Doctrine & Covenants Lesson # 21
Introduction
This is a foreboding lesson—I guess
literally—didn’t mean for that to be a pun. In our Living Christ quote for this
week, I note how Joseph saw the Savior in majesty and glory. And this is how He
appears in the revelations we are studying this week. Because we are looking
forward to the end time—the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. We
spent this Sunday studying about the kingdoms of glory which are likened to the
sun, moon, and stars. And that metaphor is carried forward in the scriptures we
are studying, but here the common thread is that “sun shall hide his face in
shame [or be darkened], and the moon shall withhold its light [or turn to
blood], and the stars shall be hurled from their places” (D&C 133:49). But
those who “stand in holy places” will be protected from these natural disasters
and: “And now the year of my redeemed is come; and they shall mention the
loving kindness of their Lord, and all that he has bestowed upon them according
to his goodness, and according to his loving kindness, forever and ever”
(D&C 133:52). Although what we read this week is doubtless disturbing. What
we learned with Sis. Stout on Sunday is that we should have our eye on being
called “my redeemed.”
1. The
Savior will return to the earth in power and great glory.
No still, small voice, but “The Lord
shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the
nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their
folly” (D&C 45:49). “And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and
the valleys shall not be found” (D&C 133:22).
When we read scriptures that point us
to future events, we can only put them in current terms. When Joseph recorded
these revelations, it took weeks to get news from one State to the next.
Because he was a seer, he could probably understand how “all the ends of the
earth” could hear the Messiah’s voice. We can understand it in terms of an
internet broadcast, but I tend to think of this as a literal prophecy, one that
transcends language, and even time.
Here’s the scripture chain that gives
us details of what will happen.
· D&C 29:9–11; 45:44. (Christ will come to earth in power and glory. The
proud and the wicked will be burned, and there will not be wickedness on
earth.)
· D&C 34:7, 12; 43:17; 110:16. (The Second Coming is near.)
· D&C 34:8, 11; 63:34. (All nations will tremble when the Savior comes. If
we are faithful, His power and influence will be with us until He comes.)
· D&C 45:45–54; 88:96–99. (The Saints who have died will be resurrected and
come forth to meet the Savior. The Saints who are alive on the earth will be
gathered to meet Him. He will come to the Mount of Olives, and it will divide.
The Jews will recognize their Savior and weep because they persecuted Him. Then
those who received the gospel in spirit prison will be resurrected.)
· D&C 49:6. (The Savior will put all enemies under His
feet.)
· D&C 49:7. (No one, not even the angels, knows the hour
or the day when the Savior will come.)
· D&C 133:46–53. (The Savior will come in red apparel.
His coming will be a time of vengeance upon the wicked and redemption for the
righteous.
In October 1975, President Ezra Taft
Benson, then President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles reiterated what the
Apostles sent to the World just after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum:
The nations of the earth continue in
their sinful and unrighteous ways. Much of the unbounded knowledge with which
men have been blessed has been used to destroy mankind instead of to bless the
children of men as the Lord intended. . . . Nations cannot endure in sin. They
will be broken up but the kingdom of God will endure forever. . . . We call
upon rulers and people alike to repent of their evil ways. Turn unto the Lord,
seek his forgiveness, and unite yourselves in humility with his kingdom. There
is no other way. If you will do this, your sins will be blotted out, peace will
come and remain, and you will become a part of the kingdom of God in
preparation for Christ’s second coming. But if you refuse to repent or to
accept the testimony of his inspired messengers and unite yourselves with God’s
kingdom, then the terrible judgments and calamities promised the wicked will be
yours.[1]
2. The Millennium will be a time of
joy and peace.
But we will get through that
cataclysmic time (see D&C 88:96–98), just as the Nephites did after the
three days of darkness. D&C 101:23–34 gives us a glimpse into what the
thousand years of the Millennium will look like. But how is that a help to us
now? Can we pull ourselves out of what Elder Neal A. Maxwell called “the thick
of thin things”[2]
and see the bigger picture. Good will always triumph over evil, living
righteously is always the best choice. Mortality is a short time, but it is a
crucial time for our eternal selves. Immortality is a gift given to all mankind
through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. So given that we are eternal, are not
small sacrifices in mortality worth making immortality as glorious as it can be?
3. We must prepare for the Second
Coming.
And this is where the sacrifices come
in. Elder Oaks asks us:
What is the state of our personal
preparation for eternal life? The people of God have always been people of
covenant. What is the measure of our compliance with covenants, including the
sacred promises we made in the waters of baptism, in receiving the holy
priesthood, and in the temples of God? Are we promisers who do not fulfill and
believers who do not perform? Are we following the Lord’s command, “Stand ye in
holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it
cometh quickly”? (D&C 87:8). What are those “holy places”? Surely they
include the temple and its covenants faithfully kept. Surely they include a
home where children are treasured and parents are respected. Surely the holy
places include our posts of duty assigned by priesthood authority, including
missions and callings faithfully fulfilled in branches, wards, and stakes. As
the Savior taught in His prophecy of the Second Coming, blessed is the
“faithful and wise servant” who is attending to his duty when the Lord comes
(see Matt. 24:45–46). As the prophet Nephi taught of that day, “The righteous
need not fear” (1 Ne. 22:17; see also 1 Ne. 14:14; D&C 133:44). And modern
revelation promises that “the Lord shall have power over his saints” (D&C
1:36).[3]
President Hinckley is characteristically
cheerful:
How do you prepare for the Second
Coming? Well, you just do not worry about it. You just live the kind of life
that if the Second Coming were to be tomorrow you would be ready. Nobody knows
when it is going to happen. … Our responsibility is to prepare ourselves, to
live worthy of the association of the Savior, to deport ourselves in such a way
that we would not be embarrassed if He were to come among us. That is a
challenge in this day and age” (Church
News, 2 Jan. 1999, 2).
Regarding “standing in holy places”
Elder Hales admonishes:
let us glorify God’s name by standing
strong with our Savior, Jesus Christ. I bear my special witness that He lives
and that we “are called with a holy calling” to participate in His work.
“Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved.” Standing
obedient and strong on the doctrine of our God, we stand in holy places, for
His doctrine is sacred and will not change in the social and political winds of
our day. I declare, as did the Apostle Paul, “Watch ye, stand fast in the
faith, [behave] like men {and women}, [and] be strong.” [4]
I fear we will not have time to look
at the signs of His coming, so here is the scripture chain:
Positive signs
D&C 45:66–71. (The New Jerusalem will be built. It will
be a place of peace and safety for the righteous in the last days.)
D&C 65:2–6. (God’s kingdom will be established on the
earth.)
D&C 110:11–16. (Priesthood keys will be restored.)
D&C 133:8–9, 36–39. (The gospel will be preached
throughout the world.)
Negative signs
D&C 45:26; 63:33. (There will be wars and rumors of wars, and the
whole earth will be in commotion.)
D&C 45:27. (The love of men will become cold, and
iniquity will abound.)
D&C 45:33; 88:89–90. (There will be earthquakes, tempests, and great
waves of the sea. Men will harden their hearts against God and fight each
other.)
Additional resources for this lesson
- “Peace and War”: This
article gives context to the revelation now found in Doctrine and
Covenants 87 and discusses how the early Saints responded to
prophecies about destruction before the Second Coming.
- “Likening
the Scriptures”: This quote from Joseph Fielding Smith in a letter to
his son during World War II emphasizes the promise of peace in the
Millennium.
[2]
I first heard Elder Maxwell quote this, but Pres. Monson has also. On further
research, it appears it might have originated with Edith Wharton.
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