Lesson 31 Scriptures and Quotes: “Sealed … for Time and for All Eternity”

Lesson 31: “Sealed … for Time and for All Eternity”

Reading 1 – Benjamin Johnson wrote in his memoirs:  "In the evening he called me and my wife to come and sit down, for he wished to marry us according to the Law of the Lord. I thought it was a joke, and said, I should not marry my wife again, unless she courted me, for I did it all the first time. He chided my levity, told me he was in earnest, and so it proved, for we stood up and were sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise." (Benjamin Johnson, My Life's Review, p96)

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4

Reading 3 - President George Q. Cannon said:  "We believe in the eternal nature of the marriage relation, that man and woman are destined, as husband and wife, to dwell together eternally. We believe that we are organized as we are, with all these affections, with all this love for each other, for a definite purpose, something far more lasting than to be extinguished when death shall overtake us. We believe that when a man and woman are united as husband and wife, and they love each other, their hearts and feelings are one, that that love is as enduring as eternity itself, and that when death overtakes them it will neither extinguish nor cool that love, but that it will brighten and kindle it to a purer flame, and that it will endure through eternity; and that if we have offspring they will be with us and our mutual associations will be one of the chief joys of the heaven to which we are hastening. . . . God has restored the everlasting priesthood, by which ties can be formed, consecrated and consummated, which shall be as enduring as we ourselves are enduring, that is, as our spiritual nature; and husbands and wives will be united together, and they and their children will dwell and associate together eternally, and this, as I have said, will constitute one of the chief joys of heaven; and we look forward to it with delightful anticipations." (JD, 14:320-21)

Reading 4 – Elder Parley P. Pratt said, “I had loved before, but I knew not why. But now I loved—with a pureness—an intensity of elevated, exalted feeling, which would lift my soul. … I felt that God was my heavenly Father indeed; that Jesus was my brother, and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal, eternal companion. … In short, I could now love with the spirit and with the understanding also” (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt [1975], 298).

Reading 5 - Lorenzo Snow wrote:  "When two Latter-day Saints are united together in marriage, promises are made to them concerning their offspring that reach from eternity to eternity. They are promised that they shall have the power and the right to govern and control and administer salvation and exaltation and glory to their offspring worlds without end. And what offspring they do not have here, undoubtedly there will be opportunities to have them hereafter.

"What else could man wish? A man and a woman in the other life, having celestial bodies, free from sickness and disease, glorified and beautified beyond description, standing in the midst of their posterity, governing and controlling them, administering life, exaltation and glory, worlds without end!" (Lorenzo Snow: Deseret News Weekly, 3 April 1847, p. 481)

Reading 6 - President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “Marriage, as understood by Latter-day Saints, is a covenant ordained to be everlasting. It is the foundation for eternal exaltation, for without it there could be no eternal progress in the kingdom of God” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:58).

Doctrine and Covenants 132:1-2

Doctrine and Covenants 132:3-4

Reading 7 – Doctrine and Covenants 132:7

Reading 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 132:19-20

Doctrine and Covenants 42:22

Reading 9 - President Spencer W. Kimball wrote:  “When the Lord says all thy heart, it allows for no sharing nor dividing nor depriving. …

“The words none else eliminate everyone and everything. The spouse then becomes preeminent in the life of the husband or wife, and neither social life nor occupational life nor political life nor any other interest nor person nor thing shall ever take precedence over the companion spouse. …

“Marriage presupposes total allegiance and total fidelity. Each spouse takes the partner with the understanding that he or she gives totally to the spouse all the heart, strength, loyalty, honor, and affection, with all dignity. Any divergence is sin; any sharing of the heart is transgression. As we should have ‘an eye single to the glory of God,’ so should we have an eye, an ear, a heart single to the marriage and the spouse and family” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 142–43).

President Gordon B. Hinckley gave this simple counsel to married couples: “Be fiercely loyal one to another” (Ensign, Feb. 1999, 4).

Doctrine and Covenants 132:30-31

Reading 10 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained what is involved in the Patriarchal order of the Melchizedek Priesthood that Abraham and Sarah received. "Joseph Smith says that in the temple of God there is an order of the priesthood that is patriarchal. 'Go to the temple,' he says, 'and find out about this order.' So I went to the temple, and I took my wife with me, and we kneeled at the altar. There on that occasion we entered, the two of us, into an 'order of the priesthood.' When we did it, we had sealed upon us, on a conditional basis, every blessing that God promised Father Abraham — the blessings of exaltation and eternal increase. The name of that order of the priesthood, which is patriarchal in nature, because Abraham was a natural patriarch to his posterity, is the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage" ("Eternal Family Concept," Address given at Priesthood Genealogical Research Seminar, BYU, 23 June 1967, 7; cited in Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, Revelations of the Restoration, 1053).

Reading 11 - Brother Ted L. Gibbons has explained the importance of marrying by a covenant:  When the Lord taught his first lesson about eternal marriage, the [person] to be married, [Isaac] . . . was not even consulted in the matter. Abraham sent his servant back to the ancestral lands with one simple instruction. Find a woman who is of the covenant lineage (Genesis 24:3,4). There are no other recorded requirements! Age was not a factor. Appearance did not seem to be a consideration. Hair color and complexion and weight were not critical issues. The message here is simple enough. The most important thing about marriage is the covenant. Marry in the covenant, this story seems to be teaching. Nothing else comes close to being this important.

Rebekah was a wonderful woman. She was hard working and obedient and beautiful. But none of these things entered into the instructions given by Abraham. The reason was (and is) that without the covenant, none of those other things would (or will) matter when the portal of the grave slams shut" (Commentary by Ted L. Gibbons on D&C Lesson 31: Sealed For Time and For All Eternity, found in LDS Living magazine.)

Lesson 27: “They Must Needs Be Chastened and Tried, Even as Abraham” - Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 – Elder Heber C. Kimball said, "The redemption of Zion is more than the purchase or recovery of lands, the building of cities, or even the founding of nations. It is the conquest of the heart, the subjugation of the soul, the sanctifying of the flesh, the purifying and ennobling of the passions. Greater is he who subdues himself, who captures and maintains the citadel of his own soul, than he who, misnamed conqueror, fills the world with the roar of drums, the thunder of cannon, the lightning of swords and bayonets, overturns and sets up kingdoms, lives and reigns a king, yet wears to the grave the fetters of unbridled lust, and dies the slave of sin."(Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 2nd edition. 1945, pp. 65, 66)

Hugh Nibley said, "The Latter-day Saints will see Zion when they stop seeking after Babylon." (Approaching Zion, edited by Don E. Norton [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1989], Introduction)

Reading 1A – Elder Robert D. Hales said, “This promised Zion always seems to be a little beyond our reach. We need to understand that as much virtue can be gained in progressing toward Zion as in dwelling there. It is a process as well as a destination. We approach or withdraw from Zion through the manner in which we conduct our daily dealings, how we live within our families, whether we pay an honest tithe and generous fast offering, how we seize opportunities to serve and do so diligently. Many are perfected upon the road to Zion who will never see the city in mortality.” (Elder Robert D. Hales, General Conference, April 1986)

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 52:1-6

Reading 3 – Doctrine and Covenants 54:7-8

Reading 4 – Doctrine and Covenants 57:1-3

Reading 5 – Doctrine and Covenants 58:1-6

Reading 6 – Doctrine and Covenants 59:1-4, 21

As a preface to Doctrine and Covenants 63, Joseph wrote: “In these infant days of the Church, there was a great anxiety to obtain the word of the Lord upon every subject that in any way concerned our salvation; and as the land of Zion was now the most important temporal object in view, I inquired of the Lord for further information upon the gathering of the Saints, and the purchase of the land, and other matters.”

Doctrine and Covenants 63:1-2,5,13

George A. Smith wrote:  "There were… at that period, professed Latter-day Saints, who did not see proper to abide by [the] law of consecration; they thought it was their privilege to look after “number one,” and some of them, believing that Zion was to become a very great city, and that being the Center Stake of it, they purchased tracts of land in the vicinity with the intention of keeping them until Zion became the beauty and joy of the whole earth, when they thought they could sell their lands and make themselves very rich. It was probably owing to this, in part, that the Lord suffered the enemies of Zion to rise against her." (Journal of Discourses, 17:59)

Reading 7 - Joseph wrote a letter reproving the saints in Missouri: "If Zion will not purify herself, so as to be approved in all things, in His sight, He will seek another people; for His work will go on until Israel is gathered. Wo unto them that are at ease in Zion....  Our hearts our greatly grieved at the spirit...the very spirit which is wasting the strength of Zion like a pestilence." (HC, 1:316-317)

Reading 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 97:7-8,10-12,18-19,25-26

Speaking of Doctrine and Covenants 97, Parley P. Pratt said, "This revelation was not complied with by the leaders of the Church in Missouri, as a whole.... Therefore, the threatened judgment was poured out to the uttermost, as the history of the five following years will show." (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p77)

“The temple… site had been dedicated more than two years earlier… Beyond laying out stones and logs to mark the foundation site, however, the saints in Zion made no effort to build the temple that would have protected them in times of trial.  Instead, they attempted to establish Zion without building a temple, and they put their resources into other enterprises instead.  This led first to arguing, then to laziness, and then to breaking the commandments (see [D&C 101:]50).  At that point, the Lord allowed the mobs to descend upon them, first in July and then again in November 1833, and the Missouri Saints, whose watchmen were seemingly asleep on duty (see [D&C 101:]53), found themselves defenseless and unprepared. (Stephen E. Robinson, H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2001] 3:277)     

Reading 9 - When the mob attacked the printing office, they tossed the unbound pages of the Book of Commandments into the street. Seeing this, two young Latter-day Saints, Mary Elizabeth Rollins and her sister, Caroline, at the peril of their own lives, sought to rescue what they could. Mary Elizabeth recalled:

“[The mob] brought out some large sheets of paper, and said, ‘Here are the Mormon Commandments.’ My sister Caroline and myself were in a corner of a fence watching them; when they spoke of the commandments I was determined to have some of them. Sister said if I went to get any of them she would go too, but said ‘they will kill us.’ ” While the mob was busy at one end of the house, the two girls ran and filled their arms with the precious sheets. The mob saw them and ordered the girls to stop. Mary Elizabeth reported: “We ran as fast as we could. Two of them started after us. Seeing a gap in a fence, we entered into a large cornfield, laid the papers on the ground, and hid them with our persons. The corn was from five to six feet high, and very thick; they hunted around considerable, and came very near us but did not find us.”

When the ruffians had gone, the girls made their way to an old log stable. Here, as reported by Mary Elizabeth, they found that “Sister Phelps and children were carrying in brush and piling it up at one side of the barn to lay her beds on. She asked me what I had—I told her. She then took them from us. … They got them bound in small books and sent me one, which I prized very highly.”

Reading 10 – Parley P. Pratt wrote about November 7, 1833, as the Saints who had been forced from their homes stood on the South bank of the Missouri River, waiting for ferry transportation to cross into Clay County in search of safety:  "The shore began to be lined on both sides of the ferry with men, women and children; goods, wagons, boxes, provisions, etc., while the ferry was constantly employed; and when night again closed upon us the cottonwood bottom had much the appearance of a camp meeting. Hundreds of people were seen in every direction, some in tents and some in the open air around their fires, while the rain descended in torrents. Husbands were inquiring for their wives, wives for their husbands; parents for children, and children for parents. Some had the good fortune to escape with their families, household goods, and some provisions; while others knew not the fate of their friends, and had lost all their goods. The scene was indescribable, and, I am sure, would have melted the hearts of any people on the earth, except our blind oppressors, and a blind and ignorant community."  (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, p. 82)

Doctrine and Covenants 101:2,4-8

Reading 11 - Doctrine and Covenants 101:9-19

Doctrine and Covenants 101:35-38

Reading 12 - Orson Pratt said: "The Lord has told us in this book that he would scourge this people, and would not suffer them to go on in wickedness as he does the world. He will make a difference in this respect between those who profess his name and the world.

The world may prosper. They have not the religion of Heaven among them; they have no revelators and prophets among them; they have not the baptism of the Holy Ghost, nor the gifts and blessings of God among them, and consequently though they transgress the revealed word of God, he suffers them to go on, apparently without checking them, until they are fully ripened in iniquity, then he sends forth judgment and cuts them off, instead of chastening them from time to time.

Not so with the Saints. God has decreed, from the early rise of the Church, that we should be afflicted by our enemies, and by various afflictions, and he would contend with this people and chasten them from time to time until Zion should be clean before him. He has done this, and more especially while we were in the States. We were inexperienced, and did not then understand the necessity of strictly obeying every word spoken by the mouth of God, and we had to suffer because of this." (Journal of Discourses, 15:335)

Reading 13 - According to Wilford Woodruff the participants in Zion's Camp "gained an experience that we never could have gained in any other way. We had the privilege of beholding the face of the prophet, and we had the privilege of traveling a thousand miles with him, and seeing the workings of the Spirit of God with him, and the revelations of Jesus Christ unto him and the fulfillment of those revelations.... Had I not gone up with Zion's camp I should not have been [President of the Church] today." (JD, 13:158)

After the Seventy were organized, Joseph Smith told the elders in Kirtland: "Brethren, some of you are angry with me, because you did not fight in Missouri; but let me tell you, God did not want you to fight. He could not organize His kingdom with twelve men to open the Gospel door to the nations of the earth, and with seventy men under their direction to follow in their tracks, unless He took them from a body of men who had offered their lives, and who had made as great a sacrifice as did Abraham. Now the Lord has got His Twelve and His Seventy." (HC, 2:182)

Lesson 25 - The Power of Godliness - Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 - Elder Carlos E. Asay of the Seventy said: “Of all the holy agreements pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ, few, if any, would transcend in importance the oath and covenant of the priesthood. It is certainly one of the most sacred agreements, for it involves the sharing of heavenly powers and man’s upward reaching toward eternal goals” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1985, 56; or Ensign, Nov. 1985, 43).

Reading 2 - D&C 84:33–44

Reading 3 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written:  "The oath is the solemn attestation of Deity, his sworn promise, that those who keep their part of the covenant shall come forth and inherit all things according to the promise." (Mormon Doctrine, p480)

Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 14:30-31 - page 795 of your scriptures – at the end of the Bible Dictionary

Reading 4 - President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “We magnify our priesthood and enlarge our calling when we serve with diligence and enthusiasm in those responsibilities to which we are called by proper authority. … We magnify our calling, we enlarge the potential of our priesthood when we reach out to those in distress and give strength to those who falter. … We magnify our calling when we walk with honesty and integrity” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 63; or Ensign, May 1989, 48–49).

"Sanctification is the process of becoming a saint, holy and spiritually clean and pure, by purging all sin from the soul."

There are three factors that make sanctification possible:

–        The Atonement of Christ.  Moses 6:60 - "For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified"

–        The power of the Holy Ghost, the agent that purifies the heart and gives an abhorrence of sin

–        "progression through personal righteousness . . . . Faithful men and women fast; pray; repent of their sins; grow in humility, faith, joy, and consolation; and yield their hearts to God."

–        "King Benjamin's people in the Book of Mormon illustrate the sanctification process. They humbled themselves and prayed mightily that God would apply the atoning blood of Christ and purify their hearts. The Spirit came upon them and filled them with joy; a mighty change came into their hearts and they had "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2).

(All Sanctification quotes are from the definition of Sanctification in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism)

Reading 5 – Abraham 2:9-11

Reading 6 - President Joseph Fielding Smith said:  "I think we all know that the blessings of the priesthood are not confined to men alone. These blessings are also poured out upon our wives and daughters and upon all the faithful women of the Church. These good sisters can prepare themselves, by keeping the commandments and by serving in the Church, for the blessings of the house of the Lord. The Lord offers to his daughters every spiritual gift and blessing that can be obtained by his sons, for neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord." (CR, Apr 1970)

Reading 7 – Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-46

Reading 8 - Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve said: “Those who hold the priesthood must never forget that they have no right to wield priesthood authority like a club over the heads of others in the family or in Church callings. … Any man who … seeks to use the priesthood in any degree of unrighteousness in the Church or in the home simply does not understand the nature of his authority. Priesthood is for service, not servitude; compassion, not compulsion; caring, not control” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 105; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 78).

Reading 9 - Elder Gordon B. Hinckley said: “It has been my privilege on various occasions to converse with Presidents of the United States and important men in other governments. At the close of each such occasion I have reflected on the rewarding experience of standing with confidence in the presence of an acknowledged leader. And then I have thought, what a wonderful thing, what a marvelous thing it would be to stand with confidence—unafraid and unashamed and unembarrassed—in the presence of God. This is the promise held out to every virtuous man and woman” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 66; or Improvement Era, Dec. 1970, 73).

Seek Learning, Even by Study and Also by Faith - Scriptures and Quotes

Gospel Doctrine - Lesson 23

On January 14, 1833, the Prophet wrote to W.W. Phelps, who was struggling to stop the apostasy in Missouri, enclosing a copy of section 88.  Part of the letter read as follows,

"I send you the 'olive leaf' which we have plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us; for though our brethren in Zion indulge in feelings towards us, which are not according to the requirements of the new covenant, yet, we have the satisfaction of knowing that the Lord approves of us, and has accepted us, and established His name in Kirtland for the salvation of the nations; for the Lord will have a place whence His word will go forth, in these last days, in purity....

“The brethren in Kirtland pray for you unceasingly, for, knowing the terrors of the Lord, they greatly fear for you. You will see that the Lord commanded us, in Kirtland, to build a house of God, and establish a school for the Prophets, this is the word of the Lord to us, and we must, yea, the Lord helping us, we will obey: as on conditions of our obedience.

“He has promised us great things; yea, even a visit from the heavens to honor us with His own presence"

Reading 1 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:77-80

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:118

Reading 3 - President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency said: “I believe in study. I believe that men learn much through study. … I also believe, however, and know, that learning by study is greatly accelerated by faith” (Learning for the Eternities, comp. George J. Romney [1977], 72).

Reading 3A - Elder Dallin H. Oaks wrote:  "The things of God cannot be learned solely by study and reason. Despite their essential and beneficial uses, the methods of study and reason are insufficient as ways of approaching God and understanding the doctrines of his gospel." (Lord's Way, p56)

Reading 3B - Brother Joseph Fielding McConkie wrote:  "The eyes of faith enable us to see much that otherwise goes unobserved, whereas those who refuse to see and feel the things of the Spirit eventually become blind to such things and beyond feeling." (Answers: Straightforward Answers To Tough Gospel Questions, p174)

Reading 4 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:127-131

Reading 5 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:122-125

Orson Pratt said the brethren gathered in the School of the Prophets to learn about "the operations of the Spirit upon the mind of man" (The Heaven's Resound:  A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830-1838, p266).

Reading 6 – John Taylor said that Joseph Smith counseled the elders not to hesitate in expressing their thoughts, for, the Prophet said, "it was very common for the Holy Spirit to reveal some things to obscure individuals that were not known to others. Consequently, an exchange of ideas and reflections was considered profitable to all." (Ibid., p266)

Reading 7 -  John Murdock recorded the following experience at the school in the spring of 1833:  "The Prophet told us if we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord. And about midday the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely, the visage of his face was sound and fair as the sun. His hair a bright silver gray, curled in most majestic form. His eyes a keen penetrating blue, and the skin of his neck a most beautiful white and he was covered from the neck to the feet with a loose garment, pure white, whiter than any garment I have ever before seen. His countenance was most penetrating, and yet most lovely. And while I was endeavoring to comprehend the whole personage from head to feet it slipped from me, and the vision was closed....  But it left on my mind the impression of love, for months, that I never felt before to that degree." (The Heaven's Resound:  A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830-1838, p267)

Reading 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:119

Reading 9 - Elder John A. Widtsoe said:  "The temple is a place of instruction. Here the principles of the gospel are reviewed and profound truths of the kingdom of God are unfolded. If we enter the temple in the right spirit and are attentive, we go out enriched in gospel knowledge and wisdom." (John A. Widtsoe, “Looking toward the Temple,” Ensign, Jan 1972, 56)

Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve wrote:

“The temple is a great school. It is a house of learning. In the temples the atmosphere is maintained so that it is ideal for instruction in matters that are deeply spiritual. …

“The temple ceremony will not be fully understood at first experience. It will only be partly understood. Return again and again and again. Return to learn. Things that have troubled you or things that have been puzzling or things that have been mysterious will become known to you. Many of them will be the quiet, personal things that you really cannot explain to anyone else. But to you they are things known. …

“So look toward the temple. Point your children toward the temple. From the days of their infancy, direct their attention to it, and begin their preparation for the day when they may enter the holy temple.

“In the meantime, be teachable yourself, be reverent. Drink deeply from the teachings—the symbolic, deeply spiritual teachings—available only in the temple” (The Holy Temple [pamphlet, 1982], 6–8).

Looking Forth for the Great Day of the Lord to Come - Lesson 21 Scriptures and Quotes

Doctrine and Covenants 59:15-16

Doctrine and Covenants 61:36-39

Reading 1 - [S]ometime not long after 9-11, I had a missionary ask me in all honesty and full of faith, “Elder Holland, are these the last days?” I saw the earnestness in his face and some of the fear in his eyes, and I wanted to be reassuring. I thought perhaps an arm around him and some humor could relieve his anxiety a little. Giving him a hug, I said, “Elder, I may not be the brightest person alive, but even I know the name of the Church.” We then talked about being Latter-day Saints. I said, “Yes, Elder, we are in the last days, but there is really nothing new about that. The promised Second Coming of the Savior began with the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820. So we already have about 184 years of experience seeing the Second Coming and the last days unfold. We can be certain that we are in the last days—years and years of them,” I said . . . . (Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, fireside address at Brigham Young University on 12 September 2004)

Reading 2 – Doctrine and Covenants 45:44

Reading 3 – Doctrine and Covenants 29:9-11

Reading 4 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:89-95

Reading 5 – Doctrine and Covenants 49:6-7

Joseph Smith said:  "Jesus Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that he would come. Go and read the scriptures, and you cannot find anything that specified the exact hour he would come; and all that say so are false teachers." (HC, 6:254)

Reading 6 – Doctrine and Covenants 88:95-97

Doctrine and Covenants 29:13

Reading 7 - Doctrine and Covenants 101:23-34

Reading 8 – Doctrine and Covenants 45:58-59

Reading 9 – Doctrine and Covenants 101:22-23

Doctrine and Covenants 133:4-5

Reading 10 – President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “How do you prepare for the Second Coming? Well, you just do not worry about it. You just live the kind of life that if the Second Coming were to be tomorrow you would be ready. Nobody knows when it is going to happen. … Our responsibility is to prepare ourselves, to live worthy of the association of the Savior, to deport ourselves in such a way that we would not be embarrassed if He were to come among us. That is a challenge in this day and age” (Church News, 2 Jan. 1999, 2).

President John Taylor said:  "The judgments will begin at the house of God. We have to pass through some of these things, but it will only be a very little compared with the terrible destruction, the misery and suffering that will overtake the world who are doomed to suffer the wrath of God. It behooves us, as the Saints of God, to stand firm and faithful in the observance of his laws, that we may be worthy of his preserving care and blessing." (JD, 21:100.)

Signs of the Second Coming – Reference Only

a)      Positive Signs

i)        D&C 45:9; 133:57–58. (The fullness of the gospel will be restored.)

ii)      D&C 45:66–71. (The New Jerusalem will be built. Zion will be built.  It will be a place of peace and safety for the righteous in the last days.)

iii)    D&C 65:2–6. (God’s kingdom will be established on the earth.)

iv)    D&C 110:11–16. (Priesthood keys will be restored.)

v)      D&C 133:8–9, 36–39. (The gospel will be preached throughout the world.)

vi)    D&C 45:24-25; see also D&C 45:43; D&C 45:51-53 (The Jews will be gathered to Jerusalem and will recognize Christ as their Messiah) - "But they shall be gathered again" (D&C 45:25; see also D&C 45:43). Joseph Smith: "Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple . . . It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make his appearance." (TPJS, p286)

vii)  D&C 133:26-27, 30-32 (The Ten Tribes will Return)- President Wilford Woodruff:  "All that God has said with regard to the ten tribes of Israel, strange as it may appear, will come to pass. They will, as has been said concerning them, smite the rock, and the mountains of ice will flow before them, and a great highway will be cast up, and their enemies will become a prey to them; and their records, and their choice treasures they will bring with them to Zion. These things are as true as God lives." (JD, 21:301)

b)      Negative Signs

i)        D&C 29:15; 88:91. (There will be great weeping, despair, and fear. Men’s hearts will fail them.)

ii)      D&C 29:16; 45:31; 112:24. (There will be famines, scourges, sickness, and desolation.)

iii)    D&C 34:9; 45:40–42; 88:87. (There will be signs and wonders in the heavens and in the earth.)

iv)    D&C 45:26; 63:33. (There will be wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth will be in commotion.)

v)      D&C 45:27. (The love of men will become cold, and iniquity will abound.)

vi)    D&C 45:33; 88:89–90. (There will be earthquakes, tempests, and great waves of the sea. Men will harden their hearts against God and fight each other.)

Lesson 19: The Plan of Salvation – Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 – Hugh Nibley writes about an early member of the Church named Clement and a conversation Clement has with the Apostle Peter: "Clement has his first gospel conversation with Peter, who begins by explaining to him why a prophet is necessary. Peter compares the world in which we live to a great house filled with dense smoke—blinding smoke produced by human unbelief, malice, ambition, greed, etc. Because of this smoke, the people who live in the house can see nothing clearly, but we must imagine them groping about with weak and running eyes, coughing and scolding, bumping into each other, tripping over furniture, trying to make out a bit of reality here and there—a corner, a step, a wall—and then trying to fit their desperate and faulty data together to make some kind of sense." ("A Prophet's Reward", Hugh W. Nibley, The Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, citing Clementine Recognitions I, 3,)

Reading 2 – Joseph Smith taught: "All men know that they must die. And it is important that we should understand the reasons and causes of our exposure to the vicissitudes of life and death, and the designs and purposes of God in our coming into the world, our sufferings here, and our departure hence. What is the object of our coming into existence, then dying and falling away, to be here no more? It is but reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter, and it is a subject we ought to study more than any other. We ought to study it day and night, for the world is ignorant in reference to their true condition and relation. If we have any claim on our Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this important subject." (TPJS, 324)

Reading 3 – Joseph Smith taught: “The great plan of salvation is a theme which ought to occupy our strict attention, and be regarded as one of heaven’s best gifts to mankind” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 68)

Reading 4 – Doctrine and Covenants 93:29

Reading 5 – Doctrine and Covenants 76:23-24

Hebrews 12:9

Reading 6 – Elder Russell M. Nelson has taught, "The entire Creation was planned by God. A council in heaven was once convened in which we participated. There our Heavenly Father announced His divine plan. It is also called the plan of happiness, the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the plan of restoration, the plan of mercy, the plan of deliverance, and the everlasting gospel. The purpose of the plan is to provide opportunity for the spirit children of God to progress toward an eternal exaltation.

The plan required the Creation, and that in turn required both the Fall and the Atonement. These are the three fundamental components of the plan. The creation of a paradisiacal planet came from God. Mortality and death came into the world through the Fall of Adam. Immortality and the possibility of eternal life were provided by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement were planned long before the actual work of the Creation began."

Abraham 3:24-25

Reading 7 – 2 Nephi 2:24-27

Reading 8 – Moses 5:10-12

Reading 9 – Alma 34:8-9

Reading 10 – Moses 4:1-2

Moses 4:3

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, speaking to us as Heavenly Father might, “All that I have I desire to give you—not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.” (Ensign, Nov. 2000, p. 32).

Reading 11 - Elder James E. Talmage said: "This life is ofttimes, and very properly, referred to as a probation. 'And we will prove them' the Lord says, putting us upon test, to see whether we will exercise our agency in choosing to do whatsoever the Lord our God requires of us. The Lord wants to know about that. Perhaps His foreknowledge shows the result to Him, but it is necessary that we demonstrate it. There is much work ahead of us, and the Lord desires to know whom He can trust with authority and power beyond the grave, so this probationary period has been provided that we may prove and demonstrate beyond all question as to whether we can be trusted, as to whether we shall be entitled to the welcome: Well done; you have been faithful over what may have seemed to be a few things, and perhaps relatively small things, but you have been proved and you have shown that you can be trusted with many and greater things" (C.R., October 1929, p. 66).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written, "In this mortal probation it is the design and purpose of the Lord to test us: to see if we will believe in him and obey his laws now that we no longer dwell in his presence, hear his voice, and see his face. He already knows how we respond - what we believe and how we act - when we walk by sight. Now he is testing our devotion to him when we walk by faith: when his presence is veiled, his voice is afar off, and his face is seen by few men only" (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p. 84).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "Is it inappropriate to ask: Why are there different races of men? Why is there a white, a yellow, and a black race? In the days of Israel's first bondage, why did the Lord send some spirits in the lineage of enslaved Jacob and others to their Egyptian overlords? Why were some spirits sent to earth among the Amalekites, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians, while others at the same moments found birth in the house of Israel? Why was Antipas sent as the son of a debauched and evil Herod, while John the Baptist came into the home of a priestly Zacharias and a saintly Elisabeth?

"All of these things operate by law; they are the outgrowth of long years of personal preparation in preexistence on the part of each individual; they come to pass according to the laws that the Lord has ordained. This second estate is a continuation of our first estate; we are born here with the talents and capacities acquired there. Abraham was one of the noble and great spirits in the premortal life. He was chosen for his mortal ministry and position before he was born, and as with the father of the faithful so with all of the spirits destined to be born as his seed." (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 512)

Reading 12 – Alma 40:11-14

Reading 13 – Regarding those who are righteous at the time they enter the spirit world, Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said, "There is no equivocation, no doubt, no uncertainty in our minds. Those who have been true and faithful in this life will not fall by the wayside in the life to come. If they keep their covenants here and now and depart this life firm and true in the testimony of our blessed Lord, they shall come forth with an inheritance of eternal life.

"We do not mean to say that those who die in the Lord, and who are true and faithful in this life, must be perfect in all things when they go into the next sphere of existence. There was only one perfect man—the Lord Jesus whose Father was God.

"There have been many righteous souls who have attained relative degrees of perfection, and there have been great hosts of faithful people who have kept the faith, and lived the law, and departed this life with the full assurance of an eventual inheritance of eternal life." (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Dead Who Die in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov 1976, 106)

Lesson 17: The Law of Tithing and the Law of the Fast – Scriptures and Quotes

Doctrine and Covenants 59:16

Malachi 3:10  

Doctrine and Covenants 64:23

In April Conference, 1920, Elder Orson F. Whitney said, " When white-winged peace would spread her wings abroad, and grim-visaged war would sit at her feet and learn wisdom for a thousand years. We think that time is drawing nigh; that the Almighty has set His hand to accomplish just such a work; that we are living in the Saturday night of the world's history, near the end of that week of Time each day of which is a thousand years, and that the seventh day, or Sabbath, will be the day of rest, the Millennium , the reign of peace and righteousness which the Prophets and the poets have predicted."

Reading 1 – Doctrine and Covenants 119:3-4

Reading 2 - The First Presidency has given the following definition of tithing: “The simplest statement we know of is the statement of the Lord himself, namely, that the members of the Church should pay ‘one-tenth of all their interest annually,’ which is understood to mean income. No one is justified in making any other statement than this” (First Presidency letter, 19 Mar. 1970).

Reading 3 - President Joseph Fielding Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve explained: “It is remarkable how many excuses can be made and interpretations given as to what constitutes the tenth. … It is written, however, that as we measure it shall be measured to us again. If we are stingy with the Lord, he may be stingy with us, or in other words, withhold his blessings” (Church History and Modern Revelation, 2 vols. [1953], 2:92).

Reading 4 – Malachi 3:8-9

Reading 5 – Malachi 3:10-12

Reading 6 - Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke of spiritual blessings that come when we pay tithing:  “The tithe-payer establishes communion with the Lord. This is the happiest reward. Obedience to the law of tithing, as to any other law, brings a deep, inward joy, a satisfaction and understanding that can be won in no other way. Man becomes in a real sense a partner, albeit a humble one, with the Lord in the tremendous, eternal program laid out for human salvation. The principles of truth become clearer of comprehension; the living of them easier of accomplishment. A new nearness is established between man and his Maker. Prayer becomes easier. Doubt retreats; faith advances; certainty and courage buoy up the soul. The spiritual sense is sharpened; the eternal voice is heard more clearly. Man becomes more like his Father in Heaven” (in Deseret News, 16 May 1936, Church Section, 5).

Reading 7 - Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “During World War II, my widowed mother supported her three young children on a schoolteacher’s salary that was meager. When I became conscious that we went without some desirable things because we didn’t have enough money, I asked my mother why she paid so much of her salary as tithing. I have never forgotten her explanation: ‘Dallin, there might be some people who can get along without paying tithing, but we can’t. The Lord has chosen to take your father and leave me to raise you children. I cannot do that without the blessings of the Lord, and I obtain those blessings by paying an honest tithing. When I pay my tithing, I have the Lord’s promise that he will bless us, and we must have those blessings if we are to get along’ ” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 43–44; or Ensign, May 1994, 33).

Reading 8 - On May 30, 1899, President Lorenzo Snow spoke to the officer's meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. He delivered a discourse on the principle of tithing and the following resolution was adopted by the conference:  "Resolved: That we accept the doctrine of tithing, as now presented by President Snow, as the present word and will of the Lord unto us, and we do accept it with all our hearts; we will ourselves observe it, and we will do all in our power to get the Latter-day Saints to do likewise"

  After the adoption of the resolution, President Snow arose and said: "Brethren, the God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless you. Every man who is here, who has made this promise, will be saved in the celestial kingdom. God bless you. Amen" (Comprehensive History of the Church, 6:359).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: “[Tithing] funds are spent to build and maintain temples and houses of worship, to conduct our worldwide missionary work, to translate and publish scriptures, to provide resources to redeem the dead, to fund religious education, and to support other Church purposes selected by the designated servants of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 46; or Ensign, May 1994, 35).

Reading 9 – Isaiah 58:6-12

Reading 10 – Doctrine and Covenants 59:13-14

Reading 11 - President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Sometimes we have been a bit penurious [unwilling to share] and figured that we had for breakfast one egg and that cost so many cents and then we give that to the Lord. I think that when we are affluent, as many of us are, that we ought to be very, very generous … and give, instead of the amount we saved by our two meals of fasting, perhaps much, much more—ten times more where we are in a position to do it” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1974, 184).

President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “Think … of what would happen if the principles of fast day and the fast offering were observed throughout the world. The hungry would be fed, the naked clothed, the homeless sheltered. Our burden of taxes would be lightened. The giver would not suffer but would be blessed by his small abstinence. A new measure of concern and unselfishness would grow in the hearts of people everywhere” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1991, 73; or Ensign, May 1991, 52–53).

Doctrine and Covenants 59:21