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NOTE
Sections 133-134 are not the type of sections that can be taught in detail in an hour. If you only have one teaching session, such as with a Gospel Doctrine class, or youth Sunday School class, you’re going to have to choose which of the two sections you are going to emphasize. Both of the topics are relevant. Section 133 focuses on preparation for the Second Coming and section 134 focuses on principles of government. Personally, of the two, I would say that section 134 contains principles and issues that are uniquely taught here and are incredibly relevant to current affairs in the world today. I would probably choose to focus my time there. But that’s not to say that 133 doesn’t have a powerful and significant message for us as well. Consider the needs and the concerns of your students, pray about them, then decide which principles you are going to focus on that week.
BACKGROUND
Section 133 holds a special distinction and title in the Doctrine and Covenants. If you look at the date it was received, November 3, 1831, you might think. Wow! We’re really going back in time here. That’s all the way back to the beginnings of the Kirtland, Ohio period of Church History. I thought we were in Nauvoo by now. Well the reason we find this section here is because it was the revelation that was intended to be the last. It’s referred to as the appendix. An appendix comes at the end of a book. This revelation was received in conjunction with the preface of the Doctrine and Covenants, or section 1. When Joseph Smith and other early church leaders decided that they were going to compile the revelations that had been received up to that point into one volume, they felt the book needed a preface and an appendix. A good study exercise would be to go back and read section 1 again, and then follow it up immediately with section 133. You’re going to find some interesting parallels in that study. One thing you’ll notice is that they both speak a lot about the Second Coming of Christ. They make excellent bookends to all those revelations that come in between. We decided back in section 1 that that was one of the major purposes of the Doctrine and Covenants—to teach us things that would help us to understand and be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ.
WATERSKIING AND SCUBA DIVING
In teaching, sometimes I like to use the water sports analogy for describing different ways of covering scripture in a classroom setting. Sometimes we waterski the scriptures. That means we just skim along the surface to get a quick idea of what’s being taught. At other times, we get out and swim a bit. We immerse ourselves a bit more in the content and seek a better understanding. But then, in other places, we get out and scuba dive the scriptures. We dive deeply into certain verses or ideas and really plumb their depth and breadth. You, as the teacher, will have to decide when you waterski, when you swim, and when you scuba dive.
In section 133, we are going to scuba dive verses 1-19, and then waterski the rest. The second half of 133 has almost endless depth for us to study. That’s partly because it’s meaning is so rooted in Old and New Testament scripture that just one image or symbol or word brings with it entire chapters of meaning. You’ve got countless references to Isaiah, the Book of Revelation, Exodus, Malachi, and others. If you really wanted to do 133 justice, you would need to jump back and forth between the Doctrine and Covenants and the Bible so much that your fingers would start to cramp up. So in the time that I plan to spend with you, we will waterski much of section 133. I’ll give you some quick ideas that will hopefully help you to decide what to include in your own lessons.
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker I like to ask my class how they feel about road construction. Usually, their opinion isn’t very high of it. “I hate road construction!” they’ll say. “It slows me down! It’s so annoying!” But then I ask them to consider the positives of road construction. Usually, once the project is done, the route becomes better and quicker than before. They may widen the road, add lanes, optimize the route, or remove obstacles. Road construction is a necessary inconvenience if we wish to have the best possible route of getting somewhere. If you want to get somewhere quickly, think of the kind of roads that you prefer to take. Freeways are an excellent way to get somewhere quickly, assuming it’s not rush hour or full of traffic. Surface streets are a bit slower with all the stop signs, stop lights, and reduced speed limits. I live in the Salt Lake Valley, and it seems to me that the freeways are constantly under construction. Currently I live near a highway called the Bangerter highway. It’s kind of a mix between a freeway and a surface street. It does have long stretches of open road, but those stretches are punctuated occasionally by stoplights. Recently, they’ve been working on converting the Bangerter highway into a real freeway. One by one, construction crews have been removing the stop light intersections and creating over and underpasses instead. Each time one is completed, the Bangerter highway becomes a quicker means of getting somewhere. I can’t wait until the day when all the overpasses are complete and there are no more stoplights for the full length of the road. Once that’s done, getting downtown from my home is going to be significantly faster and much more convenient. In the meantime though, those construction projects can be a real task. It takes a lot of work to smooth out and speed up that route.
TRANSITION
Well, section 133 has an exhortation and a challenge for us. There is a word that comes up repeatedly in the opening verses of the section. Let’s see if you can find it. Search the following verses for a common invitation. What is it?
:4, 10, 15, 17, 19.
The message is PREPARE! We need to prepare ourselves for something.
What do we need to prepare for?
Verse 10. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.
Verse 17. Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh.
Verse 19. Prepare ye for the coming of the Bridegroom
And what is that we specifically need to prepare for him? Look again in verse 17. What is it? We need to prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight.
What is that path? It’s the path between us and Christ—the way of the Lord. He’s coming. And we need to engage in construction so that he can get to us quicker. We want to make his paths straight. The straighter the road, the quicker the way. So if you had to envision the road that stretches between you and Christ, what would it look like? Is it a straight and unobstructed corridor? Or is it full of obstacles and stoplights? Is it a freeway or a surface street? Is your road cluttered with sin, and excuses, and apathy? Or is there an autobahn to your heart for him to travel.
Today we are going to talk about spiritual road construction. It takes work and it takes time, but when those projects are complete, the way is prepared and quick. The first 19 verses of section 133 will teach us how to prepare the way for Him.
HIS COMING IS NOW
Before I go any further into a discussion of the Second Coming, I like to remind my students of a certain principle. Prophecies and instructions about the second coming do not only apply to those who are going to be alive at the time of his coming. They apply to all individuals that live at any time during the last days. Personally, and this is my opinion, I doubt that I’m going to be alive at the time of the Second Coming, even if I live to a very old age. But who knows? The Lord will come when he comes. However, that doesn’t mean that I can ignore these preparation principles. Section 133 contains instructions for ideal Christian living in a pre-Second Coming society. Following these instructions now will make it possible for Christ to come into our lives now. It may not be the literal pre-millennial coming of Jesus Christ, but it will be a “coming” nonetheless.
Spencer W. Kimball once said:
“When Satan is bound in a single home—when Satan is bound in a single life—the Millennium has already begun in that home, in that life” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 172).
The binding of Satan is a millennial promise, but I don’t have to wait for the actual millennium for it to come to pass in my life. The implication is that the second coming can happen now for us, in our own homes and lives. Are we living our lives in a way that will allow for that coming to take place? Also, consider this. We are not aware of the day of our own departure from mortality. This too is a type of second coming for each individual. No man knoweth the day and the hour of their own passing.
When teaching about the Second Coming, the temptation is to spend a lot of time talking about the signs and events that precede it. Though that message is important, a far more relevant and effective message is to focus on the preparation we must undergo in order to be ready for it. That’s what the first 19 verses are going to help us to do. It’s going to show us some “spiritual” construction projects.
SEARCH-HANDOUT
In order to discover these “construction projects”, we’re going to do this secret phrase activity. Each question will highlight an action we can do that will help to prepare the way for Christ to come to us.
Let’s take a look at each.
1. “HEARKEN . . . and hear the word of the Lord concerning you.” (133:1) You’ll remember that this was a major theme of section 1. Both the Preface, and the Appendix of the Doctrine and Covenants begin with the same word. You will see “hearing” phrases all throughout section 133. You see it in7, :9, :15, :16, :21, and :22. If we wish to prepare the way for Christ to come into our lives, we must listen and hearken to voice of the Lord. We’ve got to open our ears and our hearts to his voice. Are we listening? Do we listen to his voice in the scriptures? Do we listen to his voice in the words of the living prophets? Do we listen to his voice in the whisperings of the Holy Ghost? And as we listen, do we obey. Hearkening will prepare the way.
2. “SANCTIFY yourselves.” (133:4) To sanctify something is to make it holy. The place most associated with sanctity on this earth is the Lord’s house—his holy temple. If we wish to prepare the way for Christ to come into our lives, we must sanctify ourselves through covenants and ordinances. We need to get to the temple. Sanctifying ourselves will prepare the way.
3. “GATHER ye together.” (133:4) The gathering of Israel has been a major theme this year in the Doctrine and Covenants and a rallying cry from our current prophet. There is strength in numbers and power in unity. God always calls his Saints to gather to Zion and then help to gather also. You could consider this on a smaller scale too. What if all the youth of a particular ward got together and decided that they were going to commit to and live the standards in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. What effect would that have? What if a family gathered together and made a commitment to live the gospel of Jesus Christ in their home? How strong would that family become? What if all the students in a seminary or Gospel Doctrine class collectively committed to preparing themselves for Christ’s coming. Wouldn’t that create power? There is strength in gathering. This idea also comes up in :7, :8, :9, and :10. Gathering will prepare the way.
4. “Go ye OUT from Babylon.” (:5, :7, :14) One thing we must do to prepare is to make sure we are living in the right city. We don’t want to find ourselves situated in the land of Babylon, which verse 14 tells us is wickedness. We shouldn’t feel comfortable with the things of the world. We’ve got to get of it. What kind of language do we use? Is it the language of Babylon? How do we dress and present ourselves? Is it with the styles and clothing of Babylon? What do we watch and listen to? Is it the entertainment and music of Babylon? What kinds of places do we spend our time and energy? Is it in Babylonian settings? God did not intend his disciples to be like everybody else. It’s a good thing to be different. We should stand out.
To that idea we can add an idea from verse 9 and verse 12. If we are leaving Babylon, where do we go?
5. “Go ye FORTH unto the land of Zion.” (:9) So not only do we need to get out of Babylon, but we’ve also got to make our way over to an entirely different city—to Zion. Verse 12 says it even more emphatically. It says flee to Zion. Get out now! Zion will be the only place in the last days that will be safe from the power of the adversary.
Now we can add another idea to these previous two.
6. “Let him not look BACK lest sudden destruction shall come upon him” (:15) This is a continuation of the last two thoughts. We go out from Babylon. We flee to Zion. And we don’t look back. This could be a reference to any number of scripture stories. Most directly it is a reference to the story of Lot’s wife as they were fleeing from Sodom. She looked back (or more likely, went back) and became as a pillar of salt—sudden destruction. We also see this idea in the desire of the children of Israel who after being delivered from hard bondage, looked longingly back for the flesh pots of Egypt and desired to return. We see this idea in the Book of Mormon when those who have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life leave it behind for forbidden paths and the lull of the great and spacious building. This could also be a reference to the teachings of Christ when he said, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62). The message is this. Once we’ve left the world, don’t go back! Stay in Zion! While serving my mission in Brazil, I remember talking to a member of the Church who told me this cute but dangerous little saying in Portuguese. It went like this. Iniquidade nunca foi felicidade, mas da saudade. It’s memorable because it rhymes, but what it means is, basically, wickedness never was happiness, but you sure do miss it. Lest we fall into the same trap as Lot’s wife, when you flee from Babylon, stay out of Babylon. Don’t look back. There is nothing there worth seeing.
Leaving Babylon, fleeing to Zion, and not looking back will prepare the way.
7. “Be ye CLEAN that bear the vessels of the Lord.” (:5) There are three cleansing agents in the scriptures. Water, Fire, and Blood. The waters of baptism and the sacrament can make us clean. The fire of the Holy Ghost can purify and make us clean. Relying on the blood of the atonement of Jesus Christ can make us clean. Being clean will prepare the way.
8. “CALL your solemn assemblies, CALL upon the name of the Lord.” (:6) Solemn assemblies may be a better word for us to use in the church than the word we are accustomed to using. We often talk about “meetings” in the church. Often the word “meeting” doesn’t have a very positive connotation. But a solemn assembly? Perhaps our meetings would be more productive and effective if we called and treated them as such. Attending and contributing meaningfully to our solemn assemblies will prepare the way. Also, calling upon the name of the Lord will help prepare the way. We have been promised that if we pray always that we will come off conqueror (Doctrine & Covenants 10:5) Communicating frequently with our Father in Heaven can help deepen our relationship with him and call upon the powers of heaven for help in fleeing Babylon.
9. “SPEAK often one to another.” (:6) This phrase suggests active participation in the Lord’s church. Do we speak often to other disciples of Christ? There is a purpose to all those meetings and activities we have in the church. The more often we speak to one another and rejoice in each other’s company, the stronger we will be. Attending our church meetings, serving faithfully in our callings, ministering, sharing the gospel, perfecting ourselves and others as Saints will all prepare the way.
10. “AWAKE and arise.” (:10) Satan wants us asleep, spiritually speaking. We sleep when we’re comfortable. We sleep when we feel that all is well. We sleep when we don’t sense any danger around us. The adversary loves to lull and pacify us into a sense of carnal security. Hey, this indiscretion is no big deal. You don’t need to worry about going to church or watching your language or saying your prayers. All is well! Don’t take things so seriously. Satan loves a sleepy soul, because those are the souls that are easily wrapped up in chains. Rather, wake up! Rise up and do something. Engage in the work and be wary of the spiritual dangers that surround us. Awaking and arising will prepare the way.
11. “WATCH, therefore.” (:11) This is an idea related to the last. Be awake and watching for the signs of the Lord’s return. Like the 5 wise virgins in Jesus’ parable. They didn’t know when the Bridegroom was coming, but they watched for him, and had their lamps full when he arrived. Watching carefully for Christ will prepare the way.
12. “REPENT.” (:16) I like something my cousin Jared Halvorsen said about this verse. He called it the shortest verse in scripture. Now you might argue and say, no wait, I thought the shortest verse in scripture was “Jesus wept”. But 133:16 is even shorter. It’s only one word long, in a sense. And it’s that last word. Everything that comes before it is just introductory. So he says, Hearken, hear, listen, I’m calling, I have a message for you. What’s the message? One word: Repent. Turn your hearts and minds to Christ. Remember that repentance is a way of life, not a one-time or infrequent act. It’s living continually with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. It’s an attitude of commitment and obedience to Christ’s teachings.
13. Have the “Father’s name WRITTEN on [your] forehead.” (:18) The book of Revelation speaks about the 144,000 that have the Father’s name written on their forehead. When somebody puts their name on something, it means that thing belongs to them. If I have the Father’s name written on my forehead, I must be His. The angels of destruction are told not to hurt the earth until all who desire to have the seal of God’s name placed on their foreheads have had the opportunity to receive it. The seal assures safety from the perils of the last days. Where do we get this name? Remember section 109? The dedication of the Kirtland temple. D&C 109:26. That no combination of wickedness shall have power to rise up and prevail over thy people upon who thy name shall be put in this house. We get that name in the temple. Having the name of the father symbolically written on our foreheads, will prepare the way.
If you completed those words correctly, it should reveal the secret quote. What is it?
"While we are powerless to alter the fact of the Second Coming . . ., we can accelerate our own preparation . . .”
Dallin H. Oaks (Conference Report, April 2004)
So let’s focus on what we can do and stop worrying so much about all the things we have no power over. If ye are prepared, you shall not fear.
TRUTH
If we prepare the way for Christ, he will come quickly into our lives.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Look at our worksheet. Are there any areas you’ve been neglecting? Are there any of those phrases you need to work on? Pick one and commit yourself to acting a little more deliberately on that construction project.
CONCLUSION
There is one final verb or preparation step that we haven’t mentioned yet and that I didn’t include on the handout. I wanted to on that idea here. As we go out of Babylon, and flee to Zion, and don’t look back, there is one more action we are invited to take. It’s in 10, and 19. What is it? Go ye out to meet him. Go forth to meet the Bridegroom. That is the promise of preparation. If we have done all those other things, then one day, we will go forth to meet him. We will see his face smiling at us. We will hear his voice saying, “Well done thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21) And we will feel the wounds in his side, and in his hands and feet and fall down and worship him. It will be a glorious coming. So let’s get to work on our road. Let’s make that path as straight and smooth and obstacle free as possible. We want him to come quickly, and he will, if we prepare the way.
133:20-74 THE PREPARED AND THE UNPREPARED
As I said earlier, I wish I could just spend a couple of hours with you scuba diving deeply into the meat of the rest of this section. We’re not going to do that because verse by verse is just not the format of this channel, but rather, to give you a realistic method of teaching the scriptures to others. So it’s time to waterski! Here are just a few brief thoughts on some of the content found in the rest of the section. Perhaps something I share here can spark your own ideas and help you decide how you might want to teach these verses to others.
THE PREPARED
In the whole first half of this lesson we discussed things that we must do in order to prepare the way for Christ to come into our lives. But that’s not the only preparation is going on in this section. Jesus is no hypocrite. Just as he expects us to prepare for him, he has been preparing some things for us too. The best place to see this dynamic is in verse 45 which reads:
45 For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear, neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee, how great things thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for thee.
In John 14:2-3, Christ made a promise to his disciples:
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.
Remember that Christ was a carpenter. A builder. He’s preparing and building a place for us—many mansions.
So another great search activity to try in section 133 is to go through and find all the great things that Christ has prepared for the righteous. Let’s take a look at a few.
133:20-29 Breaking the Barriers
If you read verses 20-29 you going to see a common theme. Now, by this time, you know me, I always tend to emphasize the symbolic meaning of millennial prophecy rather than the literal. It’s true that these verses can be taken literally and may very well be fulfilled that way, but I invite you to put your figurative glasses on and ask yourself what Christ wants us to know about his return. All these images have a similar theme. In verse 20 we see Christ standing on the Mount of Olives, and the ocean, and the islands of the sea, and the land of Zion. And as he speaks with a loud voice, something happens. What? The mountains are broken down. The valleys are filled. The great deep or the ocean is driven back, the islands all become one, and all the continents come back together into one land. The rocks are smitten, the ice flows down, a highway appears out of the great deep and the barren deserts fill with living water. Now ask yourself what all these things have in common? Mountains, valleys, oceans, rocks, ice (or perhaps that’s a reference to glaciers), and deserts. They are all obstacles. They all present a challenge to mankind to cross. These things divide people. The continents are divided. The islands of the sea are divided from each other. And what does Christ’s coming do? He removes all those obstacles and brings things together. So I’m not so sure that this is a literal prophecy teaching us that the continents are going to return to Pangea and that the surface of the earth is actually going to turn smooth as mountains are broken down, and valleys are filled. I think it’s just suggesting that, when Christ returns, all the barriers that have kept people apart—all the divisive things and issues that have plagued mankind forever, will be done away with. Culture, race, nationality, religion, politics, all the things that have divided people for ages, will be broken up. Even the great divide between the living and the dead will be torn down. A highway will appear through the great deep. Christ’s coming will bring unity once and for all to the earth.
Besides this unity and peace, there are many other promised blessings awaiting us:
:30 rich treasures will be brought to us
:32 crowned with glory
:33 filled with songs of everlasting joy
:35 sanctified in holiness
:35 dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.
:44 we get to meet him.
:52-53 When Jesus comes again, there will be certain things that we remember most about our experiences as his disciples. When Christ returns and we’re looking back at our lives or the conditions of the latter-days, what will we talk about? What will we mention? The signs of his coming? The destruction? The great evil of Babylon? All the trials and difficulties we faced? No. What will have had the greatest impression on us?
They shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord, his goodness, his love, his pity. How he redeemed us, how he carried us. That’s what we’re going to remember most. That’s what we’re going to be sitting around the dinner table talking about during the millennium. Not all the spectacular and more dramatic circumstances regarding the return of the Savior. The character of Christ will have left the deepest impression.
THE UNPREPARED
What about the other side of the equation? What comes to those who are unprepared? I’m afraid it’s not quite as glorious.
133:46-51 DRESSED IN RED
In some of the more well-known paintings depicting the Second Coming, Jesus is typically shown dressed in a white robe. However, according to 133:46-51, we’re told that Jesus will come wearing a completely different color. What is it? Red. And the reason he’s dressed in red is a little chilling. What’s the symbolism? Read verses 50-51.
50 And his voice shall be heard: I have trodden the winepress alone, and have brought judgment upon all people; and none were with me;
51 And I have trampled them in my fury, and I did tread upon them in mine anger, and their blood have I sprinkled upon my garments, and stained all my raiment; for this was the day of vengeance which was in my heart.
So the imagery, is one of treading down and trampling the wicked. And as he does, their blood is sprinkled up on his clothing.
Now I definitely do not believe that that is to be interpreted literally. I can’t imagine Christ coming down and actually trampling people. But the red clothing is symbolic. He’s coming in judgment. At his first coming, he came as a baby. At his second coming, he comes as a conquering king. At his first coming, he came in humility, and mercy, and gentleness. At his second coming, he comes with rebuke and consequence. At his first coming, he came in peace riding on a donkey. At his second coming, he comes with judgment on a warhorse. The time for mercy and forgiveness has passed. They have procrastinated the day of their repentance until it is everlastingly too late. Can you see why it is so important that we are prepared.
Now before moving on, compare verse 51 to verse 52. What time reference is used to describe the length of this period of vengeance? It’s called the day of vengeance. But in verse 52 what’s the time reference for the redemption? It’s the year of redemption. What does that tell you about the character of Christ? He is not one to dwell on vengeance or anger. He wants that event to be quick. He wants to get that unpleasant part over with and get to the glories of the redemption. The year of the redemption.
Now Christ has something to say to those that he finds unprepared to meet him. We find that in :65-74. I won’t read that in its entirety here, but I want to suggest a certain tone of voice to you as you read. Don’t read it in a tone of anger or condemnation. Try read it in a sorrowful lamenting tone. Christ takes no pleasure in saying these words. You can almost sense his distress in having to say them. I’ll read a few portions of it.
66 In that day when I came unto mine own, no man among you received me, and you were driven out.
67 When I called again there was none of you to answer; yet my arm was not shortened at all that I could not redeem, neither my power to deliver.
71 Behold, and lo, there are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were sent unto you ye received them not.
It’s like he’s saying: “I tried so many times to save you. I sent you prophets. I sent you mercy. I offered you deliverance. But you just wouldn’t listen. You wouldn’t receive me.” Therefore
“. . . these shall go away into outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth”.
We don’t want to hear that speech when Christ returns. Rather, we hope to sing the song of the Lamb with the redeemed!
134-LIBERTY’S BALANCE
ICEBREAKER
Section 134 is so relevant and needed in today’s extremely divisive political climate. It seems like more and more people in our world are deriving their religious principles based on their politics first, rather than deriving their political principles based on their religion. Section 134 can hopefully help to give us an inspired foundation from which to form our political and civic values. It’s another great location to teach the importance of the principle of balance. I know we’ve talked about that a number of times together but that’s because the idea of balance is found all over the scriptures. Remember that the adversary always encourages people to polarize to the extremes. It doesn’t matter which side of the balance beam we fall off of, as long as we fall. So to illustrate this idea I like to pull out a scale. One of those old-fashioned type ones with the holding plates on either side. I’ll put a link in the video description below for an inexpensive one you could purchase if you are interested. Then you bring out a number of different objects and, in pairs, ask them which they think is heavier. You could compare the weight of coins, silverware, fruit, tools, anything really and see if they can guess which object is going to be heavier. Pick some objects where the heaviest one isn’t super obvious.
TRANSITION
Today we’re going to try and seek an important balance between different government political principles. Politics is a tricky and very sensitive subject, and as a teacher you want to be really careful that you don’t let your class descend into a political debate. We’re just going to look at the principles and then allow you to draw your own conclusions. However, rather than thinking that this lesson is for somebody else and all those crazy people on the other side of the debate. I invite you humbly take a long hard look at your own thoughts and political views and see if this section can help guide or possibly even correct your current understanding.
I know that I have listeners in many other countries throughout the world and so I can’t speak for all of you, but at least in my country, it seems that political tensions have been increasingly elevated and divisiveness more pronounced in recent years than I’ve ever noticed before. There are so many issues that have polarized nations and communities and even families into contending parties. During this lesson, I don’t want to give you specific applications of the principles, just the principles themselves. But you could probably think of some of the issues we could place under the microscope of section 134 here. Pandemic policies, gun rights, environmental issues, fiscal policy, abortion, racial tensions, LGBTQ concerns, election results, rioting, threats to elected officials, pornography, media debates, and on and on and on. Now I don’t consider myself wise or politically savvy enough to conclusively tell you where the exact balance lies in each of these issues. I know what my own opinion are, but I’m going to avoid telling you what yours should be.
12 ARTICLES OF FAITH FOR THE 12TH ARTICLE OF FAITH
Section 134 contains the 12 articles of faith, for the 12th article of faith. I say that because, well, look at how each verse starts here. What are the first two words? “We believe”. That’s the article of faith phrase.
The 12th article of faith states
"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."
That’s the overall mission statement for the church as far as government is concerned. We believe in being good citizens. But politics can be a little more complicated than just that. And so we have section 134 to flesh that idea out a bit. We can also add the political ideas we examined back in section 98:4-11 and even the lesson we had last year in Mosiah 29. You may want to go back and review those principles as a precursor to what we have here. In section 98 we examined the phrase, “whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil”. This is our Heavenly Father pleading for us to find balance. When we slip into more or less than these principles, we get into trouble. All governments must be balanced. In section 98 we discussed the balance between rights and responsibilities. If you only emphasize “rights” you eventually have anarchy and tolerance to the point that evil is propped up. On the other hand, if you only emphasized “responsibility”, you eventually have dictatorship and totalitarianism. You’ll see that balance here in section 134 too, but let’s look for some of the other balances here as well.
You’re going to want to keep your scales handy throughout the lesson. We’re going to keep coming back to it again and again. And what I do is go through my children’s building blocks and pull out blocks that are the same size and shape. I then label them with the various balancing principles that we talk about and place them on the scales during the discussion. There are 5 different balancing principles that I want to discuss with you today.
Let’s start with the big picture.
GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION
In verses 1 and 4 we have the two institutions that we believe were inspired and created by God. What are they?
They are Government and Religion. That’s our big balance here. We believe that both institutions can be inspired by God. Now that’s not to say that every government ever devised out there is inspired of God, or every religion for that matter. There are many examples of those I think that were not. It’s just a statement supporting the idea of government. We are not anarchists. We see value and necessity in civic administration that stands apart from religious belief. Verse 1 tells us that we will be held accountable to God for our acts in relation to earthly governments. We believe that it can play a vital role and benefit to us here in mortality, just as we also believe that religion, of course, is an essential part of our well-being and eternal progress. But there needs to be a balance between the two. What happens in a society when these two institutions get out of balance? What if my nation is all government and no religion? Conditions in the former Soviet Union come to mind, or modern-day China where religion is suppressed, and government dictates almost every aspect of people’s lives. On the other hand, can religion over government be taken too far? Perhaps certain Middle Eastern countries come to mind where religious regimes enforce strict obedience to their creeds and doctrines. What’s the proper balance? There has to be a separation between the two and a recognition of the specific roles and limitations of each. Jump to verse 9 for a concise statement of this principle:
9 We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government, whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.
You have government and you have religion. One of the greatest, divinely inspired principles from the founding fathers of American government was the separation of church and state and the freedom of religion. Both institutions are necessary, and both have their role, but we should be careful about mingling those two influences.
In saying that, though, let me add a caveat here. I don’t think this means, nor do I think that the founding fathers intended all religious influence of any kind be removed from government. I think that’s going too far as well. I think a government can more easily tip into evil when they have no religious or moral underpinnings to guide them. Government just needs to be careful about fostering or denying certain rights based on religion.
PUBLIC GOOD, PRIVATE RIGHTS
In speaking of those roles, let’s move to our next balance. According to verse 1, what is one of the roles of government?
It is to make and administer laws for the good and safety of society. So when a government makes laws, they should ask themselves two questions. Is it good for society? Is it safe for society? We’re going to place that idea on one side of our balance here. We’ll label it: The Public Good. That is something that must be considered in our political opinions and in the parties and candidates we support. What is best for the general population? You can see this side of the balance in verse 5 as well. See if you can find the “public good” phrase. What is it? It’s “all governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best calculated to secure the public interest”. On the other hand, there is a balancing principle here. We find it in verse 2. Yes, the good and safety of society must be taken into account. However, what else must be considered?
2 We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience, the right and control of property, and the protection of life.
So it’s not just public good that we keep in mind. We also have the free exercise of conscience to each individual. Private rights of the individual must also be considered and weighed in making laws. This is the PUBLIC GOOD, PRIVATE RIGHTS balance. Back to verse 5, can you see that side of the balance here? It’s right at the end and follows the statement we pointed out above—and it says, “at the same time, however, holding sacred the freedom of conscience”. Do you see the balancing words there? Government needs to do both these things at the same time. This can be a difficult one equalize. Both sides of that balance are essential in good and safe societies. Sometimes, private rights may need to be mitigated or sacrificed for the sake of the public good. On the other hand, sometimes the perceived public good may not justify the diminishing of the private rights, and the conscience of the individual needs to be respected. I will readily admit that I believe there are certain current issues that fall into both these categories. I know there are some people who seem to scream “private rights” over every possible issue. The government can’t tell me what to do! And I think, no, there are areas where we certainly do want and need government to step in and say, “forget your private rights, this is matter of the public good. What you claim to be a private right, is dangerous and detrimental to the good and safety of society as a whole”. On the other hand, there are those who seem to call for government to step in and regulate every aspect of our lives—to tell us how we should live and what we can and can’t do. In those cases I would argue, “who is the government to tell me how to live. I have my individual rights and should be free to exercise them according to my own conscience. Don’t legislate my conscience.” Perhaps that’s a guiding notion there. Is the issue I’m wrestling with really a matter of conscience? Of right and wrong? Or a matter of preference or a mere temporal concern? Pick any issue you can think of. What’s the right balance between them? Ahh, that’s the tough part, isn’t it? And oh, there’s a part of me that wants to tell you what you should think on those issues. But I’m not going to do that.
The point is though, in our own opinions, it is only fair and right to ask ourselves if we have carefully, thoughtfully, and respectfully considered the other side? That there is validity to both the public good and private rights principles. Because neither, public good or private rights is an end all and be all principle in and of itself. They are both to be taken into account.
HUMAN LAW AND DIVINE LAW
There is another balance to look at here in respect to law. There are two types of law out there. That balance is probably most easily seen in verse 6. What are the two types of law?
We have human laws, and divine laws. What is the role of each?
“Human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker.”
So human laws regulate our affairs with each other and national concerns. They deal with issues between man and man. Divine laws are given for spiritual concerns, faith, and worship. They deal with issues between man and God. Both are necessary.
Both sides have limits, though. Again, balance. Let’s look for what they are. When do religious beliefs or adherence to what someone perceives as God’s laws cross the line? Look in verse 4.
When “their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others”. So does my belief in Sunday as the Sabbath Day justify me in telling you that you can’t work on that day? No. That would infringe upon your rights—because that’s my religious opinion.
When does human law cross the line according to verse 4?
When it “interferes in prescribing rules of worship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, (now that’s part of its role) but never control conscience; should punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.”
So does the government have the right to tell me how many children I should have or that I can’t talk about my religion to other people? No. It shouldn’t. That would be out of balance.
Verse 7 plainly explains the balance between human and divine laws.
7 We believe that rulers, states, and governments have a right, and are bound to enact laws for the protection of all citizens in the free exercise of their religious belief; but we do not believe that they have a right in justice to deprive citizens of this privilege, or proscribe them in their opinions, (but again, a balancing principle) so long as a regard and reverence are shown to the laws and such religious opinions do not justify sedition nor conspiracy.
So, yes. The government has the obligation to protect my right to worship according to my religious belief and opinions. But, if my religious opinions and beliefs are undermining the government and its laws, then there is no such protection. I can’t justify things like the exploitation of children, illegal drug use, or bombing government buildings and defend myself by saying “Oh, it’s just a part of my religion”. Or, do I become so impassioned and upset about one particular issue or interest that I become seditious and rebellious. Is that justified? No. Especially to a government that is striving, to the best of its ability and limitations, to protect my rights.
So in review, throughout these verses we’ve received some good advice on what makes good human laws and how to tell the difference between good laws and bad laws?
In verse 1, we want laws that protect the good and safety of society.
In verse 2, we want laws that secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience.
In verse 4, we want laws that restrain crime and punish guilt without suppressing the freedom of the soul.
In verse 5 we want laws that secure the public interest
In verse 6, we want laws that protect the innocent and punish the guilty.
Now take a look at verse 8 in regard to law. This verse states a fairly obvious principle. Crimes should be punished according to the nature of the offense. We don’t believe in cruel or unusual punishment. We believe that punishments should fit the crime. And we believe that it our duty to step forward and bring offenders of good laws to punishment. I don’t think we need to go into a lot of detail on those. But there is a phrase in that verse that I believe can help us in determining the difference between good laws and bad ones. Can you pick it out? We want laws that have been created “according to their criminality and their tendency to evil among men”. What he’s saying is that there are crimes or actions that tend to make people evil. Laws should be enacted against such. Now maybe I will get a little more specific opinionated on this and give some examples. There are a lot of actions and behaviors in my country that are protected by the “free exercise of conscience” principle that I believe should fall into the “these things have a tendency toward evil and do not protect the good and safety society” principle. That they’re not really “religious opinion” issues that many want to classify them as. Things such as pornography, drug and alcohol use, sex and violence in media, and certain social media concerns. There are things out there that have a tendency towards evil. Are these rights or serious social issues that government has a responsibility to step in and legislate, for the good of society. I guess you’ll decide for yourself. But if we want peace and tranquility, we’ve got to label crimes, as crimes.
A verse in the Book of Mormon I believe perfectly illustrates the issue of the effect bad laws can have on a society. It’s Helaman 7:5
5 Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills
Generally speaking, laws that “more easily” allow one to do evil are going to eventually bring down governments and nations. Laws that make it more difficult, legally, to commit evil are going to be better off (but we still have to be careful to keep the balance with the protection of individual freedom and avoiding the dictating of conscience). Hopefully, as citizens we will do whatever we can to support good laws.
Verse 10 explains the limits placed on religion in dealing with those who break the laws of that religion. We believe that a religion can’t throw people into prison, or take their property, or administer corporal punishment. The biggest, most drastic thing they can do, is to excommunicate them from their society and withdraw their fellowship. The bishop can’t sentence them to 5 years hard missionary labor or charge them 15% tithing. A person’s standing in the church is the only right a religion has any say over. But they do have that right.
Verse 11 describes another interesting balance. I would call it the Civil Redress vs. Times of Exigency balance. What do we do when somebody wrongs us or inflicts abuse on our property or our character? How do we deal with such instances? What if somebody steals something from me. What if someone hurts one of my family members in a car accident while they are drunk driving. Do I chase them down and teach them a lesson? No, I go through the courts and let the law handle it. We believe that we should appeal to the civil law for redress. So we don’t believe in vigilantism. We don’t go out and administer revenge or punishment on those who wrong us. However, there is another side to the balance. The second half of verse 12 says:
“but we believe that all men are justified in defending themselves, their friends, and property, and the government, from the unlawful assaults and encroachments of all persons in times of exigency, where immediate appeal cannot be made to the laws, and relief afforded.”
This is what I would call the “times of exigency” clause. If you are in a situation where someone is threatening your life or limb or property and there is no time to call the civil authorities, then we are justified in defending ourselves in that situation.
Verse 12 troubles some members of the church but it really shouldn’t. Let me be clear, this verse is not an endorsement of slavery. In fact, the Doctrine and Covenants denounces the practice back in section 101:79 which says “Therefore, is it not right that any man should be in bondage one to another”. Joseph Smith was very public about his opposition to slavery. That’s one of the reasons why Joseph Smith was hated, and the church persecuted in Missouri. This verse is simply a pragmatic instruction for the situation of the time. We don’t want to raise rebellion or interfere with that system if a nation allows it lawfully. An overall principle we can garner from this. Sometimes you have to be pragmatic and realistic about living to the best of your ability in a government system that may not match your moral or religious ideals. In that case, we strive to live within the law.
RIGHTS VS. RESPONSIBILITIES
One final thought here. In Doctrine & Covenants 98 I talked about the RIGHTS VS. RESPONSIBILITIES balance. The government is there to protect our rights and liberties. That’s its role. But what is our part as citizens?
If I give you a verse from section 134, could you find the “responsibility” phrase in it?
So look at verse 3. What do you see? In verse 3, we should seek for and uphold those that will administer the law in equity and justice. Back in session 98, the Lord gave us three adjectives to describe the types of people that we should seek to vote for or place into power. Do you remember those three words? Honest, wise, and good. So now we have four things that will help to guide us in the voting process. We must do our best to elect individuals who best match these four qualities.
How about verse 5?
We should sustain and uphold the respective governments in which you reside and not engage in sedition or rebellion. This would be unbecoming of a protected citizen.
And then verse 6?
We should honor our elected officials and we should show respect and deference to the laws of the land. Perhaps we should ask ourselves if our actions or involvement in any political cause is promoting peace and harmony or anarchy and terror. In my nation, recently, I believe we’ve seen examples of anarchy and terror being resorted to on both sides of the political spectrum. And it’s unfortunate.
TRUTH
In all political or government matters, we believe in seeking balance. Government vs. Religion. Public Good vs. Private Rights, Human Law vs. Divine Law. Civil Redress vs. Times of Exigency. Rights vs. Responsibilities.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
It’s probably safer, as a teacher, to invite your students to take a moment and do the following pondering activity.
Pick a current political issue that you feel strongly about.
Now seriously and sincerely consider the other viewpoint and seek to understand why somebody else might feel that way. Is it based in some valid concern or point? Yes, you may feel that they have tipped the scales too far in one direction, but are they rooted in a balancing principle? Odds are that they are.
I believe that doing just that simple exercise any time we encounter someone we disagree with can aid and improve our civil discourse in all of our nations.
CONCLUSION
So if there was one message that I wish all citizens of our countries could learn it would be this. Let’s seek for peace and harmony as we try to hash out our political and religious differences. I hope we can recognize that most of these issues are difficult things to balance. The solutions are usually not cut and dry and obvious. They’re complicated. We would do well to at least consider and acknowledge the other viewpoint or try to understand why someone might feel the way they do (as “misguided” as they are). Maybe everybody could just calm down a little, stop yelling at each other, engage in civil civic discourse to try and resolve differences and create good laws. And if laws are made, to do our best to uphold them and honor the civil officers that create them. To learn how to disagree without becoming disagreeable. Hopefully we can remember that our discipleship will be largely measured by how we treated other people, especially those that we disagree with. Jesus taught this at the Sermon on the Mount, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? (Matthew 5:46-47) What is Jesus suggesting? True Christians know how to love and salute those they disagree with. Perhaps we can take to heart the creed of Abraham Lincoln. “With malice towards none, with charity towards all”. I pray that wherever you live, that the citizens of your country will do all they can to “bind up the nations wounds” rather than deepen them.
POLITICAL PRINCIPLE CASE STUDIES
There is one more additional activity I would like to provide you with that you could use in teaching section 134. It works particularly well with the youth. It presents your students with a number of hypothetical case studies that they then try to use principles from section 134 to answer. I’m not going to go through all of these with you but let me give you one quick example.
Jim Gotelekted is on the city council of a city that is almost entirely made up of members of the Church. A law has been proposed to make it mandatory that Sunday be declared the Sabbath Day and that all businesses must close that day. What would you advise? (134:4)
So do you kind of get how that works? There are 9 different case studies for them to work through, and as a teacher, you could go through each and allow your students to share their thoughts on how the principles in section 134 could be used to help someone in that case study. I found this to be a good way of practicing the application of the political principles we just discussed.
PRACTICING POLITICAL PRINCIPLES
If you were following the principles taught in section 134, what would you advise?
1. Maud L. Sitizen wants to know what she could do to be a better citizen of her country. What would you advise? (134:3, 5, 6)
2. Jim Gotelekted is on the city council of a city that is almost entirely made up of members of the Church. A law has been proposed to make it mandatory that Sunday be declared the Sabbath Day and that all businesses must close that day. What would you advise? (134:4)
3. John Muiespeedo lives in a country that protects its citizens’ right to worship, control property, and speak freely. John is upset because he thinks the speed limits are unreasonably slow. He would like to lead a group of militants to try to overthrow the government and institute a government that will allow him to drive faster. What would you advise? (134:5)
4. Lauren Order knows for a fact that her neighbor is running a meth lab in their basement. She is wondering if she should alert authorities or keep it to herself, not wanting to be a tattle-tell. What would you advise? (134:8)
5. Barbara Notamorm, a Jewish girl from New York, moves to a small town in Utah where almost everyone is a member of the Church. When Barbara enrolls in the public school, she is told she can get extra credit in her literature class if she reads the Book of Mormon. What would you advise? (134:9)
6. John Wannaberich, a seminary teacher, would like to fine students $5.00 every day they are late for class. What would you advise? (134:10)
7. Tom Stilagrevin’s son was killed by a drunk driver. For some reason, the state has decided not to prosecute because of the circumstances surrounding the incident. Tom is distraught and angry. He can’t decide whether to take the drunk to court or wait for him outside the local bar and teach him what it is like to be hit by a car. What would you advise? (134:11)
8. One night, Ralph Notawimp hears someone breaking into his home. He knows it is against the law and that the intruder will be punished, but now he needs to decide whether it is okay to inflict physical harm on the intruder to protect his home and family. What would you advise? (134:11)
9. Bob Lisinsem has been asked to stand before the class and give an explanation about the Church’s belief about the role of God in government and what principles should guide the making of law. If you were Bob, what would you tell them. (134:1-9)
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