Doctrine and Covenants Week 11: D&C 29:130, 43, 45, 116, 133

1) These five revelations to Joseph Smith all concern the second coming of Jesus Christ. a) These revelations have language and imagery similar to the book of Revelation in the New Testament.1 b) Three lessons ago we covered Doctrine and Covenants section 29, but we skipped over the first 30 verses which were Josephs first revelation to cover in detail the events of the end times.2 Tonight well revisit this section, and add to it information in the other four revelations. 2) [SLIDE 2] When did Joseph receive these revelations? a) Section 29 was received in the presence of six elders3 at Fayette, New York, in September 1830. b) Sections 43, 45, and 133 were all received in 1831 in or near Kirtland, Ohio. i) Section 133 is out of chronological order. It would normally fall between sections 69 and 70.4 c) Section 116 was received in 1838 in Missouri. d) In addition to these sections there are countless individual passages of scripture and comments made by Joseph Smith in letters and sermons concerning the last days. 3) [SLIDE 3] The basic chronology: a) There will be a time of great tribulation prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ, with signs, wars, and plagues. b) Christ will return in glory and reign in peace for a thousand years. At his coming, the wicked will be destroyed, the first resurrection will commence in earnest, and the earth will receive its paradisiacal glory (Article of Faith 10). c) At the end of the millennium, Satan and his follows will be permanently defeated, the second resurrection will take place, and all mankind will be judged. d) Following this, the earth will become a celestial sphere, and men and women will dwell on it in the presence of the Father for eternity.

1 The book of Revelation and the sections of the D&C in this lesson are apocalypses, a word that comes from the first Greek word in Revelation chapter 1, verse 1 (apocalupsis), a noun meaning revelation in the sense of uncovering or unveiling something that is hidden. The Greek word has made its way into English as apocalypse, although with the somewhat altered meaning of an ultimate, climactic battle between good and evil. That Josephs revelations borrowed heavily from Johns Revelation shouldnt bother us at all: Revelation itself borrowed heavily from Ezekiel, Daniel, and other Old Testament-era apocalypses. 2 See lesson 8 (https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/dc/week08). 3 History of the Church 1:111 (http://byustudies.byu.edu/hc/1/13.html#111). 4 Section 133 was received during the November 1831 conference where the Book of Commandments commissioned. Joseph Smith directed that it should be added as an appendix to the Book of Commandments (just as section 1 was added as the preface, and is also out of chronological order). It remained the final section in Doctrine and Covenants until the 1876 edition, when it was given its own section number and additional revelations were added after it.

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4) Before we get into the material, Id like to state a few things of a personal note. a) I am not an end times prophecy kind of guy. I do not believe that all of the events of the last days have been revealed, nor do I believe that what has been revealed can (or should) be compiled into a single, exhaustive chronology. i) This, however, has not stopped many people, both inside and outside of the Church, from attempting to do exactly that. ii) Many authors have claimed to have worked out the sequence of events and the meanings of various signs given in the revelations. All of these represent the opinions and interpretations of the individuals themselves, and should be read with caution and skepticism. (1) This warning also applies to anything I say or write: It represents my understanding, and may not be one hundred percent accurate. (2) Our best course of action always is to stay close to the scriptures and the teachings of modern leaders of the Church, be open to new insights and revelations, and not to be caught up by one particular persons views. (a) The great danger is when something doesnt happen according to a particular interpretation, and then testimonies are lost among people who followed that interpretation. iii) This is not to say that we cant learn much about specific events of the last days by comparing various scriptures, but trying to put all the events into sequence and identify the meaning of every scriptural symbol is not reasonable, in my opinion. (1) The Lord has not revealed the sequence and meaning of many signs of the times, and he has not revealed many signs that have yet to come to pass. (2) The things that have been revealed are for the Saints, so that they might be prepared (D&C 68:11). iv) Elder John A. Widtsoe:
[SLIDE 4] Human curiosity is intrigued by whatever seems mysterious. Therefore, much effort has been expended to reduce such general prophecies to exact dates, times, and persons, This has been a waste of time and energy, as prophecy uttered under divine inspiration usually contains all that the divine will desires to reveal. It behooves those to whom the prophecy is made to prepare for coming events, to watch for them, and to recognize them when they do appear. If more is needed, the power that gave the prophecy will no doubt furnish the interpretation. . The present disturbed condition of the world has impelled many to look for prophecies relating to the last days. Several such compilations have been published. Quotations are made from leaders of the present, as of past dispensations. Carefully read, these statements add nothing to the prophecies recorded in our sacred books. The attempts to make them specific, such as to predict any country's downfall, or to identify certain present-day leaders with prophetic personages, are unjustified and misleading. . [SLIDE 5] Prophecy may be interpreted only to the extent that it implies within its own statements that it shall be interpreted. If a prophecy is indefinite with
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respect to certain things, it is probably so intended. It is always wise to read and practice that which is clear and understandable, and to leave the dim and mysterious until further prophetic revelation is received. We concern ourselves only with that which is clear and understandable. We know that with the progress of time, increasing light will come, as we may have need. Moreover, we know that we should not waste our valuable time and energies on remote and doubtful matters, but rather direct our efforts towards the study and practice of the clearly stated principles of conduct embodied in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the direct method of obtaining light and truth, the goal of every Latter-day Saint.5

b) Another issue has to do with how literally or figuratively we interpret the signs of the times revealed in the scriptures. i) [SLIDE 6] For example, one portion of section 133 tells us:
And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord; and their prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence. And an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep. (D&C 133:2627.)

(1) Some Latter-day Saints have interpreted this prophecy of the return of the lost tribes of Israel literally to mean that they are all in a single place and will return en masse at a given time. (a) [SLIDE 7] Some extremists have even claimed that this revelation confirms that the earth is actually hollow, and that the Ten Tribes are living inside the earth and will emerge from a giant, as-yet-undiscovered hole somewhere near the North Pole.6 (2) A more figurative interpretation, which I prefer, is that the descendants of the lost tribes of Israel are being converted to the gospel from all nations, and political and communication barriers (represented by ice and rocks) are being broken down so that our missionaries can go into formerly closed countries to teach. (See 1 Nephi 22:34, 12.) ii) [SLIDE 8] Another example is immediately preceding passage that tells us when the Savior returns
He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one landand the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided. (D&C 133:2324)

(1) This is a reference to Genesis 10:25, which describes the birth of man named Peleg, because in his days was the earth divided. (The Hebrew verb [ palag] means separate or divide.)

John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations (Bookcraft, 1991), 93, 9596. I am not kidding. There are a number of pseudoscientific organizations who are trying to prove this claim. Steve Currey of Provo, Utah was to lead an expedition to find the hole, but he died in 2006 before he was able to begin the voyage (http://www.voyagehollowearth.com/); his family has since distanced his company from this endeavor. As recently as 2008, LDS author and get-rich-quick entrepreneur Rodney Cluff (http://www.ourhollowearth.com/) and an organization called the Phoenix Science Foundation (http://www.phoenixsciencefoundation.org/) were trying to raise funds to make the trip; but by 2013 their web sites had removed information about their plans. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_Earth for an overview of hollow earth theories from ancient times to the present.
5 6

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(a) [SLIDE 9] Some Latter-day Saints have interpreted this passage with such extreme literalness that they believe the earths tectonic plates were once a single land mass that separated into the continents we know today during the life of a single mortal, instead of over hundreds of millions of years as scientists have theorized.7 (b) But the scripture doesnt require such an extraordinary conclusion. Its more likely that Pelegs name anticipates the division of languages at Babel in the following chapter of Genesis.8 iii) Some Latter-day Saints have embraced the hyper-literal interpretive styles of fundamentalist Protestants, but this is not the onlyeven the bestway to read the scriptures.9 iv) We should be open to various interpretations, and not dogmatic about one particular interpretive view. 5) A positive message. a) Too often, I think, we view the prophecies of the last days leading up to the second coming with fear and trepidation. But note the opening of D&C 29: D&C 29:12, 5
1

Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; 2who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,10 even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer. . 5 Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom.

i) This is a call to those who hearken toi.e., listen and obeythe voice of the Lord to lift up your hearts and be glad because he has atoned for our sins and is our advocate with the Father, and because the Father has great things planned for us. ii) [SLIDE 10] Elder Gordon B. Hinckley:
I stand here today as an optimist concerning the work of the Lord. I cannot believe that God has established his work in the earth to have it fail. I cannot believe that it is getting weaker. I know that it is getting stronger. I realize, of course, that we are beset with many tragic problems. I am a newspaper reader, and I have seen a good deal of this earth. I have seen its rot and smelled its filth. I have been in areas where war rages and hate smolders in the hearts of people. I have seen the appalling poverty that hovers over many lands. I have seen the oppression of those

7 Popular LDS writer Cleon Skousen put it this way: The dividing of the earth in the days of Peleg was the result of the sinking of the land in certain areas so that the sea could rush in from the polar regions. Apparently there was a sinking of the Pacific floor, and there may have been a sinking of the Atlantic floor although the scriptures point out that there was a sea east in that area even before the division (Moses 6:42; 7:14). Whether or not the sea east was as large as the Atlantic Ocean of modern times we are not certain. But in any event, we do know that when the division occurred around 2,240 B.C., America, Australia and the islands of the sea were cut off from the one land. (The First Two Thousand Years [Bookcraft, 1953], 233.) As usual, Skousen was not deterred in his analysis by logic, reason, or scientific evidence. 8 Note that palag (KJV divide) in Psalm 55:9 refers to a division of languages. 9 For example, D&C 133:41 tells us that the cleansing of the earth at Christs coming will be as the melting fire that burneth, and in 2 Nephi 9:16 where the eternal punishment of the sons of perdition is described as a lake of fire and brimstone. These are metaphorical descriptions of the glory of the Lord and the anguish of Gods punishment. 10 This same metaphor was used by Jesus in the New Testament (Matthew 23: 37; Luke 13: 34) and with the Nephites (3 Nephi 10: 46).

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in bondage and the brutality of their overlords. I have watched with alarm the crumbling morals of our society. And yet I am an optimist. I have a simple and solemn faith that right will triumph and that truth will prevail.11

iii) [SLIDE 11] Elder M. Russell Ballard:

Living in these difficult timesrequires each one of us to maintain a positive, hopeful perspective about the future. Today, more so than in the past, I am asked about the signs of the times and if I think the end of the world is near. . My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful not to overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations, but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope! But where do we find hope in the midst of such turmoil and catastrophe? Quite simply, our one hope for spiritual safety during these turbulent times is to turn our minds and our hearts to Jesus Christ.12

iv) [SLIDE 12] President Boyd K. Packer:

We are not to be afraid, even in a world where the hostilities will never end. We are to be happy and positive. We are not to be afraid. Fear is the opposite of faith.13

6) The last days. a) [SLIDE 13] 45:9. The purpose everlasting covenant is to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me. i) That light is a beacon, a signal that calls men to action. In this case, men and women are called out of the world to join the covenant people of God. b) 45:2425. The gospel is to go first to the Gentiles; this period is known as the time of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; D&C 45:28, 30). When this is complete, it will go to the Jews, the members of the house of Israel (cf. 1 Nephi 13:42; D&C 90:9; 133:8). c) [SLIDE 14] 45:2633. Deteriorating conditions in the world as the second coming approaches. i) 45:26, 33. Wars and rumors of wars, and men will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another. (1) 45:63. Wars to soon come upon America herselfan early prophecy of the Civil War (cf. 38:29; 87:13.)

11 Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference, October 1969 (http://archive.org/stream/conferencereport1969sa#page/n115). 12 M. Russell Ballard, The Joy Of Hope Fulfilled, General Conference, October 1992 (http://www.lds.org/ensign/1992/11/the-joy-of-hope-fulfilled). 13 Boyd K. Packer, A Defense and a Refuge, General Conference, October 2006 (http://www.lds.org/ensign/2006/11/adefense-and-a-refuge).

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(2) 45:6869. War to fall upon all nations; Zion shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another (cf. Moses 7:16). (3) 45:26. Mens hearts shall fail them, meaning people will become hopeless and despairing because the world is filled with violence. ii) 45:26. And they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. (1) This is an allusion to Jesus parable of the faithful and wise steward, in which a wicked slave took advantage of the fact that his masters return was delayed and began to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk (NRSV Luke 12:45), and was executed when his master returned unexpectedly. iii) 45:27. The love of men shall wax cold. (1) What evidence do we see of loss of love and affection among men and women? (a) Spouse and child abuse. (b) Divorce rates. (c) Unwillingness to marry. (d) Abortion on demand. (e) Increased use of pornography (replacing love with lust). (f) Loss of community and relationships with neighbors. (g) Tolerance of violence towards others, both in entertainment and real life. iv) 45:2829. Rejection of the gospel and embracing of darkness and teachings of men. d) 116:1. The priesthood gathering at Adam-ondi-Ahman. i) [SLIDE 15] Adam-ondi-Ahman was the name given by revelation on 19 May 1838 to Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri.14 ii) Orson Pratt later interpreted the name to mean Valley of God, where Adam dwelt.15 iii) The Prophet Joseph Smiths revelations indicate: (1) Three years before Adams death, he gathered the righteous of his posterity to Adam-ondi-Ahman and bestowed upon them his last blessing (D&C 107:53). (2) This site would be the location of a future meeting of the Lord with Adam and the Saints:16
[SLIDE 16] Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael,17 he will call his children

14 Although the revelation identifying Spring Hill as the location of Adam-ondi-Ahman was given 19 May 1838, the name Adam-ondi-Ahman was first revealed by Joseph Smith in a blessing he gave to his father, Joseph Smith, Sr., on 18 December 1833 (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 38 [http://scriptures.byu.edu/stpjs.html#38]; cf. D&C 107:53). In the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph added the phrase to (what is now) D&C 78:15. W. W. Phelps composed the hymn Adam-ondi-Ahman, which was sung at the Kirtland Temple dedication on 27 March 1836, and is still in our modern LDS hymn book (Hymns #49). 15 Orson Pratt, 25 February 1877. Journal of Discourses 18:34243 (http://en.fairmormon.org/Journal_of_Discourses/18/42#342). 16 This is Josephs interpretation of several passages in the Old Testament book of Daniel (7:914, 2127; 12:13). The Church currently owns over 3,000 acres of land in and around Adam-ondi-Ahman.

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together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family.18 . This, then, is the nature of the Priesthood; every man holding the Presidency of his dispensation, and one man holding the Presidency of them all, even Adam: and Adam receiving his Presidency and authority from the Lord, but cannot receive a fullness until Christ shall present the Kingdom to the Father, which shall be at the end of the last dispensation.19

e) [SLIDE 17] 29:1420; 45:3033. Plagues and desolation upon the earth. i) 45:3031. After the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles (which has not happened yet), an overflowing scourge and a desolating sickness shall cover the land. ii) These acts of God are examples of the judgments of God foretold in Revelation. (1) 45:33. Earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations (cf. Revelation 11:13; 16:18). (2) 29:14. The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be turned into blood (cf. Revelation 6:12). (3) 29:15. Weeping and wailing among the hosts of men (cf. Revelation 18:15, 19). (4) 29:16. A great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth (c.f. Revelation 8:7; 11:19; 16:21). (a) The hailstones are about the weight of a talent (Revelation 16:21), which is nearly one hundred pounds. (5) 29:18, 20. Flies upon the face of the earth, and the beasts of the forest and the fowls of the air shall devour them up (cf. Revelation 19:17, 21). (a) The presence of flies and wild beasts accompanied death from war or famine; the animals eat the carcasses. iii) 43:25. Despite all the natural disasters of the last days, men still refuse to accept and live the gospel. f) 45:32. What does it mean my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved? i) [SLIDE 18] President Ezra Taft Benson:
You will live in the midst of economic, political, and spiritual instability. When you see these signsunmistakable evidences that his coming is nighbe not troubled, but, standin holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come
17 For more on Joseph Smiths identification of the Ancient of Days, see Old Testament lesson 25, pages 911 (https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/ot/week25). 18 Joseph Smith, address to the Twelve, 2 July 1839. HC 3:38687 (http://byustudies.byu.edu/hc/3/27.html#386); TPJS 157. 19 Joseph Smith, article on Priesthood, presented at General Conference, 5 October 1840. HC 4:209 (http://byustudies.byu.edu/hc/4/12.html#209); TPJS 169;

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(D&C 87:8). Holy men and holy women stand in holy places, and these holy places include our temples, our chapels, our homes, and the stakes of Zion, which are, as the Lord declares, for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth (D&C 115:6).20

g) [SLIDE 19] 133:715. The righteous to gather to Zion for protection. i) Note the repeated commandment: (1) Go ye out of Babylon (133:7). (2) Go ye forth unto the land of Zion (133:9). (3) Flee unto Zion (133:12). (4) Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon (133:14). ii) 133:15. What does the warning to not look back lest sudden destruction shall come upon [you] mean? (1) The reference is explicitly to the story of Lots wife, who looked back at Sodom as she was fleeing its destruction, and was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:2426). (2) Perhaps it also refers to Jesus teaching that No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:5762). (a) To dig a straight furrow, a plowman needs to keep his eyes on a fixed point ahead of him. If he looks back to see where he has been, his chances of straying are increased. The results are crooked and irregular furrows. (b) Excessive concern for the things of the world will make the kingdom of God a lesser priority, which is not appropriate for discipleship. Discipleship cannot be double-minded. h) 29:21. According to the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, the great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall be cast down. i) The metaphorical Babylon is called the whore in Revelation 17. Her downfall is described in Revelation 1819. She is identified as the great and abominable church in 1 Nephi 13, 14, and 22.21 (1) The scriptural symbolism here is strong: Just as the Church of Jesus Christ is the antithesis of the great and abominable church, so is Babylon the opposite of Zion, and the whore the opposite of the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2). ii) Although the basic concepts behind a final destruction of the wicked can be found in Ezekiel 3839, there is no prophecy of Ezekiel that specifically mentions the great and abominable church being cast down by devouring fire. Some scholars have read D&C 29:21 as a missing prophecy of Ezekiel.22

20 Ezra Taft Benson, Prepare Yourselves for the Great Day of the Lord, BYU fireside address, 14 April 1981 (http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=92). 21 For more on the identification of the great and abominable church, see lesson 5, page 9 (https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/dc/week05). 22 See John A. Tvedtnes, Ezekiels Missing Prophecy, published in Dennis A. Wright, et al., eds., Voices of Old Testament Prophets (Deseret Book, 1997).

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7) The second coming and Christs millennial reign. a) [SLIDE 20] One of the most striking symbols of the second coming is the description of Jesus coming in red clothing. i) The apostle John described him riding a white horse, having a vesture dipped in blood (Revelation 19:1113). ii) D&C 133:4652 (taking a cue from Isaiah 63:19) identifies the color of his garment as symbolic of two things: (1) Jesus atonement, which he wrought by himself, as a man [treads] the winepress alone (133:50). (2) Jesus final victory over evil, with the blood of the wicked sprinkled upon my garments, and stained all my raiment (133:51). iii) [SLIDE 21] This imagery is quite different from the typical images of Christs second coming, in which he is usually portrayed wearing white. b) [SLIDE 22] 45:4853. Christ comes to the Mount of Olives, the mountain is split in half, and the Jewish people identify him as their messiah. i) This passage is a revealed interpretation of Zechariah 1314. ii) The context of these events surrounds the great and final war at Jerusalem, when the Christ returns to miraculously save his people from their enemies at the last moment:
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west. (Zechariah 14:24a)

iii) After this, the tribe of Judahshall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever.
Yea, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn. (3 Nephi 29:8) And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of IsraelThat he has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise. (2 Nephi 9:12)

iv) We also learn from D&C 133:18 that Jesus will return with a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father's name written on their foreheads. (1) This will be the fulfillment of the prophecy in Revelation 14:15.

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(2) Who are the 144,000? (a) D&C 77:11 identifies them as high priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.23 c) 29:9. All the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts. i) This is a quote from Malachi 4:1. ii) At the second coming of Jesus Christ the earth will be burned by fire. But the same fire that consumes the wicked will also purify the faithful (Malachi 3:23; 4:23). (1) This is not a literal fire, but the brightness and purity of the Lords presence.24 d) 29:11. I willdwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years. i) We call this the millennium, the Latin word meaning a thousand years. e) The resurrection of the just. i) 29:13. A trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount Sinaiand they shall come forthyea, even the dead which died in me, to receive a crown of righteousness, and to be clothed upon, even as I am, to be with me, that we may be one. (1) Anciently, the sounding of a trumpet (either a rams horn or a metal trumpet) was used as a signal in battle, a sound of warning to a city, or at the beginning of a religious feast or festival.25 (a) In Revelation seven angels are given seven trumpets to signal the dealing of seven judgments prior to the second coming of the Lord (Revelation 8:2). (b) A trumpet also sounded at Mount Sinai when God appeared to speak to Moses (Exodus 19:13, 19). (2) This trumpet signals the resurrection of the righteous (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4: 16), who shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years (Revelation 20: 56). f) 45:54. Resurrection of they that knew no law. i) This is one of the wonderful doctrines of the Restoration that sets us apart from our Christian brethren: Our knowledge that judgment requires knowledge and accountability, and those who received the lesser light will also receive a more lenient judgment (cf. 2 Nephi 9:26; Mosiah 3:11; Moroni 8:22; D&C 137:79). (1) They will be part of the first resurrection, although they will come forth after those who were both accountable and faithful. (2) They will still need to gain a testimony of Jesus and accept his covenant and its ordinances.

23 Joseph Smith also spoke of one hundred and forty-four thousand Seventies set apart for the ministry, although the context does not indicate that he meant this to mean the 144,000. HC 2:221 (http://byustudies.byu.edu/hc/2/17.html#221); TPJS 75. 24 See footnote 9. 25 Modern Jews still blow the shofar at the annual celebration of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

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Doctrine and Covenants Sections 29:130, 43, 45, 116, 133 Week 11, Page 11

(3) [SLIDE 23] Brigham Young:

There are millions of people, both among the Christian and heathen nations, that are still in darkness, and exclaiming, Oh, how glad we would be to have some knowledge of the Gospel of salvation! By-and-by, when the Lord sends forth his servants and his angels to gather them, they will be brought home to Zion and be taught the peaceable things of the kingdom; and those that abide a celestial law will receive a celestial glory, and those that can abide the next law in order can abide the glory pertaining to it, and so on.26

g) 45:5559. During the millennium, Satan will be bound, the righteous receive the earth as an inheritance, their children grow up without sin unto salvation, and the Lord shall be in their midst. i) [SLIDE 24] Elder LeGrand Richards:
There are those of us who have laid away our little ones in the grave, and we had that responsibility. A little daughter was born to us over in Holland while I was president of the mission there, and we kept her until she was three and a half years old. My wife has said time and time again that she knew the angels brought that spirit to her because she felt their presence, and yet we laid her away in the grave. If we had to feel that that was the end, we would have given anything in this world to have her back again. And then we come to this great knowledge that we have in the restoration of the gospel, that she will be ours in the eternal world and we will have the joy of seeing her grow up without sin, unto salvation. Sometimes I have thought that probably some of these choice spirits did not need the experience here in mortality like other children, and that is why the Lord has seen fit to call them home.27

h) The Lord himself will personally reign over the earth (133:25; cf. Articles of Faith 1:9). 8) [SLIDE 25] The final judgment and the end of the world a) 29:2226. When the thousand years are ended. i) The events in this passage take place at the end of the millennium. (1) There will be a final battle between the forces of good and evil (Revelation 20:7 10). (2) There will be a second, final resurrection of the wicked, who will be delivered directly to judgment (Revelation 20:5, 13). (3) The earth will be changed and become a celestial kingdom (Revelation 21:122:6; cf. D&C 77:1; 130:9). b) 29:2729. The righteous shall be gathered on my right hand unto eternal life; and the wicked on my left hand. i) This passage concerns the separation of those who are gathered to the Fathers kingdom, versus those who are cast into outer darkness. ii) The ancient symbolism of the right hand and the left hand is one that persists even down to this day.

Brigham Young, 28 July 1861. JD 9:13839 (http://en.fairmormon.org/Journal_of_Discourses/9/25#138). LeGrand Richards, Laying A Foundation For The Millennium, General Conference, October 1971 (http://www.lds.org/ensign/1971/12/laying-a-foundation-for-the-millennium).
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2013, Mike Parker

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For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Doctrine and Covenants Sections 29:130, 43, 45, 116, 133 Week 11, Page 12

(1) Examples that remain: (a) We shake hands in greeting or contract with the right hand. (b) We raise our right hand when swearing an oath or making a covenant. (c) In the Church, the first counselor in a presidency traditionally sits on the right side of the president. (d) We traditionally take the sacrament with our right hand.28 (2) The most memorable scriptural passage on this is Jesus parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:3146), which is a parable of the final judgment. c) 29:12. The Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming in a pillar of fire, being clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory even as I am, to judge the whole house of Israel. i) The reference to the Twelve being clothed with robes of righteousness is explained in more detail in Revelation 7:9, 1314. (1) In Johns vision he sees the dwelling-place of God as a celestial temple. The clothing and activities there are those that would be worn and done in the temple of Israel. (2) Because those that dwell with God are kings and priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 20:6), they are wearing the white robes of the priests who serve in the temple. (3) The crowns upon their heads are victors crowns, a laurel wreath awarded to victorious athletes, poets, and generals.29 They symbolize victory in overcoming the world and achieving eternal life (Revelation 2:10; 2 Timothy 4:8). ii) There are numerous scriptures and quotes that indicate that the prophets of each dispensation will be involved in judging the people to whom they were called. For example: (1) Jesus promised his twelve apostles in Jerusalem that they shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; cf. Revelation 20:4a). (2) Likewise, Jesus told the twelve Nephite disciples they would be judges of their people at the last day, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just (3 Nephi 27:27; cf. 1 Nephi 12:910). (3) Brigham Young also taught that Joseph Smith would be a judge over the people of our dispensation.30

We do this purely out of tradition. There is no scripture that commands us to use the right hand, and no statement of policy from the Church. 29 See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_of_Immortality 30 No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ areI with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation the keys to rule in the spirit-world; and he rules there triumphantly, for he gained full power and a glorious victory over the power of Satan while he was yet in the flesh, and was a martyr to his religion and to the name of Christ, which gives him a most perfect victory in the spirit-world. He reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven. Brigham Young, 9 October 1859. JD 7:289 (http://en.fairmormon.org/Journal_of_Discourses/7/45#289).
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2013, Mike Parker

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For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Doctrine and Covenants Sections 29:130, 43, 45, 116, 133 Week 11, Page 13

d) 45:35. Christ as the advocate for those who believe on his name.
If we must plead our own case to God at the Judgment Day, we will lose, and we will not be allowed into the celestial kingdom of God. There is only one advocate, or spokesman, who can plead our case successfully to the Father, and that is the Son. He has one invincible argument that cannot fail to convince the judge and win our acquittal. That argument is his own voluntary and infinite sacrifice, his incomprehensible agony, the shedding of his innocent blood, and his unjust death. He defends us, not by citing the merits of our case, not by arguing our righteous deeds, buy by arguing his own merits, his own righteousness, his own perfection, and his own voluntary sacrifice. Nothing can withstand this grand, invincible argument. No other facts, logic, reasoning, or accusations overpower it. His argument cannot be resisted even by the demands of justicefor justice has been satisfied. Jesus will accept our case and plead for us with his grand, invincible argument, however, only if we have become his through sincere repentance (D&C 18:12), if we have entered into his covenant in good faith, and if we have endured in it to the end of our lives.31

9) [SLIDE 26] Next week: a) D&C 46, 4950, 5256.

31

Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants (Deseret Book, 2000), 2:50. http://bit.ly/ldsarc For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

2013, Mike Parker