Watch the video presentation on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/wwJKpmvcVnw
To purchase slides or handouts, go to: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeachingWithPower
85-DON'T STEADY THE ARK
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker, I like to ask my students where they think they might find their names written. In what places or books could they encounter it?
Some possible answers: A yearbook. The phone book, although most of the younger generation won't even know what that is. The Church Tools app that has their ward directory. In a teachers' roll book of a class that they're taking. In a government census. On a social media account. There are many places we might find our names recorded. Well, Section 85 talks about a place where you want to find your name written. It's essential to our exaltation that we find our names written there. Where is it? See if you can find it.
There's actually more than one correct answer here in section 85. You may have seen at the end of verse 3 where it talks about having your name enrolled with the people of God. Verse 5 talks about having your name written in the book of the law of God. So does verse 7, and verse 11 as well. And then verse 9 gives us another name for this book as it speaks about "all they who are not found written in the book of remembrance". What's this all referring to?
BACKGROUND
Well back in Joseph Smith's day, there actually was a journal kept by leaders of the church called the book of the law of God that was used to record the names and offerings and worthiness of those who were righteously striving to live the law of consecration as they had been instructed by church leaders. Unfortunately, there were members of the church who had settled in Zion without official authorization to do so and who were not willing to live the law of consecration as instructed by the church. There were also some who had initially made the commitment to live it and had received their inheritances, but then had backed out of their commitments or had completely apostatized from the church. Leaders of the church in Zion, like William W. Phelps, wondered how they should deal with this development. Section 85 was the Lords answer to this situation. The church clerk in Zion was instructed to keep a record of the faithful. Those that were willing to live God's laws would have their names enrolled with the people of God. Those that refused to live God's laws, or who apostatized from the church, would have their names removed from that record. In Joseph Smith's day, the book of the law of God was an actual journal of that name kept by church leaders.
Now it's not quite the same today, but the church does continue to maintain accurate records of church members, ordinances, and donations. There is a physical list out there of those who call themselves members of Christ's Church. We could refer to this as a modern-day book of the law of God. That is a place we most definitely want to find our name.
Now, in this section, I usually don't like to spend a lot of time going verse by verse and really delving into each phrase. It's a bit of a harsher section, to be honest, and I usually only give a brief summary like the one I just shared. In fact, if you had to sum up the major message of section 85 in one sentence I would say:
TRUTH
If we refuse to live God's laws, our names will not be found among the records of the righteous.
That seems to be basic gist of it. Where I would spend some additional time though, would be verse 8, which references a very interesting story from the Old Testament. It says:
8 While that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death, like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning.
What's he talking about here? Somebody is getting a pretty stern warning. Many historians and members over the years have debated the identity of that man, as well as the identity of the "one mighty and strong" from verse 7 that was meant to set in order the house of God. Sadly, verse 7 has sometimes been used by apostate leaders and groups to justify opposing the prophet or breaking away from the Church. I prefer the interpretation offered by an official statement issued by the First Presidency in 1905 that identifies "the man called of God and appointed" as Edward Partridge who apparently had begun to resolve some of these concerns in his own way perhaps in opposition to Joseph's instructions? And the one mighty strong as being a person who would replace him if he continued to act of his own accord. Thankfully, Edward Partridge did heed the prophet's warning and counsel and no such measures were needed. If you're interested in reading that explanation, I'll provide it in briefly here but also place it in the video description below. I'm not sure I'd go into all of that as a teacher though.
STEADYING THE ARK
I would want my students to understand what the scriptures mean by "steadying the ark". Steadying the ark is one of the things that could possibly cause our names to be removed from the book of the law of God. What does it mean?
First, we need to know the source material. The story from the Old Testament itself. It's found in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13, but I usually just summarize it. Since this story is such an interesting one, I like to just let my students react to it. In ancient Israel, the ark of the covenant was the sacred container of the tablets of the ten commandments received by Moses on Mt. Sinai. It rested in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and represented the very presence of God. If they've ever seen the Indiana Jones movies, they'll know what you're talking about. Nobody was permitted to touch the ark, and only the Levites were authorized to even carry it. And that was only with sticks that were attached by rings to the outer corners. Even they weren't permitted to touch the actual ark itself. Well, at this time in Israelite history, King David has decided to move the ark to Jerusalem. Remember, his son Solomon is going to build a temple there. The ark is placed on a cart drawn by oxen and a man named Uzzah is walking alongside it. Well as they're walking, the cart passes over a rut, or a pothole and it shakes the ark. Well, Uzzah, when he sees this, reaches out his hand to steady the ark, worried that it might fall. As soon as he touches the ark, though, zap! He falls over dead. The end. That's it!
Now what do you do with that story? I ask them. What do you think about that? Was that fair?
And my students are often shocked by the story (pun intended). And they protest. But he was just trying to help! That seems harsh. Why would God do that to someone? The punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime.
Well, I explain that there is one conclusion that they must not come to from this story. The lesson is not that God is a capricious and vengeful God, just waiting to strike dead those who don't happen to do what he likes. There are too many other stories in the scriptures that would refute that conclusion. We know that God is loving, and forgiving, and merciful. So if that's not it, what is the moral of the story?
I believe that God wished to make a very important point with the story of Uzzah. Don't steady my ark. I don't need man to keep my affairs in order. I am well able to take care of my things. I don't need man's puny arm to manage my kingdom. Instruction and counsel come from the top-down, not vice versa.
That's what we mean by steadying the ark. President David O. McKay had this to say about that story:
"However well-meaning his intentions, Uzzah approached casually what could only be approached under the strictest conditions. He had no faith in God's power. He assumed that the ark was in danger, forgetting that it was the physical symbol of the God who has all power. What man can presume to save God and his kingdom through his own efforts? . . .
In modern revelation the Lord referred to this incident to teach the principle that the Lord does not need the help of men to defend his kingdom (see D&C 85:8). Yet even today there are those who fear the ark is tottering and presume to steady its course. . . .These are ark-steadiers. The best intentions do not justify such interference with the Lord's plan."
David O. McKay
(Gospel Ideals, p. 258)
I personally believe the Lord acted in this way to give us a strong visual to help us remember that principle. Uzzah gave us a great and memorable phrase. The scriptures tend to deal in extreme stories so that all other similar situations of a lesser nature fall under the influence of that same principle. "Steadying the ark" is going to be a phrase that will help a lot of future disciples beware of making the same kind of mistake. Now I'm kind of joking here, but perhaps even God and Uzzah had a good laugh about it afterwards. I can just see him up there afterwards saying, "Thank you Uzzah, for letting me use your life as a powerful object lesson to all the members of my church for the rest of time". And Uzzah would say, "Ah, don't mention it, any time." The story has added power in the very fact that Uzzah WAS well-intentioned. If he had pridefully reached out or was deliberately looking for an opportunity to do so, so that he could boast of it later, well, in that case, the lesson's completely different. The punishment maybe seems a bit more justified. But I believe that Uzzah sincerely was trying to help. Even though I'm certain that God would not have allowed his ark to topple or break.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
So can you think of any possible examples of ark-steadying today?
Perhaps there are members of the Church who vocally voice their opinion that they feel the church is getting things wrong. That they're not up to date with their policies on social issues or administrative matters. Some may voice their disapproval of the church's handling of women's issues, LGBTQ policies, abortion, marijuana use, sexual health, or the way the church manages its financial affairs. Perhaps there are people who feel the church is tipping and needs their help to "right" it. On a more local level, perhaps they complain about the decisions or actions of their bishop, relief society president, or youth leaders. I believe that in most cases these members are well-intentioned. And I'm not saying that this feedback is always totally inappropriate. Sometimes leaders can use counsel, and benefit from critique and relevant information that they might have missed. Leaders aren't perfect. But the spirit in which it's offered makes all the difference. If it's offered as something for leaders to consider in the spirit of constructive criticism or information, then I think that can be appropriate and helpful at times. But if it's a blatant declaration of wrongdoing or a demand of change or a public outcry of disapproval to others around them, then that's ark-steadying. Unfortunately, these individuals who rise up to "steady the ark" often die. Now God doesn't strike them physically dead, like with Uzzah, but they often separate themselves from the Church, or they lose faith, or they get offended and drift into inactivity. I know of a fellow seminary teacher who began to criticize some of the brethren's statements and church policies. He eventually not only removed himself from church education, but the church itself. He allowed his political opinions on just a few topics topple his entire testimony. His ark steadying was his downfall. He died, in a sense. His faith died; his commitment died. This is so often the fate of ark-steadiers. As a result, their names are removed from the records of the church, often at their own request. That, I'm afraid is one of the saddest responsibilities I've had as a bishop. On a few occasions, I've received a letter from the Church informing me that a member of my ward has requested to have their names removed from the records of the church. How sad it is to have to follow through on that instruction.
Another example of ark-steadying would be when people decide that they're going to live the gospel or the commandments in their own way, on their own terms, rather than God's. They want the benefits of obedience and discipleship without the responsibilities that go with it. Now if I want to get a driver’s license, then I must meet certain specific criteria, or it won't be granted. If I want to travel on an airplane, I can't just decide that I'm going to skip airport security because it's such a hassle. I must follow their instructions if I want the benefit of getting to where I want to go. It's the same with the commandments. Some may feel that they should be able to attend the temple without being full tithe payers. Some may feel they should be able to perform ordinances for family members when they're clearly not living a worthy lifestyle. Some may say that they don't think that drinking coffee is that big of a deal, or wearing clothing incompatible with temple garments, or using dishonest business practices to get ahead in their industry. In the long run, this strategy just won't work. I'm afraid the adversary will just continue to push us little by little, further and further, until we've drifted far from the safety of the iron rod. Something dies when we decide to steady the ark and do things our own way.
Jesus warned that: "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."(John 10:1) We might say, they're an ark-steadier. Instead of relying on our own wisdom, we can rely on God's instead.
TRUTH
When I seek to counsel God or his appointed leaders, I put myself in danger of spiritual death.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A personal question to ponder. Are there any areas in my life where I am seeking to "steady the ark"?
What can I do instead?
CONCLUSION
I hope that we can all avoid the dangers of steadying the ark. I've unfortunately seen this kind of scenario play out on more occasions than I wish to admit. I invite us to be very careful about fault finding and criticizing the way that God runs his universe and kingdom. Let's steady ourselves rather than steadying the ark. If we do, then one day there will be a roll call of sorts where God calls out the names of those recorded in His book of remembrance, or the book of His law. How upsetting would it be not to hear our names called out among the register of the righteous. I had a bit of an experience like this myself when I graduated from high school. The ceremony was held on the school's football field. They had begun to read out the names of the graduates and had gotten about halfway through when dark storm clouds started to gather overhead. It wasn't too long before a deafening crack and a blinding flash of light ripped through the crowd. Then there was chaos. People running for cover, shouting, and crying. Someone had actually been struck by lightning on the field, but thankfully, later we discovered that they were OK and recovering. But since my name was Wilcox, I never got to hear my name called out as a graduate. The ceremony was cancelled, and I was instructed to just pick up my diploma from the front office later that week. I remember how disappointed I was that I never got to hear my name read out. I don’t want that to be the case when the Celestial roll call is made. May we all hear our names lovingly declared from the Lord's lips at that day.
86-DON'T PULL THE TARES UP TOO QUICKLY
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker for section 86 I have a picture riddle for you. This picture represents a word. A word that describes something that we're going to talk about today. If you want to try and figure it out on your own, you can pause the video, but I'm going to start giving you hints to see if they'll help you.
· Hint #1: Jesus
· Hint #2: Doctrine and Covenants 86
· Hint #3: Stories
· Hint #4: The Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, the Ten Virgins, The Sower, the Talents
Hopefully that was enough for you to get it, but the word riddle is parables. Right. See, it's a pair of bulls, get it. I know, I know, you'll probably get a few groans if you do this as a teacher, but it's a fun way to introduce the concept of parables to your students.
Now if you don't like that idea, here's an alternate one. You can tell your students that you're going to be interpreting a parable and looking for a spiritual lesson it teaches. To get them into the right frame of mind and give them some practice, give them this parable matching handout. Match the parable with the lesson it teaches.
The answers?
The Good Samaritan teaches C: Serve your fellow man
The Prodigal son teaches B: You can be forgiven
The Parable of the Ten Virgins teaches A: Be prepared for the second coming.
The Parable of the Talents teaches E: Learn and improve yourself in this life.
The Parable of the Sower teaches D: Accept the gospel and be blessed.
TRANSITION
Well today we're going to take a look at one of the parables of Jesus. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. Ambiguous and abstract gospel principles are often more effectively communicated or felt through the use parables. Parables often employ symbols to represent different gospel elements or types of people. When his apostles asked why Jesus taught in parables, he replied:
Therefore, speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (Matthew 13:13)
Parables require a certain degree of spiritual readiness in order to grasp their deeper meanings. You have to ponder a parable in order to get it. The hard hearted or slothful listener is likely to only hear a story, while the careful listener finds deep meaning and inspiration in them.
Well Doctrine and Covenants 86 is going to help us to interpret one of the parables of Jesus. Remember that Joseph Smith is working through his inspired version of the Bible. The Section Heading tells us that "This revelation was received while the Prophet was reviewing and editing the manuscript of the translation of the Bible."
Whenever I encounter a parable in the scriptures, I like to follow three basic steps to interpret it. They are:
List the elements of the parable
Identify what they may represent
Ponder spiritual application
SEARCH
So we're going to do this for the parable of the wheat and the tares. First though, we need to hear the parable. It isn't found here in section 86 so we're going to have to get it from Matthew chapter 13 verses 24-30. So what I'll usually do is to either have one of my students read the parable out loud to the class, OR I play an audio version of it out loud. The Church's scripture app or website has this option available. So as they listen to it, I ask them to listen for the different elements of the parable, and then we list them on the board.
So I've already gone ahead and done the first step for you. Here are what I see as the elements of the parable. You have:
· The field:
· The seed:
· The sowers of the seed:
· Enemy:
· Wheat:
· Tares:
· The Burning:
So now let's move on to the second step of the process. Identify what these elements represent. This is where section 86 can help us. It's going to help us to interpret at least a few of the symbols. What interpretations does the Lord give us here for the different elements and how would you interpret the others that he doesn't? You'll find some of the answers in verses 2-3. You could also go to Matthew 13:36-43 as well. Here are the interpretations:
· The field is the world
· The seed is the gospel
· The sowers of the seed are the apostles
· The enemy is the great persecutor, the apostate, the whore, Babylon, Satan
· The wheat then is the righteous people of the earth or the children of the kingdom
· While the tares are the children of the wicked one.
· The burning of the field is the end of the world or the second coming, where the righteous are preserved while the wicked are destroyed and the earth is purified.
Now that's a fairly straightforward description of the latter days. We have wicked people and righteous people all growing together. Satan, our enemy, has done a great job of sowing wickedness, persecution, apostasy, and the influence of Babylon all around us. But, eventually, the second coming will arrive when the righteous will be spared and the wicked destroyed. Pretty simple. But there's more to this parable. To me, the real value and, where we find the personal application of this section, comes in the specific harvesting instructions offered in verses 6 and 7. What are they?
In verse 6, we are warned not to pluck up the tares too quickly for fear that some of the wheat will be destroyed in the process.
Instead, in verse 7, we are to wait until they are fully ripe. Then, first we gather out the wheat from the tares, then the tares can be bound and burned. That is actually a change from the Biblical version. In the Bible, it's gather the tares from out of the wheat.
Now what on earth is this all about? What do you think the Lord is trying to teach us with these instructions?
Well first,
Apparently, it's not always easy to tell the difference between a stalk of wheat and a tare. This is actually true of these plants. A tare, by the way, is a type of weed. If you were to just harvest your field with tares in it, and try to bake bread out of the resulting flour you got, it would taste Tare-able. So you can't just leave them together. At some point they need to be separated. Here's a picture of an immature stalk of wheat and an immature tare. They look very similar don't they. It would be very difficult to tell the difference with any degree of certainty. Now here's what they look like when they're full grown. Now you can tell the difference, can't you?
But remember, we're not talking about plants here, but people. What is this teaching us in terms of people? Why would he say, don't pull out what you think looks like a tare and burn it too quickly?
The warning is that there may be people out there that look like tares on the outside, but really, deep down on the inside they're a piece of wheat. If we're too quick to pluck them out and burn them, we might actually be damaging wheat and losing their precious potential.
To me this is a lesson on not judging people too quickly. There are many individuals out there that at first glance may not appear to be wheat. But before we "condemn" them to the fire. Before we judge them as not being "church material", before we deem them as a hopeless spiritual cause, give them a chance, give them some more time to grow, continue working with them. If we just start pulling and burning, we might make a grave error. I mean “our faith is weak” or in other words “our judgment of a person's potential may not be that reliable". Do you remember Jacob 5 last year? The allegory of the olive trees? How did the master of the vineyard work with his plants? He tried everything in his power to try to get those plants to bring forth good fruit. He often said "It grieveth me that I should lose this tree" and he worked with them, and nourished them, and dug about them, and pruned them, and all kinds of things. He was long-suffering and tried many different ways to save them before he ever got to the point of burning. That's a really good illustration of how we should treat people.
For example. My Grandma Wilcox. If you were to meet her in her early twenties, you would probably say she looked very much like a tare. My grandma was pretty wild when she was young. But if the people around her had pulled her out and burned her, if they had lost hope in her, if they had judged and condemned her, if they had failed to give her the chance and encouragement to change, we may have lost one of the greatest stalks of wheat I know of. In fact, my life may have turned out very differently as a result. My Grandma was one of the most faithful, Christlike, strong members of the Church I've ever known. She was wheat through and through. There was just a short time in her life, when she looked like a tare.
Another brief example I'd like to share of a time when I made the mistake of judging a person as a tare. And this is a painful one for me to share. While on my mission in Brazil, we met a young woman named Aparecida who allowed us to come into her home to teach her. She had two young children, both from different fathers, and she was not living with either of them at the time. We visited her a few times and, like good missionaries, invited her to be baptized, and she said yes. Now this is where I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't take that commitment as seriously as I should. Unfortunately, I had had the experience many times already with people accepting baptism but then would never actually follow through with it. They would say yes to please us, but when it came right down to it, they would eventually tell us that they weren't really interested, or they would just never show up to church. This happened almost weekly, and perhaps I'd become a bit jaded. Well, I'm not proud of this, but I judged that young woman. In a sense, my "weak in faith" 19-year-old mind had come to the conclusion that she was a tare. That she was not really the type of person that was serious about becoming a member of the church. But we continued to teach her the discussions. When it came to the final one, we finished up and were about to leave, and she looked up at us and said, "So when's my baptism?" And I had that brief moment of surprise, and then said, "Oh, of course, yes, we'll do that this next Sunday if you like", and she told us that she very much was looking forward to being baptized. And she was. Aparecida was baptized that week and began faithfully attending church from that point on. I felt chastised by the Spirit after that experience. "Don't judge" it seemed to say. In terms of section 86, "Don't pluck out the tares lest you damage the wheat". Aparecida was wheat, and I had judged her as a tare. Thankfully, the Lord wasn't going to allow my unfair judgment to get in the way of his work in the life of this young woman.
Now, do you know of any examples of someone who you may have thought looked like a tare, but now you know they are actually wheat?
So, since it's so difficult to tell the difference, how do we go about the work of gathering in the last days? According to verse 7, we go out looking for the wheat first. We gather wheat to be bundled and saved, not tares to be burned. That's actually a change that section 86 makes to the original interpretation found in the New Testament. How do you think that would change things? To treat everyone as if they were wheat? To assume that regardless of their outside appearance, they were really wheat on the inside? I'm afraid that if we go out looking for tares, then we might bypass countless opportunities to bless and influence people. If we walk around saying things like “That person would never join the church, I mean, look at their lifestyle, they're a tare. What’s the use in trying? Look, they drink and smoke, look, they have tattoos and piercings, look, they are too wrapped up in their own religion, why bother trying”. At the worst we condemn them as hopeless, cast them out, ignore them, or make them our enemy, and at best we miss out on opportunities to gather.
But if I treat everyone as potential wheat? What could happen? They may change. Or at least they'll know that they are welcome. They feel accepted. They'll be more open to hear our message, maybe at some future time. Now they may not be wheat, in the end, but at least we've given them a chance, we've given them the benefit of the doubt. I love this quote by Goethe that I feel applies here:
“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.” – Goethe
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Is there anyone you know of right now that, on the outside, looks like a tare?
How could you treat them more like wheat?
CONCLUSION
I hope that we can always assume that those we meet and know are wheat, even if they seem to bear a tare's facade. See the "wheat" in everyone. Never give up hope on them. Never make final judgments on people. You may very well be surprised someday to learn that they were wheat all along. Hopefully we can be humble enough to admit that our faith is weak and that we're not always the best judges of potential. I pray that we can all look for the best in people and also that many may be gathered and bundled into the barn of our Lord.
86-THE PRIESTHOOD MUST NEEDS REMAIN THROUGH YOU
ICEBREAKER
There is another quick principle that I would like to cover from the final verses of section 86. Verses 8-11 hold a powerful charge to members of the Church. As a teacher, I like to introduce it with a story of one of my ancestors. If you're teaching, I'd invite you to find and share a story of faith from your family history to share. Every family in the church has a "pioneer" story regardless of whether it happened in 2019 or 1847. But there's power in remembering and sharing these legacies of faith.
One of my family's pioneer stories is that of Ann Macey Clegg--my great great great grandmother on my mother's side. In the 1850's, she was living in Lancashire England as a widower struggling to raise five children all on her own. Gratefully, she encountered early missionaries of the church and was converted. But persecution quickly followed. At one point, a mob even dropped a small bomb down her chimney, and two of her children were burned in the incident. She decided that she needed to find a better life for her children and her greatest desire was to join with the Saints in the valley of the great Salt Lake. Fortunately, a wealthy convert in the area had agreed to help pay for the passage of five families wanting to make the journey to Zion, and Ann's was chosen. Well, their journey across the ocean and the plains began to take its toll on Ann's already poor health, and eventually, she became too weak to even walk and was only able to ride in the wagon. One thing kept her going, her wish, to look upon Zion with her own eyes, and assure that her children had safely arrived there. When the wagon train reached the top of Emigration canyon, her son lifted her head so she could see down into the valley. She uttered these three words "I am satisfied". Ann Macey Clegg died a few short weeks later, but not before providing her children with a better life and establishing them in Zion where their faith could be nurtured and fortified. She was buried in the Salt Lake City cemetery in an unmarked grave. Generations later, our family found the records that showed where she was buried, and we placed a gravestone for her with the words "I am satisfied" engraved at the bottom.
When I hear that story, and others like it, it does something for me. It forges a link, it engenders gratitude and awe. The legacy of that sacrifice has been passed from generation to generation all the way from 1850 down to 2021. The burning torch of her faith has continued to kindle the faith of her descendants all the way down to me. I will forever be grateful to her and my other ancestors who not only gave me my country, but also my faith. I wonder if they comprehended the impact that their decisions would have on so many generations to come.
TRANSITION
Section 86 verses 8-11 speaks of the connection that we have with the pioneers of our faith. You're going to see words like lineage, fathers, and heirs in these verses. Here, the Lord reminds us of our heritage of faith. Now he's going to zero in on one aspect of that faith, the priesthood. But I think you could just as easily substitute the word gospel, faith, or truth in there as well. It's the overall idea that I feel is most powerful here. Our ancestors, from our own family pioneers, all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were blessed with and embraced that priesthood, that gospel, that faith, that truth. And they sacrificed for it, and lived it, and loved it. Now the Lord has a message and a charge for us.
SEARCH
I want you to read these verses and ask yourself what you feel the Lord is asking us to do.
8 Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers
9 For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God
10 Therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.
11 Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lord hath said it. Amen.
Did you catch the message? If not, let me point out a few key phrases here. "your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage" and "blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness". The message is that we need to continue that legacy of faith. It needs to remain in us and be passed on from generation to generation until the end of times when Christ returns.
So one application here is that I need to remain strong. I don't want to be the weak link in the chain of that faith. I don't want to break it, or have that legacy end in me. It must needs remain!
Another application is that of teaching and influencing the next generation. One of my greatest desires and hopes is that I will be able to successfully pass that legacy of faith on to my children and grandchildren. It's also a source of great anxiety as well. Will I be able to pass that legacy of faith on to them? Will they receive it and continue faithful and then pass it on to their children?
I spoke earlier of my Grandma Wilcox. There's another vivid memory I have of her-something that she was fond of saying to us. She would say "All I want, is 100%. That's it". That was her way of saying she wanted ALL of her children and grandchildren, and great grandchildren to remain true to the faith. All she wanted was what I would call "an 86er" family, or a "must needs remain" family. A family where the gospel and that legacy of faith has been lovingly passed on from one generation to the next. And I'm happy to report that as of now, her wish is being fulfilled. And I pray constantly that it will continue to be fulfilled.
Of course, a caution here. People and children will exercise their agency, and a wayward child is not an indicator of failure or lack of faith or effort on the part of parent. Sometimes children stray or leave the path completely and all we can do is continue to love and encourage and hope for them. We never know when they may return. We may not be able to choose for them, but hopefully we make every effort to pass the torch and to keep it burning brightly in our own hearts. One of the things that I feel helps us to do this is to read those stories of faith and share them with our children. The Ann Macey Clegg stories. Not only does our Father in Heaven want us to engage in family history work so that we can perform ordinances for them in the temple, but also so that we can learn from their examples.
TRUTH
One of our greatest commissions as members of Christ's church is to strive to continue the legacy of faith passed on from our ancestors.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
What kinds of things could you do to keep the chain strong?
What could you do to link yourself and your posterity more strongly to that heritage?
CONCLUSION
The message I might emphasize here. Don't break the chain! Continue in his goodness. Strive to be an 86er and to create an 86er family--to be a "must needs remain" disciple or a "must needs remain" family. There's a promise if we do this. "Blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness", and we can become saviors ourselves. We get to share that title with Christ. Now it's saviors with a little s, but saviors, nonetheless. Perhaps the most important people we will ever save is ourselves and our families. Hopefully our efforts and concerns reflect that priority. I would hate to stand before my ancestors in the next life and try to explain to them why I broke the chain. How would I feel trying to explain to Ann Macey Clegg that living the gospel was just too hard or inconvenient for me in light of her sacrifice? No, I want to be able to thank her for the strength of her conviction and joyfully report that I kept the faith strong--that I forged an unbreakable link between her and my posterity.
87-WARS OF THE WORLD
ICEBREAKER
I'm afraid that the icebreaker for section 87 is a little discouraging. I like to begin with a multiple-choice question. We just talked about the parable of the wheat and the tares and the how the wicked will be destroyed at the second coming. So I ask: According to the scriptures, what is the major way in which the wicked will be destroyed in the last days?
A) Natural disasters
B) War
C) Plagues and sickness
D) Famine
Now all of these things do play a part in the prophecies and descriptions of the signs of the times, but one of them seems to stand out more prominently than all of the rest. It shows up and is emphasized in all of the great second coming revelations that we find in the scriptures. It's in Daniel, Zechariah, Ezekiel, the Book of Revelation, and in multiple places here in the Doctrine and Covenants. The answer is B. War. This appears to be the major cleansing element of the last days and second coming. It's not that God really has to send down a lot of destruction and burning from the heavens to punish and remove the wicked from the earth, although it's apparent there will be some of that. No, it's the wicked that destroy themselves in war, while the righteous sit back and sadly look on. Maybe you've read the Book of Revelation and been confused by what the Lord means by Armageddon, and the Supper of the Great God, and God and Magog, and vivid descriptions of beasts and destruction and burning. Well, if you want to simply understand what the Lord means by Armageddon, read section 87. This is the Cliffs Note version. It's the most straightforward and direct description of it that I know of.
Section 87 is sometimes called the "prophecy on war" and there's something really ironic about that, that you find in the Section heading. Can you find it? Irony is when there is an incongruity between what is expected and what actually happens or is expressed. Can you find a great example of irony here? Remember, this is the prophecy on war.
The irony here, is actually in the date. On what day was section 87 received? On December 25th. Christmas. On the day that the world was celebrating "peace on earth, good will toward men" Joseph received a prophecy on war. I'm not so sure that's a coincidence. Maybe it was the Lord's way of saying that from this time forward, there would not be peace on earth.
SEARCH
I want you to read this section and answer the following questions. You could either count off students from 1 to 4 and ask them to search for the answer to their question as they read it, or you could give them this small handout with all of the questions and invite them to search for the answers.
#1 What specific war does Joseph Smith seem to be prophesying here in the first verses of the section?
Answer: This is Joseph Smith's prophecy of the Civil War. Now this is in 1832. When did the Civil War actually begin? Not until 1861. Almost 30 years later. Now it just so happens that at this very time in American History, there was a rebellion against the United States government in South Carolina called the nullification crisis. And surely that must have been on Joseph's mind as he's writing at this time. But the Lord uses this opportunity to help Joseph and the church understand something about the future. That war was coming. Now that initial rebellion of South Carolina was shortly resolved in 1832. The current President, Andrew Jackson was from the South and was able to shut down the uprising. And for a lot of years, critics of the Church pointed to this as evidence that Joseph was a false prophet. "See", they said, "It didn't come true! The South Carolina thing fell apart. Joseph Smith's prophecies are a hoax." But Joseph stood by his prophecy and even reiterated it years later with even more specificity. You can see that in section 130:12-13. He said:
12 I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina.
13 It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832.
It would still be nearly 20 years before that prophesy would be fulfilled and sure enough, which state saw the very first battle of the Civil War? The first shots of the conflict are fired at Fort Sumter near Charleston South Carolina. Now some may argue that many Americans during the time felt that there would someday be a conflict between the Northern and Southern states over slavery. That's not a huge revelation. But the fact that he was able to pinpoint and declare with such certainty, 20 years prior, the exact state the conflict would begin in, really is something and should bring pause to even the most skeptical of critics. To me, it's just another point in a long line of evidences of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling.
#2 Is there any evidence that this section is speaking of more than just one specific war?
The answer is yes. I believe there is a lot of evidence that this is about much more than just the American Civil War. This is a prophecy on the beginning of many wars. Notice in verse 1 that it says:
Verily thus saith the Lord concerning the "wars" that will shortly come to pass, "beginning" at the rebellion of South Carolina.
Then verse 2 warns that "the time will come when war is poured out upon all nations". How will all of that begin? It will begin, as already noted with the rebellion of South Carolina. That "the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States", then the Southern States would call upon Great Britain, all of which happened, and then war would be poured out on all nations.
In other words. The American Civil war would mark the beginning of a new age of warfare--that the Civil War would be a starting point--an indication that the world had entered a new age. An age of war unlike anything previous. Is that true? Did the American Civil War mark a shift in worldwide warfare? A simple Google search of the question "What is considered to be the first modern war?" can reveal the answer. Though some historians will argue that it was World War I, the vast majority consider the American Civil war to be the first modern war. An increase in the accuracy of weapons, iron clad ships, and other technological advances made the Civil War different from any that had been fought before it. These innovations would result in massive casualties unlike anything ever known before. And from that time on, warfare has only increased in bloodiness and destruction.
In fact, I believe that these verses even describe the different types of wars that were going to occur and will still occur in the future.
So one, the Southern States being divided against the Northern States. What kind of a war is that describing? When there is fighting within a specific nation. That is a civil war. The United States is not the only country to experience this type of war. Can you think of any others that have taken place since then? In recent memory. Korea, the former Yugoslavia, Uganda, Columbia, Sudan, and Syria are all examples of civil Wars.
Then what do we call a war that is poured out upon all nations. These are world wars-or wars of alliance--where not only two nations are involved, but where allies join against allies and fight in massive theaters of war all over the globe. Examples of these kinds of war? That's an easy one. World War I, World War II, and I would even consider the modern war on terrorism another type of world war.
Then we have verse 4.
What kind of a war is that? When you have oppressed people who rise up against their oppressors to free themselves. That would be a rebellion, or a revolutionary war. Can you think of any examples of this since the American Civil War?
Russia has seen this happen, India, many African nations, Cuba, China, Nicaragua, and many many others.
Joseph Smith's prophecy does a really good job at describing our world, doesn't it?
Question # 3
What will be the final result of these wars?
The results come in verse 6. These wars will usher in the signs and calamities of the last days that will eventually result in the full end of all nations. This is why I don't believe that the Armageddon described in the Book of Revelation is just one specific large land battle where all nations are fighting on a field in Israel, although I suppose that's a possibility. But not likely. It's not really the way we fight wars anymore. I believe that Armageddon is now. It's the conglomeration of all the bloody conflicts that have been and are being waged on earth since the early 1800's.
In fact, just right now, there are at least 47 major or minor armed conflicts happening in the world right now. You could check this out at the following web address if you're interested. Also, here is a list of all major wars that have been fought since the American Civil War. Certainly, our world has seen much bloodshed within the past 200 years.
Along with those wars we will also see earthquakes and famines, and thunderings and lightnings, both literal and spiritual in the last days. Eventually, these wars will lead to a full end of all nations, like Daniel prophesied in his dream, and the only nation that will remain on earth is the Kingdom of God.
Question # 4
So our final question. And maybe the most important. This section describes a massive problem that we'll face in the Latter-days. The devastation of war. But I always keep in mind one of my favorite sayings that my students hear me repeat all the time. The scriptures will never present a problem without a solution being somewhere nearby. Well there is a solution presented to us in section 87. What is it?
The solution is found in verse 8.
8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.
That's the solution. We've got to stand or make our stand in our holy places. That's a phrase we've seen before in the Doctrine and Covenants, and we discussed it in depth back in section 45. But if you remember our discussion way back then you'll recall that we cross referenced Isaiah 4:5-6 for a description of the three major holy places of the latter days. Our homes, our churches, and our temples. I know that for a long time I wondered why the Church seemed to ask for so much of our time. Sunday church meetings, home centered gospel learning, seminary, institute, temple worship, youth activities, general conference, firesides, broadcasts, personal and family prayer, personal and family scripture study, and so on. I think at least part of the reason for this is because all these things draw us in to the safety of our holy places. The more time we spend in these places, the better off we'll be. The more protected and insulated we'll be from the influence and conflicts of the world around us.
TRUTH
If we wish to be safe from the conflicts of the last days, then we must make a stand in our holy places.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
In what ways have you found refuge from the calamities of the last days in the "three holy places"?
CONCLUSION
In conclusion. I'd like to share a really great literal example of this principle in real life and then a figurative on. We know how much of a tragedy it was for the early Saints to be persecuted and pushed out of one place to another. From New York, to Kirtland, to Missouri, and Nauvoo. Each time they were forced from their settlements and prodded elsewhere. Finally, after so many failed attempts to establish Zion among the people of the United States--they decided to go as far away from civilization as they could get. To leave their country and fundamentally all of civilization behind and establish themselves in the valley of the Great Salt Lake. Basically, the middle of nowhere. There they gathered for years and enjoyed relative peace and isolation from the nation growing up around it. One of the unforeseen results and blessings of this exodus was that when the Civil War actually does occur, as Joseph had here prophesied, the Saints are largely unaffected by the conflict. While North and South are tearing each other apart and causing incredible losses of life, the Saints were quietly and peacefully planting their crops, raising their families, and living their faith.
I believe that this will be the same outcome for Armageddon. Evil will destroy evil. And all Zion will need to do is sit back and watch with great sadness.
Keep one thing in mind though. One might argue that there have been many members of the church who have fought in and died in all of these conflicts. Were they not righteous enough? No, I don't think that's it. I think the greatest war we face today is the battle between good and evil, faith and unbelief, righteousness, and wickedness. Actual, literal war is just an outgrowth of this deeper, more fundamental war. So whether a soldier dies in actual conflict or not has no real bearing on the state of their soul or salvation. The way to win this war is to stand in holy places and be not moved. The righteous will all be brought forth in the morning of the first resurrection to enjoy the peace of the millennium. Even those that may have died in physical wars and conflicts. The wicked destroy themselves through their actions while the righteous walk away spiritually unscathed. That we may all find peace and protection within the safety of our holy places, is my prayer.
Section 85 Official Statement from the First Presidency
“It is to be observed first of all that the subject of this whole letter [the Prophet’s letter to William W. Phelps], as also the part of it subsequently accepted as a revelation, relates to the affairs of the Church in Missouri, the gathering of the Saints to that land and obtaining their inheritances under the law of consecration and stewardship; and the Prophet deals especially with the matter of what is to become of those who fail to receive their inheritances by order or deed from the bishop. …
“Bishop Partridge was one of the brethren, who—though a most worthy man, one whom the Lord loved, and whom the Prophet described as ‘a pattern of piety,’ and ‘one of the Lord’s great men’—at times arrayed himself in opposition to the Prophet in those early days, and sought to correct him in his administrations of the affairs of the Church; in other words, ‘put forth his hand to steady the ark.’ …
“It was while these conditions of rebellion, jealousy, pride, unbelief and hardness of heart prevailed among the brethren in Zion—Jackson County, Missouri—in all of which Bishop Partridge participated, that the words of the revelation taken from the letter to William W. Phelps, of the 27th of November 1832, were written. The ‘man who was called and appointed of God’ to ‘divide unto the Saints their inheritance’—Edward Partridge—was at that time out of order, neglecting his own duty, and putting ‘forth his hand to steady the ark’; hence, he was warned of the judgment of God impending, and the prediction was made that another, ‘one mighty and strong,’ would be sent of God to take his place, to have his bishopric—one having the spirit and power of that high office resting upon him, by which he would have power to ‘set in order the house of God, and arrange by lot the inheritance of the Saints’; in other words, one who would do the work that Bishop Edward Partridge had been appointed to do, but had failed to accomplish. …
“… And inasmuch as through his repentance and sacrifices and suffering, Bishop Edward Partridge undoubtedly obtained a mitigation of the threatened judgment against him of falling ‘by the shaft of death, like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning,’ so the occasion for sending another to fill his station—‘one mighty and strong to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the Saints’—may also be considered as having passed away and the whole incident of the prophecy closed” (in James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. [1965–75], 4:112, 113, 115, 117; see also Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2001], 186–87).
Comments