Lay Not Our Swords Upon the Shelf

In the Book of Mormon is recorded a vision which Lehi had concerning his family and their journey to the Tree of Life, a symbol of Jesus Christ and the fruit of eternal life. However, because the Book of Mormon was written for our day, Lehi's vision is really a narrative of our lives and the path we must follow to arrive at that Tree and partake of its fruit that is sweet above all.  Of particular interest and importance, Lehi saw an "iron rod" that leads to the Tree. The narrative identifies this rod as the "word of God" (see 1 Nephi 15:23-24).

THE IRON ROD

Artists' depictions of what Lehi saw portray the iron rod as something akin to a hand-railing that extends along the length of the path. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ likewise sing a hymn that suggests the same image, "And, hand o'er hand, the rod along, Through each succeeding day, With earnest prayer and hopeful song, We'll still pursue our way." Notwithstanding, however well-intended the artists may be, the scriptures depict the word of God distinctly as a sword. Hence, although artists' portrayals are generally not harmful, dropping a sword seems to be a more dramatic crisis than simply letting go of a handrail that can be easily found again by walking in its general direction.

Some of the more precise verses portraying this image of a sword are found in the book of Revelation. While exiled on the isle of Patmos, John saw, in vision, "one like unto the Son of man." A salient feature of this man was a sharp two-edged sword that proceeded out of his mouth (Revelation 1:16). In JST Revelation 19:15, this sword is called the word of God. In the King James version of this verse, it is also called a rod of iron. Within the the Book of Mormon, several verses convey the idea that the word of God is a device used for cutting and dividing. One such verse is Helaman 3:29, which states: 

Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil…. 

The apostle Paul similarly described the word of God as "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow…" (Hebrews 4:12; compare D&C 6:2).

As used by the apostle, the Greek for "sharper" is tom-o'-ter-os, which means "to cut as if by a single stroke", in contrast to cutting accomplished by repeated blows, like hacking. Comparing the word of God to a sword that is able to divide asunder joint and marrow in a single stroke suggests that the sword is, indeed, sharp and of considerable size and weight. Something that is often overlooked, however, in this and similar verses is the juxtaposing of this sword with joint and marrow. This close association stems from the Abrahamic OATH of the covenant wherein God instructed Abraham to "take ... an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old" and divide them "IN THE MIDST.…" (Genesis 15:9-10). Unlike the manner whereby one might ordinarily slaughter and carve up an adult animal by cutting around the bones, Abraham divided the animals in the midst…cutting through the skull, backbone, joints, and marrow of each sacrificial animal.

It is not my purpose in this blog to explain why these animals were divided with such precision, even though understanding why is certainly worthy of individual study. However, it is worthwhile to note that it was, in all likelihood, this same instrument of death that Abraham raised over his son, Isaac, when commanded to offer him up (see Genesis 22:2-18). The Hebrew for the particular "knife" that Abraham used is mah-ak-eh'-leth, meaning "something with which to eat." First impressions, therefore, might lead one to conclude that it wasn't much more than a butter knife used at Abraham's table. However, the primitive root of mah-ak-eh'-leth defines "eating" as "consuming or devouring." When brought together, these definitions support the idea that Abraham's knife was something used to consume and destroy; hardly the innocuous kitchen utensil that is often portrayed by artists.

To illustrate this point, Solomon compared two types of teeth ("eating" devices) to distinguish the destructive capacity of a two-edged sword versus this knife, or mah-ak-eh'-leth, that destroys. "There is a generation," he wrote, "whose teeth are AS SWORDS, and their jaw teeth AS KNIVES, to DEVOUR the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men" (Proverbs 30:14, emphasis added). Front teeth, like a two-edged sword, slice into pieces all that is to be eaten. Jaw teeth, like knives, are the eventual destroyer of those pieces; they are powerful and are applied for crushing, devouring, consuming, even "to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow" (D&C 6:2).

Attempting to visualize this cutting instrument that is sharper than a two-edged sword may suggest something like a razor-sharp knife, but of much larger dimensions. Revealing the specific instrument that was likely used, the Lord said to the prophet Joseph Smith in June 1829:

Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word.

Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his SICKLE with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God (D&C 14:2-3).

The sickle, "an agricultural implement consisting of a long, curving blade fastened at an angle to a handle," was primarily used by Israel for cutting grass and grains (see www.Dictionary.com, "scythe") of all sorts. They were not shaped like those purchased at Cal Ranch and, because they were primarily used for reaping the harvest, the blade was religiously sharpened. Like other farming tools, sickles also improvised as weapons used against the enemies of Israel. Bringing this concept to light, the Old Testament prophet Joel described the final conflict against the heathen as one wherein the SICKLE is unsheathed because the harvest is ripe and wickedness is great (see Joel 3:9-14).

However authentic this war may appear in Joel's record, one must be mindful of the teachings of the apostle Paul concerning the "evil day," or the day in which we presently live . . . that the decisive contest is "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12, compare D&C 27:15). Hence, in this spiritual battle against an unseen foe, the apostle Paul recommended that we wield "the SWORD of the Spirit, which is the WORD of God" (Ephesians 6:17). No other voice has declared so plainly that the iron rod is a sword! The word of God can be found in our day in the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the messages of living prophets and apostles.

With the idea that the word of God, or iron rod, is likened to the sickle once used to divide the joint and marrow of those sacrifices offered in token of the everlasting covenant, note the specific description given by Lehi of the two separate groups of people who take hold of the iron rod that leads to the Tree of Life:

And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of THE END of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of THE END of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree (1 Nephi 8:24, 30).

The END that each group caught hold of was the hilt of a sword. Importantly, as noted by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:17, this sword is the sword of the Spirit and must, therefore, be wielded by Him if it is to have the desired effect. It is the Spirit that carries the word of God into the heart, enlightens the mind, and enlarges the soul. It is the Spirit that discerns the thoughts of the mind and intents of the heart (see Hebrews 4:12; compare D&C 33:1). Together, the Spirit and the word "are the power of God unto the convincing of men" (D&C 11:21). Without its messenger, the word of God are only words on a page. Without the word of God to convey, the Spirit hasn't a message. The Spirit and the word must walk together if conversion is to follow. And, since Jesus Christ is the WORD of GOD (see JST John 1:14), it is appropriate to visualize Him as the iron rod.

Finally . . .  to the point. In the Book of Ether, Moroni recounts an unusual curse that had come upon the land during a time of war and iniquity. Concerning this curse, Moroni wrote:

And now there began to be a great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse upon the land (Ether 14:1).

The scriptures have never been more available and convenient than they are today. And, with all this availability and automation, it is hard to imagine that anyone would go unprepared to the battle. Nonetheless, when one lays his sword upon the shelf, the present iniquity is so dreadful that, err he is aware, he may find himself slain in the battle. The apostle Paul foresaw the day in which men would be unable to find their swords, but he renamed it a day in which men would be "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of truth" (see 2 Timothy 3:7). That day is often thought to have already occurred during the Dark Ages. However, the "perilous times" (see 2 Timothy 3:1) that brings about a quandary of "ever learning" was certainly not those years in which there was little to no learning at all. Rather, those were years of ignorance steeped in the traditions of the fathers.

Rather, the apostle Paul was quite precise as to the timing of this academic bankruptcy. With a clarity that only Nephi can match, the apostle expressed that this crisis would come "in the last days." Adding food for thought, President Howard W. Hunter declared that “all dispensations have had their perilous times, but our day will include genuine peril” (see An Anchor to the Souls of Men. Ensign, October 1993, p. 70). It was with this peril in mind that Paul penned his second letter to Timothy foretelling of a time when man would be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”—

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

These verses most assuredly point to our day, for Paul’s warning that “we would not endure sound doctrine” alludes to an earlier event of which Paul said was recorded “for an admonition for those upon whom the end of the world shall come" (JST 1 Corinthians 10:11). Summarizing this event, when the children of Israel left Egypt, they did so in haste. One month following their departure, the assembly cried out in hunger. To Moses, the Lord responded: "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them" (Exodus 16:4). Although described by David as angels’ food (see Psalms 78:25), manna tasted like fresh oil (see Numbers 11:7-8). Thus, the congregation often scorned the light bread (see Numbers 21:5). During one such perilous incident, the mixt multitude cried:

Why came we forth out of Egypt?

Who shall give us flesh to eat?

We remember the fish . . . the cucumbers, and the melons . . ..

But now our soul [is] dried away: [there is] nothing at all, beside this manna, [before] our eyes (Numbers 11:4-6).

In retribution for their scorn of this “bread from heaven”—an emblem of the Word of God—the Lord “brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on [either] side . . . round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.” Eager to partake of this flesh, the congregation gathered the quails, and he that gathered least gathered ten homers. (Numbers 11:31-32). Understanding that a single homer is equivalent to 6½ bushel produces a rather ghastly perspective from this unchecked lusting after flesh. Hence, while the flesh was yet between their teeth, “the Lord smote the people with a very great plague,” and many perished. And, in simplified English, they called the place where they buried the dead, “the graveyard of those who lusted." (Numbers 11:33-34, including footnote 34a. King David wrote that the fattest were slain of the plague, see Psalms 78:31).

Just as ancient Israel did not endure the light bread but heaped to themselves flesh, Paul declared that saints of the last days would not endure sound doctrine—the bread of heaven—but instead heap to themselves philosophers espousing perilous ideals, the likes of which include "Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, John Dewey, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes" (see Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,1988, p. 307). Although latter-day prophets have warned us about these specific individuals, the number that can be added to them espousing perilous “isms” of every kind is truly heaping. Because of them, Nephi wrote, all have “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).

Even the humble followers of Jesus Christ do often err because they are taught by the precepts of men. No one, especially the true Church of God, is exempt from the flood that has been cast from the mouth of the serpent in these days (see JST Revelation 12:15). Concerning this very thing, Elder McConkie wrote:

Even in the true Church in the last days there will be some who do not believe the whole body of revealed truth; some who do not give full allegiance to the Cause of truth and righteousness; some who are members in name only and who continue to live after the manner of the world. This also is one of the signs of the times. It shall be as it was among some of old whom Paul rebuked: ‘When ye come together in the church,’ he wrote to the Corinthians, ‘there be divisions among you.’ Contention, debate, and false views have no place in the Church and kingdom of our Lord. The doctrines are his, not ours, and our concern should be to gain the mind of Christ and to think what he thinks on every point. But the fact is that there are divisions in the Church, for the very reason Paul now gives: ‘There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you’ (1 Cor. 11:18-19) (see McConkie, Bruce R., The Millennial Messiah; The Second Coming of the Son of Man. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, p. 59).

Great caution, then, must be exercised with respect to the precepts of men, wherever and whenever they are learned. President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

We encourage you to get your . . . degrees and to further your education; but let us not forget that disaffection from the gospel and the Lord’s church was brought about in the past by the attempts to reconcile the pure gospel with the secular philosophies of men . . . Be careful of blending your worldly training with the gospel courses you teach lest you be guilty of diluting the pure gospel of Jesus Christ and end up teaching the philosophy of men mingled with a few scriptures (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, p. 308).

Gratefully, Nephi provided the litmus test by which we can, through the spirit of discernment, measure the truthfulness of all that is taught: “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man,” he wrote, “or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost" (2 Nephi 28:31).

Given that we live in the heat of the battle and that casualties occur near and far, frequently and unexpectedly, Moroni's description of how men responded in that day when the curse was so great that swords placed upon shelves vanished in the darkness, is especially appropriate:

Wherefore every man did cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands, and would not borrow neither would he lend; and every man kept the hilt of his sword in his right hand, in the defence of his property and his own life and of his wives and children (Ether 14:2).

May we step forward in the battle. Testimonies can neither be borrowed nor extended; they must be individually won. Laying not our sword upon the shelf, but keeping the hilt of it in our right hand, is the means by which we will be able to defend our property, life, and the lives of our family. Our sword is the only offensive weapon in the whole armor of God that shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil in this day, a day known to prophets of old as "the evil day."

Out of the Wilderness, Part II

This blog is a continuation of the blog entitled "Out of the Wilderness, Part I". It is recommended that the reader of this blog first become acquainted with the concepts outlined in that blog.

Several ideas within the following comments regarding the war in  heaven are left intentionally vague so as to leave any final conclusions to the reader.

. . . continued . . .

At this point in the story, it is worthwhile digressing to describe in more detail the things that happened in heaven that were in likeness to those that happened here on earth, as previously outlined. Because things in heaven are in the likeness of things on earth (see JST Revelation 12:1), we should expect that the adulterous conduct of the Church of God previously described as the Great Adultery on earth would parallel her conduct in heaven.  Although brief, much can be learned from John's record of what he saw in his panoramic version of the heavenly war.

First, while reading John's version, it is important to recall the symbolic meaning of each of its characters, that 1) the woman is the Church of God, 2) the child is the kingdom of our God and His Christ, or Zion (see D&C 105:32), 3) Michael and his angels are, undoubtedly, many of the noble and great ones (see Abraham 3:1-3), and 4) the great red dragon is Satan (see D&C 76:25-27, compare Moses 4:1-4) and the serpent, a common enemy (see Acts 10:28) comprised of many whom he had drawn after him (see Moses 4:5-7).

Second, this was not a war wherein two opposing forces were determined. Rather, this was a war between long-time rivals of good verses an evil that had, in prior times, been cast out of God's presence for rebellion (see JST Revelation 12:4). There is recorded by Mormon an amazing resemblance of this war (see Alma 2). I highly recommend it.

Third, women have long been the cause of many disputes between male rivals. Given that the woman referred to by John had left her Husband and was fed a forbidden fruit (Abraham 1:23) by a piercing serpent (see Isaiah 27:1; compare 2 Kings 18:21) for 1,260 years (see JST Revelation 12:5), it is not unlikely that she was the object of this primeval war. However, notwithstanding that she had left her Husband in the likeness of what she would yet do on earth (see JST Revelation 12:1), she was worth fighting for as much then as she is now.

Fourth, scriptures teach that the dragon rebelled and sought to destroy the agency of man (see Moses 4:3). He further contended that all would be redeemed under his plan (see Moses 4:1). But, contrary to what is often heard in Sunday School, this does not imply that he sought to save all men by compulsion. Quite to the contrary, destroying agency is a far cry from seizing it to compel obedience. Brother Joseph Fielding McConkie (2004, pp. 54-55) has rightly observed that the notion that Lucifer was going to force us to obey is neither logical nor supported in scripture.

To reinforce this supposition, it is worthy to note that Elder Orson Pratt (Young, 1854-1886, p. 288) taught that those who hearkened to Lucifer’s proposals in the primeval council “thought it would be a very great and important thing to destroy the agency of man in the future creation that was about to be made.” This observation suggests that Lucifer proposed amendments to God’s plan which would have created conditions in mortality whereby men could be theoretically “saved” but that such conditions would result in agency being destroyed. It is not surprising that in counseling his son Corianton, Alma set forth an interesting sequence that produces this very result (see Alma 42:13-26). In dialogue with his son, Jacob, Lehi likewise underscored this sequence, but more precisely illustrated how it destroys agency (see 2 Nephi 2:11-13). Concerning opposition that must be present in all things, Lehi wrote:

...if ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon (2 Nephi 2:13).

The opposition that exists between happiness that results from obedience to gospel law and misery that attends the punishment for disobedience is imperative to the existence of all things—both things to act and to be acted upon—and eliminating either happiness or punishment destroys that opposition. Happiness cannot exist without punishment—the foil on which happiness produces itself and becomes known. Thus, punishment is a necessary antithesis to happiness and essential to the realization of agency. When considering these opposites in relation to Lucifer’s aim to destroy the agency of man, it would be silly to think that he proposed to eliminate happiness—such a proposal wouldn’t pass muster with even the most boorish of God’s children.

Although Lucifer sought the Kingdom of our God and His Christ (see D&C 76:28), it is clear that he was not prepared to comply with the terms of obtaining the crown (see Isaiah 14:12-21). His solution was to offer another way with sufficiently alluring elements as to incite serious deliberation among God’s children. In connection therewith, Brother Robert Matthews (Top, 1988, p. 123) makes this worthy observation:

When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption, we must begin with the pre-mortal life. I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the War in Heaven. We talk about it as though Lucifer were going to force everybody to obey. Most people don’t want to be forced. As I see it, the real issue is that Lucifer would guarantee their salvation. He promised salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That’s the lie that he promulgated in the pre-earth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing . . . . On that basis Lucifer led away many spirits (emphasis added).

In my judgment, salvation in sin was the incentive package whereby Lucifer persuaded many to follow. What he presented was redemption without effort, without excellence, without hard work, and without individual responsibility. Supporting this notion, the prophet Joseph Smith (1844) affirmed that Lucifer set forth a counter-proposal in the heavenly council that was designed “to save men in their sins” (p. 758). Elder Orson Pratt (1854-1886) also settled on the idea that Lucifer proposed to “redeem them all in their sins” (p. 288), and President Brigham Young (1954) likewise concluded that “if you undertake to save   all , you must save them in unrighteousness and corruption” (p. 54). The lessons learned from the parable of the ninety and nine verses the one lost sheep teach us to be suspect of any plan that guarantees 100% success. Unconditional guarantees generally come at a price much higher than most are willing to pay.

We should not be surprised, then, to discover that the philosophy of nearly every antichrist noted in the Book of Mormon validates the logic of President Young’s conclusion—that in unrighteousness and corruption is the only means whereby all can be saved. Nehor, for example, taught “that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and in the end, all men should have eternal life” (Alma 1:4). The Amalekites likewise echoed the words of Nehor: “We believe that God will save all men” (Alma 21:6). To Jacob, Zeezrom declared the satanic means whereby such salvation was proposed—that God shall “save his people in their sins,” (Alma 11:34) and Korihor whistled the same tune declaring that “whatsoever man did was no crime” (Alma 30:17).

From these naive assertions, I believe we catch a whiff of Lucifer’s proposal made to the heavenly council. It is the model of secularism and moral relativism adhered to today—it is the model of the world. In each case, these antichrists suggested that there would be no lasting punishment, that all men would be saved “in their sins” and “not one of them would be lost” (compare Moses 4:1). Confirming this conclusion—that the message of these antichrists was the primeval message of Satan, Elder Oaks (1988) makes the following comments:

An episode recorded in the Book of Mormon shows the importance of knowing what we worship. The Zoramites worshipped a god who was a spirit and would be a spirit forever, who had made known to them that there would be no Christ, and who had "elected" them that they all would be saved (see Alma 31:15-17). From this description it appears that the Zoramites were, knowingly or unknowingly, worshipping the person and plan of Satan (p. 126).

What Satan presented in the primeval council was a system of redemption void of justice—a plan of "unconditional love" and universal amnesty for crime. 

It has long been my experience that efforts to teach that God’s full love is conditional are met with strong resistance—opponents to this view find it impossible to accept that connecting to God’s love is premised upon one’s conduct. They would rather feel safe in their ignorance than apprehensive in the truth. But however ironic it may seem, the myth of unconditional love is most cruel as the one who lives secure in his ignorance may eventually lose all that he thought was certain. The concept of unconditional love is nothing less than the brainchild of him whose primeval design it was to “to save men in their sins”[1]—to guarantee salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, and without individual responsibility. It is Lucifer’s ultimate trickery. It is a “secret combination” that validates the sinner no matter how vile he may become; and because it validates the sinner, it decriminalizes his conduct.

Looking into its origins, one might be surprised to discover that the concept of unconditional love stems largely from Karl Marx and his socialistic and communistic ideals.[2] As far as I can ascertain, the term unconditional love was coined by the social psychologist Erich Fromm.[3] He is thought as one of the founders of socialist humanism who equated Marxism with matriarchal[4] feelings of unconditional love and capitalism with patriarchal[5] dominance and conditional love. He formalized these views in his 1956 book entitled, The Art of Loving, and concluded that one’s childhood relationship with his parents was central in determining which of the two views emerged as predominate. “The love of God,” he wrongly noted, “cannot be separated from the love for one’s parents.”[6]

His protégé, Carl Rogers, equally set forth the idea that one’s personal experience was the foremost authority in developing the idea of God.[7] “Experience is, for me,” Rogers wrote, “the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own experience. No other person’s ideas, and none of my own ideas, are as authoritative as my experience. It is to experience that I must return again and again, to discover a closer approximation to truth as it is in the process of becoming in me. Neither the Bible nor the prophets—neither Freud nor research—neither the revelations of God nor man—can take precedence over my own direct experience. My experience is not authoritative because it is infallible. It is the basis of authority because it can always be checked in new primary ways. In this way its frequent error or fallibility is always open to correction.”[8]

Because individual up-bringing has been largely patriarchal, Fromm suggested that this experience has yielded a societal view that God’s love is patriarchal. “Quite obviously,” he boorishly explained, “the majority of people have, in their personal development, not overcome this infantile stage, and hence the belief in God to most people is the belief in a helping father - a childish illusion.”[9] He concluded that so long as a person retains “this childish dependence on a punishing and rewarding father, or any other authority, he cannot develop a more mature love for God.”[10] Such hodgepodge found fertile soil among the free-loving, morally-bankrupt hippies of Woodstock who wanted little to do with communal constraints and even less to do with God. 

Taking an opposite view and setting forth the doctrine concerning the conditionality of God’s love, Elder Russell M. Nelson writes: “While divine love can be called perfect, infinite, enduring, and universal, it cannot correctly be characterized as unconditional. The word does not appear in the scriptures. On the other hand, many verses affirm that the higher levels of love the Father and the Son feel for each of us—and certain divine blessings stemming from that love—are conditional.”[11] To those who persist that God’s full love is unconditional, Elder Nelson speaks pointedly:

Understanding that divine love and blessings are not truly ‘unconditional’ can defend us against common fallacies such as these: ‘Since God’s love is unconditional, He will love me regardless . . .’; or ‘Since ‘God is love,’ He will love me unconditionally, regardless . . . .’ These arguments are used by anti-Christs to woo people with deception. Nehor, for example, promoted himself by teaching falsehoods: He ‘testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, . . . for the Lord had created all men, . . . and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.’ Sadly, some of the people believed Nehor’s fallacious and unconditional concepts.[12]

The doctrine of unconditional love is antichrist! It is a fabrication of the lowest order. While scriptures declare that “God is love” (see 1 John 4:8), we cannot thereby conclude that “love is God.” There are those who love darkness and those who love evil. But this love is neither God nor of God. Conversely, although we can appropriately conclude that “Satan is hate,” it does not then follow that “hate is Satan” for “hatred is a proper and holy emotion when channeled properly . . . . Manifestations of perfect hatred are shown forth by Deity himself,”[13] declared Elder Bruce R. McConkie. 

In scripture we read: “These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that Be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19). As we work our way through this list of things that God hates, it becomes clear that His hate is not only directed towards sin, but is also directed towards the father of all lies (see 2 Nephi 2:18) who sowed discord among His brethren and “accused them before our God day and night” (see Revelation 12:10).[14] Satan is an abomination to God and for him there is no godly affection.[15] Both love and hatred are godly attributes when properly channeled. When not properly channeled, they are driving forces of the devil’s work.

To be continued . . .

WORKS CITED

Anonymous. (1985). Know This, That Every Soul is Free. Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Bednar, D. A. (2009, May 25). The Agency of Man. Saturday Evening Session. (K. L. Packard, Interviewer) Rexburg Idaho East Stake. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rexburg. 

Benson, E. T. (1986, May). To the "Youth of the Noble Birthright". Ensign, pp. 43-45. 

Clark, J. R. (1971). Messages of the first presidency (Vol. 5). Salt Lake City: Bookcraft. 

Mann, H. (1859). Baccalaureate Address of 1859. 

McConkie, B. R. (1985). A New Witness for the Articles of Faith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company. 

McConkie, J. F. (2004). Understanding the Power God Gives Us: What Agency Really Means. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company. 

Nibley, H. W. (1993). Teachings of the Book of Mormon--Semester 4: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to a Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University. Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. 

Nyman, M. S., & Tate, J. C. (Eds.). (1990). The Book of Mormon: Jacob Through Words of Mormon, To Learn With Joy (Vol. 4). Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center. 

Oaks, D. H. (1988). Pure in Heart. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft. 

Oaks, D. H. (2002). With Full Purpose of Heart. Salt Lake City, UT, United States: Deseret Book Company. 

Packer, B. K. (1988, May). Atonement Agency Accountability. Ensign, p. 69. 

Pratt, O. (2000). The Seer. Salt Lake City: EBorn Books. 

Romney, M. G. (1981, April). Principles of Temporal Salvation. Ensign, pp. 3-7. 

Romney, M. G. (1981, November). The Perfect Law of Liberty. Ensign, pp. 43-44. 

Smith, J. (1844, December 25). Times and Seasons, V. 

Smith, J. (1948-1950). History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, V. 5 (Vol. 5). (G. A. Smith, Ed.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company. 

Smith, J. F. (1957-1966). Answers to Gospel Questions (Vol. 4). Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company. 

Smith, J. F. (1967, April 9). Conference Report, pp. 120-121. 

Top, B. L. (1988). The Life Before. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft. 

Young, B. (1854-1886). Journal of Discourses (Vol. 21). Liverpool, London, England: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot. 

Young, B. (1954). Discourses of Brigham Young. (J. A. Widtsoe, Ed.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company.

ENDNOTES

[1] Smith, Joseph, Times and Seasons, Volume V, Nauvoo, Illinois, 25 December 1844, 758. 

[2] Marxist notions, in part, flows from Darwin’s theories of organic evolution, which might account for the reason why President Joseph Fielding Smith taught that “organic evolution is Satan’s chief weapon in destroying the divine mission of Jesus Christ. It is a contemptible plot against faith in God and to destroy the effective belief in the divine atonement of our Redeemer through which men may be saved from their sins and find place in the Kingdom of God” (see Smith, Joseph Fielding, His Origin and Destiny, 184 – 185). Much of the nonsense today in education, psychology, and social science ties back to Darwin’s theories which postulate that man is nothing more than a highly-evolved animal. 

[3] Unconditional love,” he wrote, “corresponds to one of the deepest longings, not only of the child, but of every human being; on the other hand, to be loved because of one’s merit, because one deserved it, always leaves doubt; maybe I did not please the person whom I want to love me, maybe this, or that—there is always a fear that love could disappear. Furthermore, ‘deserved’ love easily leaves a bitter feeling that one is not loved for oneself, that one is loved only because one pleases, that one is, in the last analysis, not loved at all but used” (see page 35). 

[4] Fromm summarized the matriarchal view as: “I am loved because I am. This experience of being loved by mother is a passive one. There is nothing I have to do in order to be loved—mother’s love is unconditional. All I have to do is to be—to be her child. Mother’s love is bliss, is peace, it need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. But there is a negative side, too, to the unconditional quality of mother’s love. Not only does it not need to be deserved—it also cannot be acquired, produced, controlled. If it is there, it is like a blessing; if it is not there, it is as if all beauty had gone out of life—and there is nothing I can do to create it” (see page 33). 

[5] “Fatherly love is conditional love,” Fromm wrote. “Its principle is ‘I love you because you fulfill my expectations, because you do your duty, because you are like me.’ In conditional fatherly love we find . . . a negative and a positive aspect. The negative aspect is the very fact that fatherly love has to be deserved, that it can be lost if one does not do what is expected. In the nature of fatherly love lies the fact that obedience becomes the main virtue, that disobedience is the main sin—and its punishment the withdrawal of fatherly love. The positive side is equally important. Since his love is conditioned, I can do something to acquire it, I can work for it; his love is not outside my control as motherly love is” (see page 36).

[6] See page 64.

[7] Rogers downgraded the concept of unconditional love to unconditional positive regard; a common term used in psychology today. 

[8] See Rogers, Carl, On Becoming a Person, 23-34. John Rector, a student counselor at a local university used these philosophies to suggest that the “doctrines of our faith may spell out aspects of God’s composition for us, but it is we who fill in nuances of God’s personality and character.” Mr. Rector concluded from this that “since none of us knows very deeply what God is like, we can make a conscious choice to form a concept of divine personality which ‘works’ for us” (see Rector, John, “What is the Character of Your God?” Perspectives, Autumn 2006, 79-80).

[9] See page 64.

[10] See pages 68-69.

[11] Nelson, “Divine Love,” Ensign, February 2003, 20. 

[12] Ibid; emphasis added. 

[13] McConkie, Bruce R., Mormon Doctrine, 344. 

[14] It is often heard that we are to “hate the sin and love the sinner.” Although I do not question the present appropriateness and political correctness of this rhetoric, the statement itself does not logically hold together. Sin does not exist without a cause. God recognizes this fact and, thus, it is the sinner who is punished, not the sin. Can one hate sin and at the same time love the cause of sin? In the telestial realm in which we presently live, we are commanded to love our enemy and do good to those who despitefully use us. This we do to allow the sinner every opportunity to repent and be reconciled to God. And at times, we are called to endure the cruelty of the wicked that the judgments of the Lord might be just. Failure to do so with patience may itself earn the judgments of God. But, from an eternal perspective, the sin and the sinner are uniquely and inseparably tied together. God can love a people and be patient with them in their days of iniquity, but God’s patience and love can wear thin (see Helaman 15:3-4). 

[15] We are no different than God. We have set limits to our love and have identified those who will receive it. From a lesser to greater degree we love our servants, friends, and sons and daughters, but in no degree should our heart give place for the enemy of our soul (see 2 Nephi 4:28).

Perilous Times: Heaping to Ourselves Teachers

Scriptures teach that Christ will return “in the beginning of the seventh thousand years”[1]—a time at which we have arrived. In March 2000, Elder Boyd K. Packer said the seventh millennium has begun[2] and, in conference held in my stake in March 2009, Elder John M. Madsen confirmed this as well.[3] In this same address, Elder Madsen further noted that he had been asked to “be positive” when talking to the saints. He then proceeded: “I am positive that all the destructions foretold in the scriptures will occur!”[4]

Likewise, I believe these are, and will be, difficult days. President Howard W. Hunter declared that “all dispensations have had their perilous times, but our day will include genuine peril”. President Monson more recently reminded us that “[w]e have come to the earth in troubled times. The moral compass of the masses has gradually shifted to an ‘almost anything goes’ position.”[5] We have also been warned that God’s judgments are soon to be poured out without measure.[6] In light of this, there is comedy in the fact that NO FEAR[7] is the slogan of the generation in which fear shall come upon every man.[8] Notwithstanding all we face, Sister Julie B. Beck reminded us that “the Lord is not apologizing that we live in troubled times.”[9] I testify that God is with us and will prevail.

Of the challenges we face today, one of the greater is the war in which we are presently engaged. Concerning this present conflict, Elder Packer said:

You too live in a time of war, the spiritual war that will never end . . . . Your world at war has lost its innocence. There is nothing, however crude or unworthy, that is not deemed acceptable for movies or plays or music or conversation. The world seems to be turned upside down.[10]

Although all are involved, not all are equally engaged—some are not even mindful that the war exists. This lack of awareness partly stems from the fact that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the unseen rulers of darkness.[11] A more dreadful cause for ignorance of the conflict is that some may have embraced the world of darkness.

But living in this world does not mean we must accept it. Although raised in difficult circumstances, Abraham, for example, still sought for that city “whose builder and maker is God.”[12] And although the conduct of others prevented him from realizing his dream, Abraham’s quest yet yielded him precious fruit, for the personal journey he made within, while seeking for the city above, resulted in him becoming that for which he sought; in seeking for Zion, he became Zion—the pure in heart.

Zion, we have been taught, is soon to be established and, with it, peace. But this does not mean there won’t be casualties in the unseating of Satan. It is, therefore, good to be reminded that he was denied a body and desired all to become likewise miserable.[13] Having failed, he sought to take possession of the bodies of those still qualified to receive them. Although this plan similarly failed, he continued a strategy to take custody of our bodies—if not by force, then with our consent.

When Israel rebelled, the Lord warned that He would bring the worst of the heathen against them to possess their houses, and defile their holy places.[14] Although Babylon afterwards engaged in this campaign against Israel, the truest application of Ezekiel’s prophecy is for us—for the apostle Paul warned that, before the Lord’s Coming, Satan would “sit in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”[15] Notably, the temple referred to is our bodies—the only house that Satan desires to possess and defile.[16] This is confirmed in modern revelation[17] wherein it is also announced that Babylon is the final approach Satan devised to possess our bodies. The suggestion that he has already entered them was recently made when Elder Packer declared that “largely because of television, instead of looking over into that spacious building, we are, in effect, living inside of it.”[18]

Babylon is no longer an empire with borders and an earthly king. It now embraces all nations[19] and is ruled over by Satan himself. It is a woman arrayed in costly apparel[20] with a cup in her hand;[21] and as all nations have drunk of her wine, they have ventured into her captivity. She is the whore of all the earth and association with her is what the scriptures call whoredoms. She is also the tares[22] of the earth[23] and, therefore, stages a distinctive threat to wheat[24]—a threat heretofore[25] identified as “flattery of prominent men in the world, false educational ideas, and sexual impurity.”[26] Consistent with the last of these perils, she enjoys dark rooms, vacant lots, black-light parties, loud music, and crude language. She likewise indulges in recreational romance, Levi®-loving, dirty dancing, unnatural affection, and views pornography of any degree so long as its effect is to arouse. Of lesser severity, but with equal defiance, she puts on tight jeans, displays cleavage, wears dresses above the knee, and indefensibly sports dark leggings to cloak the tininess of her dress. She enjoys idleness and something akin to it called video games that produce no growth of either mind or body. She’s for herself[27] and, thus, spends careless hours with I phones®, I Pads®, IPods®, ITunes®, and I Facebook®!

Though this inventory is meant to highlight faults with which some of this generation struggles, I want to add a point of which all should take careful note—that in her is found the blood of prophets.[28] For good reason did Alma write:

And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?

Behold, will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?[29]

This singular caution should keep all who call themselves saints fully disinterested in her merchandise and responsive to the cry to come out of her.[30]

Therefore, the first invitation I extend is to carefully examine your association with Babylon; ask yourself if you are keeping your temple holy, unsoiled of her blood, abstinent of her wine, and stripped of her apparel. Can there be any question that keeping laws of chastity extends to not being joined to her? If your life touches hers in the least, repent and cast her aside.[31] 

In light of this invitation, I would like to next examine two commandments: 1) Go ye out from Babylon, and 2) Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.”[32] I begin by making several relevant observations:

First, one cannot go out from a place in which he or she does not exist;  

Second, vessels are descriptive of instruments used in temple worship,[33] but can also be expressive of the true temple, God’s children;[34] and 

Third, just as vessels can be characterized in two ways, the word bear can also have two meanings; with respect to vessels that were temple instruments, it was the duty of appointed Levites to bear such vessels.[35] With respect to vessels that are God’s children, it is the sacred duty of women to bear such vessels.[36]

Continuing, according to D&C 133:4, 16, these two commandments are given to the church, the Lord’s bride, which fact takes on significance in determining the meaning to give to the words bear and vessels. When dwelling on “going out from Babylon,” it is easy to envision Israel coming out of Egypt. However, this ancient image melts away in light of Elder Packer’s recent assertion that although Sodom and Gomorrah was localized, they are “[n]ow . . . spread across the world, and they are among us.”[37] Hence, there is no place that we can truly go where Babylon is not. Thus, our departure from Babylon is a spiritual journey as afterwards confirmed by the Lord where He warns the church to go ye out “from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon.”[38] But coming out of Babylon does not place us at our final destination; rather, it is only provisional—designed to set our feet on a path leading from that great and spacious building. Hence, follow this interesting verse from Micah:

Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.[39]

Notwithstanding the command to go out from Babylon, the Lord has also said that we will go to Babylon and there be delivered from our enemies. How do we resolve this superficial contradiction? If not attentive, we may fail to observe that our most important delivery is not out of Babylon, but into Christ’s family. Such is the delivery referred to by Micah. But before I address that matter, let me first note what common sense dictates and celestial law orders—that where family exists, it must begin with a marriage.[40]

Although not frequently addressed, each of us is a member of a spiritual family with Christ as our Husband[41] and us as His bride[42]--more commonly known as His church.[43] One of the more beautiful accounts of this marriage was penned by Ezekiel:

Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.[44]

But marriage—including ours to the Lord—was not designed to be an end in itself, for with it comes the commandment to be fruitful and multiply.[45] Thus, just as an earthly bride delivers her child, all who comprise the bride of the Lord are likewise given power, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, to deliver a child upon whom all enemies, both death and hell,[46] have no claim. This child is the same for all who are delivered—it is ZION, the pure in heart. While the church and Zion can be viewed as institutions, our marriage to Christ and becoming Zion are individual pursuits. Thus, it is most helpful to stop thinking of the church—the Lord’s bride—and Zion—the bride’s offspring—as institutions, and begin viewing them as a spiritual development within oneself. Jeremiah articulated this spiritual development as we become one with the Lord, and granted His heart:

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion . .

Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. [47]

Simply expressed, each of us, as the Lord’s bride, conceives when the word of God is received into our heart and is quickened by that Spirit which gives life to all things.[48] As this seed develops and is nurtured[49] by faith, diligence, and patience, a child pure in heart is delivered.[50] Each of us must individually experience this, for I know of no other delivery that looses the bands of wickedness, that breaks every yoke of sin, that proclaims liberty to the captives,[51] and lets the oppressed go free.[52]

If this process sounds familiar to you, it’s because Alma’s discourse of how a seed is planted, germinates, and grows up into a tree is an effective metaphor of how human life is conceived and develops into a child possessing the name,[53] countenance,[54] and attributes of its father[55]—for Alma’s grand conclusion of his experiment is this—that EVERY SEED BRINGETH FORTH UNTO ITS OWN LIKENESS.[56] Based on this adage, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland condensed Alma’s entire discourse into one brief, but extraordinary sentence showing the link between the word of God and Jesus Christ: “Here the seed—the word of God—is moving toward full stature as the Word of God.”[57]

Unfortunately, not all deliveries enjoy this happy ending. Isaiah[58] wrote of a time when the bride delivered a child that died in its formative years. Barely two hundred years passed away after the Lord’s visit to America before the church, or bride, in 4th Nephi forgot her sucking child and had not compassion on the son of her womb.[59] Rather, she “did trust in her own beauty and played the harlot.”[60] Although we see this apostasy as an institutional event, it wasn’t—it was an individual episode—one person at a time. Thus, as she spent her days in selfish pursuits, seeds sown during the intervening years fell on stony places, others were cast by the wayside, and some grew among thorns;[61] and the child—once promised eternal life[62]—died a shameful death.

For this child neglect and other atrocities,[63] the Husband gave His wife “dry breasts and a miscarrying womb”[64] and forsook her for “a small moment”.[65] But as He turned away His face,[66] His voice could yet be heard—“I [will] not forget thee . . . Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”[67] Such love—such forgiveness—has been known only once.

Foretelling the re-union between Christ and His bride in the latter days, Isaiah recorded:

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken . . . but thou shall be called Delightful. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy God marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.[68]

In keeping with His parting promise, the appearance of the Lord to Joseph Smith was to renew the marriage covenant and fulfill His promise to write His law in our heart[69] that we may know Him[70] . . . which brings us to today!

Just as the temporal family is Satan’s visible target, the spiritual family is his hidden agenda, and knowing that he hath but a short time,[71] he sits determined to foil each family’s essential purpose to bring forth a child pure in heart.[72] In his pursuit, is there any question that he gives substantial effort to destroying the word of God—the seed planted in the heart of the bride that commences life? It is therefore, that I focus a few remarks on the part the word plays in each of our spiritual families.

As noted previously, the command to “be ye clean” is given to each of us, the Lord’s bride. By what manner are we to be cleansed? After describing the Lord’s marriage to His bride, Ezekiel described how the Lord then washed His bride with water that she would be clean.[73] In this same context, the apostle Paul wrote:

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.[74]

Obedience to God’s word is the only means by which fallen creatures are transformed through the atonement of Jesus Christ into celestial beings. Thus, Christ prayed that we would be sanctified through the word.[75] Explaining this, Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught:

Sanctification comes only to the obedient; it is the truth of heaven—the very word of God . . . which sanctifies the souls of men. As . . . Jesus sanctified himself by obedience to the words of the Father, so the Twelve [and we] may sanctify themselves through the truth Jesus has given them.[76]

To the prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord declared that they who are not sanctified through the law of Christ cannot inherit the celestial kingdom.[77] The law of Christ—also named the law of the gospel—comprises all that has been given as scripture.[78] Because it embraces the power of an endless life,[79] it is that pearl of great price for which we must be willing to sell all that we have to possess.[80] Owing to its worth, the Lord denounced the church, or bride, for having treated it lightly,[81] which vanity,[82] he continued, “brought the whole church under condemnation.”[83] We have likewise been warned to “beware how [we] hold [these words], for they are to be answered upon [our] souls in the day of judgment.”[84]

It is this law comprising all that God has spoken—these living waters—with which we are to be washed.[85] Importantly, these waters have also been given “for a law, to be my law to govern my church,”[86] declared the Lord. Remembering that the church is the bride is vital with respect to the Lord’s use of the term govern in this verse, for the Lord later affirmed that “that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.”[87] Thus, being washed by the word requires that we not only know that which is written, but that we also be governed by that which is written.”[88] President Harold B. Lee confirmed:

You may ask me, how does one sanctify himself, and make himself holy so that he is prepared to walk in the presence of the Lord? . . . The Lord says this, ‘And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same’ (D&C 88:34). What law? The laws of the Lord as contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the keeping of which laws and ordinances are the ways by which we are purified and made holy.[89]

The link between being governed and washed by the word of God is most beautifully illustrated in Ezekiel 47, wherein, Ezekiel is taken to the house from whence the pure and living waters flow. He is brought through the waters that issue from the house—not once, but four times. With each passing through, the waters grew progressively deeper—to the ankles, the knees, and the loins, thus, symbolizing an increased submission to the water’s flow and a greater cleansing. When at last, the “waters were risen” and became “waters to swim in, [and] a river that could not be passed over,”[90] I sense that Ezekiel had become altogether governed by the water insomuch that he was taken whithersoever the waters flowed. And through that governance by the pure waters which issued from the sanctuary, he was preserved, perfected, and sanctified by the same.

Since becoming pure in heart occurs individually and within, vast opportunity exists for each of us to become pretenders. Hence, the degree to which we treat with solemnity the word, and are washed by knowing and obeying it is entirely of our private choosing. But it is also within God’s power to decide who will and who will not be given His word:

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.[91]

Based on the foregoing, my second invitation extended to you is two-fold. First, God has entrusted to you the power of an endless life. Prove to Him that He has not cast this pearl before swine[92] by treasuring up in your mind every day these words of eternal life. Make your study consistent and sufficient. Second, give diligent heed to the words of eternal life. Live by them and love them that they may be written in your hearts—that the law which governs you may also preserve, perfect, and sanctify you.

Simply because the waters are pure when they issue from the throne of God does not mean they must remain so. In his pursuit to destroy the spiritual family, is there any question that Satan gives attention to muddying the waters; that with intent to mislead, he pollutes the pure wine of the gospel with the philosophies of men.[93] It is on this very point that the apostle Paul penned the words: “THIS know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”[94] Asserting that we live in those times, Elder Packer recently noted that the dangers itemized by Paul are a description “of the days in which we live.”[95] In this same context, Paul warned Timothy in his next letter of the disregard that latter-day saints would show towards the word of God:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.[96]

Although some attribute these warnings to those of an earlier dispensation, they most assuredly pertain to us, for Paul’s final warning that “we would not endure sound doctrine” hints of another event that occurred to ancient Israel of which Paul said was recorded “for an admonition for those upon whom the end of the world shall come.”[97]

Concerning this other event, when the children of Israel left Egypt, they did so in haste. One month following their departure, the assembly cried out in hunger. To Moses, the Lord responded: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them.”[98] Although nutritional, it tasted like fresh oil.[99] Thus, on several occasions, the congregation scorned this light bread.[100] During one incident, some cried: Why came we forth out of Egypt?[101] In response, the Lord “brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp.” Eager for flesh, the congregation heaped to themselves quail, such that he that gathered least gathered 65 bushels.[102] 

Just as ancient Israel did not endure the light bread but heaped to themselves flesh, Paul declared that saints of the last day likewise would not endure sound doctrine but instead would heap to themselves teachers—Darwin, Dewey, Huxley, Rogers, Freud, Keynes, Marx, and Hegel to name only a few on the heap. Because of them, Nephi wrote, all have “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.”[103] Even the humble followers of Jesus Christ do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. Great caution, then, must be exercised with respect to the precepts of men—even if taught at a church institution.[104] Nephi therefore provides the litmus test by which all can measure the truthfulness of that which is spoken: “Cursed is he,” Nephi wrote, “that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.”[105]

Thus, my third and final invitation extended to you is also two-fold. First, go often to that place from where the pure waters flow—the temples of the Lord—that you may learn to swim in clean waters—unsullied by the philosophies of men—and, thereby, be cleansed with the washing of water by the pure word of God, that the Lord might present you to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that you should be holy and without blemish. Second, after you have left that sacred house, apply the litmus test that Nephi gives to test all that is spoken in the world and reject as fables the precepts of men save those which have been given by the power of the Holy Ghost. By so doing, the pure waters are continuously filtered that they may remain pure.

I bear testimony of Jesus Christ, that he is coming and shall cleanse this earth with the brightness of his coming. I seek for that day. All who are pure—even as He is pure—shall abide the day; whether in life or in death.[106] “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”[107] May we have sense enough to experience all that He offers to us through His atonement and His endless and powerful word. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

FOOTNOTES

[1] See D&C 77:12-13.

[2] Packer, Boyd K., And They Knew It Not, CES Fireside for Young Adults, 5 March 2000, p. 6.

[3] As recorded in the Saturday evening session of BYU-Idaho 5th Stake Conference held on March 14, 2009 in the Hinckley Chapel at BYU-Idaho. Therein, Elder Madsen quoted President James E. Faust as saying: “The chronological millennium has begun. The spiritual millennium will begin with the coming of Christ.”

[4] The Lord has laid his hands upon the nations and has declared that the wicked shall be scourged until all that remain shall know him (see D&C 84:96-98). 

[5] See Hunter, Howard W., An Anchor to the Souls of Men, Ensign, October 1993, pp. 70-72 and Monson, Thomas S., Priesthood Power, Ensign, May 2011, p. 66.

[6] See D&C 101:11; compare D&C 109:45.

[7] Jeremiah summarized these days as the day of Jacob’s trouble; a day wherein he describes men with hands on their loins resembling women in labor (see Jeremiah 30:4-7). Similarly, Daniel prophesied of these days as “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” (see Daniel 12:1). Confirming that the day of Jacob’s trouble has arrived, the following warning was given to this nation shortly following the martyrdom of the prophet Joseph: “And now cometh the day of their calamity, even the days of sorrow, like a woman that is taken in travail; and their sorrow shall be great unless they speedily repent” (see D&C 136:35).

[8] See D&C 63:33; compare D&C 88:91.

[9] As recalled and paraphrased from a Q&A session incorporated as part of a regional meeting held for the Relief Society at the BYU-I Center on February 12, 2011.

[10] Packer, Boyd K., Lehi’s Dream and You, CES Devotional Address, Brigham Young University, 6 January 2007.

[11] Ephesians 6:10.

[12] See Hebrews 11:10; compare D&C 45:12.

[13] See 2 Nephi 2:18.

[14] Ezekiel 7:24; emphasis added.

[15] See 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

[16] See D&C 93:35; compare 1 Corinthians 6:15-20; compare 1 Corinthians 3:9-17. 

[17] See D&C 86:3; compare Revelation 13:6.

[18] Packer, Boyd K., Lehi’s Dream and You, CES Devotional Address, Brigham Young University, 6 January 2007.

[19] See D&C 86:3; compare D&C 84:82 with Matthew 6:28-39; and D&C 133:7, 14. It stems from the river unto the ends of the earth (see Psalms 72:8; compare 1 Kings 4:21). The “river” is a reference to the Euphrates, the great river that flowed from the Garden before the lands were divided.

[20] But her costly apparel (see Revelation 18:19; compare Mormon 8:36-39) is also a treacherous disguise, replicating what was worn by the temple priests in ancient Israel (See Exodus 26-30; compare Leviticus 8. She, like the scarlet beast upon whom she sits, is apostate (see Revelation 17:3).

[21] Compare 1 Corinthians 10:18-22.

[22] President Brigham Young said: “It is among those who are the bride, the Lamb's wife, that the foolish are to be found. But he never has instructed us to call on the ungodly, and those who would mob us, to make foolish virgins…Let me tell you, the tares will be in the field, and many will think they are wheat, until harvest comes; but at no time has the Lord said, bring the wicked and ungodly among my people to scourge them; for they are capable of bringing upon themselves all the evil necessary to perfect the good” (see Young, Brigham, Journal of Discourses, 12:231-232).

[23] See D&C 88:94.

[24] See D&C 86:7.

[25] See Benson, Ezra Taft, Conference Report, October 1964, p. 56.

[26] Lee, Harold B., Conference Report, April 1948, p. 312.

[27] See 3 Nephi 1:29-30.

[28] And of all who are slain upon the earth (see Revelation 18:24).

[29] Alma 5:22-23.

[30] See D&C 133:5, 14; compare Revelation 18:4. See the apostle Paul’s discussion on this very point in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20; compare Hosea 2.

[31] See Isaiah 30:22.

[32] See D&C 133:5.

[33] See Numbers 4:14, 5-15.

[34] Such as used in Alma 7:10 when referring to Mary as a chosen vessel of the Lord.

[35] Such duties are fully outlined in Numbers 4 and 7; compare with Isaiah 22:20-25.

[36] See 1 Nephi 17:1; compare “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, November 1995, 102.

[37] Packer, Boyd K., The One Pure Defense, Address to CES Religious Educators, 6 February 2004, Salt Lake Tabernacle, p. 4.

[38] See Hebrews 10:14; compare D&C 133:14.

[39] Micah 4:10.

[40] See D&C 131:1-4.

[41] See Isaiah 54:5; compare Jeremiah 31:32.

[42] See Isaiah 54:5 (footnote 5a), Ezekiel 16:8, Hosea 2:19 (footnote 19a), Ephesians 5, and JST Revelation 12, respectively.

[43] The covenant joining Christ with His bride is termed the Abrahamic Covenant, although this is not commonly understood.

[44] Ezekiel 16:8.

[45] See Genesis 1:27.

[46] See 2 Nephi 9:10.

[47] Jeremiah 3:14, 19; compare D&C 39:9-10.

[48] See D&C 33:16; compare D&C 11:21, D&C 88:13, and John 6:63.

[49] In other words, by adding to it virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, charity, humility, and diligence (see D&C 4:6; compare 2 Peter 1:5-8 and D&C 107:30-31).

[50] See D&C 97:21.

[51] Compare Isaiah 61:1-3.

[52] The apostle John likewise saw this transformation of the Church of God into the kingdom of our God and his Christ which, according to D&C 105:32, is ZION—the pure in heart (see D&C 97:21). Although what John sees is the institution of Zion coming forth from the Church of God, the bringing forth a child pure in heart (see Alma 5:13-14, 19) must occur individually before Zion can be institutionally organized. Hence, while some wait for Zion to be broadcast, the Lord has declared that “he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet—a trump that some will not hear—and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect” (JS—Matthew 1:37)—to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn (see D&C 77:11).

[53] See D&C 109:26.

[54] The countenance of the Lord is clean hands and a pure heart (see D&C 64:24, Psalms 24:4-6, and especially Alma 5:14, 19).

[55] See Alma 5:13-14, 19; compare Mosiah 5:7.

[56] See Alma 32:31.

[57] Holland, Jeffrey R., Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon, p.168; emphasis added. 

[58] See 1 Nephi 21:20; compare 4 Nephi 1:22-46. Zenos likewise wrote of this event (see Jacob 5:41-42).

[59] See 1 Nephi 21:15.

[60] Ezekiel 16:15, 15-59.

[61] See Matthew 13:1-9.

[62] See 4 Nephi 1:3, 17.

[63] See 1 Nephi 11:32-35; compare Amos 8:4-13.

[64] See Hosea 9:14. The death of the Nephite nation is foretold by Hosea in this chapter.

[65] See Isaiah 54:7.

[66] See Jacob 5:41.

[67] 1 Nephi 21:15-16.

[68] JST Isaiah 62:5; "For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy God marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." [69] See 2 Corinthians 3:2-3; compare Hebrews 8:9-12. It is rarely understood that the promise made by the Lord in the sacrament prayers—that they may always have his Spirit of be with them (see D&C 20:77; compare verse 79)—is in fulfillment of that part of the new and everlasting covenant, wherein, the Lord declared that “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (see Jeremiah 31:33). 

[70] Jeremiah 31:33-34. According to the prophet Joseph Smith, the calling and election made sure (or Holy Spirit of promise) will be the manner by which every man shall know the Lord (see Smith, Joseph, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.149).

[71] See JST Revelation 12:12.

[72] See JST Revelation 12:17.

[73] See Ezekiel 16:9.

[74] Ephesians 5:25-27.

[75] See John 17:17-19.

[76] McConkie, Bruce R. The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols., 4:, p.114; emphasis added. 

[77] D&C 88:21. The woman, church, bride, or “body of Christ” must be washed and sanctified by the word unto becoming pure in heart, or unto being delivered through great travail as the holy child—Zion. According to D&C 43:8-9, we are to meet together to instruct and edify . . . and thus, be sanctified by that which we have received. 

[78] See D&C 42:59; compare D&C 84:44.

[79] See JST John 1:18.

[80] See JST Matthew 13:47; "And again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."

[81] D&C 84:54.

[82] It is quite remarkable how these verses harmonize with those penned by Isaiah, wherein, he described the bride pretending to be with child, but when she came to the birth, only wind, or vanity, came forth. Follow along as I read some of the most disparaging verses ever written:

Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O Lord.We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen (Isaiah 26:17-18).

The bride “treated lightly the things she had received” and rather than bring forth a child pure in heart, what she brought forth was the cares of this world.

[83] See D&C 84:55. It is well to be reminded that the church is the bride that is to nourish the child.

[84] D&C 41:12. These words are given to the salvation of [the Lord’s] own elect” (see D&C 35:20), they who treasure up His word (see JS—Matthew 1:37) hear his word, (see D&C 29:7) and hearken to His word (see D&C 33:6).

[85] See D&C 88:77-78.

[86] See D&C 42:59.

[87] D&C 88:34.

[88] See D&C 84:57.

[89] Teachings Of Presidents Of The Church: Harold B. Lee, p.27.

[90] See Ezekiel 47:1-5.

[91] 2 Nephi 28:30; compare Alma 12:9-11 and D&C 60:3-4.

[92] See 3 Nephi 14:6.

[93] See McConkie, Bruce R., The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, p.59.

[94] 2 Timothy 3:1.

[95] Packer, Boyd K., The One Pure Defense, Address to CES Religious Educators, 6 February 2004, Salt Lake Tabernacle, p. 4-5.

[96] 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

[97] 1 Corinthians 10:11.

[98] Exodus 16:4.

[99] Numbers 11:7-8.

[100] Numbers 21:5.

[101] Numbers 11:4-6.

[102] Numbers 11:31-32.

[103] 2 Nephi 28:14.

[104] President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “We encourage you to get your . . . degrees and to further your education; but let us not forget that disaffection from the gospel and the Lord's church was brought about in the past by the attempts to reconcile the pure gospel with the secular philosophies of men . . . Be careful of blending your worldly training with the gospel courses you teach lest you be guilty of diluting the pure gospel of Jesus Christ and end up teaching the philosophy of men mingled with a few scriptures” (Benson, Ezra Taft, “The Gospel Teacher and His Message”, Latter-day Tracts, 8).

[105] 2 Nephi 28:31.

[106] D&C 35:20-21.

[107] Revelation 5:12.