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SECTION 12
ICEBREAKER
Section 12 is very short, but I still believe you can have a meaningful experience with it. I often introduce it with yet another scripture study skill. And for an icebreaker I display the following slide and ask, what do all these photos have in common?
Answer. Something very interesting is in the background. The main subject is fine, but in some cases what's in the background is even more compelling.
Well, in the case of the scriptures, the same can be true. Oftentimes, exploring and examining the background can really add to your understanding and insight. This is especially true when it comes to the Doctrine and Covenants. Because the stories behind the revelations aren't always printed directly on the page. It's not like the Book of Mormon or the Bible where the story is usually right there in front of you in black and white. The Doctrine and Covenants just provides the revelation that came as a result of the story. So what do we do about that? Well, there are a lot of resources out there to help us fill in the gap. The Section Heading, first of all can offer some help, there are countless manuals and books on the subject. But let me point you to one of the best and easiest ways to access that help. If you have the gospel library app, or you are studying from the church website, you have this little icon to the right of the title of each section. If you click on that, it will link you to a resource called "Revelations in Context". Now these give you are very concise and helpful synopsis and background of the characters and events surrounding the revelation. So I encourage you to read those each time you come to a new section and I promise, it will make a big difference in your study.
Section 12 offers us a good example of the power of context. It's directed to an early convert of the church named Joseph Knight, Senior and the story of the Knight family in church history is truly fascinating. With so many other stories of early church members abandoning their faith or falling into apostasy, the Knight family is an example of a group of individuals who stayed through it all. They remain faithful all the way from Palmyra to Salt Lake.
So allow me to give you a short synopsis of the Knight family. Joseph first meets the Knights while working for Josiah Stowell as a young man, who was a business partner with Joseph Knight Sr. Here are just some of the things the Knights gave or sacrificed to advance the work of the Restoration.
• Joseph Knight Sr. lends Joseph and Emma his carriage to go and retrieve the gold plates.
• Joseph Knight Sr. provides food and paper during the translation.
• Joseph Knight Sr. helps Joseph financially on more than one occasion.
• The Knight family faces persecution in Colesville after their baptism.
• They leave behind their successful farm and mill to join the saints in Kirtland.
• Forced to leave their home in the Kirtland area because of the apostasy of Lemon Copley.
• The Knights are sent to establish Zion in Jackson County Missouri.
• Polly Knight, Joseph Knight’s wife, dies of sickness.
• Esther Knight, his daughter, dies shortly thereafter.
• They are forced from their home in Jackson County.
• Newell Knight’s newborn son and wife die due to the harsh conditions.
• Newell travels back to Kirtland to help build the Kirtland temple.
• Forced from Caldwell County and settles in Nauvoo.
• Joseph Knight Sr.’s daughter Polly dies in Nauvoo.
• Forced to leave their home in Nauvoo to follow the Saints West.
• Newell Knight dies of pneumonia at Council Bluffs, Iowa.
• Joseph Knight Sr. will die less than a month later at Mount Pisgah, Iowa.
• Newell’s son, Jesse Knight, will survive all the hardships of his youth, and establish himself as a successful businessman in Utah.
• Jesse Knight will frequently help the church financially and gave large endowments to help establish Brigham Young University.
Well, just take a look at that list of sacrifices and dedication. This family left an extraordinary legacy for the church. They certainly were Knights of the Restoration. I imagine it's likely that even some of you listening may be descendants of the Knight family. Put that in the comments below if you are, and if you are, what an incredible heritage your ancestors gave you and all of us as members of the church.
SEARCH
Now, with that as a background, what does that add to your study of Section 12?
Read it and mark any phrase that stands out to you.
What do I see? In verse 6. Seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion. Doesn't that phrase take on a whole new meaning, knowing what we now know. With our background, the significance of that sentence is magnified exponentially isn't it. The Knight family truly lived that phrase. When Joseph Knight Sr received that revelation at the beginning of his journey of faith, I'm not sure he realized the cost of that heavenly instruction. We often view phrases like this so positively, which we should. But we also have to recognize that establishing the cause of Zion requires sacrifice.
TRUTH
Establishing Zion requires sacrifice.
For this family, it was deep sacrifice; they gave so much to establish that cause.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Are we willing to make a similar effort in our discipleship? Do we realize that discipleship carries a cost; that establishing Zion isn't free? Verse 7 tells us that this revelation applies to ALL who have desires to bring forth and establish this work. Now it probably won't cost us what it cost them, but maybe we could ask ourselves "How can I help to establish the cause of Zion like the Knights?" . And we can say, "If they could endure and give THAT, then shouldn't I be able to give and endure what's been asked of me? To give my time as a full-time missionary? To offer my best in my church calling? To dedicate 10% of my income to tithing? To sacrifice my own will, to follow the will of the Father? The Knights can inspire us to do so.
What will help us to give as they gave? We can be humble, full of love, have faith, hope, charity, temperance, and be trustworthy. The Knight family possessed these qualities in spades. If we wish to accomplish and give half as much as they did, we too need to develop a measure of these attributes.
One more phrase. The Knights were certainly a family that gave heed with their might. They didn't just give heed; they gave heed mightily. I hope that we can follow their amazing example. I also love the fact that Joseph Knight is not really as notable and big a name in the early leadership of the church as many others. He's not a Brigham Young, a Sidney Rigdon, or a Parley P. Pratt. Instead he and his family were just devout, dedicated, and humble latter-day saints who faithfully sought to establish the cause of Zion without notoriety or expectation of reward.
CONCLUSION
I hope we can do the same; that we can be Knight's! and seek to establish the cause of Zion as they did, with all of those qualities that they possessed, and do it mightily.
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 13
ICEBREAKER
The section where the section heading is longer than the section itself. The importance of this small one verse section though, can't be overstated and represents one of the most significant events of the Restoration, and indeed the last 1000 years. For the first time in centuries, on May 15, 1829, an ordinance was performed under the proper and real authority of God's priesthood power.
As an icebreaker, and to specifically help young people to understand the importance of priesthood authority, I often have them imagine the following scenario.
I say: I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are driving down the freeway in your dream car. Now, since it's your dream car, there is a good possibility you may be driving a little fast. Am I right? I mean, if you're in a Lamborghini, chances are you're not going to want to stay under 65. So you're going a little fast, you've got your music on, sunglasses, just enjoying the drive. When all of sudden, you look to your side and you notice there's somebody in the car driving next to you trying to get your attention. They're waving their arms and honking. And then you recognize them. It's actually me, Brother Wilcox, in my suit and tie, driving my old Mazda, waving at you and motioning for you to pull over. And you think to yourself, "Well, I've always known he was a little strange, but OK, I guess I'd better see what he wants. And so you pull over and I pull up right behind you. In the rear-view mirror, you see me get out of my car slowly and saunter up to the driver's side window and I knock on it. You roll the window down and say, Hi, Brother Wilcox, can I do something for you? Well, I'm wearing some aviator sunglasses, and I slowly take them off my face and say, Ummm, do your realize how fast you were going? And you say, Ahh, no, I'm not really sure. And I say "I had to go 85 mph just to keep up with you. And you say, OK, thanks for the information, can I go now. I kind of frown a little bit and say, You know, I don't think I can let this go this time. And I pull out a pad of sticky notes, and I write, You are hereby fined to pay 200$ for speeding. And I rip off that sticky note, place it on your dashboard, and say "Now you drive more carefully, I'll see you next week in class". And I walk back to my car which has steam coming from the hood because it's not made to go that fast. Well, a question. What are you going to do with that ticket? Do you have to pay it? And sometimes my students will say, "I'd rip it up", "I'd throw it away", "I'd ignore it". And I ask them why? I mean , you were speeding, you did break the law, and I legitimately caught you, and I can even say the reason I did it was because I truly want the streets to be safer, I'm sincere in my desire. But why don't you have to pay the ticket? And they always get it. Because I'm not a police officer. I don't have the authority to give a ticket. I don't have a badge. I have not been granted that power by those who possess it. We believe that there must be order to these things. You can't just have anybody out there writing tickets.
TRANSITION
Well I tell them that, in a similar but more holy way, that's why we have the priesthood. Because we believe that God, is a god of order. And that those who act and teach in his name, must be given authority to do so. That's why we say in the 5th Article of Faith,
“We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.”
Now while they were translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery found the ordinance of baptism mentioned in the plates and they wondered about it. We know from Oliver Cowdery's footnote that they had already translated the account of the Savior's ministry to the Americas. Perhaps 3 Nephi chapter 11 where Jesus teaches the proper method of baptism prompted this. It's at this point in the lesson that I like to invite my students to take turns reading Joseph Smith-History verses 68-73 out loud as a class which describes what happens to Joseph and Oliver as they pray for wisdom. Now I won't read that with you here, but I invite you to do so and then let's return back to section 13.
SEARCH
This is a section where we may want to go phrase by phrase to understand it better. At this point I would assign each student a number from 1-4. Then I would give each a numbered handout that highlights one of the phrases from section 13 and ask them to study it, ponder it, and be prepared to share something they learned about it with the rest of the class. Each handout provides some resources to help them understand it. Either quotes from the brethren or some cross references.
Give them about 5 minutes to study and prepare, then have them share their findings with their group of 4. Then, you could also have some share with the entire class.
Here's how I divide up the verse:
1. "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron,"
2. "which holds the keys of the ministering of angels"
3. "and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;"
4. "and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness."
"Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron,"
"To be considered a fellow servant with John the Baptist, who baptized the Savior and prepared the way for His coming must have been humbling, perhaps even overwhelming to these two young men in their twenties. At the time, Joseph and Oliver were relatively unknown, much as Harmony was. But service in God’s work has always been about how we serve, not about who notices. However small or unseen your contribution may seem at times, you too are a fellow servant in the Lord’s great work." (Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families, Doctrine and Covenants 2021)
Matthew 3:1–6
As a result of the failure of the Israelites to observe the gospel law administered by Moses under the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the Lord gave an additional law of performances and ordinances and “confirmed a priesthood also upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations” to administer it. This priesthood was of lesser power and authority than the priesthood of Melchizedek and was used to administer the outward ordinances, particularly as characterized by the ceremonies of the law of Moses. (Aaronic Priesthood--Bible Dictionary)
"which holds the keys of the ministering of angels"
The ministering of angels. I don't know about you but as an Aaronic priesthood holder, I don't recall any time when an angel appeared to me. So I've wondered about that promise. What does it mean? I'm not sure I've got a deeply profound answer to that question but there are a few quotes from apostles and prophets that can help.
"With the bestowal of the priesthood comes the right to receive marvelous and wonderful blessings. John declared that the Aaronic Priesthood “holds the keys of the ministering of angels.” (D&C 13:1.) How marvelous a gift, that if we live worthily, we shall have the right to the company of angels. Here is protection, here is guidance, here is direction—all of these from powers beyond our own natural gifts."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1988, 69)
"As a young holder of the Aaronic Priesthood, I did not think I would see an angel, and I wondered what such appearances had to do with the Aaronic Priesthood. But the ministering of angels can also be unseen. Angelic messages can be delivered by a voice or merely by thoughts or feelings communicated to the mind."
(Dallin H. Oaks, "The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament," Ensign, Nov. 1998)
"I have spoken here of heavenly help, of angels dispatched to bless us in time of need. But when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. Some of them gave birth to us, and in my case, one of them consented to marry me. Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind."
(Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Ministry of Angels," Conference Report, Oct. 2008)
"and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;"
"What does it mean that the Aaronic Priesthood holds “the key of the ministering of angels” and of the “gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins”? The meaning is found in the ordinance of baptism and in the sacrament. Baptism is for the remission of sins, and the sacrament is a renewal of the covenants and blessings of baptism. Both should be preceded by repentance.
We cannot overstate the importance of the Aaronic Priesthood in this. All of these vital steps pertaining to the remission of sins are performed through the saving ordinance of baptism and the renewing ordinance of the sacrament. Both of these ordinances are officiated by holders of the Aaronic Priesthood under the direction of the bishopric, who exercise the keys of the gospel of repentance and of baptism and the remission of sins."
(Dallin H. Oaks, "The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament," Ensign, Nov. 1998)
Doctrine and Covenants 84:26-28_
The keys of repentance and baptism in relation to Aaronic priesthood are a little more straightforward. We're used to seeing the Aaronic priesthood act in the ordinances of baptism and the sacrament. Both of these ordinances are focused on justifying and purifying us from sin and transgression. The gospel of repentance is evident in their work. Baptism and the sacrament purifies and justifies us and brings us back into a state of worthiness and blamelessness. It allows the power of the atonement to work in our lives. It is only then that the powers and ordinances of the higher priesthood can lift us to a more Celestial plane and sanctify us.
As the Bishop of my ward, one of my roles is to act as the president of the Aaronic priesthood. Bishop is an office in the Aaronic priesthood. Now I also act with Melchizedek priesthood as well, but my office is Aaronic in nature. So when people come into me to confess and to work through the repentance process, I am acting in an Aaronic priesthood role. I am using the keys of the gospel of repentance. Aaronic priesthood justifies, while Melchizedek priesthood sanctifies. That's why it's often referred to as the preparatory priesthood. It prepares us for greater spirituality and blessings. We'll explore that dynamic more in depth when we get to section 84.
"and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness."
1 Chronicles 6:48
Doctrine and Covenants 84:31
Doctrine and Covenants 128:24
Now a lot of members wonder about this last phrase, and you'll notice that all gave my students mostly scripture references. I didn't come up with these on my own, they're all right there in the footnotes. And this is a perfect place to demonstrate a scripture study skill that can come in very useful in understanding the scriptures. Cross references and scripture chains. A scripture chain is when you have a list of references, one naturally leading and linking to the next; each adding to your understanding as you follow the chain. So we can use these references to help us understand the meaning of this passage.
So first, who are the sons of Levi? If you go to 1 Chronicles 6:48 you'll be reminded of what the Levites did in Old Testament times. They were the tribe of Israel responsible for performing the ordinances of the temple.
1 Chronicles 6:48 Their brethren, also the Levites were appointed unto all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.
What priesthood power did they hold? Levitical priesthood or Aaronic priesthood. Now if you want to go into greater detail on the distinction between the two, I invite you to read the definition of Aaronic priesthood written in the Bible Dictionary. There is some distinction between the two, but for our purposes, we're going to say that when section 13 speaks of the sons of Levi, it is referring to holders of the Aaronic priesthood.
So, now we understand that Aaronic priesthood holders will someday make an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
Now what we're going to see next is a perfect example of the "line upon line, precept upon precept" principle. It's the way God works. He didn't give Joseph a complete understanding of all facets of the priesthood right at the outset. Over time, and with additional revelation, the meaning of significance of that phrase starts to come into view.
So let's go to our next reference in this scripture chain. Go to Doctrine and Covenants 84:31. We're given additional light there. Section 84 is another very important revelation on priesthood. It says:
31 Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses--for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed
Ah. So now we have an additional group of people and a location. The sons of Moses are included in this body of priesthood holders. Who were the sons of Moses or what priesthood did Moses hold? Melchizedek priesthood. Earlier in that section we see Moses's line of authority, so to speak, and it indeed stretches back to Melchizedek. So not only will the Aaronic priesthood make this offering, but all priesthood holders will be a part of it. And we now know where it will take place. In the temple. Some kind of offering will be made in the temple by the priesthood.
We still don't know what the offering is though. Let's finish our scripture chain by going to 128:24. And here, another group of people participates in the offering and we finally discover what the offering is.
24 Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
So there's our signal. We're talking about this offering spoken of by John the Baptist way back at the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood. The matching language signals it.
Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness;
So who do we get to add? Every member of the church. It's not just priesthood holders. Men, women, youth, any latter-day saint that wishes to take part in this great work. And together as a people, we make an offering. And where do we do it?
and let us present in his holy temple,
We offer it in the temple. But what is it?
when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.
The offering is the work we have done for the dead. Our temple work. When Christ returns, he's going to ask for that offering. And, I don't know, maybe instead of a book, it will be stack of hard drives. But we will present the names of all those for whom we have the done the work of salvation. And it will be worthy of his acceptation.
Now I' not suggesting that this is the only manifestation of the fulfillment of that prophecy. God often fulfills things in multiple ways. The offering could also refer to the offering of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, or the offering of our covenants within the temple, and I've heard of a few other possible interpretations. However, I do believe that the offering as a book of our temple work to be the major fulfillment of that phrase.
So, right from the beginning of the restoration of the priesthood, God is already pointing to the work for the dead. It may even be one of the major reasons we even have priesthood on the earth. So we can do this work. It hearkens back to section 2 as the first written and canonized revelation of this dispensation, chronologically speaking. And that section was all about the work for the dead. Both Moroni and John the Baptist had their eye on temple work from the beginning.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A few questions you might consider asking your students to help them apply them.
• How have you been blessed by the keys of the Aaronic priesthood? (The ministering of angels, repentance, and baptism)
• Have you contributed to "the great offering" recently? What can you do to more fully engage in the work for the dead?
CONCLUSION
I testify that the power of the priesthood is real. I've seen what it can do. I've had the privilege to be blessed by it, and the privilege of blessing others with it. I am grateful that our Heavenly Father is a God of order and has provided us with a framework of authority to work under and in and with. It is an amazing and sobering thing to think that God is willing to trust us enough to take on a portion of his incredible power and authority. I believe that what happened on the banks of the Susquehanna river on May 15, 1829 stands as a testament to God's mercy, trust and love for his children. I testify that I know it happened because I have personally felt the power that has flowed down through the generations from that moment to me. It's real.
JSH 1:66-75
Let's shift back to Joseph Smith-History now to look at a few final ideas. There is a brief insight I'd like to point out here at the end of Joseph's account. He makes a really remarkable statement about the Holy Ghost in verses 73-74. He says:
We were filled with the Holy Ghost, and rejoiced in the God of our salvation.
74 Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of.
So he tells us that with the Holy Ghost , now they could understand the scriptures in a way that they never could before. The reason I find that so remarkable is because, well, what did Joseph already have in his possession at the time to help him understand the scriptures and receive intelligence from God? He had the Urim and Thummim. This special instrument provided by God to aid him in revelation and translation. He still has it in his possession at this time because at the time, they are still in the midst of translating the plates. And in my mind, I'm thinking, I would love to have a Urim and Thummim, how helpful would that be! Maybe it would make it easier to prepare these lessons. But according to this, bearing the gift of the Holy Ghost is even more effective at helping us connect with the intelligence of God. Of those two means, which has God made available to all of us that have been baptized by the authority and power of the priesthood? We have the more powerful one. We may not have a personal Urim and Thummim, but we do have the gift of the Holy Ghost. And it can lay open the true meaning and intention of the scriptures in a way that just isn't possible without it.
And a quick side note: I know there is a lot of modern criticism leveled at Joseph and his use of sacred objects or physical instruments imbued with spiritual powers. The Urim and Thummim, his seer stone, at this point even Oliver Cowdery carried with him a divining rod of sorts that apparently held some measure of sacred power. I know I didn't mention it a few weeks ago, but the original version of Doctrine & Covenants section 8 referred to this rod of Oliver's. The current version refers to it as the gift of Aaron, but it originally spoke of his "rod of nature", or the "sprout". Now the modern skeptic is going to laugh at that kind of thing. They mock the images of Joseph and his hat with the stone inside, Oliver and his divining rod, but I believe that God works with and speaks to people according to their understanding and culture. Joseph Smith's culture at the time was steeped in this kind of thing. Sacred objects, magic, divining rods, and seer stones. Well, God used these things with them to act as a sort of steppingstone (no pun intended) into a more mature understanding of the things of the Spirit. Eventually, Joseph won't need the Urim and Thummim to translate. The future revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants will come through the Holy Ghost. The mention of Oliver's rod of nature is changed to the gift of Aaron. Evidence of their spiritual maturation. Just like the expression of testimony of a returned missionary is going to differ from the testimony of a primary child. And the testimony of a 60-year-old lifelong member of the church is going to differ from the testimony of the returned missionary. There is a maturing of understanding and experience. This is what happens to Joseph. But the physical objects helped these early leaders to make that transition. It was the kind of experience that they could understand. Also, consider the fact that we still continue to believe in and use sacred physical objects that aid spiritual understanding. We partake of actual bread and water in the sacrament to teach us the nature of Christ's sacrifice, we give priesthood blessings with consecrated oil, we wear CTR rings to give us strength against temptation, and temple clothing carries loads of symbolic significance. Not that we imbue these objects with mystical and other-worldly powers. But they help teach us and aid our spiritual understanding. That's why object lessons can be so effective. They help us to grasp some of the more abstract doctrines and principles of the gospel. So I don't think it's quite fair for us to criticize or dismiss Joseph's divine prophetic calling because of his use of these things.
"THE" FOOTNOTE
ICEBREAKER
And speaking of object lessons, I'd like to focus on one more idea or lesson with you, and it comes from this footnote of Oliver Cowdery's included at the end of Joseph Smith-History. I call it "the" footnote. Or the mother of all footnotes. Now what I love about this is, if you remember our lesson a few weeks ago, Oliver really wanted to translate scripture. He asks for the opportunity, tries, and fails and he doesn't end up translating any portion of the Book of Mormon. But it's almost as if God said, Oliver, I know how much you wanted to add some scripture to the Latter-day canon. And it was a good desire. Now, you weren't able to translate from the gold plates, but you know what, I'll give you a footnote, and you can make it as long as you want. So Oliver does actually get something into the scriptures, doesn't he? It's just a footnote, but it's quite a footnote. And I think that Oliver really hits a home run here. There are some beautiful ideas and phrases here. To be fair, he stumbles just a little bit as he rounds the bases, at certain points, you get the sense that he's starting to "wax eloquent". His style is very different from Joseph's. There's a real contrast between the two. Perhaps there is a bit of "promoting religious feeling" here, but I think we can forgive him because, well, that's how they wrote back then, and I do sense his sincerity here.
And to introduce his footnote, I like to do this little object lesson. I bring in a level. You know, the kind that have the little bubble in the tube and I ask. What do you use this for? And they'll say, it’s used to balance things, to put things straight and level. Pictures, beams in construction, shelves. I just used one of these a few weeks ago to install some shelves for my daughter to hold all the things she's built out of Legos. What might happen if you don't use a level in these projects? Things will get out of alignment. They'll be crooked. The structure won't be as strong. In the case of a shelf, things might slide off and get broken. Let's focus on the image of a shelf that is in perfect alignment. That represents our lives. And what do we put up there on that shelf? Faith, testimony, belief, commitment to God. As long as our shelf is in balance or level, we'll be safe. Our faith and obedience remain intact. But what does Satan seek to do? He's always seeking to tip that balance, to weigh down one side in the hopes that he can unbalance our lives and cause our faith and testimony and commitment to slide off and come crashing to the ground. To counteract that attack, we need to make sure that we are giving God ample opportunities to place weight and substance and truth on the other side of the shelf to keep our lives in balance and our faith intact. God will never let us fall if we give him that opportunity.
TRANSITION
So in this footnote. Oliver is going to describe his experience with the visit of John the Baptist and his ordination to the Aaronic priesthood. What I love about this is that Oliver clearly delineates between the two sides.
SEARCH
We're going to focus our attention on this second page of text, or the final four paragraphs. As you read these four paragraphs, I want you to have this sheet of paper nearby and write down all the words and phrases that suggest the kinds of things and feelings that Satan is going to attempt to place on the shelf of our life to tip our balance. On the other side, I want you to write down all the things and feelings that God gives to help restore our balance and keep us level and steady in our discipleship. Or you could take two different colored pencils and mark the two sides as you study and let's see what you find.
Now I'm not going to take the time to read each paragraph word for word with you. I'm going to invite you to pause the video and do that yourself. I believe you'll have a powerful experience if you read slowly and prayerfully. I hope that you will be able to feel the power of Oliver's testimony here. I'll borrow an expression from Alma the younger here and say that he's "singing the song of redeeming love". This was an intense spiritual experience for him as you can imagine. It's not every day you meet John the Baptist. Let's see what you can find.
Now if you did that, what did you mark and why? In a class, I would allow my students to share some of their words and phrases and discuss them. Here are some of the possible things they could find.
For Satan's side of the balance:
• His darkness covers the earth
• Gross darkness covers our minds
• great strife and noise concerning religion
• Denies revelations
• World was racked and distracted
• Groping as the blind for the wall
• All men resting upon uncertainty
• fear
• doubt
• fiction
• deception
• Man may deceive his fellowmen, deception may follow deception, and the children of the wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the giddy to the grave;
That's what I would put on the Satan side. But what about the other? What does God have to place on the other side of the shelf? To help level us?
• The Lord is rich in mercy
• Ever willing to answer
• Condescends to manifest his will to us
• The voice of the Redeemer speaks peace to us
• He parts the veil
• and delivers anxiously looked for messages
• He fills us with Joy
• Wonder
• Amazement
• our ears hear things, our eyes behold
• He sheds brilliancy of his light on us
• His mild voice can pierce us to the center
• and Dispel every fear
• And cause us to rejoice
• and we'll feel his love enkindled upon our souls
• Uncertainty will flee
• Doubt will sink no more to rise
• Fiction and deception will flee forever
• Again, joy will fill our hearts
• and he'll surround us with majestic beauty and glory
• nor has this earth power to give the joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained in each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit!
• one touch with the finger of his love
• rays of glory from the upper world
• words from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity
• the assurance, the certainty
• wonder and thanksgiving
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Now let's liken the scriptures. Can you relate in any way to Oliver's description here? Is our world similar to the one he's describing?
Do we find gross darkness in our world? Are there individuals out there that deny revelation and tell us our scriptures are a sham and our prophets are frauds? Are there people who seek to deceive their fellow man? Does deception follows deception? Are the children of the wicked given power to seduce the foolish and the untaught? Do we live in a world where fiction feeds the many (a perfect description of the internet), AND where the fruit of falsehood caries in its current the giddy to the grave? Oliver gets a little alliterative in his wording there. But can we relate?
Have you ever experienced these feelings? Fear, doubt, uncertainty
Have you ever felt darkness covering your mind?
Have you heard the great strife and noise about religion?
Ever felt racked or distracted, like you were blind groping for something?
Just as the Holy Ghost speaks to our minds with faith and fills our hearts with peace, the adversary speaks doubt to the mind, and fear to the heart.
At this time, the faith of many members of Christ's church is being tested in a way unlike any time before. And unfortunately, there have been a number who have succumbed to the deception, the seduction, the fiction and the fruit of falsehood. They've allowed their shelves to be filled so much with these things or have given too much audience to that side that it has tipped them out of balance so that their faith and commitment has come tumbling down to be shattered to pieces on the ground.
So what are we to do? We allow the Lord to balance things out on the other side. We give him space and time and focus to do so. We spend time in the scriptures like Joseph and Oliver were doing here as they translated the Book of Mormon. Like them, we kneel in prayer, to the Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the humble, after we call upon Him in a fervent manner, aside from the abodes of men. If we give the Lord that space through all the little things he asks of us. Scripture study, prayer, church and temple worship, ordinances, conference.
Then, He will condescend to manifest his will to us. The voice of the Redeemer will speak peace to us. The veil will be parted, and he will fill us with Joy, wonder, and amazement, peace and love. The light of heaven will shed its brilliancy on us. Every fear will be dispelled, uncertainty will flee, doubt will sink no more to rise, fiction and deception will flee forever.
When all the darkness and doubt and fear and uncertainty surround us, we need but turn to the Lord in prayer, or keep in our minds the vivid memory of these kinds of experiences that I believe God grants to all who turn to him. Perhaps my favorite part of this whole footnote is in that concluding thought of Oliver’s. All we need is:
one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever from the mind. The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied as it flowed from a pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior’s goodness with wonder and thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall never cease.”
Have you ever had one of those moments in your life? The touched by the finger of his love, and ray of glory moments? I believe in a loving Heavenly Father who provides these kinds of thoughts, and feelings, and experiences at critical times in our lives. Sometimes they're big and sometimes they're small. Answered prayers, minor miracles, assurances, thoughts and feelings as study the scriptures, listen to the words of living prophets, or worship in chapels and temples. God gives us these things to help us balance out and overcome the darkness and the uncertainty.
It reminds me of this passage from the Chronicles of Narnia, in the Magicians Nephew, when the children meet and speak with Aslan, who is a symbol for Jesus. They have been touched by the finger of his love and have felt that ray of glory from him. It says this:
"Both the children were looking up into the Lion's face as he spoke these words. And all at once (they never knew exactly how it happened) the face seemed to be a sea of tossing gold in which they were floating, and such a sweetness and power rolled about them and over them and entered them that they felt they had never really been happy or wise or good, or even alive and awake, before. And the memory of that moment stayed with them always, so that as long as they both lived, if ever they were sad or afraid or angry, the thought of all that golden goodness, and the feeling that it was still there, quite close, just round some corner or just behind some door, would come back and make them sure, deep down inside, that all was well." (C. S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew)
Isn't that beautiful. A perfect description of the kind of moment Oliver is describing.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES-SHARE
And at this point I would ask my class: Have you ever had a "touched by the finger of his love, ray of glory, golden goodness" experience? Would you be willing to share?
Share some of your own ray of glory moments as a teacher.
TRUTH
If I give my time, attention, and will to Him, then God will give me touches of love and rays of glory that can dispel my fears, sink my doubts, chase away my uncertainties and strike them all into insignificance.
CONCLUSION
Well I love that footnote. You really get that sense that Oliver is overwhelmed with emotion and faith by the memory of that moment. And Oliver is going to face some challenges and dark times in his future. At one point, he will even leave the church and abandon the Saints. But he eventually comes back. And I wonder if it was the memory of experiences like this that inspired and helped him to return. If you have strayed, maybe the same thing can help you as well. Think back to your ray of glory moments. I hope that you and I, when we are faced with the gross darkness that covers the earth, will still be able to recognize the joy, the wisdom, the rays of glory, the touches of love, the voice of the Redeemer speaking peace to us. I know that those experiences will cause your fears to be dispelled, your uncertainties to flee, your doubts to sink no more to rise, and they will take the adversary's efforts and strike them into insignificance and blot them forever from your mind. May we all sing the song of redeeming love and be filled with wonder and thanksgiving, and one day adore in those mansions, where perfection dwells, and sin never comes. That is my sincere hope and prayer for all of us.
Doctrine & Covenants 14-17
REVELATORY REPETITION
Some of you, in your study, may have noticed something interesting about the beginning of a number of these early sections of the Doctrine and Covenants. To illustrate this I like to call on 4 different students to read the first 5 verses of the following sections. 6, 11, 12, and 14. But here is the catch. I want them all to read those verses out loud at the same time for everybody else to hear. I tell the readers not to worry about what the others are saying but just to continue reading no matter what. For the rest of the class, even though the readers are reading from four different sections, try to pay attention to what all four are saying, as hard as that sounds.
Now if they do that, you're going to notice the interesting thing. Everybody is expecting chaos and that it's going to be impossible to understand them. But what they'll notice, is that the first five verses of each of these sections says the exact same thing. It's the same message. Now that might make some of you wonder. Why would God say the exact same thing 4 different times? Was Joseph just rubber stamping the beginning of his revelation ? Are these vain repetitions?
I don't think so. When these revelations were first received, the Doctrine and Covenants did not exist in the form that it's in now. It wasn't until later that these four revelations were actually bound together and published as a book of revelations for the general membership to read. So the key to understanding this is in who these revelations are addressed to.
6-Oliver Cowdery
11-Hyrum Smith
12-Joseph Knight Sr.
14-David Whitmer
Each is directed to a different man. So doesn't it make sense that God might have a similar message he'd want to give to different individuals? Each one of these brethren are going to play some significant part in early church history. I don't believe it cheapens the message for God to deliver the same message and inspiration to different players involved in the building up of Zion. God wanted Oliver and Hyrum and David, and Joseph Knight to know that a great and marvelous work was about to come forth, that the field was white already to harvest, and that if they would be willing to ask, they could receive.
If you want to see another example of this, do this activity next. Choose two students and ask one to read Section 15 out loud, the entire section, it's only 6 short verses long, and another to read Section 16 out loud at the same time. And what will they notice? Besides the name of who the revelation is directed to, John Whitmer and Peter Whitmer, the revelation is the same, word for word. Once again, does that cheapen it? I don't think so. The most wonderful word to focus on in those sections is the names. The fact that the Lord is speaking to them as individuals is what matters most. He knows them by name, and calls them by name, and delivers a message to them. Who cares if it's the same message? The difference that matters most is in the who, not the what. For example, I'm sure the language of my mission call, besides my name and my assignment, was very likely the same. The instruction, the call to serve, the manner in which I should serve, those things are the same for all called to work in God's service. But those instructions were to me and signed by the first presidency. To have my name appear on the same page as theirs, was really something and meaningful to me. So let's not get too hung up on the repeated language in some of these revelations. It's not vain repetition, but revelatory repetition.
Some of you may have noticed that I haven't really focused much on those initial verses in these past couple of lessons, so I would like to do a little bit of that here since we have that same language at the beginning of section 14. We have talked about the great and marvelous nature of God's work from verse 1 in Section 4, and we've covered the "ask and ye shall receive" principle of verse 5 many times. But I'd like to spend some time on these three verses in between. Verses 2-4.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker here I like to do an object lesson. Now, there may be a bit of cost involved here, but I've found that object lessons can be very effective.
So you ask your class: According to verse 2-4, what two objects do disciples of Christ hold in their hands? If you painted a picture of them based on these verses. What would they be holding?
Can you find them?
The answer is: A two-edged sword in one hand, and a sickle in the other.
And then I like to pull both of these objects out. I have a real sword and a real sickle that I bring into class and I show them. So like I said, there is a little bit of cost involved here. Right now you can buy a sickle on Amazon for around 9$. A sword is a little more expensive . I bought one years ago when I started teaching seminary and have used it for years, but I found what I feel is a decent one on Amazon for around 40$. I'll put links to these in the video description if you're interested.
Another less expensive option would be to buy a plastic or a play sword, although I've found that a real sword has a bit more of an effect. And, of course, you could always just show pictures of these objects as well. I just find that it's more interesting to the students if you actually have the items with you to display.
But let's examine those symbols for just a minute because they're both great.
THE SWORD
First. The sword. What does it represent according to verse 2? It represents God's word. Now somebody may point out that it doesn't actually say in that verse that we have the sword, only that it represents God's word. But you can take them section 27:18 where you actually see the disciple of Christ wielding the sword of God's words. It’s the section that talks about the armor of God. So yes, God places the sword of his word in our hands. And since we're already here in section 27, you see the other thing the sword symbolizes. Remember it's a two-edged sword, so the fact that it symbolizes two things fits well. It's the sword of his word, AND the sword of the Spirit.
DISCUSS
Now why would he make that comparison. This is a fun discussion question to ask . How is the word of God or the Spirit of God like a sword?
What do you use a sword for? Battle.
As far as the word of God is concerned, this is not the only object God has used to symbolize it. Some of the other symbols for the word of God in the scriptures are an iron rod, a compass, a lamp, and bread(or manna). But I think the Lord chooses certain symbols with purpose based on the context of the time. So which did he choose to emphasize here in the last days as we prepare for the Second Coming? A sword, which suggests that life is like a what? A battle. Right now, the latter-days are most like a battlefield, and if you don't have your sword, you may be defeated or spiritually slain. We'll go into more detail on the battlefield of life when we get Section 27 and talk about putting on the whole armor of God. But the word of God is a sword. By the same token, there are a number of different symbols for the Spirit in the scriptures. Fire, wind, a dove, rain. But in the last days, what will the Spirit most be needed for? To win our spiritual battles.
Go back to section 14. He's going to give us some specific reasons for why his word is like a sword. He says it is quick and powerful. Interesting. There are many different kinds of swords out there. What kind of a sword do you picture the word of God and the Spirit being like? Is it one of those thin swords? Like a rapier or a foil that you that might see in a fencing match? These are quick swords. Or is it a broad sword or a long sword; the kind you picture medieval knights using? These are powerful swords. The kind of sword that I purchased and use for object lessons in my classes is one of these kind of swords. t's very heavy and long and I can imagine that if you swung it hard, it could do some real damage. It's a powerful sword. But I can't imagine being able to fight with much quickness with it? Most swords are either one or the other. But the word of God is the kind of sword that is both. Quick and powerful. If I had to choose a sword to symbolize it, I might choose the Roman short sword as the symbol. Perhaps the closest thing to a sword that is both quick and powerful. These swords were broad but not as long. The reason for its design is that Roman legions often fought in tightly packed groups of soldiers where they combat was up close and personal Under those circumstances it would be difficult to fight effectively swinging a large, long sword around. You would want something short that you could thrust with rather than swing. Interestingly enough, the first place we see this sword symbolism in the scriptures comes from Paul in the New Testament. In Hebrews 4:12 he says: 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Well Paul lived in a Roman world. Possibly, he had this sword in mind when he compared it to the word of God and the Spirit. Is there a possible message in that? This fight with sin, and evil, and the adversary is hand to hand, close quarters combat. The adversary's attack is very personal and individualized. You're going to need a quick AND powerful sword in order to defeat him.
Section 14 also says that this sword cuts through things. It's sharper than a two-edged sword to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow. Joints and marrow are the toughest parts of the body. It would take a very powerful sword to cut through both joints and marrow. What's the symbolism in that? What does the sword of the word of God or the Spirit cut through? It cuts through lies? Or perhaps the major suggestion is that it goes deep. It penetrates to the very center. The marrow of the bone is the deepest you can go. Maybe that's another helpful thing to consider as you learn to recognize the Spirit. There is a depth to it. Some emotional and intellectual arguments are fairly shallow when presented. But there is a depth to truth taught by the Spirit and the word of God. It sinks deep into your heart. Like Paul said in his version of this idea. It divides asunder both soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. That is depth. Right to the soul, right to the heart. That's where God's truth penetrates. So, for example, God's grace and forgiveness is the kind of truth that penetrates deep to the soul. I am a child of a loving God, is a truth that goes straight to the heart.
There are a number of places in the scriptures where "sword words" are used to describe the effect the Spirit has on the heart. In some places the scriptures say that people are "cut to the heart", this is usually used in a negative way. Laman and Lemuel, the Pharisees are cut to the heart by the influence of the Spirit. It's not comfortable and so they fight back against it. On the other hand, the word "pierce" is also used to describe the effect of the spirit on people's hearts. This is usually positive in nature. It did pierce them to the very center. That's the Spirit, it either cuts or pierces you. It's the state of your heart that determines which it does to you. Hopefully, you are pierced by it.
THE SICKLE
Now the sickle. What does the sickle represent? Well the sickle is a tool used for harvesting. After the wheat is full grown, you cut it from the earth so that you can lay it up in store for the future. With the sword, the blade is used for fighting. With the sickle, the blade is used for gathering. It's a little more positive in nature. The exact symbolism there isn't as clear as with the sword. Is the sickle our faith? Our testimony? Our desire? Let me know in the comments if you have some insight there for me. It's something that could be pondered. What is the wheat then? What is it that we gather? I think we usually compare the wheat to people. We go out and we gather others to the fold. We'll see this imagery come up again when we get to section 86 where the wheat and tares clearly represent people, and God's servants go through the fields gathering the wheat to be saved and set aside the tares to be burned. But could there be other symbolism as well? What else does God want us to gather? Other themes from these sections could suggest that God wants us to gather wisdom(6:7) , good works (6:33), good desires (11:27), (Christlike attributes or character(11:8), and the symbol that it most seems to point to, is salvation (6:4, 11:4, 12:4, 14:4). It's salvation that is being gathered and treasured up. So, as a missionary, I don't think I need to feel like a failure if I haven't brought many souls or sheaves unto him, although that imagery works. I do want to gather souls to safety and salvation, but it's the effort that brings the salvation to my soul. In each of these cases, the field is white already and needs to be harvested. There is so much for us to gather. There is a lot of wisdom I can gain, there is a lot of character I need to develop, there are so many good works I can do, there are souls to bless through proclaiming the gospel, redeeming the dead, and perfecting the Saints. There is an abundance of salvation to reap. So go out there and thrust in your sickle. That suggests really putting forth effort into the gathering. There is work to do. Whether it's wisdom, or good works, or souls, or character, or salvation itself, I want to thrust in my sickle with my might, and once I have those things, I treasure them and hold them sacred.
TRUTH
If I faithfully wield the sword of the word and the Spirit, I will conquer Satan
If I thrust in my sickle with my might, I will gather much
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How would you rank your level of "swordsmanship"? Beginner, Amateur, Professional, Master.
How could you improve?
How would you rank your level of "sickleship"? Novice, Intermediate, Skilled, Expert.
How could you improve?
CONCLUSION
So, as a disciple of Christ in the latter-days. We fight, and we gather. I've got my two blades accomplishing two very critical tasks. A similar image that comes to my mind is the ancient Egyptian pharaohs that also held two symbolic things in their hands. The crook and the flail as symbols of their leadership. For Latter-day disciples of Christ, we carry two things as well, and we hope that when we die, we can symbolically lay these two items across our chest. Our sword, that we've used valiantly to conquer and defend ourselves against Satan. And our sickle, well used in our efforts to gather throughout our lives. May their blades ever be sharp, and our skill in using them evident.
THE GREATEST GIFT-14:7
ICEBREAKER
My icebreaker would be a pair and share activity. Pair up your students and have them share their answers to the following questions:
What is the greatest birthday or Christmas gift you've ever been given?
What made it so great?
TRANSITION
Well just like good parents and friends, we believe in a Heavenly Father that also loves to give his children gifts. We have the gift of the Holy Ghost, the gifts of the Spirit, and the gift of his son. But, of all the gifts he can give us, there is one that stands out above the rest.
SEARCH
According to section 14, what is the greatest gift you can get from God?
Eternal life.
First of all, do you understand what that term means? This is a good opportunity to clarify some definitions in the minds of your students. There is a difference between immortality, eternal life, salvation, perdition, and exaltation.
Let me attempt to explain these visually.
Immortality is to live for eternity as a resurrected being. All who have lived on this earth will be immortal. They will receive a resurrected body regardless of what kingdom they receive or even outer darkness.
Eternal life, on the other hand, although they sound synonymous, means to live forever with God. Eternal life can only be found within the Celestial Kingdom.
Salvation is to be saved in a kingdom of glory. So whether you are Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial, you are recipient of salvation. You have been saved from the power of the devil, and you inherit a kingdom of glory. There will be those however that choose to reject salvation and instead they will inherit outer darkness or Perdition. Which is a word that means to be lost. They join the devil and that third of the hosts of heaven that rebelled in the pre-mortal world in their own place.
But then exaltation can only come to those who inherit a Celestial glory.
With that in mind, the Lord says here in section 14 that exaltation or eternal life is the greatest gift that we can receive. Is he right? and if so, why? I once had a rather outspoken student one year who raised her hand one day and said, "You know, I don't think I want to go to heaven. It sounds boring". And a little shocked, I said "what on earth do you mean?" "Well", she said "Isn't it just like church all the time? And clouds and singing?" And you see, I believe her problem was that she had more of a cartoon sense of heaven. You know, angels sitting on clouds and strumming harps for eternity. That's not really the description that the scriptures give us. So I tried to give her a more expansive understanding of eternal life and to help her see why heaven would not be boring and that it would be worth any effort to qualify for it. Now what would you have said to her to convince her? With more preparation than I had at that moment. Maybe I would have shown her this list of references:
I call it "and my soul did long to be there". That's something that Alma the Younger said after he had a vision of the Celestial Kingdom in Alma 36:22. This is a cross reference activity for your students. I've gone through the scriptures and pulled out some of my favorite descriptions of exaltation and why it is such a great gift. Send your students in to read as many as they can and be prepared to share what they teach them about Celestial glory.
Doctrine and Covenants 76:89
Enos 1:27
Mosiah 2:41
Helaman 3:30
Revelation 21:4
Doctrine and Covenants 101:32-34
Doctrine and Covenants 76:92-95
Let's dig into each one in turn: Here we go:
Doctrine and Covenants 76:89
89 And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding;
Now you may wonder why the first verse on that list is a verse describing the Telestial Kingdom. Why would I do that? Well what does that verse reveal about the Telestial Kingdom? The Telestial kingdom surpasses all mortal understanding. It's so wonderful, we can't even comprehend it. Now, if the Telestial surpasses all understanding. What does that say about the Celestial? Remember the symbol for the glory of the Telestial Kingdom is the stars and the amount of light they shed on the earth. Which isn't much. It's still pretty dark outside when only the stars are shining, but they do provide some light. Well how much brighter than the stars is the sun? That's how much more glorious the Celestial Kingdom is than the Telestial! That's quite the contrast. The glory of the Celestial kingdom is surpasses that surpassing of all understanding. It's worth it.
Enos 1:27
27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.
There are loads of wonderful promises in that verse, but one word stands out to me most here: rest. Celestial glory is rest. I don't think it means that it's an eternal vacation; work and worship and learning will all be an eternal part of that world. But we will rest from temptation, we will rest from pain, we will rest from adversity. It's worth it.
Mosiah 2:41
41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
So another quality of heaven? Happiness. The Celestial Kingdom is a place of never-ending happiness. And though the line "and they lived happily ever after" may not be realistic in this life, it's completely realistic in the next. It's worth it.
Helaman 3:30
30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.
Two things here. We get to meet former prophets! Ever wanted to meet Nephi?, or Moses?, or Joseph Smith? or Peter? or Abraham? or Brigham Young? or Paul? or Samuel the Lamanite. You get to in the Celestial Kingdom! Won't that be cool. You'll rub shoulders and have conversations and mingle with the faithful men and women of the past. It's worth it!
I also love the phrase "to go no more out". I think that suggests that the test is over. You aren't going to have to face the test of mortality. It will be finished, and you will have that sweet sense of accomplishment that you passed. Like the way you feel when your final final is over. I remember the way I felt when I completed my last test of my last college class for my Master's degree. And at that point I had decided that I had no interest in pursuing a Doctorate. My formal education was done. Now I love learning and education and plan to continue that throughout my life, but formal schooling was over. I was grateful for what I had learned, and proud of the accomplishment. But I was done, to go no more out. No more finals, no more homework, no more assignments, no more lectures. It felt amazing. I think that was probably just a small taste of what it will be like to pass the formal education of mortality. To pass the final. The final judgment, and enjoy the fruits of your Celestial scholarship. It's worth it.
Revelation 21:4
I know you've heard me share this one before. One of my favorite verses of all time. What makes heaven so wonderful?
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
There is such hope and tenderness in that description. He wipes away the tears, like a loving parent for their child. This life certainly has more than its fair share of ugliness, and pain, and sorrow. And some suffer far more than others. But God will make all things right in the end. All the things that cause tears: sin, death, suffering at the agency of others, physical pain, emotional pain, spiritual pain, will be wiped away. It's worth it.
Doctrine and Covenants 101:32-34
32 Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—
33 Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—
34 Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.
One of the great blessings of exaltation is knowledge. There are so many questions I have, and I'm sure you do as well . Christ will reveal those things. For example. I know one question that I want to ask. When I was a boy, I love dinosaurs. They captured my imagination and love. I was so sure I would become a paleontologist when I grew up. Well, when I meet the Savior in the next life, one of the things I want to ask is "So, how do the dinosaurs fit into your plan and the powers of creation?" And I'm sure he'll look at me and say, "Oh, that's an easy one. Let me explain, da da da da da da da." And I'll say "Oh, well that makes sense. Thank you. I'm not sure why that bothered me in mortality." I imagine that the majority of our deepest philosophical, moral and theological perplexities will be like that. So if there are things that you don't understand here, just hang on. One day, the Lord promises that the faithful will. It's worth it.
Doctrine and Covenants 76:92-95
Last one.
92 And thus we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things where God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever;
93 Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever.
94 They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace;
95 And he makes them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion.
Now that's a deep one, and I don't feel comfortable in making too much commentary as to its meaning and application. But to receive of his fulness and grace; to be equal, in some way, in power, and might, and dominion is a promise so deep and massive that I believe it's one of those things that surpasses understanding. But it sure sounds sublime. As members of the latter-day Church of Christ, we have been privileged to have this profound understanding of the true meaning of exaltation, eternal life, or heaven. That we can become like God in some way. The ins and outs and details of that promise I don't dare speculate on. But I know one thing. It will be worth it.
TRUTH/CONCLUSION
The overall truth that I hope you've gotten from this exercise? Eternal life is the greatest gift of God. It's worth it! It's more than worth it. As Paul powerfully said:
1 Corinthians 2:9: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
Any opposition, any trial, any sacrifice, any pain that you have experienced in mortality will be swallowed up in the glory of eternal life. This is but a small moment. And the instructions for meriting that gift. It's very simply put in verse 7. Keep my commandments and endure to the end. That's our quest. That's our vision. That's our mortal mission. I testify that eternal life lies at the end of that quest.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A final discussion question as your class looks at that list.
Which aspect of eternal life do you most look forward to, and why?
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 15-16-OF MOST WORTH
ICEBREAKER
Now there is another aspect of heaven that I've saved for last here. One of the greatest ones. And it comes from a line that we find in both sections 15 and 16.
This is just a brief insight and activity here. The icebreaker is simple. It's a question. According to statistics, what was the most popular answer people in the United States gave to the question "What are you most grateful for?"
Let your students make some guesses. #1 answer. Was it money? Freedom? Health? Nope. Family was the overwhelming top answer. Friends also appeared at the top of the list as well. Apparently, what is it that we are most grateful for in life? Other people. Generally speaking, relationships are what we are most grateful for as a society. (SOURCE: https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/study-what-are-americans-thankful-for/)
SEARCH
With that in mind. From our previous reading you know that these two sections are directed to two of the Whitmer brothers. They both wanted to know something. So I have two questions for you.
What was it that they wanted to know?
And What was their answer?
The answers. They wanted to know what would be of the most worth to them. Which is a really great question to ask? What is the most worthwhile thing I can do?
And the answer they got, was "To bring souls unto Christ". That was the most worthwhile thing they could do with their time. Reminds me of John's desire back in Section 7. Now there was a man who understood that principle. He understood it so well that he desired to engage in that work for thousands of years. I believe that's true of all of us. Bringing souls to Christ will be the activity that will be of most worth to us. And I believe that applies to more than the just missionary work we do with those that aren't yet members of the Church of Jesus Christ. It's any work that you do that involves helping people come closer to Christ. It's helping your spouse come to Christ. It's helping you children come to Christ as a parent. It's helping your brothers and sisters come to Christ as a sibling. It's helping your students come to Christ as a teacher. It's helping the dead come to Christ through temple work. It's helping your coworkers, and neighbors, and ministering families, and communities come unto Christ.
But the line that intrigues me most is the one that follows where the Lord explains why it will be of most worth. The promise of that work, is what?
That you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. This idea is going to come up again in section 18. There it says:
15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
Again, the promise is there. It will be of most worth, because we will have joy with them in Celestial glory. We'll explore that idea much more deeply next week in section 18.
But the point is this. You can't talk about Celestial glory and ignore this most important of aspects. Yes, it's true, heaven is a place, and we just covered some of the great things about that place, but more importantly, heaven is people. People more than place. It's relationships. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, man and God. That has to be the most glorious aspect of exaltation. To spend eternity with people that we love. I like how Doctrine and Covenants 130:2 puts it.
2 And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy.
Can you see why we have such an emphasis on family in the church? And strong marriages? And sealing? and unity? God knows what is of most worth to us.
That's why I must work so hard to bring others to Christ. I want them there with me. From my perspective, if my wife isn't there, it won't be heaven to me. I want my children there. My parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, my ward members, all the students I've taught. I want them there with me, to find rest and joy with them. Our relationships will be of most worth to us.
Adam and Eve are a good example of that principle. When given the choice between paradise and a person. Adam chose the person. He chose Eve over Eden, because he knew that that relationship was of most worth.
TRUTH
So another truth perhaps we can add to our previous principle: Heaven is more than a place, it's people.
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 17-WITNESSES
ICEBREAKER
One final lesson to look at for Section 17. I begin with this object lesson. I pull out a piece of paper about this size and I tell them that I am able to cut a hole in this piece of paper big enough to fit my entire body through. I then ask: Who believes me? Some of the kids usually raise their hands. Then I ask, "Of those with their hands up, how many of you believe I can do it because you've seen it done before and know that it's possible? Many of the hands go down, but some remain up. Usually there are a few who have seen it done. If not, then I say that I guess I'm the only one really in that group then. Then I ask "Who thinks that there is no possible way it can be done and I'm just trying to trick you and these other believers are going to feel really foolish when I reveal that I was lying? Another group raises their hands. I then explain that those in the first group represent "knowledge”. They have a knowledge that what I'm saying is true. They can act as witnesses of that truth. Those in the last group represent "doubt" since they don't believe me at all and think I'm trying to fool you. The most fascinating group out there to me though are those of you who believe me, but you just don't have any idea how I can do it. You just trust that I'm telling you the truth, or you believe because there are other people in the room that say they know. What would we call that middle group? That's faith. Believing without seeing.
TRANSITION
Well, Joseph Smith also made a claim that was very difficult for many people to believe. He told them that he had translated an ancient book from golden plates but that he was not allowed to show them to everybody. That was very hard for many people to accept. They said things like "We'll believe you if you show us". Seeing is believing. But that's not how God works. Is it? Let's see how he orders things.
SEARCH
Sometimes, to help my students learn how to study their scriptures more closely, I do a little activity called Dig and Draw with them. There are no teams, just the class competing against with itself. I tell them there will be a treat, or we'll watch a Studio C video, or there will be some kind of reward if they can collectively as a class earn at least 80% of the possible points. I tell them to read a certain section of scripture and to be prepared to answer questions about it. The catch is, that once I start asking the questions, they have to close their scriptures and answer from memory. This really encourages them to read their scriptures carefully and with focus. Which they're not always used to doing. As the teacher, you should have either an individual card, or a popsicle stick, or a piece of paper with each of their names written on them. You ask them a question and draw one of the names. If the person who you draw can answer the question correctly, then the entire class earns 2 out of 2 points. If they can't answer or they get it wrong, then you ask if there is anyone in the class who knows the right answer. Call on somebody and if they got it right, then the entire class earns 1 of 2 points. If that person answers incorrectly or nobody knows the answer, then they earn 0 out of 2 points. That's the dig portion of the activity. Then, every 3 or 4 questions we do a "Draw" round. For this, you select a name and have that person come forward to be the artist. You show them a word that comes from the section they read. Then it's like Pictionary, they have to get the class to guess the word by drawing only pictures, no words. If the class can guess it in 20 seconds or less, they earn 2 out of 2 points. If they can guess it in 40 seconds or less, they earn 1 out of 2 points. If they can't guess it in 40 seconds, you reveal the word, and they earn 0 points. It's a really fun way to engage your class and it helps train them to read the scriptures more carefully.
We obviously can't do this activity on a video, but if you'd like, I encourage you to study section 7. Then, close your scriptures and I'll share the questions I would ask. Maybe that will help you to see how closely you study the scriptures.
Question 1: Can you name the other 4 objects the three witnesses saw besides the gold plates?
Answer: The Urim and Thummim, Moroni's breastplate, the Sword of Laban, and the Liahona.
Question 2: Fill in the blank. And it is by your _______ that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that ________ which was had by the prophets of old. The blanks are the same word.
Answer: Faith
Question 3: What were the witnesses specifically instructed to do after they had seen the plates?
Answer: To testify of them.
Question 4: Fill in the blank. And this you shall do that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., may not be destroyed, that I may bring forth my righteous _______________ unto the children of men in this work.
Answer: Purposes
Question 5: The Lord said that the three witnesses had received three of the same things as Joseph had. Can you name at least two of those "same" things?
Answer: The same power, the same faith, and the same gift.
Question 6: Can you name one of the blessings God promised the three witnesses if they followed these commandments?
Answer: There were three of them. They were promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against them, the Lord's grace would be sufficient for them, and they would be lifted up at the last day.
Question 7: How many verses were in this section?
Answer: 9
Question 8: What was the last word of the section?
Answer: Amen
For the "Draw" rounds, here are some possible words you could choose, and I've got them divided up into easy, medium, and difficult depending on the age of your class.
EASY
Heart
Gift
Gates
MEDIUM
Power
Prophets
Commandments
DIFFICULT
Faith
Testify
Righteous
DISCUSSION
Now that activity should give them a really good grasp of the major thrust of the section and sets you up to have a little discussion with them.
To get that discussion going, ask them to arrange the following three words in the order that God would place them, and to back up their answer with the verse of scripture from section 17 that teaches that principle.
The three words are: TESTIFY, BELIEVE, and SEE
The correct order is BELIEVE, SEE, TESTIFY. and the verse that most clearly teaches that principle is verse 3.
3 And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God;
THE BELIEVING
So first: Why does God require faith and belief first?
The world says seeing leads to believing. But God says believing leads to seeing. Why? Why not just show us?
I believe that part of the answer lies in the fact that faith requires conscious effort, and that working for something is a divine principle. Satan is all about getting something for nothing. Cheating, lying, stealing, gambling, all examples of trying to get something for nothing. Simply showing someone something doesn't require much effort on their part, and it usually doesn't motivate. Let me give you an example. I'm not sure it's the greatest example but it works for me. And be sure to listen with your spiritual ears. I am an amateur magician. And when I do a really convincing trick, something that people can't seem to explain rationally. It's like I've performed a minor miracle. Immediately following it people will ask me to show them how it's done. They'll cajole, and bribe, and pressure me to tell them but it usually lasts less than a minute. I can tell that they just want to instantly satisfy their curiosity. But, do you want to know the big secret behind magic? The secrets aren't that hard to find. Really. With a real desire to know and a willingness to act, anybody can usually learn a magician's secrets. How do you think they learned them? There are books, YouTube videos, magic stores, websites detailing the secrets of most magic tricks and how to do them. You just have to be willing to go and search for them. The knowledge of how to do that trick is special and meaningful to the magician, because they had to earn it themselves. They don't like to just give that knowledge away to indulge an apathetic interest. So to get that knowledge yourself, you have to desire enough to act. So sometimes somebody will come up to me afterwards and say, I really want to learn how you do that. Can you give me some direction? And I can often sense the difference in the way they ask. That there is a real desire in them. And I say, "Are you willing to work for it?". And if they say yes, I don't reveal the secret right then, but I tell them where to go to find out for themselves. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It depends on the level of their desire. Well, perhaps in some small way that's similar to faith. God's knowledge is special, and he wants us to desire enough to learn for ourselves. Like Joseph said following his experience in the sacred grove. I have learned for myself. But that journey of his, required time, effort, desire, and a belief that he could find the truth. And that search is what made the experience so meaningful for him. Joseph would later teach that "Faith is a principle of action and power". (Lectures on Faith [1985], 1).
THE SEEING
Why does God call witnesses to "see"?
Well, there is a principle here established by the scriptures. 1 Corinthians 13:1 “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established”. God wants to give us every reason to believe while still requiring faith. In the case of gold plates, he first calls the three witnesses. Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris. In section 17, God promises them that they would have the plates shown unto them, but that they would have to have faith first. BELIEVE before SEE. Martin Harris specifically is a good example of this. We know he is a very "physical evidence" oriented kind of person. He wants to show the manuscript to his friends and family, he begs for Joseph to show him the plates back in section 5, he's taking the characters to the professors back East; he wants to see before he believes. That's probably why when it finally comes down to the moment when the three witnesses are going to be shown the plates, that Martin continues to struggle. Moroni does not appear while he's present. It's not until he leaves that David and Oliver see the plates. As a teacher, you may want to relate this story to them. A good concise description of it is found in Saints Volume 1, chapter 7, pages 73-74 . I won't go through that whole story here, but I'll provide a handout of it along with some other noteworthy quotes regarding the story. Eventually all three do see the plates. Joseph later goes to find Martin and finds him praying. He joins Martin and shortly thereafter, Martin has the same experience. They all receive that witness. But not only that, but they also see Moroni, and hear his voice, and each of the other sacred objects as well. Their belief led to seeing. And I believe that this process works for all of us as well. The witness will come! We don't have to operate only by belief forever. That witness can come through the Holy Ghost, that witness will come to your heart and mind, that witness can come through spiritual experience and miracles! And indeed, at some point in the future, I believe that we too will get to meet Moroni and see the plates one day. He basically promised us that back in Moroni 10. Until then, we do have the testimony of these three witnesses and later eight more who would see just the plates. How nice is that God has given us that kind of evidence as well. The kind a lot of us like. Eyewitnesses. 13 of them. Joseph, the three witnesses, the eight witnesses and Mary Whitmer. That's a pretty strong case for their reality. And none of those witnesses ever deny it, even though a number of them withdraw from the church.
I also love Joseph Smith's reaction after the plates are shown to the Three Witnesses. His mother described what happened like this:
" When Joseph came in, he threw himself down beside me and exclaimed, "Father! Mother! You do not know how happy I am. The Lord has caused the plates to be shown to three more besides me. They have also seen an angel and will have to testify to the truth of what I have said, for they know for themselves that I do not go about to deceive the people. I do feel as though I was relieved of a dreadful burden which was almost too much for me to endure. But they will now have to bear a part, and it does rejoice my soul that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world."
(From History of Joseph Smith by his Mother-Lucy Mack Smith)
That gives you a sense of what Joseph's life must have been like all those years. It wasn't like Joseph was selfishly guarding the plates from others because HE was the chosen one. He wanted to show people. Of course he did. He wanted to prove he wasn't a fraud. It just goes to show that sometimes it isn't easy to stand alone in your witness. It's always comforting to have other witnesses join you in that testimony. Which leads us to our third step:
THE TESTIFYING
Why is testifying important?
I'll let Paul answer that question. Romans 10:17
"17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
We kindle faith in others and keep the flames of our own burning bright when we express our witness. Why else would we have fast and testimony meeting once a month. Faith is kindled by hearing from those that have faith. I believe that God is much more willing to give you a witness if he knows that you will share it with others. So If you want greater testimonies, let the Lord know that if he gives it to you, you will act on it and bear it, and share it in word and deed. Then I believe He will give it to you.
TRUTH
To summarize.
Faith comes before the witness. If I believe, then I will see.
Once I have witnessed, I must testify.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
A question to help us liken the scriptures: When have you experienced the power of Believing, Seeing, or Testifying? and let a few share their experiences.
THE WITNESS
Then I like to end the lesson with this activity. I ask them if they would like to become witnesses of the truth of my initial statement about cutting a hole in the piece of paper? But, they must believe me first before I can show them and anyone who doesn't is invited to leave. Nobody ever leaves of course. And here's how you do it. To save time, I usually have another piece of paper the same size already pre-cut. But this is how you do it. Start by folding the paper in half and then cut two slits from the center down towards the bottom, but stop before reaching the end don't cut all the way through. Then alternate cuts from the top and bottom, being careful not to cut too close to the edge, effectively cutting the paper into thin strips. The final cut involves cutting through the middle of the paper, but not the two ends. You can then pull the paper open to reveal a large hole. And if you've cut it thin enough, it should be plenty big for you to fit your body through. Then you can say. See, sometimes there are things out there that seem incredible or impossible. Things like angels, and gold plates, and revelation. But that doesn't mean they can't be true and real. Sometimes, you just have to hang on and have faith, until the witness comes.
Watch a video of how to do this here: Step Through Index Card Video
CONCLUSION
And I would like to bear my witness to you. I believe in the reality of the gold plates. I believe in the reality of the angel Moroni. I believe in the reality of Joseph Smith's divine prophetic calling to translate the Book of Mormon. That witness has come to me in many different ways. However, I have never seen the plates themselves, or Moroni. But I DO believe that one day I will. And I'm not going to lie, I think that will be really cool. But I don't believe that my witness will be any stronger then, than it is now.
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