Doctrine and Covenants 29

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BACKGROUND

As far as the historical background to this section is concerned, it's interesting to note that Joseph had begun his inspired translation of the Bible around this time. This revelation was received within days of Joseph translating Genesis chapters 1 through 3. So it shouldn't surprise you when you find references in this section to the creation, Adam and Eve, the fall, and agency. But there is something even more fascinating, in my opinion, about the historical background of the section. Be sure when you study the Doctrine and Covenants, that you don't neglect to read the section headings. You'll often find tidbits of truth or gems of insight within them. And this week, there is something that really caught my attention in this small section heading for 29. Can you guess what it is? Something about the process of how this revelation was received blows my mind. It says that Joseph received this revelation in the presence of six elders. And I say, wow! You've got to be kidding me. How hard would that be! I don't know if I previously imagined Joseph just sitting in some back room all by himself pouring over the words, making corrections, churning out drafts, and crafting this document to be clear and perfect in its delivery. But apparently, that's not how it worked. He was able to just sit down and write out a masterpiece like section 29 in front of six people. Joseph may have been alone for the First Vision, but he was often in the presence of others when the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants were received. This builds my faith in Joseph's prophetic calling because I know how hard it is to write. I've been doing it for years. In preparing these lessons each week, it takes me hours to put together my words, my ideas, my lessons in the way that I wish to express them. But when I write, I have to be alone. I lock myself in my office and hammer it out. But then I edit, and edit some more, and edit some more, and delete sentences, and add new ones, and change words, and proceed through various drafts before I finally feel satisfied with the final version. I can't imagine trying to write out something as doctrinally deep and spiritually powerful as section 29 in front of an audience. While six people looked on as I worked. And Joseph isn't even going to go through drafts in front of them . Listen to how Parley P Pratt described his experience with watching Joseph receive a revelation.

"After we had joined in prayer in his translating room, he dictated in our presence the following revelation: (Each sentence was uttered slowly and very distinctly, and with a pause between each, sufficiently long for it to be recorded, by an ordinary writer, in long hand.) This was the manner in which all his written revelations were dictated and written. There was never any hesitation, reviewing, or reading back in order to keep the run of the subject; neither did any of these communications undergo revisions, interlinings, or corrections. As he dictated them so they stood, so far as I have witnessed; and I was present to witness the dictation of several communications of several pages each."

(Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p. 65-66)

Isn't that amazing. He just slowly and deliberately dictated the revelation as it was given from God. And it was basically a final draft right out of the gate. No major mistakes or revisions. Do you have any idea how hard that is? In fact, with last week's video, I made a mistake and said section 28 when I meant section 27, and that was after all my revisions. If you doubt Joseph's prophetic calling, I invite you to go find the smartest person you know, and challenge them to sit down and write a document anything like section 29 in the same way. I highly, highly doubt they will be able to do it. Because the reason Joseph was able to do this is not because he was a literary or theological genius. He didn't have the education, he didn't have the writing skills. He was able to do this because he was a prophet of God, acting under the hand of divine revelation and guidance. That's the only rational and plausible conclusion that I can come to.

Well with that as a background, let's dive in.

ICEBREAKER

There is a specific theme for section 29 that helps me to understand it much better. And to introduce that theme, I like to do the following icebreaker with my students. I do a gathering activity and there are a number of different options you could use here. You could have a contest between individuals or groups of students to see who can organize or gather various kinds of objects together. You could give them a jar of M&M's or any kind of candy for that matter that comes in different colors and have them sort them into piles. You could give them a deck of cards and have them organize them into suits or colors. The goal would be to see who could organize or gather them into groups the quickest.

TRANSITION

Well, that activity is somewhat reminiscent of the principles of section 29. There is some sorting and organizing that's going on here. In fact, to get us into the scriptures. Can you find the key word that is repeated in the following verses?

29:2, 29:7, 29:8, 29:27

Did you find it. It's gather or gathering. Section 29 is all about gathering. And there's more than one gathering that's going to be described in this section.

Verse 8 tells us that the Saints are to be gathered together into one place upon the face of this land. And in the early days of the church, that literally was the case. With so few members of the church, it made sense that they would be gathered into one physical location. So they gather to Kirtland, then Missouri, then Nauvoo, then Salt Lake. But as the church has grown, the meaning of gathering has shifted slightly. We no longer gather as a worldwide church into one specific location. Instead we gather to the stakes of Zion all throughout the world. Joseph Smith prophesied of this very thing when he said:

"There will be here and there a Stake [of Zion] for the gathering of the Saints. . . . There your children shall be blessed, and you in the midst of friends where you may be blessed. The Gospel net gathers of every kind. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.160)

God has and always will call his people to gather together. And when we do, he has great blessings for us and our children. Section 29 is going to help us understand why gathering is so important.

SEARCH

First, in mortality, there are two gatherings that take place. Two very different groups of people that bring themselves together.

And to get us going, I'll just point these out to you.

First you have :2 his people, :4 his chickens or baby chicks, :4 his chosen out of the world, :7 his elect, and then :27 calls them the righteous but is a clear reference to Jesus's parable of the sheep and the goats. So you could also add his sheep. And that's the title I'm going to stick to here.

On the other hand, you have a different group of people that gather and they are referred to most frequently as :8, :11, :17, :41 "the wicked", or you could include :21"the

great and abominable church", OR on the other side of Christ's parable in :27 you have the goats.

So in the spirit of gathering and sorting, we are going to do another gathering activity in this section. We're going to gather words and phrases from the section into categories and by the time we're done, I feel the message and meaning of the section will come into sharper focus.

So here's what you do as a teacher. I've taken a number of phrases from section 29 that fall into one of the following four categories. Words and phrases that describe what the sheep do. Words and phrases that describe what the goats do. Words and phrases that describe the blessings that come to the sheep. And then the final category, words or phrases that describe the consequences for the goats. So once again divide your class up into teams or pairs and give them the categories sheets and all the phrases that you've cut up into strips. I'll make these materials available for you to download. Have them work through the section placing the correct phrases in the correct categories. You could even make it a bit of a contest if you like and see which group can finish the fastest, but then add 15 seconds to their time for any misplaced phrases. Once all the teams are done. You can go through each of the sections and discuss what they teach. You could also encourage them to mark their scriptures in four different colors based on the categories. So let's do that together.

THE SHEEP

:1 They listen to the voice of Jesus Christ.

:2 And if you look in verse 2, you're going to see it again. They hearken to his voice.

:2 Also, they humble themselves, and call upon [him] in mighty prayer.

:4 They declare my gospel with the sound of rejoicing

Another repeat in verse 7, so this one must be important. Repetition suggests emphasis and significance. We learn that his elect "hear my voice and harden not their hearts". Learning to recognize and heed the voice of God is apparently one of the great distinguishing marks of a disciple. Remember the first word of the doctrine and covenants? It was HEARKEN in all caps.

From verse :12, they love him and keep his commandments.

And then verse :13, they die in him. That suggests what step of the doctrine of Christ? Enduring to the end, right? They followed Christ right up to their dying breath and died in him.

THE GOATS

Now to our other group. The wicked, the great and abominable church, or the goats. What qualities define them? Let's take a look.

29:9 Proud. Ezra Taft Benson said that Pride was the universal sin. Something we all struggle with. And CS Lewis once said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” Therefore, the prideful can never find God.

29:17 is probably the most direct of the descriptions. This is the quality that really sets them apart. If Christ emphasized and repeated the fact that his elect hear his voice, and answer his call, what would you think the defining characteristic of the wicked is going to be. "They will not repent, and they hear him not." Christ is always extending his arm of mercy and grace to anyone who is willing to accept it. He loves the wicked, and calls to them too. But how do they react to the call of the mother hen? They ignore it. They hear him not. It's not that the arm of his mercy isn't extended or that he isn't capable of forgiving them. It's that they won't listen.

29:22 They deny their God

Verse 36 describes the wicked actions of Satan and his angels in the pre-mortal world. How did they become who they became?

29:36 Satan "rebelled". The wicked rebel against God and his authority. Satan always seeks to paint our relationship with God, or with the prophets as a power struggle. He tries to convince us that they're trying to control us. That was Korihor's argument: "Ye keep them down, even as it were in bondage, . . ., that they durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges." Satan lies and tells them that these people are not motivated by love, but power.

29:36 Then, what did a third part of the hosts of heaven do? They turned away from God. Or Satan turned them away. The wicked allow themselves to be turned away from God. They turn away from his truths, his commandments, and his church.

Now this next section of verses describes what happened to Adam and Eve. The story of the Fall is a great example of how Satan tempts and manipulates people. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden are a perfect case study of how sin works. If you've been endowed, you're very familiar with the idea of comparing yourself to Adam or Eve. Well, what did Adam and Eve do that resulted in them being cast out.

29:40 They partook of the forbidden fruit, they transgressed the commandment and they yielded to temptation. Satan is still doing the same kinds of things he did in the Garden of Eden to us. Satan also tempts us to partake of forbidden fruit. Not actual fruit from a tree. But the forbidden fruit of pride, and lust, and greed, and dishonesty, and hate. He also tempts US to transgress the commandments and to yield to temptation. To yield is to give way to the arguments, the demands, or the pressure of another. Just like in the pre-mortal world. Satan is still after our agency. He wants us to yield it up unto him.

We'll talk more about Adam and Eve later, because they illustrate another very important principle in all of this, so we'll put a pin in it for now.

A few more phrases here:

29:44 They believe not, repent not

29:45 They love darkness rather than light and their deeds are evil. That's interesting to me. They love the dark. Why? Well, many crimes and evils are done literally or figuratively in the dark. For example, studies have found that most serious crimes occur at night. And that makes sense. It's easier to get away with evil deeds when it's harder to detect or see them. Figuratively speaking though, most people seek to conceal their evil deeds whether during the day or the night. They keep secrets, they hide evidence, they plot and scheme in private. Just like Lucifer told Adam and Eve to run and hide from God after they partook of the forbidden fruit, he encourages us to do likewise. Keep those things in the dark.

The final phrase for this section. They list to obey the wrong voice. To list means to lean. Satan very often works in this fashion as well. He works very slowly and patiently with people. He'll first get you to lean in his direction, to list. Ad if he can get you to list in the direction of sin, no matter how slight, and you keep moving forward, eventually, with enough time, you will find yourself in the dead center of Satan's realm.

THE BLESSINGS

All right, now that we have a good grasp of what kinds of people fall into the two gatherings, the next area to examine is the OUTCOMES. What outcomes can I expect if place myself into either of these two groups. The blessings or the consequences. So first the righteous. If I am a part of the gathering of the elect, the sheep, the chosen, what will be the blessings of that decision?

29:1 The blessing or purpose? Mercy, and atoning for our sins. Christ's promise is to extend mercy and grace to all those who repent and follow him.

From 29:2. He will gather his people as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings (protection). The image here is of a mother hen gathering her chickens under her wings. Does anybody know why a mother hen does this? Why would she gather her little chickens under her wings? For protection, right? When there is danger around, when she sees a cat or a fox nearby, she will cluck and call and spread her wings wide. Now the smart little chicks will do something when they hear that call. When they hear the clucking they will come running to safety because they recognize the voice of their protector. And when they are gathered together, she will sit down and cover them with her wings. And there are a number of great lessons in this. We are those little chicks and Christ is that mother hen.

Now we're going to pause from this activity for just a second and examine versus 13 through 21. I believe it connects well with the message of verse 2. We need to gather for protection because look at what's coming in the latter days. Now it's typical for people to be drawn into reading these prophecies in more of a literal fashion. But I believe that it's far more symbolic in nature than they give it credit for. Reading the signs of the times figuratively always seems to yield greater fruit and understanding. In these verses, I believe that the Lord is trying to describe the spiritual state of the world far more than its physical state. I'm not going to go into great detail here on the signs since that topic is dealt with better in sections 45 and 88. But I will give you a general explanation and interpretation.

: 14 The image of the sun being darkened, the moon turned to blood, and the stars falling takes each of our major sources of light and blacks them out. This suggests that the last days will be a time of great darkness. Spiritual darkness

:15 The weeping and wailing of verse 15 suggests that the last days will be a time of great sorrow. Spiritual sorrow.

:16 The great hailstorm of verse 16 suggests that the last days will be a time of great storminess. Spiritual storminess.

:18-20 Then verses 18-20 sound really horrifying. There's enough gruesomeness in these 3 verses to fill any Hollywood B-movie. You have flesh eating flies and maggots, and stayed tongues, and flesh falling from bones and eyes from their sockets, and devouring beasts. But I think we sometimes make more out of those verses than was intended. I honestly don't believe that God is going to have these things happen to the living. No, instead, they are all pointing to the same idea. These are all images of death. Things that happen to people's bodies after they die. These verses suggest that the last days will filled with death. Spiritual death. People's faith, love, charity, and testimony will decay and die and be devoured by the beasts of unbelief, and hatred, and selfishness.

That is another one of the major reasons we gather. We gather because the world is going to be like that. We're going to need the collective strength that gathering provides us in such terrible circumstances. We live in a perilous and dangerous world. And so Jesus calls out to us as that mother hen. Now it wouldn't make much sense for a mother hen to try and run around and gather all the chicks up herself. That would be chaos. No the smarter thing to do is just call and allow the chicks to come running to her. The protection is there, the invitation is made, but those little chicks have to make a decision for themselves. Are they going to heed, hearken, and listen to the clucking? Or are they going to ignore the invitation, and leave themselves vulnerable to attack and spiritual death. Another thing to consider. What is it that the mother hen is offering as protection? Herself. Right? Her life is all she can give. With that, are you listening with your spiritual ears? A powerful allusion to Christ and his sacrifice. So we gather for protection.

29:5 They are glad with Christ because he is in their midst. He will be their advocate. We'll speak more about Jesus as our advocate later in the Doctrine and Covenants. But I do love this little phrase at the end of verse five. "It is his good will to give you the kingdom". Isn't that nice to know? He's not like one of those teachers who makes the test deliberately difficult, or grades on a curve so his class doesn't look too easy to his colleagues. He's not like the owner of an exclusive club who only wants certain types of people allowed in. No he wants to make his kingdom available to all. He doesn't want it to be unattainable or exclusive. It's nice to know that it is his good will to give us his kingdom.

29:6. They receive answers to their united prayers. There's another reference to the power of gathering. They are united in prayer. I believe that there is power in the combined prayers of the faithful. Why do you think we have prayer rolls in the temple? The collective faith of the righteous prayers of disciples of Christ has a real effect on the outside world. Miracles can happen as a result.

29:8 Maybe the most significant one here. Why do we gather? Preparation. But you may notice something interesting about the two prepares in verse eight. It says that we are gathered into one place to prepare and to be prepared. There's a slight but significant difference between those two. To prepare suggests what we do. Our efforts to prepare our hearts. Gathering allows us to do things that will prepare our hearts to receive him and his gospel. But we are also prepared. This is what God does. That's his part. He gives us instruction, and revelation, and the support of leaders and other members. He prepares us against the desolation and tribulation of the last days.

29:11 A blessing here. The elect will dwell in righteousness with Christ for 1000 years. This is a reference to the millennium, that time of peace and purity on the earth preceding the final judgment.

29:13 This next verse is packed with powerful promises. What will the elect receive here? They will receive a crown of righteousness and be clothed upon even as he is. What could that be referring to? I'm not certain. But, could it be that we are clothed upon with a resurrected body like Christ? Perhaps. Could it be that we are clothed upon with the robes of righteousness? That our righteousness and character and abilities will be like his? Will we truly be Christ like? Perhaps that's what it means. Or could it be that we are clothed upon with his powers, his might, and his dominion as section 76 suggests? Perhaps. Whatever that means, it will for sure be glorious. And above all that, we will be with Christ, and become one with him. One in the same way that he is one with the father. One in purpose, one in desire, one in righteousness, one in glory.

29:27 Here's the big one. This verse describes a different gathering than what we've been discussing thus far. This is the second gathering of the elect. The gathering unto eternal life. You may remember the lesson where we defined certain terms of salvation. We defined eternal life as not just living forever, but as living forever with God. He gathers his people here in this life in preparation for another future gathering. If we allow ourselves to be gathered. If we come running to his clucking. If we respond to his voice, if we heed his invitation, then we will have the blessing of taking part in this glorious post-mortal gathering. This gathering of all his sheep on his right hand to eternal life. Which section 14 taught us was the greatest of all the gifts of God.

29:43 And this vision of future glory is so important in this revelation that it is repeated once again in 29:43. They will be raised in immortality unto eternal life

Such comforting and meaningful promises for his people here

THE CONSEQUENCES

So what will be the fate of the wicked then? What phrases did you gather here? Now I don't like to dwell too long on the consequences of the wicked, but it is important to point them out.

29:8 tribulation and desolation

29:9 Stubble, burn them up

29:11 Shall not stand. Remember how we looked at that word last week in section 27. That we put on the whole armor of God having done all that we may be able to stand. And then, later in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord will tell us to stand in holy places. The wicked, on the other hand, shall not stand, because they don't put on the armor of God and they despise his holy places.

29:17 You have vengeance, and also, "my blood shall not cleanse them". Ouch. Those that refuse to gather will miss out on the cleansing power of the atonement. Like we learned in section 19. The great multiple-choice question. Repent or suffer. Christ suffered so that we wouldn't need to suffer the total demands of justice. But if we do not repent, we must suffer even as he did. Which suffering caused him the greatest of all to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore.

29:21 Verse 21 describes the destruction of all worldliness. The death of the great and abominable church, or the whore of Babylon. I know that's an uncomfortable image to describe but it's an apt one. What does a prostitute do? She sells that which is of most value, for money, for gain. That is what the abominable church of the world is always encouraging people to do. Sell your integrity, your trust, your relationships, your exaltation, for money. Those industries, those powers, those evil institutions will be cast down by devouring fire because abominations shall not reign.

29:27 Christ will be ashamed to own them before the Father. This one I struggle with a little. I'm not exactly sure what he means by he will be ashamed to own them before the Father. It sounds a bit harsh. We do know that Christ bought all of us through his atonement-that he purchased us with his blood. And maybe he will be ashamed to own those that refuse to repent and take advantage of that sacrifice--those he suffered for and yet his blood will not cleanse them. That's a possible interpretation but I'm sure there are others. But maybe he says "I will be ashamed to own them before the Father because they wouldn't let me be their advocate, they wouldn't let me be in their midst, they wouldn't gather under my wings and I can't claim them as my sheep, WHEREFORE, I'm going to have to tell them to something.

29:28 Which takes us to our next one. These are probably the most painful words that we could ever hear Jesus Christ say to us, and probably the most painful words that he has to say. What are those words? Depart from me. They stand in stark contrast to the Lords three word promise in verse 13 to "be with me". That's got to be tough for him to say the opposite. And I struggled with that at first. We always picture Christ inviting people to Come. Come, follow me, is the name of this entire program of scripture study we're engaged in. We sing Hymns with titles like "Come Unto Jesus", and "Come Unto Him", "Come, Ye children of the Lord". And the spirit of all that is true. Christ is inviting all to come unto him. Even the wicked. His arm of mercy is extended out to them all the day long. But what about this "Depart" though. You might wonder how "Christlike" that is. How could somebody like Christ ever tell somebody to depart. Well, let me give you an example of this from my experiences as a seminary teacher. And I have to preface this by telling you that this kind of situation is rare, and I could count on one hand how many times I've had to do something like this. But, not every student is always thrilled about coming to seminary. In almost every class I've ever taught, there has always been a contingent of students that don't really want to be there. Their attitude is a bit sour. Their parents are making them come, or they just don't mesh well with your personality. And you know what. I can work with that, and I seek to include those students, and connect with them, and I always have the hope and goal to change their minds. Sometimes I'm successful and sometimes I'm not. But on occasion, you encounter a student that is not content to just have a sour attitude. No, they actively seek to bring the rest of the class down. To turn the class into a power struggle between you and them. To block the Spirit and change the environment into one of chaos and disrespect. And that just can't be. So, a decision to remove a student from seminary is never made easily or quickly. Discussions are had, parents and priesthood leaders are involved, chances, and second chances, and third chances are offered. But there comes a point, where it is obvious that no change is coming, that there is no desire for improve, but instead show a determination to continue their current course of action regardless of the consequences that they fully understand are coming. And they are willing to accept those consequences. The point has come in those situations where I have had to say "Depart" in a sense. And there is no pleasure in it. There is no self-righteous indignation. It's heartbreaking. But, at the same time, it feels right. It's confirmed in my heart that it's the right thing. The well-being and spiritual edification of all those other students in that class that are seeking for an uplifting and meaningful experience justifies it. I wonder if that's what it may be like for Christ, on a much grander scale though. I know of a set of parents that had to utter those painful words to one of their teenage sons. Because his toxic influence on the family and his refusal to keep certain standards and even the laws of the land within that home caused his parents to have to say "Depart". They said it was the hardest thing they ever had to do, but that it was the right thing for the sake of their other children, and their own well-being.

29:29 A continuation of that idea. Where he is, they cannot come, for they have no power. Remember that "no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God".

29:37 Now remember how we were talking about Satan and his angels in the pre-mortal world earlier in verse 36? They rebelled against God and turned away from him. Because of their rebellion and their willingness to turn away from God, what did God have to say to them? He had to say, "Depart from me". And they were thrust down. Out of the presence of God.

29:38 And there is "a place prepared for them, which place is hell". They have their own gathering place as well.

Then you have the same dynamic playing out with Adam and Eve. They rebelled. They partook of the forbidden fruit, and transgressed God's commandment. Therefore, 29:40 they become subject to the will of the devil.

So what did God have to say to them?

29:41 He had to say the painful words "Depart from me" and they were cast out, and they became spiritually dead, or separated from the presence of the Father.

Do you see how that idea and principle is repeated multiple times in this chapter? If we rebel, if we turn away, we will be asked to depart. It happened to Satan and his angels in the pre-mortal world. It happened to Adam and Eve in the fall. It happens to the great and abominable church in mortality, and it will happen to the wicked at the final judgment. Hopefully, we never find ourselves in that kind of gathering.

THE CHOICE

Well. Can you see what the Lord is doing here in section 29? Can you see the division between the two gatherings? We have a choice to make, don't we? Is it any wonder then why he mentions a certain gospel principle 3 different times here on page 52?

:35 Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself.

:36 The third part of the host of heaven were turned away from God by Satan "because of their agency"

:39 Without temptation , or an opposition in all things, man "could not be agents unto themselves".

He's emphasizing that message for a reason. After he has clearly laid out the two sides, the actions that define them, and the outcomes for choosing either, he invites us to "Choose". Choose your side. To which end of the spectrum are you going to gather? We have our agency and God will force no one, but he has taken great pains to make sure that we are informed and can make an educated decision.

Remember how we were talking about Adam and Eve earlier. They partook of the forbidden fruit, they transgressed the commandment, and they yielded to temptation, so in turn, they were cast out of the presence of God. God had to tell them to depart. But did he just leave them at that? Were they doomed to eternal separation from their Heavenly Father? No. That's why I believe verses 42-45 are among the most important in the entire section. After explaining how Adam and Eve had been cast out and had suffered the second death of being separated from God, there is a very important word that comes next. BUT. Thank heavens that's the word that comes next. Just because we choose the wrong, or yield to temptation , or find ourselves on the rebellious side of things, doesn't mean that we need be eternally cast off.

42 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.

43 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;

44 And they that believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not;

45 For they love darkness rather than light, and their deeds are evil, and they receive their wages of whom they list to obey.

So we may transgress and partake of forbidden fruit from time to time. BUT, God has granted us a time of probation, a period of testing, otherwise known as MORTALITY. The casting out is temporary, and he's not going to cast out anybody permanently until he's given them a chance to do something. He's going to send forth angels, and prophets, and parents, and leaders to declare repentance, and redemption through faith on his name. He will give us the opportunity to be "raised in immortality unto eternal life", if we just believe. But if we do not believe, and we do not repent, then we cannot be redeemed from this spiritual fall. And instead of receiving the GIFT of eternal life in the presence of God and the chance to "be with Him", we receive the WAGES of whom we list to obey and hear him say "Depart from me". Exaltation is a gift, but we have to earn damnation. So God is not quick to condemn. He gives us time. He offers many chances. He tries many things, and he calls with many different voices. (we're really going to see that message emphasized when we get to section 43). But, there comes a time when it no longer makes sense to offer another chance, because it won't be taken. It makes no sense to call with another voice, because it won't be heard. It makes no sense to extend the arm of mercy, because it will only be pushed away. That's when the Savior, with tears in his eyes as suggested by Moses 7, says "Depart from me". You have chosen to suffer rather than to repent.

TRUTH

The truth then is rather straightforward and simple here. If I choose to be gathered to Christ's Church in mortality, then Christ will gather me unto eternal life in eternity. If I choose to be gathered to the great and abominable church, then Christ will say "depart from me" in eternity.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

As you look at the categories we put together. Is the choice clear for you? Take a moment to look at both sides and ponder the following question. It's very open-ended and a bit personal, so you may not want to have them share it out loud. The question is "After looking at the two sides, what message, or promise, or warning, or blessing do you feel you most needed to hear today? and Why?

CONCLUSION

Well I know that there are some frightening prophecies and discouraging images portrayed in section 29. But that is more than balanced out by the positive, merciful, and inviting voice of the Savior that permeates this section of scripture. We determine, with our agency, whether we become one of the gathered, or one of the departed. Revelations on the second coming are not intended to scare us into obedience, but to give us hope and help in making right choices. Back when the church was still involved with the Boy Scout program, there was something special they did at an Eagle court of honor when a boy was to receive his eagle scout award. They would invite all of those who had also received their Eagle Scout award at some time in the past to come forward and stand behind the eagle as they received their award. It was called the Eagle's nest. At these times I always felt a sense of honor to gather with those others who also had attained that achievement. There was a special bond and a brotherhood in that shared experience. In those moments, I was always grateful that I had made those sacrifices and did that work all those years ago. I wonder, if in some small way, that will be somewhat similar to how we will feel when we are called to gather to the right hand of Christ. However, in order to have that privilege then, we must be gathered now. So, I invite you to gather to Christ. Gather as his flock of sheep. Gather to the outstretched wings of the mother hen, gather with the elect, gather to the church, and there I can promise you will find protection, preparation, power, purpose, and peace. And then, in the next life, you will be part of the ultimate gathering on the right hand of Christ, as his sheep, to be clothed even as He is, and to enjoy eternal life with Him and the Father for eternity.

Well, there will be much more to learn about the second coming when we get to sections 43, 45, 88, and 133. Section 29 makes the second coming and judgment seem fairly black and white, but there still remains a lot to be explained. Joseph has yet to learn about temple work for the dead, the nature of the Spirit World, and the kingdoms of glory. God hints at this in verse 30 when he says, "remember that all my judgments are not given unto men", and in the final verse "I declare no more unto you AT THIS TIME". In other words, Joseph, we'll talk about this again. There is a lot you don't understand yet. But this is enough for now.

LITTLE CHILDREN ARE REDEEMED

That message would be my focus for section 29, but I'd also like to share one final brief thought from the end of the section. It's almost like a little addendum to our major theme here. Remember the quote I shared at the beginning of the lesson from Joseph Smith? Where he promised that our children would be blessed if we gathered together. Well verses 46-50 give us some important teachings on little children and I might begin by inviting them to read those verses looking for what they teach us about little children.

Here are some possible things they could bring up.

:46 little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through Christ. Christ's atonement automatically covers the mistakes and transgressions of the unaccountable. In order to sin, you need accountability, and little children just don't have that level of understanding . They cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children. Little children can't say "the devil made me do it" because he can't make them do it. They don't have accountability. They're still developing it. I still remember my son Caleb when he was little being sent to his room for a time out because of something he had done. And we could hear him in there yelling at Satan for getting him in trouble. "Why do I listen to you Satan. You always get me in to trouble". I probably should have done a better job at explaining that Satan didn't have power to tempt him to do those things, and that he was just learning how to properly use his agency. Now, later in the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord is going to reveal that age 8 is when a child becomes technically accountable. But I don't think there's anything magical about that number, and that some incredible transformation takes place on the day of your 8th birthday. I just think that the Lord had to draw the line somewhere, and age 8 is a fairly reasonable age to recognize that they've gained a certain understanding of the nature of their actions.

Although, I find it intriguing that it says they BEGIN to become accountable before me. They aren't yet fully accountable, but just beginning to be accountable. They aren't accountable in the same way that an 85-year-old is accountable. They are still developing and learning and maturing. I believe that accountability grows at the same time their minds and bodies are growing. A 12-year-old is more accountable than an eight-year-old, and an 18-year-old is more accountable than a 12-year-old, and a 45-year-old is more accountable than an 18-year-old, and so on and so on.

But here's the phrase that gets me. Verse 48

8 For it is given unto them even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things may be required at the hand of their fathers. So we know that little children aren't really being tested during those first 8 years of life, but somebody else is--their parents. God requires great things at the hand of the parents. That begs the question: "What great things are required?" I don't know exactly, but it's a good discussion question. Some things come to mind. To teach them. To love them. To care for and protect them. To prepare them during those important formative years for future righteousness and success. They've got 8 years to practice and learn and develop without any worry of guilt or accountability. During that time, Mom and Dad, do all you can to train and prepare them, because you will be held accountable for the way in which you fulfilled that duty. One of my favorite scenes of all the book of Mormon is when Jesus calls for all the little children at Bountiful to be brought to him to be blessed. And I can just picture all those loving parents bringing their little children in their arms to the Savior to be blessed. That's what I hope I've been able to accomplish as a parent. My youngest son just turned eight a few months ago, and I hope and pray that by the time that all my children are grown and gone that I will be able to say that I tried my best to do the same thing as those Nephite parents. That I sought to bring my children to Christ to be blessed by him. I believe that is a great thing required of me as a father.