God Reveals His Secrets to His Prophets

“Lesson 35: God Reveals His Secrets to His Prophets,” Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 170

1. Introduction

a) Amos and Joel

b) Amos

i) a shepherd from Tekoa, a small town south of Jerusalem

(1) Was not from a prominent Church family

ii) ministered to the people of the kingdom of Israel

iii) from about 800 to 750 b.c.

c) Joel

i) ministered to the people of the kingdom of Judah

ii) dates of Joel's ministry are not certain

iii) many of Joel's prophesies concern the latter days

(1) Told of a great and terrible armies in the last days

(2) God’s judgments in the latter days

(3) Promised blessings to the righteous in the last days

d) Plumb Line

i) Show plumb line

(1) Plumb-bob

(2) Line

(3) "plumb" in "plumb-bob"

(a) such tools were originally made of lead

(i) Latin plumbum

(ii) probably through French plomb

ii) Ask what its purpose is

iii) One of the most ancient construction tools

(1) Used in ancient Egypt

(2) Used in the construction of all the great cathedrals of Europe

(a) Some spires, domes and towers still have brass datum marks in the floor that signify the location of the center of the building

(3) Early skyscrapers

(a) heavy plumb-bobs hung on wire in their elevator shafts

(b) weight would hang in a container of oil to dampen any swinging movement

iv) Plumb Line Scripture

(1) Reading 1 – Amos 7:7-8

7 ¶ Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.

8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:

(a) ASK – What does " set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel" mean?

(i) An unchanging standard

(ii) Something that insures that all of Israel knows the perfect standard

(iii) Jehovah/Christ is holding the plumbline in His hand

1. The standard leads to Christ

(iv) The plumbline is also symbolic of the role of a prophet for Israel in all times

1. Pointing out the standard

2. Pointing to Christ

(2) Being Upright

(a) Reading 2 – Psalms 15:1-2

1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

(b) Reading 3 – 1 Nephi 16:3

3 And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us.

(c) READ – Mosiah 2:32-33 – King Benjamin

32 But, O my people, beware lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah.

33 For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.

(i) List may have two meanings

1. Listen

2. Tilt away from vertical

a. Like a ship that lists or leans to one side

2. The Lord reveals his secrets to his servants the prophet

a) Reading 4 – Amos 3:6-7

6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?

7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

i) Note – Joseph Smith Translation substitutes

(1) "known" for "done in verse 6 - shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not known it?

(2) "until" for "but" in verse 7 - Surely the Lord God will do nothing, until he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets

ii) Very interesting implications to Verse 7

(1) Reading 5 – Elder Orson F. Whitney said: "The need for prophecy must be evident to any pious and reflective mind. Prophets are as watchmen on the tower, noting the time of night, telling of the approaching dawn. 'Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.' This means, as I interpret it, that the allwise Dispenser of human affairs will neither cause nor permit any event to take place, concerning which the world need to have fore-knowledge, until he has communicated with his chosen servants, his oracles among men, and has given them due notice of its approach." (Saturday Night Thoughts, p15)

(2) Reading 6 - Elder Matthias F. Cowley said : "From this we learn that if there are no prophets of the Lord, then our Heavenly Father is doing nothing in a religious sense among the people of this earth; but if He is doing a work among them for their redemption, then there must be prophets." (Cowley's Talks on Doctrine, p23

iii) Reading 7 – Doctrine and Covenants 1:37-38

37 Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.

38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

iv) Reading 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-5 – Speaking of Joseph Smith

4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

5 For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

(1) Promise associated with following this counsel

(a) READ – Doctrine and Covenants 21:6 - 6 For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.

3. Following the Counsel of the Prophet

a) Amaziah

i) Reading 9 – Amos 7:10-13

10 ¶ Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.

11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.

12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:

13 But prophesy not again any more at Beth-el: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.

b) Cultural Mormons

i) Pres. Wilson's comments in Stake Conference

ii) ASK – What is a cultural Mormon?

iii) ASK – How can I know whether I am a cultural Mormon or not?

iv) ASK – Does a cultural Mormon follow the prophet's counsel?

v) READ – Amos 6:1, 3-4, 7-8

1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion . . .

SKIP

3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

SKIP

7 ¶ Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

8 The Lord God hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

vi) Reading 10 - President Ezra Taft Benson said: "It is not going to be enough just to accept the teachings, standards, and ideals of the Church passively. It will require real activity, real dedication to the principles of righteousness if we are to face the future unafraid. But if we have the courage, sound judgment, and the faith so to do, then no matter what happens we will be able to face any situation with courage and with faith and with the assurance that God will sustain us. I know that now is the time probably more than any other time in our lives to live the gospel. We should not be lulled away into false security as Nephi said many would be in the last days. We should not be pacified and feel in our hearts that we can sin a little, that we can attend to our meetings part of the time, that we can pay a token tithing, that we can live the gospel when it is convenient, and all will be well. We must not be 'at ease in Zion' and say 'Zion prospers, all is well' (2 Nephi 28:21, 24). But we must live the gospel plan in its fulness every day of our lives. Therein is safety. Therein will come a satisfaction which comes from righteous living which will enter our hearts, give us the courage and the strength that we need. There is no security in unrighteousness. The sinful always live in despair (see Moroni 10:22)." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pp337-338)

c) Famine in the Land

i) Reading 11– Amos 8:11-13

11 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.

13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

(1) It is common for prophesies to be fulfilled more than once.

(a) Fulfilled after the time of Malachi, the last Old Testament prophet – about 400 AD

(i) This period ended approximately 400 years later when John the Baptist was called to prepare the way for Jesus Christ

(b) applies to the Great Apostasy, the centuries of spiritual darkness that followed the death of the Savior’s Apostles and ended with the restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith

(2) ASK – Does this famine continue among any people today?

4. Joel

a) Prophesied of the last days and a great and terrible army

b) Also included many invitations and blessings directed to the faithful in the latter days

c) Moroni quoted Joel to Joseph Smith

i) READ Joseph Smith 1:41 – Giving an account of what Moroni told him

41 He also quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be. And he further stated that the fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here.

d) READ Joel 2:28-32 – Quoted by Moroni

28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

e) READ Joel 2:12-27

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

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

14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

15 ¶ Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

18 ¶ Then will the Lord be jealous (footnote 18a

HEB zealous) for his land, and pity his people.

19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

21 ¶ Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats (footnote 24a

OR vats)shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

f) READ – Joel 3:16-17

16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.