3/17/2017 - D7C 2:1-3

March 17, 2017

Section 2:1-3

Malachi’s Message, Elijah, Sealing Power, Second Coming Great & Dreadful, Genealogy Importance Of, Death = Graduation,

This section quotes the words that Moroni spoke to Joseph during Moroni’s visit to Joseph in the upper bedroom of his father’s house. The student manual pointed out that the message of Malachi is so important that that it has been repeated in each of the standard works: Bible-Malachi 4:5-6, Book of Mormon e Nephi 25:5-6, D&C 2; 27:9;128:17, pearl of Great Price JS History 1:37-39.

V 1: “I will reveal unto you the Priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet.” And that is exactly what happened some 13 years later on April 3 1836. This date was also the Jewish Passover, where “…in every Jewish home, at a certain part of the Paschal service—the door is opened to admit Elijah the prophet as forerunner of the Messiah….On that very day Elijah did enter—not in the home of the Jews to partake of the Passover with them—but he appeared in the house of the Lord, erected to his name and received by the Lord in Kirtland, and there bestowed his keys to bring to pass the very things for which these Jews, assembled in their homes, were seeking. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 2:100-101)

Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had already received the Melchizedek Priesthood, but they lacked essential keys to that priesthood. Elijah held the keys of the sealing power, which he had held, and used, in his mortal life. Joseph Fielding Smith said that these keys “included a ministry of sealing for the living as well as for the dead—and it is not confined to the living, and it is not confined to the dead, but includes them both….In other words, Elijah came to restore to the earth, by conferring on mortal prophets duly commissioned of the Lord, the fullness of the power of priesthood. This priesthood holds the keys of binding and sealing on earth and in heaven of all the ordinances and principles pertaining to the salvation of man, that they may thus become valid in the celestial kingdom of God.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:lll-12, 117)

Again from Doctrines of Salvation, 2:112-113): “…The great and dreadful day of the Lord, this prophet proclaims, is the day of the coming of our Lord in the clouds of heaven in great glory and when he shall take vengeance jupon the ungodly. It is to be a day dreadful to all who are unrepentant and full of sin, but to the just it shall be a day of peace and salvation. However, before it comes there is to be some mighty work performed by the restoration of Elijah’s authority, which is so potent that it will save the earth from destruction, or from being smitten with a curse.”

He goes on to say: “The fathers are our dead ancestors who died without the privilege of receiving the gospel, but who received the promise that the time would come when that privilege would be granted them. The children are those now living who are preparing genealogical data and who are performing the vicarious ordinances in the temples.”

Elder John A Widtsoe explained the significance of thee promises and the Latter-day Saints’ part in them: “In our preexistent state, in the day of the great council, we made a certain agreement with the Almighty. The Lord proposed a plan, conceived by him. We accepted it. Since the plan is intended for all men, we become parties to the salvation of every person under that plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves but measurable, saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father’s work, and the Savior’s work, but also our work. The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation.” (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct 1934 p189)

I’m working so hard to get our family letters scanned, for those comprise our family ‘journal’ because they contain so much of our family history. But I cannot neglect, as I have since coming to Bend, my days of genealogy work. For in the eternal scheme of things: that is by far the most important, and thus should become the priority. The Bend Oregon Stake Women’s Conference is tonight and tomorrow. That means that on Monday, I can once again realign my priorities….Yes, there is no retirement in the Lord’s plan. I used to think that death might be a retirement, but as I get closer to the end of my life and closer to the scriptures, I’m beginning to think that death is simply a graduation—which leads to greater work, but—if the transition from high school to college is an example—the next level will include ever more satisfying, growth producing, and rewarding work.

1/11/2021 – D&C 2

After section 1 [which is the revelation the Christ dictated to Joseph when neither Joseph, nor the other brethren, were able to write an appropriate preface] Joseph starts with information from the beginning of his ‘spiritual education’ which came during multiple visits from the angel Moroni. This is information given during Moroni’s first visit to Joseph. It occurred on the evening of September 21, 1823. This was 3 years after Joseph prayed in the Sacred Grove and was visited by Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ. Joseph was worried that he wasn’t living at a high enough level. He felt “I was guilty of levity, and sometimes associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God as I had been…I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections…”  It was during this prayer that Moroni appeared to Joseph & explained that “God had a work for me to do”.  Thus begins his education as a prophet of the Lord.

God knows of all our weaknesses, and He knows that the things he asks us to do will help us to grow spiritually and draw closer to Him. If we ask Him for help, He will give it in the proper time. Our job is to be ready to receive that help and to quickly act on the Lord’s promptings.

During this first visit with Joseph, Moroni promised that he would be given the priesthood, and that would allow some of the most important earthly work to proceed. Moroni reminded Joseph that throughout time, the Lord has called others to His work and has made to His chosen representatives throughout the history of the world. In Joel 2:29 the Lord promises “And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” In Isaiah 11:3 “And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord… .”  In Acts 3:1 “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren…”.  If we go back throughout the Bible and the Book of Mormon, we see the Lord call many and as we read on, we see how those who were called grew in His service. 

Moroni also quoted scriptures about planting “in the hearts of the children, the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers”. Henry B Eyring spoke to this: “It is important to know why the Lord promised to send Elijah. Elijah was a great prophet with great power given him by God. He held the greatest power God gives to His children: he held the sealing power, the power to bind on earth and have it bound in heaven.” 

I remember hearing someone speaking of the internet, saying that the two highest usages of the internet were 1. searching for genealogical ties and 2. searching for pornography. Does that not represent the battle that has been going on from before the beginning of this world between the powers of God and the powers of Satan? That is a sobering thought. 

I feel grateful that I am one who spends significant time on the internet searching out my relatives. One of the joys of retirement is being able to make genealogy my number one priority. Most every day proves that it is a glorious and frustrating work! I find that I feel compelled to go to my computer in the morning, working to follow the lives of so many people. There are many days when I can happily stay at this work until sometime toward the end of the day when my eyes begin to blur.  So many times I have gone to bed disappointed because I could find only tidbits of information on a distant relative, and then I have gotten up in the morning to try yet one more search, and suddenly my screen is filled with the vital information I had been seeking. Other times I have felt that I had a family completed—and then I have run across an obituary or a letter that has mentioned a baby who died in infancy. It is such a tender feeling to prepare the name of that little one for a sealing to his or her parents. I know that the ordination could certainly occur during the millennium, but doing it now must be such a sweet gift to that child and to the entire family. I feel help in this endeavor. As I began this process, I was working only on my direct lines, but finding information on cousins and aunts and uncles who also need these ordinances. I found I could not leave them without documenting their important information.  At first I worried about not staying strictly on my direct line, but I quickly discovered that fairly often when I am working to get full information on these distant relatives that I also find facts and insights regarding my closer relatives. Since March I have felt slightly guilty about my sincere appreciation for this uninterrupted time of enforced staying home during the coronavirus.  I certainly understand this confinement is vitally important in helping to end the damage of this dreadful virus…but I appreciate the unexpected side effect of giving me even more time with genealogy. I couldn’t be more grateful for this desire to search for my ancestors as it has opened new knowledge of the relatives I knew and loved, of those relatives I had only known through family stories, and of the relatives who had been lost from all memories. I now know their names, and I can see and feel their hardships, and I can sense some of their life successes.  I find that they are often in my prayers. I can think of no sweeter way to spend my time, my efforts, and my thoughts.

1/12/2021 – D&C 2

President Hinckley described the value of the D&C as a modern book of scripture: “The Doctrine and Covenants is unique among our books of scripture. It is the constitution of the Church. While the Doctrine and Covenants includes writings and statements of various origins, it is primarily a book of revelation given through the Prophet of this dispensation…. Some is direct revelation, with the Lord dictating to His prophet. Some is the language of Joseph Smith, written or spoken as he was moved upon by the Holy Ghost. Also included is his narrative of events that occurred in various circumstances. All brought together, they constitute in very substantial measure the doctrine and the practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

President Joseph Fielding Smith stated that most scripture was originally given to people anciently. But the Doctrine and Covenants contains the word of God given specifically to God’s children in our dispensation. He testified that the “Doctrine and Covenants contains the word of God to those who dwell here now. It is our book. It belongs to the Latter-day Saints. More precious than gold, the Prophet [Joseph Smith] says we should treasure it more than the riches of the whole earth” That certainly makes me want to dig in to the D&C, and read it more closely, and thoughtfully, than I ever have before.

Elder Bednar wrote about D&C 2 in an Ensign article, and I found his words helped me to see this section through a wider vision than I had been using: “Elijah was an Old Testament prophet through whom mighty miracles were performed. He sealed the heavens, and no rain fell in ancient Israel for 3½ years. He multiplied a widow’s meal and oil. He raised a young boy from the dead, and he called down fire from heaven in a challenge to the prophets of Baal. (See 1 Kings 17–18.) At the conclusion of Elijah’s mortal ministry, he ‘went up by a whirlwind into heaven’ (2 Kings 2:11) and was translated. ‘We learn from latter-day revelation that Elijah held the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and was the last prophet to do so before the time of Jesus Christ’ (Bible Dictionary, ‘Elijah’). …Elijah appeared with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:3) and conferred this authority upon Peter, James, and John. Elijah appeared again with Moses and others on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple and conferred the same keys upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery” (“The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 24).

1/13/2021 – D&C 2

I found more quotes today: 

From Henry B. Eyring: “It is important to know why the Lord promised to send Elijah. Elijah was a great prophet with great power given him by God. He held the greatest power God gives to His children: He held the sealing power, the power to bind on earth and have it bound in heaven.”

And from President Joseph Fielding Smith as he explained the role of family in redeeming the dead: “The turning of the hearts of the children to the fathers is placing or planting in the hearts of the children that feeling and desire which will inspire them to search out the records of the dead. Moreover the planting of the desire and inspiration in their hearts is necessary. This they must have in order that they might go into the house of the Lord and perform the necessary labor for their fathers, who died without a knowledge of the gospel, or without the privilege of receiving the fulness of the gospel”

And from Jeffrey R. Holland: “Without that link no family ties would exist in the eternities, and indeed the family of man would have been left in eternity with ‘neither root [ancestors] nor branch [descendants].’

“Inasmuch as … a sealed, united, celestially saved family of God is the ultimate purpose of mortality, any failure here would have been a curse indeed, rendering the entire plan of salvation ‘utterly wasted’”

I certainly feel that imperative. That’s one of the reasons I so enjoy retirement—I have more free time! And that has allowed me to establish family history work as one of my top three endeavors. I’m now back to the 1600’s in some lines, and every day I long to do more! The family members I have lived with here on earth are the people I most long to be with. How wonderful to be able to expand that delight!

1/14/2021 - D&C 2

I ran across this paragraph in one of my study guides: “A different use of the word fathers is also found in Doctrine and Covenants 2:2, where the prophecy states that “the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.” According to President Joseph Fielding Smith, the phrase “their fathers” refers to “our dead ancestors who died without the privilege of receiving the Gospel, but who received the promise that the time would come when that privilege would be granted them. The children are those now living who are preparing genealogical data and who are performing the vicarious ordinances in the Temples” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith [2013], 221).” That’s one of the important reasons I like my genealogy work. It can prove to be quite frustrating at times—like this week when I suddenly find 3 different women who all have some connection to being the wife and mother in a family of the 1700’s…and I thought I already had the right woman (who was not one of the 3 new possibilities I found—the only thing in common was that all of them had a first name that started with an ‘M’—looks like I have my work cut out for me this week….or maybe I’ll shelve this one and come back to it later…). 

The really wonderful part of this is that I can be part of Heavenly Father’s plan to “redeem the dead”—and my efforts, which certainly not very noticeable on a world-wide basis, are VERY noticeable to those families I find and record, and take to the temple. What a sweet and tender challenge this is!

And now, just a bit more from President Joseph Fielding Smith: “The turning of the hearts of the children to the fathers is placing or planting in the hearts of the children that feeling and desire which will inspire them to search out the records of the dead. Moreover, the planting of the desire and inspiration in their hearts is necessary. This they must have in order that they might go into the house of the Lord and perform the necessary labor for their fathers, who died without a knowledge of the gospel, or without the privilege of receiving the fulness of the gospel” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:127–28). 

I feel, quite strongly, that compulsion to get back to my computer and all the records that that computer can open up for me…and for them. The difficult part is being as sure as I possibly can be that I am connecting the correct parents with the correct children, and that I’m finding ALL the children…hopefully, not leaving a single one behind. That’s a heavy responsibility for me—one that involves lots of prayers and sometimes small, but so very important, miracles. 

1/17/2021 – D&C 2 

“Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant the in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”  

These are the last words of Prophet Malachi last of the last book of OT

These are the words Christ speaks in NT

These words are quoted once again while Christ visits with those of the BofM

These words are also found in the Pearl of Great Price

= the manner of living after the order of the Son of God

= the power of the priesthood  

= all the promises on every page of the scriptures

2 powers of the Priesthood: sealing power and the power to exalt

One of the oft spoken promises to covenant Israel, and the one I love to read, and to feel:

 “And I will be with you”