen him when he would sweat great drops of blood in the
(8) Certainly the three chosen
apostles were taught in plainness "of his death and also his
resurrection" (
(9) It should also have been apparent
to them that the old dispensations of the past had faded away, that the law (of
which Moses was the symbol) and the prophets (of whom Elijah was the typifying
representative) were subject to Him whom they were now commanded to hear.
(10) Apparently God the Father
overshadowed and hidden by a cloud, was present on the mountain, although our
Lord's three associates, as far as the record stipulates, heard only his voice
and did not see his form.
Matt. 17:1. After six days] Mark
agrees that it was six days; Luke says it was eight. In other words, one week
elapsed between Jesus' promise to Peter, to give him the keys of the kingdom,
and that glorious day of transfiguration when the keys were actually conferred
upon Peter and his two associates. Two of the synoptists are excluding the two
terminal days from their count, the other is including them.
Peter, James, and John] Why were these three repeatedly
singled out and given special blessings and privileges? They alone witnessed
the raising of Jairus' daughter from the dead. (Mark 5:22-24, 35-43.) They
alone beheld the glory and majesty of the transfigured Jesus; they alone
received from him, and from Moses and Elijah the keys of the kingdom, being
prohibited from so much as telling the others of the Twelve of these
transcendent events until after our Lord's resurrection. They alone were taken
to a spot in
Why always these three and not
various ones or even all of the Twelve? The plain fact is that Peter, James,
and John were the First Presidency of the Church in their day. From the
fragmentary New Testament accounts we have no way of knowing whether they
served as a quorum distinct from the Twelve or whether they continued to serve
both in the Presidency and in the Twelve. But by latter-day revelation we know
that they held and restored "the keys of the kingdom, which belong always
unto the Presidency of the High Priesthood" (D. & C. 81:2), or in
other words, they were the First Presidency in their day.
An high mountain] Long held by tradition to have been
2. Transfigured] As a host of scriptures attest, many
prophets in all ages have been transfigured, but none more majestic—ally and
dramatically than the Chief of all prophets on this occasion on the mount.
"Transfiguration is a special change in appearance and nature which is
wrought upon a person or thing by the power of God. This divine transformation
is from a lower to a higher state; it results in a more exalted, impressive,
and glorious condition." (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 725-726.)
3. Moses and Elias] Moses, the great prophet-statesman
whose name symbolized the law, and Elijah the Tishbite, a prophet of so great
fame that his name had come to typify and symbolize the collective wisdom and
insight of all the prophets. Moses held the keys of the gathering of
4. Let us make here three
tabernacles] These
words appear to have been spoken in response to some unrecorded statements of
Moses and Elijah. Since the record is so fragmentary it is not possible to tell
their exact meaning. In this connection, it should be noted that at the annual
feast of Tabernacles, it was customary for worshipers to erect small booths in
which they retired for private devotions.
5. A bright
cloud overshadowed them] Not a watery cloud, but what the Jews called the
Shekinah or Dwelling cloud, the cloud which manifested the presence and glory
of God. This cloud had rested upon the tabernacle in the wilderness (Num.
9:15-22), had covered Jehovah when he visited his people (Ex. 33:9-11; Num. 11:25),
and is the one which enveloped Jesus, after his resurrection, when he ascended
to his Father. (Acts 1:9.)
Hear ye him] Not Moses, whose very name symbolized
the law to which Israel had been subject for fifteen hundred years; not Elijah,
the one prophet whose name stood for all the prophets of all ages; not holy men
who had come, as it were, from heaven above; not the prophecies and laws of the
past; not all that the Jews held as holy and sacred! but "my beloved
Son"—Hear ye him! Salvation centers in Christ; turn to him; believe him;
follow him; obey him!
9. Vision] Moses and Elijah were personally
present on the mount, even as they were actual visitants in the
No man] Not even their fellow apostles were
to know as yet of the vision; even they were not yet prepared to receive the
glorious truths revealed on the holy mount.
Mark 9:10. Although Jesus had spoken
frequently of his coming death and resurrection, and although Peter, James, and
John had heard Moses and Elijah discuss the same thing—giving as it were a
heavenly approval of those portentous events ahead—yet even the chief ministers
of Christ's kingdom had not yet caught the full vision of what was ahead for
their Lord.
I. V. Mark 9:1. Many questions] How
profitable it would be to know the questions asked, the answers given, the
truths revealed.
3. John the Baptist] It is not to be understood that John
the Baptist was the Elias who appeared with Moses to confer keys and authority
upon those who then held the Melchizedek Priesthood, which higher priesthood
already embraced and included all of the authority and power John had held and
exercised during his ministry. Rather, for some reason that remains
unknown—because of the partial record of the proceedings—John played some other
part in the glorious manifestations then vouchsafed to mortals. Perhaps he was
there, as the last legal administrator under the Old Covenant, to symbolize
that the law was fulfilled and all old things were done away, thus contrasting
his position with that of Peter, James, and John who were then becoming the
"first" legal administrators of the New Kingdom.
Luke 9:28. To pray] How often it is
that visions and revelations and the opening of the heavens grow out of fervent
and devout prayer.
32. Heavy with sleep] Apparently Jesus and his three
associates spent the night in the mountain, and the glorious theophanies there
manifest were shown during the hours of darkness. The next day they returned to
the other disciples and the multitude. (Luke 9: 37.)
(Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1:
399.)
Bruce feels
strongly that the mountain was Hermon, since it was in the area where Christ
was teaching, and the crowds could not follow very easily,
Matthew has
a mountain theme running throughout his narrative of Christ. Also, he intends to show the many
similarities between Moses and the new Moses (Jesus Christ). Their births, fleeing into the wilderness,
temptations and encounters with Satan, also talking with God on top of
mountains, being given special instruction and authority to continue their
missions
After Christ’s death and
resurrection He goes again to a mountain to continue the teaching of the 11
Apostles and many disciples (500?). The
other Apostles receive their endowment, it was part of the 40 day ministry.
(Matthew 28:16-17.)
16 ¶ Then the eleven
disciples went away into
17 And when they saw him,
they worshipped him: but some doubted.
Heavenly
Father along with Moses and Elijah prepare Christ for
Mount of Transfiguration
The Mount of Transfiguration was the
scene of a transcendent New Testament event. It has been set in perspective by
revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith and portrayed with several related
components. First, Jesus conversed with Moses and Elijah, who were then
translated beings (Matt. 17:3-4). Second, a transfiguration of Jesus Christ
himself occurred there, confirming his divine nature and calling to his three
chief apostles: Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17:1-2). Third, those apostles
were also temporarily transfigured during that experience (TPJS, p.
158). Fourth, in vision those apostles saw the earth in its future transfigured
state as the inheritance of the faithful (D&C 63:20-21). Fifth, those same
apostles received certain priesthood keys of the
The experience on the mount no doubt
strengthened the Savior as he approached the last months before his atoning
sacrifice. Moses and Elijah visited him as he prepared for the infinite
sufferings in Gethsemane and the agonies of
Jesus' transfiguration before Peter,
James, and John made them "eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Pet.
1:16). During their visit, the voice of the Father bore record of the Savior's
mission, giving assurance to Peter, James, and John of the Father's love and
his approval of Jesus (Matt. 17:5-8). Because these apostles would soon
constitute the First Presidency of the early church (MD, pp. 571-572), the
event was an unforgettable personal witness of the Father's acknowledgment of
Jesus' redemptive mission. John later testified, "We beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14).
The temporary transfiguration of
Peter, James, and John allowed them to hear the voice of the Father and see the
transfigured Son (cf. Moses 1:9-11). This extraordinary experience helped
prepare them for the coming burden of Church leadership following Jesus'
departure from his earthly ministry. Well did Peter declare, "Lord, it is
good for us to be here" (Matt. 17:4).
Peter, James, and John also saw the
millennial day when the earth will be transfigured, returning it to its
condition prior to the Fall of Adam (TPJS, pp. 12-13; cf. A of F 10).
The earth's transfiguration will take place at the time of Christ's second
coming (MD, pp. 795-96).
The bestowal of priesthood keys on
the presiding apostles formed a fifth purpose of the transfiguration. During
his ministry, Jesus conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood on the Twelve,
authorizing them to act under his direction (Mark 3:14-15; John 15:16; cf. JD
25:207). But with the prospect of his departure, the Twelve needed independent
authority to direct Church affairs. Fulfilling his promise that Peter would
receive the keys of the kingdom (Matt. 16:13-20), Jesus took the chief apostles
to the mount, where they received those keys.
After beholding the transfigured
Jesus and undergoing transfiguration themselves, the apostles saw Moses and
Elijah (and perhaps others; cf. McConkie, p. 400), who had been translated so
that they could appear with physical bodies to bestow priesthood keys by the
laying on of hands, which made possible, among other things, the preaching of
the gospel throughout the world (Matt. 18:19-20) and performing saving
ordinances for the living and the dead (cf. 1 Cor. 15:29).
The latter-day fulfillment of some of
these events occurred in the
Bibliography
Haight, David B. ""We
Beheld His Glory."' Ensign 7 (May 1977):7-10.
Matthews, Robert J. "Tradition,
Testimony, Transfiguration, and Keys." In Studies in Scripture, ed.
K. Jackson and R. Millet, Vol. 5, pp. 296-311.
McConkie, Bruce R. Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, Vol. 1, pp. 397-404.
DALE C. MOURITSEN
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 968.)
There are
several points to be stated about what happened, these 4 points are what we
know they received:
- Keys of the Kingdom – Joseph
Smith
- Future Vision of the Earth –
D&C 63:20-21
- Receiving their Calling &
Election – 2 Peter 1
Think of
it! They hadn’t received the Gift of the
Holy Ghost yet!! Act 2
Peter calls this day when there will
be a new heaven and a new earth; this day when the earth shall wax old and die
and in which the heavens shall vanish away like smoke; this day in which things
on earth will be changed as men change the vestures that clothe them; this day
in which the earth will be broken down and dissolved and moved exceedingly;
this day in which the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory
and become again as it originally was in the day of the Garden of Eden—Peter
calls this day "the times of refreshing" that "shall come from
the presence of the Lord" when "he shall send Jesus Christ, which
before was preached" unto the Jews. (Acts 3:19-20.) It will be the day of
change needed to make the earth a fit habitation for its true King and the
other resurrected beings who will live and reign with him for the appointed
thousand years. And well might Peter so speak. He was one of three in the
meridian of time, the other two being James and John, who saw in vision the
whole glorious renewal of the earth. Alluding to what they saw on the Mount of
Transfiguration, our revealed word says: "He that endureth in faith and
doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon
the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come; When the earth shall be
transfigured, even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles
upon the mount; of which account the fulness ye have not yet received."
(D&C 63:20-21.) The new heaven and new earth, the paradisiacal earth, the
renewed earth, the refreshed earth, the transfigured earth, the millennial
earth—all these are one and the same. How blessed the earth will be in that
day!
(Bruce R.
McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 618.)
Peter was
pre emanate in Matthews account. The 3
Apostles were forbidden to discuss these events with anyone until after the
resurrection.
Bruce went
through 2 Peter 1 verse by verse in Greek, there is a lot of hidden knowledge
in this chapter.
That accounts for where the Apostle
says that the divine promise is that those who escape the corruption of the
world may be partakers (koinonioi) of divine nature. (2 Pet. 1:4)
It also explains the fact that wherever the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the
believers, there is a union of interests, both temporal and spiritual that
comes into existence naturally.
(George
Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, edited
and arranged by Philip C. Reynolds, 7 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1955-1961], 3: 49.)
The Second Epistle of Peter
Peter's second epistle is addressed
to a more select audience than the first: to members of the church who had
attained the same faith in God and Jesus Christ as had Peter and the apostles.
The main theme of the letter is that through the grace of God and of Jesus
their Lord, many great and precious promises had been extended to these
members, and by attaining these promises, they could be "partakers of the
divine nature" and escape the corruption of the world. This theme was also
a theme of President David O. McKay. In general conference in October 1960,
after quoting 2 Peter 1:4, President McKay said: "I have a deep admiration
in my heart for Simon Peter, President of the Twelve Apostles, . . . who was
only two and a half years—a little more—in the personal presence of his Lord.
Before that he did not care much for the Church, but before this writing he had
a testimony of the divinity of the Sonship of Jesus Christ. More than that, he
had experienced that communion of the spirit with his Resurrected Lord, and
speaks here of being a partaker of the divine nature." fn On another
occasion, President McKay declared: "Peter was quite a doubtful man as he
grew to manhood before he knew Christ, but long afterwards he was praying and
said that we have been made partakers of the divine nature. He knew it, and you
will know it some day if you will do the will, be true to self." fn To be
a partaker of the divine nature is to know the power of God and to experience
the Holy Ghost in one's life. (D&C 76:31, 35.)
In the rest of chapter 1, Peter gives
instructions on what a member of the church should do after having been a
partaker of the divine nature. He explains that, having escaped the corruption
of the world, the saints should give all diligence to "add to [their]
faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." (2 Pet. 1:5-7.)
In commenting on these verses, Joseph
Smith said: "It is not wisdom that we should have all knowledge at once
presented before us; but that we should have a little at a time; then we can
comprehend it. . . . The principle of knowledge is the principle of salvation.
This principle can be comprehended by the faithful and diligent; and every one
that does not obtain knowledge sufficient to be saved will be condemned. The
principle of salvation is given us through the knowledge of Jesus Christ."
fn
The Prophet acknowledged the depth
and complexity of this chapter of Peter's epistle, declaring: "There are
three grand secrets lying in this chapter which no man can dig out, unless by
the light of revelation, and which unlocks the whole chapter as the things that
are written are only hints of things which existed in the prophet's mind, which
are not written concerning eternal glory. I am going to take up this subject by
virtue of the knowledge of God in me, which I have received from heaven. The
opinions of men, so far as I am concerned, are to me as the crackling of thorns
under the pot, or the whistling of the wind." fn
He then summarized the grand secrets
or keys to unlocking Peter's writings. The first, "knowledge is the power
of salvation," is the essence of the statement just quoted. The second key
is based on 2 Peter 1:10, making one's calling and election sure. The Prophet
explained this principle:
Notwithstanding the apostle exhorts
[the saints] to add to their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, etc., yet he
exhorts them to make their calling and election sure. And though they had heard
an audible voice from heaven bearing testimony that Jesus was the Son of God,
yet he says we have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed as unto a light shining in a dark place. Now, wherein could they have
a more sure word of prophecy than to hear the voice of God saying, This is my
beloved Son.
Now for the secret and grand key.
Though they might hear the voice of God and know that Jesus was the Son of God,
this would be no evidence that their election and calling was made sure, that
they had part with Christ, and were joint heirs with Him. They then would want
that more sure word of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had
the promise of eternal life in the
The experience of hearing an audible
voice, to which Peter refers (as does Joseph Smith), is undoubtedly that of the
Savior taking Peter, James, and John up on the mountain where he was
transfigured before them. (Matt. 17:1-9.) From the Prophet's explanation, it
seems that the three apostles did not have their calling and election made sure
on that occasion. If not, this experience pointed their souls to that third key
of Peter's writings given by the Prophet: "It is one thing to be on the
mount and hear the excellent voice, etc., and another to hear the voice declare
to you, You have a part and lot in that kingdom." fn The Joseph Smith
Translation does not settle the issue but does give a further consideration:
"We have therefore a more sure knowledge of the word of
prophecy, to which word of prophecy ye do well that ye take heed, as
unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn, and the day star
arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scriptures
is given of any private will of man." (JST, 2 Pet. 1:19-20;
italics indicate changes in JST.) The disciples' more sure knowledge was the
voice declaring their assured part and portion of the kingdom. The record does
not say when this happened, but Peter reminds his readers that this does not
come through the private or personal desires of man, but through the revelation
of the Holy Ghost (v. 21), or the Holy Spirit of Promise, which is the Holy
Ghost's stamp of approval upon an ordinance or experience (D&C 132:26; Eph.
1:13-14). fn
Though the Prophet did not comment on
the other chapters of 2 Peter, the same keys seem to apply.
In his epistle, Peter warns against
assuming that eternal life can be attained automatically or easily. As the Lord
explained in the latter days, mankind "may fall from grace,"
therefore, "even let those who are sanctified take heed." (D&C
20:32, 34.)
(Robert L. Millet, ed., Studies in
Scripture, Vol. 6: Acts to Revelation [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1987], 230.)
Verse 6 –
Temperance = Self Control
Patience = Consistency
Verse 17 –
Honor and Glory – Christ was ordained, given keys and authority to fulfill His
mission of the Resurrection and Atonement.
He was empowered to complete His mission in
Keys of the Priesthood Given on the
Mount
About one week after the great
confession and the Savior's promise that the keys of the kingdom would be
given, Jesus took Peter, James, and John onto the high mountain, and there he
was transfigured before them. The Savior's body and clothing became very white
and shiny and "glistering" (Luke 9:29), which means they sparkled
brilliantly. Moses and Elias (Elijah) appeared in glory and spoke to Jesus
about his forthcoming atonement and death, which he would accomplish in
The transmission of the keys is probably the
most important thing that transpired on the mount. The promise of the keys,
given a week earlier, was now fulfilled. The three Apostles, with Peter at the
head, now held the keys of the holy priesthood, the same keys which Moses and
Elijah held and which had power to bind and to loose, both on earth and in
heaven.
The Twelve had been given the
Melchizedek Priesthood more than a year earlier when they were ordained
Apostles and sent on missions (see Matt. 10), but the keys were not transferred
to them for the fulness of the kingdom and the organization of the Church upon
the earth until the time on the mount, which was in October, six months before
the Lord's death. The keys are the directing and presiding power in the
priesthood.
It appears from the foregoing
statement of the Prophet Joseph Smith, "when they were transfigured before
him," that the three Brethren were likewise transfigured and shrouded in
glory, as were Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. This would seem proper as they were
seeing things and engaged in business not natural to the mortal existence.
(Robert J.
Matthews, Behold the Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 242.)
2 Peter is somewhat shorter than 1
Peter, but it is no less rich in temple motifs. Peter calls attention in 2 Peter
1:4 to "exceeding great and precious promises" that potentially lead
the Christians to become what the King James Version translates "partakers
of the divine nature." fn Several scholars in the West consider this
concept (as they read it) utterly extraneous to the overall spirit and content
of the New Testament. In some quarters it is looked upon with contempt; those
who feel this way would prefer to see 2 Peter deleted from the canon. fn On the
other extreme, scholars in the Eastern Church look at the phrase as a support
of their view that theosis or the divinization or deification of
humankind is really the ultimate object of the Christian commitment, as it
relates to their ultimate destiny. fn If being partakers of the divine nature
is understood as blending in with divine ousios, or substance, as
defined in the Nicene Creed, the Latter-day Saints will be as repelled by the
notion as any Protestant or Catholic. In a thoughtful essay Al Wolters
challenges the common translation, "partakers of the divine nature."
He points out that koinonoi, which is normally translated
"partakers," is not an adjective but a noun, which can better be
translated "partner," "companion," or "fellow."
fn In mulling through the possible meanings of theia physis, usually
rendered as "divine nature," Wolters proposes that it read "a
divine being." He concludes that the phrase in 2 Peter 1:4 is "a
reference to covenantal partnership." fn While Kelly notes that verse four
concurs with Greek mystical philosophy and with aspirations in mystery cults,
fn Wolters's construct has possibilities. It calls to mind the joint
inheritance in 1 Peter as well as Galatians 3-4 and Romans 8. And, as Kelly
brings out, the passage has an affinity with 1 John 1:3 and 2:29-4:1, in
relation to the fellowship the children of God have with their Father. fn The
Christian, then, through covenantal partnership, becomes a candidate for
salvation; that is to say, he or she becomes an heir.
After listing a catalog of
recommended moral acquisitions and character traits (see 2 Peter 1:5-7), Peter
advises that the Christians who obtain these "shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of [their] Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:8).
The image of fruitfulness recalls the expectation of prosperity emanating from
the temple. Here that fruitfulness is tied in with the knowledge or gnosis of
Jesus Christ, to which he refers in the following verses, especially verses
16-18.
Peter urges his readers: "Give
diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things
[i.e., cultivate those attributes listed in verses 5-7], ye shall never
fall" (2 Peter 1:10). The word bebaios ("sure") carries
the notion of firmness and assurity, and in this regard it coheres conceptually
with the temple stones spoken of in 1 Peter 2:4-8. On this point Neyrey says,
"As regards legal matters, bebaios may refer to matters with
legally guaranteed security." fn The sureness or absolute reliability in
realizing one's election is consistent with the idea of the pole star, with
which the temple in heaven is associated, in that it is an immovable and
steadfast symbol. That is why ancient people felt con fident that in the temple
they could get their bearings on the universe. Covenants, which were sometimes
temple related, had a complete sense of dependability so far as the Lord's part
of the agreement was concerned. As one studies the meanings of legal and other
kinds of words in Hebrew (for example, amen), especially as they relate
to God, one recognizes a sense of reassurance and trust in a world otherwise
frought with insecurity and uncertainty. In the same vein, language expressed
in the mystery religions could convey unmitigated confidence in one's outcome.
(Unfortunately, faith in the mystery religions could lead sooner or later to a
shattering disappointment. Peter's admonition leads to no such
disillusionment.)
An intriguing, veiled reference to a
temple theme is found in 2 Peter 1:14. There the Apostle says that he must soon
"put off" this tabernacle, or in other words, die. (A similar image
is used concerning the incarnation of Christ in John 1:14, where it says that
"the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.") The phenomenon of
separating the spirit from the body as conveyed in this language is redolent of
the putting off of a garment. As Brooks has it, "'Removal,' or putting off
is found . . . in the New Testament writings in reference to putting off, as
one does clothing, an evil disposition in preparation for receiving
exhortations and teachings, usually about worship." fn Kelly observes that
"putting off" is found also in Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22, 25;
Colossians 3:8; and James 1:21. They are "all passages summarizing forms
of conduct characteristic of the readers' pre-Christian past—and therefore
seems to have been a technical term." fn One "puts off" a
garment with the intention eventually of "putting on" another, so the
two acts go together. In Galatians 3:27, Paul says that those who "have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Hans Dieter Betz unveils
this insight: "This concept, which has a powerful and long tradition in
ancient religions, describes the Christian incorporation into the 'body of
Christ' as an act of 'clothing,' whereby Christ is understood as the
garment." He explains further: "This phrase presupposes the
christological-soteriological concept that Christ is the heavenly garment by
which the Christian is enwrapped and transformed into a new being. The language
is certainly figurative, but it goes beyond the social and ethical inclusion of
a religious community; it suggests an event of divine transformation." fn
Without divulging too much detail,
Peter in 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to his experience at the Transfiguration. The
language here has been identified with the mystery religions. It is the
contention of this paper that when terminology of the mystery religions was
used, the meaning that the New Testament authors accepted was not necessarily
precisely the same as those religions accepted, for early Christianity was a
revealed religion and did not need to borrow its teachings from partially true
but defective cults. It is plausible that the early Christian devotees used
terminology familiar to them and their audiences that was suitable in conveying
the Christian proclamation to be delivered. The application was placed entirely
within a Christian context.
That the Transfiguration was a
templelike experience is suggested by the Apostle's reference to the location
as "the holy mount" (2 Peter 1:18), inasmuch as manmade temples are
artificial sacred mountains.
What Peter (as well as James and
John) saw on the mount might well be called a "Christophany," that
is, an appearance of Christ in his glory. It was a crucial event in redemptive
history, sacred to the point that the four accounts in the New Testament that
deal with it impart only meager information. The figure of the radiant Christ,
according to Neyrey, "has alternately been understood, not as fulfillment,
but as a prophesy of the parousia (the coming of Jesus in glory)."
fn He quotes a fuller statement by G. H. Boobyer: "The transfiguration
prophesies the parousia in the sense that it is a portrayal of what
Christ will be at that day, and in some degree a miniature picture of the whole
second advent scene." fn Peter, then, while on the mount, received a
foretaste of the climactic event in salvation history. Thus he is a party to
firsthand information of who Christ is and what his role is in the salvation of
the human race. One might say that here as well as after the resurrection, he
experienced the zenith of the apocalyptic vision.
Peter tries to impress upon his
audience the vividness and reality of his message, which was not dependent on
"cunningly devised fables." Rather, when he "made known" to
them concerning the powerful coming (parousia) of the Lord, it was by
virtue of his being an eyewitness of his majesty (2 Peter 1:16). Two words
should be discussed here. Kelly states that "the verb 'make known' (gnoizein)
is almost technical in the New Testament for imparting a divine mystery."
fn Although the word for "eyewitness" (epoptes) can
refer to an ordinary observer, it also designates one who has been initiated
into a higher grade in the mystery religions. fn This terminology related to
the mysteries gives some support to the view, dealt with earlier in this paper,
that it was during the transfiguration that Peter received the keys of the
kingdom (Moses and Elijah appeared to bestow them upon him), the event taking
place just a week after Peter was informed that he would be entrusted with
important religious prerogatives related to eternal reality in the cosmos. This
was an extraordinary thing for Peter; it placed a very real burden on him. It
was a sacred exchange, and that probably accounts for the paucity of detail and
the charges to secrecy better than the theory that is often referred to as the
"messianic secret," whereby Mark (usually considered the first
evangelist) claimed ignorance of Jesus' full role in his lifetime, both by
himself as well as his disciples, by causing Jesus to swear the disciples to
secrecy concerning his identity until the resurrection. It was not a matter of
the early Church finding a creative way to attribute to the historical Jesus
what he did not attribute to himself; it was a matter of keeping sacred things
sacred.
One final word should be given. In an
essay in a truly exhilarating book, Hugh Nibley discusses the themes in the
early apocryphal writings, whose setting was largely the forty-day ministry,
and whose subject matter was secret. By drawing a composite picture, Nibley
makes it clear that the descensus was real to the Saints in Peter's day
and that aspects relating to temples were prominent. fn If we grant that Peter
genuinely was present at the Transfiguration and was privy to the instructions
of the forty-day ministry, it is only natural that he would have a
comprehensive understanding of Christocentric salvation as it is embedded and
expressed in the temple, and that he would with caution allude to selected
features here and there. It is our privilege to benefit from his informed
direction.
(Donald W.
Parry, ed., Temples of the Ancient World: Ritual and Symbolism [Salt
Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and
Mormon Studies, 1994], 505.)
1. Note 1. Interval Between Time
of Peter's Confession and that of the Transfiguration.-Both Matthew (17:1)
and Mark (9:2) state that the Transfiguration occurred "after six
days" following the time of Peter's great confession that Jesus was the
Christ; while Luke (9:28) notes an interval of "about an eight days."
It is probable that the six-day period was meant to be exclusive of the day on
which the earlier events had occurred and of that on which Jesus and the three
apostles retired to the mountain; and that Luke's "about an eight
days" was made to include these two days. There is here no ground for a
claim of discrepancy.
2. Note 2. Peter, James and John, who
were selected from among the Twelve as the only earthly witnesses of the
transfiguration of Christ, had been similarly chosen as witnesses of a special
manifestation, that of the raising of the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:37; Luke
8:51); and, later, the same three were the sole witnesses of our Lord's night
agony in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37; Mark 14:33).
3. Note 3. Place of the
Transfiguration.-The mountain on which the Transfiguration occurred is
neither named nor otherwise indicated by the Gospel-writers in such a way as to
admit of its positive identification.
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 349.)
Covenants
are keys to further knowledge, D&C 84:19.
Having the ordinances and receiving the blessings of the ordinance are 2
different things!!
Why has
President Hinckley asked every member to read the Book of Mormon by December,
2005?
- Spirituality is fading, 2. Testimony is fading, 3. Obedience is fading
Are we
getting casual in the Church and toward the Lord?
(Alma 37:6-7.)
6 Now ye may suppose that
this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple
things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth
confound the wise.
7 And the Lord God doth
work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small
means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many
souls.
Power of Elijah – Proven and determined to serve the Lord at all hazards. President Faust has given 3 talks on this subject.
(Doctrine and Covenants
93:11-17.)
11 And I, John, bear
record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt
in the flesh, and dwelt among us.
12 And I, John, saw that
he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;
13 And he received not of
the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a
fulness;
14 And thus he was called
the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first.
15 And I, John, bear
record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him
in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven
saying: This is my beloved Son.
16 And I, John, bear
record that he received a fulness of the glory of the Father;
17 And he received all
power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him,
for he dwelt in him.
Grace to
Grace – Christ was baptized – 40 days in wilderness – Tempted by Satan –
Transfiguration – Trial and Crucifixion. Step by step progression, moving up the ladder
The key word to this dispensation is fulness.
The word appears sixty-three times in the Doctrine and Covenants and thirty-one
times in the Book of Mormon. After all, this is the dispensation of the fulness
of times; go down the list: fn "The fulness of mine
intent" (1 Nephi 6:4), "received the fulness of the
gospel" (1 Nephi 10:14), "through the fulness of the
Gentiles" (1 Nephi 15:13), "the fulness of the wrath of
God" (1 Nephi 17:35), "may God grant, in his great fulness" (Helaman
12:24), "the fulness of these things" (3 Nephi 16:7), "I
will bring the fulness of my gospel" (3 Nephi 16:10),
"knowledge of the fulness of my gospel" (3 Nephi 16:12),
"my joy is great even unto fulness" (3 Nephi 27:30), "the
Father has given me fulness of joy" (3 Nephi 28:10), "the fulness
of my scriptures" (D&C 42:15), "which rest is the fulness of
his glory" (D&C 84:24), "he receives not of the fulness at
the first" (D&C 93:13), "the fulness of the record of
John" (D&C 93:18).
The doctrine of the fulness has
not been on earth until now. It cannot be received all at once, but our
obligation is to receive everything we possibly can so that we can be ready for
more. The fulness is not that infinity of knowledge stretching into the
eternities which we envisage in the eternities, but the fulness of what
one is capable of receiving. Not to receive all that one can comprehend is to
"reject the fulness of my gospel" (3 Nephi 16:10).
How that word fulness binds
and commits us!
(Hugh
Nibley, Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, edited by Don E. Norton
and Shirley S. Ricks [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation
for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1994], 385.)
Chapter 24 – Sunshine to Shadow
Christ had
a rapid decent to humiliation in
Our Lord's descent from the holy
heights fn of the Mount of Transfiguration was more than a physical return from
greater to lesser altitudes; it was a passing from sunshine into shadow, from
the effulgent glory of heaven to the mists of worldly passions and human
unbelief; it was the beginning of His rapid descent into the valley of
humiliation. From lofty converse with divinely-appointed ministers, from
supreme communion with His Father and God, Jesus came down to a scene of
disheartening confusion and a spectacle of demonized dominion before which even
His apostles stood in impotent despair. To His sensitive and sinless soul the
contrast must have brought superhuman anguish; even to us who read the brief
account thereof it is appalling.
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 351.)
Mark 9 – The remaining apostles
tried to heal a child and failed. Jesus
rebuked them for their lack of faith
HEALING OF YOUTHFUL DEMONIAC
Jesus and the three apostles returned
from the mount on the morrow following the Transfiguration; fn this fact
suggests the assumption that the glorious manifestation had occurred during the
night. At or near the base of the mountain the party found the other apostles,
and with them a multitude of people, including some scribes or rabbis. fn There
was evidence of disputation and disturbance amongst the crowd; and plainly the
apostles were on the defensive. At the unexpected approach of Jesus many of the
people ran to meet Him with respectful salutations. Of the contentious scribes
He asked: "What question ye with them?" thus assuming the burden of
the dispute, whatever it might be, and so relieving the distressed disciples
from further active participation. The scribes remained silent; their courage
had vanished when the Master appeared. A man, "one of the multitude,"
gave, though indirectly, the answer. "Master," said he, kneeling at
the feet of Christ, "I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb
spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and
gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that
they should cast him out; and they could not."
The disciples' failure to heal the
stricken youth had evidently brought upon them hostile criticism, taunts and
ridicule from the unbelieving scribes; and their discomfiture must have been
intensified by the thought that through them doubt had been cast upon the
authority and power of their Lord. Pained in spirit at this—another instance of
dearth of faith and consequent lack of power among His chosen and ordained
servants—Jesus uttered an exclamation of intense sorrow: "O faithless
generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?"
These words in which there is evident reproof, however mild and pitying it may
be, were addressed primarily to the apostles; whether exclusively so or to them
and others is of minor importance. As Jesus directed, the afflicted lad was
brought nearer; and the tormenting demon, finding himself in the Master's
presence, threw his youthful victim into a terrible paroxysm, so that the boy
fell to the ground and wallowed in convulsions, the while frothing and foaming
at the mouth. With calm deliberation, which contrasted strongly with the eager
impatience of the distracted parent, Jesus inquired as to when the malady had
first befallen the lad. "Of a child," answered the father, adding,
"And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to
destroy him." With pathetic eagerness he implored, "If thou canst do
anything, have compassion on us and help us." The man spoke of his son's
affliction as though shared by himself. "Help us," was his prayer.
To this qualifying expression
"If thou canst do anything," which implied a measure of uncertainty
as to the ability of the Master to grant what he asked, and this perhaps as in
part a result of the failure of the apostles, Jesus replied: "If thou
canst believe"; and added, "all things are possible to him that
believeth." The man's understanding was enlightened; up to that moment he
had thought that all depended upon Jesus; he now saw that the issue rested
largely with himself. It is noteworthy that the Lord specified belief rather
than faith as the condition essential to the case. The man was evidently
trustful, and assuredly fervent in his hope that Jesus could help; but it is
doubtful that he knew what faith really meant. He was receptive and eagerly
teachable, however, and the Lord strengthened his feeble and uncertain belief.
The encouraging explanation of the real need stimulated him to a more abounding
trust. Weeping in an agony of hope he cried out: "Lord, I believe";
and then, realizing the darkness of error from which he was just beginning to
emerge, he added penitently "help thou mine unbelief." fn
Looking compassionately upon the
writhing sufferer at His feet, Jesus rebuked the demon, thus: "Thou dumb
and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one
dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and
lifted him up; and he arose"; and as Luke adds, "and delivered him
again to his father." The permanency of the cure was assured by the
express command that the evil spirit enter no more into the lad; fn it was no
relief from that present attack alone; the healing was permanent.
The people were amazed at the power
of God manifested in the miracle; and the apostles who had tried and failed to
subdue the evil spirit were disturbed. While on their mission, though away from
their Master's helpful presence, they had successfully rebuked and cast out
evil spirits as they had received special power and commission to do; fn but
now, during His absence of a day they had found themselves unable. When they
had retired to the house, they asked of Jesus, "Why could not we cast him
out?" The reply was: "Because of your unbelief"; and in further
explanation the Lord said, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer
and fasting." fn
Hereby we learn that the achievements
possible to faith are limited or conditioned by the genuineness, the purity,
the unmixed quality of that faith. "O ye of little faith";
"Where is your faith?" and "Wherefore didst thou doubt?" fn
are forms of admonitory reproof that had been repeatedly addressed to the apostles
of the Lord. The possibilities of faith were now thus further affirmed:
"Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye
shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall
remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." fn The comparison
between effective faith and a grain of mustard seed is one of quality rather
than of quantity; it connotes living, virile faith, like unto the seed, however
small, from which a great plant may spring, fn in contrast with a lifeless,
artificial imitation, however prominent or demonstrative.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 351.)
Note 1. Faith in Behalf of Others.-The supplication of the agonized
father for the benefit of his sorely afflicted son-"Have compassion on us,
and help us" (Mark 9:22)-shows that he made the boy's case his own. In
this we are reminded of the Canaanite woman who implored Jesus to have mercy on
her, though her daughter was the afflicted one (Matt. 15:22). In these cases,
faith was exercised in behalf of the sufferers by others; and the same is true
of the centurion who pleaded for his servant and whose faith was specially
commended by Jesus (Matt. 8:5-10), of Jairus whose daughter lay dead (Luke
8:41, 42, 49, 50), and of many who brought their helpless kindred or friends to
Christ and pleaded for them. As heretofore shown, faith to be healed is as
truly a gift of God as is faith to heal and, as the instances cited prove,
faith may be exercised with effect in behalf of others. In connection with the
ordinance of administering to the afflicted, by anointing with oil and the
laying on of hands, as authoritatively established in the restored Church of
Jesus Christ, the elders officiating should encourage the faith of all
believers present, that such be exerted in behalf of the sufferer. In the case
of infants and of persons who are unconscious, it is plainly useless to look
for active manifestation of faith on their part, and the supporting faith of
kindred and friends is all the more requisite.
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983],.)
Faith is a
gift of God, it is His power. We are to
have complete confidence (assurance) in what we cannot see.
Elder
Wirthlin, October, 2002. Action in
conformity to the will of God
The
Apostles had little faith, fasting and prayer increases faith.
Note 2. Power Developed by Prayer and
Fasting.-The
Savior's statement concerning the evil spirit that the apostles were unable to
subdue-"Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and
fasting"-indicates gradation in the malignity and evil power of demons,
and gradation also in the results of varying degrees of faith. The apostles who
failed on the occasion referred to had been able to cast out demons at other
times. Fasting, when practised in prudence, and genuine prayer are conducive to
the development of faith with its accompanying power for good. Individual
application of this principle may be made with profit. Have you some besetting
weakness, some sinful indulgence that you have vainly tried to overcome? Like
the malignant demon that Christ rebuked in the boy, your sin may be of a kind
that goeth out only through prayer and fasting.
Note 3. Nothing Impossible to Faith.-Many people have questioned the
literal truth of the Lord's declaration that by faith mountains may be removed
from their place. Plainly there would have to be a purpose in harmony with the
divine mind and plan, in order that faith could be exerted at all in such an
undertaking. Neither such a miracle nor any other is possible as a gratification
of the yearning for curiosity, nor for display, nor for personal gain or
selfish satisfaction. Christ wrought no miracle with any such motive; He
persistently refused to show signs to mere signseekers. But to deny the
possibility of a mountain being removed through faith, under conditions that
would render such removal acceptable to God, is to deny the word of God, both
as to this specific possibility, and as to the general assurance that
"nothing shall be impossible" to him who hath faith adequate to the
end desired. It is worthy of note, however, that the Jews in the days of Christ
and since often spoke of removing mountains as a figurative expression for the
overcoming of difficulties. According to Lightfoot and other authorities a man
able to solve intricate problems, or of particular power in argument or acumen
in judgment, was referred to as a "rooter up of mountains."
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983],.)
Sunshine to Shadow
Jesus Again in
Chapters 24-25
August 11, 2005
(JST Mark 9:30-37.)
30 And he came to
31 But they held their
peace, being afraid, for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who was
the greatest among them.
32 Now Jesus sat down and
called the twelve, and said unto them. If any man desire to be first, he shall
be last of all, and servant of all.
33 And he took a child,
and sat in the midst of them; and when he had taken the child in his arms, he
said unto them,
Whosoever shall humble himself like one of
these children, and receiveth me, ye shall receive in my name.
35 And whosoever shall
receive me, receiveth not me only, but him that sent me, even the Father.
36 And John spake unto
him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followed
not us; and we forbade him, because he followed not us.
37 But Jesus said, Forbid
him not; for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can
speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.
Here is the
story of the Little Child, who is the greatest?
He was standing in front of them!
They couldn’t save themselves let alone others. They didn’t have their eyes opened to realize
what they were arguing about. Could you
imagine this discussion happening today!!!
(Luke 19:11-26.)
11 And as they heard these
things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to
12 He said therefore, A
certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and
to return.
13 And he called his ten
servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I
come.
14 But his citizens hated
him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to
reign over us.
15 And it came to pass,
that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these
servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might
know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first,
saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him,
Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have
thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came,
saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to
him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came,
saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a
napkin:
21 For I feared thee,
because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and
reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him,
Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou
knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping
that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest
not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine
own with usury?
24 And he said unto them
that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten
pounds.
25 (And they said unto
him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you,
That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even
that he hath shall be taken away from him.
A child
easily believes, forgives quickly, loves their parents over worldly things, and
has energy and ambition.
The
negative side of children is selfishness, careless, neglectful and naïve.
There is a
big difference between being a child and being childish.
Mosiah
3:17-19 – King Benjamin made it clear that even little children cannot save
themselves without the Savior’s atonement, no matter how innocent they
are. They are contaminated by the fall.
Elder Orson Pratt
Of the Quorum of the Twelve
“Spirits, though pure and innocent, before they entered the body, would
become contaminated by entering a fallen tabernacle; not contaminated by their
own sins, but by their connection with a body brought into the world by the
fall, earthly, fallen, imperfect, and corrupt in its nature. A spirit,
having entered such a tabernacle, though it may commit no personal sin, is
unfit to return again into the presence of a holy Being. . .”
(“The Pre-existence of Man,” The Seer, Vol. 1, No. 7, (July,
1853). Republished by Eugene Wagner, Salt Lake City, p. 98)
We are here to
buildup His kingdom, not our own, all He asks is our obedience and dependence on
Him.
Quote on the Natural Man:
The Persistence of the
Natural Man
___________________________________________
Though it is true that that natural
man can be "put off" and men become "a saint" -- or a
spiritual man (Mosiah 3:19) -- this does not mean that the natural man or the
flesh is "dead". We must be careful to recognize the
persistence of the natural man. Note the following statements:
Neal A. Mawell
- Christ’s Atonement, of course, is for super
sinners and the midrange sinners and then good people who make a lot of
mistakes but are not wicked! Each of these acts of drawing upon the
Atonement requires us to put off the natural man. I am persuaded
that so much of taking up the cross daily –- daily, not quarterly or
semiannually –- consists of putting off the natural man (see Mosiah
3:19). Doing this involves some arduous isometrics -– the old man
working against the new spiritual man. That natural man, as you know, will
not go quietly or easily. And even when he is put off, he has a way of
hanging around, hoping to throw his saddle on us once again. (The Holy
Ghost: Glorifying Christ, Ensign, July 2002, p. 56)
- As you pursue your discipleship and observe the human
scene, do not be surprised or unnerved by the natural man’s relentless
push for preeminence and power. (“The Pathway of Discipleship,” Ensign,
Sept. 1998, p. 13)
- Nor does the natural man or the natural woman go
away quietly or easily. Hence the most grinding form of calisthenics we
will ever know involves the individual isometrics required to put off the
natural man. Time and again, the new self is pitted against the stubborn
old self. Sometimes, just when at last we think the job is done, the old
self reminds us that he or she has not fully departed yet. (“Becoming a
Disciple,” Ensign, June 1996, p. 15)
Brigham Young
- As I have told you, your spirit is continually
warring with the flesh; your spirit dictates one way, your flesh suggests
another, and this brings on the combat. (Journal of Discourses,
3:212)
- When we receive the Gospel, a warfare commences
immediately; Paul says, "for I delight in the law of God, after the
inward man," but I see another law in my members warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is
in my members." We have to fight continually, as it were, sword in
hand to make the spirit master of the tabernacle, or the flesh subject to
the law of the spirit. If this warfare is not diligently prosecuted, then
the law of sin prevails, and in consequence of this some apostatize from
the truth when crossing the plains, learn to swear instead of to pray,
become high-minded and high tempered instead of learning to be patient and
humble, and when they arrive in these vallies they feel so self-sufficient
that they consider themselves the only ones that are really right; they
are filled with darkness, the authority of the Spirit is not listened to,
and the law of sin and death is the ruling power in their tabernacles. (Journal
of Discourses, 9:287-288)
Matthew 18 – This is
the 4th sermon the Savior gives and it is to the 12 only! Study this chapter by paragraph! There are
different topics per paragraph.
Going through the spiritual rebirth process will have us as
converted little children (attitude).
Offend = stumble, fall into a trap etc. Missionary work = teaching little children in
the home.
The greatest is Christ, only He can save. This was an attempt by the Savior to mature
the 12, think of others before thinking of ourselves.
(JST Matthew 18:1-34.)
The parable of the lord
and his servants—Likened unto the kingdom of heaven.
1 At the same time came
the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a
little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily, I
say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
3 Whosoever, therefore,
shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom
of heaven.
4 And whoso shall receive
one such little child in my name, receiveth me.
5 But whoso shall offend
one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the
sea.
6 Woe unto the world
because of offenses! For it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that
man by whom the offense cometh!
7 Wherefore it thy hand or
thy foot offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee; for it is better for
thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two
feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
8 And if thine eye offend
thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee; it is better for thee to enter into
life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
9 And a man's hand is his
friend, and his foot, also; and a man's eye, are they of his own household.
10 Take heed that ye
despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their
angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.
11 For the Son of man is
come to save that which was lost, and to call sinners to repentance; but these
little ones have no need of repentance, and I will save them.
12 How think ye? If a man
have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the
ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains and seeketh that which is gone
astray?
13 And if it so be that he
find it, verily, I say unto you, he rejoiceth more over that which was lost,
than over the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14 Even so, it is not the
will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should
perish.
15 Moreover, if thy
brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and
him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear
thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect
to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church,
let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye
shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again, I say unto you,
that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall
ask, that they may not ask amiss, it shall be done for them of my Father which
is in heaven.
20 For where two or three
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21 Then came Peter to him
and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
Till seven times?
22 Jesus said unto him, I
say not unto thee, until seven times; but, until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the
kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would take account of his
servants.
24 And when he had begun
to reckon, one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had
not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and
all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 And the servant
besought him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that
servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
The servant, therefore, fell down and worshipped him.
28 But the same servant
went out, and found one of his fellow servants which owed him a hundred pence;
and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou
owest.
29 And his fellow-servant
fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I
will pay thee all.
30 And he would not; but
went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his
fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto
their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after
that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant! I forgave thee
all that debt; because thou desiredst me; shouldest not thou also have had
compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?
33 And his lord was wroth,
and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto
him.
34 So likewise shall my
heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one
his brother their trespasses.
Verse 9 – Watch those close to you, if they pull you back to
the ways of the world, then it’s time to leave them.
Verse 11 – Refers to little children and converts.
15-20 – This paragraph is about disciplinary councils,
Bishops and keys of the priesthood.
23-35 – the lack of mercy from priesthood leaders
The parable of the talents was way over the top. The apostles must have laughed at the
extremes of the Saviors story. 10,000
talents was such a huge number that it could not be fathomed by ordinary
people. The entire area of
We are the ones with the 10,000 talent debt that will never
be paid, it is the Atonement. So Jesus
is also teaching about compassion and mercy toward others, like He shows toward
us.
Bishops and those within a family must show compassion. Having mercy toward others is the key; if
someone offends me and I don’t forgive then I lose.
D&C 42:24-26 – Guidelines toward adultery, also the
Handbook of Instruction.
We need to replace bad, evil thoughts with good clean
thoughts, the need to change our environment from worldly to a clean positive
one.
Going to the temple will help us rise above all things, and
helps us overcome mind issues.
The last temple interview question isn’t about perfection,
but do we have the Gift of the Holy
Ghost in our lives and are we listening (obeying) His promptings?
Defile the temple – Bruce said this means we go as a liar to
the key holders who interviewed you.
Example: Not a tithe payer, not
keeping the Word of Wisdom, abusing family, being an adulterer etc.
|
My brethren who are caught
in this addiction or troubled by this temptation, there is a way.
First, acknowledge the evil. Don’t defend
it or try to justify yourself. For at least a quarter century our leaders have
pleaded with men, and also with women and children, to avoid this evil.
2 Our current Church magazines are full of warnings, information, and helps
on this subject—with more than a score of articles published or to be published
this year and last year alone.
3
Second, seek the help of the Lord and His
servants. Hear and heed President Hinckley’s words:
“Plead with the Lord out of
the depths of your soul that He will remove from you the addiction which
enslaves you. And may you have the courage to seek the loving guidance of your
bishop and, if necessary, the counsel of caring professionals” (Liahona
and Ensign, Nov. 2004, 62).
Third, do all that you can to avoid
pornography. If you ever find yourself in its presence—which can happen to
anyone in the world in which we live—follow the example of Joseph of Egypt.
When temptation caught him in her grip, he left temptation and “got him out” (Gen. 39:12).
Don’t accommodate any degree
of temptation. Prevent sin and avoid having to deal with its inevitable
destruction. So, turn it off! Look away! Avoid it at all costs. Direct your
thoughts in wholesome paths. Remember
your covenants and be faithful in temple attendance. The wise bishop I quoted
earlier reported that “an endowed priesthood bearer’s fall into pornography never
occurs during periods of regular worship in the temple; it happens when he has
become casual in his temple worship” (letter of Mar. 13, 2005).
We must also act to protect
those we love. Parents install alarms to warn if their household is threatened
by smoke or carbon monoxide. We should also install protections against
spiritual threats, protections like filters on Internet connections and
locating access so others can see what is being viewed. And we should build the
spiritual strength of our families by loving relationships, family prayer, and
scripture study.
Finally, do not patronize pornography. Do not
use your purchasing power to support moral degradation. And young women, please
understand that if you dress immodestly, you are magnifying this problem by
becoming pornography to some of the men who see you.
Please heed these warnings.
Let us all improve our personal behavior and redouble our efforts to protect
our loved ones and our environment from the onslaught of pornography that
threatens our spirituality, our marriages, and our children.
I testify that this is what
we should do to enjoy the blessings of Him whom we worship. I testify of Jesus
Christ, the Light and Life of the World, whose Church this is, in the name of
Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Pornography.
CR, April 2005
Bruce went into an
explanation concerning the 3 major Jewish festivals, they point to the
Atonement and the Millennium.
Israelites in
- Passover
– Christ’s coming 1st time, and remembering the Exodus from
- Pentecost
– 50 days after Passover, Children of Israel receiving the lesser Law of
Moses, receive the Holy Ghost, Acts 2
- Feast
of the Tabernacles – represents the 40 years in the wilderness living in
tents. 7 days they live in a tent
or booth, on the 8th day they move into their house, like
ancient
John 7-9
in Light
of the Feast of Tabernacles
Bruce Satterfield
Department of Religious Education,
Brigham Young University - Idaho
[Published in The
Testimony of John the Beloved: the 1998 Sperry Symposium on the New Testament.
One of several themes
woven through the gospel of John is that Christ is the fulfilment of ancient
The Feast of Tabernacles
was one of the three feasts commanded by the Lord that all males should
annually attend (Ex. 23:17; 34:23) and what Josephus calls the "most holy
and most eminent" of the three feasts of the Hebrews.(1)
Understanding how Christ was the fulfilment of this most important feast is
intimately connected with the feast itself. However, as is often the case in
scripture, John assumes the reader is already aware of the activities
associated with the Feast of Tabernacles and therefore no details of the feast
are given. John only tells of the movements and sayings of Christ in connection
with the feast. But as Raymond Brown has said, in order to understand what the
Savior said during John 7-9 "one must have an intimate knowledge of the
celebration of the Tabernacles."(2)
The focus of the
following pages will be to provide that "intimate knowledge" of the
Feast of Tabernacles that Brown spoke of in order to reveal how that sacred
time was meant to be a type and shadow of the Savior. To arrive at this, the
feast will be examined through both Biblical and Rabbinical sources. It will
then be possible to examine John 7-9 in light of the Feast of Tabernacles
background noting the impact of Jesus' sayings upon his listeners.
The Feast of Tabernacles
background has already been the subject of scholarly discussion (mainly
non-LDS). However, it is felt that many in the LDS community are not familiar
with or do not have access to this essential background. Therefore, it seems
appropriate that this information be made available to them.
Sources
There are two major
sources available that aid our understanding of how the Feast of Tabernacles was
practiced during the second temple period: (1) Biblical, (2) Rabbinical or
Jewish writings. Biblical legislation regarding the feast are found in the five
books of Moses (Ex. 23:14-17; 34:22,23; Leviticus 23:33-44; Numbers 29:12-40;
Deuteronomy 16:13-17), and Nehemiah (8:13-18). Added to the Biblical
legislation are various descriptions of the Feast of Tabernacles found in
Rabbinical writings. These are important to consider because by the time of
Christ there were several additional developments that had become part of the
activities associated with the feast. Familiarity with these developments is
essential in understanding John 7-9. Our only source for these additional
activities are found in the Rabbinical writings. Chief among these writings is
the legislation found in the Mishnah and Talmud.(3)
Though these regulations were codified years after the destruction of the
second temple and present an idealized picture of the customs associated with
the Feast of Tabernacles, much of what the Rabbis have said still seems to be
applicable.
Feast of Tabernacles, One
of Three
After the children of
The central activities of
the feasts were located in the
Against [the] background
of daily, weekly and monthly worship, the great annual feasts stood out in
relief. The general word for a 'feast' is mo'ed: the term means a fixed
place or a fixed time--a rendezvous--and the desert Tent was called 'ohel
mo'ed or 'The Tent of Meeting'. Thus the word came to mean a meeting or
an assembly, and finally an assembly or meeting to celebrate a feast.(5)
Though the Lord commanded
that all males should come to the temple during these three feasts, it appears
that at least during the second temple period, often the whole family
participated in the worship associated with the feasts (see Luke 2:41-50).
In light of how modern
temples are used, it seems clear that these feasts were intended to be teaching
experiences in which
Feast of Tabernacle Customs
Length of the Feast
From Leviticus
(23:33-44), we learn that the feast was to be held for seven days. The first
day was to be a "holy convocation"; the Hebrew is mikra kodesh
which means a holy summons. "It stresses the summons to an assembly where
Dwelling in Booths
We are also told in
Leviticus that the Israelites were to build booths or small huts outside of
their houses. During the seven days of the feast they were to live in the
booths so that their "generations may know that I made the children of
The booths were generally
of modest size, at least three walls and roof, and had to be outside. They
could be placed in a courtyard or on the roof of a house.(10)
In Nehemiah 8:16, we are told that when the Feast of Tabernacles was
reinstituted after the return of the Jews from Babylonian exile, the Jews set
up their booths in a number of different places: "every one upon the roof
of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and
in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of
Ephraim." Rabbinical writings tell us that those traveling some distances
were exempt from living in booths if they so desired (see Talmud Sukkah 26a).
Water Drawing Ceremony
A statement made by Rabbi
Joshua ben Hanania in the Talmud regarding the Feast of Tabernacles states:
"The first hour was
occupied with the daily morning sacrifice; from there we proceeded to prayers;
from there we proceeded to the additional sacrifice, then the prayers to the
additional sacrifice, then to the House of Study, then the eating and drinking,
then the afternoon prayer, then the daily evening sacrifice, and after that the
Rejoicing at the place of the Water-Drawing all night." (Talmud Sukkah
53a.)
In this description, the
order of events of an average day during the Feast of Tabernacles is revealed,
albeit incomplete, as will now be shown.
The day began with the
normal daily morning burnt offering. However, during the Feast of Tabernacles a
rite was added to the daily burnt offering called the water-drawing ceremony.
During the preparation of the burnt offering,(11)
a procession of priests with the accompaniment of flute playing and singing
wended their way from the temple down to the Pool of Siloam where a priest
filled a golden flask with water while a choir repeated Isa. 12:3: "with
joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation" (see Mishnah Sukkah
4:9; 5:1; Talmud Sukkah 48b). The Pool of Siloam was a collecting pool for the
spring Gihon, the major water supply for
The priests returned to
the temple via the Water Gate, a gate on the south side of the wall immediately
surrounding the temple within the court of Gentiles.(13)
Arriving at the Water Gate a blast was made on a shofar, the Hebrew word
for ram's horn. The shofar was a signaling instrument used to announce
major events such as the beginning of the Sabbath, new moons, the death of a
notable, or warned of approaching danger. In this case, the shofar
announced the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles which began with the
water-drawing ceremony.
When the procession of
priests and Levites returned from the pool of Siloam, they were met by pilgrims
who had come to the
Upon the blasting of the shofar,
the group moved towards the altar of sacrifice located in the Court of the
Priests which surrounded the temple. The priest with the golden flask filled
with water ascended the altar and prepared to pour the libation on the morning
burnt offering. While doing this, the procession that had followed the priest
would circle the altar.
It appears that pilgrims
joined in with the priests who were circling the altar.(14)
However, this is a matter of debate. George MacRae seems to suggest that this
procession was of priests alone.(16)
But an incident mentioned in the Mishnah may suggest otherwise. Mishnah Sukkah
4:9 tells us that after the water was poured into the Silver Bowl, it was said
to the officiating priest: "Raise thy hand!" The reason for saying
this was that "on one occasion [a Sadducean priest] poured over his
feet" the water (for the Sadducees did not hold to this tradition). This
so outraged the pilgrims that "all the people pelted him with their
citrons." This suggests that if the pilgrims were not in the procession
itself they were at least close enough for them to be able to pelt the priest.
The only logical places would be the court of the priests itself or perhaps in
the court of the Israelites though the latter seems less likely due to its
size.(17)
Whether walking around
the altar or observing the procession, the following was said by the pilgrims
while waving(18)
their lulabs: "We beseech Thee, O Eternal, save us, we pray"
(Mishnah Sukkah 3:9; see also 4:5). The priest who had charge of pouring the
water then offered the water libation with a wine libation into two silver
bowls on the south-west corner of the altar.
The water-drawing
ceremony proceeded in this manner every day of the feast except on the seventh
day when the priests (and pilgrims?) circled the altar seven times instead of
just once (Mishnah Sukkah 4:5). The circumambulation of the altar seven times
ended the water-drawing ritual. It was not performed on the eighth day (Mishnah
Sukkah 4:1, 5),(19)
though it appears that a prayer for rain was given on the eighth day (Talmud
Taanith 2a-3a).
The Lighting Ceremony
According to the
chronicle outlined by Rabbi Joshua ben Hanania quoted earlier, following the
water-drawing ceremony there was an "additional sacrifice." According
to Numbers 29:12-40, in addition to the daily morning and evening burnt
offering required by the law of Moses,(20)
there were additional sacrifices to be made during the Feast of Tabernacles. On
the first day of the feast there was to be offered 13 young bullocks, 2 rams,
14 lambs of the first year, and one kid for a sin offering. On the second day
of the feast, there was to be offered the same offerings except instead of 13
young bullocks there was only to be offered 12. On the third day the offerings
were again the same with the exception of the bullocks. Only 11 were offered.
This declination of bullocks continued until the seventh day when 7 bullocks
were offered (the other sacrifices remaining the same). Then a change occurred
on the eighth day. One bullock was offered with one ram, seven lambs and one
kid for a sin offering. The account concludes with this injunction: "These
things ye shall do unto the Lord in your set feast, beside your vows, and your
freewill offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and
for your drink offerings and for your peace offerings."
Upon the conclusion of
the "additional sacrifice," the pilgrims would have opportunity to
present their individual offerings, such as expressing personal devotion to God
(through the burnt offering) or those associated with the cleansing of severe
impurities (through the sin offering). This was a time of great rejoicing and
singing including the singing of the complete Hallel or Psalms 113-118 (Mishnah
Sukkah 4:8).(21)
When the personal offerings were completed, the afternoon burnt offering was
performed.(22)
Normally, upon the
conclusion of the afternoon burnt offering, probably around sunset, the gates
of the temple would be closed.(23)
However on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles the gates were left opened
so that all might participate in the final rite of the day, the lighting
ceremony. This occasion proved to be a most joyous and festive observance. From
the Mishnah (Sukkah 5:2-3) we are told that "At the close of the first
Holyday" the priests would descend from the Court of the Israelites to the
Court of Women.(24)
In the court four huge candelabra were placed, each "with four golden
bowls at their tops and four ladders to each one." Each candelabra were
fifty cubits in height. Wicks made "from the worn-out drawers and girdles
of the priests" were placed in each bowl and lit. It is said that
"there was no courtyard in
The rest of the night was
spent in joyous activities in the Court of Women. Mishnah Sukkah 5:4 says:
Pious men and men of good
deeds used to dance before them (the candelabra) with burning torches in their
hands and sang before them songs and praises. And the Levites on harps, and on
lyres, and with cymbals, and with trumpets and with other instruments of music
without number upon the fifteen steps leading down from the court of the
Israelites to the Women's Court, corresponding to the Fifteen Songs of Ascent
in the Psalms [Psalms 120-134]; upon them the Levites used to stand with
musical instruments and sing hymns.
The festivities
surrounding the illumination rite concluded the festival day. However, it is
not clear whether or not the illumination rite was done every night, or whether
the lights simply remained lit during the whole feast.
The Messianic Nature of
the Feast
Both the water drawing
ceremony and the lighting of the candelabra were additional aspects of the
feast not found in Biblical legislation.(25)
Nevertheless, they had apparently become part of the ceremonies of the feast to
portray the future messianic age. We learn this from the fact that as part of
the ceremonies associated with the Feast of Tabernacles, Zechariah 14, a
messianic chapter, was read to all the people. Talmud Megillah 31a says:
"On the first day of Tabernacles we read the section of the festivals in
Leviticus, and for haftarah [a section from the prophetic books recited
after the reading from the Pentateuch on Sabbaths and Holy-days], Behold a
day cometh for the Lord (Zech.14)."
What is the connection
between Zechariah 14 and the Feast of Tabernacles? Chapter fourteen describes
the time when "the day of the Lord cometh." At a time when "all
nations" have gathered against
With the coming of the
Lord, the messianic age is inaugurated. Zechariah points out two important
aspects associated with the messianic age. The first is perpetual light. In
Zechariah 14:6-7, describing the day when the Lord comes, it says: "And it
shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
but it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night:
but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." The
second characteristic of the messianic age is akin to rain, that of water.
Zechariah says: "And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go
out from
From the foregoing, it is
possible to see that the two features of the messianic age described by
Zechariah in chapter 14 were made an important part of the Feast of Tabernacles
ceremonies. The water-drawing ceremony is the compliment of the living water
flowing from
Zechariah 14 gives us
further insight into the meaning of the lighting ceremony. When the Messiah
comes, inaugurating the messianic age, he will be the light of all the world,
not just the Jews. This is perhaps why four candelabra were used in the
lighting ceremony. Four is often a symbolic number representing geographical
completeness. This is because their are four corners of the world. Thus, the
lighting of the four candelabra would have symbolized that light would be given
to all the world through the coming Messiah. This would have been
emphasized further by the fact that each candelabra had four bowls.(28)
JESUS AND THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Jesus and the Living
Waters
It is in this setting
that we find Jesus in John 7-9. We are told in John 7:14 that Jesus arrived
midway through the feast.(29)
His first few days at the temple were filled with confrontations concerning the
authority of his teachings (John 7: 15-36). Then on "the last day, that
great day of the feast," Jesus "stood" and issued this
challenge: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water" (John 7:37-38). Then John added, "But this spake he of the
Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive" (John 7:39). That
is, the Holy Ghost which is given to those who come unto Christ brings life to
their souls.
The impact of this
challenge is lost unless one understands the water-drawing ceremony of the
Feast of Tabernacles as described in these pages. Having daily drawn water from
the Pool of Siloam, then pouring it on the morning offering while shouting,
"Save us Lord," the absence of the water-drawing ceremony on the
eighth day would have been profound. Hence, on the day when living water was
not drawn from the spring, and only a prayer for rain was offered--a day that
perhaps symbolized Israel's dependence upon God for water that sustains
life--the Savior declared that if any thirst, they should come to him
for living waters. However, the water he offered was not for physical but
spiritual survival. His water was the cleansing and sustaining influence of the
Holy Ghost necessary for the salvation of the souls of mankind. Interestingly
enough, the Jerusalem Talmud(30)
states that the Jews understood the water drawing ceremony to be symbolic of
the Holy Ghost: "Why is the name of it called, The drawing out of water?
Because of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, according to what is said: 'With
joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.'"(31)
Thus the prayers of the priests and pilgrims attending the Feast of Tabernacles
had been answered . . .but not in the way they had expected!(32)
Jesus is the Light of the
World
On the day following the
Savior's challenge to come to him for living water, the Savior was once again
at the temple teaching. While in the Court of Women,(33)
the Savior declared to the multitude, "I am the light of the world: he
that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of
life" (John 8:12). Could there be any doubt in the minds of his listeners
as to what he was claiming? In the very place where the huge candelabras were
lit giving light to "every courtyard in
To give credence to His
claim, the Savior demonstrated his power to give light to the world through a
miracle that is recorded only by John. In John 9:1-7, the story of a man born
blind follows on the heals of the Feast of the Tabernacles. The story begins
when Jesus "saw a man which was blind from his birth." When asked why,
the Savior responded "that the works of God should be made manifest in
him." Then he said, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while
it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the
world, I am the light of the world." Upon that "he spat on the
ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man
with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." The man
did exactly what he was told. After he had washed his eyes in the same pool that
the priest had drawn water as part of the water drawing ceremony of the Feast
of Tabernacles, he came out seeing.
Two major symbols of the
Feast of Tabernacles, water and light, were present in the miracle. By spiting
onto the ground, Jesus demonstrated that indeed the living waters or the Spirit
of the Holy Ghost which can give man light does indeed come from Him, for
"out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).
This is further emphasized by the washing of the waters in the pool of Siloam which
symbolized the Holy Ghost.
Conclusion
It is undeniable that
Jesus' statements during the Feast of Tabernacles are highlighted by the feast
itself. The Savior chose a sacred time of the year when the Jews looked forward
with great rejoicing through ritual action to the coming of the Messiah.
Through the instrumentality of the feast, Jesus declared that he was the
promised Messiah; that he was the literal fulfillment of everything promised in
the Feast of Tabernacles. It is clear from the hostile reactions of the Jews
that they saw it this way, supposing that by so doing he was speaking blasphemy
(John 7:30,32,44-53; 8:59).
References
1. The
Antiquities of the Jews, 8.4.1. See also George W. MacRae, "The
Meaning and Evolution of the Feast of Tabernacles," The Catholic
Biblical Quarterly 22, no.3 (1960): 251.
2.
Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel According to John. Anchor Bible Series Vol.
29 (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983), 326.
3.
During the second temple period, many Jews (including the Pharisees) followed
an oral interpretation of the written law of Moses found in Exodus through
Deuteronomy. This is often referred to as the "oral law." In the New
Testament, the oral law is called the tradition of the elders" (Matthew
15:2; Mark 7:3,5). In the second century A. D., the oral tradition was reduced
to writing and systematically organized by Rabbi
Over time, the Rabbis
held many debates concerning the Mishnah. The records and minutes of these
debates were added to the Mishnah. This compilation has become known as the
Talmud. There were two different groups of Rabbis that produced a Talmud: a
group in
In this paper, all
references to the Talmud refer to the Babylonian Talmud unless otherwise
stated. Further, in this paper, I will follow MacRae's thinking who states:
"We shall not be concerned with the dating of the Mishnah; there is no
doubt that at least some of the precepts in it go back long before the final
crystallization of the written form. It would be idle also to be deterred by
the fact that many of the legal prescriptions are meaningless in view of the
destruction of the
4.
Menahem Haran, Temples and Temple Service in Ancient Israel (Winona
Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns. 1985; Originally published: Oxford: Clarendon
Press, 1978), 26.
5.
Roland de Vaux, Ancient Israel: Vol. 2 Religious Institutions (New York:
McGraw-Hill,1965), 470.
6.
Talmud Pesahim 68b states that the Feast of Weeks commemorated "the day on
which the Torah was given." See also Talmud Meglillah 31a and The Book of
Jubilees 1:1; 6:17-19. This is not only the view of ancient Judaism, but modern
Jewry as well. Writing of this feast, Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin states:
"Shavuot [Heb. for feast of Weeks] commemorates the awesome event
experienced by the children of
7.
It should be remembered that as a result of rebellion, the law
8.
J. C. Rylaarsdam, "Convocation, Holy," in Interpreter's Dictionary
of the Bible, 4 Vols. (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1962), 1:678-679.
9.
In the Talmud the eighth day is actually considered a separate festival (see
Sukkah 48a).
10.
See Talmud Shabbath 154b and Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews 7
Vols. (Philadephia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1913), 4:405.
Roofs were generally flat with a staircase ascending from the outside and were
used for a variety of reasons.
11.
The Mishnah describes the rite of the burnt offering as being performed in four
parts with each part being determined by lot. The first lot was the clearing of
the ashes from the Altar (Yoma 2:2; Tamid 1:4). The ashes were cleared from the
Altar "at cockcrow or close to it, either before or after it" but
during "the Festivals at the first watch" for "before cockcrow
time drew near the Forecourt was already filled with Israelites" (Yoma
1:8). Josephus tells us that the temple gates which were normally kept closed
until morning were opened at midnight during festivals (The Antiquities of
the Jews, 18.2.2). The second lot determined "who should slaughter,
who should toss blood, (and) who should remove the ashes from the Inner Altar,
(and) who should clear away the ashes from the Candlestick, (and) who should
take up the limbs [of the burnt offering] to the Altar-slope" (Yoma 2:3;
see also Tamid 3:1). The animal could not be slaughtered before dawn,
therefore, the Captain of the
12.
According to Mishnah Mikvaoth 1:1: "There are six grades among ritual
baths, in ascending order of superiority." These are (1) water in
cisterns, (2) water of rain drippings, (3) mikvehs, (4) wells, (5) salty water
or hot water from a spring, and (6) living water (Mikvaoth 1:1-8). Only
"living water" could be used in the purification of lepers (Lev.
14:5) and the defilement caused by dead corpses (Num. 19:17).
13.
The main sources for a description of the temple come from the Mishnah and
Josephus. But there is discrepancy in the different accounts. According to
Middoth 1:4-5 and Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 15.11.5, there are
seven gates into the Court of the Priests including the Nicanor gate (which
does not actually open into the Court of Priests but into the Court of the
Israelites). In Middoth 2:6, Shekalim 6:3 and Josephus' The Wars of the Jews
5.5.2, eight gates are mentioned not including the Nicanor gate. Most
scholars accept the smaller number placing the Water Gate as the third gate
from the west on the southern side of the Court of the Priests. This would
place it close to the laver (see Shmuel Safrai and Michael Avi-Yona, "
14.
It is Safrai's belief that the people were involved in the procession itself.
Says he:
"The people
participated in all the rites of the Feast of Tabernacles and, with the
exception of the water-libation which was performed by a priest or the high
priest, their role in
15.
Safrai, "
16.
George W. McCrae, "The Meaning and Evolution of the Feast of
Tabernacles," 272.
17.
This is the view of J. C. Rylaarsdam who describes this scene in this manner:
"The water was brought up in solemn fashion with the blowing of the shofar
at the city gate. The pilgrims, singing the Hallel and carrying their lulabs,
witnessed the circumambulation of the altar by the priestly procession and
waving their lulabs, joined in the great cry: 'Save us, we beseech thee, O
LORD'" ("Booths, Feast of," in Interpreter's Dictionary of
the Bible, 4 Vols. [Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1962], 1:456).
18.
Mishnah Sukkah 3:9 says: "And where do they wave?--At the beginning and
end of Give thanks unto the Eternal and at We beseech Thee, O
Eternal, save us, we pray; this is the view of the School of Hillel. The
19.
In the Talmud, there is a debate about how often the water-drawing rite was
done as well as when it was performed last in the feast (see Taanith 2a-3a).
However, the Mishnah, which consists of earlier Rabbinical writings, suggests
that the last day the water-drawing ritual was performed was the seventh day
(Sukkah 4:1; but see Rabbi
20.
See Exodus 29:38-42 and Numbers 28:2-4.
21.
See Safrai, Ritual in "
22.
Mishnah Pesachim 5:1 says: "The daily burnt-offering was slaughtered at
the eighth hour and a half and offered up at the ninth hour and a half."
However, it is not clear whether the time on this was strictly held during the
Feast of Tabernacles.
23.
See Safrai, Ritual in "
24.
From Talmudic sources it appears that "the place of the
Water-Drawing" is in the Court of the Women. Talmud Sukkah 53a tells of
the rejoicing that took place after the lighting of the huge candelabra's which
Mishnah Sukkah 5:2 says took place in the Court of Women. Yet Talmud Sukkah 53a
speaks of this place as "the place of Water-Drawing." In a note on Mishnah
Sukkah 5:1, Philip Backman suggests the reason for this name was because there
was a "well, in the Women's Forecourt, from which the water was drawn for
libation on Sukkoth" (Backman, Mishnayoth, 2:341). However, Raymond
Brown says of this place: "In connection with the water ceremonies at the
feast of Tabernacles, the Jerusalem Talmud (Sukkah 55a) says that the part of
the temple precincts traversed during the procession with the water was called
the 'Place of Drawing,' because from there 'they drew the holy spirit' (also
Midrash Rabbah lxx 8 on Gen xxix 1)" (Brown, The Gospel According to
John. The Anchor Bible, v. 29, 329).
25.
The Rabbi's believed that these traditions were given at
26.
MacRae, "The Meaning and Evolution of the Feast of Tabernacles," 269.
The association of the Feast of Tabernacles with rain is well known from
Mishnaic times. The tractate Ta'anith, which deals with special fasts that are
called for due to continued drought, begins with the statement: "From what
time should they begin to mention the Power of Rain? R. Eliezer says,
From the first Holyday day of the Festival of Tabernacles; R. Joshua says, From
the last Holyday day of the Festival of Tabernacles" (1:1).
27.
cf. Ps. 46:4; 65:9; Isa. 8:6; Jer. 2:13; Ezek. 47:1-12; Joel 3:18; Rev. 22:1-2.
On this, Brown comments thus: "The fountain of waters that overflows from
28.
Numerology is an important aspect of Jewish thought. Numbers like 3, 4, and 7
represented wholeness or completeness. Three because the number three has a
beginning, a middle, and an end. Four because there are four corners of the
world. Seven because the world was created in seven days. To emphasize the
completeness of something, often the number was multiplied by itself: 3 x 3, 4
x 4, or 7 x 7.
29.
The reason for his late arrival seems to be due to the pressure of his
non-believing brothers who wished him to go to the feast simply to perform
miracles. Brown sees this as a temptation faced by the Savior similar to the
account in Matthew (4:1-11) and Luke (4:1-13) where the Savior is tempted to
display his power by jumping from the pinnacle of the temple (see Brown, The
Gospel According to John. The Anchor Bible, v. 29, 308 for complete
discussion). Therefore, the Savior delays his departure to the feast so that it
is clear that his reasons for being there are not to display his power.
31.
Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 55a, quoted from Morris, The Gospel According to
John, 421; see also F.F. Bruce, The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Eerdmans, 1983), 182, 187 n.13; John Lightfoot, A Commentary on the
New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica 4 Vols. (Peabody, Mass.:
Hendrickson, 1979), 3:322-323.
32.
The theme of Christ as the living waters permeates the gospel of John wherein
is recorded several incidences that occurred during the ministry of Christ that
revolve around water. For example, John records the story of the Savior
offering living water to the woman of
In view of this, the
reader of John's gospel is stunned to discover that while on the cross the
Savior cried out, "I thirst" (John 19:28), a statement only recorded
by John. He to whom all must go to receive "living waters" so they
may "never thirst" again (John 4:14), now thirsted! This pathetic
statement reveals that while on the cross, the Savior, in bearing our sins,
infirmities, fears, guilt, and remorse, had "descended below all
things" that he might comprehend "all things" (D&C 88:6).
Thus, he became like "the poor and needy" who "seek water, and
there is none" (Isaiah 41:17). He had become like us, lost, alone, and
thirsty. In this condition, the Savior gained the compassion and mercy needed
to bring the living waters to those who seek it.
33.
John 8:20 tells us that he was in the treasury, which is the Court of the
Women.
34.
J. H. Bernard sees the lighting of the candelabras as a possible background
behind Jesus' saying, but offers another possible reason: "But Philo's
account of the Feast of Tabernacles would furnish an equally plausible
explanation. He says that this feast is held at the autumnal equinox, in order
that the world (kosmos) may be full, not only by day but also by night,
of the all-beautiful light (tou pagkalou photos), as at this season
there is no twilight (de septen. 24) . . . The passage of Philo shows,
however, that the Feast of Tabernacles suggested the idea of light to
some minds" (J. H. Bernard, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the
Gospel According to St. John, 2 Vols. The New International Critical
Commentary [
35.
See for example, Psalms 27:1, Isa. 60:19. "The later Rabbis applied the
thought to the Messiah: 'Light is the Name of Messiah,' they said" (Bernard,
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. John,
2:292).
The land will be redeemed at the Millennium
Bruce described the lighting ceremony and how the 4 corners
in the Courtyard of the Women held huge candelabras that lit the entire
city! The Pool of Siloam represents the
Holy Ghost.
Now let us go back to "the
boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees,
and willows of the brook," which the people were to take and use as they
rejoiced before the Lord. In the day of Jesus—and we must assume such was the
case from the beginning of the feast—these were carried in the hands of the
people. Since the use to which they were put is the same as that of the white
handkerchiefs, when the Hosanna Shout is given at temple dedications and
certain other solemn assemblies in latter-day
The use of these lulavs was in
this manner: On each of the seven days of the feast, "while the morning
sacrifice was being prepared, a priest, accompanied by a joyous procession with
music, went down to the Pool of Siloam, whence he drew water into a golden
pitcher." Amid much pageantry this water was carried back to the great
altar; and when the wine of the drink offering was poured out, so was the water
from Siloam, as part of an elaborate ceremony. "As soon as the wine and
the water were being poured out, the temple music began, and the 'Hallel' was
sung. . . . When the choir came to these words, 'O give thanks to the Lord,'
and again when they sang, 'O work then now salvation, Jehovah;' and once more
at the close, 'O give thanks unto the Lord,' all the worshippers shook their lulavs
towards the altar. When, therefore, the multitudes from Jerusalem, on meeting
Jesus, 'cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way, and . .
. cried, saying, O then, work now salvation to the Son of David!' they applied,
in reference to Christ, what was regarded as one of the chief ceremonies of the
Feast of Tabernacles, praying that God would from 'the highest' heavens
manifest and send that salvation in connection with the Son of David, which was
symbolized by the pouring out of the water." (Temple, pp. 274-79.)
In the cries of praise and
adoration—given each day for seven days, as the temple throngs waved their palm
branches toward the great altar, and consisting of a three-times-repeated
expression of glorious exultation—we see
the pattern for the Hosanna Shout as it has been revealed anew and is now given
also on special and sacred occasions. In our day, while waving white
handkerchiefs with each word or phrase of praise united
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna,
To God and the Lamb;
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna,
To God and the Lamb;
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna,
To God and the Lamb;
Amen, Amen, Amen!
However, at the Feast of Tabernacles,
in addition to the daily Hosanna Shout, which followed and grew out of the
offering of the daily sacrifice, there was yet another shout—a Great Hosanna, a
Hosanna of Hosannas—which was given on one day only, following the festive
sacrifices, and on "that great day of the feast." The setting for the
Great Hosanna was the ceremonial circuiting of the altar by those appointed so
to do. "On every one of the seven days the priests formed in procession,
and made the circuit of the altar, singing: 'O then, now work salvation,
Jehovah! O Jehovah, give prosperity!' But on the seventh, 'that great day of
the feast,' they made the circuit of the altar seven times, remembering how the
walls of Jericho had fallen in similar circumstances, and anticipating how, by
the direct interposition of God, the walls of heathenism would fall before
Jehovah, and the land lie open for his people to go in and possess it."
This time, on the day called by the Rabbis "Day of the Great
Hosanna," "Day of Willows," and "Day of Beating the
Branches," amid their cries of praise to Jehovah, the worshipping throngs
waved their lulavs with such vigor that "all the leaves were shaken
off the willow boughs, and the palm branches beaten in pieces by the side of
the altar." Such was the climactic moment of the Hosanna Shout in the
Feast of Tabernacles. (Temple, pp. 280-81.)
(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to
Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 1: 175.)
Jesus Again in
August 18, 2005
Bruce mentioned a Biblical Archeology Review article that
describes the great discovery of the original Pool of Siloam. This article is from the LA Times.
Biblical Pool Uncovered in Jerusalem
The reservoir served as a gathering place for
Jews making pilgrimages and is said in the Gospel of John to be the site where
Jesus cured a blind man.
By Thomas H. Maugh II
Times Staff Writer
August 9, 2005
Workers repairing a sewage pipe in the Old City of Jerusalem have discovered
the biblical Pool of Siloam, a freshwater reservoir that was a major gathering
place for ancient Jews making religious pilgrimages to the city and the reputed
site where Jesus cured a man blind from birth, according to the Gospel of John.
The pool was fed by the now famous Hezekiah's Tunnel and is "a much
grander affair" than archeologists previously believed, with three tiers
of stone stairs allowing easy access to the water, said Hershel Shanks, editor
of the Biblical Archaeology Review, which reported the find Monday.
"Scholars have said that there wasn't a Pool of Siloam and that John was
using a religious conceit" to illustrate a point, said New Testament
scholar James H. Charlesworth of the Princeton Theological Seminary. "Now
we have found the Pool of Siloam … exactly where John said it was."
A gospel that was thought to be "pure theology is now shown to be grounded
in history," he said.
Religious law required ancient Jews to make a pilgrimage to
The newly discovered pool is less than 200 yards from another Pool of Siloam,
this one a reconstruction built between AD 400 and 460 by the Empress Eudocia
of
The site of yet another Pool of Siloam, which predated the version reputedly
visited by Jesus, is still unknown.
That first pool was constructed in the 8th century BC by Judean King Hezekiah,
who foresaw the likelihood that the Assyrians would lay siege to
He ordered workers to build a 1,750-foot-long tunnel under the ridge where the
City of
The first Pool of Siloam was the reservoir holding the water brought into the
city. It was presumably destroyed in 586 BC when Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar
razed the city.
The pool of Jesus' time was built early in the 1st century BC and was destroyed
by the future Roman Emperor Titus about AD 70.
The pool was discovered by a repair team excavating a damaged sewer line last
fall under the supervision of Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
As soon as Shukron saw two steps uncovered, he stopped the work and called in
Reich, who was excavating at the Gihon Spring.
When they saw the steps, Shukron said, "we were 100% sure it was the
Siloam Pool."
With winter approaching, the two men had to hurry their excavation so the sewer
could be repaired before the rainy season.
As they began digging they uncovered three groups of five stairs each separated
by narrow landings. The pool was about 225 feet long, and they unearthed steps
on three sides.
They do not yet know how wide and how deep the pool was because they have not
finished the excavation. The fourth side lies under a lush garden — filled with
figs, pomegranates, cabbages and other fruits — behind a Greek Orthodox Church,
and the team has not yet received permission to cut a trench through the
garden.
"We need to know how big it is," Charlesworth said. "This may be
the most significant and largest miqveh [ritual bath] ever found."
The excavators have been able to date the pool fairly precisely because of two
fortunate occurrences that implanted unique artifacts in the pool area.
When ancient workmen were plastering the steps before facing them with stones,
they either accidentally or deliberately buried four coins in the plaster. All
four are coins of Alexander Jannaeus, a Jewish king who ruled
Similarly, in the soil in one corner of the pool, they found about a dozen
coins dating from the period of the First Jewish Revolt against
Because the pool sits at one of the lowest spots in
The story of Jesus and the blind man, as told in John, is well known. Jesus was
fleeing the
Jesus said that neither had sinned, but that the man had been born blind so
that God's work might be revealed in him. With that, he spat in the dust to
make mud, which he rubbed in the man's eyes before telling him to wash it off
in the Pool of Siloam. When the man did so, he was able to see.
The symbol of living water represents the Gift of the Holy
Ghost, John 5. Bruce said that Herod was
a genius in the many designs he made to bring water to
We reviewed last week’s
notes on the 3 major Jewish festivals.
Bruce went into the symbolism of the Tabernacle; the gates
of Christ are in every step of the ceremonies.
All things point to Christ, yet the people are tied to the rituals and
are not looking deeper into their meanings, sighting their minds to the future
(Christ is coming and the Millennium).
A
Let them make me a sanctuary,"
the Lord instructed Moses as they stood face to face on
In the Divine Pattern
Every part of this temple in the wilderness
was to be built according to the divine pattern shown Moses on Sinai (Exodus
25:9, 40). Nothing was left to the imagination of man; every detail of its
construction of necessity had to proceed from that God whose house it was, for
in all things it must teach and testify of him. The tabernacle in the
wilderness was to ancient Israel as one of our modern temples is to us, "a
house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a
house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 109:8). It was
a house sanctified and consecrated "that the Son of Man might have a place
to manifest himself to his people" (D&C 109:5). It was to be a place
of holiness, a place of his continued presence, and a place in which no unclean
thing could be permitted (D&C 109:12, 13, 20).
The Lord Manifests His Acceptance
That the Lord accepted
Modern
The Tabernacle: A Likeness of Christ
As true worship centers in Christ, so
The Wall and Gate of the Tabernacle
The court of the tabernacle was
surrounded by a wall of fine-twined linen. Its white color, the symbol of
righteousness and purity, appropriately identified that which separates the
things of the world from the things of God. That righteousness and purity
constitute the wall of separation is equally obvious to those standing within
and without. There was but one gate to the tabernacle as there is but one gate
to the kingdom of heaven. Numerous passages of scripture announce baptism to be
that gate (2 Nephi 31:17; D&C 22:2, 4; 43:7). Thus one enters both the
earthly and the heavenly kingdom by accepting Christ and taking upon oneself
his name. Hence we find Christ calling himself "the door" (John
10:9).
Fine-twined linen like that of the
outer wall was also used to screen the gate. Its twenty-cubit length was
embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet (Exodus 27:16-17). This was also the
design of the tabernacle. Since the colors were designated by revelation, we
anticipate that they will be rich in symbolism. The first color mentioned is
blue, the symbolism of which had already been established among the children of
The next color mentioned was purple.
Purple dye, being rare, was therefore expensive and so became known as the
color of royalty or of those possessing great wealth. To
Returning to the gate itself, it
should not go unnoticed that the gate was always to be located on the east side
of the tabernacle. The first of the sun's rays would always point themselves to
it. This heavenly light would thus reveal the beauty of the multicolored gate
as the light of heaven reveals Christ as "the way, the truth, and the
life" and the only way that men may approach the Father (John 14:6).
The Altar of Burnt Offering
Immediately in front of the gate
within the court of the tabernacle stood the brazen altar. The altar was
portable and stood only five cubits square and three cubits high. It was made
of planks of shittim wood overlaid with brass. The interior was hollow. Each of
the corners formed into a projection called a horn, which like the altar itself
was made of shittim wood over laid with brass (Exodus 27:1-8). Everything
associated with the altar was symbolic, and as with the entirety of the
tabernacle all its symbolism centered in Christ.
Shittim wood is a hard, dark oak that
is very durable. In the Septuagint it has appropriately been translated
"incorruptible wood." Brass is extremely fire resistant and thus
seems an appropriate symbol for one who suffered and was tried in all things.
The altar stood on an elevation to foreshadow the atonement of the Lamb of God
on the mount Golgotha.
Obviously intended to be the focus of
attention upon entering the courtyard of the Lord, this was the altar upon
which the offerings were made by which one sought divine acceptance and access
into the Lord's presence. The burnt offering being the most perfect type for
the atonement of Christ, the placement of the brazen altar dramatized the
Atonement and the role of Christ as the focus of all true religious worship.
As none could return to the presence
of God save it were for the Atonement of Christ, so none could enter either the
Holy Place or the Holy of Holies without having first gained access through the
name of Christ and by virtue of his sacrifice—thus the appropriate
placing of the altar of burnt offering. The horn is a symbol of power; thus the
four horns would represent the universal nature of the Atonement. The blood of
the sacrifice was smeared on the horns. By laying hold of these horns a person
could find asylum and safety (1 Kings 1:50; 2:28), though not if he was guilty
of premeditated murder (Exodus 21:14). The fire, which initially came from
heaven (Leviticus 9:24), was never to cease burning (Leviticus 6:13), thus
teaching that the Atonement will never lose its power to cleanse man from sin.
The altar, or "table of the
Lord," as Malachi called it (Malachi 1:7), was the place of intercession,
peacemaking, expiation, and sanctification. That which was consumed by its
flames had in a figurative sense been consumed by God and was therefore under
stood to have been accepted by him.
With the exception of the meal
offering, the sacrifices offered on the brazen altar centered in the shedding
of blood. They were a portrayal of the guiltless dying for the guilty. The
burnt offering of the Mosaic systems differed from that of the patriarchs only
in that the blood was shed before the offering was placed upon the altar
instead of while on the altar. In all other particulars the ritual appears to
have been the same.
Again, the sacrifice was efficacious
only as it symbolized the great sacrifice of the Lamb of God. As one of our
modern Apostles has explained, the participants in these sacrifices "were
in fact making covenants with the Lord to always remember him, to take his name
upon them, and to keep his commandments, all in return for his promise to let
this Spirit be with them and to give them the eventual inheritance of eternal
life" (McConkie, Bruce R. The Promised Messiah.
The Laver of Washing
The other piece of furniture
occupying a place in the court of the tabernacle was the brazen laver. It stood
behind the altar of sacrifice and before the door of the
The necessity of this washing ritual
each time one entered the tabernacle symbolized the constant need to be
purified and cleansed from the defilements of the temporal world. To wash the
hands was emblematic of the need for works of righteousness. Similarly, the
washing of the feet characterized the necessity of walking in paths of
righteousness.
The Door of the Tabernacle
As there was only one gate by which
one could enter the court of the tabernacle, so there was only one door by
which one could enter the tabernacle proper. The curtain forming the door of
the tabernacle was made of the same materials as the veil which separated the
Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, and the gate admitting people to the court
of the tabernacle (Exodus 26:36-37). The colors and arrangement of each were
the same. The door of the tabernacle differed from the veil of the Holy of
Holies only in that the latter, as we shall see, had the two cherubim on it
guarding the most sacred place. Significantly, it was only after having gone
through the door that one could see the cherubim. This may suggest that while
those who worship in truth may recognize the beauty of the gospel, those who
approach the Lord in his service may obtain the more intimate vision of
heavenly things.
With regard to the colors of which
the curtain-door was made, brief commentary has already been given in our
discussion of the gate of the court. Observations have also been made about the
symbolism associated with those colors. These are suggestions, not revelations.
Scholars and students of the scriptures have differed widely on the matter,
some holding that no symbolism was intended. Yet, since the Lord so carefully
specifies the colors, it does seem that their purpose was intended to go beyond
that of aesthetics. Gold, a dominant feature within the Holy Place and the Holy
of Holies, seems to bespeak a glorious and godlike splendor; silver is thought
to carry the idea of moral purity (D&C 128:24); white represents purity and
holiness; and as we have seen, purple suggested royal majesty, scarlet the
color of blood and the necessity of the Atonement.
The Table of Shewbread
Within the
Literally translated, the name shewbread
means "the bread of faces," or "the bread of the
presence," signifying that this bread was placed before the face of the
Lord or in his presence. That there is a common symbolism between the Sabbath
ritual in which the priests were to eat the shewbread and the ordinance of the
sacrament as introduced by Christ seems apparent. Of special interest is that
at the first sacrament meeting in the New World, a meeting held at the temple
in the land Bountiful (3 Nephi 11:1), those assembled were directed by the
Savior to eat of the bread and drink of the wine until they were filled (3 Nephi
18:1-9). As the shewbread was to be consumed in full, none being discarded, so
it is with the gospel of Jesus Christ—all is to be consumed, there
are no principles to be discarded like distasteful crusts. Nor is the gospel
something at which we nibble, for like the Nephites we must eat and drink of
its marvelous truths until we are filled.
The symbolism of this Mosaic ritual
may well have been in tended to include the following:
1. The shittim wood setting forth the
humanity of Christ, with the pure gold overlay depicting his divinity.
2. Each of the loaves representing
one of the tribes of
3. The nourishment of the bread and
wine representing the spiritual food obtained in the holy presence or before
the face of God.
4. The unleavened bread suggesting
the purity of Christ. Leaven, being the symbol of sin, was not found in this
bread as it was not to be found in the life of Christ.
5. As the priests were to partake of
this spiritual food (the bread and wine) each Sabbath, so we must be fed that
same spiritual food each Sabbath.
6. The placing of the frankincense
over the bread typified the holiness of the life of Christ, which was to the
Father "a sweetsmelling savour" (Ephesians 5:2).
7. All the symbolism associated with
the sacrament naturally associates itself with the table of shewbread and the
weekly eating of the bread and drinking of the wine.
The Golden Candlestick
The second piece of furniture in the
The light of the menorah betokened
the light of the Spirit, or Holy Ghost. Such is the only light that allows us
to see in holy places or in the presence of the Lord.
The Altar of Incense
The third piece of furniture in the
On the altar of burnt offering we saw
Christ as a sacrifice for sin; now, on the altar of incense (the symbol for
sweetness and fragrance, perfectly typified in the life of Christ), we see the
Savior as our intercessor. His prayers and petitions, carried upon the wings of
the perfect goodness and righteousness of his life, allow men to approach God.
Through his atonement, which we have already witnessed in the outer court of
the tabernacle, we have been brought to the place where our prayers, always
offered in his name, can be heard. This ritual seems to signify that only
through such prayers can we approach God. The Psalmist wrote, "Let my
prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as
the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2).
The Veil
A thick curtain separated the
Paul identified the veil as a symbol
of the flesh of Christ (Hebrews 10:20). It was the rending of the veil, or
Christ's death, that enabled all by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the
gospel to enter into the divine presence. This symbolized the end of the old
covenant of death and announced the new covenant wherein all may receive the
"fulness of his glory" (D&C 84:24). The Mosaic dispensation had
now ended; the new and everlasting covenant had been reestablished. With the
rending of the veil, all exclusive privileges associated with the law of Moses
were abolished, distinctions in the flesh were at an end, the carnal law was
suspended, and the higher law returned; all was accomplished because of the
atoning sacrifice of him of whom the veil was a type. The same hand that rent
the beautiful fabric which hitherto had concealed the holiest of all had now
opened the graves to a glorious resurrection for that "innumerable company
of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus
while they lived in mortality" that they, like the righteous of all future
generations, might enter the presence of their divine Father (D&C 138:12).
The Ark of the Covenant
The Holy of Holies contained the Ark
of the Covenant, so. named because it housed the tablets from Sinai upon which
God's covenant with
The ark was the symbol of the
presence of the Lord. It was the place of revelation (Leviticus 16:2; Numbers
7:89). As
The Holy Garments of the High Priest
As with all else associated with the
wilderness temple, the manner in which the high priest was to be clothed was
revealed to Moses in labored detail. By heavenly design the clothing was both
practical and richly symbolic. The high priest was to be clothed in "holy
garments... for glory and for beauty," or as it is rendered in the New
English Bible in "dignity and grandeur" (Exodus 28:2). Only craftsmen
with divinely given talents, men who were "filled with the spirit of
wisdom," were allowed to participate in making these sacred vestments
(Exodus 28:3).
Seven special articles of clothing
and ornaments composed the official apparel of the high priest: the broidered
coat, the robe, the ephod, the girdle, the breastplate, the mitre, and the
diadem (Exodus 28:4; 39:30-31). Let us briefly describe each article of
clothing, its function, and the symbolism associated with it.
The broidered coat
The innermost garment was the
"broidered coat" (as it is rather inappropriately translated in the
King James Version). It was a pure white garment, woven of fine-twined linen
(Exodus 28:39; 39:27). The word coat as used here comes from the same
root as that of the coat or garment given by God to Adam and Eve in the Garden
of Eden (Genesis 3:21). Apparently the word is derived from a verb meaning
"to cover, or hide" (Soltan, Henry W. The Tabernacle: The
Priesthood and the Offerings.
The robe
Next in order came the robe, which
was worn over the inner garment. It was to be entirely blue. This appears to
have been a reference to the heavenly origin, character, and ministry of
Christ, the great high priest, of whom Aaron and his successors in the office
of high priest were types. Christ came from heaven to minister to his people
and returned to heaven as their advocate. The blue robe was to be woven out of
one piece of cloth so that it would be without seam (Exodus 28:31-32). Its hem
or the robe of the ephod, as it was called, was to be em broidered with
pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, between which were to hang golden
bells (Exodus 28:33-34). The purpose of the bells was so that the sound of the
high priest would be heard when he went "in unto the holy place before the
Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not" (Exodus 28:35). The
pomegranates may have represented the fruits of the people being presented to
God. Keil and Delitzsch relate the symbolism of the pomegranates to a simile in
Proverbs that reads, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in
pictures of silver" (Proverbs 25:11). In a like manner, they suggest that
"the pomegranates with their pleasant odour, their sweet and refreshing
juice, and the richness of their delicious kernel, were symbols of the word and
testimony of God as a sweet and pleasant spiritual food, that enlivens the soul
and refreshes the heart, and that the bells were symbols of the sounding of his
word, or the revelation and proclamation of the word" (Keil, C. F.,
and F. Delitzsch. Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. Vol. II,
The seamless robe set forth the idea
of perfect wholeness, completeness, and unity. John records for us that Christ
was wearing a seamless garment at the time of the crucifixion (see John 19:23).
The ephod
The ephod was an apronlike outer
vestment worn over the blue robe. It was to be made of fine linen and
embroidered with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. It was made of two pieces
that would be joined at the shoulders and apparently bound around the body by
the girdle or belt. These shoulder pieces were joined with an onyx stone, set
in gold, upon which were engraved the names of the tribes of
The girdle
The girdle was made of fine-twined
linen with blue, purple, and scarlet needlework (Exodus 39:29). The fine linen,
always a type for righteousness, found expression in these words describing
Christ: "Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins" (Isaiah 11:5). The object of the girdle was to
strengthen the loins for service. It is a natural symbol for the strength
obtained by those girded or encircled in truth (Ephesians 6:14) and
righteousness.
The breastplate
The breastplate was worn on top of
the ephod. It was attached by chains of pure gold. On it were displayed twelve
precious stones placed in four rows of three stones each. Each stone was
engraved with the name of one of the tribes. Thus Aaron would bear the names of
the children of
The bottom of the breastplate was
formed into a pocket to carry the Urim and Thummim.
The mitre and the holy diadem
As the crowning feature of the entire
vesture, the high priest wore a diadem of fine gold on a white headdress or
mitre. On the diadem were written the words: "HOLINESS TO THE LORD"
(Exodus 28:36). A diadem or crown is a symbol of kingly power and authority
that had been placed upon one's head. The crown of authority, power, and dignity
thus placed upon the head of the high priest centered in "HOLINESS TO THE
LORD." All power in the heavenly kingdom grows out of such holiness.
Such were the sacred vestments in
which the high priest was clothed after he had been washed and just prior to
his being anointed. Unlike so much of the symbolism of the scriptures, that of
the outer part of his garments is explicitly given. The high priest, in wearing
the precious stones on his shoulders and over his heart, was beating the names
of
The under tunic, however, had no
apparent connection with the nation. "It was rather the personal clothing
of the high priest; manifesting him, beneath all his official glory as one who
could minister before the Lord in a perfect righteousness of his own. A glory
and beauty no less costly and precious than was displayed by the other
garments, though to the eye of sense not so striking in appearance." Such
could not be worn save the high priest could "previously exhibit a
spotless purity, diversified in every possible way like the embroidered fine
linen coat." (Soltan, Henry W. The Tabernacle: The Priesthood
and the Offerings.
The vestments of the priests
Aaron's sons and other priests who
would minister in the temple were to be clothed like the high priest, in coats,
girdles, and bonnets. They did not wear the blue robe of the high priest or the
ephod or breastplate (Exodus 28:40). They were arrayed in pure white garments.
They wore no ornaments or embroidery; no gold or brilliant colors. The high
priest personified the whole nation, and represented it as the Great High
Priest, the Messiah himself, yet would do. The role of these lesser priests was
limited to that of being a constant reminder of the purity and obedience
necessary in the service of the Lord. They had access to the
The clothing of the tabernacle or
temple dramatized the necessity for purity in every part of worship, the
centrality of the atonement of Christ, the purity and justice of the Savior,
and the absolute necessity of that holiness without which none can see the
Lord. Such is the context of our modern revelation that states, "For
without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live"
(D&C 84:22). Without the application of the Atonement, personal purity,
righteousness, and strict obedience, all men will die as to the things of the
Spirit and thus be separated from the heavenly presence.
The Holy Anointing
After Aaron and his sons had been
washed and clothed in the garments of the priesthood they were to be anointed.
The oil used in the anointing was prepared according to divine instruction. It
consisted of a blend of four spices with pure olive oil. This oil was also to
be used to anoint all the furniture of the tabernacle and its court. Not only
were they to be thus made holy, but "whatsoever toucheth them" would
thereby become holy. The sacred nature of the oil was to be carefully guarded.
Anyone making it without proper authority or placing it on unqualified persons
would be excommunicated. (Exodus 30:22-33.)
Subsequent scriptural texts provide
both illustration and explanation of the importance of this action. As we shall
see, it is expressly connected with the communication of the Spirit of God. As
an illustration, when the young Benjamite, Saul, was anointed
The oil with which the priests were
anointed was understood by the ancients to represent the necessity of those on
the Lord's errand being filled with his Spirit. More directly, the idea of
anointing and the concept of sanctification are consistently associated in the
scriptures with the reception of the Holy Ghost (
One must be consumed by the power of
the Holy Ghost to stand in the presence of God (Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:3; 3 Nephi
28:15; Moses 1:5, 11). This is why Moses sought to sanctify
A Timeless Pattern
We see in the tabernacle, its
furniture, and its ritual a temporal representation of heavenly things. Though associated
with an ancient law now fulfilled, its representations were of principles that
remain everlastingly the same. Twelve chapters of Exodus and the greater part
of the book of Leviticus are devoted to the tabernacle and its ritual. Surely,
for this to have been preserved for our day, in the economy of God it must
contain something of worth and relevance beyond an academic and historical
interest. The tabernacle, its wall, the gate, the altar of sacrifice, the
laver, the
Though the fulness of the priesthood
and its blessings were withheld from
The first thing encountered upon
leaving the outer world and entering the gate of the tabernacle is the altar of
sacrifice. Here the various animals and other offerings are slain and offered
to the Lord. Here obedience and sacrifice combine as the first step in our
symbolic progression toward the presence of God. Only with an acceptable sacrifice
can man come near to the living God and enter into his holy presence. All
centers in the acceptance of Christ and the exercise of faith in him.
Immediately thereafter comes the
laver or basin of water, with its ritual washing. Having progressed to this
point, the priest, representing the people, is clothed in the garments of the
priesthood and anointed (symbolically clothed in the Spirit) that he might pass
as it were from the telestial world to a more holy place; one of a terrestrial
order. Doing so, one finds three articles of furniture: the table of shewbread,
with symbolism closely associated with the sacrament; the candlestick and its
emphasis on the necessity of the spiritual light that comes only from the Holy
Ghost; and the altar of incense ever burning, but with increased sweetness in
morning and evening, announcing the constant necessity of righteous prayers.
Then comes the veil, guarded by the angels of the Lord, through which one must
pass before coming into the presence of the Lord. The only article of furniture
in this room is the ark of the covenant, which the Lord said was the place
where he would manifest himself to his people.
From dispensation to dispensation the
symbols may change, yet the principles represented remain constant.
(Joseph Fielding McConkie, Gospel Symbolism [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1999], 99.)
Many wondered when
Jesus would come to the Feast, He came later that week and taught at Solomon’s
Porch and performed miracles on the Sabbath which enraged the Jewish leaders,
they sent the temple guard but they wouldn’t touch him because he taught with
such power and authority.
The masses were still divided in their estimate of Jesus, and were moreover
puzzled over the indecision of the rulers. Some of the Jerusalem Jews knew of
the plan to arrest Him, and if possible to bring Him to death, and the people
queried why nothing was done when He was there teaching publicly within reach
of the officials. They wondered whether the rulers had not at least come to
believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. The thought, however, was brushed
aside when they remembered that all knew whence He came; He was a Galilean, and
from
Many of the people believed in their
hearts that He was of God, and ventured to ask among themselves whether Christ
would do greater works than Jesus had done. The Pharisees and chief priests
feared a possible demonstration in favor of Jesus, and forthwith sent officers
to arrest Him and bring him before the Sanhedrin. fn The presence of the temple
police caused no interruption to the Master's discourse, though we may
reasonably infer that He knew the purpose of their errand. He spoke on, saying
that He would be with the people but a little while; and that after He had
returned to the Father, they would seek Him vainly, for where He would then be
they could not come. This remark evoked more bitter discussion. Some of the
Jews wondered whether He intended to leave the borders of the land and go among
the Gentiles to teach them and the dispersed Israelites.
As part of the temple service
incident to the feast, the people went in procession to the Pool of Siloam fn where
a priest filled a golden ewer, which he then carried to the altar and there
poured out the water to the accompaniment of trumpet blasts and the
acclamations of the assembled hosts. fn According to authorities on Jewish
customs, this feature was omitted on the closing day of the feast. On this last
or "great day," which was marked by ceremonies of unusual solemnity
and rejoicing, Jesus was again in the temple. It may have been with reference
to the bringing of water from the pool, or to the omission of the ceremony from
the ritualistic procedure of the great day, that Jesus cried aloud, His voice
resounding through the courts and arcades of the temple: "If any man
thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
fn
John, the recorder, remarks
parenthetically that this promise had reference to the bestowal of the Holy
Ghost, which at that time had not been granted, nor was it to be until after
the ascension of the risen Lord. fn
Again many of the people were so
impressed that they declared Jesus could be none other than the Messiah; but
others objected, saying that the Christ must come from Bethlehem of Judea and
Jesus was known to have come from
The police officers returned without
their intended prisoner. To the angry demand of the chief priests and Pharisees
as to why they had not brought Him, they acknowledged that they had been so
affected by His teachings as to be unable to make the arrest. "Never man
spake like this man," they said. Their haughty masters were furious.
"Are ye also deceived?" they demanded; and further, "Have any of
the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?" What was the opinion of
the common people worth? They had never learned the law, and were therefore
accursed and of no concern. Yet with all this show of proud disdain, the chief
priests and Pharisees were afraid of the common people, and were again halted
in their wicked course.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the
Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 373.)
It’s just like today,
there are many who have a problem with Joseph Smith, and the circumstances
surrounding the beginning of this dispensation.
"GO, AND SIN NO MORE"
After the festivities were over,
Jesus went to the temple one morning early; and as He sat, probably in the
Court of the Women, which was the usual place of public resort, many gathered
about Him and He proceeded to teach them as was His custom. His discourse was
interrupted by the arrival of a party of scribes and Pharisees with a woman in
charge, who, they said, was guilty of adultery. To Jesus they presented this
statement and question: "Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned; but what sayest thou?" The submitting of the case to
Jesus was a prearranged snare, a deliberate attempt to find or make a cause for
accusing Him. Though it was not unusual for Jewish officials to consult rabbis
of recognized wisdom and experience when difficult cases were to be decided,
the case in point involved no legal complications. The woman's guilt seems to
have been unquestioned, though the witnesses required by the statutes are not
mentioned as appearing unless the accusing scribes and Pharisees are to be so
considered; the law was explicit, and the custom of the times in dealing with
such offenders was well known. While it is true that the law of Moses had
decreed death by stoning as the penalty for adultery, the infliction of the
extreme punishment had lapsed long before the time of Christ. One may
reasonably ask why the woman's partner in the crime was not brought for
sentence, since the law so zealously cited by the officious accusers provided
for the punishment of both parties to the offense. fn
The question of the scribes and
Pharisees, "But what sayest thou?" may have intimated their
expectation that Jesus would declare the law obsolete; perhaps they had heard
of the Sermon on the Mount, in which many requirements in advance of the Mosaic
code had been proclaimed. fn Had Jesus decided that the wretched woman ought to
suffer death, her accusers might have said that he was defying the existing
authorities; and possibly the charge of opposition to the Roman government
might have been formulated, since power to inflict the death penalty had been
taken from all Jewish tribunals; and moreover, the crime with which this woman
was charged was not a capital offense under Roman law. Had He said that the
woman should go unpunished or suffer only minor infliction, the crafty Jews
could have charged Him with disrespect for the law of Moses. To these scribes
and Pharisees Jesus at first gave little heed. Stooping down He traced with His
finger on the ground; but as He wrote they continued to question Him. Lifting
Himself up He answered them, in a terse sentence that has become proverbial:
"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her." Such was the law; the accusers on whose testimony the death penalty
was pronounced were to be the first to begin the work of execution. fn
Having spoken, Jesus again stooped and
wrote upon the ground. The woman's accusers were "convicted by their own
conscience"; shamed and in disgrace they slunk away, all of them from the
eldest to the youngest. They knew themselves to be unfit to appear either as
accusers or judges. fn What cowards doth conscience make! "When Jesus had
lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where
are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord.
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more."
fn
The woman was repentant; she remained
humbly awaiting the Master's decision, even after her accusers had gone. Jesus
did not expressly condone; He declined to condemn; but He sent the sinner away
with a solemn adjuration to a better life. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 376.)
Remember, the witnesses are the ones
who inflict the punishment of stoneing, which hadn’t been done in a long
time. Christ speaks to the witnesses,
“he who is without sin. . .” meaning, one of the witnesses was the OTHER GUILTY
PARTY!!! After all had left Christ
addresses the woman, he is not judging her at all, his role is to save, and
judgement comes much later, 2 Nephi 9:41. She is still guilty and unclean and
needs to repent.
John 7-9, John gives several
examples of the miracles Christ performed; significantly, they were done on the
Sabbath.
John 9 – Jesus uses the blind man as
an example of one who is suffering spiritual death and He brings him back to
spiritual life! There is great
significance of Jesus using dirt mixed with water from his belly (spit) to make
clay and place it over the eyes of the blind man. He couldn’t see, now he his eyes are opened
(the Holy Ghost!!!).
He demonstrates His power over light
and water.
Since the man did not ask to be
healed, and since Christ stated that the man was born blind so that "the
works of God should be manifest in him," it is obvious that the miracle was performed primarily as a witness to
the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, the Lord God of this world.
(Kent P. Jackson and Robert L.
Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1986], 334.)
The Jewish leaders again want to
arrest and kill Jesus.
Formal Attempts to Destroy Jesus
The Jewish leaders made several
formal attempts to arrest and dispose of Jesus before the feat was actually
accomplished. The record shows that the Pharisees, particularly, held several
councils and consulted with others to plot the death of Jesus. When he was
finally betrayed by Judas and taken captive, it was the culmination of more
than two years of planning. The dates are approximate, but the following
arrangement is probably as accurate as can be determined with the available
information. The sequence is important.
A.D. 30 -
The Pharisees sent a formal
delegation of priests and Levites from
A.D. 30 – Late Fall,
The Jewish leaders were angry with
Jesus because he has made so many baptisms through his disciples. The Joseph
Smith Translation (John 4:1-4) states that the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus
at this time. This was several months earlier than the first mention in any
other Bible of a desire to kill Jesus.
A.D. 31- Early Spring, near
John is imprisoned by Herod. He was
probably somehow betrayed or delivered up by the Pharisees. This is suggested
by an alternate reading of Matt. 4:12 which states, "when Jesus heard that
John had been delivered up, he withdrew into
A.D. 31 – April,
The Jews sought to kill Jesus because
he healed a man on the Sabbath and also because he said God was his Father.
(This is the earliest mention in the King James Version of an attempt to kill
Jesus.) He reminded them that the Jews had sent a delega tion to John and that
John bore witness of him.
(It should be noted that when the
record of John makes reference to the "Jews" it is the Jewish rulers
and leaders that are usually meant and not the Jewish people as a whole. In
this instance it would be the Pharisees, since they were the ones who had sent
the delegation to John the Baptist.) John 5:15-36.
A.D. 31- April,
The Pharisees in
A.D. 31- Early winter, near the
John the Baptist was beheaded in
prison, at the command of Herod. Jesus was in
A.D. 32 – April,
A formal delegation of scribes and
Pharisees from
A.D. 32 – Summer,
In response to a request from the
Pharisees and Sadducees that he show them a sign from heaven (to prove his
divine ministry), Jesus said that a wicked and adulterous generation seeks
after a sign. He observed that they were able to discern the signs of the
weather but not the signs of the times. He warned the disciples to beware of
the leaven of the Pharisees and of
the Sadducees, which was their false
doctrine. Matt. 16:1-12.
A.D. 32 – Fall,
Jesus told Peter, James, and John
that John the Baptist had been rejected by the Jews, who had done to John
whatsoever they wanted. Also that the Son of Man would suffer in like manner
from the Jews. Since the Pharisees played such a prominent part in the arrest
of Jesus, it appears from this passage that the Pharisees had also played a
major role in the capture of John the Baptist. See entry for A.D. 31, early
spring, above. Matt. 17:12-13.
A.D. 32 – Autumn,
For a short time Jesus stayed
primarily in Galilee because the Jews in
A.D. 32 – October,
Jesus attended the Feast of the
Tabernacles. The Pharisees and chief priests sent officers to arrest him. The
officers returned without arresting him, saying they have never known such a
man as Jesus. The chief priests and Pharisees were angry. Then Jesus told the
Jewish rulers he knew they sought to kill him. They denied it, but then took up
stones to cast at him. John 7:2, 32-49; 8:1
A.D. 32 – October,
On the Sabbath, Jesus healed a man
born blind. When the Pharisees heard of it they made an extensive investigation
and announced that anyone who spoke favorably of Jesus would be cast out
(excommunicated) from the synagogue. The healed man did so and was cast out by
them. Jesus lectured the Pharisees on spiritual blindness and told them they
were without excuse in their sins. John 9:3John 9:1-34.
A.D. 32 – December,
At the Feast of Dedication in
ßà268àßworks; for which one do you
stone me this time?" They said, "for making yourself a God."
They sought to take him but he escaped and went to the
A.D. 33 – Early Spring,
The Pharisees warned Jesus to depart
out of the country, for Herod sought to kill him. This was probably a trap of
some kind, since the Pharisees would not seek to protect Jesus from Herod. He
gave them a message to give to Herod, thereby showing that he knew they were in
contact and in collusion with Herod. Luke 13:31-33.
A.D. 33 – Late March, near the Jordan
or Perea
Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick. He
told the Twelve he was going to
A.D. 33 – Late March,
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead
and it was known in all the area. "From that day forth [the Pharisees and
chief priests] took counsel together for to put Jesus to death." Jesus
left the area of
A.D. 33 – April,
Many of the chief rulers believed on
Jesus but would not openly confess him because of their fear of the Pharisees,
lest they be put out of the synagogue. John 12:42-43. ßà269àß
A.D. 33 – April,
The Pharisees and Herodians again
sought to catch Jesus in his talk to have wherewith to accuse him. Chief
priests and scribes sent forth spies to watch Jesus and to catch him in some
way so they might deliver him to the governor They asked him about tribute to
Caesar. He put them to silence by saying they ought to render to Caesar that
which was Caesar's. Throughout the day the Pharisees and Sadducees issued
alternate "hard" questions to catch him. He put them all to silence
by his answers. After this series of public humiliations, no man dared ask Jesus
any more questions. Matthew 22:1546; 26:1-2; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:1%26.
A.D. 33 – April,
Jesus publicly scolded the Pharisees
and scribes for their lack of spirituality and their sins. He called them
hypocrites, serpents, vipers, children of hell, whited sepulchers, and wicked
men. Matt. 23.
A.D. 33 – April,
Judas, knowing of the plots and
machinations to take Jesus, offered to deliver him to the chief priests and
Pharisees for money. He came to Jesus in the
A.D. 33 – April,
Jesus was tried before a night
meeting of the Sanhedrin contrary to their own rules of procedure. Many of the
procedural rules were violated by the very group whose business was to provide
law, order, and justice. False witnesses
ßà270àßwere brought to testify. To
the Jewish Sanhedrin, Jesus was accused of blasphemy for saying he was the Son
of God. The charge was changed to treason by the same officers when he was
taken before the Roman tribunal, since blasphemy of the God of Israel would
mean nothing to a Roman court. Matt. 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-71;
John 18:13-27.
A.D. 33 – April,
When Pilate was determined to let
Jesus go and insisted that he found "no fault in him" "the chief
priests and elders vehemently accused Jesus and also persuaded the
multitude" to shout, "crucify him, crucify him." When it
appeared as though Pilate was about to release Jesus, the crafty leaders of the
Jews maneuvered Pilate into an awkward position by saying to him, "If thou
let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king
speaketh against Caesar." Pilate reminded them that Jesus was their king.
In reply the chief priests uttered their final word of selfdegradation by
saying: "We have no king but Caesar." The clever and experienced
priests were too much even for Pilate, and they extracted Jesus' sentence of
death from him. Matt. 27:1-38; Mark 15:1-27; Luke 23:1-33; John 18:28-38.
A.D. 33
Jesus was crucified. Not satisfied
with his death, the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate and arranged for
a guard of soldiers to be set at the tomb to prevent the theft of his body and
therefore the appearance that he had been resurrected. When the soldiers later
told the chief priests about the angels who rolled away the stone, and that
Jesus really was resurrected at the tomb, they gave them money to say that the
disciples stole Jesus' body in the night. The guards accepted the money and did
as they were told by the priests and eiders. Matt. 27:62-66; 28:1
The foregoing entries illustrate what
kind of enemies Jesus had to deal with in his ministry. These were the
pretended spiritual leaders of the Jews. It is easy to see that if Jesus had
been anything less than he was in physical, spiritual, and moral excellence; he
could not have accomplished the task of establishing the
Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must
needs be expedient that Christ-for in the last night the angel spake unto me
that this should be his name-should come among the Jews, among those who are
the more wicked part of the world; and they shah crucify him-for thus it
behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify
their God.
For should the mighty miracles be
wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God.
But because of priestcrafts and
iniquities, they at
The Prophet Joseph Smith said that if Jesus
had come to earth and preached the same "rough things" and the
"same doctrine" in the Prophet's day as he did to the Jews, that
generation too would put him to death (Joseph Fielding Smith, comp. Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
(Robert J. Matthews, Behold the
Messiah [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 272.)
John 10:7, 11
With effective repetition Jesus
continued: "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of
mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my
life for the sheep." For this cause was Jesus the Father's Beloved
Son—that He was ready to lay down His life for the sake of the sheep. That the
sacrifice He was soon to render was in fact voluntary, and not a forfeiture
under compulsion, is solemnly affirmed in the Savior's words: "Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my
Father." The certainty of His death and of His subsequent resurrection are
here reiterated. A natural effect of His immortal origin, as the earth-born Son
of an immortal Sire, was that He was immune to death except as He surrendered
thereto. The life of Jesus the Christ could not be taken save as He willed and
allowed. The power to lay down His life was inherent in Himself, as was the
power to take up His slain body in an immortalized state. fn These teachings
caused further division among the Jews. Some pretended to dispose of the matter
by voicing anew the foolish assumption that Jesus was but an insane demoniac,
and that therefore His words were not worthy of attention. Others with
consistency said "These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a
devil open the eyes of the blind?" So it was that a few believed, many
doubted though partly convinced, and some condemned.
As part of this profound discourse,
Jesus said: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also
I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and
one shepherd." fn The "other sheep" here referred to constituted
the separated flock or remnant of the house of Joseph, who, six centuries prior
to the birth of Christ, had been miraculously detached from the Jewish fold in
Palestine, and had been taken beyond the great deep to the American continent.
When to them the resurrected Christ appeared He thus spake: "And verily, I
say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said, other sheep I have which are not
of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one shepherd." fn The Jews had vaguely understood
Christ's reference to other sheep as meaning in some obscure way, the Gentile
nations; and because of their unbelief and consequent inability to rightly
comprehend, Jesus had withheld any plainer exposition of His meaning, for so,
He informed the Nephites, had the Father directed. "This much did the
Father command me," He explained, "that I should tell unto them, That
other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and
they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
On the same occasion the Lord declared that there were yet other sheep, those
of the Lost, or Ten, Tribes, to whom He was then about to go, and who would
eventually be brought forth from their place of exile, and become part of the
one blessed fold under the governance of the one supreme Shepherd and King. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 388.), 11
– The Shepard and Sheepherder:
Think of the steps through the
Tabernacle or our
(Ezekiel 34:1-16.)
1 And the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy
against the shepherds of
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye
clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the
flock.
4 The diseased have ye not
strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound
up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was
driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and
with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered,
because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of
the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered
through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was
scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after
them.
7 ¶ Therefore, ye
shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
8 As I live, saith
the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat
to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did
my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not
my flock;
9 Therefore, O ye
shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;
10 Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at
their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the
shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their
mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
11 ¶ For thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them
out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh
out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered;
so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they
have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them
out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to
their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of
14 I will feed them in a
good pasture, and upon the high mountains of
15 I will feed my flock,
and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek that which
was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that
which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will
destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
The Jewish leaders back in Ezekiel’s
time thought of themselves before those whom they should have been
ministering. This is the reason why God
had forsaken them.
We, more than others, should carry
jumper and tow cables not only in our cars, but also in our hearts, by which
means we can send the needed boost or charge of encouragement or the added
momentum to mortal neighbors.
One of the great lessons given to us
by the Savior is the episode involving Martha and Mary. Martha, being
task-oriented, as are some of us, was cumbered with much serving. She was
filled with what has become known as Martha-like anxiety, which in this
instance consisted of trying to get supper on the table. In a way, Jesus
commended her for her conscientiousness, but He also pointed out that Mary had
chosen the "good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke
10:42.) Mary sensed that she was in the midst of a special, never-to-return
opportunity to be given by the Savior Himself, the Bread of Life. Martha was so
busy preparing perishable calories that she let that opportunity go unused.
While there are times when we apparently can't avoid being badgered by events,
it ought not to become a way of life. The consequence of our good choices will
not be taken from us either.
(Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things
Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 56.)
M E R I D I A
N M A G A Z I N E
Lesson 16
"I
was Blind, Now I See"
John 9-10
by Bruce Satterfield
The healing of the man
born blind in John 9, was not meant by John to be separated from the stories
associated with the Savior's experience in Jerusalem during and after the Feast
of Tabernacles recorded John 7-8. Indeed, this miracle was the "sign"
that verifies the Savior's admonitions to come unto him for living water (John
7:37-39) and that He is the light of the world (John 8:12).
Review of John 7-8
John 7:14 says that Jesus
arrived midway through the Feast of the Tabernacles. To the Jews at the time of
Christ, the Feast of the Tabernacles was a messianic feast citing their minds
forward to the time when the Messiah would come and bring perpetual living
water and eternal light to the world. This was demonstrated through two
outstanding features of the feast: the water-drawing ceremony and the lighting
ceremony.
(1)
The Savior's first few
days at the temple were filled with confrontations concerning the authority of
his teachings (7:15-36). Then on "the last day, that great day of the
feast" Jesus stood and issued this challenge: "If any man thirst, let
him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water"(7:37-38).
The impact of the
Savior's challenge is lost unless one recalls the water-drawing ceremony. For
seven days the priests had drawn water from the pool of Siloam and then poured
that water into the silver bowl on the altar while pilgrims chanted "Lord,
save now, we beseech thee." On the last day of the feast, the procession
marched around the altar seven times dramatizing the importance of the rite.
The Savior's challenge to
come unto him to receive the living waters was a clear statement of His claim
that he was the promised awaited messiah. Of this event, R. E. Brown writes:
"It was at this solemn moment in the ceremonies on the seventh day that
the teacher from
To dramatize this point
even further, John, alone, records the piercing of the Savior's side while upon
the cross. In that account it is said the when the soldiers were breaking the
legs of the three who were crucified, they saw that the Savior was already dead
"and they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced
his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water" (John
19:33-34, emphasis added). John's point is clear. The living waters do come
from the belly of the Savior.
(3)
The day following the
Savior's invitation to come to Him for living water, while Jesus was teaching
in the Court of Women (John 8:20)
(4), he said: "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12).
Could there be any doubt in the minds of his listeners as to what Jesus was
claiming? In the very place where, as part of the lighting ceremony of the
Feast, the huge candelabra were lit giving light to "every courtyard in
Jerusalem" symbolizing the continuous light of the messianic age, Jesus
proclaims that he is that light. Not only the light of
The Miracle of the Man
Born Blind
To give credence to His
claim, the Savior demonstrated His power to give light to the world through a
miracle. In John 9, the story of the man born blind follows on the heels of the
Feast of the Tabernacles. The story begins when Jesus "saw a man which was
blind from his birth" (vs. 1). When asked why the man was born this way,
the Savior responded "that the works of God should be made manifest in
him" (vs. 3). Then he said, "I must work the works of him that sent
me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in
the world, I am the light of the world" (vss. 4,5). Upon that "he
spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of
the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam" (vs. 6). The man did exactly what he was told. After he had washed
his eyes in the same pool that the priest had drawn water as part of the water
drawing ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles, he came out seeing.
Two major symbols of the
Feast of Tabernacles, water and light, were present in the miracle. By spitting
onto the ground, Jesus demonstrated that indeed the living waters or the Spirit
of the Holy Ghost which can cause a man to see does indeed come from Him, for
"out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).
This is further emphasized by the washing of the waters in the pool of Siloam
which the Jews looked upon as a symbol of the Holy Ghost.
(5) Because of the "water from the belly" or the Holy
Ghost, the man could see.
The Light Shineth in
Darkness
This miracle was
performed on the Sabbath day (9:14). The Pharisees considered such action as a
violation of the law of the Sabbath. They were so consumed in living the letter
of the law that they could not see the miracle for what it was. Indeed, the
light had shown "in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not"
(John 1:5).
The man born blind was
taken to the Pharisees by some Jewish onlookers who questioned how he had
overcome his blindness. He told them about the miracle. Some of the Pharisees
said, "This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the Sabbath day.
Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a
division among them" (9:16).
Some began to question
whether he had truly been blind. So they brought his parents to the Pharisees.
"Is this your son, who ye say was born blind?" they asked, "how
then doth he now see?"
They answered, "We
know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: But by what means he now
seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask
him: he shall speak for himself" (9:20-21).
The parents were afraid
to defend their son because it was agreed by the leaders of the Pharisees that
any who confessed that Jesus was the Messiah would be excommunicated from their
synagogue (9:22).
The Pharisees urged the
man born blind to praise God for new-found sight. But they insisted that Jesus
was a sinner for violating the Sabbath. The man responded, "Whether he be
a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I
see." Frustrated at the man's integrity, they once again questioned him as
to how he was cured of his blindness. He countered, "I have told you
already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be
his disciples?"
Angered at this response,
the Pharisees asserted, "Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses'
disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not
from whence he is."
The man rebutted,
"Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and
yet he hath opened mine eyes." Then becoming the teacher instead of the
pupil, the man articulated, "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but
if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since
the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was
born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing." Angered at
the man, the Pharisees said, "Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost
thou teach us?" They then excommunicated the man (9:24-34).
Somehow Jesus was aware
of these proceedings. When "Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and
when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus
said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with
thee." The man's new faith was expressed simply but profoundly in these
words: "Lord, I believe." John says, "And he worshipped
him" (vss. 35-38).
This was a day full of
irony. Those who had eyes and could see the visual sights of this world could
not see the light Christ had brought. But he who was born blind was given power
by Christ to see both the things of this world and the things of God. Observing
the absurdity of the events of this day, the Savior said, "For judgment I
am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which
see might be made blind." Overhearing this statement, a few self-righteous
Pharisees sarcastically retorted, "Are we blind also?" Sadly, the
Savior answered, "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say,
We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (vss 39-41).
"I Am the Door of
the Sheepfold"
The Jewish leaders the
Savior addressed had become like the leaders of the Jews in Jerusalem before
the Babylonian destruction in 586 B.C. Those leaders utterly failed the people.
Of them, the Lord said to Ezekiel: "Son of man, prophesy against the
shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto
the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves!
should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" Continuing His castigation, the
Lord declared: "Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill
them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not
strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound
up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven
away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with
cruelty have ye ruled them." Therefore, the Jews, like sheep "were
scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts
of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the
mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the
face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them" (Ezekiel
34:2-6).
The Jewish leaders in the
time of Christ were no better. In John 10, the Savior reproached the negligence
of the Jewish leaders. He began by offering a parable: " Verily, verily, I
say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth
up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
"But he that
entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
"To him the porter
openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name,
and leadeth them out.
"And when he putteth
forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they
know his voice.
"And a stranger will
they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of
strangers."
He then said,
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheepfold" (JST
John10:1-7).
In ancient Israel, as it
is today, sheep are kept within a sheepfold. Often dens or caves were utilized
by shepherds as sheep folds. The shepherds would take rocks and enclose the
front of the den or cave so that there is an opening about the size of a door.
Then after corralling the sheep within the fold, the shepherd would sleep in
the door way. In this way, the shepherd could protect his sheep from an enemy,
whether predator or thief..
In the interrogation of
the man born blind, the Pharisees claimed to be the teachers and rulers of the
people (John 9:34). Yet their true concern was not the sheep but their own
pride. They were not good doors for the sheep. But the Savior is the epitome of
the door of the sheepfold. He is a sure and steady shepherd. He is the gate of
His sheep. Through Him the sheep find both safety and redemption from the
adversary. Indeed, as the Savior later taught, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:5-6).
"I Am the Good
Shepherd"
Continuing the analogy of
the shepherd, the Savior said, "All that ever came before me are thieves
and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The
thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that
they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the
good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John
10:8-11). The interests of thieves and robbers are purely selfish. They steal
and kill for food and other self-interests. But the Savior's motives are not
selfish. Rather, His only concern is the welfare of the sheep. His motivation
is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life" (Moses 1:39)
of the sheep.
The Savior viewed those
leaders of his sheep whose interest was not in their eternal life as
hirelings. "But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth:
and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth,
because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep." But the Savior's
concern is for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and
am known of mine" (John 10:12-14). Indeed, to demonstrate the love He has
for His sheep, the Savior declared that He would lay down his life for the
sheep (10:15).
He then boldly declared,
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I
might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment
have I received of my Father" (10:17-18). The Jews had not power to take
his life. The Savior's life would be forfeit only at His own choosing.
These teaching bothered
many of the Jewish leaders. "There was a division therefore again among
the Jews for these sayings. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad;
why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil.
Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" (10:19-21).
Know the Voice of the
Shepherd
An important point in all
of this is the necessity of the sheep knowing the voice of the Shepherd. The
Savior said of His sheep, "they know [my] voice" (John 10:4). In a
world of competing voices, it can be difficult for us to hear the voice of the
Shepherd. King Benjamin taught, "I say unto you, I would that ye should
remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found
on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall
be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you." He then
explained how one can distinguish between the voices of the world and the voice
of God, "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who
is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his
heart?" (Mosiah 5:12-13).
In April 1891 General
Conference, President George Q. Cannon, stated, "Each one of us should
have the light of the Spirit of God shining in his heart so that he may know
for himself that which is right, that when we hear the voice of the true
Shepherd we will recognize it. We may not be able to tell all the details, but
we will know by the testimony of the Spirit of God within us that which is
right. This is the testimony which it gives to the Latter-day Saints. They know
when they hear the voice of a servant of God, and they understand it. They may
not be able to explain all of the reasons connected with this, but they have a
living testimony of the truth within them."
(6)
Again, in another
conference, he cautioned, "We warn you to be on your guard, to watch
carefully, to pray earnestly, to live in purity, so that you shall have
constantly the light of the Spirit of God to be with you. Do not be carried
away by every wind of doctrine, nor by deceivers; but listen to the voice of
the Spirit of God, which bears testimony to you in your hearts concerning the
truths which you hear. You ought to be able to tell the voice of the true
Shepherd from all other voices, so that no one assuming sheep's clothing and
professing to be what he is not can deceive you. It is your privilege to
recognize the voice of the true Shepherd, and to know by the testimony of Jesus
whether that which you are taught is true or not."
(7)
It is imperative in
distinguishing between the various voices of the world that may lead honest
seekers of the truth into "forbidden paths," we understand the Lord's
process for learning. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has given this instruction on how to
seek knowledge:
"As Latter-day
Saints consider their personal relationship to various alternate voices, they
will be helped by considering the ways we acquire knowledge, especially
knowledge of sacred things.
"In modern
revelation the Lord has told us to 'seek learning … by study and also by
faith.' (D&C 109:7.)
"We seek learning by
studying the accumulated wisdom of various disciplines and by using the powers
of reasoning placed in us by our Creator.
"We should also seek
learning by faith in God, the giver of revelation. I believe that many of the
great discoveries and achievements in science and the arts have resulted from a
God-given revelation. Seekers who have paid the price in perspiration have been
magnified by inspiration.
"The acquisition of
knowledge by revelation is an extra bonus to seekers in the sciences and the
arts, but it is the fundamental method for those who seek to know God and the
doctrines of his gospel. In this area of knowledge, scholarship and reason are
insufficient.
"A seeker of truth
about God must rely on revelation. I believe this is what the Book of Mormon
prophet meant when he said, 'To be learned is good if they hearken unto the
counsels of God.' (2 Ne. 9:29.) It is surely what the Savior taught when he
said, 'Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.' (Matt. 16:17.) . . . .
"In the scriptures,
the Lord has specified how we learn by faith. We must be humble, cultivate
faith, repent of our sins, serve our fellowmen, and keep the commandments of
God. (See Ether 12:27; D&C 1:28; D&C 12:8; D&C 50:28; D&C
63:23; D&C 136:32-33.) As the Book of Mormon says, 'Yea, he that repenteth
and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually
without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God.'(Alma
26:22.) . . . .
"The early leaders
of the restored church had to learn that same truth. In several revelations the
Lord rebuked Joseph Smith, David Whitmer, and others for not having their minds
on the things of God, for yielding to "the persuasions of men"
(D&C 3:6; D&C 5:21), and for being "persuaded by those whom I have
not commanded" (D&C 30:2).
"The correct
relationship between study and faith in the receipt of sacred knowledge is
illustrated in Oliver Cowdery's attempt to translate ancient records. He failed
because he 'took no thought,' but only asked God. (D&C 9:7.) The Lord told
him he should have 'stud[ied] it out in [his] mind' and then asked if it was
right. (D&C 9:8.) Only then would the Lord reveal whether the translation
was correct or not. And only on receiving that revelation could the text be
written, because 'you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you
from me.' (D&C 9:9.) In the acquisition of sacred knowledge, scholarship
and reason are not alternatives to revelation. They are a means to an end, and
the end is revelation from God."
(8)
As we use the light of
Christ, the teachings of the prophets, and revelation, we can be assured that
we will know the voice of the Shepherd. We then will not be led into diverse
paths but instead will come unto Christ and the protection of his sheepfold.
References
1. See Breck Englands
recent review of the Feast of Tabernacle on Meridian Magazine, Gospel Doctrine
Lesson 15: "I Am the Light of the World" John 7-8.
2. Raymond E. Brown, The
Gospel According to John. Anchor Bible Series Vol. 29 (Garden City, NY:
Doubleday, 1983), p. 327.
3. Of this, Brown writes:
"We think it most probable that in this flow of water from the side of
Jesus (from within him) John sees the fulfillment of Jesus' own prophecy,
taking place in the hour of Jesus' glorification (cf. xii 23). The
parenthetical vs. 35 triumphantly insists that this really happened just as
Jesus had predicted and that there was an eyewitness to affirm it. Thus, for
John the flowing of the water is another proleptic symbol of the giving of the
Spirit" (The Gospel According to John, pp. 949-950.
4. The treasury is the
same as the Court of Women.
5. Regarding the
water-drawing ceremony, the Jerusalem Talmud Sukkah 55a states: "Why is
the name of it called, The drawing out of the water? Because of the pouring out
of the Holy Spirit."
6. George Q. Cannon, Collected
Discourses, Vol.2, April 6th, 1891.
7. George Q. Cannon,
Collected Discourses, Vol.4, April 8, 1894.
8. Dallin H. Oaks,
"Alternate Voices," Ensign, May 1989, pp.29-30.
Chapter 26-27
August 25, 2005
“Ask and it shall be given unto you”
- Teaching the disciples the Lord’s Prayer
(Luke 9:51.)
51 ¶ And it came to pass,
when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his
face to go to
The rest of Luke comes from this
verse, teach the Apostles the gospel.
(JST Luke 11:1-4.)
1 And it came to pass, as
Jesus was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said
unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 And he said unto them,
When ye pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our
daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins;
for we also forgive every one who is indebted to us. And let us not be led unto
temptation; but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom and power. Amen.
5 And he said unto them,
Your heavenly Father will not fail to give unto you whatsoever ye ask of him.
And he spake a parable, saying,
We direct our prayers to Heavenly
Father, recognizing His position in our lives #1.
We pray to know and do God’s will,
so we can do that work here. My bread
comes from His grace to me, not from my brains.
We escape temptation by not going
there in the first place. He will not
step on our agency; ask for the gift of discernment, and the ability to follow
the prophets and apostles.
(Alma 13:27-28.)
27 And now, my brethren, I
wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain,
that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not
procrastinate the day of your repentance;
28 But that ye would
humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and
pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and
thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient,
full of love and all long-suffering;
Our sins are not unique, many suffer
from the same maladies, ask any Bishop!
ASK:
- The kingdom to come –
Millennium, to create a
To Prepare a People for the
Millennium
Joseph Smith
On the evening on the 21st
of September, A.D. 1823, while I was praying unto God, and endeavoring to
exercise faith in the precious promises of Scripture, on a sudden a light like
that of day, only of a far purer and more glorious appearance and brightness,
burst into the room indeed the first sight was as though the house was filled
with consuming fire; the appearance produced a shock that affected the whole
body; in a moment a personage stood before me surrounded with a glory yet
greater than that with which I was already surrounded. This messenger
proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings that
the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that
the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to
commence; that the time was at hand for the Gospel in all its fullness to be
preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the
Millennial reign. I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in
the hands of God to bring about some of His purposes in this glorious
dispensation. (History of the Church, 4:536; emphasis added)
Heber J. Grant
The mission of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of peace. It aims to prepare the
people of the world for the second coming of Christ, and for the inauguration
of that blessed day when the millennium shall come and Christ shall reign as
the King of kings, standing at the head of the universal brotherhood of man. (Gospel
Standards, p.18)
Ezra Taft Benson
The mission of the Church is
to herald the message of salvation and make unmistakably clear the pathway to
exaltation. Our mission is to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord. The
power of God and the righteousness of the Saints will be the means by which the
Church will be spared (see 1 Nephi 14:14-15). [Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,
p.176]
The Millennial Mission of the Church
In the conference that President Gordon B. Hinckley was sustatined as President
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he made this statement:
Now, my brethren and sisters, the time has
come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to
a greater comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of
this The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a season to be
strong. It is a time to move forward without hesitation, knowing well the
meaning, the breadth, and the importance of our mission. (“This Is the
Work of the Master,” Ensign, May 1995, p. 71).
Ten years
later while giving an account of his stewardship to the Church, he began by
repeating the above statement (see “Opening Remarks,” Ensign, May 2005,
p. 4). He concluded that report by saying:
I now repeat what I said 10 years ago, let us “stand a little
taller, … lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension and
understanding of the grand millennial mission of this The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
What is the millennial
mission of the Church? We are given insight into the millennail mission
of the Church from Moroni. In 1842, Joseph Smith wrote the following:
On the evening on the 21st of September, A.D. 1823, while I was
praying unto God, and endeavoring to exercise faith in the precious promises of
Scripture, on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a far purer and more
glorious appearance and brightness, burst into the room indeed the first sight
was as though the house was filled with consuming fire; the appearance produced
a shock that affected the whole body; in a moment a personage stood before me
surrounded with a glory yet greater than that with which I was already surrounded.
This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the
joyful tidings that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand
to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the
Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the
Gospel in all its fullness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a
people might be prepared for the Millennial reign. I was informed that I
was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some
of His purposes in this glorious dispensation." (History of the
Church, Vol.4: p. 536)
- To know His will, so we can do
it. His timetable, His way of
doing things
3. Daily needs (wants) He knows them before we
ask, we don’t know!!
4.
Forgive me of my sins; help me not to be lead into temptation
Need to have this in perspective,
don’t pray out of order! # 3 doesn’t
come before 1 and 2!
We need to understand the Lord’s
Prayer before understanding the parables Luke gives.
ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU
"And it came to pass, that, as
he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said
unto him, Lord, teach us to pray." Our Lord's example and the spirit of
prayer manifest in His daily life moved the disciples to ask for instruction as
to how they should pray. No form of private prayer was given in the law, but
formal prayers had been prescribed by the Jewish authorities, and John the
Baptist had instructed his followers in the mode or manner of prayer. Responding
to the disciples' request, Jesus repeated that brief epitome of soulful
adoration and supplication which we call the Lord's Prayer. This He had before
given in connection with the Sermon on the Mount. fn On this occasion of its
repetition, the Lord supplemented the prayer by explaining the imperative
necessity of earnestness and enduring persistency in praying.
The lesson was made plain by the Parable
of the Friend at Midnight:
And he said unto them, Which of you
shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him,
Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to
me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and
say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed;
I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give
him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and
give him as many as he needeth.
The man to whose home a friend had
come at midnight could not let his belated and weary guest go hungry, yet there
was no bread in the house. He made his visitor's wants his own, and pleaded at
his neighbor's door as though asking for himself. The neighbor was loath to
leave his comfortable bed and disturb his household to accommodate another;
but, finding that the man at the door was importunate, he at last arose and
gave him what he asked, so as to get rid of him and be able to sleep in peace.
The Master added by way of comment and instruction: "Ask, and it shall
be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you."
The hospitable man in the parable had
refused to be repulsed; he kept on knocking until the door was opened; and as a
result received what he wanted, found what he had set out to obtain. The
parable is regarded by some as a difficult one to apply, since it deals with
the selfish and comfort-loving element of human nature, and apparently uses
this to symbolize God's deliberate delay. The explanation, however, is clear
when the context is duly considered. The Lord's lesson was, at if man, with all
his selfishness and disinclination to give, will nevertheless grant what his
neighbor with proper purpose asks and continues to ask in spite of objection
and temporary refusal, with assured
certainty will God grant what is persistently asked in faith and with righteous
intent. No parallelism lies between man's selfish refusal and God's wise and
beneficent waiting. There must be a consciousness of real need for prayer, and
real trust in God, to make prayer effective; and in mercy the Father sometimes
delays the granting that the asking may be more fervent. But in the words of
Jesus: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask him?"
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 402.)
What the parable is teaching: Pray for the right things in order and with
persistency and it will come. ASK, SEE,
KNOCK
What the parable is NOT teaching: Just because you ask, doesn’t mean you will
receive it!
Praying to understand the will of
God, faith is in the answer, we know He will answer according to His will.
Elder Wirthlin, Oct, 2002
Conference: Shall He find Faith?
Absolute confidence in things you
cannot see which are true combined with action that is in absolute conformity
to the will of God.
His way of doing things coupled with
His timetable – Elder Oaks, “Timing”.
Luke 18 – Parable of the Unjust
Judge – Don’t take this out of context, Concept of Persistency
18:1-8 This parable teaching the value of
persistence in prayer is found only in Luke and has been called by two titles:
the Parable of the Unjust Judge, and the Parable of the Importunate Widow.
Somewhat similar teachings are found in DC 101:81-92.
The judge was of wicked character; he
denied justice to the widow, who could obtain redress from none other. He was
moved to action by the desire to escape the woman's importunity. Let us beware
of the error of comparing his selfish action with the ways of God. Jesus did
not indicate that as the wicked judge finally yielded to supplication so would
God do; but He pointed out that if even such a being as this judge, who
"feared not God, neither regarded man," would at last hear and grant
the widow's plea, no one should doubt that God, the Just and Merciful, will
hear and answer. The judge's obduracy, though wholly wicked on his part, may
have been ultimately advantageous to the widow. Had she easily obtained redress
she might have become again unwary, and perchance a worse adversary than the
first might have oppressed her. The Lord's purpose in giving the parable is
specifically stated; it was "to this end, that men ought always to pray,
and not to faint." (JTC, p. 436.)
(Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to
Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1978], 2: 328.)
Parable of the Unjust Judge
What a lesson on prayer is taught in
this Parable of the Unjust Judge, otherwise known as the Parable of the
Importunate Widow!
Prayers are answered and proper petitions
granted whenever sufficient faith is exercised. (3 Ne. 18:20; Moro. 7:26.)
Faith is the power which brings answers to prayers, and prayers are effective
only when offered in faith. The mere recitation of words in prayers means
little unless such are uttered with real intent and are accompanied by an
honest, heartfelt, sincere desire and hope that the blessings sought shall be
granted. (Moro. 7:6-9.) And faith itself—the power which brings answers to
prayers—is increased through the spiritual communion that attends true prayer.
To gain blessings from the Lord, man
is commanded: "Ask, and it shall be given you." (Matt. 7:7.) But the
command also is: "Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not
that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." (Jas. 1:6-7.)
Accordingly, in this parable we find
Jesus teaching the saints that when their cause is just, the Lord expects them
to continue in importunate, determined, and persevering prayer—day after day,
year after year, as long as they live. By such a course they strengthen their
own faith and so attain the desired blessings.
Luke 18:4-7. In comparing Deity to an
unjust judge the purpose is to contrast the perfection of God's judgment with
that of a wicked and unjust earthly jurist. The thought is: 'If an unjust
earthly judge will finally dispense justice because of the repeated
importunities of the widow, how much more shall the God of all the earth, who
is the embodiment of perfect justice and impartiality, grant the just petitions
of his faithful saints.'
I. V. Luke 18:8. "'Yet ere the
Son of Man comes to redress the wrongs of his Church, so low will the hope of
relief sink, through the length of the delay, that one will be fain to ask,
Will he find any faith of a coming avenger left on the earth?' From this we
learn: (1) That the primary and historical reference to this parable is to the
Church in its widowed, desolate, oppressed, defenseless condition during the
present absence of her Lord in the heavens; (2) That in these circumstances
importunate, persevering prayer for deliverance is the Church's fitting
exercise; (3) That notwithstanding every encouragement to this, so long will
the answer be delayed, while the need of relief continues the same, and all
hope of deliverance will have nearly died out, and 'faith' of Christ's coming
scarcely be found." (Jamieson, p. 118.)
In modern times the Lord again applied the
principles taught in the parable to "the Church in its widowed, desolate,
oppressed, defenseless condition." In petitioning for redress of their
just grievances the "children of
(Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 1: 542.)
(JST Luke 17:20-37)
20 And when he was
demanded of the Pharisees, when the
21 Neither shall they say,
Lo, here! or, Lo, there! For, behold, the
22 And he said unto his
disciples, The days will come, when they will desire to see one of the days of
the Son of man, and they shall not see it.
23 And if they shall say
to you, See here! or, See there! Go not after them, nor follow them.
24 For as the light of the
morning, that shineth out of the one part under heaven, and lighteneth to the
other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
25 But first he must
suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
26 And as it was in the
days of Noe; so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they
drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe
entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was
in the days of
29 But the same day that
Lot went out of
30 Even thus shall it be
in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
31 In that day, the
disciple who shall be on the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not
come down to take it away; and he who is in the field, let him likewise not return
back.
32 Remember
33 Whosoever shall seek to
save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life, shall preserve
it.
34 I tell you, in that
night there shall be two in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other
shall be left. Two shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the
other left.
35 Two shall be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
36 And they answered and
said unto him, Where, Lord, shall they be taken?
37 And he said unto them,
Wheresoever the body is gathered; or, in other words, whithersoever the saints
are gathered, thither will the eagles be gathered together; or, thither will
the remainder be gathered together.
Bruce talked about dating,
courtship, and celestial marriage.
Having a successful relationship
- Gospel Ideals
- Friendship
- Love (not lust)
- Celestial Romance (Husband and
Wife)
The Savior did not abide by the oral
law, he came to fulfill the written law that He gave to Moses.
Christ to the Pharisees – Can you do
good works on the Sabbath, healing for instance? No answer
Counting the Cost of Discipleship –
More than money! Duty to God above all
else
COUNTING THE COST
As had been in
As Jesus pointed out, it is good
common-sense to count well the cost before one enters upon a great undertaking,
even in ordinary affairs. A man who wishes to build, say a tower or a house,
tries to determine, before he begins the work, what the expense will be;
otherwise he may be able to do no more than lay the foundation; then, not only
will he find himself a loser, for the unfinished structure will be of no
service, but people may laugh at his lack of prudent forethought. So also a
king, finding his realm menaced by hostile invaders, does not rush into battle
recklessly; he first tries to ascertain the strength of the enemy's forces; and
then, if the odds against him be too great, he sends an embassage to treat for
peace. "So likewise," said Jesus to the people around Him,
"whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be
my disciple." All who entered His service would be expected to maintain their
self-sacrificing devotion. He wanted no disciples who would become like salt
that had spoiled, unsavory and useless. "He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear." fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both
Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 451.)
Beginning of 3rd
Semester of Class
The Last Winter
Chapter 28
September 15, 2005
This chapter comes from John’s
gospel. John mentions Christ in
Jerusalem several more times then the other gospel writers do, they refer to
Him in Jerusalem only once, the triumphal entry, Last Supper, Gethsamene, trial, death, and
resurrection.
The Feast of Lights – Christ is the
Light of the World
AT THE FEAST OF DEDICATION
Jesus returned to
The Lord's reply was indirect in
form, though in substance and effect incisive and unmistakable. He referred
them to His former utterances and to His continued works. "I told
you," He said, "and ye believed not: the works that I do in my
Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not
of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me,
is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
I and my Father are one." The reference to what had been before told was a
reminder of His teachings on the occasion of an earlier sojourn among them,
when He had proclaimed Himself as the I AM, who was older and greater than
Abraham, and of His other proclamation of Himself as the Good Shepherd. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 453.)
From Cyrus to Herod
Brief mention must be made of the
centuries of Jewish life in which the culture and religion of Jesus' day were
molded and formed. From Abraham to the going down into
The first group of exiles, some fifty
thousand in number, returned in 536 B.C. under Zerubbabel, who built again the
House of the Lord. This was a day when there were still prophets in
After Nehemiah's day, the Jewish
nation became a
When
In the beginning of the second
century B.C., the Syrian Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) became master of
At this dark hour, in the providences
of the Lord, the house of Mattathias, called the Maccabees, began to rally
their Jewish compatriots against the Syrian armies. One of the sons, Judas
Maccabeus, routed the Syrians in one engagement after another, became a
national hero, restored the daily sacrifice and the service of the temple, and
became governor of
The Feast of Dedication—attended by
Jesus when he announced himself as the Good Shepherd, and said: "I and my
Father are one. . . . I am the Son of God" (John 10)—was instituted in the
days of Judas Maccabeus as the temple was rededicated after its vile
desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes. And it was into the mouth of the Maccabean
hero—"truly God's Hammer," Edersheim says of him—that Longfellow put
these words:
Antiochus,
At every step thou takest there is
left
A bloody footprint in the street, by
which
The avenging wrath of God will track
thee out!
It is enough. Go to the sutler's
tents:
Those of you who are men, put on such
armor
As ye may find; those of you who are
women,
Buckle that armor on; and for the
watchword
Whisper, or cry aloud, "The Help
of God."
This Asmonean rule continued until
(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal
Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1979-1981], 1: 296.)
The oil in the lamps burned for 8
days, it was considered a miracle. This
feast is not part of the Law of Moses, but part of the Maccabean revolt in
164-165 BC.
John 10, The Jews did not see Christ
as a Redemptive Messiah, Christ explained clearly who He was in Chapters 8-9 in
John, they didn’t believe Him.
In the Joseph Smith Translation, John
the Baptist says, "I am not that Elias who was to restore all things. And
they asked him, saying, Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No." (JST,
John 1:22.) John, it appears, was a forerunner, and in that sense an Elias. But
he was not, in his own eyes, "that Elias who was to restore all things."
Some scholars conclude that all these
strands of prophecy were embodied and fulfilled in Christ; others conclude that
each sect or group had its own peculiar version of the messianic hope; while
some believe that the Redemptive Messiah, the Preparing Messiah, and the
Priestly Messiah are three different persons. In fact, the elaboration of
messianic expectation and the overlay of fancy, tradition, and speculation
means that today both Judaism and Christianity are multi-messianic. The
restoration is mono-messianic. It appears that there is one and only one who
deserves the title.
(Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith
the Prophet [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989], 108.)
Matthew 16:13-20, 21-23 – Peter had
a testimony from the Holy Ghost who Christ was, but didn’t know what it
meant!! They looked for His coming to be
immediate, the parables in Matthew 25:12 and Luke 19:11 tell of the traveler
going to a FAR country, it will take a long time to return!
He admonished the apostles not to
tell anyone who He was until they had a CORRECT understanding themselves who He
was.
The Feast of the Tabernacles was
held in September-October of each year.
Ezekiel 34 – Good Shepards are not
found within
Ezekiel was a contempary to Jeremiah
and Lehi; he was captured and taken to
John 10:11, 15, and 17 – 3 times the
Savior says He will die for the sheep (us).
He tells the Jews again who He is and as they condem Him he quotes
Psalms 82
(Psalms 82:6.)
6 I have said, Ye are
gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
So we are all sons and daughters of
God, even those Jews who want to kill him.
Bruce described in detail the
doctrine of the fall and the reasons we need to be spiritually reborn to again become the sons and daughters of God.
Moses 6:62-68 – D&C 11:30 –
Mosiah 5:7 – Job 1:6 – John 3:1-8
All of us were disinherited and
became the children of Satan after the fall, through gospel ordinances we are
adopted back to the family of God.
Listen carefully to the sealing of children to parents in the temple,
become heirs, “by the authority of
the Holy Priesthood”.
Raising Lazarus from the dead was
the 3rd time Christ had performed this miracle.
The Jews believed that after death
the spirit stayed with the body 3 days, so Jesus purposely waited until the 4th
day to perform the miracle.
Lazarus in the Tomb Four Days.-On the very probable assumption that
the journey from Bethany in Judea to the place where Jesus was, in Perea, would
require one day, Lazarus must have died on the day of the messenger's
departure; for this day and the two days that elapsed before Jesus started
toward Judea, and the day required for the return, would no more than cover the
four days specified. It was and still is the custom in
It was the popular belief that on the
fourth day after death the spirit had finally departed from the vicinity of the
corpse, and that thereafter decomposition proceeded unhindered. This may
explain Martha's impulsive though gentle objection to having the tomb of her
brother opened four days after his death (John 11:39). It is possible that the
consent of the next of kin was required for the lawful opening of a grave. Both
Martha and Mary were present, and in the presence of many witnesses assented to
the opening of the tomb in which their brother lay.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 464.)
Martha and Mary both believed in the
Savior’s work, but didn’t fathom the depth of His work and ministry. JST John 11
Arriving on the outskirts of
The sorrowing woman's faith had to be
lifted and centered in the Lord of Life with whom she was speaking. She had before
confessed her conviction that whatever Jesus asked of God would be granted; she
had to learn that unto Jesus had already been committed power over life and
death. She was hopefully expectant of some superhuman interposition by the Lord
Jesus in her behalf, yet she knew not what that might be. Apparently at this
time she had no well-defined thought or even hope that He would call her
brother from the tomb. To the Lord's question as to whether she believed what
He had just said, she answered with simple frankness; all of it she was not
able to understand; but she believed in the Speaker even while unable to fully
comprehend His words. "Yea, Lord," she said, "I believe that
thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."
Then she returned to the home, and
with precaution of secrecy on account of the presence of some whom she knew to
be unfriendly to Jesus, said to Mary: "The Master is come, and calleth for
thee." Mary left the house in haste. The Jews who had been with her
thought that she had been impelled by a fresh resurgence of grief to go again
to the grave, and they followed her. When she reached the Master, she knelt at
His feet, and gave expression to her consuming sorrow in the very words Martha
had used: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died."
We cannot doubt that the conviction so voiced had been the burden of comment
and lamentation between the two sisters-if only Jesus had been with them they
would not have been bereft of their brother.
The sight of the two women so
overcome by grief, and of the people wailing with them, caused Jesus to sorrow,
so that He groaned in spirit and was deeply troubled. "Where have ye laid
him?" He asked; and Jesus wept. As the sorrowing company went toward the
tomb, some of the Jews, observing the Lord's emotion and tears, said:
"Behold how he loved him!" but others, less sympathetic because of
their prejudice against Christ, asked critically and reproachfully: "Could
not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this
man should not have died?" The miracle by which a man blind from birth had
been made to see was very generally known, largely because of the official
investigation that had followed the healing. fn The Jews had been compelled to
admit the actuality of the astounding occurrence; and the question now raised
as to whether or why One who could accomplish such a wonder could not have
preserved from death a man stricken with an ordinary illness, and that man one
whom He seemed to have dearly loved, was an innuendo that the power possessed
by Jesus was after all limited, and of uncertain or capricious operation. This
manifestation of malignant unbelief caused Jesus again to groan with sorrow if
not indignation. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ:
A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both
Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 457.)
John records 7 miracles (signs)
Jesus performed from the water to wine to the raising of Lazarus.
Distance isn’t a problem to perform
miracles!
Glory=Capacity, power over life and
death physically and spiritually. It is
a testament of the Lord’s Messiahship.
(Alma 12:15.)
15 But this cannot be; we
must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his
might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all
his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is
merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man
that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.
Christ has all power to save
everyone who believes on His name.
Lazarus couldn’t save himself any
more than we can! We need the Savior,
the Glory of God is available to all who ask, and we can be brought back from
spiritual death
On to
Chapters 29-30
September 22, 2005
(John 12:20-30.)
20 ¶ And there were
certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
21 The same came therefore
to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we
would see Jesus.
22 Philip cometh and
telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
23 ¶ And Jesus answered
them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24 Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
25 He that loveth his life
shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto
life eternal.
26 If any man serve me,
let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man
serve me, him will my Father honour.
27 Now is my soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this
cause came I unto this hour.
28 Father, glorify thy
name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified
it, and will glorify it again.
29 The people therefore,
that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An
angel spake to him.
30 Jesus answered and
said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.
CERTAIN GREEKS VISIT CHRIST
Among the multitudes who came to
To them Jesus testified that the hour
of His death was near at hand, the hour in which "the Son of man should be
glorified." They were surprised and pained by the Lord's words, and
possibly they inquired as to the necessity of such a sacrifice. Jesus explained
by citing a striking illustration drawn from nature: "Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." fn The simile is an
apt one, and at once impressively simple and beautiful. A farmer who neglects
or refuses to cast his wheat into the earth, because he wants to keep it, can
have no increase; but if he sow the wheat in good rich soil, each living grain
may multiply itself many fold, though of necessity the seed must be sacrificed
in the process. So, said the Lord, "He that loveth his life shall lose it;
and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life
eternal." The Master's meaning is clear; he that loves his life so well
that he will not imperil it, or, if need be, give it up, in the service of God,
shall forfeit his opportunity to win the bounteous increase of eternal life;
while he who esteems the call of God as so greatly superior to life that his
love of life is as hatred in comparison, shall find the life he freely yields
or is willing to yield, though for the time being it disappear like the grain
buried in the soil; and he shall rejoice in the bounty of eternal development.
If such be true of every man's existence, how transcendently so was it of the
life of Him who came to die that men may live? Therefore was it necessary that
He die, as He had said He was about to do; but His death, far from being life
lost, was to be life glorified.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A
Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient
and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 481.)
Death versus life – He dies then
comes the resurrection, we all live!
There was a great difference between
Greek Jews and Hebrew Jews, especially their different cultures and
lifestyles.. It was like Hassidic Jews
and American Jews here, very different, but both are still Americans!!
Pharisee = Hebrew Jews
Saducees = Greek Jews
The Diaspora saw the spreading of
Judiasm all over that part of the world; see Acts 2, there were many more Greek
speaking Jews than Aramiac speaking Jews.
Acts 6:5 – a Proselyte was a Gentile
convert to Judiasm that converted to Christianity. Nicolas was a proselyte from
(Acts 6:1-7.)
1 And in those days, when
the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the
Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily
ministration.
2 Then the twelve called
the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason
that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
3 Wherefore, brethren,
look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and
wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give
ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 ¶ And the saying pleased
the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the
Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas,
and Nicolas a proselyte of
6 Whom they set before the
apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God
increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in
Hosanna = Save us, please!
Christ triumphal entry into
2 Nephi 10:3-5, 26:29
The chief priests (6 families) and
the elders were the main beneficiaries of the selling at the temple. For those people who traveled from afar, how
would they offer sacrifice for themselves?
They had to buy the animal there!
However the prices charged were extreme, profits ranged upwards of
100%!! It would be like going the
today’s temple and being charged $200.00 to rent temple clothes!!
95% of the population were the
peasants, 5% were the elite, through politics the minority ruled in every
aspect the lives of the majority, fees, taxes, land ownership etc. The
Sanhedrin (70-71 members) was picked out of the elite group along with 5 of the
Chief priests; Paul was a member of the Sanhedrin.
Chapter 30
Cursing of the Fig tree – the fruit
was supposed to be on the tree along with the leaves, this tree only had the
leaves, no fruit, Jesus cursed it dead, he showed power over life and
death. This tree symbolized the fate of
Jeremiah 7 – the
67-68 AD – Greed and neglect of the
poor was so bad, the robber groups gained more power and influence in
Because of the conditions in and
around
Jesus had another confrontation with
the Jewish leaders, they tried to debate Jesus, but He turned the tables on
them!
CHRIST'S AUTHORITY CHALLENGED BY THE RULERS
On the following day, that is on
Tuesday, He returned to the temple with the Twelve, passing the withered fig
tree on the way and impressing the moral of the combined miracle and parable as
we have already seen. As He taught in the sacred place, preaching the gospel to
all who would hear, the chief priests with a number of scribes and elders came
upon Him in a body. They had been debating about Him over night, and had
resolved on at least one step; they would challenge His authority for what He
had done the day before. They were the guardians of the temple, both the material
structure and the theocratic system for which the holy edifice stood; and this
Galilean, who permitted Himself to be called the Christ and defended those who
so acclaimed Him, had for the second time ignored their authority within the
temple walls and in the presence of the common people over whom they lorded so
arrogantly. So this official deputation, with plans matured, came to Him
saying: "By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this
authority?" This action was doubtless a preliminary step in a preconcerted
attempt to suppress the activities of Jesus, both of word and deed, within the
temple precincts. It will be remembered that after the first cleansing of the
temple, the Jews had angrily demanded of Jesus a sign by which they might judge
the question of His divine commission; fn and it is significant that on this
latter occasion no sign was asked, but instead thereof, a specific avowal as to
the authority He possessed and by whom it had been given Him. A three years'
course of miracle and teaching was known to them; on the yesterday blind and
lame had been healed inside the temple walls; and Lazarus, the living testimony
of the Lord's power over death and the grave was before them. To ask a further
sign would have been to flagrantly expose themselves to the ridicule of the
people.
They knew what authority the Lord
claimed; their question was of sinister purpose. Jesus did not condescend to
voice an answer in which they could possibly find further excuse for
antagonizing Him; but He availed Himself of a method very common among
themselves-that of countering one question with another. "And Jesus
answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell
me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The
baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?" They consulted
among themselves as to what answer would best serve to extricate them from an
embarrassing position; no mention is made of any attempt to ascertain the truth
and reply accordingly; they were thoroughly nonplussed. Should they answer that
John's baptism was of God, Jesus would probably demand of them why then they
had not believed in the Baptist, and why they did not accept John's testimony
concerning Himself. On the other hand, should they aver that John had no divine
authority to preach and baptize, the people would turn against them, for the
martyred Baptist was revered by the masses as a prophet. In spite of their
boasted learning, they answered as puzzled school-boys might do when they
perceive hidden difficulties in what at first seemed but a simple problem.
"We cannot tell" said they. Then Jesus replied, "Neither tell I
you by what authority I do these things."
Chief priests, scribes, and elders of
the people were outwitted and humiliated. The tables were completely turned
upon them; Jesus, whom they had come to question, became the examiner; they a
class of cowed and unwilling listeners, He the ready instructor, and the
multitude interested observers. With little likelihood of immediate
interruption the Master proceeded in calm deliberation to relate to them a
series of three splendid stories, each of which they felt applied to themselves
with incisive certainty.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 503.)
Here is a lesson Bruce gave in
Meridian Magazine on this material.
The Jewish leaders could have
repented and changed their wicked ways but they did not. They decided to kill the Son instead. The leaders did not teach doctrine of why we
have the law, simply procedures and rules in living the law!
M E R I D I A
N M A G A Z I N E
Lesson 20
"Woe
unto You...Hypocrites"
John 21-23, John 12:1-8
by Bruce Satterfield,
The
In Matthew 21-23, we see
the final confrontation between the Savior and the religious leaders of the
Jewish people in
The
The following is a
picture of the
View of the
Description of
Generally, Israelite
worshipers entered the
The stairs leading up from
the triple gate opened into a large open court known as the Court of the
Gentiles. As the
Surrounding the Court of
the Gentiles were porticoes two columns deep and each 25 cubits high upon which
lay a flat roof. The rituals associated with the Mosaic Law were not performed
in the Court of the Gentiles; "rather, its colonnades served as a
gathering place for the people before and after worship, or for those who
ascended the
The
Beyond the balustrade
preventing gentiles from passing lay the
Herod's
The square court in the
foreground was known as the Treasury or the Court of Women so named because
women could pass no further than this area. The main entrance into the Court of
Women was through the eastern gate which was gold and silver plated. Secondary
doors lay on the north and south. It was in this court that the woman found in
adultery was brought before the Savior (John 8).
On the western end of the
Court of Women was a flight of 15 stairs in a semicircle that led to the Gate
of Nicanor (also known as the "Beautiful Gate" - Acts 3:2,10). Beyond
this gate was the Court of the Israelites followed by the Court of the Priests,
which immediately surrounded the
The most imposing feature
of the
On the northwest corner
of the
Chief Priests and Scribes
The New Testament phrase
for those who directed the affairs of the
One of the chief duties
of the
"A Den of
Thieves"
It appears that by the
time of Christ, the
In the ancient world
there was no separation between church and state. Both state and religion were
controlled by the "elite," mainly the aristocracy and priests. In
Judea and
The tax obligation among
the Jewish peasantry was both extreme and oppressive. Besides the Roman taxes,
the peasants were taxed by the
Often the peasants
grumbled about this intolerable situation. To handle the unsatisfied majority,
the minority, the Jewish elite, kept the peasantry in control through
indebtedness. Hanson and Oakman have observed: "Control of peasant labor
was effected in ancient agrarian societies by heavy demands for taxes, rents,
and debt-repayments. Peasants did not voluntarily supply labor for elites, nor
did they work willingly for wages. Most traditional peasants are as devoted to
self-sufficient household economy as elites are to the welfare of their
estates. Since elities need to control the labor of peasants without frequent
recourse to military force, exorbitant taxation and debt contracts backed up by
a judicial authority come into play."
(3)
Consequently, associated
with the
Through taxation backed
up by the Sanhedrin, "the powerful kept peasants and villages under a
constant barrage of demands and obligations-perennially in debt, if possible.
When peasants eventually got too far behind, they lost direct access to their
traditionally held land."
(4)
Richard Horsely
explained: "If a peasant family, after rendering up 40 percent or more of
its harvest, then had too little left to survive until the next harvest, it
would have to borrow grain for food, or for seed for the next sowing. Family
members may already have tried to hire themselves out as wage labor to a larger
landholder. . . Under such economic pressures, with too little produced to meet
the demands both for subsistence and for surpluses, the peasants were forced to
borrow. Continued borrowing would increase a family's debt significantly, with
a great risk of complete loss of land. One would then sink into the ranks of
the rural proletariat, the landless day laborers, or one could become a
sharecropping tenant, perhaps on one' own former parcel of land."
(5)
How did the peasants feel
about this? "They depended upon the temple and priests for regulating
their lives with God and for ensuring the fertility of the land. On the one
hand, the temple held power for them. Only if the priests satisfied God's
demands would things be well with weather, soil, and crops. . . When the
priestly opera (rituals) are done, God supplies the goods of life. . .
On the other hand, the temple held power over them as peasants chafed under
God's (and God's representatives') demands."
(6)
At least, this is how the
chief priests presented the role of the
After Josiah's death, the
At the time of Christ,
the Jewish leaders forgot the folly of their forefathers. Once again, the
"shepherds of
A consequence of this
nefarious situation the first century A. D. saw much social unrest among the
peasants. The years preceding and following the Savior's ministry were plagued
with many uprisings, particularly instigated by groups of bandits. Social
banditry became an affliction in Jewish society. Because many of the peasants
lost their land to the elite through indebtedness, they were forced to find
other means to survive. Consequently, many turned to banditry. Similar to Robin
Hood, they formed groups with leaders and lived in the desert, often in caves
or dens, making raids upon both the Jewish and Roman wealthy. Most often, these
were very wicked people, resembling more like Gadianton robbers than Robin
Hood. They became so powerful and numerous that they were a major force behind
the Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66 A.D. which ended in
Banditry was a constant
source of trouble for both the Roman and Jewish elite. Often, the military was
sent out to try to round up and extinguish these robbers. In fact, just prior
to the Savior's last week of his life, the leader of one such robber group,
with two of his henchmen, was captured by the Romans. The robber leader was
named Barabbas. His two henchmen were crucified with the Savior.
But the system that
perpetrated the social unrest of the first century was in itself banditry.
"The temple system as it had developed in the Herodian period within
agrarian social structures was oppressive and perceived by many (especially
peasants, upon whom rested the primary burden of the tribute) as
'banditry.'"
(8) It is in this setting that the Savior called the
Cleansing of the
The Savior began the last
week of his life by confronting the religious leaders of the Jews choosing to
attack to attack at the heart of their wicked priestcraft--the
Having arrived at
Matthew sees in the
triumphal entry, the fulfillment of two Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 62:11
and Zechariah 9:9): "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh
unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass."
The ass was an animal of peace and not one of war. Though the multitudes may
have saw in Jesus a king who would throw off the shackles of their Roman
overlords, he had in fact not come as a warrior. He had come as the Prince of
Peace.
The Savior proceeded to
the
On the surface, these may
have been considered legitimate and necessary practices. It was not practical
for those traveling great distances to bring their own sacrifices. Nor would
they have carried with them the local currency for the temple tax. Yet, these
practices need not be done on the Temple Mount! Further, it appears that those
who sold sacrifices and changed money were doing it at an exorbitant rate. That
this took place is evidenced in rabbinical writings. We are told: "It once
happened in Jerusalem that a pair of pigeons cost a golden denar [equal to 25
silver denars]. Rabban Simon ben Gamaliel said, 'By this Temple! [a form of
oath] I will not rest this night before a pair of pigeons are sold at a silver
denar."
(9)(Mishnah Kerithoth 1:7)
The Savior found these
practices repulsive. He then "cast out all them that sold and bought in
the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of
them that sold doves" declaring, "It is written, My house shall be
called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matt.
21:12-13).
Certainly, the activities
in the Court of the Gentiles did not represent the whole priestcraft. But by
clearing out these obvious money-making activities, the Savior was making a
stand against the priestcraft activities of the Temple as a whole.
After sanctifying the
Temple, "the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed
them" (Matt. 21:14). Upon seeing these things, the chief priests and
scribes, "who were sore displeased," chided the Savior because the
crowds had hailed him as the Son of David (Matt. 21:15-16). This scene reflects
the hard heartedness of the Jewish rulers and sets the stage for climatic ending
of Matthew's gospel!
The Cursing of the Fig
Tree
After the Savior spent
the night in the small neighboring village of Bethany (Matt. 21:17), he
returned to Jerusalem. He passed along the way a fig tree that was full of
leaves but was barren of fruit (Matt. 21:18-22). This is unusual. One of the
unique characteristics of a fig tree is that when it puts forth leaves, it puts
forth fruit at the same time.
(10) Therefore, if one saw a fig tree with leaves, he would expect to
see fruit as well. But the fig tree bore no fruit. In a horrific display of his
power, the Savior cursed the fig tree and it immediately "withered
away."
The tree was cursed
because it did not produce fruit. Of this Spencer W. Kimball said, "The
symbolism of the barren fig tree (Matt. 21:19) is eloquent. The unproductive
tree was cursed for its barrenness."
(11) John the Baptist had warned the Jews, "the axe is laid unto
the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit
is hewn down, and cast into the fire" (Matt. 3:10). Likewise, the Savior
said, "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and
cast into the fire" (Matt. 7:19). In other words, if the Jews did not
produce works acceptable to God, they would be destroyed. To this point in his
ministry, the Savior had only displayed the positive nature of his power: the
power to heal, give life, and do good. In cursing the barren fig tree, the
Savior demonstrated his power to curse, smite, and destroy. In so doing, it
foreshadowed the fate of those of the Jewish nation who would reject the
ministry of Jesus.
Confrontation Between
Jesus and the Rulers
Matthew's inclusion of
the cursing of the fig tree sets the stage for the confrontation between the
Savior and the Jewish leaders (21:23-22:46). The Savior came to the temple
where he began teaching the people. "The chief priests and the elders of
the people"-i.e., the Sanhedrin-came to him and questioned him: "By
what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?"
What "these things" had reference to is unstated. Certainly it must
have included the clearing of the Temple but probably also included the
triumphal entry, the healings, as well as teaching.
"The question, of
course, is a challenge. They are not asking for information about him; they
know that he has not authority (in their sense of the word) to act as he has
been doing. The temple was under the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin, which they
represented; the merchants and the money-changers exercised their trades under
concessions granted by the Sanhedrin. They knew without asking that no
authority had been granted to Jesus to interfere with the existing
arrangements."
(12)
They placed the Savior in
a difficult situation. "It follows that were Jesus to answer, 'I do these
things by human authority', he would contradict his own bold behavior, but that
were he to answer, 'I do these things by divine authority', he would be laying
explicit public claim to messianic status . . ."
(13)
In response to the
challenge issued by the rulers, the Savior said that if they would tell him
where John the Baptist received his authority to baptize, he would tell them
where he had received his authority. But "they reasoned with themselves,
saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then
believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John
as a prophet." So they replied, "We cannot tell." To which the
Savior said, " Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
things" (21:23-27). "These were men who had been asked a question to
which they knew the answer, but who refused to give it because they were afraid
of the consequences. Why should a teacher like Jesus answer the loaded
questions of men like these?"
(14)
Three Parables
Though the Savior did not
answer the question the rulers asked, He did respond to their challenge by
delivering three parables. The meaning of these parables is clear: the
rejection of Jesus by the Jews would eventually lead to their destruction and
the destruction of
Parable of the Two Sons
In the first of the three
parables (Matt. 21:28-32), the hard hearts of the rulers were contrasted to the
open hearts of the "publicans and harlots" who had come to believe on
him. The Savior began the parable by asking the rulers a question: "But
what think ye?" Then followed the parable: A farmer asked his two sons to
go work in the fields. The first said, "I will not: but afterward he
repented, and went." Then the second said, "I go, sir: and went
not."
The Savior then continued
the question he had started the parable with, "Whether of them twain did
the will of his father?" The answer was obvious, the first son! After the
Jewish leaders gave the right answer, the Savior gave this stunning rebuke:
"Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the
The interpretation of the
parable is simple. The first son represented the publicans and harlots who had
lead sinful lives. However, upon hearing the gospel taught by Christ, they
repented of their past actions. The second son represented the Pharisees and
scribes. They would not repent upon hearing the message of the gospel.
Parable of the Wicked
Husbandman
Following upon the heel
of the Savior's reprimand, the Savior told them the parable of the householder
(21:33-44). "A certain householder" who owned a vineyard rented his
land to "husbandmen." They would take care of the vineyard and reap
the rewards. Often, in circumstances such as presented in the parable, rent
payment was a certain percentage of the harvest. As harvest time drew near, the
householder sent his servants to collect the percentage of the harvest that
belonged to him. But "the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and
killed another, and stoned another." The householder sent other servants
but the same fate befell them. Finally, he sent his own son hoping that
"They will reverence my son." However, when the son came, the
husbandmen "said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill
him, and let us seize on his inheritance." They carried out their foul
plan. The Savior then asked the rulers what the householder would do to the
husbandmen. Properly, they responded, "He will miserably destroy those
wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render
him the fruits in their seasons."
The meaning of the
parable is obvious. Throughout their history, Jewish rulers had rejected the
prophets of the Lord. But God had now sent is own Son. Nonetheless, the rulers
would reject him as well. The parable suggests the motive for their rejection.
The husbandman said: "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize
on his inheritance." As explained previously, Jacob, in the Book of
Mormon, explained that the rejection of Christ by the Jews was "because of
priestcrafts and iniquities" (2 Ne. 10:5). The rulers were using the
Lord's kingdom administered through the law of Moses, whom Christ was the legal
heir, as a priestcraft. The coming of Christ was seen by these rulers as an
interruption of their priestcraft.
Not only did the Savior
prophesy his own demise in this parable, but warned that because of the Jewish
rejection of Christ the Jewish nation including their capital, Jerusalem, would
suffer destruction. Further, he prophesied that the gentiles would be given the
opportunity to have the gospel.
The Stone Rejected
Before proceeding to the
third parable, the Savior continued his warning of the impending destruction of
the Jewish nation. "Did ye never read in the scriptures," he said,
"The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the
corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?"
(Matt. 21:42). This quotation from Psalms 118:22, speaks of the rejection of
the Messiah, the stone of Irsael. He warned them that because they would reject
him, the stone of Israel, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and
given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matt. 21:43). The
"nation" spoken of was an illusion to the gentiles. He then said,
perhaps pointing to himself, "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall
be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder"
(Mat. 21:44).
The JST adds: "And
they said among themselves, Shall this man think that he alone can spoil this
great kingdom? And they were angry with him" (JST Matt. 21:48). Though
they wanted to "lay hands on him" they thought better "because
they learned that the multitude took him for a prophet" (JST Matt. 21:49).
The JST continues the
story adding further insight. "And now his disciples came to him, and
Jesus said unto them, Marvel ye at the words of the parable which I spake unto
them? Verily, I say unto you, I am the stone, and those wicked ones reject me.
I am the head of the corner. These Jews shall fall upon me, and shall be
broken. And the kingdom of God shall be taken from them, and shall be given to
a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof; (meaning the Gentiles.) Wherefore,
on whomsoever this stone shall fall, it shall grind him to powder. And when the
Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, he will destroy those miserable, wicked
men, and will let again his vineyard unto other husbandmen, even in the last
days, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. And then understood
they the parable which he spake unto them, that the Gentiles should be
destroyed also, when the Lord should descend out of heaven to reign in his
vineyard, which is the earth and the inhabitants thereof" (JST Matt.
21:50-56
The Parable of the
Wedding Garment
The Savior then delivered
a third parable: the parable of the wedding garment (Matt. 22:1-14). In the
parable, a king "made a marriage for his son." "When the
marriage was ready" (JST 22:3), the king sent forth his servants to tell
those who had been invited to the wedding to "come unto the
marriage." "But they made light of the servants, and went their ways;
one to his farm, another to his merchandise; And the remnant took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully, and slew them" (JST Matt. 22:5-6). When the
king heard how his servants were treated, "he was wroth: and he sent forth
his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." The
king said, "The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not
worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to
the marriage." The servants did as they were commanded: they "went
out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both
bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."
The parable could have
ended here with the point being made. However, there is second point the Savior
wished to make. "When the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a
man which had not on a wedding garment." We do not know enough about
wedding ceremonies during the time of Christ to understand the cultural aspect
of this portion of the parable. But either a wedding garment was given to those
invited to the wedding or at least suitable clothing was made available.
Whatever is the case, it is apparent that having the wedding garment was
essential for the wedding feast. The king asked, "Friend, how camest thou
in hither not having a wedding garment?" Perhaps in the rush of filling
the wedding with guests, the man was not able to get a garment or none was
given him. But the man "was speechless." That is, he had been given
the opportunity to receive the garment but did not take it. "Then said the
king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast [him]
into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The
Savior concluded the parable saying, "For many are called, but few
chosen." The JST adds, "wherefore all do not have on the wedding
garment" (JST Matt. 22:14).
The King represents God,
the Father. The king's son is Christ. The wedding feast represents Christ's
coming among the Jews. The marriage metaphor was common metaphor used in the
Old Testament to represent the covenant relationship between God and Israel.
(15)
The parable has two
points. The first is more obvious than the second. The first point is a
reiteration of the last parable: because the Jews rejected the Lord's servants,
they would be destroyed and the gospel would be taken to the gentiles.
The second point focuses
on preparation. Those who have been called to the wedding feast were given a
special garment to wear at the feast. As the king looked over the hastily
bidden guests, he spied a man not wearing the wedding garment. What was the
garment? We are not told. But it is apparent that without the garment, one was
not prepared to enjoy the wedding festivities.
Of this, Joseph Smith
stated: " . . . the day of the Lord fast approaching when none except
those who have won the wedding garment will be permitted to eat and drink in
the presence of the Bridegroom, the Prince of Peace!"
(16) The wedding garment represents personal preparedness for the
Lord's coming. Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated: "Salvation is a personal
matter; it comes to individuals, not congregations. Church membership alone
does not save; obedience after baptism is required. Each person called to the
marriage feast will be examined separately, and of the many called to partake
of the bounties of the gospel few only will wear the robes of righteousness
which must clothe every citizen in the celestial heaven. True it is that the
Lord "hath bid his guests," as Zephaniah said, but "all such as
are clothed with strange apparel" shall be cast out. (Zeph. 1:7-8.)"
(17) Again, he wrote: "He had accepted the invitation (the
gospel); joined with the true worshipers (come into the true Church); but had
not put on the robes of righteousness (that is, had not worked out his
salvation after baptism)."
Render Unto Caesar
The Jewish leaders were
frustrated by the Savior's response to their question of authority. Matthew
records that hearing the Savior's response to the Sanhedrin, "Then went
the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk."
The devised another plan.
They approached the Savior with another question in order to trap the Savior.
They took with them the Herodians, those who desired to see the family line of
Herod regain power in
The tribute under
question was the poll tax which was an especially unpopular tax. The poll tax
was not a tax dealing with merchandise in any way. "Customs duties were
disliked, but at least on paying them on go something, the right to take goods
to their destination. But with the poll tax there was no such benefit. It was a
tax that simply removed money from the citizen and transferred it to the
emperor's coffers with no benefit to the citizen."
(18)
The question was framed
in such a way as to be answered with "Yes" or "No." If he
answered "Yes", he would please the Herodians but the Jewish populas
would be upset. On the other hand, if he answered "No", he would not find
disfavor with the Jews but he would with the Romans.
However, "Jesus
perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew
[pronounced 'show' in old English] me the tribute money. And they brought unto
him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto
Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are
God's" (Matt. 22:18-21).
The Savior's response has
become a classic. That which belongs to the government should be rendered and
that which belongs to God should be rendered. President N. Eldon Tanner has
reminded us: "There is no reason or justification for men to disregard or
break the law or try to take it into their own hands. Christ gave us the great
example of a law-abiding citizen when the Pharisees, trying to entangle him, as
the scriptures say, asked him if it were lawful to give tribute money unto
Caesar. After asking whose inscription was on the tribute money, and their
acknowledgment that it was Caesar's, he said: 'Render therefore unto Caesar the
things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.' (Matt.
22:21.) It is the duty of citizens of any country to remember that they have
individual responsibilities, and that they must operate within the law of the
country in which they have chosen to live."
(19)
Marriage and the Resurrection
When the Pharisees and
Herodians heard the Savior's response, "they marvelled, and left him, and
went their way" (Matt. 22:22). But then the Sadducees decided to get into
this confrontation with the Savior. They tried to trick the Savior by placing
before him a situation regarding levirate marriage. Levirate marriage was
"The custom of a widow marrying her deceased husband's brother or
sometimes a near heir."
(20) Levirate marriage was practiced in the Bible and discussed in
Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
The Sadducees posed the
situation of a woman who had been married and her husband died leaving her no
children. According to levirate marriage, a brother could marry her to raise up
children for his dead brother. In the situation posed by the Sadducees, the
woman was married to her husband's brother. But he died and so she was married
to the next brother. He likewise died and so she was married to the third
brother "unto the seventh" or last brother. The question the
Sadducees posed was, "in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the
seven?"
The Savior responded,
"Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the
resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the
angels of God in heaven" (Matt. 22:23-30). Of this, Elder James E. Talmage
wrote: "The Lord's meaning was clear, that in the resurrected state there
can be no question among the seven brothers as to whose wife for eternity the woman
shall be, since all except the first had married her for the duration of mortal
life only. … In the resurrection there will be no marrying nor giving in
marriage; for all questions of marital status must be settled before that time,
under the authority of the Holy Priesthood, which holds the power to seal in
marriage for both time and eternity."
(21)
The Great Commandment
Perhaps one of the most
important things to come out of the confrontation of this day occurred after
the Pharisees saw that the Sadducees had been silenced. They gathered around
the Savior to continue the "Pharisaic inquisition." In one last
attempt to trap the Savior into making a public blunder in hopes to discredit
Him, they asked him one last question: "Master, which is the great
commandment in the law?" (Matt. 22:35-36)
The Rabbis had separated
out 613 commandments in the law. Further, they had divided these commandments
into light and weighty (cf. Matt. 23:23). "They did not mean that some
commandments were so slight that they could be neglected. All the commandments
were God's, and therefore all were to be treated with full seriousness. But
obviously some commandments were more important than others . . ."
(22) The question they posed was which did the Savior regard as the
greatest of them all. "There is no objective yardstick for measuring one
commandment against another, so that whatever commandment Jesus selected for
the first place would certainly have been placed lower by others."
(23) Thus a debate could ensue in which the Pharisees hoped they
could discredit the Savior.
His answer is very
instructive for all of God's children. He took two separate statements, one
found Deuteronomy (6:5) and the other in Leviticus (19:18), and tied them
together. "Jesus said unto him, 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
neighbour as thyself." He then added, " On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40).
The Savior's response was
brilliant and to the point. For the Pharisees, as well as for many of us today,
the laws of God had been reduced to a series of "do's" and
"don'ts" that ought to be followed. But as Elder Dallin H. Oaks has
taught: "the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of
good and evil acts-What we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the
final effect of our acts and thoughts-What we have become. It is not
enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances,
and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in
some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how
to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."
(24)
The commands to Love God
and our fellow man are not part of the list of commandments we ought to follow.
Rather, they provide the motivation, the intent, or the purpose behind every
commandment found in scripture or from the words of the prophets.
When we honestly evaluate
our actions associated with the Lord's Kingdom, we ought to ask ourselves,
"Why am I doing what i am doing in the Church? Why did I go to Church last
Sunday? Why did I hold family home evening? Why did I do my home
teaching?" If the answer was not out of love of God or to build His
kingdom, then the motivation was not correct. And if the motivation is not
correct, then we are not becoming what we ought to be. We are just doing
things.
Remember, the final
judgment is not based solely on what we have done. Remember the words of the
Savior: "For the day soon cometh, that men shall come before me to
judgment, to be judged according to their works. And many will say unto me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name; and in thy name cast
out devils; and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I say, Ye
never knew me; depart from me ye that work iniquity" (JST Matt. 7:31-33).
We can only come to know the Lord when we do the things He does with the same
motivation that governs His actions.
The Savior Turns
Questioner
The Savior's answer left
no room for debate and the Pharisees were utterly silenced. Taking advantage of
the quiet of the moment, the Savior posed a very important question. "What
think ye of Christ? whose son is he?" They gave the response perhaps most
any would have given at that time. "They say unto him, The Son of
David."
It was well known among
the Jews at the time of Christ that the Messiah was to come through the lineage
of David. They pictured him in the role of David, as a king and conqueror of
their enemies. Few, if any, associated the Messiah as divine. This was
painfully obvious through the various confrontations with the Savior had with
the Jews. But Jesus came into the world not to destroy men but to save them. It
required Him to be divine to carry out his role as redeemer of the world.
In response to the
Pharisees answer, the Savior quoted a Psalm written by David with this
question: "How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD
said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy
footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?" (Matt.
22:41-45). Through the use of this Psalm, the Savior made it clear that David
did not consider the Messiah as a mere descendant but as his superior. "By
drawing attention to a defect in the way the Pharisees understood the
relationship of David to David's Son, Jesus was encouraging his hearers to
think again about what Messiah meant."
(25)
Matthew records the
conclusion to this scene in these words: "And no man was able to answer
him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more
questions" (22:46).
"Wo unto you, . . .
Hypocrites"
As has been shown, this
last day of the Savior's ministry had been filled with confrontation with the
religious leaders of the Jews-the very people who should have been preparing
the people for the Savior's visit. How different they were from Nephi, son of
Nephi, who labored diligently to prepare his people for the visit of the God of
this world (see 3 Nephi). Seeing the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders, the
Savior ended his mortal public ministry by castigating their wicked behavior.
This is recorded in Matthew 23.
In no uncertain terms,
the Savior warned the multitude of the abhorrent behavior of their so-called
religious leaders. "Whatsoever they bid you observe," the Savior
declared, "that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they
say, and do not" (23:3). In other words, follow the teachings of the law
they expound but avoid their practice of the law, for often their practice went
beyond the law. "They studied the law of Moses closely and expounded it in
great detail. There was nothing wrong with this part of what they were doing,
and Jesus commends it. Of course, when they went beyond the law of Moses they
could and did go wrong, and Jesus criticizes them for it."
(26)
The Savior cataloged
eight
(27) grievances He had with the results of their interpretation and
practice of the law. Each began with "woe."
(1) "Ye shut up the
kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer
ye them that are entering to go in." (23:13) Through their interpretation
of the law, they misleading people and thus leading them from the true Kingdom
of God.
(2) "Ye devour
widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive
the greater damnation" (23:14). Perhaps the widow's houses were being
devoured by the Pharisees insistence upon a second tithe which already taxed and
overtaxed people.
(3) "Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one
proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than
yourselves" (23:15).
(4) "Woe unto you,
ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing;
but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!"
(23:16). The Pharisees were so concerned about nit-picky details that it caused
them not to see the whole. In this case, they were concerned about the exact
and proper way of making an oath. They believed if it was said wrong it was not
binding. It was the wording of the oath, not what was in the heart of
oath-maker, that was important.
(5) "Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and
cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and
faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind
guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (23:23-24). It was
not the paying of tithing that concerned the Savior but placing details and
policies above the purposes and motives of the law. In the gospel all things
are important but "lesser things, however useful or needful, must never
eclipse the greater."
(28) When the gospel is reduced to the minutia of "do's"
and "don'ts" then the purpose and intent of the law is missed. For
example, in the Church today, to often our young people are deluged with the
do's and don'ts of chastity but are seldom taught the doctrine of the law of
procreation and parenthood!!
(6) "Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and
of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind
Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the
outside of them may be clean also" (23:25-26). What robbery the Pharisees
were guilty of is not stated but it may be that they supported the
(7) "Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres,
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones,
and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men,
but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (23:27-28). The meaning
here is obvious. Though sometimes their actions were correct, their motives
were not. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, taught, "Jesus looked beyond the actions
of the scribes and Pharisees and condemned them because of their motives. He
likened them to 'whited sepulchres,' which appear beautiful outside but are
unclean inside. Although their actions he referred to were appropriate, they
were acting for the wrong reasons."
(30)
(8) "Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets,
and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the
days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of
the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the
children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your
fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation
of hell?" (23:29-33). The Pharisees had built and decorated tombs for the
prophets who had been denounced by their fathers in order to bring honor to
give them the honor they deserved. Their hypocrisy was shown that they were not
honoring the present prophets, including the Son of God. But because they were
rejecting the present prophets, their fate would be no different than their
fathers.
The Final Prophecy
The Savior ended his
denunciation of the Pharisees with this warning and promise: "O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate" (23:37-38). The Savior was so moved by the horrors
that would come upon the Jews because of their rejection of him, that the
Joseph Smith translation adds that the Savior wept while giving this prophecy
(JST Matt. 23:36).
The Savior then turned
from the crowds and left the
The Savior's public
ministry had come to an end. No longer would he teach the people. It was left
to them to either accept or reject the Man and His message. As we know, for the
most part, they rejected His message. As a result, they felt the full brunt of
the last prophecy the Savior gave to the people.
Notes
1. S. Safrai, "The
Temple," in The Jewish People in the First Century (2 Vols.,
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987), 2:877; Safrai gleans this information from
the Mishna and Talmud which may suggest that this was the ideal but may not
have always been practiced.
2. Safrai, "The
3. K. C. Hanson &
Douglas E. Oakman, Palestinge in the Time of Jesus (Minneapolis:
Fortress Press, 1998), p. 119.
4. Hanson & Oakman,
Palestine in the Time of Jesus, p. 120.
5. Richard A. Horsely, Bandits,
Prophets, and Messiahs (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1999),
pp. 58-59.
6. Hanson & Oakman,
Palestine in the Time of Jesus, p. 153.
7. Hanson & Oakman,
Palestine in the Time of Jesus, p. 152.
8. Hanson & Oakman,
Palestine in the Time of Jesus, p. 155.
9. Mishnah Kerithoth
1:7.
10. I am in
Often the question is
raised as to why the Savior would attempt to eat figs before they were ripe
(the cursing of the fig tree was a week before Passover which is in March or
April). So I decided to find out what a fig tastes like at that time of year.
So in 2001, while assigned at BYU's
11. Spencer W. Kimball, The
Miracle of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969), p.92.
12. Francis W. Beare, The
Gospel According to Matthew (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1981), p. 422.
13. W. D. Davies &
Dale C. Allison, Jr., The Gospel According to Saint Matthew (Edinburgh,
Scottland: T&T Clark, 1997), p. 159.
14. Leon Morris, The
Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), p. 535
15. See Richard K. Hart,
"The Marriage Metaphor," Ensign, Jan. 1995, pp. 22-25.
16. Joseph Smith, Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book, 1976), p.47.
17. Bruce R. McConkie, The
Mortal Messiah, (The Messiah Series, vols. 2-5.
18. Morris, The Gospel
According to Matthew, p. 556.
19. N. Eldon Tanner,
"The Laws of God," Ensign, Nov. 1975, p. 83.
20. "Levirate
Marriage," in LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 724.
21. James E. Talmage, Jesus
the Christ,
22. Morris, The Gospel
According to Matthew, p. 563.
23. Morris, The Gospel
According to Matthew, p. 556.
24. Dallin H. Oaks,
"The Challenge to Become," Ensign, Nov. 2000, p. 32.
25. Morris, The Gospel
According to Matthew, p. 567.
26. Morris, The Gospel
According to Matthew, p. 573.
27. Most Greek
manuscripts of Matthew only record seven woes whereas the King James Version
records eight.
28. Davies & Allison,
The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, p. 293.
29. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ, p. 558.
30. Dallin H. Oaks, Pure
in Heart.
Chapter 31
Close of our Lord’s
Public Ministry
October 6, 2005
Bruce said to pay
particular attention to President Hinckley’s, Elder Oaks, Bednar, Wirthlin,
Swearing – Making an
oath, the Lord said to stop it in the Sermon on the Mount.
"Woe unto you, ye blind guides,
which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever
shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for
whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever
shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift
that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the
gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by
the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by
the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall
swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth
thereon." Thus did the Lord condemn the infamous enactments of the schools
and the Sanhedrin concerning oaths and vows; for they had established or
endorsed a code of rules, inconsistent and unjust, as to technical trifles by
which a vow could be enforced or invalidated. If a man swore by the temple, the
House of Jehovah, he could obtain an indulgence for breaking his oath; but if
he vowed by the gold and treasure of the Holy House, he was bound by the
unbreakable bonds of priestly dictum. Though one should swear by the altar of
God, his oath could be annulled; but if he vowed by the corban gift or by the
gold upon the altar; fn his obligation was imperative. To what depths of
unreason and hopeless depravity had men fallen, how sinfully foolish and how
willfully blind were they, who saw not that the temple was greater than its
gold, and the altar than the gift that lay upon it! In the Sermon on the Mount
the Lord had said, "Swear not at all"; fn but upon such as would not
live according to that higher law, upon those who persisted in the use of oaths
and vows, the lesser and evidently just requirement of strict fidelity to the
terms of self-assumed obligations was to be enforced, without unrighteous
quibble or inequitable discrimination.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 515.)
What was (is) most
important, the act or the power to perform the act?
Bruce gave us the
following example: A couple in their
living room is sealed by a temple sealer, is this valid? NO!!
The act has no power unless it is performed in in the place the Lord
designates, His house, the temple.
Priestcraft from the
priests, elders and scribes usurped the proceedings of the temple. The structure itself was valid, their actions
were not, that is why Christ entered into it.
Hypocrite in Greek means
to interprete the Law in its written form, unfortunately, their interpretation
was wrong. Luke 10:25-27, a combination
of Deut 6:4 & Lev 19:18, who is my neighbor? The Savior’s response to the question was the
parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Savior said to
follow what was read, not what was said or done. Pharisees were very strict in their
interpretation of the Law, just look at Paul before his conversion.
The word tempted = to
test someone, it isn’t as bad as we make it out to be.
The interpretation of
the Law became more important than the Law itself. Pharisees forced their views on others and
they gave into their pressure. The
Savior’s point was the Law isn’t sanctifying the people, they weren’t coming
unto Christ.
The literal practice of
the Law became more important than the Spirit behind the Law.
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT
The Pharisees, covertly rejoicing
over the discomfiture of their rivals, now summoned courage enough to plan
another attack of their own. One of their number, a lawyer, by which title we
may understand one of the scribes who was distinctively also a professor of
ecclesiastical law, asked: "Which is the first commandment of all?"
or, as Matthew states the question: "Master, which is the great
commandment in the law?" The reply was prompt, incisive, and so
comprehensive as to cover the requirements of the law in their entirety. With
the imperative call to attention with which Moses had summoned Israel to hear
and heed, fn the very words of which were written on the phylacteries fn which
the Pharisees wore as frontlets between their eyes, Jesus answered: "Hear,
O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all
thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely
this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment
greater than these." Matthew's wording of the concluding declaration is:
"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
The philosophic soundness of the
Lord's profound generalization and comprehensive summarizing of the "law
and the prophets" fn will appeal to all students of human nature. It is a
common tendency of man to reach after, or at least to inquire after and marvel
about, the superlative. Who is the greatest poet, philosopher, scientist,
preacher or statesman? Who stands first and foremost in the community, the
nation, or even, as the apostles in their aspiring ignorance asked, in the
kingdom of heaven? Which mountain overtops all the rest? Which river is the
longest or the largest? Such queries are ever current. The Jews had divided and
subdivided the commandments of the law, and had supplemented even the minutest
subdivision with rules of their own contriving. Now came the Pharisee asking
which of all these requirements was the greatest. fn To love God with all one's
heart and soul and mind is to serve Him and keep all his commandments. To love
one's neighbor as one's self is to be a brother in the broadest and, at the
same time, the most exacting sense of the term. Therefore the commandment to
love God and man is the greatest, on the basis of the simple and mathematical
truth that the whole is greater than any part. What need of the decalog could
there be if mankind would obey this first and great and all-embracing
commandment? The Lord's reply to the question was convincing even to the
learned scribe who had acted as spokesman for his Pharisaic colleagues. The man
was honest enough to admit the righteousness and wisdom on which the reply was
grounded, and impulsively he voiced acceptance, saying, "Well, Master,
thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with
all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself,
is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." Jesus was no whit
less prompt than the well-intending scribe in acknowledging merit in the words
of an opponent; and to the man He gave the encouraging assurance: "Thou
art not far from the
JESUS TURNS QUESTIONER
Sadducees, Herodians, Pharisees,
lawyers, and scribes, all had in turn met discomfiture and defeat in their
efforts to entangle Jesus on questions of doctrine or practice, and had utterly
failed to incite Him to any act or utterance on which they could lawfully
charge Him with offense. Having so effectually silenced all who had ventured to
challenge Him to debate, either covertly or with open intent, that "no man
after that durst ask him any question," Jesus in turn became the
aggressive interrogator. Turning to the Pharisees, who had clustered together
for greater facility in consultation, Jesus began a colloquy which proceeded as
follows: "What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The
son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord,
saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make
thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his
son?" The Lord's citation of David's jubilant and worshipful song of
praise, which, as Mark avers, Jesus said was inspired by the Holy Ghost, had
reference to the Messianic psalms fn in which the royal singer affirmed his own
reverent allegiance, and extolled the glorious reign of the promised King of
kings, who is specifically called therein "a priest forever after the
order of Melchizedek." fn Puzzling as was the unexpected question to the
erudite Jews, we fail to perceive in it any inexplicable difficulty, since to
us, less prejudiced than they who lived in expectation of a Messiah who would
be David's son only in the sense of family descent and royal succession in the
splendor of temporal rule, the eternal Godship of the Messiah is a fact
demonstrated and undeniable. Jesus the Christ is the Son of David in the
physical way of lineage by which both Jesus and David are sons of Jacob, Isaac,
Abraham, and Adam. But while Jesus was born in the flesh as late in the
centuries as the "meridian of time" fn He was Jehovah, Lord and God,
before David, Abraham, or Adam was known on earth. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 509.)
Bruce read a lot from
the chapter, one example he emphasized was the story about the coin for taxes,
he answer was brilliant, he stopped them in their tracks. This peasant from
The story of the 7
brothers marrying the same woman, Leverite marriage and the resurrection, you
need the ordinance of celestial marriage to be sealed to the 1st
brother, all other children from the other brothers would go to the 1st
for eternity, you should know that principle!!
John 18:1-11 – The
arrest of the Savior from an eyewitness (John).
This was different is several aspects from the other gospel writers,
make no mistake, Christ was in total control of the situation, He allowed the
events to unfold.
Judas had made the identification.
But the armed cohort—whose daily business it was to quell riots, subdue
disturbers of the peace, and arrest malefactors—stood in awe. The Presence was
more than they were ready to face. Jesus stepped forward, voluntarily and
without hesitation, and asked: "Whom seek ye?" They answered,
"Jesus of Nazareth," to which Jesus rejoined, "I am he." At
this the arresting soldiers, who many times before had arrested criminals and
faced armed foes without fear, "went backward, and fell to the ground."
No more could Jesus be arrested without his consent than could his life be
taken unless he willed it. Even though all the armies of all the nations of men
had come to take him—no matter—he was master of all things. But as he would
soon choose to die, so now he chose to be arrested. Again he asked the
powers of this world: "Whom seek ye?" and again they answered,
"Jesus of Nazareth." Then Jesus said: "I have told you that I am
he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way."
This "last remark had reference
to the apostles, who were in danger of arrest; and in this evidence of Christ's
solicitude for their personal safety, John saw a fulfilment of the Lord's then
recent utterance in prayer, 'Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.' It
is possible that had any of the Eleven been apprehended with Jesus and made to
share the cruel abuse and torturing humiliation of the next few hours, their
faith might have failed them, relatively immature and untried as it then was;
even as in succeeding years many who took upon themselves the name of Christ
yielded to persecution and went into apostasy." (Talmage, pp. 615-16.)
(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal
Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1979-1981], 4: 130.)
The Sadducees followed
the Greek philosophy of the physical body being a corrupt instrument, something
we wouldn’t need in the next life. Paul
teaching the saints in
Again, Deut 6:4 &
Lev 19:18 – The great Commandment or Great Shama (Hear and Listen)
OBEDIENCE
Next let us examine the word obedience,
which means "to obey." The word obey has an interesting
derivation. It also comes from two Latin roots. The prefix ob means
"to" or "toward." The second half of the word is a form of
the Latin word audire, which means "to hear" or "to
listen." This root occurs in such words as audience, auditorium, audio—all
pertaining to the process of listening. Literally, then, the word obey
means "listen to."
Searching through the scriptures
listed under the topic of obedience in the Topical Guide, I found that the
majority of Old Testament citations stem from the Hebrew word shama,
meaning "to hear intelligently." It applies to hearing the voice of
God and being obedient to his word. The majority of the scriptures listed for
the New Testament, however, do not carry that same application. (Wives obey
husbands, children obey parents, servants obey masters, and so forth.)
Interestingly, the citations from the Book of Mormon, largely from writings of
the time of the Old Testament, predominantly carry the same emphasis on the
earlier application: hearing or listening to the authoritative word of God and
being obedient to it.
One cannot be obedient unless there
is authoritative word to be heard. Speaking in a gospel context, that means
there cannot be obedience without there first being knowledge of the word of
God. Moreover, one cannot be obedient (or disobedient) to that word without
exercising the divine gift of agency. Individuals are free to choose to obey
the word of God or to disobey it. Their choice becomes their response, and it
has moral value. Coercion has no place in the
(Russell M. Nelson, The Power
within Us [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1988], 48.)
On these 2 Comandments
hang the scriptures, the INTENT of all the other laws, (which
the Pharisees had totaled =613 laws to be obeyed!!)
(Acts 15:6-9.)
6 ¶ And the apostles and
elders came together for to consider of this matter.
7 And when there had been
much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye
know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by
my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
8 And God, which knoweth
the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did
unto us;
9 And put no difference
between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
By covenant (the
Sacrament) we place God and Christ 1st and ourselves last. 1.
Keep the commandments. 2. Willing to take upon us Christ’s name. 3.
Always remember Him.
When we checklist the
Do’s and Don’ts of the gospel we place ourselves 1st, we are
thinking of ourselves, like a checklist in living the gospel. “I got my HT done; I went to the temple this
month, etc”. We serve for the kingdoms
sake, what is my intent in serving?
This is precisely the point the
Savior makes in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. (See Luke
18:9-14.) The Pharisee was one of those who "trusted in themselves that
they were righteous." (V. 9.) The publican on the other hand did not do as
well as the Pharisee at keeping all the commandments of God—but he knew it, and
his heart was broken because of it. Now many who read this parable want to make
the Pharisee out to be a hypocrite, but the text offers no evidence of this.
The Pharisee really did do all the things he felt proud and superior
about, and the publican really didn't. But that's not the point. This parable
is not about hypocrisy; it's about pride. By objective human standards,
in terms of the number and frequency of rules kept, the Pharisee really was
the more righteous of the two individuals! Yet according to the Savior: "I
tell you, this man [the publican] went down to his house justified rather than
the other [the Pharisee]: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased;
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (V. 14.)
I fear that, like the Pharisee in the
parable, some of us who are relatively good at keeping the rules also trust in
ourselves that we are righteous. Such are inordinately proud of their own
goodness; they exalt themselves. But whenever we are proud of how good we are
instead of being humbled by how imperfect we are (cf. 2 Ne. 4:17-19), our hearts
are not broken, nor are our spirits contrite.
Stephen E. Robinson, Believing Christ: The
Parable of the Bicycle and Other Good News [
(Matthew 11:28-30.)
28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.
30 For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.
Further Instructions to
the Apostles
Chapter 32
October 13, 2005
This is a tough chapter
to use without reading JS Matthew, so we will use that text to understand this
chapter. Elder Talmage didn’t use the
JST very much if at all in his writing of Jesus
the Christ
The Apostles asked for
clarification of the Lord’s teachings about the destruction of
(JST Matthew 24:1-2.)
1 And Jesus went out, and
departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him for to hear him,
saying, Master, show us concerning the buildings of the temple; as thou hast
said; They shall be thrown down and left unto you desolate.
2 And Jesus said unto
them, See ye not all these things? And do ye not understand them? Verily I say
unto you, There shall not be left here upon this temple, one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down.
We need to read JST
Matthew 24-25 in their entirety to understand the Savior’s teachings, along
with D&C 45:16-61. These give the
correct order of 2 events, their time and ours, the events of the last days
leading to the 2nd coming and the ushering in of the Millennium. The Apostles asked 2 important
questions: When will this happen to us?
And when will it happen for them?
Matthew gives the most
complete recording of this discourse, but it is simply bullet points of what
the Savior was teaching, the entire reading of both chapters might take 20-30
minutes.
It’s like the King
Follett discourse, or 3 Nephi 12-19, 3 days of teaching to the people in
Original Discourse
{-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------}
Matthew 24
Matthew 25 D&C
45:16-61
(The 3 parables)
The Lord wanted us to
have a more complete record of this discourse; hence the JS Matthew was given
along with D&C 45:16-61, along with portions of sctions 29, 43, 88, and 133
These records come to us
by Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea
The Church History
In his Church History or Ecclesiastical
History (Historia Ecclesiastica), Eusebius attempted according to
his own declaration (I.i.1) to present the history of the Church from the
apostles to his own time, with special regard to the following points:
(1) the
successions of bishops in the principal sees;
(2) the history
of Christian teachers;
(3) the history
of heresies;
(4) the history
of the Jews;
(5) the
relations to the heathen;
(6) the
martyrdoms.
He grouped his material according to the reigns of
the emperors, presenting it as he found it in his sources. The contents are as
follows:
- Book
i: detailed introduction, on Jesus Christ
- Book
ii: The history of the apostolic time to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus
- Book
iii: The following time to Trajan
- Books
iv and v: the second century
- Book
vi: The time from Severus to Decius
- Book
vii: extends to the outbreak of the persecution under Diocletian
- Book
viii: more of this persecution
- Book
ix: history to Constantine's victory over Maxentius
in the West and over Maximinus in the East
- Book
x: The reestablishment of the churches and the rebellion and conquest of Licinius.
In its present form the work was brought to a
conclusion before the death of Crispus (July, 326), and, since book x is dedicated to Paulinus of Tyre
who died before 325, at the end of 323 or in 324. This work required the most
comprehensive preparatory studies, and it must have occupied him for years. His
collection of martyrdoms of the older period may have been one of these
preparatory studies.
The authenticity of Eusebius's "Church
History" is beyond dispute. Every new discovery shows anew the conscientious,
careful and intelligent use of the libraries of Caesarea and
Eusebius blames the calamities which befell the
Jewish nation on the Jews' role in the death of Jesus. This quote has been used
to attack both Jews and Christians. See Christianity and anti-Semitism.
"that from
that time seditions and wars and mischievous plots followed each other in quick
succession, and never ceased in the city and in all
Bruce mentioned the Bar
Kokhba rebellion as a partial fulfillment of false Christ’s coming to deceive.
Absolutely critical to those waging
the Bar Kokhba rebellion, symbolically as well as strategically, was
Hadrian sent for reinforcements under
the command of one of his ablest generals, Sextus Julius Severus, governor of
Pressure put on the Bar Kokhba
revolutionaries was intense. The emperor himself joined Severus in
Situated on a hill overlooking a deep
canyon, Bethar seemed a stronghold for the rebels, but it lacked a secure water
supply. By the end of the summer of 135, the Romans breached the rebels' wall.
The surviving defenders were slaughtered, and Bar Kokhba himself was slain. fn
When word reached the remnants of Bar
Kokhba's army that total defeat was imminent, they fled to caves in the Judaean
desert near the
The Romans destroyed 985 villages and
killed more than a million people—not including those who died of disease and
hunger. Roman losses too were extremely heavy; in fact, when Hadrian informed
the Senate of his eventual victory in
The Jewish population of
Maimonides believed that Bar Kokhba's
messianic pretenses were nothing less than unmitigated wickedness and the
source of tremendous misery. fn Eusebius
states that Bar Kokhba regarded himself as the savior who had come down to the
Jews like a star from heaven. But, says the church historian, he was really a bloodthirsty
bandit who used the strength of his name to get what he wanted. fn It is
significant and arresting that the true Savior prophesied of false messiahs who
would arise after great tribulation overtook the Jews and the inhabitants of
For then, in those days,
shall be great tribulation on the Jews, and upon the inhabitants of
All things which have
befallen them are only the beginning of the sorrows which shall come upon them.
. . .
Behold, these things I
have spoken unto you concerning the Jews; and again, after the tribulation of
those days which shall come upon Jerusalem, if any man shall say unto you, Lo,
here is Christ, or there, believe him not;
For in those days there
shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs
and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect,
who are the elect according to the covenant. (JS-M 1:18-22)
If one ascribes the destructions of
A.D. 70 (Jerusalem, the Temple, and 1.1 million people) to be the fulfillment
of the Savior's prophetic view of Jerusalem's unprecedented tribulations
("tribulation . . . upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, such as was not
before sent upon Israel"), then Bar Kokhba becomes an uncontestable
fulfillment of Christ's prophetic vision of the rise of false Christs or
messiahs. Note that the Savior says "again, after the
tribulation of those days which shall come upon
It is inspiring to realize that the
destiny of
And again, this Gospel of
the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world . . . and then shall the end
come, or the destruction of the wicked;
And again shall the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet [concerning the
destruction of
(David B. Galbraith, D. Kelly Ogden,
and Andrew C. Skinner, Jerusalem: The Eternal City [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1996], 232.)
The Apostles were long gone (except
John) when
(Acts 12:1-2.)
1 Now about that time
Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
2 And he killed James the
brother of John with the sword.
FATE OF THE APOSTLES
"St. Matthew—This apostle and
evangelist is supposed to have suffered martyrdom, or was slain with a sword at
the city of
St. Mark—This evangelist was dragged
through the streets of
St. Luke—This evangelist was hanged
upon an olive tree, in
St. Peter—This apostle was crucified
at
St. James, the Great—This apostle was
beheaded at
St. James, the Less—This apostle was
thrown from a pinnacle or wing of the temple, and then beaten to death with a
fuller's club.
St. Philip—This apostle was hanged up
against a pillar at
St. Bartholomew—This apostle was
flayed alive, by the command of a barbarous king.
St. Andrew—This apostle was bound to
a cross, whence he preached to the people until he expired.
St. Jude—This apostle was shot to
death with arrows.
St. Simon, Zealot—This apostle was
crucifed in
St. Matthias—This apostle was first
stoned and then beheaded.
St. Barnabas—This apostle of the
Gentiles was stoned to death by the Jews, at Salania.
(Fate of the Apostles., Times and
Seasons, vol. 4 (November 1842-November 1843), Vol. 4 No. 24 November 1,
1843 382.)
We reviewed a few verses of JS
Matthew
Verses 1-20 - have to do with their
time period. Be watchful and don’t be
deceived.
Verses 21-55 – Our time
Verses 10-12 – It reminds us of
Ether and
JOSEPH SMITH—MATTHEW
AND THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
RICHARD D. DRAPER
Introduction
One of the great structures of the
ancient world was the magnificent
It was in this setting that the
Savior stunned those who stood near him with the awful words: "As for
these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not
be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Luke
21:6). This terrible prophecy troubled his disciples. When he departed from the
temple court, they followed him to the
During the winter of 1831 the Church
came under a particularly heavy attack from its detractors. Many false reports
and foolish stories were printed and circulated with the intent of dissuading
people from investigating the gospel. Discouragement was high, as was concern
for the future of the Church. Then on 7 March 1831 the Prophet Joseph Smith
received a revelation which served to bolster the faith of the Saints. This
inspired document has become known as section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
fn
In this remarkable revelation the
Savior promised the Saints that if they would be obedient, "I will reason
with you, and I will speak unto you and prophesy, as unto men in days of old.
And I will show it plainly as I showed it unto my disciples as I stood before
them in the flesh and spake unto them" (D&C 45:15-16). The Lord then
repeated forty-four verses of the prophecy he had given to his disciples. To those
who were discouraged and fearful, the revelation must have been a source of
tremendous courage and hope. But there was a strong warning: "Hearken unto
my voice, lest death shall overtake you; in an hour when ye think not the
summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved"
(D&C 45:2). But there was also a greater promise. The revelation showed
that God was acutely aware of the plight of his Church and more. It stressed
that time, both present and future, were fully known to God and under his
control. As the Saints were obedient great blessings would come. This would
include the revelation of wisdom and promises shared with Enoch and his
brethren, as well as the fullness of the prophecy shared with the twelve
apostles of the Lord which revealed major events to the end of time. The
greater portion of the revelation demonstrated the latter.
The revelation showed the continued
willingness of the Lord to buttress the faith of his Saints, which has been his
pattern throughout history. It is through prophecy that the Savior has
demonstrated that he is in total control. The future is not unknown to him nor
is it out of his dominion. Therefore, the key to success for his people is
continued diligence in his service and faith in his revealed word. fn The power
and precision of his word is attested perspicuously in the prophecy recorded in
Joseph Smith—Matthew. This prophecy so impressed the ancient followers of the
Lord that it was preserved by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The fullest account is in
Matthew, chapters 24 and 25, which Mark 13 follows—albeit more briefly—while
Luke 21 adds significant details.
Because of the power and precision of
the prophecy, often called the "Olivet Prophecy," many Bible scholars
have considered it with great care and interest. One such, stressing its
importance, has stated: "The pivotal issues of New Testament study in this
century appear here." but he further noted, speaking particularly of
Matthew 24, that it has generated "as much opinion and as much confusion as
any chapter in the entire New Testament." fn The reason for the confusion
is that the prophecy contains information both on the fall of Jerusalem and on
the Second Coming of the Messiah; yet it is so constructed that, as one scholar
has noted, "it is impossible to sort out which verses refer to which
event." fn It is through the power of modern revelation that order was
brought out of confusion. In this way the Lord set in motion the means by which
the Saints living in the latter days could achieve a more clear understanding
of the events through which many of them will pass.
It should be emphasized that the
revelations referred to in the Bible and the Doctrine and Covenants make it
clear that it is the Lord's will that the Saints understand what is coming. It
was, at least in part, for this very reason that the Savior repeated to the
Prophet (in D&C 45) a portion of that most profound prophecy—a prophecy
which he shared with only his trusted disciples. However, as noted already,
when the Lord made his restatement to Joseph Smith, he did not repeat the whole
thing. He broke off the prophecy with the statement: "And now, behold, I
say unto you, it is not given unto you to know any further concerning this
chapter (Matthew 24), until the New Testament be translated, and in it all
these things shall be made known" (D&C 45:60). fn From this it is
evident that the inspired revision of the New Testament was to be the means of
restoring sacred knowledge to the people living in the last days and that the prophetic
material in Matthew 24 was of particular worth.
That Joseph Smith was motivated by
the revelation now in D&C 45 to work on Matthew 24 is evident from the fact
that the work of translation on that biblical chapter began 8 March 1831, the
day after he received section 45. fn To the basic text the Prophet added nearly
four hundred fifty new words, representing about a fifty percent increase in
the text size. Even so, there is only one verse (v. 55) to which there is no
correlation in the King James Bible; but three verses are repeated. fn This
means that most of the additional material is an expansion of that already in
Matthew. Yet it is not only in adding material that the revealed version gives
understanding but more especially in the reordering of the material.
When the Prophet made his revision of
the Olivet discourse he moved three verses (7, 8, and 9) from their position in
the King James text and placed them at various points later in the narrative.
fn This change gave the prophecy a new chronological sequence, or more
accurately, it gave it a more definite chronological sequence. This was
enhanced by the repetition of three verses which showed that there was to be a
recurrence of ancient events in the latter days. It is this reordering and
repetition of passages which brings understanding to that area in which there
has been the greatest confusion among Bible scholars.
Two Questions
To better appreciate the
understanding which Joseph Smith has brought to this prophecy it is well to
keep in mind the setting in which it was given originally. As noted earlier,
the Savior's disciples had been stunned by his statement that the
The questions asked by the disciples
suggest that they separated the destruction of the temple from the time of the
second advent. But by how far? It is the view of many scholars that the early
Christians believed that Christ would come immediately after the fall of
Jerusalem. However, his words to his disciples during this discourse belie that
belief. He outlined a number of events which had to follow the fall of
Jerusalem and then stated: "All these are the beginning of sorrows"
(Matt. 24:8). He further warned, in the form of a parable, that there would be
those who would do evil, thinking: "My lord delayeth his coming." To
such the Savior warned: "The lord . . . shall come in a day when he
looketh not for him, in an hour that he is not aware of" (Matt. 24:48-51).
The Savior amended his prophecy with some additional parables, the point of
which was that many would become weary of waiting for him because his coming
would be delayed for a long time. In the parable of the ten virgins the Lord
stated that the "bridegroom tarried" until midnight, such that the
virgins fell asleep. In the parable of the talents he stated that the Lord went
off into a far country and did not return for a "long time." Taken
together the parables paint the same picture: the coming of the Lord would be
after a period of delay which would be so long that many would not keep the
faith (Matt. 25:1-30).
Thus the prophecy points to events
which would take place in two definite time periods: those which would come
upon the generation then living and those which were at the end of time. To
each, specific warnings were given so that the believers could withstand the
evil day. The extant Greek manuscripts, as their translation into the various
versions of the Bible show, are not clear as to what prophesied events are part
of which period. It is for this reason that many are confused and have even
given up hope of ever being able to understand. fn Yet it is at this very point
where the Prophet's inspired account is the most helpful.
Readers of the Olivet discourse have
repeatedly asked, "Does this event belong to the early era or to the
later?" Joseph Smith's inspired answer is: "In some instances,
both!" Thus, the Prophet's revision presents a scenario in which certain
events in the latter days will parallel those which took place in former days.
It should be kept in mind that the prophecy to the disciples of what would (and
did) happen in their day serves as the prologue of what will happen in our day.
Thus the whole of the prophecy stands sure on the basis of the fulfillment of
the historical portion. In other words, the proof that the latter-day portion
of the prophecy will become a reality is grounded in the fulfillment of that of
the former day.
Trials to Come Upon
To his ancient disciples the Savior
gave detailed instructions of what to do during the coming crisis: "For
then, in those days, shall be great tribulation on the Jews, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, such as was not before sent upon Israel, of God, since
the beginning of their kingdom until this time; no nor ever shall be sent again
upon Israel" (JS-M 18). It would be a time of such great iniquity that
love would cease, persecution of the righteous would be the order of the day,
and false christs and false prophets would abound. For the steadfast, however,
there was a promise of escape: "When you, therefore," said the Lord,
"shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
concerning the destruction of
History bears out both the grim details of the fulfillment of the
prophecy and the response of the Church. In A.D. 68 Titus began the siege which
eventually devastated the temple, destroyed the city, and left as many as six
hundred thousand Jews dead. fn Eusebius, the fourth-century Christian
historian, preserved the response of the Church to these events. He wrote that
the "people of the church in
The devastation wrought by Titus upon
the Jews, as the Savior said, was "only the beginning of sorrows" for
this people (JS-M 19). The Christians, too, were to have their trials,
"after the tribulation of those days," for there would arise false
christs and false prophets (JS-M 21-22). This is a repetition of a warning
which he had given earlier in his discourse (v. 6) in connection with coming
persecutions. But here he revealed the time-frame in which the persecutions and
martyrdoms would come. Parenthetically, it is interesting that in the same year
that Titus and his father, Vespasian, began their attack on
Trials of the Last Days
The Lord's warning of false christs
and prophets came with the awesome news that they would display signs and
wonders, "insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very
elect" (JS-M 22). Therefore he instructed that when men claimed that
Christ had come to one place or another, the disciples should "believe it
not" (JS-M 25). His coming to the world, he said, would be a public
disclosure which could no more be hid than the sunrise (JS-M 26).
How far beyond the fall of
All this emphasizes the fact that the
essential message of the revelation applies to those living in the latter days.
The Savior gave the prophecy to his disciples for their edification and safety,
but also so that it would be preserved for the edification and safety of his
disciples living near the end of time. This is not the only place where he has
done this. The book of Revelation was also commissioned by the Lord for the
purpose of allowing the worthy in the last days to know how things were to go.
Thus, as the Lord gave his people anciently specific signs for which to watch
so that they would be prepared for the evil day, so, too, he has done the same
for his people in this day.
Three Key Events
In the Olivet discourse the Savior
foretold of wars, famines, and pestilences which would be a part of the last
days. He then prophesied that three key events, witnessed by his people, would
be repeated in the eyes of those living during the last days. These he signaled
by the use of the word "again" in vv. 30-32 of Joseph Smith-Matthew.
The first would be that natural affection would again cease in the hearts of
many. The result, though not specifically mentioned, would be a repetition of
persecutions such as had happened in the disciples' day. However, the picture
is not completely negative. In the midst of this opposition the second event
would recur: the gospel would be preached to all the world. This suggests that
in spite of—or perhaps because of—persecution, the Church would continue to be
strong and dynamic enough to pursue missionary work.
Of the final recurrence the Lord
said: "And again shall the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel
the prophet, be fulfilled." Once again the holy city would come under
attack. But this time the final scene would not recur. The images of pagan gods
would not defile the sanctuaries of the holy city, nor would the sound of
marching legions be heard in her streets. This time three earth-shaking events
were to take place which had never before occurred and which would wrest the
earth from the power of spiritual
First, there would be cosmic
disturbance such as the world had never seen: "The sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (v. 33). fn Next "shall
appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of
heaven, with power and great glory" (v. 36).
Though many signs are associated with
the approach of the Second Coming, the disciples asked, "What is the sign
of thy coming?" Here the Lord confirmed that there will indeed be a great
last sign. Concerning this Joseph Smith wrote that there "will appear one
grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will
say it is a planet, a comet, etc. But the Son of Man will come as the sign of
the coming of the Son of Man, which will be as the light of the morning coming
out of the east." fn
The Lord said, "Whoso treasureth
up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come." As the
sign does come, the final event will occur: "He shall send his angels
before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together
the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other" (v. 37). About the time of the Second Coming there shall be a
general gathering of the Lord's elect both in heaven and on earth. Of the
latter he says: "In the last days, two shall be in the field, the one
shall be taken, and the other left; two shall be grinding at the mill, the one
shall be taken, and the other left" (vv. 43-44). The apostle Paul wrote of
the time when "the Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: And the dead in Christ shall rise
first." He went on to say that those who "remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:15-17). Thus are the righteous received
by their Lord, to return with him to live upon the earth as it enters its
millennial Sabbath.
As to the exact time when these
things should take place the Savior stated: "No man knoweth; no, not the
angels of God in heaven, but my Father only" (v. 40). Nevertheless, the
Lord declared in relation to the great signs that will be manifested before his
coming: "Verily, I say unto you, this generation, in which these things
shall be shown forth, shall not pass away until all I have told you shall be
fulfilled" (v. 34). For most, however, the Savior warned that it will be
as it was in the day of Noah. Usually this statement is taken to mean that the
world will be as wicked as it was when the Lord sent forth the great flood.
Though this is most probably true, such an interpretation misses the major point.
The Lord explained that the people of Noah's day did not heed the warnings
which were given. Thus they were caught unprepared (see vv. 41-43). For this
reason he admonished: "Watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour
your Lord shall come" (v. 46). To emphasize his point he used a parable.
Those who were evil would not abide in well-doing during his absence, while
those who were good would (vv. 49-55). Those living in the last days should
take this message to heart: one prepares for the Second Coming by never growing
weary of continued righteousness. With this admonition the Lord concluded his
prophecy.
Joseph Smith—Matthew: An Imposing Revelation
A closing note seems appropriate
concerning another aspect of Joseph Smith's work on Matthew. Liberal scholars
for a long time have mistrusted the biblical text as it stands. They feel that
the Bible text is a creation by ancient followers of Christ who, for the most
part, unwittingly invented his messiahship and attributed to him sayings and
doings which were not really historical. In an attempt to find the
"historical Jesus" they have used various intellectual tools such as
"form" and "redaction" criticism. These tools are supposed
to allow the scholar to get behind the text and find out what Jesus really
said and did. The fact that three biblical accounts (Matt. 24-25; Mark 13; Luke
21) and two modern accounts (D&C 45 and JS-M) of portions of the same
discourse have been preserved, all of which differ from one another, suggests
that the exact historical words of Jesus may not have been preserved. Of the
biblical accounts, both those of Luke and Mark are probably second-hand, since
neither of these men could have been present on the
Each of these accounts was known to
the Prophet before he began his revision of Matthew. Yet, surprisingly, he did
not use all the material of which he was aware. For instance, even though he
greatly expanded the Matthew account, he did not place in it many important
insights revealed to him by the Lord in D&C 45. Further, as noted before,
the gospel of Luke has material which is not in the Matthew account. When
Joseph Smith did his inspired work on Luke, he did not make it conform to
Matthew, nor did he incorporate it into Joseph Smith-Matthew. In fact, he added
new material which increased the individuality of Luke. For this reason, it may
be that the Prophet was not trying to restore the precise words which the Lord
had spoken on the
Perhaps, his intent was different.
One Latter-day Saint scholar has suggested the following:
This is the most dramatic example of
the prophet presenting historical material with long explanations that go far
beyond any original writing. This suggests that the Prophet used his basic
document . . . as a point of departure instead of a translation guide. Thus his
sweeping changes are only loosely tied to the written record that stimulated
the new information. The result is content oriented. One may label this as
"translation" only in the broadest sense, for his consistent amplifications
imply that the Prophet felt that expansion of a document was the best way to
get at meaning. If unconventional as history, the procedure may be a doctrinal
gain if distinguished from normal translation procedure, for paraphrase and
restatement are probably the best way to communicate without ambiguity. fn
Thus, if Joseph Smith's revision does
not record the precise words that the Savior said on the mount, it does
represent an important and accurate record of his thought. It may be said that
if Joseph Smith-Matthew does not represent the exact words of Jesus, it does
represent his word. Further, it substantiates the historicity of the
event. Jesus did indeed, contrary to those who mistrust the historicity of the
Bible, meet with his disciples and deliver to them a profound prophecy the
content of which has been restored to the latter days.
There is another ramification which
needs to be suggested. Joseph Smith, as already pointed out, knew of the Luke,
Mark, and Matthew accounts as well as the material in D&C 45 before he ever
started his revision. The fact that he made no attempt to harmonize Luke,
Matthew, and the Doctrine and Covenants passages suggests that he may have been
restoring ideas which were an actual part of the original texts of the gospels.
If he were less concerned with the integrity of the thought of the authors than
with restoring a precise treatise on the Second Coming, one would expect that
he would have harmonized all the accounts and made one general statement. That
he did not do so argues that he was concerned with both the content of the
messages of the original writers and the way those writers had expressed it.
That Joseph Smith could have had revelatory knowledge of materials which were
once a part of the documents but were later altered or expunged from them is
suggested by an event which happened in April 1829. Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery had a question concerning the fate of the apostle John: was he dead or
had he been translated? To settle the question the Prophet inquired of the Lord
through the Urim and Thummim. The result was the revelation now in D&C7.
The headnote to this revelation in the Book of Commandments states that the
material is a translation of an ancient parchment "written and hid
up" by the apostle John. There is no additional information on this
subject. But, as has been suggested:
It is not necessary to suppose that
the Prophet had John's parchment, or a copy of it, before him, when he received
this Revelation. It was the contents of the document that were revealed. It was
just as easy for the Spirit of the Lord to communicate the contents of that
record to the Prophet, without the actual presence of it, as it would have been
to enable him to understand the language in which John wrote it, whether Greek
or Aramaen, which languages neither Joseph nor Oliver could have read, except
by special divine interposition, even if they had had the manuscript before
them. The miracle would have been practically the same. fn
In light of this, Joseph Smith could
have had inspired access to the content of the original synoptic gospels, from
which he could have drawn to make his revisions. As one LDS scholar has stated:
"In one sense, then, Joseph was 'translating' the Bible in attempting to
interpret it, to explain it by the use of clearer terms or a different form or
style of language. In another sense Joseph was 'translating' the Bible inasmuch
as he was restoring in the English language ideas and events and sayings which
were originally recorded in Hebrew or Greek." fn
Taken together, all this suggests one
last thought. The eighth Article of Faith states: "We believe the Bible to
be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the
Book of Mormon to be the word of God." This statement of belief has little
to do with accuracy of translation as the word is usually interpreted (i.e.,
capturing in one language the ideas expressed in another). Rather, it goes
beyond that, insisting on a new dimension of accuracy: conveying the message of
the original writer to the minds of people living far removed—both in time and
culture—in a way in which it can not be misunderstood. This means that in
Joseph Smith-Matthew the Lord has given to the Latter-day Saints an
unmistakably clear and easily understood window into the future. It stands as a
testimony of the power, love, and concern of the Father for his modern
disciples. It is now the task of this latter-day generation to heed that which
the Lord has given.
NOTES
1. Richard L. Anderson, "Joseph
Smith's Insights into the Olivet Prophecy: Joseph Smith 1 and Matthew 24,"
2. HC 1:158. See Kent P.
Jackson, "The Signs of the Times: Be Not Troubled," in Studies in
Scripture, Vol. 1: The Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Robert L. Millet and
Kent P. Jackson (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984), pp. 186-200.
3. In Isaiah 48:3-8 the Lord
emphasizes his use of prophecy as a means to demonstrate that he is the only
true and living God. Prophecy then becomes the touchstone through which he can
demand trust from his people. Conversely, for the faithful, prophecy is the
reward through which they derive security about the future. In this way their
trust in God is enhanced and rewarded.
4.
5. John L. McKenzie, S.J., "The
Gospel According to Matthew," in Raymond E. Brown, et al., The Jerome
Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1968),
2:104.
6. This statement should not be
construed to mean that the Lord would not give any more information about the
future until the whole of the New Testament was revised. Rather, it seems that
the Lord was telling the Prophet that no more would be given until this New
Testament chapter was translated.
7. See Robert J. Matthews, A
Plainer Translation: Joseph Smith's Translation of the Bible, A History and
Commentary (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1975), p. 267; and
Richard P. Howard, Restoration Scriptures (Independence, Mo.: Herald
House, 1969), pp. 82-88, in which facimilies of the original manuscript have
been provided which show the dates on which certain portions of the work on
Matthew were begun.
8. Matt. 24:6 is JS-M 23 and is
repeated in JS-M 28. Matt 24:12 is JS-M 10 and is repeated in JS-M 30. Matt.
24:15 is JS-M 12 and is repeated in JS-M 32.
9. Verse 7 became v. 23, v. 8 became
29 and v. 9 became v. 19.
10. Anderson, p. 52.
11. This figure represents those who
were besieged in Jerusalem and was supplied by Tacitus (History, 5.13).
Josephus (Wars, 6:420) gives the figure of over one million who
perished.
12. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical
History 3.5.3, Kirsopp Lake, trans., Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1977), p. 136.
13. Jackson, pp. 188-90.
14. This sign is associated with the
desolation of abomination, or the siege of Jerusalem during the Battle of
Armegeddon. This will be brought to a close by the coming of the Lord:
"And so great shall be the glory of his presence that the sun shall hide
his face in shame, and the moon shall withhold its light, and the stars shall
be hurled from their places" (D&C 133:49). The scriptures speak of
another time when, "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be
turned into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and there shall be
greater signs in heaven above and in the earth beneath" (D&C 29:14).
This event is associated with the opening of the sixth seal in Rev. 6:12 and is
to take place before the battle of Armegeddon (see D&C 77:10). The writings
of Joel suggest that two such similar events will occur. In Joel 2:3 the
prophet described the coming of a great army where "fire devoureth before
them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before
them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape
them." This parallels the description of the host which will come against
Jerusalem during the battle of Armegeddon in Rev. 9:17-19. Joel stated (2:10)
that as the invaders go about pillaging, "the heavens shall tremble: the
sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall cease their shining."
In 3:14-16 he repeated the idea and then stated, "The Lord also shall roar
out of Jerusalem; and the heavens shall shake: but the Lord shall be the hope
of his people." Thus, this astral phenomena will disrupt the battle. But
Joel wrote (in 2:28-32) of the sun turning to darkness and the moon turning to
blood in another context. This is associated with the time when the Lord's
spirit would be poured out upon his people and revelation would abound.
However, not all is at peace, for "I will shew wonders in the heavens and
in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke." This does not sound
like the Second Coming of the Lord in glory. In fact, in every scripture where the
moon is mentioned in association with blood there is a definite statement that
this would happen before the Lord comes in glory, or else it is
associated with other disasters (see D&C 29:14; 34:9; 45:42; 88:87; Joel
2:31; Rev. 6:12). Where the moon is mentioned as ceasing to give forth its
light, it is associated only with the coming of the Lord in glory (see Joel
2:10; 3:15; D&C 133:49; JS-M 33).
15. HC 5:337. See also a
discussion of this sign in Robert L. Millet, "Enoch and his City,"
found herein.
16. A second-century Christian writer
named Papias was quoted by Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History 3.39.16) as
saying that Matthew gathered the teachings of Jesus in Hebrew, which were later
translated by others. The idea that he gathered them suggests he perhaps did not
make an on-the-spot recording of them.
17. Anderson, p. 50.
18. Hyrum H. Smith and Janne M.
Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1978), p. 40.
19. Robert L. Millet, "Joseph
Smith's Translation of the Bible and the Doctrine and Covenants," in
Millet and Jackson, Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1, p. 134.
(Robert L. Millet and Kent P.
Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 2: The Pearl of Great Price
[Salt Lake City: Randall Book, 1985], 282.)
These are not calendar events but a
process.
Verses 26-37 – Everyone will know
when Christ returns, the gathering of Israel started on April 6, 1830, but also
in one sense, when the Early Apostles took the gospel to “all the earth”,
Christianity developed to begin a type of gathering from pagan beliefs and
traditions. Bruce mentioned
(2 Nephi 30:10.)
10 For the time speedily
cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the
wicked will he destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be
that he must destroy the wicked by fire.
A sinner is one who breaks moral
commandments, Christianity teaches a moral code. The loss of Doctine and the loss of Covenants
plunged the church into apostasy; there was no power to exalt man to the
presence of God, JS History 19.
Many in the Church will not live
through the 2nd coming; they will not be living the moral code. We must treasure what you value, what you
live for. The gathering places are the
Stakes of Zion, listen to the keyholders.
Must be in tune with the Prophet and the 12, there is no casual
observance.
(Doctrine and Covenants
63:53-54.)
53 These things are the
things that ye must look for; and, speaking after the manner of the Lord, they
are now nigh at hand, and in a time to come, even in the day of the coming of
the Son of Man.
54 And until that hour
there will be foolish virgins among the wise; and at that hour cometh an entire
separation of the righteous and the wicked; and in that day will I send mine
angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into unquenchable fire.
Bruce believed we are now in the 7th
seal, Rev 8, D&C 78:13-14. President
New Jerusalem will be built, the
temple in
The Last Supper an the Betrayal
Chapter 33
October 20, 2005
THE LORD'S AGONY IN GETHSEMANE
Jesus and the eleven apostles went
forth from the house in which they had eaten, passed through the city gate,
which was usually left open at night during a public festival, crossed the
ravine of the Cedron, or more accurately Kidron, brook, and entered an olive
orchard known as Gethsemane, fn on the slope of
This part of His impassioned
supplication was heard by at least one of the waiting three; but all of them
soon yielded to weariness and ceased to watch. As on the Mount of
Transfiguration, when the Lord appeared in glory, so now in the hour of His
deepest humiliation, these three slumbered. Returning to them in an agony of
soul Jesus found them sleeping; and addressing Peter, who so short a time
before had loudly proclaimed his readiness to follow the Lord even to prison and
death, Jesus exclaimed: "What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch
and pray, that ye enter not into temptation"; but in tenderness added,
"the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." The admonition
to the apostles to pray at that time lest they be led into temptation may have
been prompted by the exigencies of the hour, under which, if left to
themselves, they would be tempted to prematurely desert their Lord.
Aroused from slumber the three
apostles saw the Lord again retire, and heard Him pleading in agony: "O my
Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be
done." Returning a second time He found those whom He had so sorrowfully
requested to watch with Him sleeping again, "for their eyes were
heavy"; and when awakened they were embarrassed or ashamed so that they
wist not what to say. A third time He went to His lonely vigil and individual
struggle, and was heard to implore the Father with the same words of yearning
entreaty. Luke tells us that "there appeared an angel unto him from
heaven, strengthening him"; but not even the presence of this
super-earthly visitant could dispel the awful anguish of His soul. "And
being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great
drops of blood falling down to the ground." fn
Peter had had a glimpse of the
darksome road which he had professed himself so ready to tread; and the
brothers James and John knew now better than before how unprepared they were to
drink of the cup which the Lord would drain to its dregs. fn
When for the last time Jesus came
back to the disciples left on guard, He said: "Sleep on now, and take your
rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners." There was no use of further watching; already the
torches of the approaching band conducted by Judas were observable in the
distance. Jesus exclaimed: "Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand
that doth betray me." Standing with the Eleven, the Lord calmly awaited
the traitor's coming.
Christ's agony in the garden is
unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. The thought
that He suffered through fear of death is untenable. Death to Him was
preliminary to resurrection and triumphal return to the Father from whom He had
come, and to a state of glory even beyond what He had before possessed; and,
moreover, it was within His power to lay down His life voluntarily. fn He
struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on
earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental
anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an
extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only
God was capable of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of
physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism
would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and
welcome oblivion. In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors
that Satan, "the prince of this world" fn could inflict. The
frightful struggle incident to the temptations immediately following the Lord's
baptism fn was surpassed and overshadowed by this supreme contest with the
powers of evil.
In some manner, actual and terribly
real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of
the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world. Modern revelation
assists us to a partial understanding of the awful experience. In March 1830,
the glorified Lord, Jesus Christ, thus spake: "For behold, I, God, have
suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent,
but if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering
caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and
to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit: and would that I
might not drink the bitter cup and shrink-nevertheless, glory be to the Father,
and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men." fn
From the terrible conflict in
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the
Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures
Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 574.)
In Greek a garden is simply a
cultivated area, (a wheat field for example), it was an olive orchard with an
olive press along with a wine press.
Olive trees take 70-80 years to grow before they produce; it’s grown for
the grandchildren! They had grape vines
planted between the trees so they could have a cash crop to live on.
See the New
Testament part of Bruce’s site to see pictures of the olive process.
From the foregoing it can be seen
that a gethsemane is found within a cave or building. This is a picture
of cave on the
Recall that when the Savior came
"to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And
when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into
temptation." Then "he was withdrawn from them about a stone's
cast" -- probably going into the cave where the olive press or gethsemane
was located and where he could be alone" (Luke 22:39-42). We
imagine the following happening near the olive press in the seclusion of a
cave. "And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and
began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I
will, but as thou wilt." (Matt. 26:37-39) Like the weight of the
beam crushing the mash sacks, as the weight of mankind's sins came upon the
Savior, the Savior began to suffer immensely. "And being in an agony
he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood
falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44). Just as the the
redish-brown olive oil oozed down into the collecting bowls, so the blood of
the Savior dribbled to the ground as the weight of mankind's sin crushed the
Savior. It is interesting to note that Hebrew text of Isaiah 53:5 should
be translated: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed
for our iniquities."
Elder Russell
M. Nelson has said:
"Jesus
came to the base of the
"There
olives had been pressed under the weight of great stone wheels to squeeze
precious oil from the olives. So the Christ in the
"Jesus was accorded titles of unique significance. One was the
Messiah, which in Hebrew means 'anointed.' The other was the Christ, which in
the Greek language means 'anointed' as well. In our day, as it was in His day,
the ordinance of administration to the sick includes anointing with the
consecrated oil of the olive. So the next time you witness consecrated
oil being anointed on the head of one to be blessed, and these sacred words are
said, 'I anoint you with this consecrated oil,' remember what that original
consecration cost. Remember what it meant to all who had ever lived and who
ever would yet live. Remember the redemptive power of healing, soothing,
and ministering to those in need. Remember, just as the body of the
olive, which was pressed for the oil that gave light, so the Savior was
pressed. From every pore oozed the lifeblood of our Redeemer.
Throughout the joyous days of your mission, when your cup of gladness runs
over, remember His cup of bitterness which made it possible. And when
sore trials come upon you, remember
All of the
Apostles were tried in one way or another at this time, it wasn’t just
Peter. There was a royal battle going on
between Christ and Satan, thanlfully for us, Christ won.
The night –
a time of temptation and trial we are more susceptible to temptation because we
are tired and weak, we aren’t paying close attention.
(Alma 7:11-14.)
11 And he shall go forth,
suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that
the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the
sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon
him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he
will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy,
according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor
his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth
all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that
he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their
transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this
is the testimony which is in me.
14 Now I say unto you that
ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born
again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized
unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith
on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to
save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
The 4 areas
Christ’s atonement covered:
- Pains, afflictions,
temptations and sicknesses.
- Physical Death
- Infimaties – Weaknesses
- Sin – a voluntary violation of
moral law, we feel frustration in understanding why we sin.
The crushing weight on Christ was
the cumulative weight of all of these points.
For all of creation, worlds without end, the atonement covered Adam’s
fall and my own personal fall.
(Mosiah 3:5-7.)
5 For behold, the time
cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who
reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down
from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay,
and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the
sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their
sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
6 And he shall cast out
devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
7 And lo, he shall suffer
temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man
can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore,
so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his
people.
(Doctrine and Covenants
19:15-20.)
15 Therefore I command you
to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and
by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite
you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
16 For behold, I, God,
have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would
repent;
17 But if they would not
repent they must suffer even as I;
18 Which suffering caused
myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed
at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not
drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
19 Nevertheless, glory be
to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of
men.
20 Wherefore, I command you
again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess
your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which
in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I
withdrew my Spirit.
Andrew
C. Skinner,
CHAPTER 6
The Savior's Testimony of the Bitter Cup
Therefore I command you to
repent— repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and
by my anger, and your sufferings be sore— how sore you know not, how exquisite
you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
For behold, I, God, have
suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
But if they would not
repent they must suffer even as I;
Which suffering caused
myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed
at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not
drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
Nevertheless, glory be to
the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of
men.
DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
19:15-19
Significantly, it was not his arrest,
trial, or crucifixion that Jesus recounted to others with vivid recollection
after his resurrection. It was the bitter cup in
It is understood by many that the great suffering of Jesus Christ
came through the driving of nails in His hands and in His feet, and in being
suspended upon a cross, until death mercifully released Him. That is not the
case. As excruciating, as severe as was that punishment . . . yet still greater
was the suffering which He endured in carrying the burdens of the sins of the
world— my sins, and your sins, and the sins of every living creature. This suffering
came before He ever got to the cross, and it caused the blood to come forth
from the pores of His body, so great was the anguish of His soul, the torment
of His spirit that He was called upon to undergo. (Conference Report, April
1944, 50)
The Book of Mormon records the
feelings of the twenty-five hundred Nephites assembled at the temple in
And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up
again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and
he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of
them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst
not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for
they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake
unto the people, saying:
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come
into the world.
And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have
drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified
the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have
suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. (3 Nephi
11:8-11)
Thus the Savior reminds his
disciples, then and now, that his consumption of the bitter cup was indeed the
fulfillment of his promise made to the Father long ago, in the very beginning,
that he would suffer the will of the Father in all things. We are
reminded of the Great Council in Heaven, held during our premortal existence,
when the Firstborn said, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine
forever" (Moses 4:2). Gethsemane and
Just as the Savior remembers
THE PRICE OF REDEMPTION
Occasionally mortals indulge in
"what if . . ." speculations about certain events. "What if this
would have happened instead of that?" Sometimes the answers are useless.
But there are other times when the conjured possibilities can teach profound
lessons. In the case of the Savior's redemptive acts, a prophet in the Book of
Mormon helps us to see the frightening truth about our human plight if there
had been no Gethsemane and no
Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement— save it should
be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption.
Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to
an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to
crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh
should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from
before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become
devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to
remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that
being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an
angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of
murder and all manner of secret works of darkness. (2 Nephi 9:7-9)
In declaring the explicit cost of our
redemption from the throes of sin as well as the devil, the Savior's personal
testimony in Doctrine and Covenants 19:18 is without parallel. God himself, the
greatest of all, one of three all-knowing and all-powerful Gods in the entire
universe, trembled because of pain, bled at every pore, suffered body
and spirit to rescue us. The pain that he suffered was "the pain of
all men" (D&C 18:11). When he said he "suffered these things for
all" he was not exaggerating. He meant it. He suffered the consequences of
every sin committed by Adam and by all of Adam's posterity. He suffered
both physically and spiritually. He suffered to the very limits of possibility.
There is no way or manner in which he did not suffer. He suffered everything
imaginable. He suffered for billions and billions of lifetimes of sin and
sorrow. There is not anyone for whom he did not suffer. "The Savior's
Atonement is stunningly inclusive," said Sister Sheri L. Dew. "Come
one, come all, the Lord has invited. The gospel of Jesus Christ is for every
man and woman, boy and girl. He doesn't change the rules for the rich or the
poor, the married or unmarried, the Portuguese or the Chinese. The gospel is
for every one of us, and the spiritual requirements and rewards are
universal. In matters pertaining to salvation, 'all are alike unto God'
(2 Ne. 26:33, emphasis added)" (Ensign, May 1999, 66).
SUFFERING AND
CONTRADICTION
Though the Savior's suffering is for
all individuals, ironically he suffered alone. He said on several occasions,
"I have trodden the wine-press alone, and have brought judgment upon all
people; and none were with me" (D&C 133:50; D&C 76:107; 88:106;
Revelation 14:20). The metaphor of the winepress is appropriate because the
image it conjures up takes us immediately to the
Anciently, winepresses and olive
presses were sometimes used interchangeably. Several people would get into the
press, a rock-lined pit with a mosaic or plaster floor, and, holding onto one
another, smash the grapes or olives with their feet until the fruit turned into
a thick pulp. Unless one held onto others in the press, it was almost impossible
to lift one's feet in the thick sludge to tromp the grapes into juice. It also
became very slippery, and without others in the press to hang onto for support,
it was very easy to fall. Thus, when the Savior says he trod the winepress
alone, he means that at a certain point in
From what has been revealed to us, we
cannot help but believe that a significant source of Jesus' great spiritual
agony stemmed from the total contradiction of the situation. In Gethsemane,
God, the greatest of all, suffered the greatest contradictions of all. As we
have said, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that Jesus Christ "descended in
suffering below that which man can suffer; or, in other words, suffered greater
sufferings, and was exposed to more powerful contradictions than any man
can be. But, notwithstanding all this, he kept the law of God, and remained
without sin, showing thereby that it is in the power of man to keep the law and
remain without sin" (Lectures on Faith, 5:2). This has to be one of
the great principles of mortality. We, like Jesus, suffer contradictions as
part of our probation on this earth; there is no doubt of that. It is what we
do in the face of those contradictions, how we react, that demonstrates our
commitment to God and thus determines our place in eternity.
All of the noble and great leaders
among our Father's children have experienced such contradictions in their
lives. Perhaps the most notable, besides the Savior, is Abraham. He was
commanded to offer Isaac, his long-promised son, as a human sacrifice, even
though Isaac was the son through whom Abraham believed he was to receive God's
promises of innumerable posterity and an everlasting line of priesthood
holders. Moreover, God abhorred human sacrifice, and Abraham himself had been
rescued from becoming a human sacrifice under his own father's hand by the very
same Deity who then turned around and commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son
(Abraham 1:5-16).
As Abraham learned, the
contradictions of mortality serve a great purpose. Not only do they act as the
Lord's refining fire but they precede great and marvelous blessings. Said
Moroni, a prophet who knew a great deal about trials, tribulations, and
contradictions: "Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your
faith" (Ether 12:6). We can state the principle in another way: the
greater the contradiction, faithfully endured, the greater the blessing enjoyed
afterward.
Again, Abraham is a good example.
Because of Abraham's faithfulness, God made good on every promise to him, and
more. His son Isaac has the honor of being one of only two individuals
designated "only begotten son" (Hebrews 11:17). The other is Jesus
Christ. Because of Abraham's faithfulness, his experience with Isaac on Mount
Moriah is held up as the earthly model of the relationship that existed
between God the Father and his Only Begotten Son. "Behold, they believed
in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father
in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our
souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness,
even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the
commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God
and his Only Begotten Son" (Jacob 4:5; emphasis added). And ultimately,
because of Abraham's faithfulness, he and his sons "have entered into
their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not
angels but are gods" (D&C 132:37).
Every disciple of the Lord and true
follower of Abraham will face the kind of tests, trials, and contradictions the
great patriarch faced. These will be different for every person, but they will
come! The Lord has said, "They [those who profess discipleship] must needs
be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only
son. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be
sanctified" (D&C 101:4-5).
Abraham is the standard. He was true
and faithful to Jehovah, and his life became a powerful witness of the
principle that "after much tribulation . . . cometh the blessing"
(D&C 103:12).
So it is for each one of us. We
remember that the Lord said "after much tribulation cometh the
blessing," not a little difficulty or a small challenge here and there.
President John Taylor said, "You will have all kinds of trials to pass
through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham
and other men of God. . . . God will feel after you, and He will take hold of
you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not
be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God" (Journal of
Discourses, 24:197).
All such tests are calculated to
allow us the opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty just as Abraham
demonstrated his. God doesn't want anything but our minds, our hearts, and all
that we possess! He does not want much— he wants everything. And he desires
with all his soul to give us back everything he possesses. We are asked to give
up all in order to receive an infinitely greater all.
The magnitude of the promise is
almost incomprehensible and the unevenness of the offer staggering: everything
we possess in exchange for everything God possesses! Why would any of us be
unwilling to sacrifice all we have been given, all that is not even ours to
begin with? I treasure the words of President George Q. Cannon:
There is no sacrifice that God can ask of us or His servants whom
He has chosen to lead us that we should hesitate about making. In one sense of
the word it is no sacrifice. We may call it so because it comes in contact with
our selfishness and our unbelief; but it ought not to come in contact with our
faith. . . .
Why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham? Because, knowing what
his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable
posterity, he was determined to test him. God did not do this for His own sake
for He knew by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but the purpose was to
impress upon Abraham a lesson and to enable him to attain unto knowledge that
he could not obtain in any other way. That is why God tries all of us. It is
not for His own knowledge, for He knows all things beforehand. He knows all
your lives and everything you will do. But he tries us for our own good, that
we may know ourselves; for it is most important that a man should know himself.
He required Abraham to submit to this trial because He intended to give him
glory, exaltation and honor. He intended to make him a king and a priest, to
share with Himself the glory, power and dominion which He exercised. (Gospel
Truth, 89)
With regard to the principle of
contradictions, as in all things, Jesus is our greatest exemplar, particularly
in that awful night in Gethsemane. When it comes to contradiction, Abraham on
Mount Moriah and Jesus in Gethsemane are like each other, but Gethsemane
involved so much more. The Jewish people refer to Mount Moriah as the place of
infinite resignation, because Abraham resigned himself to follow God's will
even in the face of overwhelming contradiction. It can be justly said that
Gethsemane was the night of infinite resignation, infinite suffering, and
infinite contradiction.
Perhaps it was the night of infinite
suffering because of infinite contradiction. Though Jesus was the Son of
the Highest, in Gethsemane he descended below all things. Though he was sent
out of love (John 3:16) and though he was characterized as the embodiment of
love (1 John 4:8), in Gethsemane he was surrounded by hate and betrayal. Though
he was the light and life of the world, in Gethsemane he was subjected to
darkness and spiritual death. Though he was sinless, in Gethsemane he was
weighed down by monumental sin and iniquity. Though he gave no offense in
anything (2 Corinthians 6:3), in Gethsemane he suffered for the offenses of
all. In Gethsemane, the sinless One became the great sinner (2 Corinthians
5:21), that is, he experienced fully the plight of sinners. Though he was fully
deserving of the Father's love and the Father's glory, in Gethsemane he
suffered the wrath of Almighty God.
Is it any wonder, then, that the
Savior said to Joseph Smith that unrepentant sinners would be smitten by his
own wrath, by his anger, by sufferings so sore, exquisite, and hard to bear
they could not be comprehended? He himself had suffered these things, and if
individuals will not accept his suffering, then they must suffer those same
things themselves.
The contradictions of Gethsemane
filled the bitter cup. In contemplating them, how can we fail to be moved to
tears of gratitude because the Savior drank the cup to its dregs and made it
possible for us to escape the kind of suffering demanded by the exacting
requirements of justice? But there is another reason for gratitude.
We know that even with the benefits
of the Atonement fully operating in our lives, mortality still entails some
suffering and some contradictions for each of us. Yet, because the Savior
endured perfectly his staggering contradictions, we will be recompensed for our
own faithful endurance of life's contradictions, injustices, and flat-out unfair
circumstances. That is, through the Atonement, all of life's contradictions,
all injustices, and all unfair circumstances will be made up to us, all unfair
disadvantages will be made right in the eternal scheme of things. In an ironic
twist, because of Christ's atonement, because of his supreme act of mercy which
rescues us from the demands of justice, justice ultimately becomes our friend
by making up to us for all of the things in life that weren't fair and right.
All unfair circumstances and contradictions will be put right— if we remain
faithful to the Savior.
LIFE'S TUTORS
President Spencer W. Kimball was a
man acquainted with many of life's trials, contradictions, and injustices. I
appreciate his counsel because he lived it. He intimated that if mortality were
the absolute beginning and end of our existence, then sorrow, suffering, pain,
unfairness, injustice, and failure would be the greatest calamities. But
mortality is only a very small fraction of eternity. In Gethsemane and on the
cross, the Savior turned sorrow, pain, and injustice into the ultimate blessing
for us by making possible eternal life. In fact, the Savior's experience in
Gethsemane showed us how suffering can become one of our great tutors.
President Kimball said (in Tragedy or Destiny, 3):
Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and
mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we
were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our
greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they
learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. The sufferings of our Savior
were part of his education. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he
obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became
the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Hebrews
5:8-9).
I
love the verse of "How Firm a Foundation"—
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
(Hymns, [1985, no. 85])
The Savior is a true friend, and
because of his experience in Gethsemane, our trials and contradictions also
turn out to be our friends and special tutors. His atonement makes eternal
existence, bathed in a fulness of joy, a reality. Our own experiences, the
enjoyable as well as the distasteful, become the foundation of our quest for
knowledge and help us to become more like our Heavenly Parents. As Elder Orson
F. Whitney said:
No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It
ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience,
faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure,
especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our
hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy
to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering,
toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire
and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. (In Kimball, Tragedy
or Destiny, 4)
Each of us experiences something of
Gethsemane in our own lives. We suffer contradictions and injustices and feel
pain for others as well as experience pain because of the actions of others.
Sometimes we may even feel we are having to endure our own Gethsemane. But the
Savior is able to cure all the hurt and heal all the bruises and in the process
transforms our trials, tribulations, and sufferings into sacred experiences.
President James E. Faust, a counselor
in the First Presidency, gave this instructive counsel:
At times I have stumbled and been less than I should have been.
All of us experience those wrenching, defining, difficult decisions that move
us to a higher level of spirituality. They are the Gethsemanes of our lives
that bring with them great pain and anguish. Sometimes they are too sacred to
be shared publicly. They are the watershed experiences that help purge us of
our unrighteous desires for the things of the world. As the scales of
worldliness are taken from our eyes, we see more clearly who we are and what
our responsibilities are concerning our divine destiny. (Ensign,
November 2000, 59)
Our obedience and sacrifice in the
face of trials and tribulations allow us to come to know God in a more intimate
way than we could have known him without our sufferings. The historian George
Bancroft, when reflecting upon a low point for George Washington and the
patriots during the American Revolution, wrote words that apply to all of us:
"The spirit of the Most High dwells among the afflicted, rather than the
prosperous; and he who has never broken his bread in tears knows not the
heavenly powers" (in Dibble, "Delivered by the Power of God,"
48).
Indeed, righteous persons who seem to
have suffered the most also seem to appreciate their suffering the most and
learn what God wants his children to learn from their sacrifice and suffering
in obedience. In addition to Abraham and other scriptural figures are
individuals from Latter-day Saint history who allowed their sacrifices and
sufferings to tutor them. A powerful lesson was taught by one of the survivors
of the Martin handcart company when, years later, he heard criticism leveled
against Church leaders for allowing the handcart company to take its journey in
such adverse conditions. In a session of general conference, Elder James E.
Faust recounted that the man said:
"I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter
you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here, for they give no
proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Handcart
Company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that company and my wife
was in it and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited was there, too. We
suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and
starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of
criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church,
because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives
for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.
"I have pulled my handcart when
I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put
one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a
hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up,
for I cannot pull the load through it. . . .
"I have gone on to that sand and
when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to
see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the
angels of God were there.
"Was I sorry that I chose to
come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The
price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am
thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company."
(Relief Society Magazine, Jan. 1948, p. 8.)
Here then is a great truth. In the
pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner's
fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like
dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this way the divine
image can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of
some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen
better to the faint, godly whisperings of the Divine Shepherd. (Ensign,
May 1979, 53)
Sacrifice and obedience to God's will
in the face of trials, tribulations, and suffering are the price we pay to know
God! We are never more like the Savior than when we offer our obedience in the
face of affliction. Even the sacrifices we think we are making for
righteousness' sake are rewarded with the blessings of eternal life and
everlasting happiness precisely because of the Savior's own sacrifice in
Gethsemane and on the cross of Calvary. Everything we suffer and sacrifice for
righteousness' sake will be made up to us because of the Savior's suffering and
sacrifice. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: "All your losses will be made
up to you in the resurrection; provided you continue faithful. By the vision of
the Almighty I have seen it" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
296).
I am reminded that our English word sacrifice
derives from a combination of two Latin words, sacer
("sacred") and facere ("to make"), thus meaning
"to make sacred." Of course, sacred means "set apart for
or dedicated to Deity." Does the Savior's sacrifice in Gethsemane and on
WHAT HE ASKS OF US
Ultimately, the Savior's personal
testimony regarding the bitter cup seems strikingly simple in its intention— to
help us understand what it cost him to remove the burden of our sins and to
teach us what is required for us to be able to enjoy his rich gift. Repentance!
Of all things he could have asked, he asks us to repent. He asks us to change,
to turn to him, to leave our sins and misdeeds behind and commit to trying with
all our hearts to live good and decent lives. He wants to spare us the
suffering he experienced. He desires only our welfare.
In an early revelation of this
dispensation, the Lord instructed his servants Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery,
and others to "say nothing but repentance unto this generation"
(D&C 6:9). Interestingly, the Lord followed his own counsel when he bore
witness of his experience in
Repentance is sometimes
misunderstood. In a powerful address at
Just what is repentance? Actually it is easier for me to
tell you what repentance is not than to tell you what repentance is.
My present assignment as a General Authority is to assist the
First Presidency. I prepare information for them to use in considering
applications to readmit transgressors into the Church and to restore priesthood
and/or temple blessings. Many times a bishop will write: "I feel he has
suffered enough!" But suffering is not repentance. Suffering comes from lack
of complete repentance. A stake president will write: "I feel he has been
punished enough!" But punishment is not repentance. Punishment follows
disobedience and precedes repentance. A husband will write: "My
wife has confessed everything!" But confession is not repentance.
Confession is an admission of guilt that occurs as repentance begins. A
wife will write: "My husband is filled with remorse!" But remorse is
not repentance. Remorse and sorrow continue because a person has not yet
fully repented. But if suffering, punishment, confession, remorse, and sorrow
are not repentance, what is repentance? ("Meaning of
Repentance," 96)
Elder
"When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely
die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man
shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
"Nevertheless, if
thou warn the wicked of his way to [shuv; or] turn from it; if he do not
[shuv; or] turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou
hast delivered thy soul.
"Therefore, O thou
son of man, speak unto the house of
"Say unto them, As I
live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but
that the wicked [shuv; or] turn from his way and live: [shuv, shuv!]
turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
I know of no kinder, sweeter passage
in the Old Testament than those beautiful lines. Can you hear a kind, wise,
gentle, loving Father in Heaven pleading with you to [shuv] or turn back
to him, to leave unhappiness, sorrow, regret, and despair behind and now turn
back to your Father's family where you can find happiness, joy, and acceptance
among his other children? In the Father's family, you are surrounded with love
and affection. That is the message of the Old Testament, and prophet after
prophet writes of [shuv], which is that turning back to the family of
the Lord where you can be received with joy and rejoicing. . . .
People must somehow be made to
realize that the true meaning of repentance is that we do not require people to
be punished or to punish themselves, but to change their lives so they can
escape eternal punishment. If they have this understanding, it will relieve
their anxiety and fears and become a welcome and treasured word in our
religious vocabulary. ("Meaning of Repentance," 96-97)
True repentance requires that we turn
to God, change our sinful ways, confess our sins, renew our pledge or covenant
with the Lord, repay our debt, serve others, and never return to our iniquity.
To the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said: "Behold, he who has repented
of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By
this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins— behold, he will confess them
and forsake them" (D&C 58:42-43).
One element of repentance that we
sometimes overlook is the necessity of time. Elder
It takes time for repentance to be final. An injury to the soul is
similar to an injury to the body. Just as it takes time for a wound in the body
to heal, so it also takes time for a wound of the soul to heal. The deeper the
cut in the body, the longer it takes to heal, and if broken bones are involved,
that healing process is extended. If I cut myself, for example, the wound will
gradually heal and scab over. But as it heals, it begins to itch, and if I
scratch at the itching scab it will take longer to heal, for the wound will
open up again. But there is a greater danger. Because of the bacteria on my
fingers as I scratch the scab, the wound may become infected and I can poison
the wound and can lose that part of my body and eventually even my life!
Allow injuries to follow their prescribed healing course or, if
serious, see a doctor for skilled help. So it is with injuries to the soul.
Allow the injury to follow its prescribed healing course without scratching it
through vain regrets. If it is serious, go to your bishop and get skilled help.
It may hurt as he disinfects the wound and sews the flesh together, but it will
heal properly that way. Don't hurry or force it, but be patient with yourself
and with your thoughts. Be active with positive and righteous thoughts and
deeds. Then the wound will heal properly and you will become happy and
productive again. ("Meaning of Repentance," 100)
Why does the Lord command us to
repent? Not to punish us, not to humiliate us, not to impress upon us who is
boss, and certainly not to make us miserable. The Savior asks of us true
repentance because we are worth more to him and his Father than we can possibly
comprehend:
Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;
For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh;
wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come
unto him.
And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men
unto him, on conditions of repentance.
And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! (D&C
18:10-13)
I used to look at these verses in
Doctrine and Covenants 18 regarding the worth of souls as
"missionary" verses. I look at them a little differently now. The
worth of souls is great in the sight of God because an infinite price has been
paid for the redemption of all souls— for mine and for yours. We are not our
own; each of us owes an infinite debt; we are bought with a tremendous price (1
Corinthians 6:19-20; 7:23). The price was paid out of love.
Jesus went to
Here on earth during this
probationary stare we feel mortal consequences for our sins, we feel guilt,
remorse, regret etc. . . . Christ,
however took the full measure of our sins, he felt their eternal consequences,
the full weight of all mankind. If we
don’t repent, we will also feel the eternal consequences of our own sins, He
saves us from this if we will repent!
3rd
hour was the time for morning sacrifice at the temple = 9:00 AM
9th
hour was the time for evening sacrifice at the temple = 3:00 PM
These were
the times of the beginning of the cruxcifiction and His death; from Noon to 3
that portion of earth was covered in darkness.
In the
Church we underestimate to significance of
"Viewed from our mortal
position," Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "the gospel is all that is
required to take us back to the Eternal Presence, there to be crowned with
glory and honor, immortality and eternal life." He continued:
To gain these greatest of all
rewards, two things are required. The first is the atonement by which all men
are raised in immortality, with those who believe and obey ascending also unto
eternal life. This atoning sacrifice was the work of our Blessed Lord, and he
has done his work. The second requisite is obedience on our part to the laws
and ordinances of the gospel. Thus the gospel is, in effect, the atonement.
But the gospel is also all of the laws, principles, doctrines, rites,
ordinances, acts, powers, authorities, and keys needed to save and exalt fallen
man in the highest heaven hereafter. (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith
134; emphasis added)
It is probably the case that if one hundred Protestants were asked where
the atonement of Christ took place, those one hundred persons would answer: At
(Monte S.
Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Third Nephi 9-30: This Is My Gospel
[Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1993], 13.)
Soeone
asked about the meaning of the winepress of the wrath of God – it means Christ
will destroy His enemies totally at the 2nd coming, Isaiah and
D&C 133.
Temptation
is not a sin, giving into it is!
From
Gethsamane through
(Alma 40:8.)
8 Now whether there is
more than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not
die at once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only
is measured unto men.
(Doctrine and Covenants
130:7.)
7 But they reside in the
presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for
their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before
the Lord.
Care
for the Life of the Soul
|
|
Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Truly converted disciples, though
still imperfect, will pursue “the life of the soul” on any day, in any decade,
amid any decadence and destruction.
|
|
Within the swirling
global events—events from which we are not totally immune—is humanity’s real
and continuing struggle: whether or not, amid the cares of the world, we will
really choose, in the words of the Lord, to “care . . . for
the life of the soul” (D&C 101:37).
Whatever our anxious involvements with outward events, this inner struggle
proceeds in both tranquil and turbulent times. Whether understood or
recognized, this is the unchanging mortal agendum from generation to
generation.
When we strive to keep
God’s commandments, “the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Then, even on bad days,
we will still “keep our own soul” regardless of external conditions (see Proverbs 19:16). Granted, some inward
decisions to “care . . . for” and “keep” our souls occur in
otherwise uneventful times, as with the prodigal son. He had fed the swine day
by day, finally experiencing a special day when he “came to himself” (Luke 15:17). Whatever else happened on that
particular day in that “far country” (Luke 15:13), the prodigal son had “thought on
[his] ways” (Psalm 119:59) and firmly concluded that “I
will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:18). Transformation followed
introspection. Even so, one homeward-bound swineherd would scarcely have been
noticed by the passersby, though things of eternal significance had happened to
him.
At other times, however,
the interplay of outward and inward things is more visible. Pilate was dealing
with a seemingly local disturbance surrounding one Jesus of Nazareth. His new
accord with Herod—with whom Pilate had been “at enmity” (Luke 23:12)—was doubtless political news among
those in the know. Though ambivalent, he yielded to a conditioned crowd,
amnestying Barabbas instead of Jesus. With washed but dirty hands, Pilate apparently
returned to
Today, war clouds here
and there rain upon the just and the unjust, but Christ’s glorious gift of the
great Resurrection will be showered upon us all! Just as the whitecaps do not
disclose the deep sea changes underway, so in the case of the Atonement, things
global and eternal in their significance were happening in a small garden and
upon an obscure hill.
The unfolding of God’s
work often proceeds quietly. For example, whatever the immediate economic
reasons the Joseph Smith Sr. family had for moving from New England to upstate
New York, they were being led—unawares—to sacred plates, buried in Cumorah’s
Hill, waiting to become “another testament of Christ” for “as long as the earth
shall stand” (2 Nephi 25:22).
Therefore, though ours is
a time of conflict, quietly caring for “the life of the soul” is still what
matters most. Though events set up the defining moments which can evoke
profiles in righteousness, outward commotions cannot excuse any failure of
inward resolve, even if some seem to unravel so easily. If hostilities break
out here and there, we still need not break our covenants! For example,
adultery cannot be rationalized merely because there is a war on and some wives
and husbands are separated. There is no footnote to the seventh commandment
reading “Thou shalt not commit adultery except in times of war” (see Exodus 20:14).
In another time of war,
President David O. McKay counseled members in the military to “keep yourselves
morally clean” amid “the beastliness of war” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1969,
153).
Even though nations shall
rise against nations, such turbulence does not justify business partners rising
against their partners or against their stockholders by stealing or bearing
false witness, thereby violating both the eighth and ninth commandments—for
which there are no excusing footnotes (see Exodus 20:15–16).
Uncertainty as to world
conditions does not justify moral uncertainty, and distracting churn will not
cover our sins nor dim God’s all-seeing eye. Furthermore, military victories
are no substitute for winning our individual wars for self-control. Nor do the
raging human hatreds lessen God’s perfect and redeeming love for all His
children. Likewise, the obscuring mists of the moment cannot change the reality
that Christ is the Light of the World!
Let us, therefore, be
like the young man with Elisha on the mount. At first intimidated by the
surrounding enemy chariots, the young man’s eyes were mercifully opened, and he
saw “horses and chariots of fire,” verifying “they that be with us are more
than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16, 17). Brothers and sisters, the
spiritual arithmetic has not changed!
Our own intellectual shortfalls and perplexities do not
alter the fact of God’s astonishing foreknowledge, which takes into account our
choices for which we are responsible. Amid the mortal and fragmentary
communiques and the breaking news of the day concerning various human
conflicts, God lives in an eternal
now where the past, present, and future are constantly before Him (see D&C 130:7). His divine determinations are guaranteed, since whatever He
takes in His heart to do, He will surely do it (see Abraham 3:17). He knows the end from the
beginning! (see Abraham 2:8). God is fully “able to do
[His] . . . work” and to bring all His purposes to pass,
something untrue of the best-laid plans of man since we so often use our agency
amiss! (see 2 Nephi 27:20).
God has assured us:
“I will lead you along” (D&C 78:18).
“I will be in your midst”
(D&C 49:27).
He will be “with [us],”
brothers and sisters, “in [our] time of trouble” (D&C 3:8), including through the guidance
of His living prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Meanwhile, the defining
moments in the “life of the soul” continue to turn on whether we respond with
self-indulgence or self-denial in our daily, individual decisions, as between
kindness and anger, mercy and injustice, generosity and meanness.
Wars do not repeal the
second commandment. It knows no borders. Its adherents wear no national
insignia, nor do they have skin of a particular color.
We may experience hunger,
for instance, but if so, we can still respond as did the widow who used the
last of her meal to feed Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:8–16). Such
sharing amid real deprivation and poverty is always touching. Earlier in his
life, a wonderful bishop of my youth, M. Thirl Marsh, repeatedly tried to be
hired at the mines during the Depression. Being underage but large of stature,
he persisted and was hired, but several friends were not. Apparently, on more
than one occasion after his hard day’s work, generous young Thirl shared his
earnings equally with these friends until they, too, were hired. No wonder he
was such a caring shepherd of the flock later on.
When pondering “the life
of the soul,” it helps to strive for our own full conversion whereas the gospel
seed first falls on “good ground”—which is defined by Jesus as those with an
“honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15).
Sequentially, such an individual “heareth the word” with “joy,” “understandeth
it,” “beareth fruit,” and “endureth,” and finally learns what it is to “hunger
and thirst after righteousness” (Matthew 13:20, 23; Joseph Smith Translation,
Matthew 13:21; Matthew 5:6). It is “a mighty change” (Mosiah 5:2). Conversion basically represents
the transformation from the “natural man” to becoming the “man of Christ” (Mosiah 3:19; Helaman 3:29; see also 2 Corinthians 5:17). It is a labor which takes
more than an afternoon.
The outcomes of this
ongoing process include having “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good
continually” (Mosiah 5:2). No wonder, therefore, this
process enables those so converted to “strengthen [their] brethren” (Luke 22:32) and so lift others by being “ready
always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that
is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). Such righteous individuals
perform another vital but quiet service to mankind: they become part of the
critical mass which can evoke God’s much-needed blessings on all humanity.
Truly converted
disciples, though still imperfect, will pursue “the life of the soul” on any
day, in any decade, amid any decadence and destruction. This process
constitutes being about our “Father’s business” (Luke 2:49; see also Moses 1:39).
Since this full
conversion is what is supposed to be happening anyway, stern events and
turbulence may actually even help us by causing a resumption of the journey or
an acceleration.
Brothers and sisters,
amid the volatile and vexing cares of the world, let us, as instructed, care
for the “life of the soul.” Thanks to Jesus’ glorious Atonement, the life of
that immortal soul outlasts the stretching longevity of any star and hence the
short span of passing mortal events, even if grim!
I so testify, in the holy
name of Jesus Christ, amen!
Someone
asked who decided when the suffering of Christ was over and he was allowed to
die. Bruce said it was Heavenly Father
who decided when Christ had overcome all, when justice was perfected
(complete).
3. Washing of Feet.-The ordinance of the washing of feet
was reestablished through revelation December 27, 1832. It was made a feature
of admission to the school of the prophets, and detailed instructions relating
to its administration were given (see D&C 88:140, 141). Further direction
as to the ordinances involving washing were revealed January 19, 1841 (see
D&C 124:37-39).
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 573.)
D&C
88:74-75, D&C 138
Doctrine and Covenants 88
In this revelation was a commandment
to organize a School of the Prophets (D&C 88:70-80, 117-41) and build a
house of the Lord (see Chapter 16). The School was organized during a period of
spiritual manifestations in Kirtland. As explained in Joseph Smith's history:
"This winter [1832-33] was spent in translating the Scriptures; in the
School of the Prophets; and sitting in conferences. I had many glorious seasons
of refreshing. The gifts which follow them that believe and obey the Gospel, as
tokens that the Lord is ever the same in His dealings with the humble lovers
and followers of truth, began to be poured out among us, as in ancient days. .
. . On the 22nd day of January, I spoke to the conference in another tongue,
and was followed in the same gift by Brother Zebedee Coltrin, and he by Brother
William Smith, after which the Lord poured out His Spirit in a miraculous
manner, until all the Elders spake in tongues, and several members, both male
and female, exercised the same gift. Great and glorious were the divine
manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Praises were sung to God and the Lamb;
speaking and praying, all in tongues, occupied the conference until a late hour
at night, so rejoiced were we at the return of these long absent blessings.
"On the 23rd of January, we
[members of the School of the Prophets] again assembled in conference; when,
after much speaking, singing, praying, and praising God, all in tongues, we
proceeded to the washing of feet (according to the practice recorded in the
13th chapter of John's Gospel), as commanded of the Lord [D&C 88:74-75].
Each Elder washed his own feet first, after which I girded myself with a towel
and washed the feet of all of them, wiping them with the towel with which I was
girded. . . .
"I then said to the Elders, As I
have done so do ye; wash ye, therefore, one another's feet; and by the power of
the Holy Ghost I pronounced them all clean from the blood of this generation;
but if any of them should sin wilfully after they were thus cleansed, and
sealed up unto eternal life, they should be given over unto the buffetings of
Satan until the day of redemption. Having continued all day in fasting, and
prayer, and ordinances, we closed by partaking of the Lord's supper. I blessed
the bread and wine in the name of the Lord, when we all ate and drank, and were
filled; then we sang a hymn, and the meeting adjourned" (History of the
Church, 1:322-24).
Zebedee Coltrin, who was present when
the School of the Prophets was organized on 23 January 1833, stated that the
salutation written in the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 88:136-41) was
carried out during the first meeting of the School of the Prophets and "at
every meeting." "The washing of feet was attended to," he added,
and "the sacrament was also administered at times when Joseph appointed,
after the ancient order."
Zebedee Coltrin also recalled that
"every time we were called together to attend to any business, we came
together in the morning about sunrise, fasting and partook of the sacrament
each time, and before going to school we washed ourselves and put on clean
linen" (Minutes, Salt Lake School of Prophets, 3 Oct. 1883, p. 56).
A highlight of the School of the
Prophets occurred on March 18. After Joseph promised members of the School that
"the pure in heart should see a heavenly vision," a group of elders
engaged "in secret prayer." Then "the promise was verified; for
many present had the eyes of their understanding opened by the Spirit of
God," Joseph testified, "so as to behold many things. I then blessed
the bread and wine, and distributed a portion to each. Many of the brethren saw
a heavenly vision of the Savior, and concourses of angels, and many other
things, of which each one has a record of what he saw" (History of the
Church, 1:334-35).
Zebedee Coltrin witnessed this
vision. He recalled that while they were praying, they beheld two personages
who were identified by the Prophet as the Father and the Son. He
"experienced a sensation," he explained, like a "consuming fire
of great brightness." The Prophet Joseph said this was the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. The Father "was surrounded as with a flame of fire,
which was so brilliant that I could not discover anything else but his person.
I saw his hands, his legs, his feet, his eyes, nose, mouth, head and body in
the shape and form of a perfect man. . . . This appearance was so grand and
overwhelming that it seemed I should melt down in his presence, and the
sensation was so powerful that it thrilled through my whole system and I felt
it in the marrow of my bones." Zebedee Coltrin further stated that the
Prophet told them, "Brethren, now you are prepared to be the apostles of
Jesus Christ, for you have seen both the Father and the Son and know that they
exist and that they are two separate personages" (Minutes, Salt Lake
School of Prophets, 3 Oct. 1883, p. 56).
The first session of the School of
the Prophets closed in April 1833. Apparently, when a new group gathered in the
fall, the elders did not continue participating in the ordinance of the washing
of the feet. This rite was reintroduced among bearers of the priesthood a few
days after the dedication of the
(Milton V.
Backman, Jr. and Richard O. Cowan, Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and
Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 78 - 79.)
This is a
higher temple ordinance, instituted at the School of the Prophets in Kirtland.
The feet
take you in the direction you are heading; being clean from head to toe takes
the dirt (sin) away and lets you receive the Holy Ghost, see John 13-15
13:1-17 This account of Jesus washing the
apostles' feet is found only in John.
Washing of feet is a gospel ordinance; it is a holy and sacred rite, one
performed by the saints in the seclusion of their temple sanctuaries. It is not
done before the world or for worldly people. For his day and dispensation Jesus
instituted it in the upper room at the time of the Last Supper. (DNTC 1:708.)
Our Lord did two things in the performance of this ordinance: 1. He
fulfilled the old law given to Moses; and 2. He instituted a sacred ordinance
which should be performed by legal administrators among his true disciples from
that day forward.
As part of the restoration of all things, the ordinance of washing of
feet has been restored in the dispensation of the fulness of times. In keeping
with the standard pattern of revealing principles and practices line upon line
and precept upon precept, the Lord revealed his will concerning the washing of
feet little by little until the full knowledge of the endowment and all temple
ordinances had been given. (MD, pp. 829-30.)
13:1 Jesus knew the time had come to
bring about the Atonement, and he loved his fellowmen enough to endure
suffering and even death. (See DC 19:16-19.)
13:2 Read text and commentary for Luke
22:3.
13:7 Jesus' statement could have been
translated "What I am doing you do not understand at present, but after
[later] you will understand these things."
13:8 In the Joseph Smith Translation,
this verse begins, "Peter saith unto him, Thou needest not to wash
my feet." (Italics added.)
13:10 Jesus saith to him, He that has washed
his hands and his head, needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean
every whit; and ye are clean, but not all. Now this was the custom of the
Jews under their law; wherefore Jesus did this that the law might be fulfilled.
(JST; italics added.)
13:13-14 "Master" could have been
more literally translated "Teacher." (See commentary for Luke 6:40.)
(Daniel H.
Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2 vols.
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978], 2: 414.)
John 14-15
–
14:1-4 These far-reaching words of Jesus
have been preserved only by John.
14:2 "Mansions" has also been
translated "abodes," "homes," "rooms," and
"dwelling places."
My text is on the resurrection of the
dead, which you will find in the 14th chapter of John—"In my Father's
house are many mansions." It should be—"In my Father's kingdom are
many kingdoms," in order that ye may be heirs of God and joint-heirs with
me. . . .
There are mansions for those who obey
a celestial law, and there are other mansions for those who come short of the
law, every man in his own order. (TPJS, p. 366.)
14:3 In the Joseph Smith Translation,
this verse begins, "And when I go, I will prepare a place
for you, and come again. . . ." (Italics added.)
14:5-11 These teachings of Jesus are
recorded only in John.
14:6 "But by me" could have
been translated "except through me."
No man who has ever lived—neither Jew
nor Gentile, pagan nor Christian, saint nor sinner—can come unto the Father
(and thereby be saved) until he accepts Christ, believes and obeys his laws,
and walks in the way he has appointed. He is the Savior of all men; unto him
every knee shall bow and every tongue confess; his is the only name whereby
salvation comes; and his laws apply to all, both in and out of the Christian
community. "I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this
commandment—that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word,
which is my law, saith the Lord." (DC. 132:12.) (DNTC 1:730.)
14:16 "Comforter" could have
been translated "helper." The other Comforter or Helper referred to
here is the Holy Ghost. (See BD, "Comforter.")
14:17 The "Spirit of truth" in
this verse is the "other Comforter" mentioned in the preceding verse,
or the Holy Ghost.
"The Holy Ghost has not a body
of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy
Ghost could not dwell in us. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may
descend upon him and not tarry with him." (D. C. 130:22-23.) The Holy
Ghost as a personage does not inhabit the bodies of mortal men, but that member
of the Godhead dwells in a man in the sense that his promptings, the
whisperings of the Spirit, find lodgment in the human soul. When the Holy
Spirit speaks to the spirit in man, the Holy Ghost is thereby dwelling in man,
for the truths that man then gives forth are those which have come from the
Holy Ghost. "Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven;
the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things;
that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which
knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth,
justice, and judgment." (Moses 6:61.) (DNTC 1:738.)
14:18 "Comfortless" could also
have been translated "as orphans" or "bereaved." That Jesus
Christ does indeed "come to" the faithful is verified by other
scriptures. (See DC 93:1; Ether 3:19-20.)
15:1-11 In superb allegory the Lord thus
proceeded to illustrate the vital relationship between the apostles and
himself, and between himself and the Father, by the figure of a vinegrower, a
vine, and its branches. . . . A grander analogy is not to be found in the
world's literature. Those ordained servants of the Lord were as helpless and
useless without him as is a bough severed from the tree. As the branch is made
fruitful only by virtue of the nourishing sap it receives from the rooted
trunk, and if cut away or broken off withers, dries, and becomes utterly
worthless except as fuel for the burning, so those men, though ordained to the
Holy Apostleship, would find themselves strong and fruitful in good works, only
as they remained in steadfast communion with the Lord. Without Christ what were
they, but unschooled Galileans, some of them fishermen, one a publican, the
rest of undistinguished attainments, and all of them weak mortals? As branches
of the Vine they were at that hour clean and healthful, through the
instructions and authoritative ordinances with which they had been blessed, and
by the reverent obedience they had manifested. (JTC, pp. 604-6.)
Members of the Church are like the
branches and leaves on a great tree. They are on the tree, but that alone does
not save them. If they do not receive the nourishment and sustaining power that
comes from Christ, who is the trunk (whose sustaining power is carried to them
by the Holy Ghost only as they make themselves worthy to receive it), then they
wither and fall away like dry leaves. Of this, President John Taylor said:
"As a Saint you say, 'I think I understand my duty, and I am doing very
well.' That may be so. You see the little twig: it is green; it flourishes and
is the very picture of life. It bears its part and proportion in the tree, and
is connected with the stem, branches, and root. But could the tree live without
it? Yes, it could. It need not boast itself and get uplifted and say, 'How
green I am! and how I flourish! and what a healthy position I am in! How well I
am doing! and I am in my proper place and am doing right.' But could you do
without the root? No: you bear your proper part and position in the tree. Just
so with this people. When they are doing their part—when they are magnifying
their calling, living their religion, and walking in obedience to the Spirit of
the Lord, they have a portion of his Spirit given to them to profit withal. And
while they are humble, faithful, diligent, and observe the laws and
commandments of God, they stand in their proper position on the tree: they are
flourishing; the buds, blossoms, leaves, and everything about them are all
right, and they form a part and parcel of the tree." (John Taylor in JD
6:108.) (LTJA, p. 167.)
(Daniel H.
Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2 vols.
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978], 2: 422.)
Take the
Sacrament to have the Holy Ghost, see Elder Oaks and his talks on the
sacrament.
Chapter 34
The Trial of Christ
October 27, 2005
This was a short class due to Bruce being tired. They had a family tragedy during the week.
Jewish
Trial>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Peter’s
Denial>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Roman
Trial
(1 Peter 2:19-24.)
19 For this is
thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering
wrongfully.
20 For what glory is
it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently?
but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is
acceptable with God.
21 For even hereunto were
ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither
was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself
to him that judgeth righteously:
24 Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Peter
describes Christ during these trials, He set the example for us to follow,
meek, patient.
At the
"Now the chief priests, and
elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to
death." fn Whether "all the council" means a legal quorum, which
would be twenty-three or more, or a full attendance of the seventy-two
Sanhedrists, is of small importance. Any sitting of the Sanhedrin at night, and
more particularly for the consideration of a capital charge, was directly in
violation of Jewish law. Likewise was it unlawful for the council to consider such
a charge on a Sabbath, a feast day, or on the eve on any such day. In the
Sanhedrin, every member was a judge; the judicial body was to hear the
testimony, and, according to that testimony and nought else, render a decision
on every case duly presented. The accusers were required to appear in person;
and they were to receive a preliminary warning against bearing false witness.
Every defendant was to be regarded and treated as innocent until convicted in
due course. But in the so-called trial of Jesus, the judges not only sought
witnesses, but specifically tried to find false witnesses. Though many false
witnesses came, yet there was no "witness" or testimony against the
Prisoner, for the suborned perjurers failed to agree among themselves; and even
the lawless Sanhedrists hesitated to openly violate the fundamental requirement
that at least two concordant witnesses must testify against an accused person,
for, otherwise, the case had to be dismissed.
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 576.)
This seems
to be done at Caiaphas’s home, not at the
John 18:15
– John is able to see events that Peter cannot see.
The vaguely defined shadow of legal
accusation produced by the dark and inconsistent testimony of the false
witnesses, was enough to embolden the iniquitous court. Caiaphas, rising from
his seat to give dramatic emphasis to his question, demanded of Jesus:
"Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against
thee?" There was nothing to answer. No consistent or valid testimony had
been presented against Him; therefore He stood in dignified silence. Then
Caiaphas, in violation of the legal proscription against requiring any person
to testify in his own case except voluntarily and on his own initiative, not
only demanded an answer from the Prisoner, but exercised the potent prerogative
of the high-priestly office, to put the accused under oath, as a witness before
the sacerdotal court. "And the high priest answered and said unto him, I
adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ,
the Son of God." fn The fact of a distinct specification of "the
Christ" and "the Son of God" is significant, in that it implies
the Jewish expectation of a Messiah, but does not acknowledge that He was to be
distinctively of divine origin. Nothing that had gone before can be construed
as a proper foundation for this inquiry. The charge of sedition was about to be
superseded by one of greater enormity-that of blasphemy. fn
To the utterly unjust yet official
adjuration of the high priest, Jesus answered: "Thou hast said:
nevertheless I say unto you: Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on
the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." This
expression "Thou hast said" was equivalent to-I am what thou hast
said. fn It was an unqualified avowal of divine parentage, and inherent
Godship. "Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken
blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard
his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of
death." fn
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 579.)
The crime
was blasphemy, yet He is the God they said they were seeking!
(Luke 22:69.)
69 Hereafter shall the Son
of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
The
fulfillment happened with Stephen while he stood before the Sanhedrin, just
like Jesus did a few years before.
(Acts 6:5-15)
5 ¶ And the saying pleased
the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the
Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas,
and Nicolas a proselyte of
6 Whom they set before the
apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God
increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in
8 And Stephen, full of
faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
9 ¶ Then there arose
certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the
Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of
10 And they were not able
to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
11 Then they suborned men,
which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against
God.
12 And they stirred up the
people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught
him, and brought him to the council,
13 And set up false
witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against
this holy place, and the law:
14 For we have heard him
say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the
customs which Moses delivered us.
15 And all that sat in the
council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an
angel.
(Acts 7:55-56.)
55 But he, being full of
the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and
Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see
the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
The people
stopped their ears, they refused to listen.
Paul was present; he was a good righteous man who was misguided about
Christians.
Luke writes
a lot about Peter, wishy washy in Luke (no Gift of the Holy Ghost), powerful,
unshakable in Acts (he has the Spirit).
(Luke 22:31-32.)
31 ¶ And the Lord said,
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you
as wheat:
32 But I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy
brethren.
The Greek
word for converted means to turn back, The Lord knew Peter
would fail and when he repented and was forgiven he was to come back and lead
the people in the Church.
Luke 5:1
and D&C 117:12 – Oliver Granger and his mission
"Oliver Granger was a man of
faith and business ability—two qualities which form a rare combination. . . .
When the Prophet fled from Kirtland, he appointed Granger his business agent,
and so well did he perform this duty that he was commended by business
men." fn This information concerning Oliver Granger makes the following
instructions from the Lord easier to understand: "Therefore, let him
contend earnestly for the redemption of the First Presidency of my Church,
saith the Lord; and when he falls he shall rise again, for his sacrifice shall
be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord" (D&C
117:13D&C 117:13).
The covenant that Oliver Granger made
to put his business talents to work on behalf of the First Presidency later led
to another blessing. "At a conference held at Quincy, (Illinois), May 4th
to 6th, 1839, he was appointed to return to Kirtland and take charge of the
Temple and Church there." fn Thus he also fulfilled the Lord's command in
this same revelation: "Verily I say unto you, let all my servants in the
land of Kirtland remember the Lord their God, and mine house also, to keep and
preserve it holy, and to overthrow the moneychangers in mine own due time,
saith the Lord." (D&C 117:16).
The story of this man and the lessons
we can learn for our own lives are revealed in the sacrifice he made to be the
Prophet's business agent. Being a man of sound business sense and reputation,
Oliver might have become a very wealthy man. Indeed, his name might be more
commonly known among members of the Church had he become a man of immense
wealth. The Lord recognizes the sacrifice of opportunity for wealth made by his
servants. The Lord assured Oliver that "his sacrifice shall be more sacred
unto me than his increase" (D&C 117:13D&C 117:13), and it is true
in the lives of Saints today. Throughout the Church are those who could obtain
more wealth, but that might require less service in the kingdom. The Lord,
however, does not count the value of his children according to the amount of
tithes and offerings they contribute to the kingdom. The Lord may receive their
sacrifice as being more sacred to him than their increase.
The answers to difficult decisions
concerning wealth versus service may be found in this revelation. Oliver
Granger was a man who paved the way for those who sacrifice worldly wealth to
give service in the kingdom. Therefore, with the Lord, I feel to exclaim,
"Let no man despise my servant Oliver Granger, but let the blessings of my
people be on him forever and ever" (D&C 117:15).
(Leon R.
Hartshorn, Dennis A. Wright, and Craig J. Ostler, eds., The Doctrine and
Covenants, a Book of Answers: The 25th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1996], 128 - 129.)
Trial
before Pilate – Christ was innocent before Pilate and the Roman Govenor knew
it. When the Jews said they have no
other king but Caesar it turned into a political event. Pilate was then guilty of murder. Christ appeared before Herod, the one who
killed John the Baptist, not one word escaped His lips, and He was silent
before Herod.
Christ also answered at least one of
his own accusers in silence. According to Luke’s record, Christ, who had spoken
a brief reply to both Caiaphas and Pilate, remained silent before Herod.
"And when Herod saw Jesus . . . then he questioned with him in many words;
but he answered him nothing" (Luke 23:8-9).
As far as we know, Herod is further
distinguished as the only being who saw Christ face to face and spoke to Him,
yet never heard His voice. For penitent sinners, weeping women, prattling
children, for the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the rabbis, for the
perjured high priest and his obsequious and insolent underling, and for Pilate
the pagan, Christ had words—of comfort or instruction, of warning or rebuke, of
protest or denunciation—yet for Herod the fox He had but disdainful and kingly
silence. fn
Matthew’s account tells us that Jesus
also refused to answer to the charges made against him by the false witnesses
brought in by Caiaphas. Peter explains that in Christ’s silence, the Savior set
an example for all who suffer for righteousness sake:
But if, when ye do well, and suffer
for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto
were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that ye should follow in his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in
his mouth: Who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he
threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously. (1 Pet.
2:20-23)
(The Paradox of Silence in the Arts and Religion, BYU
Studies, vol. 35 (1995), Number 3--1996.)
Chapter’s 35-36
Death and Burial and the Spirit World
November 3, 2005
Bruce began the class talking about
his travels around
The locations of the Garden tomb and
Daniel Ludlow regretted the
influence he had in suggesting the Garden tomb site to President Lee.
The 2
thieves were actually robbers in Barabba’s band. Barabbas = Son of the Father, ironic!!
Two convicted criminals, who had been
sentenced to the cross for robbery, were led forth to death at the same time;
there was to be a triple execution; and the prospective scene of horror
attracted the morbidly minded, such as delight to gloat over the sufferings of
their fellows. In the crowd, however, were some genuine mourners, as shall be
shown. It was the Roman custom to make the execution of convicts as public as
possible, under the mistaken and anti-psychological assumption, that the
spectacle of dreadful punishment would be of deterrent effect. This
misconception of human nature has not yet become entirely obsolete.
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 605.)
Capital
punishment wasn’t seen as a deterrent but as a form of punishment.
The act of
scourging was seen as merciful if the punished died, then they avoided cruxcifiction.
Among those who followed or stood and
watched the death-procession pass, were some, women particularly, who bewailed
and lamented the fate to which Jesus was going. We read of no man who ventured
to raise his voice in protest or pity; but on this dreadful occasion as at
other times, women were not afraid to cry out in commiseration or praise.
Jesus, who had been silent under the inquisition of the priests, silent under
the humiliating mockery of the sensual Herod and his coarse underlings, silent
when buffeted and beaten by the brutal legionnaires of Pilate, turned to the
women whose sympathizing lamentations had reached His ears, and uttered these
pathetic and portentous words of admonition and warning: "Daughters of
Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the
barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then
shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover
us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the
dry?" It was the Lord's last testimony of the impending holocaust of
destruction that was to follow the nation's rejection of her King. Although motherhood
was the glory of every Jewish woman's life, yet in the terrible scenes which
many of those there weeping would live to witness, barrenness would be
accounted a blessing; for the childless would have fewer to weep over, and at
least would be spared the horror of seeing their offspring die of starvation or
by violence; for so dreadful would be that day that people would fain welcome
the falling of the mountains upon them to end their sufferings. fn If Israel's
oppressors could do what was then in process of doing to the "Green
Tree," who bore the leafage of freedom and truth and offered the priceless
fruit of life eternal, what would the powers of evil not do to the withered
branches and dried trunk of apostate Judaism?
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 606.)
Satan threw
the “if” clause at Him, pitting doubt into His mind, it didn’t work; Christ was
silent yet in total control of Himself.
He wasn’t selfish, but thinking of us, willing to submit to Father’s
will.
Jesus was nailed to the cross during
the forenoon of that fateful Friday, probably between nine and ten o'clock. fn
At noontide the light of the sun was obscured, and black darkness spread over
the whole land. The terrifying gloom continued for a period of three hours.
This remarkable phenomenon has received no satisfactory explanation from
science. It could not have been due to a solar eclipse, as has been suggested
in ignorance, for the time was that of full moon; indeed the Passover season
was determined by the first occurrence of full moon after the spring equinox.
The darkness was brought about by miraculous operation of natural laws directed
by divine power. It was a fitting sign of the earth's deep mourning over the
impending death of her Creator. fn Of the mortal agony through which the Lord
passed while upon the cross the Gospel-scribes are reverently reticent.
At the ninth hour, or about three in
the afternoon, a loud voice, surpassing the most anguished cry of physical
suffering issued from the central cross, rending the dreadful darkness. It was
the voice of the Christ: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being
interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" What mind of
man can fathom the significance of that awful cry? It seems, that in addition
to the fearful suffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of
The period of faintness, the conception
of utter forsakenness soon passed, and the natural cravings of the body
reasserted themselves. The maddening thirst, which constituted one of the worst
of the crucifixion agonies, wrung from the Savior's lips His one recorded
utterance expressive of physical suffering. "I thirst" He
said. One of those who stood by, whether Roman or Jew, disciple or skeptic, we
are not told, hastily saturated a sponge with vinegar, a vessel of which was at
hand, and having fastened the sponge to the end of a reed, or stalk of hyssop,
pressed it to the Lord's fevered lips. Some others would have prevented this
one act of human response, for they said: "Let be, let us see whether
Elias will come to save him." John affirms that Christ uttered the
exclamation, "I thirst," only when He knew "that all
things were now accomplished"; and the apostle saw in the incident a
fulfilment of prophecy. fn
Fully realizing that He was no longer
forsaken, but that His atoning sacrifice had been accepted by the Father, and
that His mission in the flesh had been carried to glorious consummation, He
exclaimed in a loud voice of holy triumph: "It is finished." In
reverence, resignation, and relief, He addressed the Father saying: "Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit." fn He bowed His head, and
voluntarily gave up His life.
Jesus the Christ was dead. His life
had not been taken from Him except as He had willed to permit. Sweet and
welcome as would have been the relief of death in any of the earlier stages of
His suffering from
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 612.).
John
records Christ saying “I thirst”, He was experiencing spiritual death, He was
unclean and could not enter into God’s presence, He was alone on the cross, no
help from any of the angelic host, Alma 7:11-13, He became us, how awful that
must have been for Him, totally unspotted from the world!
It is probably the case that if one
hundred Protestants were asked where the atonement of Christ took place,
those one hundred persons would answer: At Golgotha, on the cross. It is also
no doubt true that if one hundred Latter-day Saints were asked the same
question, a large percentage would respond: In Gethsemane, in the garden. In fact, the sufferings of Jesus Christ
that began in the
(Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate,
Jr., eds., Third Nephi 9-30: This Is My Gospel [Provo: BYU Religious
Studies Center, 1993], 14.)
The most transcendent event that ever
has occurred or ever will occur, from creation's dawn through all the unending
ages of eternity, took place in a garden and on a cross in the meridian of
time. It was the infinite and eternal atonement. There, in Gethsemane and on
Golgotha, because he was the Son of the Immortal Elohim and the mortal Mary, he
ransomed men front the temporal and spiritual death that fell upon Adam's seed
when the first man of all men chose to become mortal so that man might be.
There, in agony beyond compare, suffering both body and spirit in a way
incomprehensible to us, he bore the sins of all men on conditions of
repentance. There, as he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore, and
shrinking because of pain (would—had such been possible—that he might not drink
the bitter cup), he paid the penalty for a broken law and poured out his soul
unto death. There, as none but a God could do, he fulfilled his Father's will;
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel; put all of the terms
and conditions of his Father's plan into operation; ransomed this earth and all
that on it is from an endless death and a mindless oblivion; made possible the
victory over the grave; and sealed the fate of Lucifer and the enemies of God
who seek to enthrone themselves above the stars of heaven.
There is no language known to the
human tongue; there are no words that mortals can speak or write; there are no
feelings that can fill the heart of an earthbound soul; there is no way by the
power of the greatest intellect—to even begin to portray the infinite power and
eternal wonder of the atoning sacrifice. All this occurred in time's meridian;
all this we must know if we are to keep in perspective the glory and grandeur
of that which is yet to be in the fulness of times.
(Bruce R.
McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1985], 620.)
(John 7:37-38.)
37 In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man
thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on
me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water.
(John 19:28-35.)
28 ¶ After this, Jesus knowing
that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled,
saith, I thirst.
29 Now there was set a
vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it
upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and
gave up the ghost.
31 The Jews therefore,
because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the
cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought
Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken
away.
32 Then came the soldiers,
and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to
Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
34 But one of the soldiers
with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
35 And he that saw it
bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye
might believe.
Water from
the belly, Blood and water from the wound
Matthew
5:48 + John 19:30 = perfect – finished = complete, the same Greek word is
used to describe both words.
(Alma 41:3-4.)
3 And it is requisite with
the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if
their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good,
that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.
4 And if their works are
evil they shall be restored unto them for evil.
Justice
demands restoration, good for good and evil for evil. Mercy (atonement) overcomes punishment. Christ through the atonement answered both
ends of the Law.
(Mosiah 5:15.)
15 Therefore, I would that
ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that
Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to
heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the
wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in
heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.
Blessing
Atonement LAW Justice
(Mercy)
Punishment
(2 Nephi 2:5-7.)
5 And men are instructed
sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And
by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the
temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from
that which is good, and become miserable forever.
6 Wherefore, redemption
cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7 Behold, he offereth
himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who
have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of
the law be answered.
2 Nephi 9:6-14
Justice and Mercy
Justice and mercy are attributes of
deity. They are also eternal principles. The "justice of God" (Alma
41:2; 42:14) is a principle so fundamental that without it, "God would
cease to be God" (
On one hand, justice rewards
righteousness. "And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by
obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:21, see
also D&C 82:10). On the other, justice requires penalties as a consequence
of disobedience to the laws of God, for "I the Lord cannot look upon sin
with the least degree of allowance" (D&C 1:31). Just as obedience to
divine law leads to blessings, justice affixes a punishment to each violation
of the Lord's commandments (Alma 42:17-18, 22), and men and women will be
"punished for their own sins" (A of F 2). Each person will thus be
judged according to his or her works (
Not just any person may invoke mercy
on behalf of another: "Now there is not any man that can sacrifice his own
blood which will atone for the sins of another…therefore there can be nothing
which is short of an infinite Atonement which will suffice for the sins of the
world" (
Mercy is not extended arbitrarily. To
protect individuals from the undeserved effects of sins for which they are not
responsible, the Atonement unconditionally paid the penalty for the
transgression of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It pays similarly for sins
committed in ignorance (Mosiah 3:11; see also Moses 6:54). However, the
Atonement removes the penalty for personal sins for which one is accountable
only on the condition of individual repentance.
In this way, the concepts of justice,
mercy, and the Atonement retain both a specific integrity and a logically consistent
relationship: "The plan of mercy could not be brought about except an
Atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the
world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice,
that God might be a perfect, just God, and merciful God also…. But there is a
law given, and a punishment affixed, and repentance granted; which repentance
mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature…. For behold, justice
exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and
thus, none but the truly penitent are saved" (
Mercy is thus rehabilitative, not
retributive or arbitrary. The Lord asks repentance from a transgressor, not to
compensate the Savior for paying the debt of justice, but to induce the
transgressor to undertake a meaningful process of personal development toward a
Christlike nature.
At the same time, mercy depends
ultimately on the Lord's extension of unmerited grace. Even though conditioned
on repentance for personal sins, mercy is never fully "earned" by its
recipients. Repentance is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition of
salvation and exaltation. "For we know that it is by grace that we are
saved, after all we can do" (2 Ne. 25:23). The unearned nature of mercy is
demonstrated by the Atonement’s having unconditionally compensated for the
disabilities imposed on mankind by the Fall of Adam. Adam and Eve and their
posterity were utterly powerless to overcome the physical and spiritual deaths
that were introduced by the Fall. Moreover, transgressors do not
"pay" fully for their sins through the process of repentance. Even
though repentance requires restitution to the extent of one's ability, most
forms of restitution are beyond any person's ability to achieve. No matter how
complete our repentance, it would all be to no avail without a mediator willing
and able to pay our debt to justice, on condition of our repentance. Thus, even
with sincere and complete repentance, all are utterly dependent on Jesus
Christ.
Through the Atonement of Jesus
Christ, justice and mercy are interdependent and interactive, demonstrating
that God cannot be just without being merciful, nor merciful without being
just.
Bibliography
Hafen, Bruce C. "Justice, Mercy,
and Rehabilitation." In The Broken Heart, pp. 143-54.
Oaks, Dallin H. "The Atonement
and the Principles of Justice and Mercy." Unpublished manuscript, from May
1, 1985, General Authority training meeting.
Roberts, B. H. The Atonement.
Taylor, John. Mediation and
Atonement.
BRUCE C. HAFEN
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 775.)
This story (
(Joseph
Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of
Mormon, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1987-1992], 3: 321.)
The Law of Justice and the Law of Mercy
H. Donl Peterson
Corianton, the Prophet Alma's son, had left his field
of missionary labor, traveled to a border town, and there engaged in sexual
relations with a prostitute. This young elder had much repenting to do before
he could obtain forgiveness from the Lord, receive the acceptance of the
Church, and once again have personal peace of mind. In following the steps of
repentance he was bothered by the exactness of the stipulations that he was
asked to do. He was also troubled about related doctrinal matters:
1. Why did the doctrine of the
Atonement of Christ need to be taught prior to the actual birth and ministry of
Christ (
2. Why does God require that sinners
suffer in the spirit world between death and the resurrection and then judge
them after the resurrection (
3. How does the doctrine of restoration relate to the justice and mercy
of God (
4. Why does a merciful Heavenly
Father punish his wayward children (Alma 42:1)?
The Fall of Adam and Eve
To enable Corianton to understand the
law of justice,
After they fell, Adam and Eve were
cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord. They
were left alone with the recollection that the Garden of Eden had been a higher
realm of existence that the Father and Son had frequented and where tranquility
and harmony prevailed. They had considerable time to reflect upon their lesser
mortal state and to wonder about the purpose of their existence and the final
state that God had in mind for them. It appears that the Lord did not reveal
the specifics of the plan of salvation to Adam and Eve until after they felt a
great void in their lives and needed to receive meaning and direction in their
lives. The scripture states "after many days," possibly after they
had children and even grandchildren, an angel of the Lord appeared to Adam and
Eve and taught them that a Savior had been provided and further explained the
"plan of redemption" to them. They rejoiced in the gospel plan and
taught it to their posterity (Moses 5:4-12).
Adam and Eve brought upon themselves
their fallen state through their "own disobedience" (
Adam and Eve had been placed in the
Garden of Eden as immortal beings, that is, not subject to death. Since they
voluntarily partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they brought
mortality into the world. Some people believe that their transgression in the
Garden of Eden caught heaven unaware. Adam and Eve were not inexperienced
novices who destroyed the plan of God. Modern revelation teaches that they were
seasoned leaders on the side of righteousness in their premortal state and
their fall was foreordained. President John Taylor reasoned:
Was it known that man would fall?
Yes. We are clearly told that it was understood that man should fall, and it
was understood that the penalty of departing from the law would be death, death
temporal. And there was a provision made for that. Man was not able to make the
provision himself, and hence, we are told that it needed the atonement of a God
to accomplish this purpose; and the son of God presented himself to carry out
that object . . . hence it was written, he was the Lamb slain from before the
foundation of the world. (Journal of Discourses 22:300; hereafter JD)
Adam, known as Michael the
The Atonement of Jesus Christ
In the great gospel plan, instituted
before the world was, Christ was foreordained to compensate for the anticipated
fall of Adam and Eve (1 Peter 1:20). Paul explained it well when he said:
"For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [Christ] came also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all
be made alive" (1 Cor 15:21-22). Justice required that Adam and Eve be
placed in the Garden as immortal beings capable of becoming mortal. Likewise,
Jesus inherited mortality from his mother Mary and immortality from his Eternal
Father. Paul referred to these two unique beings as the "first Adam"
and the "last Adam" and the "first man" and the
"second man" (1 Cor 15:45-47).
All of us in mortality must die; only
Adam and Christ, two beings who possessed immortality by their natures, had the
option to live on indefinitely or to die. The Book of Mormon states: "Adam
fell that men might be" (2 Nephi 2:25) that is, Adam's choosing to become
mortal enabled us, his offspring, to be born into this second phase of our
eternal existence. Likewise, Jesus explained, "I lay down my life, that I
take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. This commandment
have I received of my Father" (John 10:17-18). Adam and Eve as immortal
beings introduced death into the world, and Jesus, an immortal being, who chose
to die for us and alone was able to resurrect himself and all humankind,
brought back immortality. Immortality, therefore is a gift of God for all
mankind prescribed by the law of justice.
Alma continued to explain to
Corianton that "according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be
brought about, only on conditions of repentance . . . in this probationary
state" and except for repentance mercy could not take effect except it
should destroy the work of justice" (Alma 42:13).
Alma continued: "And now, the
plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made;
therefore, God himself atoneth for the sins of the world to bring about the
plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect,
just God, and a merciful God also" (Alma 42:15).
Justice and Mercy: Compatible Qualities in God
All virtues originate from God
himself. In order for human-kind to have faith in God, they must accept the
idea that justice and mercy are attributes of God. The Lectures on Faith state:
It is also necessary that men should
have the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in God in order to
exercise faith in him unto life and salvation. For without the idea of the
existence of the attribute justice in the Deity, men could not have confidence
sufficient to place themselves under his guidance and direction. For they would
be filled with fear and doubt lest the Judge of all the earth would not do
right, and thus fear or doubt existing in the mind would preclude the
possibility of the exercise of faith in him for life and salvation. But when
the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in the Deity is fairly
planted in the mind, it leaves no room for doubt to get into the heart; and the
mind is enabled to cast itself upon the Almighty without doubt, and with the
most unshaken confidence, believing that the Judge of all the earth will do
right. (78)
Relative to mercy the Lectures on Faith state:
And again, it is equally important
that men should have the idea of the existence of the attribute mercy in the
Deity in order to exercise faith in him for life and salvation. For without the
idea of the existence of this attribute in the Deity, the spirits of the Saints
would faint in the midst of the tribulations, afflictions, and persecutions
which they have to endure for righteousness' sake. But when the idea of the
existence of this attribute is once established in the mind, it gives life and energy
to the spirits of the Saints, who believe then that the mercy of God will be
poured out upon them in the midst of their afflictions, and that he will be
compassionate to them in their sufferings, and that the mercy of God will lay
hold of them and secure them in the arms of his love, so that they will receive
a full reward for all their sufferings. (79)
Alma stated to Corianton, "My
son, I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye
cannot understand—which is concerning the justice of God in the punishment of
the sinner; for ye do try to suppose that it is injustice that the sinner
should be consigned to a state of misery" (Alma 42:1). Corianton
apparently had failed to understand or accept the unalterable fact that to be
just, God must impartially mete out rewards or punishments in relation to his
children's obedience or disobedience to eternal gospel principles. It is not
the nature of men and women in our sinful and fallen state to plead for justice
upon ourselves. We don't want to receive that which we justly deserve. Like
Corianton, we prefer to focus on God's love, compassion and mercy and ignore
the fact that our Heavenly Father is a God of justice also. Corianton's sin
ranks next to denying the Holy Ghost and murder in its seriousness before God
(Alma 39:5). Justice would demand dire consequences.
The prerequisite for both justice and
mercy is law. A law is given to all things by the perfect lawgiver, even God
the Father, through his son Jesus Christ. The term law in the scriptures
refers primarily to the law of the Lord, including the teachings of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, the saving ordinances, and the authority of the priesthood.
And if ye shall say there is no law,
ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall
also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be
no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no
punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if
there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no
creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things
must have vanished away. (2 Nephi 2:13)
All who have lived, do live, or will
live upon the earth and who are accountable before God, have sinned or will
sin, save Jesus. We have indulged in sin and punishment is required. In God's
court of justice rewards or punishments are meted out impartially according to
our works. Christ alone, who excelled in righteousness in the pre-earth life,
and who never yielded to temptation on earth, would receive from the bar of
justice the reward of eternal life. He merited being chosen as our Savior and
God. The Savior's calling was not an unwarranted political appointment. Justice
and mercy are based upon law.
In order for justice and mercy to
harmonize and yet not lose their identity as they pertain to the individual
soul, it is imperative that each person has a conscience. Without a conscience
a person would not hesitate to violate divine law and would play the game of
life with a different set of rules or with no rules at all.
Elder Orson Pratt explained that
justice and mercy are placed in our souls by God himself:
God is perfectly just, being just
according to our notions of justice, for among the original qualities of our
mind we have correct notions of justice implanted in our bosoms originally by
God himself; also what we know of mercy originated from God. He implanted the principles
of justice and mercy in our hearts, and he implanted the same principles that
swell in his own bosom. What is justice with us, when we are truly enlightened,
is justice with God; and what is mercy with us, when we are truly enlightened,
is mercy with God; and these great attributes will be magnified in the dealing
out of punishments and rewards. Every man who has lived, or ever will live,
will be dealt with according to his works and the law of the Gospel. (Lundwall
268-69)
When we become aware of our
wickedness before God and the consequences we face because of the demands of
justice for a broken law, our troubled consciences will help us want to repent
and return to Christ. Therefore, both law and conscience are basic to
understanding and implementing the law of justice and mercy.
President John Taylor explained how
justice and mercy are united through the atonement of Jesus Christ:
Is justice dishonored? No; it is
satisfied, the debt is paid. Is righteousness departed from? No; this is a
righteous act. All requirements are met. Is judgment violated? No; its demands
are fulfilled. Is mercy triumphant? No; she simply claims her own. Justice,
judgment, mercy and truth all harmonize as the attributes of Deity.
"Justice and truth have met together righteousness and peace have kissed
each other." Justice and judgment triumph as well as mercy and peace; all
the attributes of Deity harmonize in this great, grand, momentous, just,
equitable, merciful and meritorious act. (167)
shall bring salvation to all those
who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to
bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about
means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And this mercy can
satisfy the demands of justice, and encircle them in the arms of safety, while
he that exerciseth no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the
demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is
brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption. (
For behold, justice exerciseth all
his demands, and mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the
truly penitent are saved. What do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say
unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so God would cease to be God. And thus God
bringeth about his great and eternal purposes, which were prepared from the
foundation of the world. And thus cometh about the salvation and the redemption
of men, and also their destruction and misery. (
Corianton surely understood by then
that if the Lord blessed him, without his sincere repentance, God would be a
respecter of persons.
Toward the conclusion of his profound
remarks Alma reminded Corianton that the gospel is taught, so "whosoever will
come may come and partake of the waters of life freely" but that no
one was "compelled to come"; however, in the last day "it shall
be restored unto him according to his deeds" (Alma 42:27; emphasis added).
Justice embodies the principle of restoration.
O my son, I desire that ye should
deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the
least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let
the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in
your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility. (
Conclusion
In consequence of the fall of Adam
and Eve, mortality was introduced which brought both physical and spiritual
death. Jesus Christ overcame both deaths by breaking their bonds through his
resurrection and paying for the sins of the repentant through the atoning
sacrifice of his suffering and life. Adam and Eve overcame spiritual death by
living the commandments of God. This is the same way that all of us, their
children, can overcome alienation from God. The quality of our resurrection and
our eternal lifestyle is contingent upon our obedience to the laws and
ordinances of the gospel. This is the doctrine of restoration.
Mercy claimeth the penitent and mercy
cometh because of the atonement and the atonement bringeth to pass the
resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men
into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be
judged according their works, according to the law and justice. For behold,
justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her
own; and thus none but the truly penitent are saved. What do ye suppose that
mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would
cease to be God. (
Eliza R. Snow summarizes the heart of
this great message of God's divine harmonizing of justice and mercy in the hymn
"How Great the Wisdom and the Love":
How great the wisdom and the love
That filled the courts on high
And sent the Savior from above
To suffer, bleed, and die!
His precious blood he freely spilt;
His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save.
By strict obedience Jesus won
The prize with glory rife:
"Thy will, O God, not mine be
done,"
Adorned his mortal life.
He marked the path and led the way,
And ev'ry point defines
To light and life and endless day
Where God's full presence shines.
In mem'ry of the broken flesh
We eat the broken bread,
And witness with the cup, afresh,
Our faith in Christ, our Head.
How great, how glorious, how
complete,
Redemption's grand design,
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine!
(Hymns 195)
NOTES
H. Donl Peterson is professor of
Ancient Scripture at
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hymns.
Journal of Discourses. 26 vols. 1854-56.
Kimball, Spencer W. The Miracle of
Forgiveness.
The Lectures on Faith in Historical
Perspective. Ed.
Larry E. Dahl, and Charles D. Tate, Jr.,
Lundwall, N.B. Comp. Masterful
Discourses and Writings of Orson Pratt.
Packer, Boyd K. "The
Mediator" in That All May Be Edified.
Taylor, John. The Mediation and
Atonement.
(Monte S.
Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Alma, the Testimony of the Word
[Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992], 211.)
(Mosiah 5:2.)
2
And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which
thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because
of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us,
or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good
continually.
The process of spiritual renewal and
growth is accomplished by an infusion of divine power. Paul therefore explained
that God the Father "hath made him [Christ the Son] to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2
Corinthians 5:21; compare Philippians 3:8-9). That is what might be called "the great exchange." Jesus
Christ came to earth on a search-and-rescue mission in search of lost sheep. He
came to earth to find us and then to change us—to change our hearts, our
desires, our very lives. But there is more. He came to exchange with us.
In
I suggest that in our fallen state we
are like buckets filled with filthy water. Our Savior comes along, sees our
plight, and if we choose to ask him to help us, he dumps out the water. He then
turns to the laborious task of cleansing the bucket. He grinds, and he scrubs,
and he scours. It hurts abominably. Nevertheless, when the process of cleansing
is complete, the bucket is something to behold—it shines. But the cleanup is
not yet complete, for the bucket does not fulfill its rightful role until we
have invited the Savior to fill it, this time with living water.
Closely allied with the glorious
message of a "great exchange" in Paul's writings is the doctrinal
notion that we should seek to have Christ "formed in [us]" (Galatians
4:19). We emphasize in our teaching—and appropriately so—that Jesus Christ came
to earth to die for us. It is perhaps just as important for us to know
that he desires to live in us. He must not and cannot be merely an
historical figure; he must always and forever be a current, living reality. In
speaking at a
This great exchange manifests itself
in what we know as the "mighty change" (Mosiah 5:2). It is mighty in
the sense that it is God-inspired, God-directed, and God-empowered. This change
is neither superficial nor cosmetic. It does not result in skin-deep holiness.
It is not just the result of self-control or will-power. It is a change born of
the Spirit and empowered by him who delights in remaking the human heart. For
one thing, a new creature that is alive in Christ becomes less and less
attracted to the fleeting, the transient, the worldly. He or she comes to sense
the emptiness and the vanity of the world and to recognize that peace and
happiness are to be found in more substantive things. In a word, the values of
a person who is a new creature in Christ undergoes a transformation. It is a
mighty change.
Elder Orson Pratt wrote: "Water
baptism is only a preparatory cleansing of the believing penitent; it is only a
condition of a cleansing from sin; whereas, the baptism of fire and the Holy
Ghost cleanses more thoroughly, by renewing the inner man, and by purifying the
affections, desires, and thoughts which have long been habituated in the impure
ways of sin. Without the aid of the Holy Ghost, a person . . . would have but
very little power to change his mind, at once, from its habituated course, and to
walk in newness of life. Though his sins may have been cleansed away, yet so
great is the force of habit, that he would, without being renewed by the Holy
Ghost, be easily overcome, and contaminated again with sin. Hence, it is
infinitely important that the affections and desires should be, in a measure,
changed and renewed, so as to cause him to hate that which he before loved,
and to love that which he before hated. To thus renew the mind of man is
the work of the Holy Ghost" (Orson Pratt, Writings of an Apostle,
56-57; emphasis added).
After King Benjamin had ended his
remarkable and inspiring sermon, "he sent among [his people], desiring to
know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them.
And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which
thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because
of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us,
or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good
continually" (Mosiah 5:1-2). Let us be clear on this matter. It is not
that the people of Benjamin never sinned again; we have no indication that such
is the case, and a moment's reflection would suggest that such is highly
improbable. But they didn't want to sin! That is a very important point, a
principle deserving of some discussion.
Let us recall that two births are
spoken of in scripture. The natural birth comes first. It gives rise to the
natural man, the unregenerate man, the man badly in need of divine assistance.
The natural man has his own set of urges, whims, desires, passions, and
appetites. The second birth is the spiritual birth. It gives rise to the
spiritual man, the regenerated man, the new creature in Christ, who seeks
diligently to cultivate the sacred influence of the Holy Ghost in his life.
This person is in process of having heart, might, mind, and strength
transformed by the Spirit. I repeat: such people are not completely free from
sin, but they are diligently striving to become such. And, most important, they
are losing their desire for sin. In speaking of the ancients who entered into
the rest of God through the holy order of God,
"Whosoever is born of God,"
John the Beloved declared, "doth not commit sin; for his [Christ's] seed
remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John
3:9). This passage is troublesome, perhaps because I have had the privilege of
associating with wonderful people in my life, holy people, men and women of
faith who have given their all to God and his work; but they are not perfect,
at least they are not perfect in the sense that we generally think about the
term—they are not free from sin. To some degree I too have been born of the
Spirit, have tasted the sweet fruits of rebirth, have had my mind and heart
expanded by the powers of the Holy Ghost, have had my witness of this work
deepened and solidified. But I painfully and honestly admit that I am not free
from sin. There is nothing I desire more than to be free from sin, nothing I
long for more than to be holy before God. But I am not there yet.
Thank heaven for the Joseph Smith
Translation of the Bible. Under inspiration, the Prophet altered many verses in
the King James Version—more than thirty-four hundred of them—as a part of the
restoration of plain and precious truths in these last days (1 Nephi 13:20-29,
35-41). The Prophet altered the passage in 1 John 3:9 to read as follows:
"Whosoever is born of God doth not continue in sin; for the
Spirit of God remaineth in him; and he cannot continue in sin, because he is
born of God, having received that holy Spirit of promise" (JST, 1 John
3:9; emphasis added). Or, stated another way, "whosoever is born
continueth not in sin; but he that is begotten of God and keepeth himself, that
wicked one overcometh him not" (JST, 1 John 5:18).
A person who has walked in the light
comes to treasure the light. Should he or she step into the darkness
momentarily, he or she is repulsed by the darkness and yearns to return to the
light. "The new birth results in new behavior. Sin and the child of God
are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in
harmony" (Stott, Authentic Christianity, 207). That is, those who
have been born of the Spirit learn to repent quickly, to confess and forsake
their misdeeds, to move on. Obviously, serious sins require more time, but many
of our transgressions may be faced head-on and dispensed with in no time at
all. Thus the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed in the Kirtland Temple: "And
when thy people transgress, any of them, they may speedily repent and return
unto thee, and find favor in thy sight, and be restored to the blessings which
thou hast ordained to be poured out upon those who shall reverence thee in thy
house" (D&C 109:21).
The birth of the Spirit is for most
of us a process. And yet it is something that, though gradual, is essential for
every son and daughter of God. Those who choose Christ choose to be changed, a
change that awakens them to peace and joy and the abundant life here as it
prepares them for eternal reward hereafter. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not
just a program bent on making bad men good and good men better, as important as
that is; the Rotary Club could do that. Rather, it is a system that seeks to
renovate society and transform the whole of humankind. The gospel is the
"power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16), a power that can make of
earth a heaven and of man a god.
(Robert L.
Millet, Alive in Christ: The Miracle of Spiritual Rebirth [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 50.)
The Atonement
overpowers the law of Justice.
The
remaining portion of class Bruce read D&C 138 to us. Elder Talmage wrote the chapter on the Spirit
World in Jesus the Christ before President Joseph F. Smith
received this important revelation.
Think of Christ’s joy after
suffering so much for all and receiving the greeting He had in the Spirit World
(
(Doctrine and Covenants 138:11-19.)
11 As I pondered over
these things which are written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and
the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both
small and great.
12 And there were gathered
together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who
had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality;
13 And who had offered
sacrifice in the similitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had
suffered tribulation in their Redeemer's name.
14 All these had departed
the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace
of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
15 I beheld that they were
filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of
their deliverance was at hand.
16 They were assembled
awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their
redemption from the bands of death.
17 Their sleeping dust was
to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the
flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be
divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy.
18 While this vast
multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from
the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives
who had been faithful;
19 And there he preached
to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the
redemption of mankind from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of
repentance.
When he had finished his work on
Finally, let us consider the words of
Christ himself to the Nephites prior to his visit to
(Paul R.
Cheesman, ed., The Book of Mormon: The Keystone Scripture [Provo: BYU
Religious Studies Center, 1988], 60.)
Jesus did not go to the wicked, or to
prison. They were those who were unrepentant and who "had defiled
themselves while in the flesh." (Doctrine and Covenants 138:20.)
Moreover, "from among the
righteous, he [the Lord] organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed
with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light
of the gospel to them that were in darkness. . . . These were taught faith in
God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift
of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and all other principles of the
gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that
they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God
in the spirit." (Doctrine and Covenants 138:30, 33-34.)
The spirit world is not far away.
From the Lord's point of view, it is all one great program on both sides of the
veil. Sometimes the veil between this life and the life beyond becomes very
thin. This I know! Our loved ones who have passed on are not far from us.
One Church president asked,
"Where is the spirit world?" and then answered his own question:
"It is right here. . . . Do [spirits] go beyond the boundaries of this
organized earth? No, they do not. They are brought forth upon this earth, for
the express purpose of inhabiting it to all eternity." He also said,
"When the spirits leave their bodies they are in the presence of our
Father and God; they are prepared then to see, hear and understand spiritual
things. . . . If the Lord would permit it, and it was His will that it should
be done, you could see the spirits that have departed from this world, as
plainly as you now see bodies with your natural eyes." (Brigham Young, Journal
of Discourses 3:369, 368.)
(Ezra Taft
Benson, Come unto Christ [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 117.)
Chapter 37
Resurrection
November
10, 2005
Our hope of the resurrection is to
have a celestial body. The point isn’t
simply being resurrected; it’s the quality of body you receive. Right now we have broken down taxi cabs,
later we will receive a high class Mercedes!
The resurrection is a priesthood
ordinance, the keys are not here yet, (no need right now).
WORK POSSIBLE AFTER RESURRECTION
It was not until after the Savior had
finished his work and had obtained the keys of the resurrection through his
great sacrifice upon the cross that there could be any ordinance, whether
baptism, ordination, or sealing, that could properly be performed in behalf of
the dead. All such blessings had to wait until the Redeemer had finished his
work and had thus obtained the keys of the resurrection. This being true, all
of the ordinances performed in the
The statement of the Savior to his
disciples immediately following his association with them after arising from
the tomb is definitely significant, as follows:
All power is given unto me
in heaven and on earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost. . . . (Matthew 28:18-19.)
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to
Gospel Questions, 5 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957-1966], 5:
97.)
How Are the Dead Raised?
We have now talked about Paul's first
question: "With what body do the dead come?" Now let's consider
briefly the second: "How are the dead raised up?"
Both President Brigham Young16 and Elder Erastus Snow17 taught that the
resurrection will be conducted much as other things are done in the kingdom, by
those in authority and by delegation. The procedure is that as one cannot
baptize himself, nor can he baptize others until he himself is baptized and
ordained, so one cannot resurrect himself but will be called forth by someone
in authority. Men will be given the keys of this ordinance after they are
resurrected, and then they can resurrect others. Although these brethren do not
say it, I expect that a man with the keys will resurrect members of his family;
it is a patriarchal thing. President Young also indicates that Joseph Smith
will be the first person resurrected in this dispensation, and this will extend
back all the way to the meridian of time. Joseph Smith will receive the keys
and give them to others.
In April Conference 1977,
President Spencer W. Kimball quoted President Brigham Young, who said, "We
are in possession of all the ordinances that can be administered in the flesh;
but there are other ordinances and administrations that must be administered
beyond this world. I know you would like to ask what they are. I will mention
one. We have not; neither can we receive here, the ordinance and the keys of
resurrection."18
Continuing, President Kimball said: "Do we have the keys of
resurrection? . . . We do not know of anyone who can resurrect the dead as did
Jesus the Christ when he came back."19 President Kimball's thesis was that
the world, by its wisdom, has not produced a resurrection.
Death and Resurrection of All Things
Latter-day scripture is clear and
repetitive that death came by the fall of Adam, and that resurrection came by
Jesus Christ. We learn that everyting dies—man, animals, fish, plants, even the
earth itself—and everything that dies shall be restored to life. Perhaps the
most comprehensive passages on this subject are D&C 29:23-25; 63:49; and 101:23-26.
D&C 77:2 states that animals as well as
men have spirits that resemble the body and animals as well as men will enjoy
eternal happiness. A resurrection is not specifically mentioned, but it is
implied in light of all else we know.
The doctrine in relation to animals
is easily determined. If they are the creations of God, and if they die, they
are candidates for resurrection through the atonement of Christ. "And not
one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine
hand," says the Lord (D&C 29:25) in speaking of "men, beasts, fowls
of the air, and fishes of the sea."
Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God in the Flesh
Since the Fall has captured all
mankind in the grip of its two deaths, and there is none who escape, how was
Jesus able to conquer both deaths? Paul says Jesus "led captivity
captive" (Eph. 4:8). That is, he captured the captor. It is because Jesus
is the "Only Begotten of the Father," the "Son of God in the
flesh" (1 Ne. 11:18, 21) that he
can do that. He had a special supernatural power "given him of the
Father" (Hel. 5:11; Morm. 7:5-6), that other men do not have. He was not
dominated by death as we are. Giving his life was "not a human
sacrifice," nor the "sacrifice of man," but the infinite
sacrifice of a god (Alma 34:10). Jesus, because of his paternity, had life in
himself.
He spoke of this unique power over death.
"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself" (John 5:26). And "Therefore doth my Father love
me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it
from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father"
(John 10:17-18).
If Jesus had been subject to death,
and had to die anyway, eventually, then he wouldn't really be "giving his
life" in the fullest sense. He was only giving time. However, since
he did not have to die at all, when he laid down his life for the Atonement he
did indeed give his life to pay the debt of sin.
Miscellaneous Observations
Studying the resurrection makes some
things stand out that are passed over when viewed casually. Some semi-important
things are as follows:
• First and last resurrection. The
scriptures speak repeatedly of the first resurrection and of the last
resurrection, and of the just and the unjust, but the term "second"
resurrection is not mentioned in scripture. (See D&C 76:15-17, 39,
50, 65; 76:85.)
• "Morning of the first
resurrection." This term has reference only to those who have a celestial
resurrection, regardless of when they come up. This phrase does not appear in
scripture. Joseph Smith used the term "in the morning of the
resurrection."20 It is commonly used in patriarchal blessings. The term
"morning of the first resurrection" might possibly have developed
from D&C 43:18. (See also D&C 45:17.)
• All of the righteous will be
resurrected before any of the wicked.
• As of now, only celestial
resurrections have occurred on this earth.
• A resurrected being can conceal his
glory and appear as a mortal man.21
• There will be a celestial
resurrection at Jesus' second coming (1 Thes. 4:16; D&C 88:96-98; 133:56).
•
• John the Baptist is a resurrected being
(D&C 133:55; compare D&C 129).
• Peter and James are resurrected
beings. They would have to be resurrected in order to lay on hands to give the
Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (see D&C 129).
The scriptures show that the prophets in every
age regarded the resurrection of the physical body as a reality, which would
unconditionally occur to every person regardless of individual worthiness. It
is declared to have coverage as broad as death. Although they explained much about
the resurrection, the major effort was to get people prepared spiritually.
Redemption from the spiritual death inherited from the fall of Adam will come
to everyone. Redemption from the spiritual death that results from one's own
sins is conditional and receives serious attention in the scriptures. The
scriptures declare that redemption from the effects of Adam's fall (both the
physical and spiritual death) is absolute, unconditional, and automatically
assured to all mankind by Jesus Christ without man's effort. Redemption from
man's own sins is available because of the atonement of Jesus Christ but
requires individual repentance and obedience. Perhaps that is why the
scriptures do not teach how to perform a resurrection but do teach how to
repent.
In the scriptures we have been told
many things about the resurrection, for which knowledge we are grateful. We are
most grateful, however, to the Lord Jesus Christ, who made the resurrection and
redemption possible. We praise him and thank him in every way we can.
(Robert J. Matthews, Selected
Writings of Robert J. Matthews: Gospel Scholars Series [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1999], 520.)
In the many instances of the Lord
appearing to others after he was resurrected, why didn’t they recognize
him? Luke 24 and John 21 along with 1
Corinthians 15:1-8. He looked different,
like his Father
Our new body will be fun to have,
full of capacity, look at
(Doctrine and Covenants
27:5.)
5 Behold, this is wisdom
in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the
fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto
you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting
gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of
Ephraim;
In Acts 17:21-32 – Paul teaches the
people about the gospel and the doctrine of resurrection, they like what he
said until the R word was mentioned, don’t call us, we’ll call you. 1 Corinthians 15, Paul has the same problem
with those saints. Who wants this vile
body forever? It doesn’t fit with Greek
philosophy.
(Matthew 28:16-18.)
16 ¶ Then the eleven
disciples went away into
17 And when they saw him,
they worshipped him: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and
spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
(Acts 1:1-3.)
1 The former treatise have
I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which
he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments
unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed
himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them
forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Christ at the
THE POSTRESURRECTION MINISTRY
S. KENT BROWN AND C. WILFRED GRIGGS
Everyone knows that the Gospels of
the New Testament do not present full biographies of Jesus. In their individual
testimonies concerning the ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of the
Savior, the authors selectively drew upon those teachings and deeds of Jesus
that supported their purpose in writing. That the purpose of all the Gospels is
to present the redemptive story of Jesus rather than a biography can be easily
seen by noting that only two Gospels present an account of Jesus' birth, only
one has any information about his youth (and that most sparing), and none gives
more than a hint here and there relating to his adult family life. We do
emphasize, however, that the Gospels are comprised of details that properly
belong to biographies, just as histories are full of geographical details; but
in both instances such material is included as secondary to a primary and
differing purpose.
Each Gospel gives a special
perspective concerning Jesus and his redemptive ministry. Matthew's testimony
is directed primarily toward Jews and displays many characteristics that would
be relevant especially to such an audience, including repeated and formulaic
references to Old Testament prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus. Similar
observations could be made about each of the Gospels, such as the energetic
Messiah of Mark, the universalism and Gentile-oriented teachings and parables
in Luke, and the language and symbolism of John.
In view of such differences in
purpose and approach, the historicity of Jesus' life and ministry is
strengthened by the harmonious picture of his teachings and deeds in the
Gospels. The similarities in the Gospels are all the more remarkable in light
of John's statement that "there are also many other things which Jesus
did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the
world itself could not contain the books that should be written." (John
21:25.) Such a passage was also an open invitation for ancient writers to try
to provide more details about Jesus' life either from a personal knowledge of
events and teachings, from a misdirected sense of piety, or simply from charlatan
motives.
The Problems of the Apocryphal Writings
Men throughout history have sought to
create new and sensational information about Jesus. Perhaps the best-known
modern example of such fraudulent attempts to embellish the Gospel accounts is
the notorious Archko Volume, which purports to originate from ancient
records. fn Similar ancient attempts have become part of the apocryphal
literature of the New Testament. Because the New Testament Gospels are rather
precise and detailed in their descriptions of Jesus' miracles and teachings,
most apocryphal writings do not attempt to add details to the period already
covered by the Gospel narratives. Instead, many apocryphal works have
concentrated on the youth of Jesus, the background of Mary and Joseph, and other
related periods within the time frame of the New Testament. Such fanciful
narratives are occasionally grotesque, since they dwell at length upon the
sensational. The so-called Infancy Gospels exploit the youth of Jesus to such
an extent that he often appears to be a miracle-working delinquent, quite in
contrast to the self-controlled and compassionate healer portrayed in the
Gospels.
Another period of Jesus' life that
provided an obvious invitation for apocryphal writing is referred to in Acts
1:3, where Luke mentions the forty-day ministry of the resurrected Jesus among
his disciples. One of the major differences between the earlier periods of
Jesus' life, which have drawn such speculative interest, and the time after the
resurrection is that in the latter instance the resurrected Jesus was by then
well-known and surrounded by disciples who would certainly be witnesses of his
forty-day ministry. By contrast, the lives of Jesus' parents and the period of
his youth would certainly not have drawn widespread interest and attention
until many years later, when Jesus had become well-known. Therefore, works that
deal with these early periods are likely to be much less credible simply
because they were far removed from contemporary eyewitnesses.
Luke states that during the forty-day
ministry the Savior spoke "of the things pertaining to the
There are many difficulties in
establishing or refuting the authenticity of such writings. One predicament
concerns the varied kinds of doctrinal ideas found in them. In some instances,
these ideas either expand or differ from those found in the New Testament
writings. But there is no point in arguing that the teachings and activities of
the risen Jesus must have been the same as those of the mortal Jesus, since
Luke states that it was after the resurrection that the Savior "opened . .
. their [the disciples'] understanding, that they might understand the
scriptures [Old Testament]." (Luke 24:45.) John adds that the resurrected
Lord did many marvels that were not recorded in his writings. (John 20:30.)
Another complication centers on the
claimed authorship of many of the forty-day documents. The apostles mentioned
above would be the very ones by whom such records would predictably be
composed, and one must decide whether these texts indeed came from the apostles
or were falsely attributed to them. The observation that many recently found
texts date from the third or fourth centuries is itself not conclusive proof
against early origins, for almost all extant documents from antiquity come from
copies made centuries after the original composition was published. In
addition, the majority of these writings contain no allusions or references to
any contemporary historical circumstances that would tell us whether they were
composed near the time of Jesus or many decades afterward. Since the dating
problem persists in the case of almost every apocryphal text, judgment
concerning authenticity must be made on other grounds.
A third difficulty arises because
these documents were not widely read and circulated. But this circumstance
cannot form a decisive argument against their authenticity, for most of them
claim to contain secret teachings reserved for a righteous minority within
Christianity.
In view of these problems, most
scholars have tacitly adopted the following standard for determining the value
of such documents: if they correspond to something already known to
"orthodox" Christianity, they are assumed to have been derived from
Christianity; if they do not correspond to "orthodox" Christianity,
they were probably not Christian in origin. The difficulty with this standard
is agreeing on a definition of "orthodox" Christianity. Although
scholars differ on such a definition, they are generally agreed that most of
what is contained in the forty-day literature is not fully Christian.
The Doctrine and Covenants provides
Latter-day Saints with an opportunity to look for elements of truth in this
literature with a better standard of comparison than is available to others.
When the Prophet Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord whether he should translate
the Old Testament Apocrypha as a part of his work on the Bible, he was given
the revelation contained in section 91. Although the forty-day literature is
not part of the apocrypha known to Joseph Smith, it presents to modern-day readers
the same problems as the Old Testament Apocrypha in its relationship to the
scriptures. The revelation states that "there are many things contained
therein that are true" and "there are many things contained therein
that are not true." (D&C 91:1-2.)
To be sure, although we cannot tell
any more about the history or society of the people who wrote these texts than
can the scholars, we can examine some of the traditions and beliefs in their
writings and note how they correspond to the restored gospel. This examination
leads to greater insights into the nature of early Christianity than before
possible and gives further evidences of the apostasy or rebellion within the
church.
We are certain that one item of which
Jesus spoke during his forty-day visit concerned the disciples' approaching
missions. In the New Testament, Luke records that at the end of the forty days
the resurrected Jesus forbade the disciples to leave
The accounts of the Gospel writers
agree with this picture. For example, Matthew writes that the risen Jesus met
with his disciples for the last time on earth in order to send them to
"teach all nations, baptizing them." (Matt. 28:19.) Mark concurs that
Jesus' final instructions to his disciples included the charge to go "into
all the world, and preach." (Mark 16:15.) According to Luke's Gospel, when
the resurrected Lord opened the scriptures to the understanding of his
disciples, he told them that "repentance and remission of sins should be
preached . . . among all nations, beginning at
It is unfortunate that we possess so
little information about the missionary activities of the apostles when we know
that Jesus spent time preparing them for this significant effort. Apart from a
few scattered accounts in the early chapters of Acts, virtually all of the
stories that concern missionary work in the New Testament are told about Paul.
Even Eusebius, who published the first extant history of the Church in about
A.D. 325, knew but little information about a few disciples, and much of this
he obtained from apocryphal traditions. He noted that "when the holy
apostles and disciples of our Savior were dispersed over the whole world,
The Pseudoclementina, a
collection of early Christian documents whose picture of the earliest church
has been argued to be almost as reliable as that in Acts, focuses primarily on
the apostle Peter's missionary activities that ultimately led him to
To be sure, the apocryphal works
offer us little more reliable information regarding where the disciples
preached than we have from such "orthodox" sources as Eusebius.
Although the sources do not strictly agree on the exact destination of Thomas,
for example, they all concur that he went to the east.
The Acts of Thomas, a work
originally composed in Syriac at an unknown date, claims to chronicle Thomas's
activities as the apostle to
According to the apocryphal Acts
of Andrew, an account of this apostle's missionary work written about A.D.
150, Andrew spent the bulk of his mission in northern Asia Minor and in
The Acts of John, in
correlation with many other so-called apocryphal and orthodox accounts, places
the ministry of John the apostle in Asia Minor, especially in and near
In the Acts of Peter, we find
assertions that Paul traveled to
In the view of the Acts of Philip,
Peter and John are also said to have visited
The traditions about where Matthew
preached in such works as the Acts of Andrew and Matthias and the Martyrdom
of Matthew merely specify that this apostle proselytized among cannibals
and spent time among them in a city called Myrna, otherwise unknown.
For the rest of the apostles, one can
generally say that not even legend has enshrined their missionary efforts.
Like the Acts of Thomas, all
of the works just mentioned are considered fiction by most students of early
Christianity. Once again, this judgment is made partially on such bases as (1)
that some doctrines (such as the premortal existence of all people) are not
present in the New Testament and, therefore, are non-Christian, and (2) that
the religious ceremonies (such as washings, anointings, and receiving special
clothing) were not part of the worship services in the earliest church and,
hence, their presence in these texts must be due to pagan influences.
Latter-day Saints, who understand these doctrines and ordinances, should probe
deeper. When available historical and geographical details in these texts agree
with what is known about the first century A.D., it is clear that we have to
give them more serious consideration than simply calling them pious legend.
Common Themes in the Apocryphal Accounts
Although the apocryphal writings
found during the past century derive from many different geographical settings
and theologically diverse sects, there are a number of themes common to
virtually all of these writings, regardless of origin. The similarity of themes
in these texts, despite the wide-ranging theological differences of the sects
that used them, both argues for their development out of an authentic
historical and theological setting and invites our careful examination. It is
all the more remarkable that these similarities occur, considering the lack of
many of these themes in the New Testament and other early Christian literature.
fn A very brief examination of a few of the more prominent themes in this
literature would include the following:
The most popular Old Testament
subject for apocryphal speculation is the creation story found in Genesis. In
addition to entire works dealing specifically with the creation of the world,
lengthy segments on the creation are included in such works as the Hypostasis
of the Archons and the Apocryphon of John.
The Hypostasis begins with a
quotation from Paul's epistle to the Ephesians (6:12) that establishes the
purpose of the text—to explain that man's struggles in this life are really
against the powers of darkness. There follows a description of the heavenly
council, the rebellion in heaven, and the casting out of Satan and his
rebellious followers. Next, the account of the creation of the earth and
subsequent events includes a dramatic dialogue between God, Satan, Adam, and
Eve. The detailed accounts of the temptation, the partaking of the forbidden
fruit, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden are followed by the
esoteric and embellished account of earth's history to the time of Noah. Some
of the details included in this interesting manuscript most certainly are due
to speculation and imagination. But not all. Enough remains to indicate that
there were once ordinances associated with the basic story of the text. In this
light, it is quite likely that when the ordinances associated with the text
were lost, the resulting deficiency was compensated in part by such imaginative
additions.
In the Apocryphon of John a
similarly involved account of a heavenly council, a war, and an expulsion of
rebellious offspring of God is recounted. This time the telling of the story is
placed in the context of the glorified Jesus explaining to John "things
which are, which have been, and which will be." Accordingly, this text
concerns itself with history from the time of Adam until Noah, and also
includes detailed descriptions of the eternal destinies of man. These descriptions
occur near the end of the text and are in the form of a dialogue: John asks
Jesus about those who will be saved, those who have not known in mortality
"to whom they belong," and those "who have come into the
knowledge but have turned away." In answer to the preceding questions the
Savior explains that some will become perfect, purifying themselves from all
evil, and will inherit eternal life. Those who do not know in mortality to whom
they belong will go to a prison after this life, where they will be able to obtain
knowledge and be saved.
At this point, John asks how the
spirit can return to the mortal body (implying that more than knowledge is
necessary for salvation), but the Savior responds that a spirit in prison can
be saved by "being connected with another in whom the spirit of Life
is," and will not have to return to a mortal body. Further along in the
text, Jesus explains to John that after his death he went to the spirit prison
and taught salvation to those who were there. Variations on this popular theme can
be found in numerous other apocryphal texts.
Another common element in apocryphal
literature is the secrecy enjoined upon those who receive these teachings. The Gospel
of Thomas begins: "These are the secret words which the Living Jesus
spoke," and Thomas the Contender begins with the "secret words
that Jesus spoke to Judas-Thomas." The Apocryphon of John opens
with "the secret teachings," and Second Jeu has an entire page
devoted to a charge by Jesus to his disciples that they "not give these
things for anything of the world." It is obvious that the people who wrote
or copied these documents did not intend for them to become widely read.
References to rituals abound in this
large body of material. In addition to baptisms and sacred meals, there are also
numerous references to washings, anointings, and special garments. In the Acts
of Thomas, those who are baptized also request the "seal" from
the apostle Thomas, which consists of an anointing with oil. In the famous Hymn
of the Pearl from the same work, the plan of redemption is portrayed in
amazing detail and clarity. The son of God is sent to the world (symbolized by
Egypt) with the charge to bring back the pearl (his soul). Although he falls
into a spiritual coma by partaking of the food and raiment of the world, his
heavenly parents, after holding a great council to plan his redemption, send
the message of salvation and its attendant power to their son. The son awakens,
exercises his new power over the serpent who rules the world, rescues his pearl,
and accomplishes the long, hard journey back to his parents' home. There,
according to the promises given before he made the journey, the son receives a
heavenly garment and a beautiful robe, which admit him into the company of the
great ones of heaven.
Marriage as a requirement for those
who would achieve the highest of the three heavens is a teaching found in the Gospel
of Philip, and the sanctity of marriage is alluded to in other documents.
On some occasions the resurrected Jesus is portrayed as giving sacred teachings
to the apostles and their wives, as in Second Jeu. From the variations
of the rituals perceived in apocryphal literature, it appears evident that the
different sects probably changed the ordinances, perhaps because they no longer
understood their significance.
Finally, one of the recurring
messages in this body of literature is the gloomy future that is in store for
the true believers. In the Epistle of Peter to Philip, when the
disciples are walking back to
In the Apocalypse of Peter,
Jesus explains that even Peter would be blasphemed in the future by deceivers
who would depart from the truth, leading multitudes after them. These false
teachers, continues the Savior, make merchandise of his (the Savior's) word,
oppress their brothers with the defilement of apostate religion, and even use
Peter's name to lead the souls of men astray. All is not lost, however, for the
Savior states that there is a time appointed for the false teachers (who are
characterized as "waterless canals") and the fulfillment of their
deception, after which the "agelessness of immortal thought will be
renewed." The deception will be pulled out by its roots and righteousness
will prevail at his coming.
In these works the disciples are
assured that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, they need not fear
suffering, persecution, or death in this life. What they learned and received
in the forty-day ministry would be the means for obtaining salvation and
eternal life.
Even though often spurious in origin
and detail, these apocryphal writings bear a united testimony of missionary
activity by the risen Jesus' most trusted companions. In addition, much of what
they taught according to these accounts not only continues several prominent
themes already found in the scriptures but also augments and adds other
doctrines. Many such teachings have been shown to be true by the restoration of
the gospel and have been buttressed by the recent discovery of ancient texts
long lost. Moreover, ordinances and ceremonies thought to have been pagan in
inspiration are shown to have been an integral part of the original tapestry of
earliest Christianity in the light of the gospel ordinances restored through
Joseph Smith. Thus, the documents that claim to chronicle the expanding
ministry after Jesus' resurrection should not be dismissed out of hand.
Further, the invitation is open to all to examine them in accordance with the
observations made by the Lord to the Prophet: "Therefore, whoso readeth
it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; and whoso is
enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; and whoso receiveth
not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited." (D&C 91:4-6.)
Notes
S. Kent Brown is professor of ancient
scripture and director of publications for the
Footnotes
1. See Richard L. Anderson's expose
of this fraud in "Imitation Gospels and Christ's Book of Mormon Ministry,"
in C. Wilfred Griggs, ed., Apocryphal Writings and the Latter-day Saints
(Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1986), pp.
53-107.
2. Eusebius, History of the Church
III.I.1-2.
3. Ibid., III.7.8.
4. Recognitions I.43-44.
5. For a thorough summary, see Hugh
Nibley, "The Forty-day Mission of Christ—the Forgotten Heritage," When
the Lights Went Out (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1970), pp. 33-54.
(Robert L. Millet, ed., Studies in
Scripture, Vol. 6: Acts to Revelation [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1987], 12.)
The Gnostics believed they had the
teachings (mysteries) of Christ and the Apostles during the 40-day ministry
Modern scholars are now beginning to
recognize that, in addition to the esoteric doctrines of the Gnostics, there
also existed a body of esoteric ritual, which receives frequent allusions in
Gnostic writings. fn Indeed, J.J. Buckley maintains that the Nag Hammadi Gospel
of Philip is essentially a preparatory manual for a secret initiation
ritual. fn
The ritual background to the Gospel
of Philip is quite explicit. For example, we learn that "The Lord
[did] all things by means of a mystery Oor ritualO: baptism, chrism Oor
anointingO, eucharist, ransom Oor redemptionO, and bridal
chamber." fn According to the Gospel of Philip, these rituals thus
form the essence of Christ's teachings. The Great Mysteries are also
allegorically equated with the temple in
7. The parallels between the
Latter-day Saint temple endowment and some Gnostic rituals and writings can be
seen as possible reflections of parallels with the original rituals established
by Jesus. It is precisely in the Gnostic writings that we find some of the
most fascinating parallels to some ritual motifs in the Latter-day Saint temple
endowment. Among the many doctrines and ritual motifs mentioned in Gnostic
writings which parallel Latter-day Saint temple endowment ritual motifs, we
note only the following twelve general aspects here: fn
A. The secret tradition originates
with Jesus. Irenaeus reports: "Jesus, [the Gnostics] say, spoke in a
mystery to his disciples and apostles privately, and charged them to hand these
things on to the worthy and those who assented." fn
B. The secret initiatory rituals
are the center of Christ's gospel. The Gospel of Philip says:
"The Lord [did] all things by means of a mystery OritualO: baptism,
chrism OanointingO, eucharist, ransom OredemptionO, and bridal
chamber." fn
C. Rituals of baptism and
anointing with oil. "The chrism Oor anointingO is superior to
baptism, for it is from the word 'chrism' that we have been called
'Christians,' certainly not because of the word 'baptism.' And it is because of
the chrism that 'the Christ' has his name. For the father anointed the son, and
the son anointed the apostles, and the apostles anointed us. He who has been
anointed possesses everything. He possesses the resurrection, the light, the
cross, the holy spirit. The father gave him this in the bridal chamber; he
merely accepted (the gift). The father was in the son and the son in the
father. This is [the] kingdom of heaven." fn
D. Ritual prayer circles
(described at length by Hugh Nibley). fn
E. Use of ritual clothing.
"The (demonic) powers do not see those who are clothed in the perfect
light, and consequently are not able to detain them. One will clothe himself in
this light sacramentally in the union." fn
F. Handclasps as tokens of
recognition. Epiphanius explains: "The hand is held out, in greeting,
of course, and a tickling stroke is made in the palm of the hand, so as to
indicate secretly that the visitor is of the same religion as they." fn
G. Knowledge of the sacred name of
God is necessary for exaltation. "One single name is not uttered in
the world, the name which the Father gave to the Son, the name above all
things: the name of the Father. For the Son would not become Father unless he
wears the name of the Father. Those who have this name know it, but they do not
speak it. But those who do not have it do not know it." fn
H. Preexistence of mankind.
"[The Gnostics claim that] I derive my being from him who was
pre-existent, and I go again to that which is my own, whence I came
forth." fn
I. Sacred marriage is necessary to
complete the ordinance.
"If anyone becomes a son of the
bridal chamber, he will receive the light. If anyone does not receive it while
he is here, he will not be able to receive it in the other place." fn
"Those who have united in the bridal chamber will no longer be
separated." fn "Some of [the Gnostics] prepare a bridal chamber and
perform a mystic rite, with certain invocations, for those who are being
consecrated, and they claim that what they are effecting is a spiritual
marriage, after the image of the conjunctions above." fn
J. The initiation rituals
symbolize a heavenly ascent. Origen provides a detailed description of such
an ascent, which is too long for full quotation here. fn
K. A veil separates the initiate
from God. "Therefore the perfect things have opened to us [through the
veil], together with the hidden things of truth. The holies of the holies were
revealed, and the bridal chamber invited us in." fn
L. Mankind can become like God.
"You saw the spirit, you became spirit. You saw Christ, you became Christ.
You saw [the father, you] shall become father." fn
I believe we can make the following
conclusions based on the evidence of Clement's letter and the fragment of the Secret
Gospel of Mark. Clement's early branch of Christianity in
Thus by means of the newly discovered
letter of Clement of Alexandria, it is possible to reconstruct a detailed
outline of the origin, nature, transmission, and transformation of an early
Christian secret initiation ritual system, purportedly established by Jesus
himself.
(John M. Lundquist and Stephen D.
Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley
on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March 1990, 2 vols. [Salt Lake
City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon
Studies, 1990], 1: 212.)
After the
death and resurrection of Christ the apostles were lost, especially Peter. He lost confidence in himself after the
denial. The Savior picked him up and
said you are the guy, now get back to work in building up the
After the
evening of fishing when they caught nothing, Christ prepared them a meal on the
beach, it was an act of mercy, you can’t learn if you’re hungry! Peter feels tremendous guilt and sorrow from
the night of denial, Christ asks him the 3 questions, it was a public
chastening. “Lovest thou me more than
your job?” Greek translation – Feed my
sheep, sherperd my sheep.
2 Peter
1:1, 13-14 – This letter was to very faithful members of the church, and the
scripture of how Peter would die.
Critical to
understand:
Peter never
got over denying his Redeemer, Paul
never got over persecuting the Church in his earlier days, Alma the Younger
rehearsed to his sons how he persecuted the church and how he was turned
around. All of us have regrets in our
lives that we remember, but through repentance we turn back to our Redeemer who
has promised us that He will remember them no more. It is part of the learning experience here in
mortality. Don’t harrow up your sins,
the past can bring us into captivity, it inhibits our present and future, we
can fall short of our celestial captivity.
Peter asks
about John; the Savior said don’t worry about him only be concerned about your
own stewardship, D&C 7.
Matthew
27:52 – The veil being rent to open the Holy of Holies represents the Celestial
Take the
gospel to the world, but not yet, Acts 10 needs to happen 1st!!
Jesus Christ becomes the Covenant
Father of all who receive and abide by the terms and conditions of the new and
everlasting covenant, the fulness of His gospel (see D&C 66:2; 133:57). As it was with the physical
formation of the heavens and the earth, so it is in regard to to the human
character and personality: Christ is the Father of creation, and through
applying His atoning blood men and women become 'new creations,' new creatures
of Christ through the medium of the Holy Ghost (see Mosiah 5:1-7; 15:11;
27:25).
(Christ Also
'father' in Several Ways =he Is Creator, Son of God, LDS Church News, 1996,
04/06/96.)
The
Apostles didn’t have the gift of the Holy Ghost yet, so it was hard to
understand what it meant to build up the
Bruce said
that the search started at their time and went on until 1820. It was a diluted form of the gospel, and it
spread throughout the world. We aren’t
here to tear down their beliefs but to add to what they know.
(Doctrine and Covenants
10:52-53.)
52 And now, behold,
according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel
to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which
they have received, but to build it up.
53 And for this cause have
I said: If this generation harden not their hearts, I will establish my church
among them.
The
Lamanites received the gospel in its Catholic form.
The Lord
has a much bigger picture then the Apostles had in building up the
Chapter 38
Apostolic Ministry
November 17, 2005
This
chapter is straight from the book of Acts.
It’s like a rock tossed into a pond and the ripples go out from there.
1st
section – chapters 1-5 –
2nd
section – chapters 6-9 – Judea and
3rd
section – chapters 10-28 – Uttermost parts of the Earth
Luke wrote
this under the influence of the Holy Ghost.
The importance of this book is the speeches, chapters 2, 7, 17, 23, 24.
In early
church history the upper room could have been at Mark’s home, Bruce said it has
been uncovered. Choosing the next
Apostle, they must be a witness of the entire mission of Jesus.
(Acts 1:21-26.)
21 Wherefore of these men
which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out
among us,
22 Beginning from the
baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be
ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two,
Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and
said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of
these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part
of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that
he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth
their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven
apostles.
Nothing
else is known about Matthias
Acts 2:4-13
–1st paragraph discusses many Jews from around that part of the world coming to
Jerusalem for Pentacost, 50 days after Passover, the Apostles teach from
Jerusalem by the Gift of the Holy Ghost and the people take the gospel message
home, thus the gospel spreads in that part of the world.
Acts
2:14-36 – 2nd paragraph, prophesy of Joel has multiple fulfillments,
the Gift of the Holy Ghost is given, and revelation was given to all. Peter gives a powerful speech declaring the
word of Jesus whom they crucified.
Revelation was considered strange, just like it is today.
See Scroggs, "Paul," p. 37:
"The distinction Paul makes between his kerygma [public preaching] and his sophia [hidden wisdom] is thus too clear-cut to permit the
conclusion that the content of the sophia is the crucified Christ of the
kerygma."
(Stephen E.
Robinson, Are Mormons Christians? [
When he was asked if he was king of
the Jews, he said, "Thou sayest." Notice, that he testified to the
Jews and to the Gentiles, to the multitude and to the priesthood. Beginning
with the high priests, he revealed himself as who he is. One Roman accepted
him. Who was that? Remember the last act of all, just as he perished on the
cross, the Roman soldier said, "This was truly the son of God." So
three times he witnessed before the Gentiles, the authorities, and the people.
And this is exactly what he does in the Book of Mormon during these three days
after he comes. Remember, he addresses the multitude and in special meetings he
addresses the Twelve. And also he speaks a good deal about the Gentiles; they
are going to hear it, too. So it's the same sort of thing. He appears to the
Nephites and Lamanites three days after the resurrection and to the Jews three
days before. But what about the three days in between? That's very important
for our doctrine, isn't it? What are they called? They go by a special name.
They are called the descensus because Peter tells us that during the
three days he [the Savior] went and preached to the spirits in heaven, who were
disobedient at the time of Noah. Back to the book of Enoch here. This is called descensus, the Latin
term for descent. It is also called by the Greek term, the kerygma,
which means the preaching. He went down to preach. Kerygma means the
preaching; and descensus means the going down. This
became a very, very puzzling thing with the Christians. This is what
embarrassed them and why they dropped the whole thing. And this is the thing
that is richly attested in the apocryphal works that have come out now.
He took the same message in the kerygma.
With three missions, he was very busy. After visiting he must be on the way.
Notice, he has an awful lot to do. He must be on the way to other sheep. He
must be on the way to the lost tribes of
Comment: "In Jesus the Christ
Elder Talmage writes that Christ came to the
Until he had finished the forty days
over there? Well, that's an interesting theory. Brother Talmage was always rich
with them. When he was seventeen years old he offered forty-four courses of
study at the
(Hugh
Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon--Semester 1: Transcripts of Lectures
Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University,
1988--1990 [Provo: Foundation for Ancient Re 109.)
THE TESTIMONY OF MATTHEW
ROBERT L. MILLET
The gospel is "the glad tidings
. . . that he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world,
and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it
from all unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved whom the Father
had put into his power and made by him." (D&C 76:40-42.) Before
ascending into heaven, the Master delivered a charge to his apostles to preach
that gospel to all the world.
Oral and Written Testimonies
Acceptance of Christ and his gospel
was accomplished first through the power of verbal human testimony: faith came
by hearing the word of God, as taught by legal administrators whose oral
witness was attended by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. fn Much of the
earliest scripture—that delivered by the power of the Holy Ghost (D&C
68:3-4)—in the meridian dispensation (as perhaps in all dispensations) existed
in an oral and unrecorded form. fn The kerygma
or proclamation of the gospel, the logia (sayings of Christ), and the agrapha
(unwritten things) circulated among the Saints as the witness of the apostles
spread from
(Kent P.
Jackson and Robert L. Millet, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The
Gospels [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986], 38.)
Acts 2:22 –
God gave Christ the power to perform miracles
Acts 2:38 –
Another basic doctrine is repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost,
just like what is taught in the Book of Mormon.
See verse
15, the church is a small branch, in verse 41, it’s a stake!!
Bruce
talked about the apostasy during this time.
The apostasy was short, but its effects were long lasting.
(3 John 1:9-10.)
9 I wrote unto the church:
but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us
not.
10 Wherefore, if I come, I
will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious
words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren,
and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
3 John (ca. A.D. 98)
John's third letter is a letter of
apostasy. In it he made reference to one Diotrephes, a local church leader who
had refused to receive John. Diotrephes, according to John, "loveth to
have the preeminence" among the saints (3 Jn. 1:93 John 1:9). John — the
presiding authority of the church — had written to him; but Diotrephes would
not receive John. Neither would he receive "the brethren," and he
would not let his congregation do so either. In fact, he excommunicated those
who would (3 John 1:10).
This was apostasy by any definition.
It was rebellion against divinely instituted authority. John promised to deal
with the offending leader when he could, but if Diotrephes did not recognize
John's authority, no doubt, he would not have responded to his discipline
either.
We have no way of knowing to what
extent this type of rebellion characterized the Christian church at that time.
Yet if, as we learn from John's other letters, rebellion against true doctrine
was commonplace, undoubtedly the struggle against those who opposed that
rebellion was equally widespread. The Diotrephes incident may have been one of
many such events, as people of the rising third generation of Christian history
had no loyalty to John, the last remaining witness of the first. For those who
rejected John, the final legitimate link of doctrinal and priesthood authority
between Christ and the church that bore his name in that day was broken.
(John M.
Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in
Honor of Hugh W. Nibley on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March
1990, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for
Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1990], 1: 113 - 114.)
John was
the only apostle left on the earth, once he was translated, the keys of the
priesthood left also! Therefore, no one
had authority to perform priesthood ordinances.
Stake Presidents, Bishops, etc cannot act without Prophets and Apostles
on the earth. The church was dead, there
was infighting for power among Bishops of various cities, yet they had no keys,
no power.
Finally, in what we assume is the
last-written document of the New Testament, we have an example of direct
rejection of the Lord's anointed leader. Diotrephes, a local Church leader who
"loveth to have the preeminence" among the Saints (3 Jn. 1:93 Jn.
1:9), rejected John, the senior and probably the only remaining apostle at the
time. John had written to him, but Diotrephes would not receive him. In fact,
Diotrephes excommunicated those who would (3 Jn. 1:10).
This was apostasy by any definition.
John promised to deal with the offending leader when he could, but if
Diotrephes did not recognize John's authority, no doubt he would not have
responded to his discipline, either. Now in the third generation of Christian
history, we see not only doctrinal apostasy taking place but also an act of
open rebellion against priesthood authority. This was not without significant
consequences: those who rejected John severed the final legitimate link of doctrine
and priesthood between Christ and the church that bore his name.
(Kent P.
Jackson, From Apostasy to Restoration [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1996], 17.)
If Utah
Power flipped the switch there would not be any power to this building, the lights
are still here, the sockets are still in the walls, but there is not power to
function.
There was a
split between the Greek side and the Latin side, east versus west.
1st
Corinthians 11:17-30 and Jude 12 – The early church ate a meal together as their
sacrament, but there were problems in
Acts 2:43 –
The Law of Consecration was setup among these people.
Acts 4:31 –
the beginning of the paragraph for Acts 5 – One person (couple) can cause havoc
in a ward. One of the many points to
this story is that nothing is ours, the greater sin lies in breaking covenants,
and transgressions = broken covenants.
D&C
105:2-5 – Not everyone was wrong, yet all suffered!
We covenant
to create a
One of Joseph's teachings in 1842,
not forgotten by Brigham, was that "the Church is not fully organized, in
its proper order, and cannot be, until the
Like the temple connection, the
reorganization of 1877 had a connection with the United Order movement. As
Church President, Brigham Young constantly labored to increase temporal and
spiritual unity among the Saints. We have no evidence that by 1877 he had
changed this conviction voiced in 1862: "I
have had visions and Revelation instructing me how to organize this people so
that they can live like the family of heaven, but I cannot do it while so much
selfishness and wickedness reign in the Elders of
During 1877, the prophet still advocated United Orders. When initially
instructing the Twelve about their role in the upcoming reorganizings, he
specifically told them to preach temporal and spiritual unity in every stake.
He warned general conference attenders that April that "we have no
business here other than to build up and establish the
In consequence of tradition and the
weakness of our human nature, we could not bring our feelings to obey this holy
requirement [Order of Enoch]. The Spirit had prompted him to see if the brethren
would do anything by way of an approach to it, and hence we had commenced to
build
But temporal and spiritual unity of a
group requires individual righteousness. Reduced to its root purpose the 1877
reorganization was designed to increase righteousness among leaders and
members. The Church exists to perfect the Saints, so by improving Church
structure the Saints in turn ought to be better influenced to improve
themselves. Brigham expected the reorderings to produce "a radical change,
a reformation, in the midst of this people." If anyone asks why the
reorganizings, he wrote to his son Willard:
We will answer, to more completely
carry out the purposes of Jehovah, to give greater compactness to the labors of
the priesthood, to unite the Saints, to care for the scattering sheep of Israel
in these mountains who acknowledge no particular fold, to be in a position to
understand the standing of everyone calling himself a Latter-day Saint, and to
consolidate the interests, feelings, and lives of the members of the Church.
There are some of the reasons why we are now more fully than heretofore
organizing the holy Priesthood after the pattern given us of our Father in
Heaven. fn
(The
Priesthood Reorganization of 1877: Brigham Young's Last Achievement by William
G. Hartley Fn, BYU Studies, vol. 20 (1979-1980), 9.)
The
missions of the 12 in our day went out to unify those countries, they had big
problems to solve, 14,500 baptisms, 750 stayed active in
Acts 6-7 –
Story of Stephen, Saul; was in charge of the stoning. Acts 8 – The gospel spread to other areas
because of the persecution, it was one way the gospel went forth out of
Acts 9:6 –
Paul’s greatest strength was his humility, his conversion and missionary
travels show his devotion to Christ.
Paul goes to
Ministry of the
Resurrected Christ in 3rd Nephi
Chapter 39
December 1, 2005
Map of
where Bountiful was located, by the narrow pass that led to the land Northward,
it protected the narrow pass. Zarahemla
was south near the wilderness.
Understand
1 Nephi 8 and 11 – meaning of the symbols, tree of life, the way back to God.
Nephi
receives answers to his questions, by
exercising his faith, he sees a virgin, the condescension of God is Christ
coming from a higher place to a lower place, losing his Godship and becoming
mortal, be like man almost.
Christ and
Christ’s atonement along with His ministry are wrapped into the meaning of the
tree. Everything centers around the
Christmas tree, look at the symbols of Christ at Christmas time.
Seeing
Christ in Today's Christmas
Bruce Satterfield
Brigham Young University - Idaho
I remember looking around
my childhood home at Christmas time and seeing a green tree ornamented with
lights, golden ornaments and silver tinsel. There would be presents under the
tree. Above our fireplace stockings were hung. Mistletoe was hung above the
entrance way into the dining room. A wreath was hung on the door. Pictures of
Santa Claus, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, and Frosty the Snow Man were hung
around the house. Special candles were brought out and a nutcracker placed on
the fireplace mantle. The outside of our house was always decorated with lights
and we always wished for snow! My parents used to send cards to everybody, even
people they hadn't seen in years.
As I saw these things
they would excite within me the thrill of the Christmas season. Yet, often I
wondered what any of these things had to do with the birth of Christ that we
were celebrating. It seemed that the birth of Christ was only of incidental
concern at Christmas.
As I grew, I remember
hearing people complain about various aspects of the Christmas season. I
remember such comments as, "If Christmas is a time to remember Christ why
do we have a Santa Claus or a Christmas tree?" When I was in high school,
in an effort to convince me that the Christmas tree was of pagan origin, one of
my friends showed me a scripture out of the Old Testament which reads:
"For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the
forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with
silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move
not" (Jeremiah 10:3-4). Yet, for me, it was not Christmas until the tree
was put up with the myriad of other decorations.
I have observed over the
years the disillusionment of many because of the commercialism of Christmas. I
hear many deplore Christmas advertisements on T.V. before the Thanksgiving
holiday and seeing Christmas displays in stores at Halloween time. Many
complain of Christmas shopping in crowded stores and waiting in long lines to
buy presents. The selling of trees, Santas, decorations, movies, etc., all seem
to distract from the Nativity story. I, too, find myself disgusted with by the
secularization and commercialism of Christmas that has depreciated what has
always been a wonderful time of year for me.
Yet in all these things
are there not shadows of Christ?
I believe there is. Among
the trappings of Christmas, if viewed through less pessimistic eyes, many
aspects of Christ and his atonement can be seen. Because of this, I have
recovered for myself the wonders, beauties, and magic of Christmas that I found
so dear as a young child in a way that has brought great meaning to the
Christmas nativity story. Consider the following.
Colors
Christmas is a very
visual experience. Colors, such as white, green, and red, play an integral part
in all that is associated with this season. However, for most people, these
colors have no greater symbolism than the fact they are known as Christmas
colors. Yet, if viewed in a certain way, these colors can add rich meaning to
any Christmas decoration, ornament, figure or object, turning them into
purposeful symbols.
Red, for example, can
symbolize blood-the blood of Jesus Christ shed for the sins of all mankind as
part of the Atonement. Indeed, that is the reason we celebrate the birth of
Jesus Christ. White can symbolize purity and cleanness, the product of
the Atonement. Green-as seen in evergreen plants-can symbolize
everlasting life. Through the blood of Christ man can receive everlasting or
eternal life. Blue can represent the heavens or God, since the sky is
often where we point to the heavens. Purple, the royal color, is a
combination of both red and blue. With red representing blood or mankind, and
blue representing God, purple can symbolize Christ, who was both man and God at
the same time. Gold can represent the richness of eternal life, the gift
made possible for all through the Christ's atoning sacrifice.
Christmas Tree
Perhaps the central
symbol of Christmas in our current Christmas tradition is the Christmas tree.
It's just not Christmas until the tree is put up in the living room! How the
tree became part of the Christmas tradition is not known for sure. One legend
is of particular interest. Since most people of medieval Europe could not read,
plays, often called "mystery plays,"were used to teach stories and
lessons from the bible. In Germany, during the eleventh and twelfth centuries,
the "Paradise play" was performed in villages on December 24. The
play depicted the Fall of Adam and Eve. As part of the play an evergreen tree
decorated with apples was used to represent the tree of knowledge of good and
evil. At the appropriate time, Eve would partake of the fruit and give it to
Adam.. The play ended with the promise of the coming of a Savior to free man
from the Fall of Adam. Eventually, because of immoral practices crept into the
play, the Church banned the play. However, on December 24, many people
continued to put up an evergreen tree in their home and decorate it with apples
and homemade wafers. The apples represented the forbidden fruit while the
wafers represented the fruit of the tree of life.
Regardless of how the
tree became part of our Christmas tradition, it certainly can be viewed with
positiveness. Trees are an important aspect of the scriptures. As already
noted, in the garden of Eden eternal life was represented as a tree. The tree
of life plays a central role in Lehi's dream. Nephi learned that the tree of
life was the love of God expressed through the atonement of Christ (see 1 Nephi
11:10-23). Through the atonement mankind may receive everlasting or eternal
life. With these images in mind, it is not difficult to see within the
Christmas tree a reminder of the eternal life given us by Christ. The bulbs
hanging from the bough can remind us of the fruit of the tree of life while
lights can represent the importance of the light of Christ. Further, the stand
of the Christmas tree, which gives the tree support and water, can symbolize
the first principles and ordinances of the gospel (faith, repentance, baptism
and the gift of the Holy Ghost) upon which the gospel or tree of life is
supported. The water in the stand symbolizes the living waters that give the
gospel its life (see 1 Ne. 11:25).
Gifts
Another central symbol of
Christmas is gift-giving. As the magi brought gifts to the Savior of
"gold, and frankincense, and myrrh " (Matt. 2:11), so gift-giving has
become part of the Christmas tradition. Gifts are placed under the tree or in
stockings. Some gifts come from Santa Claus while other gifts are exchanged
between family members and friends. Gifts truly are gestures of love and
friendship. Yet, each gift can remind us the gift of eternal life, "which
gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God" (D&C 14:7). The gift of
eternal life is made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
Gifts placed under a
Christmas tree are an appropriate reminder that the atonement is a gift. When
we receive gifts, they can remind us of our desire to receive the gift
of the atonement within our own lives. As we give gifts, we should be
reminded that we should be "anxiously engaged" (D&C 58:27) in
helping others to receive the benefits of Christ's atonement. Indeed, all our
actions should be aimed at helping others to find the tree of life and eat of its
fruit, "whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other
fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God" (1 Ne.
15:36).
Stockings
We place special
stockings out at Christmas within which Santa puts gifts. Stockings cover our
feet. Our feet symbolize the course of life we take. The stockings therefore
can symbolize that our path of life should lead us to the gift Christ has given
to all men, even eternal life.
Christmas Morning
For me, Christmas morning
is symbolic of the second coming of Christ and the beginning of the great
millennial era. The hope of everyone is for a "White Christmas." With
snow everywhere we are reminded of the purity that will exist during the
millennium. On Christmas morning, everyone arises early to open their gifts.
This is reminiscent of rising on the morning of the first resurrection to
receive the gift of eternal life. And though "it is more blessed to give
than to receive" (Acts 20:35), the gift of eternal is something we all
hope and wish for. Christmas day is a day of rest, rejoicing and being with
family and friends.
Christmas colors, trees,
stockings, and gifts are among the more obvious Christmas symbols. Other
decorations are less obvious and more commercial. Yet they may also be viewed
with a less pessimistic eye. Though I do not believe it was intended, within
them can be seen a many of features of Christ and his atonement, as the
following will illustrate.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus can symbolize
the happy, loving, and giving Christ. His red suit can depict the blood he shed
for the atonement. The white trim of his suit can remind us of his purity. The
gloves he wears can symbolize the work of his hands. If the gloves are red,
they may represent that his work is the redemption of mankind through the his
shed blood. White gloves could denote that his work is to make mankind clean.
If they are green, his work is to bring eternal life to man. Black gloves could
symbolize that his work was to remove sin and death.
By his very nature Santa
is unselfish, laboring all the time to give his gifts. Yet when he gives his
gifts, he always does it anonymously at night when everyone is asleep. He does
not bring gifts for the honor or praise of the world but because of love. His
gift is given personally to every home and to every person. Are these not all
characteristic of Christ?
Only little children
believe in the magic of Santa Claus. When they get older and wise to the ways
of the world, they lose their belief in Santa Claus. Unfortunately, the same is
true with regards to many in our world. Of a truth, we are taught to become
like little children in our belief of Christ and not wise to the ways of the
world and lose our belief.
Elves
The Christmas tradition
views Santa as an elf with a number of elves who help him in his year-long
endeavor to bring gifts to all. Likewise, Christ is not alone in his endeavor
to save mankind through his atoning sacrifice. He is supported and aided by
many. Angels, Church leaders, home teachers, and of course, parents are among
the many who assist in the bringing of eternal life to God's children.
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed
Reindeer
The children Christmas
song that has become a classic, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, has some
interesting parallels to the story of Christ. I have no doubt the parallels
were unintended. Both were different. Both were mocked and unaccepted by their
peer. Yet, both "saved the day" so to speak. Rudolph saved Christmas
by the power of his "red" nose "that glowed"guiding Santa
through the fog. The Savior has saved mankind through his blood and has given
life and light to all mankind. In Rudolph, then we can visualize Christ as the
light and guide for mankind.
Frosty the Snowman
As with Rudolph, Frosty
the Snowman has become part of Christmas tradition. The song is well known.
Frosty was a snowman who magically came alive after a black hat was put on him.
He played with the children who believed in him. However, the song ends with
Frosty leaving (as he was melting) though he promised to return again someday.
Is it too absurd to see within Frosty parallels of Christ? The white snow of
which he was made exemplifies the purity of Christ. The magical nature of
Frosty reminds us of miraculous nature of Christ, performing miracles including
the atonement. The children believed in Frosty and it was for them that Frosty
came alive. And so it is with Christ . . . we must all humble ourselves as
little children and believe in the miraculous power of Christ and his
atonement. Further, as Frosty left but promised to return, Jesus Christ died,
was resurrected, ascended to heaven with the promise that he would return again
one day. Frosty, then, can represent the miraculous nature of Christ.
The Nutcracker
Made a popular Christmas
decoration because of the Nutcracker Suite, the nutcracker can be a powerful
symbol of the militant nature of Jesus Christ, an aspect often overlooked. The
main character of the Nutcracker Suite was a little girl who received many toys
for Christmas. Her favorite was a nutcracker. She dreamed that the nutcracker
became a handsome prince who led the other toys in a victorious battle against
the rats (which brought the black plague). After the victory, the nutcracker
escorted the girl into the Kingdom of the Sweets. Like the nutcracker, in
Gethsemane and on Golgotha, Christ's defeated spiritual death, Upon his second
coming, he will defeat the kingdom of Satan (church of the devil) and led the
righteous into his kingdom as the great Millennium begins. Therefore, the
nutcracker can symbolize Christ as our leader against Satan and his influence.
Other Symbols
Many other decorations
found at Christmas may be viewed as symbols of Christ. Wreaths are round
and green with red berries. They can symbolize that eternal life is everlasting
and brought about by the atonement. In ancient Rome, a wreath was worn as a
sign of victory. The victory we celebrate is Christ's victory in the Garden and
on the cross.
Mistletoe is green with white
berries. Because of Christ's atonement, man can become pure (white berries)
thus giving him the gift of eternal life (green leaves of mistletoe). This
produces within man a pure, love of Christ and all people. Thus, underneath the
mistletoe people kiss symbolizing that pure love.
Christmas cards can represent the love
we share with everyone-not just those near us.
Decorated homes honor Christ and his
mission. Outside decorations demonstrate that we are a "light unto the
world" and inside decorations show that the love of Christ and his
atonement is within our heart-that our outside display is not merely a
hypocritical image portrayed to the world.
Christmas advertisements can represent the
prophetic messages of prophets that Christ would come to the world and that he
will return again. When Christmas advertisements begin early in the year they
can serve as a reminder that the prophecies of Christ's coming were not given
just a few weeks before his birth but rather were first uttered to Adam and
have continued to the present day. Such tokens should remind that we should be
getting ready for His coming now and not wait until the end.
Shopping in crowds can signal that all
mankind should be "anxiously engaged in a good cause" in bringing
others the gift of eternal life. Selfless devotion to our fellow man is one of
the things required to earn the right to have the gift Christ has given.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone was getting ready for the second coming of
Christ?
Xmas is a symbol of Christ
often seen at Christmas time. Yet the term Xmas is often misunderstood.
Sometimes people deride the term, saying, "They are Xing Christ out
of Christmas." However, in Greek, the original language of the New
Testament, the word Christ is . Note that Christ begins with an . Anciently,
early Christians used to abbreviate Christ with an X because in ancient
Greek the X was often written like the letter t which looks like
a cross upon which people were crucified. Consequently, X reminded them
of the cross upon which Christ was hung. Therefore, Xmas is a beautiful
reminder of what Christ has done for us.
These are just a few of
the many symbols that surround us at the Christmas season. To me, everything at
Christmas reminds me that Christ came to the earth to live, suffer and die that
we might live forever in God's kingdom. Unfortunately, because of the
secularization of Christmas, for many Christmas has become a holiday rather
than a holy day. As a faithful Christian, I find this situation deplorable.
Yet, I have little influence on the world around me when it comes to these
matters.
However, I have concluded
that seeing Christ in Christmas is a matter of personal attitude and vision. I
can either see the secularization and commercialism of Christmas and let that
ruin my Christmas experience or I can choose to see Christ in Christmas. In the
end, it is my choice! It is my hope that all may choose to see Christ in
Christmas.
A flocked tree with
fruit, pure and white = Christ’s atonement
3rd Nephi 11:5-11
Christ
comes to the temple when he appeared to the Nephites, what was in the temple? A
tree?
Christ
comes after a great destruction in the land, the wicked were killed.
3 times
Christ was introduced to the people but they did not understand, when he
appeared, they didn’t know who he was.
Jesus told them who he was, the light (light on the tree) and life
(fruit on the tree) of the world.
Christ is
the example of how we come to the Father, complete obedience to the Father.
3rd Nephi
12
2500 people
are at the temple, there are more who come the next day. The Sermon at the Temple is close to the
Sermon on the Mount, see John Welch’s book on this topic. The Nephites were able to understand more of
His teachings. The people came for the
Day of Pentacost!
Christ’s
asention was shortly after the Day of Pentacost in Jerusalem, it was like
coming to Mt. Sinai to receive the Law of Moses.
3rd Nephi
15
The Law of
Moses was fulfilled in Christ, you don’t need to live this anymore, I have
something much better!
3rd Nephi
17:2-3
The people
didn’t understand his words, they needed something to help them in the learning
process, need to ponder the words and ask in prayer to understand, this will
help you get better prepared. It’s the
same preparation for General Conference.
3rd Nephi
19:2-15
The people
went around gathering others to come to the temple, they traveled all night to
come.
The 12
taught the people the words of Christ that they learned the 1st
day. They prayed for the Holy Ghost so
they could understand what Christ taught them (the perfect teacher). Baptisms were performed to covenant the
people to a new order after the Law of Moses, since it had been fulfilled in
Christ. The Holy Ghost fell upon them
and they were cleansed by fire. Angels
ministered to them, the Holy Ghost and ministering angels are tied together.
Jesus now
comes again and is able to teach.
Ministering
angels are all through the Book of Mormon,
1st Nephi
1:8 – Lehi had
a vision, saw God and angels
1st Nephi
3:29 – Angel
comes and protects Nephi and Sam
1st Nephi
8:5 – Lehi on
journey to a tree but he can’t see it because of the mist of darkness. An angel comes to assist Lehi
1st Nephi
11:1-14 – Nephi
wants to know what his father saw. The
Holy Ghost comes and an angel, they help him understand the dreams meaning.
1st Nephi
17:4-5 – Nephi
is talking to his brothers, they saw and heard an angel but didn’t understand
the message. The angel also spoke by
feelings (Holy Ghost). Sometimes
visible, audible, only feel their words, they teach and protect. The family was in the wilderness for 8 years
and the angel seemed to be with them the whole time.
2nd Nephi
31:20, 32:2-3 –
To receive the gift of the Holy Ghost we need to press forward feasting upon
the words of Christ. Angels speak by the
power of the Holy Ghost.
Aaronic
Priesthood – keys of the ministering of angels.
The
Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Ensign, Nov. 1998, pp. 37-40
My beloved brethren, I
appreciate the opportunity to speak to you this evening. I address my remarks
to the young men who hold the Aaronic Priesthood and to the bishops and
counselors who preside over them. I will speak about the sacred activities of
Aaronic Priesthood holders in preparing, administering, and passing the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper to the members of the Church.
I.
On May 15, 1829, John the
Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood to the earth. He did so by laying his
hands upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and speaking these words: "Upon
you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of
Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of
repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this
shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer
again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness" (D&C 13:1).
Later, the Lord revealed
these further truths: "The lesser priesthood … holdeth the key of the
ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;
"Which gospel is the
gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins" (D&C
84:26-27).
What does it mean that
the Aaronic Priesthood holds "the key of the ministering of angels"
and of the "gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of
sins"? The meaning is found in the ordinance of baptism and in the
sacrament. Baptism is for the remission of sins, and the sacrament is a renewal
of the covenants and blessings of baptism. Both should be preceded by
repentance. When we keep the covenants made in these ordinances, we are
promised that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. The ministering of
angels is one of the manifestations of that Spirit.
II.
We begin with the
doctrine as taught by the Lord. During His ministry, Jesus taught that baptism
is necessary for salvation. "Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Baptism is
the first of the saving ordinances. When we are baptized, we covenant that we
will take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and serve Him and keep His commandments.
At the conclusion of His
ministry, Jesus introduced the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He broke bread
and blessed it and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take, eat; this is
my body" (Matt. 26:26). "This do in remembrance of me" (Luke
22:19). He took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, "This
is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of
sins" (Matt. 26:28).
When He introduced the
sacrament, the Savior also gave teachings and promises about the Holy Ghost. On
that sacred occasion known as the Last Supper, Jesus explained the mission of
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost. The Comforter would testify of Him and
reveal other truths. Jesus also explained that He had to leave His disciples in
order for the Comforter to come to them. When I depart, He told them, "I
will send him unto you" (John 16:7). After His Resurrection, He told His
Apostles to tarry in Jerusalem until they were given "power from on
high" (Luke 24:49). That power came when "the promise of the Holy
Ghost" was "shed forth" upon the Apostles on the day of
Pentecost (see Acts 2:33).
Similarly, when the
Savior introduced the sacrament in the New World, He promised, "He that
eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this
wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor
thirst, but shall be filled" (3 Ne. 20:8). The meaning of that promise is
evident: "Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they
were filled with the Spirit" (3 Ne. 20:9).
The close relationship
between partaking of the sacrament and the companionship of the Holy Ghost is
explained in the revealed prayer on the sacrament. In partaking of the bread,
we witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and
always remember Him and keep His commandments. When we do so, we have the
promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us (see D&C 20:77).
To have the continuous
companionship of the Holy Ghost is the most precious possession we can have in
mortality. The gift of the Holy Ghost was conferred upon us by the authority of
the Melchizedek Priesthood after our baptism. But to realize the blessings of
that gift, we must keep ourselves free from sin. When we commit sin, we become
unclean and the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from us. The Spirit of the Lord
does not dwell in "unholy temples" (see Mosiah 2:36-37; Alma
34:35-36; Hel. 4:24), and no unclean thing can dwell in His presence (see Eph.
5:5; 1 Ne. 10:21; Alma 7:21; Moses 6:57).
A few weeks ago I used a
chain saw to cut down a tree in my backyard. It was a dirty job, and when I was
done I was splattered with a filthy mixture of sawdust and oil. In that
condition I did not want anyone to see me. I just wanted to be cleansed in water
so I would again feel comfortable in the presence of other people.
Not one of you young men
and not one of your leaders has lived without sin since his baptism. Without
some provision for further cleansing after our baptism, each of us is lost to
things spiritual. We cannot have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and at
the final judgment we would be bound to be "cast off forever" (1 Ne.
10:21). How grateful we are that the Lord has provided a process for each
baptized member of His Church to be periodically cleansed from the soil of sin.
The sacrament is an essential part of that process.
We are commanded to
repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a brokenheart and a contrite
spirit and partake of the sacrament in compliance with its covenants. When we
renew our baptismal covenants in this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect
of our baptism. In this way we are made clean and can always have His Spirit to
be with us. The importance of this is evident in the Lord's commandment that we
partake of the sacrament each week (see D&C 59:8-9).
We cannot overstate the
importance of the Aaronic Priesthood in this. All of these vital steps
pertaining to the remission of sins are performed through the saving ordinance
of baptism and the renewing ordinance of the sacrament. Both of these
ordinances are officiated by holders of the Aaronic Priesthood under the
direction of the bishopric, who exercise the keys of the gospel of repentance
and of baptism and the remission of sins.
III.
In a closely related way, these ordinances of the Aaronic
Priesthood are also vital to the ministering of angels.
"The word 'angel' is used in the scriptures for any
heavenly being bearing God's message" (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth,
sel. Jerreld L. Newquist [1987], 54). The scriptures recite numerous instances
where an angel appeared personally. Angelic appearances to Zacharias and Mary
(see Luke 1) and to King Benjamin and Nephi, the grandson of Helaman (see
Mosiah 3:2; 3 Ne. 7:17-18) are only a few examples. When I was young, I thought
such personal appearances were the only meaning of the ministering of angels.
As a young holder of the Aaronic Priesthood, I did not think I would see an
angel, and I wondered what such appearances had to do with the Aaronic
Priesthood.
But the ministering of angels can also be unseen. Angelic
messages can be delivered by a voice or merely by thoughts or feelings
communicated to the mind. President John Taylor described "the action of
the angels, or messengers of God, upon our minds, so that the heart can
conceive … revelations from the eternal world" (Gospel Kingdom,
sel. G. Homer Durham [1987], 31).
Nephi described three manifestations of the ministering of
angels when he reminded his rebellious brothers that (1) they had "seen an
angel," (2) they had "heard his voice from time to time," and
(3) also that an angel had "spoken unto [them] in a still small
voice" though they were "past feeling" and "could not feel
his words" (1 Ne. 17:45). The scriptures contain many other statements
that angels are sent to teach the gospel and bring men to Christ (see Heb.
1:14; Alma 39:19; Moro. 7:25, 29, 31-32; D&C 20:35). Most angelic
communications are felt or heard rather than seen.
How does the Aaronic Priesthood hold the key to the
ministering of angels? The answer is the same as for the Spirit of the Lord.
In general, the blessings of spiritual companionship and
communication are only available to those who are clean. As explained earlier,
through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are
cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants we will always
have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the
Holy Ghost but also to the ministering of angels, for "angels speak by the
power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ" (2 Ne.
32:3). So it is that those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for
all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the
companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels.
IV.
The doctrines I have just
discussed are contained in the scriptures. From the scriptures we also know
that those who officiate in the priesthood act in behalf of the Lord (see
D&C 1:38; D&C 36:2). I will now suggest how teachers and priests and
deacons should carry out their sacred responsibilities to act in behalf of the
Lord in preparing, administering, and passing the sacrament. I will not suggest
detailed rules, since the circumstances in various wards and branches in our
worldwide Church are so different that a specific rule that seems required in
one setting may be inappropriate in another. Rather, I will suggest a principle
based on the doctrines. If all understand this principle and act in harmony
with it, there should be little need for rules. If rules or counseling are
needed in individual cases, local leaders can provide them, consistent with the
doctrines and their related principles.
The principle I suggest
to govern those officiating in the sacrament--whether preparing, administering,
or passing--is that they should not do anything that would distract any member
from his or her worship and renewal of covenants. This principle of
non-distraction suggests some companion principles.
Deacons, teachers, and priests
should always be clean in appearance and reverent in the manner in which they
perform their solemn and sacred responsibilities. Teachers' special assignments
in preparing the sacrament are the least visible but should still be done with
dignity, quietly and reverently. Teachers should always remember that the
emblems they are preparing represent the body and blood of our Lord.
To avoid distracting from
the sacred occasion, priests should speak the sacrament prayers clearly and
distinctly. Prayers that are rattled off swiftly or mumbled inaudibly will not
do. All present should be helped to understand an ordinance and covenants so
important that the Lord prescribed the exact words to be uttered. All should be
helped to focus on those sacred words as they renew their covenants by
partaking.
On this subject I feel to
share a painful experience from my youth. As a 16-year-old priest, I was just
beginning a part-time job as a radio announcer at a local station. After I
offered a prayer at the sacrament table in our ward, a girl who was present
told me I sounded like I was reading a commercial. Can you imagine the shame I
felt? After 50 years that rebuke still stings. Brethren, remember the
significance of those sacred prayers. You are praying as a servant of the Lord
in behalf of the entire congregation. Speak to be heard and understood, and say
it like you mean it.
Deacons should pass the
sacrament in a reverent and orderly manner, with no needless motions or
expressions that call attention to themselves. In all their actions they should
avoid distracting any member of the congregation from worship and covenant
making.
All who officiate in the
sacrament--in preparing, administering, or passing--should be well groomed and
modestly dressed, with nothing about their personal appearance that calls
special attention to themselves. In appearance as well as actions, they should
avoid distracting anyone present from full attention to the worship and
covenant making that is the purpose of this sacred ordinance.
This principle of
non-distraction applies to things unseen as well as seen. If someone
officiating in this sacred ordinance is unworthy to participate, and this is
known to anyone present, their participation is a serious distraction to that
person. Young men, if any of you is unworthy, talk to your bishop without
delay. Obtain his direction on what you should do to qualify yourself to
participate in your priesthood duties worthily and appropriately.
I have a final
suggestion. With the single exception of those priests occupied breaking the
bread, all who hold the Aaronic Priesthood should join in singing the sacrament
hymn by which we worship and prepare to partake. No one needs that spiritual
preparation more than the priesthood holders who will officiate in it. My young
brethren, it is important that you sing the sacrament hymn. Please do so.
The Aaronic Priesthood
holds the keys of the "gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the
remission of sins" (D&C 84:27). The cleansing power of our Savior's
Atonement is renewed for us as we partake of the sacrament. The promise that we
"may always have his Spirit to be with [us]" (D&C 20:77) is
essential to our spirituality. The ordinances of the Aaronic Priesthood are
vital to all of this. I testify that this is true, and I pray that our brethren
of the Aaronic Priesthood will understand the importance of their sacred
responsibilities and act worthily in them, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Alma the
Younger had 2 experiences with the same angel.
We need the
gift of the Holy Ghost and ministering angels to understand Christ and feast on
his words. The same goes for our
preparation for General Conference.
Even with
the scriptures and teaching from our Prophets and Apostles, if we don’t have
the Spirit, we won’t understand the message!!
Nephi also encouraged us to
"press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness
of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press
forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus
saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:20). It is of
interest to me that Nephi added the injunction to "feast upon the word of
Christ" to the injunction to "endure to the end." In my mind
this addition is significant, for it points toward how we come to know what
Jesus would do. We endure to the end faithfully by living as Jesus would live.
How do we know how Jesus would do
things? We search the scriptures, a priceless collection of the words of
Christ. We study his life and ministry in the New Testament, noting how he
dealt with friends, how he dealt with enemies, how he dealt with difficulty,
how he dealt with praise and adoration, how he taught the gospel. We study the
acts of the risen Lord and his teachings in 3 Nephi and expand our spiritual
database of understanding. We study his words in the Doctrine and Covenants and
the Pearl of Great Price, and, of course, we treasure the counsel of his living
oracles in our day.
And yet all of these teachings—more
precious than silver and gold—are not sufficient to cover every exigency, every
possible aspect of our lives. It would not be long before we found ourselves in
a real-life situation in which we could identify no close parallel in the life
and ministry of Christ or in the teachings of his authorized servants. What do
we do then? How do we proceed? How do we do what Jesus would do if it is not
recorded in sacred scripture or the counsel of prophets? Again we turn to Nephi
for direction. "And now, behold, my beloved brethren," he wrote,
"I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye
should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder
these things in your hearts? . . . Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words
of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye
should do. Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot
understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore,
ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark. For behold,
again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy
Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:1,
3-5). There is our answer. We endure faithfully to the end by cultivating the
gift of the Holy Ghost in our lives. With that gift we may learn how Jesus
would speak or act under this or that circumstance—by inspiration, through the
direction of the Spirit, that third member of the Godhead, who will tell us and
show us how to proceed.
We cannot live by written scripture alone, nor can we endure to the end
in a wicked world with even the added benefit of prophetic declarations,
handbooks, or resource manuals. The strength of this Church is to be found in
the hearts and lives of its individual members, in the manner in which they
seek for and obtain the mind of God through the instrumentality of the Holy
Ghost. Ours is the privilege of belonging to the only true and living church
upon the face of the whole earth (D&C 1:30), and our opportunity and our
duty is to partake of the fruit of a living tree of life, to be governed by a
living constitution. "But notwithstanding those things which are
written," the Lord declared in a modern revelation, "it always has
been given to the elders of my church from the beginning, and ever shall be, to
conduct all meetings as they are directed and guided by the Holy Spirit"
(D&C 46:2; see also Moroni 6:9; D&C 20:45). The Church seeks to teach
us guiding principles, but quite often it is the Holy Ghost who will teach us
specific practices.
(Robert L.
Millet, Alive in Christ: The Miracle of Spiritual Rebirth [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 188.)
3rd Nephi
18 – Jesus
administers the sacrament, a covenant renewal performed by the Aaronic
Priesthood.
Angels are
sent to teach the gospel and bring men to Christ. Most of the time their influence is felt or
heard rather than seen.
The
blessings of companionship are only present to those who are clean. Aaronic Priesthood opens the door to those
worthy to receive the ministering of angels.
Angels will attend you, as taught in the temple.
Joseph
Smith was taught by angels many visitations, article in BYU Studies.
Angels can
protect us, but their main purpose is to teach, to allow us to feast upon the
words of Christ.
Apostasy and
Restoration
Chapters 40-41
December 8, 2005
The most important of the internal
causes by which the apostasy of the
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 694.)
The reasons
for the apostasy have changed since the days of Elder Talmage. It was not another church’s fault; they were
the result of individual apostasy and the loss of priesthood keys.
Apostasy
happens when we reject priesthood keys, the right to direct the affairs of the
kingdom
The Purpose of Priesthood Keys
- Receive revelation for the kingdom
- Perform the ordinances for
salvation
- The Keyholder (Prophet) directs
the organization
- To interpret doctrine
- To teach new doctrine
No Keys =
No Kingdom – There would be no authority to perform any priesthood function
that needed keys!
All who
hold keys receive them from others, they are delegated keys, only the Prophet
and Apostles hold the keys here on earth.
A New Generation of Christianity
In the early years after the
resurrection of Jesus, the apostles added members to their number as vacancies
required. It appears that the first item of apostolic business after Jesus'
ascension was the selection of one to take the place of Judas (Acts 1:21-26).
This action establishes the principle, which is confirmed by the practice today
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that apostolic succession
was to be continued and that the ancient apostles intended to replace members
of the Twelve each time one died. In addition to Matthias, three others we are
aware of became apostles after Jesus' ascension: James (Acts 12:17; Gal. 1:19),
Barnabas (Acts 14:14), and Paul (Acts 14:14). These three were called early in
the Church's history—before A.D. 50. But neither scripture nor other historical
evidence gives us any indication of the calling of others. It thus seems reasonable to suggest that near the middle of the first
century, the calling of apostles came to an end and the apostleship died out.
As far as we know, by the 90s only John remained. When he left his public
ministry around A.D. 100, apostleship ceased, and the keys of the kingdom were
taken.
The transformation of Christian
doctrine was a process that must have happened with varying results in
different places. But once the keys of the kingdom—which include the keys of
revelation—were gone, the true Church of Jesus Christ was no longer in
existence. Thus John's departure was the end of the Lord's Church in the
The Great and Abominable Church
In the Book of Mormon, Nephi wrote
about the time of the early apostles and prophesied of a "great and
abominable church" whose founder would be the devil. This church would
oppose the Saints and yoke them "with a yoke of iron" and thus bring
them "down into captivity." In part, it would do that by removing
things "which are plain and most precious" from the scriptures and
from the gospel itself. The scriptural record we know as the Bible would not go
forth to the nations until it had been corrupted "through the hands of the
great and abominable church," leaving it less pure and reliable than it
had been when it was first written (1 Ne. 13:4-6, 20-29).
Some Latter-day Saints, reading
Nephi's descriptions in 1 Nephi 13, envision medieval monks tampering with the
Bible to change it according to their own desires. And they see the church of
Rome as the great and abominable church of which Nephi wrote. Neither of these
interpretations is correct. According to Nephi, the corruption of the biblical
text and the removal of "plain and most precious" things from the
gospel would take place before the Bible would go to the world (1 Ne. 13:29). That the spread of the Bible was underway
early in the second century A.D. is evident in the fact that New Testament
passages are quoted often in the earliest Christian writings of that period. fn
The Catholic Church was no more responsible for the Apostasy than were the
Baptists, the Presbyterians, or any other of today's churches; like all other
Christians since the first century A.D., they were the inheritors of it. The
Apostasy had been underway for more than two centuries before what we call the
Catholic Church came into existence. fn The monks and priests who carefully
preserved and copied Bible manuscripts came even later. The keys of the kingdom
had left the Church with John, and the process of doctrinal evolution had been
underway since the Church began. Medieval Christianity was the result of
the Apostasy, not the cause. fn
Who, then, were the responsible parties,
the ones whom history must see as accountable for the demise of the Early
Christian Church? The answer is suggested in the New Testament. fn Christ and
the Twelve foretold and later witnessed the time when Church members would look
beyond the simple doctrines of the gospel and bring new ideas into the
Christian faith. Though pagans and persecutors often caused difficulties for
early Christians, from the historical record there is no reason to believe that
persecution had anything to do with the Apostasy, and the evidence does not
point to Church members abandoning the faith to revert to their ancestral
paganism. Nor do the sources suggest that the Apostasy was the result of
Christians becoming less active in their faith or losing interest in it.
Instead, we see zealous Church
members who were not content with "sound doctrine" but still had
"itching ears" for religion (2 Tim. 4:3-4). And they did what their
counterparts do in our own day. They sought out what a modern apostle has called
"alternate voices," fn teachers whose words they found to be more
"pleasing unto the carnal mind" (Alma 30:53)—more intellectually
stimulating, more in style with contemporary ideas, or more spiritually
titillating—than were the teachings of the Lord's authorized servants. In due
time this process resulted in a spiritual transformation in the Church. The
divinely revealed authority of apostles was replaced by the self-appointed
authority of intellectuals.
The
When the Savior established his
Church, the apostles were sent forth to bear witness of him to the world, to
gather and save all the souls who would accept their message, and to leave
behind the record we call the New Testament. They did not fail in their
appointed calling. But at the appropriate time, in light of the growing
Apostasy and having accomplished the mission for which they had been sent, they
were called home.
In the Book of Mormon, we learn that
Christ established his Church in ancient
After the Apostles
Jesus' ministry took place in the
early thirties of the first century A.D. The Gospels, which record his
ministry, were probably written within a generation of that time. fn The book
of Acts continues Church history until about A.D. 63. James's letter was
probably written in the mid fifties, and Peter's two letters were written
before his death in about 67. Paul's letters span from the early fifties until
about 67. The last of these, 2 Timothy, carries a somber tone with repeated
warnings about the growing heresies. So also does Jude's letter, written
perhaps a decade later. fn John's writings, recorded near the end of the
century, show unmistakable evidence of the spread of false doctrine and false
leaders.
Paul had foretold that apostasy and
aberrant behavior would be found in the "latter times" (hústeroi
kairoí; 1 Tim. 4:1). Jude stated that he and his readers were living then
in the "last time" (éschatos chrnos), when the warning
prophecies were being fulfilled (Jude 1:17-19). John stated emphatically
concerning his own day—and repeated the phrase for emphasis—"it is the
last time" (escháte hora; 1 Jn. 2:18), which could be translated
more literally, "it is the last hour." These phrases refer to the
last days of the Church, not the last days of the world. And they provide
significant evidence that inspired leaders knew the Church would come to an
end. Those were the very days in which Jude and John wrote, both of whom knew
that they were living in the Church's final hour, through revelation and
because the prophecies concerning it were coming to pass.
We know very little about the history
of the Church from the mid sixties until midway into the next century. But
given the evidence within the New Testament, I suggest that John remained
active in his public ministry long enough to be a witness that the prophecies
were fulfilled, when there were too few in the Church who would "endure
sound doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:3) to allow the Church to carry on.
After the days of the apostles, and
thus after the New Testament ended, a new Christian literature began to
develop. The earliest writers of the post-New Testament era are frequently
called the Apostolic Fathers, because it was believed that they knew, or knew
persons who knew, the apostles themselves. Because of this connection with the
generation of the apostles, the works and words of these early writers became
authoritative among Christians of later generations. fn
The earliest of these was a man named
Clement, who was the bishop of
Clement emphasized, on doctrinal
grounds, the importance of sustaining those who had been called by authority.
"Christ received His commission from God, and the Apostles theirs from
Christ." The apostles, in turn, set apart bishops and others to preside in
the congregations. fn "We cannot think it right for these men now to be
ejected from their ministry, when, after being commissioned by the Apostles (or
by other reputable persons at a later date) with the full consent of the
Church, they have since been serving Christ's flock." fn
Providing an impressive witness for
the reality of the Apostasy, Clement pointed out the consequences of the
Corinthians' rejection of their priesthood leaders: "All righteousness and
peace among you is at an end. Everywhere men are renouncing the fear of God;
the eye of faith has grown dim, and instead of following the commandments, and
living as becomes a citizen of Christ, each one walks after the desires of his
own wicked heart." fn
Clement spoke of the apostles in the
past tense and gave no indication that there were any still in the church.
Another important document, the Shepherd of Hermas, written perhaps in
part quite early in the second century, also acknowledges that the apostles
were gone. fn
Ignatius of Antioch fn wrote around
107 and knew that he was in the postapostolic era. fn In his preserved
writings, which consist of seven short letters, additional evidence for the
Apostasy is apparent. Ignatius saw that apostate influences were working hard
in the church. fn He was especially concerned about the spread of Docetism, the
doctrine that denied the physical reality of Jesus and his work. fn He pleaded
with his readers to stand firmly behind those who had been chosen to lead
them—the bishops and the elders. They had been called by the apostles or by
others after the time of the apostles. He believed that this link of authority
would tie the Christians as closely as they could be tied to the apostolic age
and that it would be a safeguard against the false beliefs that were
circulating in the church. fn
Polycarp, the bishop of
Although Christian writers of the
early second century knew they were living in dark times for the church, their
own words and teachings present a Christianity that seems increasingly alien to
readers of the New Testament. Ignatius's warnings show evidence that he was
well aware of changes taking place in the church, of threatening doctrines and
self-appointed teachers, and of the need to hold fast to the last remaining
links to the apostles. But without even knowing it, he himself was an example
that the church had already passed into the new age. Ignatius saw himself as a
defender of orthodoxy, but Latter-day Saints will recognize in his words some
troubling signs that the orthodoxy that remained was no longer that of the
pristine Church. The widespread celebrity status that Ignatius enjoyed, though
he was only a local bishop, seems out of harmony with the scriptures. The way
he confidently took it upon himself to write letters instructing other
congregations also seems irregular and points to a day in which there was no
longer a central authority in the church. fn Most noteworthy, however, was his
craving for martyrdom, a desire that has no precedent or justification in any
scripture. fn
The Epistle of Barnabas uses
an extreme interpretive method that allegorizes passage after passage from the
Old Testament, reducing history to metaphor. fn This mode of interpretation
became very popular in Christianity over the third and fourth centuries after
Christ.
By the middle of the second century,
Bishop Polycarp of
A book called the Didache, or
Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, is believed to have been written before
150, with much of its content coming perhaps even before the end of the first
century. fn Thus it could reflect some of the earliest Christian ideas of the
postapostolic age. Latter-day Saints will find in the Didache a number
of beliefs and practices that are manifestly out of harmony with
revelation—notably so, given the early date of the book's composition.
The Didache gives us history's
first reference to baptism by sprinkling. Though it identifies immersion in
running water as the preferred method, it allows for sprinkling if immersion is
not practical. fn This unscriptural innovation destroys the purpose of baptism
by removing the doctrinal symbolism of death, burial, and new life that is
taught so well by Paul in the New Testament (Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12; 3:1).
Similarly, the Didache's sacramental prayers fn show nothing in common
with Jesus' biblical words concerning the ordinance (Matt. 26:26-28; 1 Cor.
11:23-26) nor with the prayers that have been revealed from God in modern scripture
(Moro. 4:3; 5:2; D&C 20:77, 79). The Didache versions lack entirely
the ordinance's doctrinal foundation: there is no reference to witnessing or
making a covenant, and there is no mention of the bread and wine being
emblematic representations of Christ.
A final innovation of the Didache
that is worth noting is a brief administrative instruction: "Appoint
therefore for yourselves bishops and deacons." fn While this, on the
surface, may not seem like a major issue, it is in fact symptomatic of a fundamental
redefinition of the Christian Church that had already taken place before the Didache
was written. The New Testament pattern was not that the congregations would
choose their own leaders but that divinely called apostles, or those
specifically assigned by apostles, chose and appointed those who would preside,
even in local congregations (e.g., Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
Without Apostles
Jesus gave the apostles instructions
on how to continue with his work after his departure (e.g., Matt. 28:19-20; Acts
1:2-3). It is clear that the Church was to carry on and that the leadership of
the Twelve would continue that of the Master in both their authority and their
service in Christ's name. But nowhere in the New Testament are there
instructions on how to administer the Church after the departure of the Twelve.
For example, there are no plans for how to keep calling and setting apart new
leaders without the apostles, or for organizing the Church in areas where the
gospel would be introduced, or for receiving continuing revelation in behalf of
the Church as the apostles had done to meet its ever-changing needs.
The New Testament simply does not
foresee the Lord's Church in existence without apostles, nor does it make any
preparation for that possibility. That was not because Jesus and the Twelve did
not care, or because they anticipated that the apostleship would endure
forever. The reason is clear, and it is as simple as it is ominous: Without
apostles, there is no Church of Jesus Christ.
Notes
1. See the references in the marginal
notes to Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, and the Didache; in
2. There is no convenient point in
history to locate the beginning of what we now call the Roman Catholic Church,
which evolved over the centuries after the departure of the apostles. The reign
of
3. See Stephen E. Robinson,
"Early Christianity and 1 Nephi 13-14," in First Nephi: The
Doctrinal Foundation, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo,
Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988), 177-91.
4. See Chapter 2, 8-18.
5. Dallin H. Oaks, "Alternate
Voices," Ensign, May 1989, 27-30.
6. See Kent P. Jackson and Robert L.
Millet, eds., The Gospels, Studies in Scripture Series, vol. 5 (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 1986), 38-48, 61-67, 92-95, 109-11.
7. We do not know if Jude was an
apostle. He calls himself "the servant of God, called of Jesus
Christ" (Jude 1:1,JST , and he refers to the apostles in the third person
and in the past tense (1:17-18).
8.
9.
10. 1 Clement, 42.2-4; in
Staniforth, Early Christian Writings, 45.
11. 1 Clement, 44.3; in
Staniforth, Early Christian Writings, 46.
12. 1 Clement, 3.4; in
Staniforth, Early Christian Writings, 24.
13. See Shepherd of Hermas,
13.1; 94.1; 102.2; in J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, trans., Michael W.
Holmes, ed. and rev., The Apostolic Fathers, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Baker, 1989), 189-290.
14.
15. As implied in Ignatius, To the
Magnesians, 13.2; To the Trallians, 2.2; To the Smyrnaeans,
8.1.
16. E.g., To the Ephesians,
9.1; To the Trallians, 6.1; To the Smyrnaeans, 4.1.
17. E.g., To the Magnesians,
11.1; To the Trallians, 9.1-10.1; To the Smyrnaeans, 1.1-4.2;
5.2.
18. See To the Ephesians, 3.2;
6.1; To the Trallians, 2.1-2.
19.
20. Ireneus, Against Heresies,
3.3.4; Tertullian, Prescription against Heretics, 32; in A. Roberts and
J. Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols. (reprint,
21. To the Philippians, 7.1.
22. To the Philippians, 7.2;
in
23.
24. Epistle of Barnabas, 4.9;
in Staniforth, Early Christian Writings, 197.
25. See To the Philadelphians,
7.1-2; 10.1-2; To Polycarp, 7.2.
26. "I [am] praying for a combat
with the lions" (To the Trallians, 10.1; in Staniforth, Early
Christian Writings, 97). "I am truly in earnest about dying for God. .
. . Pray leave me to be a meal for the beasts, for it is they who can provide
my way to God. I am His wheat, ground fine by the lions' teeth to be made
purest bread for Christ. . . . How I look forward to the real lions that have
been got ready for me! . . . This is the first stage of my discipleship; and no
power, visible or invisible, must grudge me my coming to Jesus Christ. Fire,
cross, beast-fighting, hacking and quartering, splintering of bone and mangling
of limb, even the pulverizing of my entire body—let every horrid and diabolical
torment come upon me. . . . I am yearning for death with all the passion of a
lover" (To the Romans, 1.1; 5.2-3; 7.2; in Staniforth, Early
Christian Writings, 104-6).
27. See, for example, the imaginative
interpretations of Old Testament dietary laws in the Epistle of Barnabas,
10.1-9.
28. Staniforth, Early Christian
Writings, 151-67; for the dating, see 138-41 and Encyclopedia of the
Early Church (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), s.v.
"Polycarp."
29. Martyrdom of Polycarp,
13.2; in Staniforth, Early Christian Writings, 160.
30. Martyrdom of Polycarp,
18.2; in Staniforth, Early Christian Writings, 162.
32. Didache, 7.1-3.
33. Ibid., 9.1-4.
34. Ibid., 15.1; in
(Kent P.
Jackson, From Apostasy to Restoration [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1996], 18.)
100 AD to 160 AD there seems to be a hole
where nothing is written.
The church
changed its organization from Apostles to Bishops.
(3 John 1:9-10.)
9 I wrote unto the church:
but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us
not.
10 Wherefore, if I come, I
will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious
words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren,
and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
Diotrephes was the leader of the
church in that area. He was endowed, yet
was very critical of John, he broke one of his temple covenants, was this the
type of guy you would pass keys on to?
The
Apostle John and the Anti-Christ Problem
_______________________________________
Heresies
Spencer W. Kimball
The Brethren constantly
cry out against that which is intolerable in the sight of the Lord: against
pollution of mind, body, and our surroundings; against vulgarity, stealing,
lying, pride, and blasphemy; against fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and
all other abuses of the sacred power to create; against murder and all that is
like unto it; against all manner of desecration. That such a cry should be
necessary among a people so blessed is amazing to me. And that such things
should be found even among the Saints to some degree is scarcely believable,
for these are a people who are in possession of many gifts of the Spirit, who
have knowledge that puts the eternities into perspective, who have been shown
the way to eternal life. ("The False Gods We Worship," Ensign,
June 1976, p. 4; emphasis added.)
Bruce R. McConkie
In the true gospel sense,
any opinion or doctrine in opposition to the revealed word of the Lord as
recorded in the standard works of the Church and as taught by The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an heresy." He continued saying that
"members of the true Church are guilty of the crime of heresy to the
extent that they accept false views which do not accord with the revealed word.
(Mormon Doctrine, p.352.)
Heresies in John's Day
Irenaeus [A.D. 120-202], Against
Heresies
In his opening statement
of his first book exposing the early Christian heresies, Irenaeus said:
"Inasmuch as certain
men have set the truth aside, and bring in lying words and vain genealogies . .
. I have felt constrained, my dear friend, to compose the following treatise in
order to expose and counteract their machinations. These men falsify the
oracles of God, and prove themselves evil interpreters of the good word of
revelation. They also overthrow the faith of many, by drawing them away, under
a pretence of [superior] knowledge, from Him who founded and adorned the
universe; as if, forsooth, they had something more excellent and sublime to
reveal, than that God who created the heaven and the earth, and all things that
are therein. By means of specious and plausible words, they cunningly allure
the simple-minded to inquire into their system; but they nevertheless clumsily
destroy them, while they initiate them into their blasphemous and impious
opinions respecting the Demiurge [an inferior creator deity]; and these simple
ones are unable, even in such a matter, to distinguish falsehood from
truth." (Against Heresies, 1.1.1)
Gnosticism
Irenaeus spoke of many
forms of a heresy known as Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis meaning
knowledge). Gnosticism among Christians began in the latter half of the first
century A.D. Overtime, during this time Gnostic doctrines were interlaced with
Christian doctrines. During the second century, Gnosticism evolved into complex
forms having the effect of turning Gnostic followers into separate sects from
more traditional Christianity.
In general, Gnostics
believed that the spirit is entirely good while matter was entirely evil.
Therefore, the human body of man is evil in contrast to God, who they taught
was a spirit, is good. To Gnostics, salvation meant escape from the body
through a special kind of revealed knowledge (hence, the name Gnostics) rather
than faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Gnostics demeaned the
importance of Jesus Christ.
Irenaeus on Cerinthus
Another who depreciated
Christ was Cerinthus of Effuses. Irenaeus wrote of him in these words:
Cerinthus, again, a man
who was educated in the wisdom of the Egyptians, taught that the world was not
made by the primary God, but by a certain Power far separated from him, and at
a distance from the Principality who is supreme over the universe, and ignorant
of him who is above all. He represented Jesus as having not been born of a
virgin, but as being the son of Joseph and Mary according to the ordinary
course of human generation, while he nevertheless was more righteous, prudent,
and wise than other men. Moreover, after his baptism, Christ descended upon him
in the form of a dove from the Supreme Ruler, and that then he proclaimed the
unknown Father, and performed miracles. But at last Christ departed from Jesus,
and that then Jesus suffered and rose again, while Christ remained impassible,
inasmuch as he was a spiritual being. (Against Heresies, 1. 26. 1 )
John, the disciple of the
Lord, preaches this faith, and seeks, by the proclamation of the Gospel, to
remove that error which by Cerinthus had been disseminated among men . . . (Against
Heresies, 3. 11. 1)
Irenaeus on the
Nicolatians
Other Heresies were
expounded by the Nicolatians. Irenaeus described their heresy as follows:
The Nicolatians are the
followers of that Nicholas who was one of the seven first ordained to the
diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The
character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John,
as teaching that it is matter of indifference to practice adultery, to eat
things sacrificed to idols. (Against Heresies, 1. 26. 3)
Docetics
Others who depreciated
Jesus Christ were called Docetics (from the Greek word meaning to seem). They
believed that Christ was not mortal but only seemed to be in the world. The
non-physical reality of Jesus Christ was believed because of their belief like
the Gnostics of the evils of the material world. The evils of the corporal
nature and the righteousness of Jesus Christ they felt were incompatible.
Ignatias [A. D. 30-107]
Speaks Out Against Deceits
In an epistle to the
Symrnan saints, Ignatias wrote adamantly about the physical reality of Jesus
Christ. Then he made this statement:
I give you these intructions,
beloved, assured that ye also hold the same opinions [regarding the physical
reality of Christ] as I do. But I guard you beforehand from these beasts in the
shape of men, from whom you must not only turn away, but even flee from them. .
. . It is fitting, therefore, that ye should keep aloof from such persons, and
neither in private nor in public to talk with them; but give heed to the law,
and the prophets [i.e., the scriptures], and to those who have preached to you
the word of salvation. (Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrneans, 4, and 7).
Characteristics of Early Heresies
One of damnable
characteristics of these early heresies was the justification promiscuous
behavior. Those who held to these various heresies believed that it was
matter-and not the breaking of God's commandments- that was considered evil.
Therefore, the violation of the commandments of God was of no moral
consequence. Hating or loving was also of no moral consequence.
"God Is Love"
1 John, 2 John, and 3
It
never ceases to amaze me how some members of the Church can justify committing
certain sins. During a class discussion, one of my students said that his
roommate justified watching R-rated movies because the current For the
Strength of the Youth pamphlet does not specifically say the youth are
forbidden to watch them-completely overlooking "the spirit of the
law" outlined within the pamphlet which would eliminate all R-rated movies
as well as many PG-13 and PG movies.
President Spencer W.
Kimball once said, "The Brethren constantly cry out against that which is
intolerable in the sight of the Lord: against pollution of mind, body, and our
surroundings; against vulgarity, stealing, lying, pride, and blasphemy; against
fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and all other abuses of the sacred power
to create; against murder and all that is like unto it; against all manner of
desecration. That such a cry should be necessary among a people so blessed is
amazing to me. And that such things should be found even among the Saints to
some degree is scarcely believable, for these are a people who are in
possession of many gifts of the Spirit, who have knowledge that puts the
eternities into perspective, who have been shown the way to eternal life."
(1)
Such a belief as
professed by my young student's roommate is considered a heresy. "In the
true gospel sense," Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "any opinion or
doctrine in opposition to the revealed word of the Lord as recorded in the
standard works of the Church and as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is an heresy." He continued, saying that "members
of the true Church are guilty of the crime of heresy to the extent that they
accept false views which do not accord with the revealed word." (2)
Some accept false views
because of their ignorance of the true doctrines of the
Most often, heresies are
often professed by Church members to justify sin. If not repented of, the
member may soon find him or herself outside the fellowship of the Lord's
kingdom. For if such heresies are allowed to prevail, they may affect others,
eventually leading whole groups into apostasy.
Such was the case with
many groups of saints in the Apostle John's day. John was the last surviving
member of the Quorum of the Twelve whom Jesus had called and set apart. As
such, he was the head of the Church. He lived to see the original Church driven
into the wilderness (see Rev. 12:1-6) or, in other words, destroyed through the
ravages of apostasy.
In response to many
groups of members of the Church who professed heretical doctrines, John wrote
three epistles. These letters were written within the last years before the
Church lost the priesthood keys and authority through unrighteousness. They
provide snapshots of a Church reeling with internal strife and division caused
by false teachers and prophets proclaiming false doctrines. The date for these
letters is somewhere about 97 to 100 A.D.
Both the scriptures and
early Christian writers are silent as to ministry and life of John between the
last mention of him by Luke in Acts 12 and the latter years of his mortal life.
However, the early Christian fathers inform us that John lived in
Heresies in John's Day
Several heresies emerged
in John's day that wreaked havoc on the early Christian church. It is important
to review some of these heresies in order understand John's epistles. Towards
the end of the second century A. D., an early Church father named Irenaeus
wrote a lengthy treatise entitled Against Heresies which discussed many
of these heresies. He began his work explaining that "certain men have set
the truth aside, and bring in lying words" which had drawn "away the
minds of inexperienced and take[n] them captive."
(5) It was his intent to expose the heresies believed and expounded
by these individuals.
Irenaeus spoke of many
forms of a heresy known as Gnosticism (from the Greek word gnosis
meaning knowledge). Christian Gnosticism had its beginning in the latter
half of the first century A.D. During this time Gnostic ideas were interlaced
with Christian doctrines. During the second century, Gnosticism evolved into
complex forms. At this time, Gnosticism was viewed by traditional Christians as
separate sects.
In general, Gnostics believed
that the spirit is entirely good while matter was entirely evil. Therefore,
they believed that the human body of man is evil in contrast to God-who they
taught was a spirit-is good. To Gnostics, salvation meant escape from the body
through a special kind of revealed knowledge (hence, the name Gnostics) rather
than faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Gnostics demeaned the
importance of Jesus Christ.
Others who depreciated
Jesus Christ were called Docetics (from the Greek word meaning to seem).
They believed that Christ was not mortal but only seemed to be in the world.
The non-physical reality of Jesus Christ was believed because of their belief,
like the Gnostics, of the evilness of the material world. The evilness of the
corporal nature and the righteousness of Jesus Christ they felt were
incompatible.
One of damnable
characteristics of these early heresies was the justification promiscuous
behavior. Those who held to these various heresies believed that it was
matter-and not the breaking of God's commandments-that was considered evil.
Therefore, the violation of the commandments of God was of no moral
consequence.
Once again, I say, it
never ceases to amaze me what some members of the Church will believe in order
to justify the committing of sin.
One such early Christian
who believed and taught views in line with Gnostic and Docetic heresies was a
man named Cerinthus. In fact, according to Irenaeus, it was against the
teachings and activities of this man that the Apostle John wrote his gospel.
(6) Indeed, some of his teachings also reflected in 1 John. Irenaeus
described Cerinthus as a "man who was educated in the wisdom of the
Egyptians" who taught that "the world was not made by the primary
God, but by a certain Power far separated from him, and at a distance from that
Principality who is supreme over the universe, and ignorant of him who is above
all." He further taught that Jesus and Christ were not the same being.
Jesus was not born of a virgin but was the son of Joseph and Mary in "the
ordinary course of human generation." When Jesus was baptized, the spirit
of Christ "descended upon him in the form of a dove from the Supreme
Ruler, and that then he proclaimed the unknown Father, and performed miracles.
But at last Christ departed from Jesus, and that then Jesus suffered and rose
again, while Christ remained impassible, inasmuch as he was a spiritual
being."
(7)
Irenaeus records a story
that shows the disgust the Apostle John had for Cerinthus. The story came from
Polycarp, the famous Bishop and martyr of
1 John
Though the occasion of 1
John was prompted by the heretical teachings of many apostate Christians, the
tenor of the letter is pastoral in nature. The letter is laced with a profound
love John felt for the members of the Church who were being harangued by the
false teachers of his day. John wanted to protect these saints so that they
might have happiness in a world full of misery and sorrow. Indeed, he declared
that the purpose for his writing was to ensure that the "joy" of the
members of the Church "may be full" (1 John 1:4). Sin destroys joy-as
1 John begins by the
Apostle John refuting the heretical view held by the Docetics and Cerinthus
regarding the non-physical existence of Christ. John bore testimony in these
words: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and
bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father,
and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you . . ." (1 John 1:1-3).
Then John addressed the
heresy that the sins of the flesh are of no moral consequence. "This then
is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is
light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with
him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and
his word is not in us" (1 John 1: 6-10).
Note in these teachings
that John also made it clear that salvation comes through the atonement of
Jesus Christ teaching that "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin."
John continued, "My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not" (1 John
2:1). Those who have bought into the lie that you can disregard the
commandments and teachings of God found in the scriptures and from living
prophets and still be happy will eventually learn by sad experience that you
reap what you sow.
Christ As the Advocate
John continued his
teaching that salvation comes through Christ. "And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world" (1 John 2:2-3). The Greek word translated
"advocate" is paraklatos. It literally means "one who is
called to someone's aid"; "one who appears in another's behalf, mediator,
intercessor, helper."
(9) The use of this word outside the New Testament gives the sense of
a "person called in to help, summoned to give assistance." The
meaning is a "helper in court." It is not necessarily a professional
legal advisor but "is to be understood in the light of legal assistance in
court, the pleading of another's case."
(10) This fits the meaning of John's use of the word in 1 John.
The role of Jesus as an
advocate is seen in the D&C 45:3-5: "Listen to him who is the advocate
with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him-saying: Father, behold
the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased;
behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest
that thyself might be glorified; wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren
that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting
life." As an advocate, Christ offers His sinless, infinite life for the
life of those who believe on Him. As Lehi explained: "Behold, he offereth
himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who
have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of
the law be answered" (2 Nephi 2:7).
Keep His Commandments
The salvation that comes
from the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is made effective by our obedience
to God's commandments. Unlike the Gnostics who claimed that salvation is gained
through the acquisition of some hidden, esoteric knowledge, John testified that
salvation comes through Christ and knowledge of Him. He further taught that
knowing Christ comes through obedience to His commandments (1 John 2:3). John
continued: "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God
perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him
ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 John 2:5-6). King
Benjamin taught the same principle in these words: "For how knoweth a man
the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far
from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Mosiah 5:13)
Those who have received
the salvitory power of Jesus Christ have been spiritually born again. With a
newness of life comes a change of actions. The spiritual man rules the natural
man. John explains that the actions of such a person would reflect love and not
hate. "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in
darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and
there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is
in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because
that darkness hath blinded his eyes" (1 John 2:9-11).
Love Not the Things of
the World
At this point in his
epistle, John divides his readers into three groups: children, Fathers, and
young men (1 John 2:13-14). Elsewhere in the epistle, he addresses the readers
as simply children. The meaning of this division is not clear. But his
admonition to these three groups is imperative: "Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love
of the Father in not in him" (1 John 2:15).
John's point here is at
the heart of his writings. The first great commandment is: "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind" (Matthew 22:27). When the things of the world become more
important to us than God, then we have displaced God, violated the first
commandment, and are guilty of worshiping other gods. President Spencer W.
Kimball once stated: "Whatever thing a man sets his heart and his trust in
most is his god; and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true and living
God of Israel, that man is laboring in idolatry."
(11)
On another occasion, he
gave many examples of modern idol worship: "Idolatry is among the most serious
of sins. There are unfortunately millions today who prostrate themselves before
the images of gold and silver and wood and stone and clay. But the idolatry we
are most concerned with here is the conscious worshiping of still other gods.
Some are of metal and plush and chrome, of wood and stone and fabrics. They are
not in the image of God or of man, but are developed to give man comfort and
enjoyment, to satisfy his wants, ambitions, passions, and desires. Some are in
no physical form at all, but are intangible.
"Many seem to
"worship" on an elemental basis they live to eat and drink. They are
like the children of Israel who, though offered the great freedoms associated
with national development under God's personal guidance, could not lift their minds
above the "flesh pots of Egypt." They cannot seem to rise above
satisfying their bodily appetites. As Paul put it, their "God is their
belly." (Phil. 3:19.)
"Modern idols or
false gods can take such forms as clothes, homes, businesses, machines,
automobiles, pleasure boats, and numerous other material deflectors from the
path to godhood. What difference does it make that the item concerned is not
shaped like an idol? Brigham Young said: "I would as soon see a man
worshipping a little god made of brass or of wood as to see him worshipping his
property.
"Intangible things
make just as ready gods. Degrees and letters and titles can become idols. Many
young men decide to attend college when they should be on missions first. The
degree, and the wealth and the security which come through it, appear so
desirable that the mission takes second place. Some neglect Church service
through their college years, feeling to give preference to the secular training
and ignoring the spiritual covenants they have made.
"Many people build
and furnish a home and buy the automobile first--and then find they
"cannot afford" to pay tithing. Whom do they worship? Certainly not
the Lord of heaven and earth, for we serve whom we love and give first
consideration to the object of our affection and desires. Young married couples
who postpone parenthood until their degrees are attained might be shocked if
their expressed preference were labeled idolatry. Their rationalization gives
them degrees at the expense of children. Is it a justifiable exchange? Whom do
they love and worship--themselves or God? Other couples, recognizing that life
is not intended primarily for comforts, ease, and luxuries, complete their
educations while they move forward with full lives, having their children and giving
Church and community service.
"Many worship the
hunt, the fishing trip, the vacation, the weekend picnics and outings. Others
have as their idols the games of sport, baseball, football, the bullfight, or
golf. These pursuits more often than not interfere with the worship of the Lord
and with giving service to the building up of the kingdom of God. To the
participants this emphasis may not seem serious, yet it indicates where their
allegiance and loyalty are.
"Still another image
men worship is that of power and prestige. Many will trample underfoot the
spiritual and often the ethical values in their climb to success. These gods of
power, wealth, and influence are most demanding and are quite as real as the
golden calves of the children of Israel in the wilderness."
(12)
The Antichrists
It was the heresies
expounded by many false teachers within the Church that promoted the love of
the things of the world. John called these teachers antichrists. "Little
children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,
even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last
time." John states that though they were one time members of the Church,
they really were not truly converted to the doctrines of the kingdom (1 John
2:18-19).
As we have noted earlier,
one of the heresies propounded by the antichrists is that Jesus Christ did not
come in the flesh. John taught: "And every spirit that confesseth not that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is
it in the world" (1 Jon 4:3). Therefore, John warned the saints of his day
not to believe "every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:
because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
This is important advice
in our day as well. President Harold B. Lee once stated in General Conference,
"It never ceases to amaze me how gullible some of our Church members are
in broadcasting sensational stories or dreams, or visions, or purported
patriarchal blessings, or quotations, or supposedly from some person's private
diary."
(13) Perhaps one of the reasons members of the Church are so gullible
is because a part of the conversion process is the acquisition of a believing
heart. But caution must be used in everything we hear and read.
How can we discern truth
from error? John reminded the saints that they had the gift of the Holy Ghost
that would help them discern truth from error: "But ye have an unction
[i.e., anointing] from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1 John
2:20). The Old Testament equates the giving of the Holy Ghost with an anointing
with oil. For example, "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him
in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from
that day forward" (1 Samuel 16:13).
One of the most important
gifts of the Spirit associated with the Holy Ghost is the gift of discernment.
President George Q. Cannon was said: "One of the gifts of the Gospel which
the Lord has promised to those who enter into covenant with Him is the gift of
discerning of spirits--a gift which is not much thought of by many and probably
seldom prayed for; yet it is a gift that is of exceeding value and one that
should be enjoyed by every Latter-day Saint…. No Latter-day Saint should be
without this gift, because there is such a variety of spirits in the world
which seek to deceive and lead astray."
(14) Of this, President Stephen L. Richards taught, "I believe
that this gift when highly developed arises largely out of an acute sensitivity
to impressions-spiritual impressions, if you will-to read under the surface as
it were, to detect hidden evil, and more importantly to find the good that may
be concealed. . . . The gift and power of discernment in this world of
contention between the forces of good and the power of evil is essential
equipment for every son and daughter of God."
(15)
Sons of God Shall Become
Like Christ
Though time and space
will not allow a complete treatise of all John taught in this letter, two
doctrines he touched on must be referred to.
John taught that the
divine potential of man is a reality. "Beloved, now are we the sons of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John
3:2). This, as President Gordon B. Hinckley expressed, is the purpose of the
gospel: "The whole design of the gospel is to lead us, onward and upward
to greater achievement, even, eventually, to godhood. This great possibility
was enunciated by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the King Follet sermon (see Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 342-62) and emphasized by President
Lorenzo Snow. It is a grand and incomparable concept: As God now is, man may
become! (See The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, comp. Clyde J. Williams,
Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1984, p. 1).
(16)
Important in achieving
this goal, John taught that "every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). Such a person would
avoid sin as a plague. "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that
doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth
sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose
the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the
devil" (1 John 3:7-8).
The first step towards
our achieving our divine potential is spiritual rebirth. This comes through
faith, repentance, baptism and reception of the Holy Ghost. One who is born
again, John wrote, "doth not commit sin." He continues, for God's
"seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God"
(1 John 3:9). One who is born again become the children of Christ, and he is
our father. King Benjamin taught: "because of the covenant which ye have
made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters;
for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your
hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and
have become his sons and his daughters" (Mosiah 5:7). As the children of
Christ, his seed being in us, we have "no more disposition to do
evil" (Mosiah 5:2).
John taught that those
who are spiritually born again has overcome the world (1 John 5:4). To overcome
the world is not to give in to the desires of the natural man but rather live
the higher laws of God. Instead of loving self, one who is born again focuses
his love on others. Spiritual rebirth puts the first commandment first. Once that
has occurred, then love others becomes our nature rather than loving ourselves
and the pleasures of the world. John wrote: "By this we know that we love
the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments" (1 John
5:2).
Through the process of
spiritual rebirth, we begin walking a path that helps us to develop the pure
love of God within ourselves. Love is a verb and not necessarily a state of
being. We are to love and not fall into love. John stated that we should
"not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1
John 3:18). Consequently, John wrote: "This is his commandment, That we
should believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and love one another" (1 John
3:23).
God is Love
To be born again means to
be born of God. To be born of God means that we have overcome the world and are
becoming like God. As already noted, the fruit of spiritual rebirth is love of
others. John wrote, He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love"
(1 John 4:8).
God's love was first
manifest to mankind by sending his son, Jesus Christ, to save man from his
fallen condition. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us,
because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:8-9).
The scriptures qualify
God's love as perfect and pure. Because of his perfect love, God has
established a way to save mankind from the grasps of sin and death. Those who
reach out and accept the saving grace extended to mankind, will automatically
return that love to God. "We love him," John exclaimed, "because
he first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
This last statement aptly
describes the love of God. His perfect, pure love has extended to all mankind
the grace of salvation. But if that love is refused, so is the grace of God.
This condition is taught throughout the scriptures. During the last several
decades, a heresy regarding God's love has surfaced. The heresy states that
God's love is unconditional. The heresy first started with humanist
psychologists who invented the term. Unconditional love, they taught, is the
love parents ought to have for their children. Eventually, the term was adopted
into Christian dialogue to describe God's love. However, the term is never
found in the scriptures. Rather, it is a classic example of mingling the
philosophies of men with scripture.
This has been true even
within the dialogue of the Church. However, in an attempt to eradicate this
heresy through the teaching of correct doctrine, Elder Russell M. Nelson wrote
an article that was published in the Ensign. Said he: "While divine
love can be called perfect, infinite, enduring, and universal, it cannot
correctly be characterized as unconditional. The word does not appear in
the scriptures. On the other hand, many verses affirm that the higher levels of
love the Father and the Son feel for each of us-and certaindivine blessings
stemming from that love--are conditional."
Elder Nelson taught that
understanding the true nature of God's love will gaurd against common fallacies
that could lead to untoward behavior. Said he: "Understanding that divine
love and blessings are not truly "unconditional" can defend us
against common fallacies such as these: "Since God's love is
unconditional, He will love me regardless …"; or "Since 'God is
love,' He will love me unconditionally, regardless …" Elder Nelson
continued, "These arguments are used by anti-Christs to woo people with
deception. Nehor, for example, promoted himself by teaching falsehoods: He
"testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last
day, … for the Lord had created all men, … and, in the end, all men should
have eternal life" (Alma 1:4). Sadly, some of the people believed
Nehor's fallacious and unconditional concepts."
(17)
2 and 3 John
Unfortunately, John was
unable to check the growth of heresies within the Church. Those who held to
heretical views were active in the promotion of their damnable doctrines. Like
the apostles and missionaries who took the gospel from place to place, these
false teachers also traveled from village to village and city to city, even
Christian congregation to Christian congregation, promoting their teachings.
2 John was written to
exhort the members of the Church to use great discernment in the choice of
their teachers. John wrote: "many deceivers are entered into the world,
who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and
an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have
wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the
doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." He then said,
"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not
into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed
is partaker of his evil deeds" (2 John 1:7-11).
In John's last letter, we
have our last snapshot of the photo album that is the New Testament. Like any
photo album, it gives us a view of things but not the whole story. Likewise, 3
John gives us a view of the apostasy tearing the Church apart.
The view is not a pretty
one. As part of this brief letter, John spoke of a Church leader name
Diotrephes: " I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have
the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will
remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and
not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and
forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church" (3 John
1:9). What a chilling picture. Diotrephes not only refused to accept John as
the head of the Church but spoke out against him and excommunicated those of
his congregation who sustained John as head of the Christian church.
What a sad state of
affairs. With such attitudes as this, to whom could John give priesthood
authority and keys. "With their rejection of John, they severed the final
legitimate link of doctrinal and priesthood authority between Christ and the
church that bore his name."
(18) Without such authority, the Church would cease to exist. Shortly
thereafter, the Church did cease to exist as the only true and living Church!
Notes
1. Spencer W. Kimball,
"The False Gods We Worship," Ensign, June 1976, p. 4; emphasis
added.
2. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon
Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), p.352.
3. See Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, Book 3. Chapter 1. Paragraph 1 (hereafter stated only by
numbers).
4. See Richard Lloyd
Anderson, "The First Presidency of the Early Church: Their Lives and
Epistles," Ensign, Aug. 1988, pp. 20-21.
5. Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, 1. Preface. 1.
6. Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, 3. 11. 1.
7. Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, 1. 26.1
8. Irenaeus, Against
Heresies, 3. 3. 4.
9. William F. Arndt and
F. Wilbur Gingrich (Ed.s), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature 3rd Edition (Revised and edited
by Frederick William Danker,
10. Gerhard Kittle,
Gerhard Friedrich (Ed.s), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament,
1o Vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans , 1967), 5:801.
11. Kimball, "The
False Gods We Worship," Ensign (June 1976), p. 3.
12. Spencer W. Kimball, The
Miracle of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969), pp.41-42.
13. Harold B. Lee,
Conference Report, April 1970, pp. 54-57
14. George Q. Cannon, Gospel
Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, First Counselor
to Presidents John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow (1880-1901)
[Compiled by Jerreld L. Newquist. Volume 1.
15. Stephen L. Richards,
Conference Report, April 1950, pp. 162-163
16. Gordon B.
17. Russell M. Nelson,
"Divine Love," Ensign, Feb. 2003, pp. 20-25.
18. Kent P. Jackson,
"Early Signs of the Apostasy," Ensign, Dec. 1984, p. 15.
2 Thes
2:1-3, Matthew 13:24-30, and D&C 86 – the last parables were about the last
days and apostasy.
Origen –
The original church died and went to heaven.
Christianity
was different from the organization of Christ yet it was the means of teaching
about Christ and his life to those who had never heard of Him, they laid the
groundwork for 1820!
The world
before Christ was rough! No wonder the Apostles were martyred when they went
throughout their world, paganism was the order of the day.
The Law of
Moses was a stepping-stone from the riotous agricultural feasts of their
time. Put the feasts into a temple
setting. Use symbols that the people
were familiar.
(Joseph Smith-History:19.)
19
I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the
Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in
his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near
to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for
doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny
the power thereof."
(Doctrine and Covenants
10:48-55.)
48 Yea, and this was their
faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their
days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become
Lamanites because of their dissensions.
49 Now, this is not
all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known
also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land;
50 And thus they did leave
a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in
this gospel in this land might have eternal life;
51 Yea, that it might be
free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be.
52 And now, behold,
according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel
to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which
they have received, but to build it up.
53 And for this cause have
I said: If this generation harden not their hearts, I will establish my church
among them.
54 Now I do not say this
to destroy my church, but I say this to build up my church;
55 Therefore, whosoever
belongeth to my church need not fear, for such shall inherit the kingdom of
heaven.
We
discussed the Masonic ceremony versus the Endowment; those who were involved in
both did not accuse Joseph of copying.
The accusation came later.
See Elder
Eyring’s talk “Faith and Keys” and Elder Morrison’s book “Turning from Truth”
Faith
and Keys
Elder Henry B. Eyring
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Oct. 2004, pp. 26-29
In a chapel far from
Missionaries will invite
investigators to meet a bishop or branch president today with the same intent.
They hope that the investigators will feel far more than that they have met a
nice man or even a great man. They will be praying that the investigators will
feel a conviction that this apparently ordinary man holds priesthood keys in
the Lord's Church. The investigators will need that conviction when they go
into the waters of baptism. They will need it when they pay tithing. They will
need that conviction when the bishop is inspired to give them a calling. They
will need it when they see him presiding in the sacrament meeting and when he
nourishes them by teaching the gospel.
And so missionaries and
fathers, and all of us who serve others in the true Church, want to help those
we love gain a lasting testimony that the keys of the priesthood are held by
the Lord's servants in His Church. I speak today to encourage all who labor to
instill and strengthen that testimony.
It will help to recognize
some things. First, God is persistent and generous in offering the blessings of
priesthood power to His children. Second, His children must choose for
themselves to qualify for and receive those blessings. And third, Satan, the
enemy of righteousness, has from the beginning tried to undermine the faith
necessary to receive the blessings made possible by priesthood power.
I learned about those
realities from a wise teacher nearly 25 years ago. I spoke in an ancient
theater in
The audience was hundreds
of Latter-day Saints. They were arranged on the rows of stone benches the
Ephesians sat upon more than a millennium before. Among them were two living
Apostles, Elder Mark E. Petersen and Elder James E. Faust.
As you can imagine, I had
prepared carefully. I had read the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, both
those of Paul and his fellow Apostles. I had read and pondered Paul's Epistle
to the Ephesians.
I tried my best to honor Paul and his office. After the
talk, a number of people said kind things. Both of the living Apostles were
generous in their comments. But later, Elder Faust took me aside and, with a
smile and with softness in his voice, said, "That was a good talk. But you
left out the most important thing you could have said."
I asked him what that was. Weeks later he consented to tell
me. His answer has been teaching me ever since.
He said that I could have told the people that if the Saints
who heard Paul had possessed a testimony of the value and the power of the keys
he held, perhaps the Apostles would not have had to be taken from the earth.
That sent me back to
Paul's letter to the Ephesians. I could see that Paul wanted the people to feel
the value of the chain of priesthood keys reaching from the Lord through His
Apostles to them, the members of the Lord's Church. Paul was trying to build a
testimony of those keys.
Paul testified to the
Ephesians that Christ was at the head of His Church. And he taught that the Savior
built His Church on a foundation of apostles and prophets who hold all the keys
of the priesthood.
Despite the clarity and
the power of his teaching and his example, Paul knew that an apostasy would
come. He knew that apostles and prophets would be taken from the earth. And he
knew that they would, in some great, future day, be restored. He wrote of that
time to the Ephesians, speaking of what the Lord would do: "That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him"
(Eph. 1:10).
Paul looked forward to
the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith, when the heavens would be opened
again. It happened. John the Baptist came and conferred on mortals the
priesthood of Aaron and the keys of the ministering of angels and of baptism by
immersion for the remission of sins.
Ancient apostles and
prophets returned and conferred upon Joseph the keys they held in mortality.
Mortal men were ordained to the holy apostleship in February of 1835.
Priesthood keys were given to the Twelve Apostles in the latter part of March
1844.
The Prophet Joseph Smith
knew that his death was imminent. He knew that the precious priesthood keys and
the apostleship must not be and would not be lost again.
One of the Apostles,
Wilford Woodruff, left us this account of what happened in Nauvoo as the
Prophet spoke to the Twelve:
"On that occasion
the Prophet Joseph rose up and said to us: 'Brethren, I have desired to live to
see this temple built. I shall never live to see it, but you will. I have
sealed upon your heads all the keys of the
Every prophet that
followed Joseph, from Brigham Young to President Hinckley, has held and
exercised those keys and has held the sacred apostleship.
But just as in the time
of Paul, the power of those priesthood keys for us requires our faith. We have
to know by inspiration that the priesthood keys are held by those who lead and
serve us. That requires the witness of the Spirit.
And that depends upon our
testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that He lives and leads His Church. We
must also know for ourselves that the Lord restored His Church and the
priesthood keys through the Prophet Joseph Smith. And we must have an assurance
through the Holy Ghost, refreshed often, that those keys have been passed
without interruption to the living prophet and that the Lord blesses and
directs His people through the line of priesthood keys which reaches down
through presidents of stakes and of districts and through bishops and branch
presidents to us, wherever we are and no matter how far from the prophet and
the apostles.
That is not easy today.
It was not easy in the days of Paul. It has always been hard to recognize in
fallible human beings the authorized servants of God. Paul must have seemed an
ordinary man to many. Joseph Smith's cheerful disposition was seen by some as
not fitting their expectations for a prophet of God.
Satan will always work on
the Saints of God to undermine their faith in priesthood keys. One way he does
it is to point out the humanity of those who hold them. He can in that way
weaken our testimony and so cut us loose from the line of keys by which the
Lord ties us to Him and can take us and our families home to Him and to our
Heavenly Father.
Satan succeeded in
undermining the testimony of men who had, with Joseph Smith, seen the heavens
opened and heard the voices of angels. The evidence of their physical eyes and
ears was not enough when they no longer could feel the testimony that the
priesthood keys were still in place with Joseph.
The warning for us is
plain. If we look for human frailty in humans, we will always find it. When we
focus on finding the frailties of those who hold priesthood keys, we run risks
for ourselves. When we speak or write to others of such frailties, we put them
at risk.
We live in a world where
finding fault in others seems to be the favorite blood sport. It has long been
the basis of political campaign strategy. It is the theme of much television
programming across the world. It sells newspapers. Whenever we meet anyone, our
first, almost unconscious reaction may be to look for imperfections.
To keep ourselves
grounded in the Lord's Church, we can and must train our eyes to recognize the
power of the Lord in the service of those He has called. We must be worthy of
the companionship of the Holy Ghost. And we need to pray for the Holy Ghost to
help us know that men who lead us hold this power. For me, such prayers are
most often answered when I am fully engaged in the Lord's service myself.
It happened in the
aftermath of a disaster. A dam in
I was there as the people
faced the terrible task of recovery. I saw the stake president gather his
bishops to lead the people. We were cut off in those first days from any
supervision from outside. I was in the meeting of local leaders when a director
from the federal disaster agency arrived.
He tried to take over the
meeting. With great force he began to list the things that he said needed to be
done. As he read aloud each item, the stake president, who was sitting near
him, said quietly, "We've already done that." After that went on for
five or ten minutes, the federal official grew silent and sat down. He listened
quietly as the stake president took reports from the bishops and gave
directions.
For the meeting the next
day, the federal disaster official arrived early. He sat toward the back. The
stake president began the meeting. He took more reports, and he gave
instructions. After a few minutes, the federal official, who had come with all
the authority and resources of his great agency, said, "President Ricks,
what would you like us to do?"
He recognized power. I
saw more. I recognized the evidence of keys and the faith that unlocks their
power.
It happened again when a
man and his wife arrived back in town just after the dam had broken. They
didn't go to their home. They went first to find their bishop. He was covered
in mud, leading his members in mucking out homes. They asked what he would have
them do.
They went to work. Much
later, they took a few minutes to check on their own house. It was gone. So
they went back to work wherever their bishop asked them to help. They knew
where to go to get the Lord's direction for service in His Church.
I learned then as I have
since how the stakes of Zion become places of safety. They become like a great
family, united, caring for each other. It comes by simple faith.
By faith they are
baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. As they continue to keep the commandments,
that gift becomes constant. They can recognize spiritual things. It becomes
easier to see the power of God working through the common people God calls to
serve and lead them. Hearts are softened. Strangers become fellow citizens in
the Lord's kingdom, united in loving bonds.
That happy condition will
not last without a constant renewal of faith. The bishop we love will be
released, as will the stake president. The Apostles we followed in faith will
be taken home to the God who called them.
With those continual
changes comes a great opportunity. We can act to qualify for the revelation
that allows us to know that the keys are being passed by God from one person to
another. We can seek to have that experience again and again. And we must, in
order to receive the blessings God has for us and wants us to offer to others.
The answer to your prayer
is not likely to be as dramatic as it was when some saw Brigham Young, as he
spoke, take on the appearance of the martyred Prophet Joseph. But it can be as
sure. And with that spiritual assurance will come peace and power. You will
know again that this is the Lord's true and living Church, that He leads it
through His ordained servants, and that He cares about us.
If enough of us exercise
that faith and receive those assurances, God will lift up those who lead us and
so bless our lives and our families. We will become what Paul so wanted for
those he served: "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." (Eph. 2:20)
I testify, I know that
Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He lives. I know that He is the rock upon
which this, His true Church, stands. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
If there
was a complete apostasy, Christianity would be gone and paganism would have
won. We owe a great deal to Islam for
spreading a belief in God and stamping out paganism.
We are here
with the fullness of the gospel, we build up others, we do not tear down other
faiths, and we are not “anti” other religions.
Chapter 41 – Elder Talmage gave a
great summation of the Restoration
Seperation
of the wheat from the tares, the gathering of
3 times the
Lord appears to give scripture – 1st Vision, D&C 76, D&C 110
The Head of
the Church comes to show Section 76 to Joseph and Sidney.
Those who
are saved are in the 3 degrees of glory, those who are lost are cast to outer
darkness.
76:71-80 –
terrestrial>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>76:98-101
– telestial, using priestcraft, using Christianity for the wrong reasons
Terrestrial
The terrestrial is the middle of the
three degrees of glory.
Selected Quotations
"But how about these
terrestrials, can they come up into the celestial? No, their intelligence and
knowledge have not prepared and adapted them to dwell with those who reign in
celestial glory, consequently they cannot even be angels in that glory. They
have not obeyed the law that pertains to that glory, and hence they couldn't
abide it. But will there be blessings administered to them by those who dwell
in celestial glory? Yes, angels will be sent forth from the celestial world to
minister to those who inherit the glory of the moon, bearing messages of joy
and peace and of all that which is calculated to exalt, to redeem and ennoble
those who have been resurrected into a terrestrial glory. They can receive the
Spirit of the Lord there and the ministration of angels there. [Sec. 76:87.] .
. . Those in the terrestrial world have the privilege of beholding Jesus
sometimes—they can receive the presence of the Son, but not the fulness of the
Father." (Orson Pratt, JD 15:322-23.)
"Many noble and great bodies
will possess this kingdom, receiving to an extent the glory of God as
administered by the Son, but not of a fulness. These, for the most part, will
be men who, during earth-life existence, sought the excellence of men; and some
who gave of their time, talents and endeavor to the ways of man-made ideals of
culture, science, and education, but thought not to include God and his ways in
their search for a complete life. They received more of the Spirit of the world
and of the wisdom which men teacheth, and, yet, are just men, however,
neglecting that spirit which is of God." (Alvin R. Dyer, Who Am I?,
pp. 552-53.)
"Members of the Church who have
testimonies and who live clean and upright lives, but who are not courageous
and valiant, do not gain the celestial kingdom. Theirs is a terrestrial
inheritance. Of them the revelation says, 'These are they who are not valiant
in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the
kingdom of our God.' (D&C 76:79.) . . . Now what does it mean to be valiant
in the testimony of Jesus? It is to be courageous and bold; to use all our
strength, energy, and ability in the warfare with the world: to fight the good
fight of faith. . . . The great cornerstone of valiance in the cause of
righteousness is obedience to the whole law of the whole gospel.
"To be valiant in the testimony
of Jesus is to 'come unto Christ, and be perfected in him'; it is to deny
ourselves 'of all ungodliness,' and 'love God' with all our 'might, mind and
strength.' (Moro. 10:32.) To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to believe
in Christ and his gospel with unshakable conviction. It is to know of the
verity and divinity of the Lord's work on earth.
"But this is not all. It is more
than believing and knowing. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only.
. . . To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to 'press forward with a
steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God
and of all men.' It is to 'endure to the end.' (2 Nephi 31:20.) It is to live
our religion, to practice what we preach, to keep the commandments. It is the
manifestation of 'pure religion' in the lives of men; it is visiting 'the
fatherless and widows in their affliction' and keeping ourselves 'unspotted
from the world.' (James 1:27.)
"To be valiant in the testimony
of Jesus is to bridle our passions, control our appetites, and rise above
carnal and evil things. It is to overcome the world as did he who is our
prototype and who himself was the most valiant of all our Father's children. It
is to be morally clean, to pay our tithes and offerings, to honor the Sabbath
day, to pray with full purpose of heart, to lay our all upon the altar if
called upon to do so.
"To be valiant in the testimony
of Jesus is to take the Lord's side on every issue. It is to vote as he would
vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what
he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the
mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father." (Bruce
R. McConkie, Ensign, November 1974, pp. 33-35.)
Scriptural References:
D&C 76:71D&C 76:71-97;
88:21-23, 30; 1 Cor. 15:40.
(Daniel H.
Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the New Testament: The Four Gospels
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982],.)
Eternal Glory
As a part of the restoration of the
gospel for the last days, the Lord made known to the Prophet Joseph Smith what
the ultimate destinies of God's children will be. Only a few revelations deal
with that topic, yet those revelations open the heavens for us and shed light
and knowledge not found anywhere else in scripture.
On 16 February 1832, Joseph Smith and
his scribe, Sidney Rigdon, were engaged in the work of the translation of the
Bible at the John Johnson home in
Joseph Smith came to realize, before
the vision was received, "that if God rewarded every one according to the
deeds done in the body, the term 'heaven,' as intended for the Saints[']
eternal home, must include more kingdoms than one." fn Among the great
contributions of this revelation is that it makes known that "heaven"
consists of three separate degrees of glory, to be awarded according to
faithfulness.
The celestial kingdom (D&C
76:50-70, 92-96) will be the inheritance of those "who shall come forth in
the resurrection of the just" fn (D&C 76:50). Its inhabitants will be
those who receive "the testimony of Jesus," exercise faith, are
baptized, overcome by faith, and are "sealed by the Holy Spirit of
promise" (D&C 76:51-53). The Prophet learned later that the highest
degree in the celestial kingdom will be for those who are sealed in "the
new and everlasting covenant" of marriage (D&C 131:1-4; 132:15-21).
The Father will give "all
things" into their hands; they will receive "of his fulness, and of
his glory" (D&C 76:55-56). They will be "gods, even the sons of
God—wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present,
or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's, and Christ is
God's" (D&C 76:58-59). They will live in the presence of the Father
and the Son "forever and ever" (D&C 76:62). "These are they
whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of
God, the highest of all" (D&C 76:70).
No one, except Jesus Christ, goes
through life without sin. Thus no one can claim such a glorious reward on
individual merits (D&C 76:61), and no one need suppose that one must be
perfect in this life to return to the presence of God. Those who inherit the celestial
kingdom will be "just" men and women who will be "made
perfect through Jesus, . . . who wrought out this perfect atonement through the
shedding of his own blood" (D&C 76:69; emphasis added).
Joseph Smith was taught that "he
who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a
celestial glory" (D&C 88:22). The second degree of glory, the
terrestrial kingdom (D&C 76:71-80, 91, 97), will be inherited by those who
do not accept God's law, fn who do not accept fn "the testimony of Jesus"
in this life but do so "afterwards," who are the "honorable men
of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men" or who are
"not valiant in the testimony of Jesus" (D&C 76:72-75, 79).
The inhabitants of the terrestrial
glory are thus honorable persons who have the gospel but do not live it, or
honorable persons who are not willing to accept the gospel before their final
judgment. This glory, it seems, is the "heaven" to which so many good
people all over the world look forward, and they will not be disappointed.
Though they will not receive "of the fulness of the Father," they
will receive "of the presence of the Son" and "of his
glory" (D&C 76:76-77).
"He who cannot abide the law of
a terrestrial kingdom can-not abide a terrestrial glory" (D&C 88:23).
The telestial king-dom (D&C 76:81-90, D&C 76:9898-112), the least of
the three degrees of glory, will be the inheritance of those who reject the
gospel, the testimony of Jesus, the prophets, and the covenants (D&C 76:82,
101). This realm is reserved for those who are often identified in scripture as
"the wicked" (e.g.,
The great vision to Joseph Smith and
Sidney Rigdon reveals that even those persons will be redeemed. Having rejected
in life the benefits of the Atonement, they will suffer for their own sins
until Christ's work is completed (D&C 76:106). Their suffering will bring
both cleansing and, ultimately, a change of heart, for they "all shall bow
the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne
forever and ever" (D&C 76:110). Their final circumstances will be as
varied as their behavior in life: "Every man shall receive according to
his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions that are prepared"
(D&C 76:111). In the eternal world they will enjoy the presence of neither
the Father nor the Son, but "of the Holy Spirit," and "of the
administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them" (D&C
76:86, 88). "And they shall be servants of the Most High; but where God
and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end" (D&C 76:112).
"He who cannot abide the law of
a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet
for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a
kingdom of glory" (D&C 88:24). The kingdom of no glory (D&C
76:30-38, 44-49) is reserved for those who are called "sons of
perdition" (D&C 76:32). This outer darkness is for those who know and
have partaken of God's power and yet allow themselves to be overcome, who deny
the truth, defy God's power, deny the Holy Spirit "after having received
it," deny Christ, "having crucified him unto themselves and put him
to an open shame," and "deny the Son after the Father has revealed
him" (D&C 76:31, 35, 43). For these there is "no forgiveness in
this world nor in the world to come" (D&C 76:34).
The vision reveals that aside from
those very few who will go to the kingdom of no glory, Christ's awesome atoning
power will redeem all of humankind. "For all the rest shall be brought
forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the
Lamb." Indeed, as the Prophet and his scribe testified, "This is the
gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto
us—that he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and
to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it
from all unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved whom the Father
had put into his power and made by him" (D&C 76:39-42).
Even the least of the degrees of
glory, the telestial kingdom, "surpasses all [mortal] understanding"
(D&C 76:89). Yet it pales in comparison with the terrestrial, as the
brightness of a star pales next to that of the moon (D&C 76:81). And as the
brightness of the moon pales in comparison with that of the sun, so also is the
terrestrial glory eclipsed by the glory of the celestial kingdom, whose
inhabitants will receive "the fulness of the Father" (D&C 76:71).
How glorious is God's eternal work,
and how privileged we are to live in a day when the knowledge of it has been revealed.
The understanding of our future possibilities—prepared through the atonement of
Christ and based on our willingness to obey him—is one of the great gifts of
the Restoration.
(Kent P.
Jackson, From Apostasy to Restoration [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1996], 189.)
Jesus the Christ to Return
Chapter 42 (Last Lesson)
December 14, 2005
Elder McConkie clarified misconceptions of earlier times
concerning the doctrine of the Gathering of Israel. The gathering will be in the LANDS of their inheritance.
President Hinckley – Lift our eyes up and get ready for the
Millenium.
The Gathering of
Israel Accomplished in Phases
Bruce R. McConkie:
The gathering of Israel and establishment of Zion in the latter days is divided
into three periods or phases. The first phase is past; we are now living in the
second phase; and the third lies ahead. Prophecies speak of them all. If we do
not rightly divide the word of God, as Paul's expression is, we will face
confusion and uncertainty. If on the other hand we correctly envision our
proper role and know what should be done today, we shall then be able to use
our time, talents, and means to the best advantage in building up the kingdom
and preparing a people for the second coming of the Son of Man.
The three phases of this great latter-day work are as
follows:
Phase
I - From the First Vision, the setting up of the kingdom on April 6,
1830, and the coming of Moses on April 3, 1836, to the secure establishment of
the Church in the United States and Canada, a period of about 125 years.
Phase II - From the creation of stakes of Zion
in overseas areas, beginning in the 1950's, to the second coming of the Son of
Man, a period of unknown duration.
Phase III - From the Lord's second coming until
the kingdom is perfected and the knowledge of God covers the earth as the
waters cover the sea, and from then until the end of the Millennium, a period
of 1,000 years. ("Come: Let Israel Build Zion," Ensign, May
1977, pp. 115-118)
Bruce R. McConkie:
Prophecies about the gathering of Israel by the same prophet
might seem to be repetitive. In part they are, for repetition is sound
pedagogy, but they also tell of gatherings that will occur by stages and in
different locations. Israel was not scattered at one time; indeed, the main
phases of the scattering went forward for a thousand years. And Israel will not
be gathered all at one time. The gathering commenced with the organization of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830; it was formalized and
took on a divine impetus with the restoration of the keys by Moses in 1836; and
it has grown in scope and intensity ever since. Once it was centered in
Kirtland, Ohio, then in Missouri, and then in Illinois. For nearly a hundred
years the new converts flowed to the tops of the Rocky Mountains, and now they
are counseled to remain in the stakes of Zion in the nations of their
inheritance. It will thus continue on a worldwide basis until the Second Coming
and then go on into the Millennium for as long as is necessary to perfect the
work and convert the world. We see no reason why this Millennial phase should
take longer than a single generation. (A New Witness for the Articles of
Faith, pp. 545-546)
We are presently living
in the second phase of the gathering of Israel. Concerning this phase the
following has been said:
Bruce R. McConkie:
Stakes of Zion are also being organized at the ends of the
earth. In this connection, let us ponder these truths: A stake of Zion is part
of Zion. You cannot create a staek of Zion without creating a part of Zion.
Zion is the pure in heart; we gain purity of heart by baptism and by obedience.
A stake has geographical bounderies. To create a stake is like founding a City
of Holiness. Every stake on earth is the gathering place for the lost sheep of
Israel who live in its area.
The gathering place for Peruvians is in the stakes of Zion
in Peru, or in the places which soon will become stakes. The gathering place
for Chileans is in Chile; for Bolivians it is in Bolivia; for Koreans it is in
Korea; and so it goes through all the length and breadth of the earth.
Scattered Israel in every nation is called to gather to the fold of Christ, to
the stakes of Zion, as such are established in their nations. ("Come: Let
Israel Build Zion," Ensign, May 1977, pp. 115-118)
President Harold B. Lee:
"For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness, her borders must be
enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened, yea, verily I say unto you, Zion
must arise and put on her beautiful garments." (D&C 82:14.)
Zion, as used here, undoubtedly had reference to the Church.
At that time there was but a small body of Church members just beginning to
emerge as an organization, after having experienced harsh treatment from enemies
outside the Church, who had then been directed to gather together in Jackson
County, Missouri, which the Lord had designated as the "land of
Zion." .
The borders of Zion, where the righteous and pure in heart may dwell, must now
begin to be enlarged. The stakes of Zion must be strengthened. All this so that
Zion may arise and shine by becoming increasingly diligent in carrying out the
plan of salvation throughout the world.
While the Church was in its infancy, the Lord pointed to a
time when those earlier gathering places would not have room for all who would
be gathered for reasons for which he declared that his church should be united.
. . . In these revelations the Lord speaks of organized units of the Church
which are designated as stakes. each of which those not of our faith may think
of as a diocese. These units so organized are gathered together for these
fundamental purposes: first, for a defense against the enemies of the Lord's
work, both the seen and the unseen. . . .
Today we are witnessing the demonstration of the Lord's hand
even in the midst of his saints, the members of the Church. Never in this
dispensation, and perhaps never before in any single period, has there been
such a feeling of urgency among the members of this church as today. Her
boundaries are being enlarged, her stakes are being strengthened. In the early
years of the Church specific places to which the Saints were to be gathered
together were given, and the Lord directed that these gathering places should
not be changed, but then he gave one qualification' "Until the day cometh
when there is found no more room for them; and then I have other places which I
will appoint unto them, and they shall be called stakes, for the curtains or
the strength of Zion." (D&C 101:21.)
At the Mexico City Area Conference last August, Elder Bruce
R. McConkie of the Council of the Twelve, in a thought-provoking address, made
some comments pertinent to this subject, and I quote a few sentences from his
address:
"Of this glorious day of restoration and gathering,
another Nephite prophet said: 'The Lord . . . has covenanted with all the house
of Israel,' that 'the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church
and fold of God'; and that 'they shall be gathered home to the lands of their
inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.' (2 Ne.
9:1-2)
"Now I call your attention to the facts, set forth in
these scriptures,that the gathering of Israel consists of joining the true
church; of coming to a knowledge of the true God and of his saving truths; and
of worshiping him in the congregations of the Saints in all nations and among
all peoples. Please note that these revealed words speak of the folds of the
Lord; of Israel being gathered to the lands of their inheritance; of Israel
being established in all their lands of promise; and of there being
congregations of the covenant people of the Lord in every nation, speaking
every tongue, and among every people when the Lord comes again.
Elder McConkie then concluded with this statement, which
certainly emphasizes the great need for the teaching and training of local
leadership in order to build up the church within their own native countries:
"The place of gathering for the Mexican Saints is in Mexico;
the place of gathering for the Guatemalan Saints is in Guatemala; the place of
gathering for the Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; and so it goes throughout the
length and breadth of the whole earth. Japan is for the Japanese; Korea is for
the Koreans; Australia is for the Australians; every nation is the gathering
place for its own people." (Ensign, July, 1973, pp. 2-6; see also Conference
Report, April 1973, pp. 4-10)
Spencer W. Kimball:
The gathering of Israel now involves conversion. Now, we are
concerned with the gathering of Israel. This gathering shall continue until the
righteous are assembled in the congregations of the Saints in the nations of
the world. This reminds us of the tenth article of faith wherein the Prophet
Joseph Smith said to his inquirer, "We believe in the literal gathering of
Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the new Jerusalem)
will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally
upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its
paradisiacal glory."...
Now, the gathering of Israel consists of joining the true
church and their coming to a knowledge of the true God. Any person, therefore,
who has accepted the restored gospel, and who now seeks to worship the Lord in
his own tongue and with the Saints in the nations where he lives, has complied
with the law of the gathering of Israel and is heir to all of the blessings
promised the Saints in these last days.
The Saints are no longer to come to a single place. In 1955,
Sister Kimball and I went to Europe. We spent six months touring all of the
missions in Europe. The people were still laboring under the impression that
they should come to America for the gathering process. The burden of our
sermons to them was, "Stay where you are. You have received the gospel.
The blessings will be brought to you. It will not be long until you have
stakes, and the Brethren will come across the ocean to visit you. Eventually
temples will come, and you will have all the blessings of Zion."
Now you folks of South America are in a different category:
you have always lived in Zion. One of the Brethren said that Zion was all of
America and that it is like a great bird with two wide wings: North America and
South America.
Many people have been holding their breath waiting to see
the gathering of Israel. We are in Israel and are being gathered.
Now, in the early days of the Church we used to preach for
the people to come to Utah as the gathering process, largely because that was
the only place in the whole world where there was a temple. Now we have sixteen
temples, and two more that have been approved, scattered throughout the world.
So it is no longer necessary that we bring the people all to Salt Lake City.
Our missionaries preach baptism and confirmation. And then we come to you with
conferences and to organize stakes. So we say again, stay in Korea. This is a
beautiful land. In this land you can teach your children just as well as you
could in Salt Lake City. Stay in Korea where you can teach the gospel to
millions of people.
And so the gathering is taking place. Korea is the gathering
place for Koreans, Australia for Australians, Brazil for Brazilians, England
for the English. And so we move forward toward the confirmation of this great
program the Lord has established for us.
The First Presidency and the Twelve see great wisdom in the
multiple Zions, many gathering places where the Saints within their own culture
and nation can act as a leaven in the building of the kingdom -- a kingdom
which seeks no earthly rewards or treasures.
Sometimes, inadvertently, we have given artificial
encouragement to individuals to leave their native land and culture and, too
often, this has meant the loss of the leaven that is so badly needed, and the
individuals involved have sometimes regretted their migrations.
I am hopeful that each of you will ponder carefully what it
is the Lord would have you do with your lives, with the special skills,
training, and testimonies you have. (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball,
pp. 438-440)
(Doctrine and Covenants
88:86-92.)
86 Abide ye in the liberty
wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands
be clean, until the Lord comes.
87 For not many days hence
and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun
shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be
bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast
themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree.
88 And after your
testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people.
89 For after your
testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in
the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to
stand.
90 And also cometh the
testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the
voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves
beyond their bounds.
91 And all things shall be
in commotion; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come
upon all people.
92 And angels shall fly
through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of
God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the
judgment of our God is come. Behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out
to meet him.
A characteristic of present-day
revelation is the reiteration of the fact that the event is nigh at hand,
"even at the doors." The fateful time is repeatedly designated in
scripture, "the great and dreadful day of the Lord." fn Fearful indeed will it be to individuals,
families, and nations, who have so far sunk into sin as to have forfeited their
claim to mercy. The time is not that of the final judgment-when the whole
race of mankind shall stand in the resurrected state before the bar of
God-nevertheless it shall be a time of unprecedented blessing unto the
righteous and of condemnation and vengeance upon the wicked. fn With Christ shall
come those who have already been resurrected; and His approach shall be the
means of inaugurating a general resurrection of the righteous dead, while the
pure and just who are still in the flesh shall be instantaneously changed from
the mortal to the immortal state and shall be caught up with the newly
resurrected to meet the Lord and His celestial company, and shall descend with
Him. To this effect did Paul prophesy: "Even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. . . . For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air." fn Compare the promise made to the Three Nephites: "And ye
shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory, ye
shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to
immortality." fn Of the superlative glories awaiting the righteous when
the Lord shall come, we have received in this day a partial description as
follows: "And the face of the Lord shall be unveiled; and the saints that
are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened, and be caught up to meet
him." fn The heathen nations shall be redeemed and have part in the first
resurrection. fn
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the
Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 730.)
Our hands must be clean of sin, don’t get tangled in
sin. Our loyalty is to Heavenly
Father, that is the purpose of our
existence here.
We pray for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven daily. The Kingdom of God on earth will become the
political entity here on earth (Millennium), but not at 1st.
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO COME
The coming of Christ in the last
days, accompanied by the apostles of old fn and by the resurrected saints, is
to mark the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth. The faithful
apostles who were with Jesus in His earthly ministry are to be enthroned as
judges of the whole house of Israel; fn they will judge the Nephite Twelve, who
in turn will be empowered to judge the descendants of Lehi, or that branch of
the Israelitish nation which was established upon the western continent. fn
While the expressions "Kingdom
of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" are used in the Bible
synonymously or interchangeably, later revelation gives to each a distinctive
meaning. The Kingdom of God is the Church established by divine authority upon
the earth; this institution asserts no claim to temporal rule over nations; its
sceptre of power is that of the Holy Priesthood, to be used in the preaching of
the gospel and in administering its ordinances for the salvation of mankind
living and dead. The Kingdom of Heaven is the divinely ordained system of
government and dominion in all matters, temporal and spiritual; this will be
established on earth only when its rightful Head, the King of kings, Jesus the
Christ, comes to reign. His administration will be one of order, operated
through the agency of His commissioned representatives invested with the Holy
Priesthood. When Christ appears in His glory, and not before, will be realized
a complete fulfilment of the supplication: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven."
The Kingdom of God has been
established among men to prepare them for the Kingdom of Heaven which shall
come; and in the blessed reign of Christ the King shall the two be made one.
(James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the
Messiah and His Mission According to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 735.)
(Doctrine and Covenants
65:1-6.)
1 Hearken, and lo, a voice
as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth
is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men—Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight.
2 The keys of the kingdom
of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel
roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the
mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.
3 Yea, a voice
crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make
ready for the Bridegroom.
4 Pray unto the Lord, call
upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people.
5 Call upon the Lord, that
his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may
receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man
shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the
kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.
6 Wherefore, may the
kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God,
mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued;
for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen.
This section is a commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, preparation
for the Kingdom of Heaven.
We are not complete in the body we have, the Millennium
prepares us for the Celestial kingdom. Now is the time to prepare for the 1000
years, glorified, resurrected beings living with Christ! THINK ABOUT THAT! That will be the time to also prepare for
Final Judgment, to prepare to meet Heavenly Father.
The Millennium is overlooked by many in the Church when they
teach the Plan of Salvation.
We should ease up on our imperfections, but not our sins,
they must be conquered.
THE MILLENNIUM
The inauguration of Christ's reign on
earth is to be the beginning of a period that shall be distinct in many
important particulars from all precedent and subsequent time; and the Lord
shall reign with His people a thousand years. The government of individuals,
communities and nations throughout this Millennium is to be that of a perfect
theocracy, with Jesus the Christ as Lord and King. The more wicked part of the
race shall have been destroyed; and during the period Satan shall be bound
"that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled"; while the just shall share with Christ in rightful
rule and dominion. The righteous dead shall have come forth from their graves,
while the wicked shall remain unresurrected until the thousand years be past.
fn Men yet in the flesh shall mingle with immortalized beings; children shall
grow to maturity and then die in peace or be changed to immortality "in
the twinkling of an eye." fn There shall be surcease of enmity between man
and beast; the venom of serpents and the ferocity of the brute creation shall
be done away, and love shall be the dominant power of control. Among the
earliest revelations on the subject is that given to Enoch; and in this the return
of that prophet and his righteous people with Christ in the last days was thus
assured:
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1983], 735.)
(Moses 7:18.)
18 And the Lord called his
people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in
righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
- One heart and one mind
- Dwell in righteousness –
adherence to our covenants we made with God.
- No poor among them – Unity in
all things, live their covenants
The Law of
Consecration is our goal, it is the Law of the Celestial kingdom. Strive for unity with God in doctrine and
practice.
We are to
be self reliant (ability) to serve in the kingdom, we gain freedom by our
education and our economics. Our
capacity grows so we can serve in the kingdom.
What do we
want as a vehicle through the eternities.
Here are the differences between the kingdoms of glory.
Telestial – A Tricycle
Terrestial – A Porche
Celestial – The Starship Enterprise
Outer Darkness – No movement, no
ability (stand there looking stupid)
THE CELESTIAL CONSUMMATION
The vanquishment of Satan and his
hosts shall be complete. The dead, small and great, all who have breathed the
breath of life on earth, shall be resurrected-every soul that has tabernacled
in flesh, whether good or evil-and shall stand before God, to be judged
according to the record as written in the books. fn So shall be brought to
glorious consummation the mission of the Christ. "Then cometh the end,
when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he
shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign,
till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet." fn Then
shall the Lord Jesus "deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the
Father spotless, saying-I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone,
even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. Then shall
he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the throne of his power to
reign for ever and ever." fn The earth shall pass to its glorified and
celestialized condition, an eternal abode for the exalted sons and daughters of
God. fn Forever shall they reign, kings and priests to the Most High, redeemed,
sanctified, and exalted through their Lord and God JESUS THE CHRIST.
(James E.
Talmage, Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According
to Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983], 735.)