"Whatsoever Passeth Under the Rod" (Part II)

  

This blog is a continuation of Part I of a prior blog with the same name--

In the last days, the prophet Joseph taught that "the Lord will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness" (see D&C 128:24; compare D&C 13:1 and D&C 84:31). 

Several questions are germane to this prophecy:

• First, who are the sons of Levi noted in this and other verses?
• Second, who is the Lord that sits to refine, purify, and purge them?
• Third, how will this purging take place? and
• Lastly, what is the offering that the sons of Levi shall make in righteousness? 

Malachi likewise spoke of this purging and purifying of Levites to prepare a way that such an offering may be made (see Malachi 3:3; compare 3 Nephi 24:10), and like the apostle Paul's discourse in Hebrews 7, the law of the tithe is woven throughout Malachi's discourse; a discourse on the Priesthood. Now, some of you may have a hard time imaging that Malachi's prophecies pertain to the Priesthood, but the prophet Joseph Smith specifically noted that he was a prophet who "had his eye fixed on the restoration of the Priesthood" (see D&C 128:17). If there is a specific doctrine that is taught by the Old Testament prophet Malachi, it is the doctrine of the Priesthood! Of this, I bear witness.

Unfortunately, the Old Testament version of Malachi 3 and 4 has been corrupted. Notwithstanding, the original version has been fully restored; the Savior quoted these two chapters verbatim to the Nephites in America and added a unique detail not found in our Old Testament account--that Malachi was given the verses he penned by God, the Father. To the Nephites, the Savior spake, and--

commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying: Thus said the Father unto Malachi . . .. (3 Nephi 24:1).

Before continuing, a few words regarding this remarkable, forgotten detail are appropriate. In D&C 33:16, the Savior declared that the "Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures are given by me" and that the the power of His Spirit breathes life into them. It is generally overlooked that all scripture is revealed through Jesus Christ. Most individuals are accustomed to having truth, and give little thought as to its source. Jesus Christ is the revealor of all truth. He was in the beginning with the Father (D&C 93:21) and, there, "received a fulness of truth, yea, even of all truth" (D&C 93:26). He is, therefore, the Spirit of Truth who, in the "eternal now" (D&C 93:24), acts independent in the sphere in which God has placed him (see D&C 93:30). In other words, He is the Great Whole into which all truth has been circumscribed. Thus, He is the revelator and composite of all truth.

In the grand equation, inasmuch as Jesus Christ came from the Father and is His Only

Begotten Son in the flesh and First Begotten in the spirit, it is only logical that all truth comes from God, the Father. He is the Father and possessor of all things and it is by virtue of His will that "the life and the light, the Spirit and the power [are] sent forth . . . through Jesus Christ, his Son" (D&C 50:27).  All that Jesus Christ came to know and to be was received of His Father (D&C 93:2-4). Hence, Jesus personally declared: "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me" (John 7:16). Elder McConkie confirmed: "Though the REVELATIONS CAME FROM THE SON, yet in the ultimate sense the truths taught were THOSE OF THE FATHER" (McConkie, Bruce R., "Our Relationship with the Lord", BYU Devotional, March 2, 1982; emphasis added). But, it is the will of the Father that He speaks "in these last days . . . unto us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Moving on . . . so why was Malachi selected to be the recipient of a revelation given personally by God, the Father? Because Malachi was a prophet "who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the PRIESTHOOD" (D&C 128:17)!!! In connection therewith, it is fundamental to understand that--

1) the NAME of God, the FATHER, is "HOLY PRIESTHOOD" (Abraham 1:18, D&C 107:2-4); 

2) the Oath and Covenant of the HOLY PRIESTHOOD is a covenant of the FATHER (D&C 84:39-40); 

3) the covenants of the FATHER are to be made known in the last days (1 Nephi 22:8-9); 

4) the gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of the FATHER, (1 Nephi 22:9, 11); 

5) unto all to whom the PRIESTHOOD is revealed, is also revealed the "grand Key-words of the HOLY PRIESTHOOD" (P of GP, Abraham Facsimile No. 2, Figure 3); and 

6) all who hearken to the voice of the Spirit are brought unto God, the FATHER, and HE TEACHES THEM of His Oath and Covenant which He cannot break (D&C 84:40, 47-48).

Please note that it is GOD, our FATHER, who will plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained, “The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the … fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood … ; and to … obtain … all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith[2007], 311). The Prophet Joseph Smith declared:

The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead. … For it is necessary that the sealing power should be in our hands to seal our children and our dead for the fulness of the dispensation of times—a dispensation to meet the promises made by Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world for the salvation of man. … Hence, God said, ‘I will send you Elijah the prophet’ (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 475).

Joseph further explained:

But what is the object of [the coming of Elijah]? or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, the Gospel to be established, the Saints of God gathered, Zion built up, and the Saints to come up as saviors on Mount Zion [see Obadiah 1:21]. 

But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples … and going forth and receiving all the ordinances … in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead … ; and herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 472–73).

Appropriately, Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught that the Spirit of Elijah is “a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family” (“A New Harvest Time,” General Conference, April 1998; see also Bednar, D. A., "The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn, General Conference, October 2011). A manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family??!! Whosever has ears to hear, let him hear!

On April 3, 1836, that which was "spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent" was fulfilled (D&C 110:14; see also Malachi 4:5-6). We often teach that the purpose of Elijah's return was to turn "the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers" (D&C 110:15). And so it was! But do we understand what we teach? God is our Father, and it is the turning of His heart to His children that was supremely demonstrated on that day, for what was revealed by the hand of Elijah was the "HOLY PRIESTHOOD" (D&C 2:1)!!! Because they are His children and His promises, it is the Father, Holy Priesthood, who plants in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers (see JS-History 1:36-39).

With this focus on the work of the Father and what He will do for His children (HIS FAMILY) in the last days, consider all that the Savior personally taught to the Nephites as recorded in 3 Nephi 21:

And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place--that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;

And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign--for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them;

Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you;For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;

Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity;

For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel;

And when these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things--it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.

And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man [Joseph Smith] shall declare it unto them.

But behold, the life of my servant [Joseph Smith] shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him [Joseph Smith] to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant.

And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.

Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots; 

... 

For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel; 

...

But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance; 

And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem. 

And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem. 

And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst. 

And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. 

Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem. 

Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name. 

Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. 

And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward (3 Nephi 21:1-29).

The greatest Elias (i.e., one who prepares the way) this world shall ever know is God, our Father, who, in turning His heart to us, his children, hath prepared a way that we may be gathered home to live with Him! Although Elijah restored a work, it is our Father's work! Great are the words of Malachi, who testified of these things!

As you read the introduction of Malachi's masterful discourse recorded in Malachi 3, keep in mind that God, the Father, is addressing Him. I'll help you remember by adding parenthetical comments to the verse:

Behold, I (Elohim) will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me (Elohim), and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. (3 Nephi 24:1)

D&C 36:8, 133:1-2, and Mark 13:34-36 make it sufficiently clear that Jesus Christ is the Lord who shall suddenly come to His temple to "fulfil the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel" (3 Nephi 16:5).

So . . . who is the messenger, apart from Jesus Christ, sent by the Father to prepare the way before Him, the Father? In context with with the rest of his writings, Malachi specifically identified him as the Levite high priest who ministers before the Lord, "for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 2:7).

But there is more to identifying this Levite messenger than meets the eye. Concerning him, Malachi further wrote:

And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 2:4-7)

Although Malachi was writing to latter-day Israel and essentially making reference to a priest from whose mouth LATTER-DAY SAINTS should seek God's law, his description was that of Phinehas, a high priest who life foreshadowed that of the LATTER-DAY PRIEST and MESSENGER that is to prepare the way before the Father. Thus, as I provide a life-sketch of Phinehas, it is important to see the ways in which he is but a type of the true messenger that Malachi wants his readers to come to know.

As the children of Israel set up camp in the plains of Moab situated east of the Jordan anticipating their entrance into the promised land (see Joshua 3:1), a most unfortunate scene unfolded. And even more unfortunate for you and me is the fact that "all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they were written for our admonition also, and for an admonition for those upon whom the end of the world shall come." (JST 1 Corinthians 10:11). According to Strong's Lexicon, the Greek for "ensamples" is "too'-pos." It means "style or resemblance; specially a sampler ("type"), i.e. a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning)." In other words, the scene that unfolded was but a foreshadowing of, and a warning to, Israel of the latter days, a day when they would symbolically camp east of Jordan in preparation for entering a land of promise. Therefore, recounting the details of that Old Testament event is worthwhile and necessary to develop an understanding of the latter-day Levite Priest referred to by Malachi and to show how these events pertain to us.

As the children of Israel worked their way towards the promised land, they were commanded of the Lord to destroy all of the stranger in the land (see Exodus 23:27-33). This they did and became feared by all into whose land they came. However, Israel was specifically proscribed from going to war with the Moabites (Deuteronomy 2:9), inasmuch as their land was given to Lot and his posterity as a possession. Nevertheless, the Moabites, apparently unaware of this prohibition upon Israel, became "sore afraid" as the multitude of Israel defeated the Amorites and afterwards pitched their tents in the plains of Moab near Jericho (Numbers 22:2-3).

As a preemptive strike against what he thought would be an inevitable invasion, Balak, the king of Moab, sought out the help of a self-proclaimed soothsayer and so-called "prophet" in Israel, named Balaam. What Balak sought for was uncommon, to say the least, and, to my knowledge, had not, theretofore, been sought for by any king. What he desired was for Balaam to place a curse upon Israel. This is the kind of chichanery one might expect to find in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings; but hardly the kind of pre-emptive strike we would expect in Old Testament times.

The account of the interaction between Balak and Balaam spans several chapters and depicts an episode wherein Balaam diabolically vacillated between cursing and blessing Israel. In the end, the Old Testament record makes it appear as if Balaam blessed Israel, that Balaam and Balak parted ways (see Numbers 24), and that nothing ever came of the many agitating conversations that transpired between the two. But the devil is in the details of this story, details that were apparently left  out of the Old Testament account. Fortunately, several New Testament references to Balaam fill in the missing details and reveal that, notwithstanding the outward blessing be pronounced on Israel, Balaam sold out to the enemy. The apostle Peter and Jude both refer to him as a model prisoner of perdition. Describing such individuals, Peter wrote--

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 (2 Peter 2:13-16).

Jude likewise included Balaam in his list of individuals who become sons of perdition:

Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gain saying of Core.

These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever (Jude 1:11-13).

Finally, the specific details of Balaam's crime was revealed by John . . . that he "taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication" (Revelation 2:14, compare 1 Corinthians 10:18-20). For a traitor's wage, Balaam informed Balak that the nation who could not be smitten with the sword, could be smitten with scandalous women. What Balaam refused to do by enchantments, Balak was educated to do by seduction; that is, by inviting sin into Israel, he would set God against his people and turn Him to be their enemy. As wisely noted, by a not so wise man, strong men have been slain and wounded by the merchandise of a call girl! (Proverbs 7:26; compare Revelation 18:3-16).

In his scheming, Balak was overwhelmingly successful. So many of the men of Israel were guilty of adultery with the daughter of Moah, that the sin became a national offense, and for it God was wroth with the whole congregation. The gruesome curriculum of what happened is recorded in Numbers 25. As you read through these events that follow, it is important to keep fresh in your mind that these things happened unto them for ensamples, but they have been written to admonish us upon whom the end of the world has come. (JST 1 Corinthians 10:11):

And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 

And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 

And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. 

And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baal-peor. 

And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 

And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 

And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. 

Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: 

And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. (Numbers 25:1-15)

Phinehas! Phinehas! He is the messenger of the Lord. To him was given the covenant of life and peace, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel!

Now, lest any think that latter-day Israel falls short of committing adultery and fornication on a wholesale basis, as they did anciently, think again! I remind all, that read this blog, that Jesus Christ is our husband (Isaiah 54:5), that going after other gods is adultery and fornication (see Revelation 18:3-5), and that "every man walk[ing] in his own way, 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" (see D&C 1:15-16) is certainly a description of committing adultery on a wholesale basis. Are we not Israel who stand at the precipice of entering the promised land?

And who is latter-day Phinehas who saves us from the plague of sin? Who is the messenger of the Lord—the Levite High Priest—that made an atonement for the children of Israel?

Which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto the first priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron. (D&C 27:8) 

Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses—for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed— 

And the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord’s house, whose sons are ye . . .. (D&C 84:31-32)

Who is is the Levite High Priest? Who turned many away from iniquity and, thereby, turned God's wrath away from the children of Israel? Who walked with God in peace and equity and was given the covenant of life and peace for the fear wherewith he feared God? In whose mouth was the law of truth found?

For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;

They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, 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, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.

Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments. (D&C 1:15-17)

The Messenger of God, the Father, who prepares the way before Him and for Jesus Christ, who appears suddenly to His temple, is none other than the latter-day, Levite and High Priest, Joseph Smith! In this mouth was the law found! It was him that turned many away from iniquity and, for this, to him was given the covenant of life and peace--even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood!

And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. (Romans 11:26-27).

In the name of Jesus Christ, I bear solemn witness of these things. Amen.

To be continued . . . .

"Whatsoever Passeth Under the Rod" (Part I)

In Hebrews 7, the apostle Paul introduces three orders of the Priesthood. In a discourse given in August 1843, the prophet Joseph Smith identified these as 1) the Levitical order named after Levi, the third son of Jacob, 2) the Patriarchal  order of Celestial marriage named on behalf of the Patriarch of the covenant, Abraham, and 3) the order of King and Priest named in remembrance of the great King and Priest, Melchizedek (see Ehat, Andrew, Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 244-247). Of significant interest, the law of the tithe is woven into this discourse. In verses 1 through 4, he emphasizes the tithe paid to Melchizedek by Abraham on his return from the slaughter of the kings (see JST, Genesis 14:36-40). He likewise mentions the sons of Levi in verse 5 and the commandment they "had to take tithes of the people according to the law." What is often not known about those Levites who were commanded to receive the tithe is why they were chosen to do so? The answer to this question actually centers on the tithe and the idea that it’s fundamentally about collecting people that are "the tenth of the Lord" rather than collecting "one-tenth of our increase."

Chapter 32 of the apocryphal text entitled The Book of Jubilees contains a record of when Jacob and his family traveled to Bethel—the house of God—and there "Levi dreamed that they had ordained and made him the priest of the Most High God, him and his sons forever." And Jacob rose early in the morning, and "he gave a tithe of all that came with him, both of men and cattle, both of gold and every vessel and garment, yea, he gave tithes of all." Note, here, that Jacob’s tithe included a tithe of men. In this regard, the record continues:

. . . in those days Rachel became pregnant with her son Benjamin. And Jacob counted his sons from him upwards and Levi fell to the portion of the Lord, and his father clothed him in the garments of the priesthood and filled his hands and . . . gave him all the souls of the men.

In short, although Levi was the third-born of Jacob, counting backwards from his twelfth son, Benjamin, Levi was the tenth. Thus, the apocryphal record concludes:

Levi discharged the priestly office at Bethel before Jacob his father in preference to his ten brothers, and he was a priest there, and Jacob gave his vow: thus he tithed again the tithe to the Lord and sanctified it, and it became holy unto Him. And for this reason it is ordained on the heavenly tablets as a law for the tithing again the tithe to eat before the Lord from year to year, in the place where it is chosen that His name should dwell, and to this law there is no limit of days forever.

Notice again, in this account, how many times people are given to the Lord as a "tenth",

a word that is derived from the Hebrew primitive root "'ashar", which means "to be or become rich or wealthy" (see Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Note further that the tithe given is tithed again and that this second tithe, or tithe of the tithe, is sanctified and made holy. This is fully outlined in Numbers 18, wherein, the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying:

And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe. 

Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. (Numbers 18:21, 26, 29)

Isaiah likewise identifies a tenth as people who return from the desolation that occurs in the last days; and he similarly notes that from this tenth shall come a remnant that is holy unto the Lord:

And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not. 

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes—lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed. 

Then said I: Lord, how long? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate; 

And the Lord have removed men far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. 

But yet there shall be a tenth, and they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof (2 Nephi 16:9-13).

Thus, when, in Hebrews 7:8, the apostle Paul shifts his attention from writing about those Levites chosen to collect the temporal tithe to the tithes received "of whom it is witnessed that he liveth," he is clearly shifting from speaking of a tithe comprised of an individual's increase to one comprised of God's people. Explaining this shift from a collection of the temporal to the spiritual tithe, the apostle Paul notes in verse 12:

For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law (Hebrews 7:12).

Within the gospel of Jesus Christ, there are two laws given— 1) the preparatory gospel, sometimes referred to as the Law of Moses, and 2) the law of Christ, also known as the Law of the Gospel. The preparatory gospel continued in Israel in consequence of slothfulness and rebellion. It is designed to be a guide to those who harden their hearts and need to be commanded in all things, and to those who neglect good works except they are compelled (see D&C 84:24-26). Obedience to this law justifies a person but, standing alone, it carries no assurance of eternal reward. The Law of Christ, however, is given for those who are "anxiously engaged in a good cause," who "do many things of their own free will," and exercise that will to "bring to pass much righteousness” (D&C 58:26-27). Of these two laws, John wrote: 

The law was given through Moses, but life and truth came through Jesus Christ.  

For the law was after a carnal commandment, to the administration of death; but the gospel was after the power of an endless life, through Jesus Christ . . .. (JST, John 1:17-18).

Thus, as members of Christ’s Church move from Aaronic to Melchizedek priesthood ordinances, there is, of necessity, a change also in the law of the tithe—from that which is dead to that which is LIFE. 

Underscoring the present day of sacrifice and the selecting of those who shall abide His day, the Lord revealed the following nearly seven years before tithing was instituted as "a standing law" unto the Church forever (see D&C 119)—

Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming (D&C 64:23).

In pop culture, this verse has been rendered as an assurance that all who faithfully pay their tithes shall not be burned at the Lord’s coming. At times it is even referred to as “fire insurance” for all who comply. However true this assertion may be, such verses, like an onion, often contain concealed messages that are discovered only as the outer layers are peeled away. Elder Packer comments that "for His own reasons, the Lord provides answers to some questions, with pieces placed here and there throughout the scriptures. We are to find them; we are to earn them. In that way sacred things are hidden from the insincere." (Packer, Boyd K., The Mystery of Life, General Conference, October 1983). This verse, in particular, contains a subtle, yet most important, message that can only be discovered when we peel the onion and view it in light of this law as practiced by early Israel. In connection therewith, Leviticus 27 provides wonderful insight:

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. 

And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. (Leviticus 27:32-33).

"Whatsoever passeth under the rod?" What does this phrase mean? In a discourse delivered in Logan, Utah in 1882, Elder Franklin D. Richards related the history of this passage as it has come down to the present day. He explained:

"Whatsoever passeth under the rod." Do you know what that means? I will relate the history as it has come down to us. When they came to pay their tithing the Lord told them it should not be the poorest neither would he ask the best; therefore they put their flock or herd in a pen having an outlet just large enough for one to pass out at a time, and as the animals passed in single-file, the owner stood by with a rod in his hand that had been dipped in some sort of coloring material, counting them as they came out, and touching every tenth animal with his colored rod. He would not go in among them and pick them lest his judgment might not be right, but the flock passed out according to their own inclination, and as they passed, the owner stood with the coloring rod and marked on the back of every tenth animal, and after all had passed out to an adjoining fold, those that were marked were then picked out from the flock. (F. D. Richards, Journal of Discourses, Volume 23, p. 316).

Following this exercise of identifying the "tithe of the flock," the animals thus marked were then given to the tribe of Levi for their inheritance and service in the tabernacle.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, Israel is characteristically portrayed as sheep, with Christ as their Shepherd. Citing this ancient custom of causing the herd to "pass under the rod" as the precise manner in which the Lord would select and mark His flock in the latter days, the prophet Ezekiel wrote:

As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you; 

And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm (i.e., an arm wielding a sword), and with fury poured out. 

And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people (i.e., spiritual Babylon
—see Micah 4:8-10; compare D&C 133:14), and there will I plead (by fire and by the sword—see Isaiah 66:15-16) with you face to face. 

Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. 

And I will cause you to pass under the rod (i.e., the word of God—see 1 Nephi 15:23-24, also the prophet Joseph Smith—see Isaiah 11:1-5, 10; compare D&C 113:3-6), and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant (i.e., into the law of consecration); 

And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel; (compare D&C 64:37-38) and ye shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 20:33-38; parenthetical comments added)

As noted, the manner in which the tithe of the flock was selected in antiquity presages the manner in which the Good Shepherd will select from among His flock the tenth, or riches, who shall abide the day of His coming. The God of our Fathers was never really interested in amassing storehouses filled with perishable goods—the tithe under the higher law and priesthood is about collecting eternal goods; goods that neither perish nor corrupt. The law of the tithe is now about collecting people for the Lord of the harvest and bringing them into His storehouse (see D&C 101:64-65; compare Alma 26:5-7). Importantly, the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy has commenced. In the wilderness of the people, the Lord is choosing His people and purging out from among them the rebels. Confirming the manner by which this marking of His people will occur, the prophet Jeremiah wrote:

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast (i.e., in the wilderness of the people), and in all the cities thereof, shall be a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth (i.e., a teller is one who counts) them, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 33:12-13)

Today—beginning with the Restoration and continuing until the coming of the Son of Man—is the day of the gathering of God’s people from the countries wherein they are scattered. Today is also the day of sacrifice wherein those gathered are metaphorically caused to pass under the rod that those who are "holy unto the Lord" might be found, marked, and counted as God’s tithe. Those thus tithed shall not be burned at His coming but, as foretold by Isaiah, will comprise the tenth that shall return following the utter destruction. The Lord confirmed to this dispensation that "they that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances." Importantly, the Lord states that their children would be with them (see D&C 101:18). How merciful is our God!

Whether or not one is tithed of the Lord does not center upon the payment of a full tithe, although such cannot be left undone. Rather, the marking of a person as "holy unto the Lord" turns upon a more fundamental trait—whether that person’s heart is broken and spirit is contrite. This conclusion is supported by the fact that the orientation to "a day of sacrifice" in D&C 64:23 is bounded by two verses that isolate the heart and mind as the required sacrifice, for the Lord will not spare any who remain in Babylon—the wilderness of the people (see D&C 64:22, 24). This sacrifice, which the Lord assuredly requires, has not changed from the beginning—it was the sacrifice required of Adam and, of increased meaning to those whose privilege it is to greet the Lord at His coming, it is the sacrifice required while it is called today. If the Lord has one’s heart and mind, it should be little more for Him to ask for a tenth of his increase, or even all that he possesses.

The question occupying every prophet who has written concerning the day of the Lord is "who shall abide it?" I do not think this question is rhetorical. One must genuinely wonder who shall escape the fire so intense that even the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Considering that "element is the tabernacle of God" (D&C 93:35), that "man is the tabernacle of God" (D&C 93:35), that "wickedness burns as a fire" (Isaiah 9:18-19), and that the "fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" (1 Corinthians 3:9-16) suggests that few, indeed few, shall escape (see Isaiah 10:16-19, compare Isaiah 24:6). "Who shall abide the day?" is a most appropriate question. In reply, Joel cites the fast, or the afflicting of the soul, as the hallmark of all who shall abide the day:

Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 

And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered. (Joel 2:13, 32)

Taken together, all the foregoing thoughts—

1) a day of sacrifice, 2) a day of vengeance, 3) a day of fasting, 4) a day for the tithing of His people, and 5) the afflicting of the soul,

—are elements of the authentic Day of Atonement. Regarding this day, the following scene is unfolded in a liturgical piece entitled UnetannehTokef ascribed to R. Amnon of Mayence. Passing under the rod is the central theme of this day: 

God, seated on His throne to judge the world, at the same time Judge, Pleader, Expert, and Witness, openeth the Book of Records; it is read, every man's signature being found therein. The great trumpet is sounded; a still, small voice is heard; the angels shudder, saying, this is the day of judgment: for His very ministers are not pure before God. As a shepherd mustereth his flock, causing them to pass under his rod, so doth God cause every living soul to pass before Him to fix the limit of every creature's life and to foreordain its destiny. On New-Year’s Day (i.e., on the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah) the decree is written; on the Day of Atonement it is sealed who shall live and who are to die, etc. But penitence, prayer, and charity may avert the evil decree. (see Jewish Encyclopedia, Day of Atonement).

Based on the foregoing, the unqualified declaration that "he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming" should provide little "insurance" to the tithe-payer involved in sex-play or the one teeming with pride, for such would not possess the requisite heart and hands and would not, therefore, be marked as "holy unto the Lord." These, Ezekiel said, "shall not enter into the land of Israel." These rebels, the Lord affirmed in the latter-days, "shall be cut off out of the land of Zion, and shall be sent away, and shall not inherit the land. For, verily I say that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim, wherefore they shall be plucked out." (D&C 64:37-38)

To be continue . . .