Not even a red cent . . .

In this world of turbulent events, few experience happiness as I have. I have not settled for a boring life, but neither have I taken pleasure in mischief. I’ve had little time to give attention to such matters. I suppose I would conclude that my life has been a procession of rather ordinary experiences, accented by a few extraordinary, course-altering, events.

My career has provided me with unique and enjoyable opportunities to experience good and witness the face of evil. I have been chief financial officer of NYSE and AMEX-traded companies, managed over $300 million of corporate cash, practiced as a certified public accountant for the world's two largest public accounting firms. My service in the Church and at the University, although challenging, has engendered within me love for the human race and hope in the rising generation.

But the joy felt from these, cannot approach the joy I have experienced because of my family. They are the reward of life and a hope of the life to come. They—and, particularly, I speak of my wife—are the principal reasons that life has been wholly worthwhile. Lori is a woman in whom even virtue is more lovely because it is found in her.

Only one joy excels the happiness of family life—it is knowing and loving my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Of them, I cannot say the smallest part that I feel. I have, in a most genuine sense, enjoyed the words of eternal life in this world and hope to become a partaker thereof in the worlds to come.

Although my childhood was predominantly filled with entertaining activities, there were also painful times that brought needed introspection. My conscience behaves all too well to let me forget those mistakes I made while broaching the ages of accountability. Mom has always told me that I was an obedient boy. I'm not sure that I was; I was probably just a crackerjack at not getting caught. But I will admit that my childhood pictures portray quite a remarkable look of innocence in my face.

No one but Christ has been perfect in mortality. Thus, everyone should live to regret a few of the things that they do; it is called learning and growing in wisdom. But I’m also persuaded that the vices that one lives to regret should not consist of capital offenses; followers of Christ should learn the deep sorrows of sin from reflecting on the lives of others. The wisest pupil is the one who learns life’s difficult lessons about sins without experiencing them. Jesus was a Man of sorrows who suffered temptations of every kind, yet He knew no sin because He gave them no heed. So, I got caught a few times in transgression and, thus, experienced bitterness… and I learned and I grew. And I continue to learn and grow, sometimes from my own mistakes and sometimes from the mistakes of others.

I will always know my mother as a close friend. I spent most of my early childhood years with her in a small room in the basement that dad had arranged for canning fruit. I helped wash bottles and did my best at preparing the fruit of the season. Growing up with mother was a pleasure. I particularly welcomed the occasions we went shopping together. These times almost always resulted in procuring some candy, however little it may have been. Although I had money of my own, I could usually make it out of the store with a treat and all but a few cents of my own.

During all my childhood shopping experience, there wasn’t a store that we frequented more than Davis Foods, a conventional “mom-and-pop” grocery store located in downtown Meridian, Idaho and owned and operated by Mr. George Davis. Mr. Davis was a kind, caring individual that paid particular attention to mom and her then… eight children. Even now, I can still see Mr. Davis’ long rectangular face and military-style crew cut. He was never without the white smock that traditionally characterizes the grocer of years past.

Similar to other stores, a tempting array of candy bars, gum and knick-knacks were displayed at the checkout stand. On one occasion, Mom finished checking out and proceeded to the car. I opened the car door, climbed into the brown-metallic station wagon and, without much thought, I reached into my pocket and began opening a piece of bubble gum that I somehow procured during the time I was in the store. "Where did you get the gum," asked mom? Well now, it seemed pretty obvious to her, I would suppose, and so trying to keep the consequences down to a minimum, I told the truth: "I took it from the store," I replied.

To this day I don't remember actually taking the gum; I only remember getting caught. Well . . . as any self-respecting parent would do, mom marched me back into the store and advised Mr. Davis of my crime. And to make matters worse, she had a brief discussion with him before turning me over for interrogation. Mustering all the severity he had in him, Mr. Davis gently, and almost apologetically,   suggested that stealing was a profession of which I shouldn't become too fond. The lesson has stayed with me to this day.

I really don't recall being punished, but I do remember standing, with a tear-stricken face, before Mr. Davis and paying for the gum that I had already chewed. Most of all, I remember the sorrow  I felt at the time for having disappointed my mother. It was my desire to receive the receive the mutual approbation of my loving parents that guided me through my impressionable years. Although I learned an invaluable lesson at this tender age of 5, I still took the opportunity to steal candy on two other occasions, both before the inexperienced age of 9. To my knowledge, I haven’t stolen a red cent.

To this day, I believe these childhood experiences developed within me a profound desire to be honest throughout my life; honest with my family, associates, friends, the world around me. And, most importantly, to be honest with the Lord.

The Perfect Paradox - Chapter 6: That God Might be a Perfect, Just God

Christ fully answered for Himself the end of the law that demands perfection. By so doing, He became a perfect, just God. Thus, perfection was an acquired attribute of God even though there was never a time He was not perfect. He is light and in Him there is no darkness. He is the Rock, His work is perfect, a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He (see Deuteronomy 32:4). His way is perfect; His word is tried. He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him (see 2 Samuel 22:31); a being in whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (see James 1:17). He cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance (see D&C 1:31) for He “doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth He turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth He vary from that which He hath said, therefore His paths are straight, and His course is one eternal round” (D&C 3:2).

These attributes of perfection, justice, and constancy are necessary prerequisites to trusting God, “for without the idea of unchangeableness in the character of the Deity,” taught the prophet Joseph (1891), “doubt would take the place of faith. But with the idea that he changes not,” he continued, “faith lays hold upon the excellencies in his character with unshaken confidence, believing he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that his course is one eternal round” (pp. 21, Lecture 3). Without knowledge of God’s constancy, we “would not know how soon the mercy of God might change into cruelty, his long-suffering into rashness, his love into hatred, and in consequence of which doubt man would be incapable of exercising faith in him” (pp. 21, Lecture 3). It is also necessary, the Prophet continued . . .

In order to the exercise of faith in God unto life and salvation, that men should have the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in him; for without the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in the Deity men could not have confidence sufficient to place themselves under his guidance and direction; for they would be filled with fear and doubt lest the judge of all the earth would not do right . . . . 

But when the idea of the existence of the attribute justice in the Deity is fairly planted in the mind, it leaves no room for doubt to get into the heart, and the mind is enabled to cast itself upon the Almighty without fear and without doubt, and with the most unshaken confidence, believing that the Judge of all the earth will do right (pp. 14, Lecture 4).

Considering that Christ is perfect and just, we may ask: “Can we ever answer, for ourselves, the end of the law that requires perfection and, thereby, become perfect and just?” In other words, can we ever become perfect without Christ? The scriptures are clear and absolute on this point: the PERFECTION end of the law can only be answered for men by cloaking them in the perfection of Christ. Christ alone answered this end of the law for Himself and for every creature and men can in no wise answer it for themselves. “Men can stop sinning,” said Elder Joseph F. Smith (1939), “and can do right in the future, and so far their acts are acceptable before the Lord and worthy of consideration. But who shall repair the wrongs they have done to themselves and to others, which it seems impossible for them to repair themselves” (p. 98)?

Only Christ can cover sin and hide it from view. Christ is not only the shortest way to perfection; He is the only Way to Perfection. Thus, the only way for man to be saved in any degree is for someone not subject to the curse to rescue him—it requires God. President John Taylor (1882) remarked:

For the simple reason that a stream can never rise higher than its fountain; a man having assumed a fleshly body and become of the earth earthy, and through the violation of law having cut himself off from his association with the Father, and become subject to death; in this condition, as the mortal life of a man was short, and in and of himself he could have no hope of benefiting himself, or redeeming himself from his fallen condition, or of bringing himself back to the presence of his Father, some superior agency was needed to elevate him above his low and degraded position. This superior agency was the Son of God, who had not, as man had, violated a law of his Father, but as yet one with His Father, possessing His glory, His power, His dominion . . . . 

A man as a man, could arrive at all the dignity that a man was capable of obtaining or receiving; but it needed a God to raise him to the dignity of a God. (pp. 145-146).

Alluding to one of Israel’s principal oversights, the apostle Paul reminded the Romans that they were to rely on the righteousness of their Redeemer and not the arm of flesh for perfection:

For [Israel] being ignorant of God’s righteousness [perfection], and going about to establish their own righteousness [perfection], have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness [perfection] of God. 

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness [perfection] to everyone that believeth (Romans 10:3-4).

Ultimately, our rise to perfection must be rooted in the righteousness of our Redeemer (see 2 Nephi 2:3). It is His righteousness that is to be declared as He alone is the justifier of those who believe on His name (see Romans 3:25-26). Only “in the Lord have I righteousness and strength.” [Only in the Lord shall all the] “seed of Israel be justified” (see Isaiah 45:24-25; compare Isaiah 53:11). The only way whereby we may lay hold of every good thing is to have faith in Him from whom all good things come (see Moroni 7:12, 20-28). It is His righteousness for which we are commanded to hunger and thirst (see 3 Nephi 12:6; compare 3 Nephi 20:8-9). Our most recently-deceased prophet has reminded us that ours “is the privilege of standing in the shadow of the Redeemer of the world as we carry forward this work” (Hinckley G. B., 2003, p. 24). Thus, the Lord exhorts us to “seek . . . first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33; compare 3 Nephi 13:33) “for he hath made [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our righteousness is to be of the Lord (see Isaiah 54:17), the fountain of all righteousness (see Ether 12:28). True righteousness, therefore, comes by faith in the Righteous (see Moses 7:47).

In this connection, it is frequently heard these days that “we should pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon ourselves.” I think I understand the message conveyed by this statement. Often, it is appropriately used to stress the importance of personal effort in the grand scheme of things. However, the danger in this statement is that it strikes at the foundations of the atonement and, if we permit, it destroys faith. If we ever attempt to separate our actions from their divine source, then we risk our attentions being focused on our mortal abilities rather than on God’s strength and perfection. In such condition, we will find ourselves relying in the arm of flesh—neglecting to give God credit for our successes and forgetting to look to Him for strength to rise above our failures. We must both pray and work as if everything depended upon the Lord for Moroni reminded us that “if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God” (Moroni 10:25).

It is instrumental to note that relying in the arm of flesh is listed as a primary cause for straying from God’s ordinances and breaking His everlasting covenant (D&C 1:15). Describing the manner in which such have strayed and broken His covenant, the Lord confirmed: “They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness [perfection], but every man walketh in his own way [i.e., to establish his own righteousness or perfection], and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol” (D&C 1:16). Describing these individuals in more detail, Nephi wrote:

They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men (2 Nephi 28:14).

The prophet Moroni, who also viewed these latter-day people “as if they were present,” noted that, save a few only, they all walk in the “pride of their hearts” (see Mormon 8:35-40).

In D&C 33:4, the Lord teaches that the “precepts of men” is “priestcrafts” which is elsewhere considered synonymous with “making flesh our arm” by ignoring the workings of the Holy Spirit (see 2 Nephi 28:31). Priestcrafts, according to Nephi, “are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion” (2 Nephi 26:29). Referring to devious wolves in sheep’s clothing who practice this craft, Mormon warned: “Yea, and wo unto him that shall say at that day, to get gain, that there can be no miracle wrought by Jesus Christ, for he that doeth this shall become like unto the son of perdition, for whom there was no mercy, according to the word of Christ” (3 Nephi 29:7). Finally, in connection with certain individuals and their transgression of the Law of Consecration in process of building Zion, the Lord declared that the covenant was broken “through covetousness and with feigned words” (D&C 104:4, 52). Like the cause underlying priestcrafts, feigned words are also those spoken falsely for the intent of obtaining personal gain.

All of these scriptures concerning the attitudes and conduct of those of the latter days suggest that we, as a collective society, are little different from the Israelites of Paul’s day that went about to establish their own righteousness. Like them, we walk after the manner of the flesh and follow after the precepts of men. Like them, we seek to establish our own righteousness and to find salvation in a god which moth and rust doth corrupt (see Matthew 6:19), and this we do because of the pride of our hearts. Like them, we seek the substance of the world to make it our idol—and we do so with feigned words. Like them addressed by the apostle Peter, we deny the Lord who bought us with a price and allow those who follow after pernicious ways through covetousness and with feigned words make merchandise of us (see 2 Peter 2:1-3). Indeed, priestcrafts are all about us and possibly, if not certainly, among us!

In a moving demonstration of His invitation to us to be perfect in Him, the veil of the temple was rent as the Son of God cried with a loud voice and yielded up the Ghost (see Matthew 27:50-51), thereby, demonstrating not only His fulfillment of the Mosaic law but also signifying that entrance into the most holy place is no longer restricted to the high priest of Israel. “But now,” said the apostle Paul, “our Great High Priest, our Hope and Anchor of the Soul, has, for us, first entered through the veil into the most holy place” (Hebrews 6:19-20) and invites us to follow Him. Paul continued:

Having therefore . . . boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way . . . through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

And having an high priest over the house of God; 

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,[1] having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

Wonderfully, we must boldly—with a divine confidence, engendered by virtue and bonds of perfectness, that waxes strong in the presence of God (see D&C 121:45)—enter the celestial kingdom through the veil, that is to say, through the flesh of Christ, our Forerunner (see Hebrews 6:20), for no “man cometh unto the Father, but by [Him]” (John 14:6).

Because He lived a perfect life, Christ is able to perfect us. Because He remained in that sphere in which God placed Him, He is able to renew us to that sphere from which we fell. Moroni aptly concluded: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfect in him . . . . And . . . if ye . . . are perfect in Christ . . . then are ye sanctified in Christ . . . through the shedding of the blood of Christ . . . unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot” (Moroni 10:32-34). The PERFECTION end of the law can be fully answered for men only when the Lord’s righteousness or perfection is imputed unto them and they become perfect in Him. And although men are counseled to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, it is God who worketh in them that brings this salvation about (see Philippians 2:12-13) for “all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them” (Moroni 7:24).

In these verses quoted from Moroni 10, the Prophet taught that becoming perfect in Christ is a two-fold development; first, he taught that we must become perfect, or justified, in Christ and, second, he taught that when we are justified in Christ then are we sanctified in Christ. In this sense, the word “then” as used by Moroni suggests that all who are justified in Christ are then sanctified in Christ. In other words, although separate and distinct, justification and sanctification appear to be coupled (compare D&C 88:34-39).

Considering justification at this juncture may prove useful as it is a doctrine that fundamentally relates to perfection. In D&C 88, the Lord says: “unto every kingdom is given a law and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions” (verse 38). Likewise, we are told that all who will have a blessing at God’s hands “shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof” (D&C 132:5) and that “all beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified” (D&C 88:39).

Connecting the dots between these verses suggests that justification, or being made perfect in Christ, comes as a result of obedience to the conditions of gospel law. However, we should be mindful that “by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off” (2 Nephi 2:5; compare Galatians 3:11). The law is only a schoolmaster that points souls to Christ (see Jacob 4:5) that they might be justified by faith in Him (see Galatians 3:24). In other words, one cannot be justified by obedience to law without having faith in the Lawgiver. Thus, the apostle Paul declared: “not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9).

As with all gospel principles, justification must be centered in Christ—it must touch Him and grow out of Him. Justification must be predicated upon faith in the Holy Messiah (see 2 Nephi 2:6), for if there is no faith, awful is the state of man for, other than loosing the bands of death, they are as though there had been no redemption made (see Moroni 7:38). Christ is the end of the law and the purpose for which law is given (see 2 Nephi 25:24-27). Further, the faith that brings justification must be of the sort that leads unto repentance—for all true faith must be unto repentance if it is to be rooted in Christ. Faith without repentance is only an intellectual exercise that produces no fruit. Thus, Abinadi taught that he that persists in his own carnal nature and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, it is as though there was no redemption made for him (Mosiah 16:5; compare Alma 11:41).

Thus, faith in Christ unto repentance is essential for one to be justified. In short, we are justified by the blood of Christ by what we do through faith in His name unto repentance for, as the apostle Paul taught, “the doers of the law shall be justified” (see Romans 2:13).[2] Restated, I suggest justification is being declared just, not guilty (see 3 Nephi 27:16), or perfect through the blood of Christ by faith on the Lord unto repentance and obedience to the conditions of His law.

Extending this principle to individual blessings, justification is obtaining a blessing by faith in Christ unto repentance and by obedience to the conditions of His law upon which that blessing is predicated (see D&C 130:21). If satisfactorily met, the requisite standards of faith, repentance, and obedience[3] with respect to the law to which blessings are attached, will assure us that the Holy Spirit of Promise will recognize and ratify our actions and seal upon us the promised blessings (see D&C 132:7). Extending this concept to God’s kingdoms of glory (i.e., the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial), justification would then be the means whereby, through the blood of Christ and by faith in His name unto repentance, we become legal citizens of a kingdom—the law and conditions of which we are willing to abide. Thus, justification comes to all of God’s children who, in the broadest sense, are saved in one of His three kingdoms of glory and who, thereby, become “heirs of salvation” (see D&C 76:44, 88).[4]

Sadly, after those who are fit for a kingdom of glory have been judged, those who remain will return again to their own place (see D&C 88:32) to enjoy a kingdom of no glory (see D&C 88:32, 24) and this because they were unwilling to abide the law and conditions of a kingdom of glory. For them, our Advocate neither prays nor pleads to the Father (see 3 Nephi 19:29).[5] Of such, the Lord has said: “it had been better for them never to have been born” (D&C 76:32). Those who thus qualify as sons of perdition will be neither justified (see Alma 41:13-15, compare D&C 88:39) nor sanctified (see D&C 88:35), for the Lord saves all except them (see D&C 76:44) “for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not; for they love darkness rather than light” (D&C 29:44-45). Describing these destitute souls as “wells without water and clouds that are carried with a tempest to whom the midst of darkness is reserved forever,” the apostle Peter declared:

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 

And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 

But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 

These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 

For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 

But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire (2 Peter 2:12-22).

One aspect of justification that is sometimes overlooked is the fact that all those who are justified are cleansed from sin and made perfect according to that sphere and station in which they shall dwell. This is true even of telestial citizens, “they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie” (D&C 76:103), who suffer the wrath of God on earth and are cast to hell until the fulness of times when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under His feet (see D&C 103:104-106). Even the sins of these telestial candidates will be “blotted out” (see Acts 3:19; compare Alma 7:13-14) through the blood of the Lamb.

Even these telestial citizens will be declared “not guilty” through the blood of Christ by eventually availing themselves of His mercy through faith, repentance, and personal suffering. Having done so, they will come forth clean and will stand blameless because they will have repented and become obedient to certain conditions of gospel law. However, those who are thus justified will have neither yielded their hearts to God (see Helaman 3:5) nor consecrated their whole souls (see Omni 1:26) to celestial work. I prefer to think of these in the sense that they will undergo a form of forced contrition—they will be compelled to be humble (contrast Alma 32:16). They will regret having sinned but their contrition will not stem from a genuine love of God, nor will it lead them to alter their behavior to celestial conduct.

Being justified in Christ does not happen all at once in mortality, nor does it immediately happen when we die. Joseph Smith (1976) said that it would be a great while after we have passed through the veil before we will have learned all the principles of exaltation (p. 230). However, simply because this process may extend beyond the grave does not mean that seeking for it can, in wisdom, be delayed. Seeking for any celestial attribute or condition should never be delayed as mortality is short. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (2004) said in the April 2004 Priesthood Session of General Conference:

Brethren, as you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give. Don't wait too long to find the altar or to begin to place the gift of your wills upon it! (p. 45).

Worlds without end, we could never experience celestial life without being justified in Christ. Because He answered the PERFECTION end of the law, He is now the PERFECTION end of the law to all those who have faith in His name.

WORKS CITED

Hinckley, G. B. (2003, June 21). Rejoicing in the Privilege to Serve. Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, 24.

Maxwell, N. A. (2004, May). Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been. Ensign, pp. 44-45.

Smith, J. (1891). The Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City: George Q. Cannon & Sons, Co., Printers and Publishers.

Smith, J. (1976). Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. (J. F. Smith, Ed.) Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.

Smith, J. F. (1939). Gospel Doctrine. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.

Taylor, J. (1882). Mediation and Atonement. Salt Lake City: Deseret New Company.

ENDNOTES

[1] Drawing near to God in full assurance of faith, is more than a leisurely approach. 

[2] Compare D&C 132:59. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1981) confirmed: “Men are justified in what they do when their deeds conform to divine standards” (p. 344). 

[3] Obedience presupposes the performance of ordinances under proper priesthood keys. 

[4] Compare D&C 138:58-59. The greater blessing of sanctification comes primarily to those who qualify through Christ to dwell in the kingdom wherein God dwells. In other words, although coupled with justification, sanctification, in the supreme sense, is a celestial concept; scripture most often connects it to celestial life. This is not to say that sanctification does not come, in some measure, to those of the telestial or terrestrial glory. For example, Doctrine and Covenants 76:41-43 states that Christ “came into the world . . . to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; That through him all might be saved . . . except the sons of perdition.” Furthermore, after equating the light of Christ to the “law by which all things are governed” (see D&C 88:13), the Lord revealed that “that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same” (D&C 88:34). These verses suggest that sanctification, in some measure, applies to all those whom the Son saves (i.e., the world) and who are governed, in one way or another, by the law (or light of Christ). Thus, it seems plausible that everyone, except sons of perdition, will be sanctified in some measure. However, in the ultimate sense, the concept of sanctification most appropriately applies to those of the celestial realm (see D&C 88:2, 17-21), even though those of the lower kingdoms of glory will be cleansed from all sin. If we abide the whole law—the Law of Christ (see D&C 88:21)—the assurance is given that we will be “recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world” (D&C 88:2) because, as Elder McConkie taught, “this law includes the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost” (McConkie B. R., Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p. 97). And if we are not sanctified through celestial law, then we must “inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom” (D&C 88:21) for “he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory. And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom . . . [or] the law of a telestial kingdom . . . must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory” (D&C 88:22-24) because he is unwilling to abide the law of a kingdom of glory and “therefore, [he] cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, [he] must remain filthy still” (D&C 88:35). 

[5] Compare D&C 38:4-6; D&C 45:3-5.

The Mercy Seat

Two weeks ago, I posted a blog entitled Blow the Trumpet in Zion. Although significant, it would be a grand mistake to see the Feast of Trumpets as a festival without relationship to any other of the Jewish holy days. In fact, part of its significance is due to its juxtaposition to the Lord's other holy days; particularly as preparation for those days considered most holy to the Lord.

Soon after the children of Israel settled into their wilderness life, the Lord instructed Moses that he was to build a tabernacle. The stated purpose of the tabernacle was to provide "a sanctuary; that [he could] dwell among [Israel]" (Exodus 25:8). His presence was to be manifest either as a cloud in the daytime, or as a pillar of fire by night. And so it was, that "on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning" (Numbers 9:15).

Unlike the very public and continuous manifestation of His presence, or Shechinah, the Lord's personal manifestations to those chosen to lead Israel were generally exclusive and unscheduled . . . with one significant exception. It is of this one exception that I wish to express a few thoughts. However, I intend only to use it as a backdrop of the real topic of this blog--the mercy seat.

All of the Sabbaths, of which there were seven, were given for the express purpose of showing to Israel that the Lord sanctifies His people (Exodus 31:13; compare Ezekiel 20:12). Furthermore, as noted by the apostle Paul, each were a "shadow of things to come" (Colossians 2:16-17); and I might add that all seven events foreshadowed by these Sabbaths have been, or shall be, the most meaningful events the world will know. All seven Sabbaths are summarized in Leviticus 23, including the following:

1) Passover; 

2) Feast of Unleavened Bread;

3) Feast of First Fruits;

4) Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost;

5) Feast of Trumpets;

6) Day of Atonement; and

7) Feast of Tabernacles.

Looking into the details of each provides substantial support that the Lord, indeed, sanctifies His people. In due course, I intend to address all seven, but doing so will not be undertaken at this time, as something shorter than a book is intended for this blog. However, mentioning elements of two is worthwhile and presently relevant.

On the Sabbath that followed the Feast of Trumpets, the Lord appeared in a cloud of incense upon the mercy seat. The mercy seat was made of pure gold; two and one-half cubits long and one and one-half cubits wide. It was placed atop the Ark of the Covenant. Its most distinguishing characteristic were two cherubs facing each other--one at each end--with wings stretched forth as a covering of the testimony within the Ark. Between these two High Priests, the Lord rested his feet. Shrouded in a cloud of incense, it was from there that the Lord communed with Aaron.

Celebrations of this annual event began on the evening of the ninth day and continued through until the evening of the tenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew almanac.[1] Thus, it always fell in September or October of the Gregorian calendar and, regardless of the day of the week on which it fell, it was a Sabbath.[2] A memorial of this day continues to be celebrated by Jews world-wide. It is one of three Fall Sabbaths which, together, are called the High Holy Days, or the Days of Awe. Among contemporary Jews it continues to be their holiest of all festivals.[3] It also “appears to be the only fast ordered by the Law”[4] and, thus, the designated day on which the Lord’s people were to “afflict their souls.”[5] It was called the Day of Atonement or, in the Hebrew tongue, Yom Kippur.

The sounding of the Shofar on Rosh ha-Shanah, the Feast of Trumpets, foreshadowed an awakening—the need for repentance in preparation for the Day of Atonement that lay ahead. One scholar enunciates its message as--

Awake from your slumbers, you who have fallen asleep in life, and reflect on your deeds. Remember your Creator.

The way the ram’s horn was blown portrays that theme. First came a long lengthy note promising hope. Sets of short notes followed to symbolize weeping for one’s transgressions and the desire to forsake them. A last long note promised God’s forgiveness to the truly repentant. The day’s prayers of repentance were said to prepare one for the coming Messianic Age. It is also believed that the Lord made a prejudgment on Rosh ha-Shanah as to “who shall live and who shall die; . . . who shall be cast down and who [shall be] elevated.” Whereas, an initial judgment of each person was to be pronounced on Rosh ha-Shanah, it was generally held that judgment was not made absolute until Yom Kippur. Hence, the Ten Days intervening between Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur were called the Ten Days of Penitence and thought to provide an opportunity for one to mend his ways and alter the judgment in his favor. 

Each year, on the Day of Atonement, the usual attire of the High Priest--embroidered with fine-twined linen and displaying the regal colors of blue, purple, and scarlet and accented by a crown of gold and a breastplate containing 12 precious stones--was set aside and the holy linen garments were donned. Thereafter, the High Priest completed all the day's work of the tabernacle. Alone, he took two goats of the congregation and cast lots, whereby, one was designated as the Lord’s goat and the other as the scapegoat. The High Priest then killed a young bullock upon the altar of sacrifice and, with a golden censer filled with burning coals from off the altar, he took hands full of sweet incense and brought it within the first veil into the Holy Place. With these live coals, he burned incense upon the Golden Altar that was situated immediately before the second veil that divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. The smoke of the incense, symbolizing the prayers of the saints (see Revelation 8:1-4), ascended up from off the Prayer Altar (see Exodus 30:1-10) and formed a cloud within the Most Holy Place that covered the mercy seat (see Leviticus 16:11-14).

The High Priest, thereafter, made atonement for himself and his house by sprinkling with his finger the blood of the bullock "upon the mercy seat" seven times eastward. In this ritually clean condition, the High Priest then killed the Lord’s goat and, with the blood thereof, similarly made atonement upon the mercy seat for all the House of Israel, that they might be likewise ritually cleansed from all their sins.[6] Lastly, he made an atonement for the Holy Place and the Altar of Incense, that they might also be "hallow[ed] from the uncleanness of the children of Israel" (Leviticus 16:15-19).

Yom Kippur carries with it such significance and sacredness that, to discuss it openly, violates the strict command that we will "not impart [the word of God] only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him" (Alma 12:9). Hence, I will conclude with speaking only of the significance of the mercy seat.

Aside from being called the mercy seat, the place where the Lord rested His feet was also called the footstool of God. Explaining his desire to build a house unto the Lord, David addressed the assembly gathered and was the first to refer to it as the footstool of God:

Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:

But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. (1 Chronicles 28:2-3).

Elsewhere, a Messianic psalm concludes: "We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool" (Psalms 132:7).

Hence, it is not uncommon for this earth to be called "the footstool of God" throughout the scriptures. Declaring it to be so and referring to it as the place where his feet once rested, the Lord declared to the prophet Joseph Smith: "behold it is my footstool, wherefore, again I will stand upon it" (D&C 38:17). Hence, of the worlds without end that God has created, this earth stands unique as the Mercy Seat. This is so because it is the only earth where the blood of the lamb, or bullock, has been shed. There is none other nation that would crucify their God (2 Nephi 10:5). Considering that "among all the workmanship of [his] hands there has not been so great wickedness as among [those who have graced this planet]" (Moses 7:36), is it any wonder that this earth is also called the Lone and Dreary World? (see Holland, Jeffrey R., The Ministry of Angels, General Conference Address, Ensign, October 2008; Foster, Bradley D., Trials, Tribulations, and Trust in the Lord, Ensign, March 2014; and Hafen, Bruce C., Beauty for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ, Ensign, April 1990, to name a few).

According to the 1828 Webster's Dictionary, the word lone is a shortened version of alone. It means 1) solitary; retired; unfrequented; having no company; 2) single; standing by itself; not having others in the neighborhood; or 3) single; unmarried, or in widowhood. Each of these paint a profound metaphor of this earth's current existence relative to all other creations. Even more thought-provoking than the idea that we have been born to a place that is uniquely alone and outcast, is the idea that it is also a dreary world. The 1828 Webster's Dictionary defines this word as solitude and gloom. In modern English, however, the true meaning of the word, cruel, bloody, or gory, is significantly more visual. Originally, the word meant dripping blood. Thus, in its original context, the lone and dreary world on which we dwell is the ONLY DRIPPING BLOOD WORLD.

Perhaps this gives each of us a little perspective as to why life on this earth may seem a little dismal and difficult at times. But the fact that you and I have been placed here to live out our days in sorrow is nothing to whine about. We have the atonement of Jesus Christ! We dwell on the Mercy Seat! Who could expect such a blessing as to be allowed to live on the same earth as did the Savior of the our Universe and be resurrected of the same dust as He was. Although we have been placed here to live during a time of great wickedness and difficulties, like the apostle Paul, we glory in tribulation knowing "that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Romans 5:3-5).

And we also know that because we dwell on this earth, we will--if we remain faithful--inherit this earth in the resurrection to enjoy the proximity and relationship with God and Jesus Christ that is witnessed between the Mercy Seat and Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place.

ENDNOTES

[1] See Leviticus 23:27. In scripture, the number seven often denotes redemption or complete, whereas, the number ten often denotes riches. Bringing these two numbers together into this day suggests that it is a day wherein the riches of redemption are offered.

[2] See Leviticus 23:32.

[3] Because this was the only day of the year in which Israel’s representative was permitted to enter into the “most holy place” of the Tabernacle, this day is designated as “most holy unto the Lord” (see Exodus 30:10).

[4] All other fast days celebrated by the Jews appear to have arisen during process of time as celebrations of one sort or another. See Bible Dictionary, “Fasts,” page 671.

[5] See Leviticus 23:27, 29 and 16:29.

[6] Because two atonements were made on this day, one for the Priest and his house and one for the congregation, this day was also called The Day of Atonements. The apostle Paul reminded the Hebrews that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Rather, he noted that “in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year” (see Hebrews 10:3-4). Likewise, the weekly partaking of bread and water—the sacraments of the Lord—does not take away sins. Rather, this partaking is done “in remembrance of the body” and “in remembrance of the blood” of Him who “entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (see Hebrews 10:12).

Blow the Trumpet in Zion

The winding down scenes must, of necessity, feature God’s gathering of His people from the nations where they have been scattered, the taking of them into the wilderness that He might refine them as silver, and the spreading of His judgments and vengeance upon the wicked. All of this activity, according to Joel, was to be preceded by a memorial blowing of trumpets to signal that “the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.”[1] Zechariah further noted that this blowing of trumpets would be accompanied with Ephraim as an arrow in the bent bow of Judah to help in raising up God’s covenant people to once again become His flock.[2] 

This blowing of trumpets is the hallmark of the Feast of Trumpets, the fifth of the feasts named in Leviticus 23, and the first of the Fall feasts celebrated anciently.[3] Like all feasts, it was a holy convocation. However, as it landed on the first day of the seventh month called Tishrei, it was the only feast celebrated on a new moon and was, therefore, often called the "New Moon," It was unique in that it announced when the time of harvest, or gathering, had come in. It also stood as a reminder that the Day of Atonement, a most holy convocation, drew near—

The name most often used today for the feast is Rosh ha-Shanah, which means the New Year. But this was not the original name, and the day’s significance is really as a ‘new beginning.’ It is understood to be the day when the Lord moves from his seat of judgment and sits instead upon the seat of mercy. Layer upon layer, this holy day symbolizes that new beginning Israel would experience as God has mercy upon them in exile, remembers his covenants with their fathers, and restores them as his people. This new beginning for Israel was to be initiated with the sounding of the trumpet. A commentator on Rosh ha-Shanah’s liturgy explains, ‘Expectantly, we await the sounding of the Shofar of Liberation, when Zion will be free to receive its exiled children from all parts of the earth.’[4]

The first mention of the Shofar is recorded in Exodus 19.[5] It was to be blown in recognition of the covenant which God would make with his people to keep them as a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. In preparation for this significant event, the people were instructed to sanctify themselves for two days that they might be ready against the third day when the Lord would come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. During the sanctification period, bounds were set around the mount—Israel was neither to go up into the mount nor touch the border of it lest they be put to death. Only when the Shofar sounded was Israel invited to come to the mount!

As instructed, Moses spent two days sanctifying the people, and they washed their clothes and Moses sprinkled them with the blood of the covenant (see Exodus 19:14; compare Exodus 24:7-8). On the third day in the morning, there came thunder and lightning and a thick cloud upon the mount, and “the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.” What is then recorded is quite remarkable:

And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses [up] to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.[6]

For forty days thereafter, Moses “gat himself up in the mount” to receive instruction from the Lord regarding the covenant which God would make with his people. This instruction is recorded in Chapters 20 through 31 of Exodus. It contains the law of the Lord concerning obedience and sacrifice. It also contains detailed instruction pertaining to the building of the tabernacle and the services to be rendered therein. From the detailed description of these events, the following events and announcements may be associated with the blowing of the Shofar:

1) That God was coming down to His people;

2) That, by covenant, He would make His people a peculiar treasure above all. Biblical references and interpretations through the centuries set this day as the day God would remember his covenants with Israel to bring them out from exile;

3) That His people were to spend two days[7] sanctifying themselves to make ready for the time of His coming;

4) That, when the trumpet sounds long and loud, God’s people were invite to come up to the mount to hear the voice of God;[8]

5) That God would reveal His laws of obedience and sacrifice to His chosen servant, together with instructions concerning the building of His tabernacle; and

6) That the Fall season was here and the time of the final harvest of souls had been ushered in.

In short, the blowing of the trumpet was to initiate the completion of the Lord’s time periods and signify the last time to prepare for final judgment and the Messianic Age.[9]

At places scattered through the Standard Works, the righteous are portrayed as wheat and the wicked as tares.[10] As the Lord ushered in His work during the early years of this gospel dispensation, a series of revelations given between February 1829 and October 1830 contained the frequent reminder that “the field is white already to harvest.”[11] The apparent message by the repeated use of this expression was that the Fall season and time of harvest had arrived. By the time the Church had been formally organized and the first Fall conference held in September 1830, the Lord announced that the whitened field was “already to be burned”[12] or, in other words, that the day of vengeance had likewise emerged and that not only was the wheat ready to be harvested, but the tares were also ready to be burned.[13]

As only a blowing of trumpets could have properly announced the Fall season, the harvest, and the day of vengeance, it is appropriate to conclude that the Feast of Trumpets had occurred prior to the time that the first of these revelations was given, or prior to February 1829. Although the precise time when the trumpets sounded in this dispensation has not been authoritatively given, it is worth noting that the Lord revealed to the prophet Joseph that his brother Alvin’s untimely death on November 19, 1823 was an event which occurred prior to when He had “set his hand to gather Israel the second time.”[14] From this, we might conclude that the final harvest of souls had yet to commence as of the time of Alvin’s death. Thus, sometime between his death in November 1823 and the Lord’s proclamation in February 1829 that the “field is white already to harvest,” the trumpets announcing the arrival of the harvest must have sounded.

In accordance with my prior conclusion, a variety of scriptures support the notion that the latter-day gathering, or harvest, of Israel’s children was to commence with a precise event preceding the day of the Lord—that being the issuance of new revelation. I suggest this occurred with the unveiling of the Book of Mormon. The Book’s namesake wrote concerning this latter-day event and correlated it with the period in which the wheat—the harvest—would begin to be gathered:

AND now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled (3 Nephi 29:1).

The apostle John likewise saw that “these sayings” of Mormon’s ancestors would come forth to herald the harvest and warn the world that the hour of God’s judgment was at hand:

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,[15] having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 

Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.[16]

Like every other time before, the Feast of Trumpets that was to announce the Fall harvest in the final dispensation was to be a Hebrew New Year[17] and a New Moon. Unlike prior dispensations, however, this latter-day blowing of trumpets was to also announce the everlasting gospel to which all nations would gather.[18] In this respect, the Feast of Trumpets that fell on September 22, 1827 was distinctive as it was the very day on which another angel, having the everlasting gospel, appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith and delivered to him the record that was soon to be published as The Book of Mormon. The Feast of Trumpets, with prayers pleading for God’s remembrance of his exiled people, had begun at sundown the previous evening. The services continued that morning with the sound of trumpets. All that those trumpets symbolized was now to be fulfilled. 

On that day, God remembered his people—not only in a symbolic manner, but in a way that would forever change the course of Israel. That day, new revelation was granted which would bring a return to the true law. That day Israel’s final harvest began, a harvest of souls that continues today for individuals on both sides of eternity. It is for this reason that he who ushered in the Feast of Trumpets stands aloft the pinnacle of nearly 150 temples across the face of the earth announcing the harvest brought into the storehouse of the Lord. From that high place, Moroni's trumpet can still be heard. That day was the warning that the “Lord’s day,” the Day of Atonement, was at hand. From then on, Israel would be called to repentance in preparation for the time of judgment ahead. Of that day, Isaiah wrote:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.[19]

The shadowing of that day—September 22, 1827—was celebrated by Israel of old.

FOOTNOTES

[1] See Joel 2:1. I recommend a reading of “Joseph Smith’s Receipt of the Plates and the Israelite Feast of Trumpets,” by Lenet Hadley Read, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 2, Number 2, Fall 1993. 

[2] See Zechariah 9:12-16; 10:3-12. 

[3] See Leviticus 23:24. 

[4] See Read, Lenet Hadley, “Joseph Smith’s Receipt of the Plates and the Israelite Feast of Trumpets,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 2, Number 2, Fall 1993. 

[5] Numbers 10 also depicts two silver trumpets used to call assemblies and to blow alarms. 

[6] Exodus 19:17-25. 

[7] I suggest the prophet Hosea prophesied concerning these two days in relationship to events that would transpire in the last days. Speaking of the restoration of the full gospel to the tribes of Israel (specifically Ephraim), Hosea noted: “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight” (see Hosea 6:1-2). 

As recorded in a conference gathering wherein the Second Coming of the Lord was a matter of discussion, the prophet Joseph Smith said this concerning these verses: “And Hosea, 6th chapter, After two days, etc.,—2,520 years; which brings it to 1890.” The prophet Joseph apparently equated the concept of being “revived” with the second coming of the Lord for he seems to connect these very scriptures of Hosea with his question to the Lord as to when the day of his coming would be. In response to his question, the Lord declared: “Joseph, my son, if thou livest until though are eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man” (D&C 130:14-15). As Joseph was born in 1805, eighty-five years beyond his birth would be 1890, the date noted in his Hosea commentary. 

What I find particularly interesting is that the prophet Joseph Smith equated “two days” with 2,520 years or, in other words, 1,260 years per day; the allotted time that the true church of Jesus Christ as seen by the apostle John would be in apostasy. From the beginning of the Lord’s punishments exacted upon Israel in 721 B.C. when they were taken captive by the Babylonians (as prophesied by Hosea) until the time of the prophet Joseph’s birth is approximately 2,520 years. If the time that the Lord would revive Ephraim relates to the restoration of the gospel rather than to Christ’s second coming, then the time at which the Lord would revive Israel corresponds with uncanny accuracy to the time that the church would emerge from apostasy as recorded by John the Apostle. It is worthy to note that Hosea stated that the Lord will raise us up in the third day. This clearly refers to the resurrection and inasmuch as the resurrection occurs at and following the time of Christ’s coming, the revival of Ephraim must mean something other than the second coming. Can there be any question that John and Hosea are speaking of the same event—the restoration of the gospel—and the same time period? 

[8] The trumpet sound is associated with revelation because the first mention of it was at Mount Sinai. It is understood, therefore, to be a memorial of Sinai. “The celebration of Passover was to be an annual reminder of the exodus. The ritual blast of the shofar would similarly recall by association the revelation on Mount Sinai.” However, the sound of the shofar is seen not only as a memorial of Sinai’s revelation, but as having importance for the future as well. Because the trumpet preceded God’s revealing of his law at Sinai (see Exoodus 19:16), some interpreters declare that the trumpet on Rosh ha-Shanah signifies a further gift of revelation, in particular, the granting of the true law, resulting in redemption. “The smaller horn was sounded at Sinai, but the great shofar will initiate redemption.” One might see why “Trumpets,” a prayer regarding revelation, is recited on Rosh ha-Shanah. 

[9] One of the original names given to the day is Yom ha-Zikkaron (“Day of Remembrance”). This name originates from the Lord’s commandment to blow trumpets for remembrance on that day. The term zikhron means “memorial” or “remembrance,” and, according to one authority, “The significance of zikhron is inherent in its definition, a sound which will arouse God’s remembrance (or judgment) of his people” (see Read, Lenet Hadley, “Joseph Smith’s Receipt of the Plates and the Israelite Feast of Trumpets,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 2, Number 2, Fall 1993). 

[10] See Matthew 13:3-43; compare D&C 86:1-7. 

[11] See D&C 4:4; 6:3; 11:3; 12:3 and 14:3. 

[12] See D&C 31:4. 

[13] See D&C 29:9-21, in part a revelation given wherein the Day of the Lord is announced and the destructions attending that day are detailed. 

[14] See D&C 137:5-6. 

[15] On at least one occasion, the prophet Joseph identified this angel as Peter (see Smith, Joseph, Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled and edited by Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, Deseret Book, 13). Apparently, Peter is only one of several who returned to restore the gospel. 

[16] Revelation 14:6-7. 

[17] To most Jews, this day is known as Rosh Hashana. “According to Jewish tradition the Israelites returned to freedom from slavery on this date, prior to the completed Exodus. Furthermore, the Lord remembered Israel on this day after their return from exile in Babylon-when they were granted spiritual renewal. On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra read again from the book of the law, and the people rejoiced greatly because he ‘gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading’ (Neh. 8:1-12). Through the exile, they had lost God’s truths, which were now restored in clarity. Hearing the Lord’s truths again brought them repentance and joy. On the very day, then, when they were observing the Day of Remembrance, they were actively engaged in hearing again the true law after its loss while in exile. The full importance of this situation can only be grasped when we realize that the return from Babylonian exile is a ‘type’ of the latter-day return from spiritual Babylon. As the return from Babylon would have its latter-day counterpart, the Day of Remembrance would have its latter-day counterpart” (see Read, Lenet Hadley, “Joseph Smith’s Receipt of the Plates and the Israelite Feast of Trumpets,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 2, Number 2, Fall 1993). 

[18] Technically, Israel gathers to Christ (see Genesis 49:10). But, since Christ is the gospel, then a gathering to the gospel is a gathering to Christ (see D&C 45:9). 

[19] Isaiah 27:13.