6/24/2017 - Section 45:35-56

June 24, 2017

Section 45:35-56

Last Days, Lord’s Protection, Parable of the 10 Virgins,

I’ll start today with quotes from the student manual:

President Harold B Lee Oct 1968 General Conference “In these days of our generation, many of you are asking: Where is safety? The word of the Lord is not silent. He has admonished us: ‘But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.” (D&C 45:32)…. Until the day cometh when there is found no more room for them; and then I have other places which I will appoint unto them, and they shall be called stakes, for the curtains or the strength of Zion.” D&C 101:21) ….As one studies the Lord’s commandments and attending promises upon compliance therewith, one gets some definite ideas as to how we might ‘stand in holy places,’ as the Lord commands—if we will be preserved with such protection as accords with his holy purposes, in order that we might be numbered among the ‘pure in heart’ who constitute Zion, as I have read from the Lord’s own words.”

Marion G Romney Oct 1966 Gen Conf  “The fact that the Lord recounted these predictions to the Prophet Joseph in 1831 surely emphasizes their importance to us. And since the disciples were troubled when they were but being told of these calamities to come far in the future, it is no wonder that we are troubled as we witness their occurrence….It was in the Light of Christ’s foreknowledge that he said to his disciples, “be not troubled…”

Elder Bruce R McConkie Apr 1979 Gen Conf “We do not know when the calamities and troubles of the last days will fall upon any of us as individuals or upon bodies of the Saints. The Lord deliberately withholds from us the day and hour of his coming and of the tribulations which shall precede it—all as part of the testing and probationary experiences of mortality. He simply tells us to watch and be ready.   We can rest assured that if we have done all in our power to prepare for whatever lies ahead, he will then help us with whatever else we need….”

And finally, the Lord’s words to his troubled disciples in Jerusalem: “And I said unto them: Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled.” (45:35)

V’s 57 and 58 are of the fulfillment of the parable of the 10 virgins and what will happen to those who had extra oil and who had patiently waited through the long night when the bridegroom seemed to have delayed His coming: “For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.   And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation.” That will by pure joy!

Elder Spence W Kimball gave the most beautiful interpretation of the parable of the 10 virgins in his book Faith Precedes the Miracle p 253-56: “I believe that the Ten Virgins represent the people of the Church of Jesus Christ and not the rank and file of the world. All of the virgins, wise and foolish, had accepted the invitation to the wedding supper; they had knowledge of the program and had been warned of the important day to come. They were not the gentiles nor the heathens or the pagans, nor were they necessarily corrupt and reprobate, but they were knowing people who were foolishly unprepared for the vital happenings that were to affect their eternal lives. They had the saving, exalting  gospel, but it had not been made the center of their lives. They knew the way but gave only a small measure of loyalty and devotion. I ask you: What value is a car without an engine, a cup without water, a table without food, a lamp without oil? Rushing for their lamps to light their way through the blackness, half of them found them empty. They had cheated themselves. They were fools, these five unprepared virgins. Apparently, the bridegroom had tarried for reasons that were sufficient and good. Time had passed, and he had not come. They had heard of his coming for so long, so many times, that the statement seemingly became meaningless to them. Would he ever come? So long had it been since they began expecting him and they were rationalizing that he would never appear. Perhaps it was a myth.     Hundreds of thousands of us today are in this position. Confidence has been dulled and patience worn thin. It is so hard to wait and be prepared always. But we cannot allow ourselves to slumber. The Lord has given us this parable as a special warning.    At midnight, the vital cry was made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him’….     At midnight! Precisely at the darkest hour, when least expected, the bridegroom came. When the world is full of tribulation and help is needed, but it seems the time must be past and hope is vain, then Christ will come. The midnights of life are the times when heaven comes to offer its joy for man’s weariness. But when the cry sounds, there is no time for preparation. The lamps then make patterns of joy on the hillside, and the procession moves on toward the house of banqueting, and those without lamps or oil are left in darkness. When they have belatedly sought to fulfill the requirements and finally reach the hall, the door is shut. In the daytime, wise and unwise seemed alike; midnight is the time of test and judgment—and of offered gladness….    The foolish asked the other to share their oil, but spiritual preparedness cannot be shared in an instant. The wise had to go, else the bridegroom would have gone unwelcomed. They needed all their oil for themselves; they could not save the foolish. The responsibility was each for himself.  This was not selfishness or unkindness. The kind of oil that is needed to illuminate the way and light up the darkness is not shareable. How can one share obedience to the principle of tithing; a mind at peace from righteous living; an accumulation of knowledge? How can one share faith or testimony? How can one share attitudes or chastity, or the experience of a mission? How can one share temple privileges? Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself.  The foolish virgins were not averse to buying oil. They knew they should have oil. They merely procrastinated, not knowing when the bridegroom would come.  In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity --- these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps. Midnight is so late for those who have procrastinated.”

Basically, preparing for these turbulent last days and the resulting glory of the Lord’s arrival is what we do every day as we try to be a little better and a little stronger and a little more pure and a little more loving than we were the day before. It’s steady, inch by inch progress toward Him.

4/28/2021 – D&C 45:44-62

In all the scriptures, Christ speaks of his second coming. If we are aware of these signs, I believe we will be better equipped to live through the things that will occur before He comes again. Here is at least a partial list that the scriptures tell us will occur:

• Gentiles and Jews will be gathered (see D&C 45:25, 30, 43) 

• “Wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion” (D&C 45:26) 

• The fulness of the gospel will be restored (see D&C 45:28) 

• “A desolating sickness shall cover the land” (D&C 45:31) 

• The Lord’s disciples “shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved” (D&C 45:32) 

• “Earthquakes … in divers places, and many desolations” (D&C 45:33) 

• “Signs and wonders … shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath” (D&C 45:40) 

• “The sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood” (D&C 45:42)

• The Lord will come “clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels” (D&C 45:44) 

• “Saints that have slept shall come forth” (D&C 45:45)

• The Lord will appear on the Mount of Olives and converse with the Jews (see D&C 45:48, 51–53)

I will never forget the vivid dream I had when I was 19. I dreamed I was in Jerusalem and was suddenly surrounded by chaos in the streets. Everyone was frightened, and they all started to run toward the mountains. I was in that mob of people –we were running for what we hoped would be safety on the mountain. Bob was not with me, but I felt I had to go with the mob of running people, hoping that he and the kids would find their way to safety. This mob of people were running on a wide dirt path up the mountain, and I was in their midst—running. At one point I glanced upward and I saw something in the sky. It was a glow…a brilliant glow. I wanted to look more, but I had to keep looking at the path so I wouldn’t get my foot caught in a hole, for I knew if I fell, I would be trampled.  As I tried to see the path ahead, I noticed that we were coming near a small rocky platform that was on the side and a bit above the wide path we were on. I could see a little path to that small flat raised area. I worked to move to the right side of the path, and I was successful in turning and running up to that small flat dirt area surrounded by large rocks. As soon as I got there, I turned so I could look up at the sky where I had seen that brightness. It was still far away, but I saw a person in the middle of that brightness. I had no doubt that it was Christ. My fear left me. And as that brightness came closer and closer, I could see his robes and I saw His face and it was focused on me. We saw each other and as our eyes met, I knew that I was loved and I knew that I was acceptable. I was filled with love and peace and joy. That’s when I woke up. I feel sure that this vivid dream was a gift to me. I didn’t then know why it was given to me, and I still—over 50 years later—don’t know why it was given to me. But I treasure it and feel so thankful that it is still stored in my memory. 

The Lord gives us these scriptures about his second coming, that we might have faith and strength to live through the times that will precede His coming. And for me, my dream is an addition to His scriptures. I really do know that my Redeemer lives, for I have felt his direct love for me.  And if his second coming occurs after my death, I know at that point that my body will be resurrected, and reunited with my spirit and as a complete being I will be able to praise Him—for v 46 promises that “if ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as you now behold me and know that I am, ever so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth.”

V’s 56 & 57 are a promise to me: “And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, that they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.”

Christ ends this part of Section 45 with v’s 61-62: “Wherefore I give unto you …. that you may be prepared for the things to come. For verily [truly] I say unto you that great things await you;”