NEPHITE WISE MEN: TOWERS OF THE FLOCK

History is littered with traditions concerning the wise men, or magi, who came to worship Christ shortly following his birth. The earliest of these documents appears to be a Greek manuscript composed in Alexandria around 500 A.D. entitled Excerpta Latina Barbari. This document limits the number of wise men to three, names them, and identifies the countries from which each of the magi travelled. Other manuscripts expand the number of wise men to twelve and differ in tradition from each other as much as the dark night differs from the plain day.

The only contemporary record of the magi was made by Matthew. None of the other Gospel writers make mention of these men who came to worship Christ. And, contrary to many of the traditions that have worked their way into the annual Christmas celebration, Matthew neither identified the number of wise men nor provided any details concerning their names, their nationality, or "their own country" to which they returned.

It is not the purpose of this blog to rehash the all the traditions, exaggerations, and lies that our fathers have inherited (see Jeremiah 16:19) concerning the wise men because, in the end, it really doesn't matter that we know how many there were, or from whence they traveled. Rather, the importance of the visit of the magi to Christ is to be found in the testimony which these individuals provide concerning His birth. Their "testimony of Jesus", or "spirit of prophecy" (see Revelation 19:10), becomes a part of that great whole into which all truth is circumscribed, outside of which no man can be saved (see Alma 5:47, compare D&C 76:50-51, 74, 82; D&C 138:12-14, 31-37).

Thus, although knowing the names of the magi may not be crucial, it is important to acknowledge that all individuals who have provided us with any part of truth that comprises the Testimony of Jesus, or who have served as witnesses of Jesus Christ and his mortal ministry, were not randomly selected. They were men and women who were chosen, even before they were born, to be a witness and supply a testimony upon which others may build their "faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts" (see Moroni 7:30-32; compare Alma 13:2-6, 1 Corinthians 3:6-10, and D&C 1:17-23). Although devils, at times, have besought to be a witness of Him, they have been commanded to "hold their peace" (see Luke 4:33-36); after all, who wants to build faith upon the devil's testimony of truth!!

The purpose of this blog is to provide a fresh and unique perspective concerning the identity of those who were chosen to be witnesses of one of the most sacred events in the history of the earth--the birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

THE LAW AND PRINCIPLE OF WITNESSES

The scriptures teach, as an eternal law, that the word of God is confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses (see Matthew 18:16; compare John 8:16-18; 2 Nephi 29:8; D&C 6:28, and 128:3). This law also holds true with respect to the WORD OF GOD. It is also worthy to note that those who were chosen to be witnesses of Jesus Christ, were chosen for this important mission before they were born. There is also an eternal principle that should be noted with respect to how this law is carried out; the witnesses must be righteous individuals of profound faith. Consider, for example, the following testimonies that comprise the word, or seed, upon which every person must be willing to conduct an experiment BEFORE they will be given to know for themselves "that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world" (see D&C 46:13-14; compare Alma 32:28-43 and Alma 5:45-46):

The baptism of Jesus

1) THE BAPTIST who is the witness of Christ's childhood (see D&C 93:6-18) and entrance into His Father's kingdom by water and by the Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:13-17). "Among them that are born of women", Christ declared, "there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). Indeed, even before he was born, John was chosen to "baptize the Messiah with water" and afterwards "bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world" (see 1 Nephi 10:7-10; compare D&C 84:27-28). Upon no other testimony can we rely concerning these things. John's testimony must, therefore, become our testimony concerning these things BEFORE we will be given to know for ourselves concerning these things.

2) PETER, JAMES, and JOHN who are witnesses of His transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1-9), suffering (see Matthew 26:36-45; compare Mark 14:32-42 and Luke 22:39-46), death (John 19:25-27), and resurrection (Luke 24:1-48). These men were declared to be as "little children" and "greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (see Matthew 18:1-14; compare blog entitled "And a little child shall lead them"). To them, the Lord said: "ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:27). Their testimony must, therefore, become our testimony concerning these things BEFORE we will be given to know for ourselves concerning these things.

Christ in America

3) THOSE TO WHOM CHRIST APPEARED IN AMERICA who "did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come" (see 3 Nephi 11:9-17). Theirs is the most authenticated of all testimonies that we have concerning the resurrection and personal nature of Jesus Christ, for "the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children" (3 Nephi 17:25). Concerning them, the record states that they were spared because they were "more righteous" (3 Nephi 9:13, 10:12).

Their testimony is the best evidence available that Jesus Christ is "a man" (see 3 Nephi 11:8) that can be touched, seen, and heard. Theirs' is the best record we have of Christ descending from (3 Nephi 11:8) and ascending to heaven (3 Nephi 18:39). Their testimony is the written assurance that there is "one fold and one shepherd" (3 Nephi 15:21-24), that Jesus Christ is "the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth", and that "the Gentiles should not at any time hear his voice—that He should not manifest himself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 15:23). The record of these witnesses provide the best evidence that Jesus Christ is a God with body, parts, and passions (see 3 Nephi 17:5-25). Their testimony provides us with the best hope that, in Him, we can be justified and sanctified (see Exodus 31:13, compare 3 Nephi 19:25-30, 3 Nephi 12:46-48). Their testimony must become our testimony concerning these things BEFORE we will be given to know for ourselves concerning these things.

Christ visits the spirit world

4) THOSE TO WHOM CHRIST APPEARED IN THE GREAT WORLD OF THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD to be witnesses that, although put to death in the flesh, he was "quickened by the Spirit and went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:18–20; compare D&C 138:28). These spirits who witnessed of his advent in the spirit world were the "faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh" (D&C 138:36) and a innumerable company of the "spirits of the just who . . . had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality [and] who had offered sacrifice in the similitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had suffered tribulation in their Redeemer’s name" (see D&C 138:11-19).

Joseph F. Smith

Their exclusive testimony is the only evidence we have that "unto the wicked he did not go, and among the ungodly and the unrepentant who had defiled themselves while in the flesh, his voice was not raised; Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his presence, nor look upon his face" (D&C 138:20-21). Their testimony is the only record we have that, during his sojourn in the world of spirits, Jesus Christ "organized his forces [from among the righteous] and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness" (D&C 138:30). Those spirits present at this event (see D&C 138:38-57) have undoubtedly maintained a record of these things that will one day be made available to us. Until that day arrives, all of their testimonies have been brought together under one witness, President Joseph F. Smith. He declared his testimony to be true (D&C 138:60) and, thus, his testimony must become our testimony concerning these things BEFORE we will be given to know for ourselves concerning these things.

In sum, the law of witnesses is well established in scripture and the manner of their lives has likewise been recorded. Evil cannot be permitted to stand as a witness of that which is good (see Moroni 7:10-17). Thus, whoever the wise men may have been, several things, I believe, are quite certain concerning them:

• they were chosen before they were born to be witnesses of Christ's birth, 
• they were righteous, Israelite men, 
• they were men holding priesthood and priesthood keys, and 
• they maintained a record of this event. 

WITNESSES OF CHRIST'S BIRTH
Of those who we know that were witnesses of Christ's mortal advent, we least of all need to rely on the testimony of Herod and his astrologers, for to do so would be to loose the tongues of devils concerning those things that are true. Preferred to them, is the testimony that comes to us from those shepherds abiding in fields to whom the angel came declaring the glad tidings.

According to many New Testament commentators, these shepherds were tending the sacrificial flocks of Temple service and were, therefore, men holding Levitical Priesthood. Concerning the manner of their lives, Elder Bruce R. McConkie declared that they "were in spiritual stature like Simeon and Anna and Zacharias and Elisabeth and Joseph and the growing group of believing souls who were coming to know, by revelation, that the Lord’s Christ was now on earth" (McConkie, Bruce R., The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-1981], 1: 347). Their testimony stands as a sacred witness (see Luke 2:8-20) to worlds without number concerning the reality of Christ's mortal birth.

Migdal Eder, from whom the announcement would come

MIGDAL EDER, THE TOWER OF THE FLOCK

According to the historian Eusebius, the fields in which these shepherds were abiding were linked to a unique biblical location called Migdal Eder, a tower mentioned in Genesis 35:21 in connection with the death of Jacob's wife, Rachel. The name of this tower literally means "tower of Eder", or "tower of the flock". The biblical record locates it near the present-day city of Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem (see Micah 5:2). Many have attempted to identify the location of this tower, but early sources differ as to its precise whereabouts (see Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament: and a commentary on the Messianic predictions, vol 1 (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1871), 454-465). Mishnaic sources indicate that animals "kept" in the fields within a certain distance from Migdal Eder were used as sacrificial animals in rituals of the Jerusalem temple (see Shek. vii. 4). Importantly, prominent Jewish writers concluded in the Midrash that of all places in Israel, it would be from the "Migdal Eder" that the arrival of the Messiah would be first declared. This conclusion is loosely based on interpretations of Micah 4:8 as a prophecy that the Messiah would be revealed from the "tower of the flock", or Migdal Eder (see Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus, the Messiah, 1883):

And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem. (Micah 4:8)

All of the foregoing is interesting and of considerable worth to those who desire to understand the announcement of Christ's birth. However, what these scholars have failed to consider is that Micah did not use the phrase the "tower of the flock" in Micah 4:8 in relationship to a specific location, even though such a location actually existed. Rather, he used it in reference to a specific people who were known to the rest of Israel as the "tower of the flock" and "stronghold of the daughter of Zion". This conclusion is confirmed in Micah 4:12-13 wherein Micah described the "tower of the flock" and "daughter of Zion" as one who possesses horns of iron and hoofs of brass and who will be "gathered as sheaves into the floor" (i.e., into temples):

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

THE TOWER WITH HOOFS OF BRASS AND HORNS OF IRON

Who is this daughter of Zion, or tower of the flock, with horns of iron and hoofs of brass from whom the knowledge of the Redeemer would come? Symbolically, Joseph is referred to in scripture as re'em, the "wild ox", or unicorn (see a full explanation of this in the blog entitled "To the ends of the earth"). It was to Joseph, and more specifically to Ephraim and his seed, that the keys to priesthood leadership were promised and it is from him that the blessings of the LORD are to be extended to the rest of Israel. This is aptly supported by two dreams which Joseph related to his brothers (see Genesis 37:5-11) and by a revelation given on November 3, 1831 to the prophet, Joseph Smith:

And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim, my servants. 

And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at their presence. And there shall they fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.

And they shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy

Behold, this is the blessing of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel, and the richer blessing upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows. (D&C 133:30-34).

Notwithstanding that Jesus Christ comes through the loins of Judah, the knowledge of "the shepherd, the stone of Israel" comes through the loins of Joseph (see Genesis 49:24) and, more particularly, through Ephraim, his son. Hence, this duty that devolved upon Joseph--to bring the knowledge of the Redeemer to Israel--suggests that they of this lineage were the "tower of the flock" who were foreordained to be witnesses of His birth.

Juxtaposing Micah's words with those of the Savior's to the Nephites in America confirms this conclusion--that the daughter with horns and hoofs, or the tower of the flock--is, in fact, the descendants of Ephraim who migrated from Jerusalem to America 600 year before the birth of Jesus Christ (see 3 Nephi 2:6). Using Micah's prophecy as a foundation for his discourse, the Savior told the Nephites:

Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

And I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor.

For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. (3 Nephi 20:16-19).

Ephraim is the "tower of the flock" and it was from Ephraim that the announcement of Christ's birth was to come.

THE GREATEST WITNESS, THE SPIRIT OF REVELATION

Notwithstanding the testimony that we have from the shepherds of Levi, it is the testimony of wise men concerning Christ's birth that must stand as the primary evidence upon which we base our own testimonies of Christ's birth. This is so because they, alone, were given to know the prophetic sign of Christ's coming--that a new star would appear--and because these men were foreordained to be the Midgal Eder from whom the announcement of His birth was to first come. Their testimony stands independent of all other testimonies, It undoubtedly came to them as the result of fasting, prayer, and a personal witness concerning the coming of Jesus Christ (i.e., the spirit of revelation, see Alma 5:45-46). Their testimony was confirmed by a demonstration of their faith in those things that had been made known unto them; in short, they made the long journey to see the Christ-child based on what had been previously revealed to them. Their testimony is confirmed by the testimony of all prior prophets (i.e., the spirit of prophecy, see Alma 5:47). In contrast, the Levite shepherds were simply informed, after the fact, by an angel of God that Christ had been born; their witness, therefore, does not compare to that of the wise men.

MATTHEW'S ACCOUNT OF THE MAGI

The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible divides Matthew 1 into two distinct chapters. Thus, Matthew 2 of the King James Version is reflected as Matthew 3 of the Joseph Smith translation. Following is the Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew's account of the wise men; it differs very little from the Matthew 2 account of the King James Version:

Herod

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is the child that is born, the Messiah of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard of the child, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests, and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them, saying, Where is the place that is written of by the prophets, in which Christ should be born? For he greatly feared, yet he believed not the prophets.

5 And they said unto him, It is written by the prophets, that he should be born in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus have they said, 

6 The word of the Lord came unto us, saying, And thou Bethlehem, which lieth in the land of Judea, in thee shall be born a prince, which art not the least among the princes of Judea; for out of thee shall come the Messiah, who shall save my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had called the wise men privily, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found the child, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was. 

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child, with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. (Matthew 2:1-12; JST Matthew 3)

Several facts from these verses help to determine, more conclusively, the identity of the wise men--

FIRST, since, according to verse 12, all of the wise men "departed into their own country" (singular), it is likely that they were all of the same country and did not travel from various countries as some traditions hold. Further, although they came from the east to Jerusalem, this does not necessarily mean that their own country was situated east of Jerusalem. The western border of the city is situated a mere 35 miles from the Mediterranean coast. Thus, individuals traveling to Jerusalem from another country would likely be coming from the north, south, or east. The fact that the record states that they had previously seen his star in the east conveys the idea that they were likely in the west when the star was first seen, for one would likely need to be in the West to see a star in the East.

SECOND, they identified Jesus Christ as "the Messiah of the Jews". Reference to "the Jews" in third-person suggests that the wise men did not consider themselves to be Jews.

THIRD, juxtaposing the facts contained in verses 2 and 3 with those contained in verse 7 suggests that Herod and all Jerusalem learned of the new star only after the wise men announced the fact of it to them. Thus, the wise men appear to be the first to know of a new star and to inform Herod, and all Jerusalem, that Christ had been born. The fact that the wise men had seen the Savior's star in the east and had used it as a Liahona to guide them to the general vicinity of Christ's birth suggests that they had seen the sign of his birth substantially prior of anyone else.

FOURTH, although the wise men came to the vicinity of Jerusalem by following the sign that had been given alone to them, they did not know the exact town in which Christ was to be born. Thus, they found themselves inquiring of Herod and his astrologers to discover that the Old Testament identified the exact birthplace as Bethlehem of Judea. From this, it can be surmised that the wise men either did not have the Old Testament verses which foretold of this event, or, were unfamiliar with them.THE PREPONDERANCE OF THE EVIDENCE

Among those living at the time, who would have met each of the foregoing criteria for being a witness of Christ's birth? In other words, at the time of Jesus' birth, who 

1) were those holding priesthood keys, 2) were not of the Jews, 3) were of the blood of Ephraim, the tower of the flock, 4) had been informed that a new star would signal Christ's birth, 5) resided in the west when the new star was first witnessed in the east, and 6) were informed that Christ was to be born in Jerusalem, but were ignorant of the more precise prophecy that Jesus would come out of Bethlehem?

Although answers to each of these six criteria would only circumstantially prove the identity of the wise men, the preponderance of the evidence would certainly be sufficient to provide a reasonable basis for making a conclusion. Based on answers to these questions, it is my opinion that the evidence points to only one group of people from whom the wise men could have come; and they happen to be the most unlikely candidates to be considered. Nevertheless, we must still give this people adequate deliberation; the people whom the Book of Mormon called Nephites!

THE RETURN OF NEPHITES TO JERUSALEM

Based on what is written, only the Nephites in America held Melchizedek Priesthood keys at the time of Christ's birth. According to Helaman 11:5, there was a great famine in the land. This famine came approximately 18 years before the birth of Christ. Importantly, this famine came "according to the words of Nephi." Several years prior to this event, Nephi was visited by the Lord and given "power over this people, [to] smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people." In connection therewith, he was given all the keys of the priesthood including "power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Helaman 10:6-7). The record states that Lehi, his brother, was "not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness" (Helaman 11:19). And, based on the Book of Mormon record and the work that he undertook, I surmise that Samuel, the Lamanite, was equal in priesthood and righteousness to these sons of Helaman. Each were righteous, priesthood leaders in the Church of God on earth. Thus, if any on earth were designated to preside, it was these men. They were lineal descendants of Ephraim and, Nephi, in particular, stood as the TOWER OF THE FLOCK. Importantly, it was to these men that an angel came and foretold of a new star that would signify the birth of Jesus Christ. To the Nephites, Samuel declared:

And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. 

Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.

And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you. (Helaman 14:3-5)

The Nephites are the only people on record who were told that a new star would signify the birth of Christ. Thus, they would have been the only people on earth who would have understood its meaning when the new star appeared. If others on earth had also seen a new star arise, their lack of understanding would have caused them to quickly dismiss it as inconsequential. Thus, the fact that the wise men identified a new star as the sign of Christ's birth suggests that they were from these people to whom this exclusive sign had been given. In this regard, who else would have been better positioned in the West so that, to the eye of the beholder, a new star could be seen to arise in the East?

Although somewhat less relevant, it is interesting to note that the Book of Mormon has no record that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea. Contrary, it only states that "he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers" (Alma 7:10). Only the Old Testament includes the detailed prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethehem of Judea (see Micah 5:2). Based on the fact that Micah (circa 721 B.C.), who provided this detail, prophesied before Lehi left Jerusalem, it is possible his writings were included in the Brass Plates that were maintained by the Nephites. However, of this we cannot be certain (consider 1 Nephi 5:11-13). Further, even if this information was included in the Brass Plates, we cannot know that this information was readily available to those who lived at the time of Christ's mortal advent. Of one thing we can be certain--the wise men were ignorant of this detail concerning the precise locale of the Savior's birth.

Of all the things that potentially support the idea that the wise men came from among the Nephite nation, none are so reinforcing as the simple verse recorded in Helaman 16 concerning what happened one year prior to the birth of Christ:

But it came to pass in the ninetieth year of the reign of the judges, there were great signs given unto the people, and wonders; and the words of the prophets began to be fulfilled.

And angels did appear unto men, wise men, and did declare unto them glad tidings of great joy; thus in this year the scriptures began to be fulfilled. (Helaman 16:13-14).

Verse 14 is the only other verse in the entire Standard Works that mentions the existence of wise men in connection with the birth of Jesus Christ. Further, the fact that the phrase "wise men" was parenthetically inserted following the word "men" in verse 14, and that this parenthetical addition would provide no added meaning to the verse except if intended to connect these men to the New Testament wise men, is profoundly meaningful. [At this juncture, it is fitting to make a parenthetical comment of my own. "Being wise" was a characteristic attributed to Joseph, of Egypt. Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art" (Genesis 41:39).] Who among the Nephites would have qualified as "wise men" like unto Joseph, of Egypt? Certainly Nephi, Lehi, and Samuel would! 

In this regard, it is most interesting that when "the ninety and first year had passed away and it was six hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem" that Nephi, the son of Helaman, gave charge unto his son Nephi, who was his eldest son, concerning the plates of brass, and all the records which had been kept, and all those things which had been kept sacred from the departure of Lehi out of Jerusalem." After doing so, the record that that "he departed out of the land, and whither he went, no man knoweth" (3 Nephi 1:1-3). The record further notes that Samuel, the Lamanite, was never again seen among the Nephites (see Helaman 16:8). Although Nephi, Lehi, and Samuel could have died in the 34 intervening years between the Savior's birth and his visit to the people in America, it is worthy to note that none of these three are among those listed as the Savior's chosen disciples (see 3 Nephi 19:4). If they still lived and were present at the time of his visit, they would have undoubtedly been called and included among the original quorum of 12 disciples. Thus, only three possibilities exist concerning them; either they passed away, were translated, or departed out of the land for a cause sufficient to leave the land of their inheritance.

A FINAL AND SERIOUS QUESTION

I now pose a question, in the form of a declarative statement, to each reader of this blog:

If you were Nephi, held all the keys of the priesthood, lived but a few years prior to the prophesied time of Christ's birth, had been given to know all the signs of his coming and the place of his birth, and desired to be a witness of this great event, would you not make every effort to be personally present to view the Christ-child?!

I would! In fact, to do so, I would sell all that I possess! Although a definitive record of such a visit is missing, it is my opinion that this is precisely what the two sons of Helaman and Samuel, the Lamanite, did. I can't imagine that anything else would have been more important to them.

GIFTS OF GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, and MYRRH

In conclusion, it is worthy to comment on a custom followed when individuals traveled to visit dignitaries of other countries; they took with them treasures from their own land to give as gifts to the one being visited. According to Matthew's account of the visit of the Magi, the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Without offering proof, it is well-established that gold was abundant in America at the time of Christ's birth. In fact, North America has been a substantial gold-producer over several millenai. But what about frankincense and myrrh? According to Wikipedia,

Burseraceae is a moderate-sized family of 17-19 genera and about 540 species of flowering plants. The actual numbers differ according to the time period in which a given source is written describing this family. The Burseraceae is also known as the Torchwood family,[2] the frankincense and myrrh family, or simply the incense tree family. The family includes both trees and shrubs, and is native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Just as the family size (in terms of genera and species) differs according to the time period of the study, so too does its placement in the higher ranks. Nevertheless, the family is a genetically supported monophyletic group currently and frequently cited within the Sapindales and is recognized as a sister group to the Anacardiaceae.

The Burseraceae members are characterized by the non-allergenic resin they produce in virtually all plant tissue and the distinctive smooth, yet flaking aromatic bark,.[3][4] The origins of the family can be traced to the Paleocene (~65 Mya) when Beiselia mexicana first diverged in Mexico.[5] The subsequent divergences in the family lineage and migration of the species in the Eocene (~53 Mya) from North America have led to the current distributions of the species that are primarily associated with the tropics.[5] Though the family likely originated in North America, the greatest generic diversity presently is in the Southern Hemisphere.[5] Tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa) and gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba) represent the economic, ethnobotanical, and ecological significance of the Burseraceae in the Western Hemisphere, while frankincense (Boswellia sacra) and myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) represent the same in the Eastern Hemisphere.

There are several representative species within the Burseraceae that typify the economic and ethnobotanic significance of the family. First, Dacryodes excelsa of the Canarieae is an important old-growth species found in the Caribbean. Second, Bursera simaruba of the Burserinae is a fast-growing ornamental that is one of a few representatives of the primarily tropical family in the United States. Finally, the namesakes of the family Boswellia carterii (frankincense) and Commiphora abyssinica (myrrh) are important economically and medicinally in several parts of the world. Though this is a small subset of the large number of potentially important species, these four members exemplify the wide use and importance of the Burseraceae. The latter three are frequently cited in the literature for their renowned importance.

Based on the fact that the Burseraceae originated in North America, was plentiful, and of economic and ethnobotanic significance, it would have been likely that those traveling from this country would carry these most precious items to their new-born King.

HE REACHES OUR REACHING -- Alma and the tentacles of divine providence reaching out to his son

In his April 1929 General Conference address, Elder Orson F. Whitney counseled parents of “wilful and wayward” children:

Don't give them up. Don’t cast them off. They are not utterly lost. The Shepherd will find his sheep. They were his before they were yours—long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fulness of knowledge brings the fulness of accountability. Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend.

Turning to what had been purportedly taught by Joseph Smith concerning this principle, Elder Whitney then continued:

The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father's heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.[1]

Elder Whitney’s comments concerning these principles remained somewhat obscure to the membership of the Church until, in his April 1992 General Conference address, Elder Boyd K. Packer spoke out:

It is a great challenge to raise a family in the darkening mists of our moral environment.

We emphasize that the greatest work you will do will be within the walls of your home (see Harold B. Lee, Ensign, July 1973, p. 98), and that ‘no other success can compensate for failure in the home’ (David O. McKay, Improvement Era, June 1964, p. 445).

The measure of our success as parents, however, will not rest solely on how our children turn out. That judgment would be just only if we could raise our families in a perfectly moral environment, and that now is not possible.

It is not uncommon for responsible parents to lose one of their children, for a time, to influences over which they have no control. They agonize over rebellious sons or daughters. They are puzzled over why they are so helpless when they have tried so hard to do what they should.

It is my conviction that those wicked influences one day will be overruled.

After citing what Elder Whitney said concerning the power of “eternal sealings” upon wayward children, Elder Packer counseled:

We cannot overemphasize the value of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required of them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them. President Brigham Young said: ‘Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and Kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang.’[2]

As Elder Packer closed his address, calm settled over many parents who now considered that their temple marriage unconditionally saved their wayward children. For others, such thinking was difficult to square with moral agency, personal responsibility, and redemption from individual sin on conditions of repentance. To address the confusion and set straight the doctrine, Elder David A. Bednar wrote an article entitled Faithful Parents and Wayward Children: Sustaining Hope While Overcoming Misunderstanding. It is included in the March 2014 Ensign. I highly recommend it. Importantly, any confusion concerning the doctrine of divine tentacles reaching out to wayward children was not cause by what Elder Packer taught. Rather, I believe it was symptomatic of what members of the Church wanted to hear versus what they needed to hear.

What Parents Wanted to Hear (highlighted in red):We cannot overemphasize the value of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required of them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them. President Brigham Young said: ‘Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and Kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang.’

What Parents Needed to Hear (highlighted in blue):We cannot overemphasize the value of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required of them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them. President Brigham Young said: ‘Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and Kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang.’

The purpose of this blog is to consider further what Joseph Smith said concerning this doctrine of election and endeavor to square it with the Standard by which we measure all that is taught. Before doing so, however, it is important to note that God has not revealed all concerning the plan of redemption. For example, although the Standard Works establish that all must be saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ and by obedience to His laws, President Brigham Young taught that “there are those who are not capable of saving themselves and will have to be saved, if they are saved at all, by those who are capable of doing it.”[3] Joseph Smith further instructed that “it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times . . . that a whole and complete and

perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place.”[4] Precisely what President Young meant by his comment or how a “complete and perfection union and welding together of glories” will take place is beyond what is presently revealed.

Simply put, not all of God’s judgments are given unto men.[5] Only this much I do know—that when we look upon others, we must do so knowing that God “saves all the works of His hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed Him.”[6] But as to how, where, and when He will save them is left for Him to decide. No one should be too quick to place constraints on the depth and breadth of the Lord’s atonement, the extent of His suffering, how far He reaches, or how merciful and just He is. He truly saves to the uttermost and, with few exceptions noted in scriptures, we should go slow in placing limits on His power to save. Although the doctrine may teach otherwise, I have thought to never consider a single soul as lost to His view or pushed outside the arms of His mercy.

With these comments in mind, I believe it is useful to set forth, in relevant part, four versions of Joseph Smith’s discourse as originally recorded by those present.[7] From these, I will draw some personal and tentative conclusions and try to fit them within a scriptural framework.

Version 1 – Joseph Smith Diary, By Willard Richards 

Where has Judge Higby gone? who is there that would not give all his goods to feed the poor & pour out his gold & silver, to the four winds. to come where Judge Higby has gone . . . .

The world is reserved unto burning in the last days-he shall send Elijah the prophet. and he shall reveal the covenants of the fathers in relation to the children.-and the children and the covenants of the children in relation to the fathers.

. . . destroying angels holding power over the 4 quarters of the earth. until the the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. what is that seal. shall I tell you? No.

Doctrine Election.-sealing of the servants of God on the top of their heads. tis not the cross as the catholics would have it. doctrine of Election to Abraham was in the relation to the Lord. a man wishes to be embraced in the covenant of Abraham. A man Judge Higby-in world of spirits. is sealed unto the throne, & doctrine of Election sealing the father & children together.[8]

Version 2 – Howard and Martha Coray Notebook 

There is a thought more dreadful than that of total annihilation That thought is the an assurance thought that we shall never again meet with those we loved here on earth Suppose I had died believing that when having some Idea of a resurection and glory beyond the grave which God and angels had secured and yet had not any knowledge intelligence of any Law or any order by which it is to obtained. Well you lose a friend you come up in the resurection hoping to [meet] him again but find yourself separated from them to all eternity and become aware of the fact that through ignorance of the principles of the resurection and reunion you will never behold that dear friend nor ever enjoy his society this thought I say of being disappointed in meeting my friend in the resurection is to me more dreadful than of ceasing to suffer by a cessation of being

Were I could I tell the fact as it is all that heard me would go home and never say one word more about God or Christ or religion until they had received that assurance from Heaven which would set their souls at rest by placing all beyond a doubt.

What consolation have we what power what reason to expect one thing more than another in eternity . . . .

Malachi 4th ch Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble and they that cometh shall burn them up But although in the beginning God created the Earth standing in the water and out of the water still in the End it shall be burned and few men left-but before that God shall send unto them Elijah the prophet and he shall reveal unto them the covenants of the fathers with relation to the children and the covenants of the children in relation to the Fathers that they may have the priviledge of entering into the same in order to effect their mutual salvation And I saw another angel ascending from the east having the Seal of the living God and he cried &c. sayin Hurt not the Earth nor sea nor trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Now I would ask who know the seal of the living God Behold the ignorance of the World.

A measure of this sealing is to confirm upon their head in common with Elijah the doctrine of election or the covenant with Abraham-which which when a Father & mother of a family have entered into their children who have not transgressed are secured by the seal wherewith the Parents have been sealed. And this is the Oath of God unto our Father Abraham and this doctrine shall stand forever.[9]

Version 3 – Franklin D. Richards "Scriptural Items" 

Joseph. Translation of Mal 4th-5. I will send Elijah the Prophet and he shall reveal the covenants of the Fathers to the children and of the Children to the Fathers that they may enter into Covenant with each other lest I come & smite the whole Earth with a curse-

What is the seal spoken of in Rev 7-3 find it out if you can I will not reveal it now but will drop an idea that I have never revealed concerning Election connected with the sealing of the servants of God in the fore or top of the head Judge Higbee would say that covenants either there or here must be made in view of eternity and the Covenant sealed on the fore heads of the Parents secured the children from falling that they shall all sit upon thrones as one with the God-head joint Heirs of God with Jesus Christ 

This principle is revealed also through the covenant of Abraham and his children This is also the blessing and consolation of the Mourners.10]

Version 4 – William Clayton Diary 

Went to meeting heard J. preach on 2 Peter 3. 10 & 11-being a funeral sermon on the death of E. Higbee When speaking of the passage "I will send Elijah the prophet &c" he said it should read and he shall turn the hearts of the children to the covenant made with their fathers Also where it says and they shall seal the servants of God in their foreheads &c it means to seal the blessing on their heads (meaning the everlasting covenant thereby making their calling & election sure. When a seal is put upon the father and mother it secures their posterity so that they cannot be lost but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father).[11]

From these four different versions of the Prophet’s discourse, I believe three likely conclusions can be drawn.

First, in each of the written accounts, the “eternal sealings” given to faithful parents, which in turn reach out to secure their children, appears to be nothing less than the more sure word of prophecy, or “a man’s knowing that he is sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood.”[12] None of the accounts make explicit reference to the marriage covenant as constituting those sealings. In truth, temple marriages have an end when men are dead and have no saving virtue if not entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.[13] Thus, the seal placed upon a couple’s marriage contract by the Holy Spirit of promise[14] to make it of “efficacy, virtue, and force in and after the resurrection” appears to be the sealings of which Joseph Smith made mention. This, I believe, was understood by Elder Whitney as evidenced by his reference to “the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth.”

Second, when the Church historian merged the entries from the Smith (Version 1) and Clayton (Version 4) diaries to create the record from which Elder Whitney derived his conference address, the idea that the “seal placed upon a father and mother secures their posterity so that they cannot be lost” appeared to be unconditional, suggesting that wayward children of parents who receive the fulness of the priesthood[15] can never be disqualified from receiving the fulness of God’s blessings.[16] However, the Coray account (Version 2 above) retained a condition—that that the “eternal sealings” of faithful parents will secure the children “who have not transgressed.” Thus, in accord with scriptural diktat, repentance is retained as an essential element of salvation under the Coray account. And if repentance is retained, then faith would, of necessity, also be retained. Certainly, the tentacles of Divine Providence reach out to willfully wayward children even prior to faith and repentance. But wayward children must at some point yield to that sacred influence,[17] return to the Lord who gave them life, and live by His every word[18] if they are to be secured into an exalted sphere.

This necessity for wayward children to yield to the Spirit if they are to be altogether saved can be briefly illustrated by two familiar individuals and their families—Alma and Lehi. 

Alma received the promise of eternal life.[19] As a result,[20] and notwithstanding that his son was wholly undeserving, the Lord ostensibly reached out to secure Alma’s wayward son.[21] His son yielded to the Lord’s invitation, returned to the fold and, in due course, was likewise given the promises extended to his father. In contrast, Lehi was also granted the promise of eternal life[22] and, in a similar fashion, the Lord reached out to secure his wayward and undeserving sons, Laman and Lemuel. But alas, they did not yield as Alma’s son did and, as a consequence, Lehi saw that they refused to partake of the tree of life.[23] Where these two brothers will eventually end up following the resurrection is for the Lord to decide.

It is my observation that the “eternal sealings” of faithful parents may invite divine intervention into the lives of their wayward children, but an appeal to the scriptures suggests that these sealings can neither avert the demands of justice, nor claim the rights of mercy. In supporting this view, President James E. Faust reaffirmed a primary doctrine in order to settle some confusion that had surfaced concerning this subject. Drawing a parallel between D&C 138:57-59 and Elder Whitney’s comments regarding the salvation of wayward children, President Faust noted:

We remember that the prodigal son wasted his inheritance, and when it was all gone he came back to his father's house. There he was welcomed back into the family, but his inheritance was spent (Luke 15:11–32). Mercy will not rob justice, and the sealing power of faithful parents will only claim wayward children upon the condition of their repentance and Christ's Atonement. Repentant wayward children will enjoy salvation and all the blessings that go with it, but exaltation is much more. It must be fully earned. The question as to who will be exalted must be left to the Lord in His mercy.[24]

In context of the principle being addressed, President Faust’s discrimination between salvation and exaltation seems critically important. Salvation, although frequently synonymous with exaltation,[25] is a scriptural expression broad enough to encompass even telestial candidates.[26] Concerning such “prodigal sons” that return to the Lord but who have nonetheless, in the days of their mortal probation, spent their inheritance, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith taught:

They have no part in the first resurrection and are not redeemed from the devil and his angels until the last resurrection, because of their wicked lives and their evil deeds. Nevertheless, even these are heirs of salvation, but before they are redeemed and enter into their kingdom, they must repent of their sins, and receive the gospel, and bow the knee, and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world . . . .

All who have been filthy and who would not receive the truth and have not had the testimony of Jesus Christ, must suffer the torments of the damned until they are purged from their iniquity, for the blood of Jesus Christ will not cleanse them[27] from their sins without their own individual suffering.[28]

After their suffering, confirmed Elder Bruce R. McConkie, these telestial candidates “are saved from the devil because he no longer has power over them; they have paid the penalty for their sins, and these sins no longer weigh them down.”[29] Nevertheless, President George Q. Cannon noted that, even though such individuals might be saved, they cannot thereafter be exalted:

Those who are unfaithful, those who will listen to Satan, who will lend a willing ear to his blandishments and to his allurements, when they go from this state of existence, they go into a condition where they are subject to his power. They will dwell in darkness, and according to their sins their punishment will be. Some will be consigned to ‘outer darkness’ where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth . . . . They will remain in that condition according to the enormity of their offenses, until punishment will be meted out to them sufficiently to bring them to a condition that they will receive the Gospel of salvation. That Gospel which is taught to us will be taught to them, and they will have an opportunity of obeying it in their damned condition and through repentance will receive salvation.[30]

President Joseph Fielding Smith, I believe, wrote most precisely concerning the right of eternal sealings to lay claim upon the children. His comments are plain enough and leave little room for speculation:

Those born under the covenant, throughout all eternity, are the children of their parents. Nothing except the unpardonable sin, or sin unto death, can break this tie. If children do not sin as John says, ‘unto death,’ the parents may still feel after them and eventually bring them back near to them again.
On this point President Brigham Young has said: ‘Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers. I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang.’ 

All children born under the covenant belong to their parents in eternity, but that does not mean that they, because of that birthright, will inherit celestial glory. The faith and faithfulness of fathers and mothers will not save disobedient children.

Salvation is an individual matter, and if a person who has been born under the covenant rebels and denies the Lord, he will lose the blessings of exaltation. Every soul will be judged according to his works and the wicked cannot inherit eternal life. We cannot force salvation upon those who do not want it. Even our Father's children had their agency before this life, and one-third of them rebelled. 

It is the duty of parents to teach their children so that they will walk uprightly and thus obtain the blessings of their birthright.

But children born under the covenant, who drift away, are still the children of their parents; and the parents have a claim upon them; and if the children have not sinned away all their rights, the parents may be able to bring them through repentance, into the celestial kingdom, but not to receive the exaltation. Of course, if children sin too grievously, they will have to enter the telestial kingdom, or they may even become sons of perdition.[31]

From these and other similar statements,[32] it seems clear that even when the tentacles of Divine Providence reach out to wayward children, it is possible that their rebellion may foil God’s desire to secure them into an exalted sphere—they may simply end up being placed into a lesser state of glory.[33] In his October 1995 Conference Address, Elder Packer invoked the situation of king David as evidence of this prospect, declaring that “forgiveness does not . . . necessarily assure exaltation.”[34]

A third, and final, conclusion that might be drawn from the several accounts noted above is that this principle of “tentacles reaching out to wayward children of faithful parents” is fundamentally demonstrated in the covenant which God made to Abraham. Of this covenant and principle, Moses declared to Abraham’s seed:

For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people; 

But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 

Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.[35]

God’s choosing of a covenant children is because He loves them. But His patience and longsuffering with their incessant wanderings and sinful behavior is because He would keep the oath which he had sworn unto their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The events recorded in Exodus 32 concerning Israel’s worship of the molten calf and the resulting dialogue between Moses and the LORD on Sinai profoundly illustrate this point:

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; 

They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them, they have made them a molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people; 

Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation. 

And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 

Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath. Thy people will repent of this evil; therefore come thou not out against them. 

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, If they will repent of the evil which they have done, I will spare them, and turn away my fierce wrath; but, behold, thou shalt execute judgment upon all that will not repent of this evil this day. Therefore, see thou do this thing that I have commanded thee, or I will execute all that which I had thought to do unto my people.[36]

Today, God’s keeping of His oath is most evident in Malachi’s prophecy that Elijah would return in the last days to turn the heart of the children to the covenants He made with their fathers. In other words, God’s planting in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers and causing their hearts to turn unto the fathers is, in itself, a fulfillment of this principle.[37] Hence, the emergence of the fathers to convey the keys of salvation to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 was the supreme manifestation of the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out to secure the children of them to whom the promises were made.[38]

Since the day that the Lord covenanted with Abraham and confirmed it with an oath,[39] the tentacles of Divine Providence have sought after the literal descendants of Abraham’s seed, to whom the promises were made.[40] And though some of the sheep have wandered, the eyes of the Shepherd—patient and longsuffering—have remained fixed upon them. All the day long, He has stretched forth His hand and nourished His vineyard, and digged about it, and pruned it, and dunged it,[41] and, notwithstanding the corruption of His vineyard, patiently spares it “a little longer.” Such is our Shepherd who loveth His children[42] and keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.[43]

FOOTNOTES

[1] Whitney, Orson F., Conference Report, April 1929, 110. 

[2] Packer, Boyd K., “Our Moral Environment,” Conference Report, April 1992, 94. 

[3] Taken from the minutes of Nauvoo Holy Order Meetings held on 14 December 1845, as transcribed from the journal of Heber C. Kimball. 

[4] D&C 128:18. 

[5] D&C 29:28-30. 

[6] D&C 76:43. 

[7] Joseph Smith delivered this discourse on August 13, 1843 in connection with the funeral services of Judge Higbee, a good friend of the Prophet who died on June 8, 1843 in an accident. 

[8] Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, compiled and edited by Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, 238-239. 

[9] Ibid, 239 – 241.

[10] Ibid, 241-242.

[11] Ibid, 241 – 242.

[12] D&C 131:5. 

[13] D&C 132:7. 

[14] D&C 88:3-5. 

[15] In connection with this article, the “fulness of the priesthood” is used to mean “the more sure word of prophecy.” 

[16] Such an unconditional would not accord with D&C 20:32 (and a host of other passages), wherein we read: “But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God.” 

[17] Mosiah 3:19. 

[18] D&C 84:43-45; compare 1 Nephi 13:40-41. 

[19] i.e., the “eternal sealings,” see Mosiah 26:20. 

[20] Mosiah 27:14. 

[21] Mosiah 27:11. 

[22] 2 Nephi 1:15. 

[23] 1 Nephi 8:18. 

[24] Faust, James E., “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered,” Conference Report, 6 April 2003, 68. 

[25] D&C 6:13; compare D&C 14:7. 

[26] D&C 76:88. 

[27] Note that Elder Smith spells out that it is the blood of Christ that will cleanse such individuals and not their personal suffering. 

[28] Smith, Joseph Fielding, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:22. 

[29] McConkie, Bruce R., A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 145. 

[30] Cannon, George Q., Gospel Truth, Volume 1, 78-79.

[31] Smith, Joseph Fielding, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:91-92. 

[32] See statement by Elder Spencer W. Kimball in the November 1974 Ensign, pages 111-112, wherein he taught: “In each of us is the potentiality to become a God—pure, holy, true, influential, powerful, independent of earthly forces. We learn from the scriptures that we each have eternal existence, that we were in the beginning with God. That understanding gives to us a unique sense of man’s dignity. I have sometimes seen children of good families rebel, resist, stray, sin, and even actually fight God. In this they bring sorrow to their parents, who have done their best to set in movement a current and to teach and live as examples. But I have repeatedly seen many of these same children, after years of wandering, mellow, realize what they have been missing, repent, and make great contribution to the spiritual life of their community. The reason I believe this can take place is that, despite all the adverse winds to which these people have been subjected, they have been influenced still more, and much more than they realized, by the current of life in the homes in which they were reared. When, in later years, they feel a longing to recreate in their own families the same atmosphere they enjoyed as children, they are likely to turn to the faith that gave meaning to their parents’ lives. There is no guarantee, of course, that righteous parents will succeed always in holding their children, and certainly they may lose them if they do not do all in their power. The children have their free agency. But if we as parents fail to influence our families and set them on the ‘strait and narrow way,’ then certainly the waves, the winds of temptation and evil will carry the posterity away from the path. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ What we do know is that righteous parents who strive to develop wholesome influences for their children will be held blameless at the last day, and that they will succeed in saving most of their children, if not all.” 

[33] See D&C 133:62-74. 

[34] Packer, Boyd K. “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, November 1995, 19, Footnote #15 (compare Acts 3:13-19). 

[35] JST Deuteronomy 7:6-9. That fact that the tentacles of Divine Providence reach out most profoundly to Abraham’s seed is strong evidence that the tentacles have a primeval origin. 

[36] JST Exodus 32:7-14; compare Psalms 106:7, 22-23 wherein is written that God would have destroyed the children of Israel “had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath.” In doing this, Moses was a type of Christ, God’s chosen, who also stood in the breach to turn away the wrath of God (compare D&C 109:53). 

[37] D&C 1:2; compare D&C 96:6-7. 

[38] These promises were likewise placed upon the prophet Joseph Smith that “in him and in his seed shall the kindred of the earth be blessed.”D&C 124:57-58; compare D&C 110:12. 

[39] Hebrews 6:13-18. 

[40] D&C 107:40. 

[41] Jacob 5:47. 

[42] 1 Nephi 11:17. 

[43] JST Deuteronomy 7:9.