Lesson
1
"The Voice of Warning Shall
Be Unto All People"
Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History;
D&C Section 1
by Scot Facer Proctor
Introduction
Nothing is more exciting than being the people of the Dispensation
of the Fullness of Times and starting a new year of scripture
study of the scriptures that were given to us in our day, revealed
to us by a Prophet of our day. The Doctrine and Covenants is
a series of revelations and personal directions from the Lord
Himself, given to us "to guide us in these latter days."
The revelations are personal and intimate. The revelations are
transcendent, meaning if they were given, for example, to Oliver
Cowdery, the teachings, blessings, promises and warnings are
for all. After speaking very candidly and very personally to
Emma Smith, the Lord concluded that revelation by saying, "And
verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my voice unto all."
(D&C 25:16) "Therefore, what I say unto one I say unto
all," the Lord repeated elsewhere. (See D&C 82:5; 93:49).
Something
is different about this course of study-different from the other
three books of scriptures that we carefully study. What is that
difference? We could list a few common answers (as viewed from
English-speaking North America):
- These
revelations were given in English, and are therefore not a
translated document, given directly from the Lord, through
the mouth of the Prophets, and written down and published
as they are given.
- The revelations
are generally answers to specific questions offered by specific
individuals or which came as a result of specific situations.
They are not in story or historical form such as the Book
of Mormon, or The Gospels of the New Testament. The revelations,
however, as a whole, form their own history when placed in
context.
- The Doctrine
and Covenants were given in very near history, the oldest
recorded revelation of which is only 178 years old. The last
recorded words of the Book of Mormon, the next youngest scripture,
dates to approximately 1,580 years ago.
- The Doctrine
and Covenants is modern scripture, a living proof of continuing
revelation, showing to the world that we do "believe
all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and
we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important
things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. (See 9th
Article of Faith)
- The Doctrine
and Covenants is a living scripture, being added upon as recently
as twenty-two years ago with Official Declaration 2, the extending
of the Priesthood to all worthy male members of the Church.
Sections 137 and 138, though given in the time of the Prophet
Joseph Smith and the Prophet Joseph F. Smith respectively
(1836 and 1918) were added into the official canon of scripture
twenty-five years ago (1976). Other revelations may be added
as needed.
All of the
above are certainly good answers and give us some idea of the
unique nature of the Doctrine and Covenants, but none of those
answers is the most compelling about this year's course of study.
All other
courses of study of past dispensations, that is, the Old Testament,
the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon are careful studies
of a people who were given instructions from the Lord, were
taught by Him, were even visited by Him personally, and all
of those peoples as they began to not heed the word of the Lord
and not follow His teachings, by an by, ended in apostasy. This
year's course of study is about a Dispensation that will not
end in apostasy but it will usher in the great Dispensation
when the Lord Himself will come and rule and reign personally
upon the earth for a thousand years. The teachings and instructions
of the Doctrine and Covenants are for a people preparing to
meet the Lord, and they will meet Him. "For the great Millennium,
of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come."
(D&C 43:30)
A Voice
of Warning
We read in Isaiah of a warning voice to the people of his time:
"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath
spoken." (Isaiah 1:2) We also read: "Listen, O isles,
unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called
me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made
mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished
shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; And said unto me, Thou
art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
(Isaiah 49:1-3) Such "ancient language" is found throughout
the Doctrine and Covenants, but specifically we hear the familiar
warning voice in the first few verses of Section 1:
Hearken,
O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells
on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say:
Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands
of the sea, listen together. For verily the voice of the Lord
is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no
eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither
heart that shall not be penetrated. And the rebellious shall
be pierced with much sorrow [the sword and shaft motif like
Isaiah]; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops,
and their secret acts shall be revealed. And the voice of warning
shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom
I have chosen in these last days. And they shall go forth and
none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them. (D&C
1:1-5)
The imagery
of a two-edged sword is used throughout the Doctrine and Covenants
(see, for example, D&C 6:2; 11:2; 12:2; 14:2; 33:1). A sword
is used to protect and to kill. It can fall upon the inhabitants
of the earth or it can save them. The sword can swing either
way. The Spirit of the Lord is often used in the imagery of
the sword as we see in putting on the whole armor of God. "And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which
I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you..."
(D&C27:18) Paul wrote: "And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
(Eph. 6:17) The word of the Lord is extended to all people (or
will be extended to all people) by the mouth of the servants
of the Lord and those who heed the word of the Lord will be
protected and even saved by it, and those who don't will be
condemned and even lose their eternal lives over it if they
do not given heed to it.
The Capstone
of our Religion
President Ezra Taft Benson said: "The Doctrine and Covenants
brings men to Christ's kingdom, even the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, 'the only true and living church upon
the face of the whole earth' (D&C 1:30)...The Book of Mormon
is the 'keystone' of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants
is the capstone, with the continuing latter-day revelation.
The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone
and the capstone." (April 1987)
The Doctrine
and Covenants is a powerful and underestimated book of scripture
for our time. "In the revelations," states the explanatory
introduction, "the doctrines of the gospel are set forth
with explanations about such fundamental matters as the nature
of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the
purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need
for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances
and performances that pertain to salvation, the destiny of the
earth, the future conditions of man after the resurrection and
the judgement, the eternity of the marriage relationship, and
the eternal nature of the family."
In short,
this marvelous and powerful book of scripture is yet another
testimony and witness of Jesus Christ, with a powerful purpose
and mission. Nephi saw the Doctrine and Covenants in vision:
"And after it [the Bible] had come forth unto them [the
remnant of seed of his family] I beheld other books,
which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles
unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant
of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered
upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets
and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true." (1 Nephi
13:39, emphasis added) "Finally," the explanatory
introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants continues, "the
testimony that is given of Jesus Christ-his divinity, his majesty,
his perfection, his love, and his redeeming power-makes
this book of great value to the human family and of more worth
than the riches of the whole earth." (emphasis
added)
The Preface
to the Book
A critical component of any good book is the preface. In a novel
it may come in the form of a number of chapters introducing
the setting and the characters of the story. In some books it
could be a brief statement to help the reader understand what
is about to be presented. A preface gives a foreshadowing of
the rest of the book. It is there to instruct and direct, to
inform and to orient the reader to the correct line of thinking
that the author will present throughout the book.
The preface
to the Doctrine and Covenants is what we have identified as
Section 1. It was given and identified by the Lord Himself as
the preface. "Behold, this is mine authority, and the authority
of my servants, and my preface unto the book of my commandments,
which I have given them to publish unto you, O inhabitants of
the earth." (D&C 1:6)
In this
preface the Lord sends a warning voice to all the people of
the earth, declares that apostasy and wickedness will precede
His Second Coming, declares to the inhabitants of the earth
that He has called Joseph Smith to restore to the earth the
Lord's truths and powers, declares the Book of Mormon to have
been directed and given of Him and testifies that this Church
is the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole
earth; he declares that peace shall be taken from the earth
and that the inhabitants of the earth should search these commandments
and His words, because they will all be fulfilled. This is a
powerful preface.
Setting
for Receiving the Preface
A conference was called in the late fall of 1831 to convene
at the home of Brother John Johnson in the township of Hiram,
Ohio about 31 miles to the south of Kirtland. Eight conferences
of the Church would be held at the Johnson Farm, this conference
was the most significant. These conferences were generally small
with anywhere from six to twelve brethren in attendance, sometimes
a few more. At this particular conference it was decided that
the many revelations that had already been received by the Prophet
Joseph (approximately 65 to that time) should be compiled and
published so that the people could have easier access to read
them and that the missionaries could use them in their preaching.
To that
time, brethren or sisters might have been with the Prophet or
with someone who had been with him and received a hand-written
copy of one of the revelations that was copied from a copy of
Oliver Cowdery's or John Whitmer's record. That single revelation
would be carefully folded and kept as a treasure in the pocket
of the person obtaining it. But having one revelation and only
hearing of the others in second, third and fourth-hand recounting
was not conducive to harmony and accuracy in the building of
the Lord's little kingdom.
At this
conference it was decided that the sixty-five revelations should
be taken to Missouri by Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer and
there Brother W.W. Phelps would compile, print and publish them
as the Book of Commandments. Of course this book needed an introduction
or a preface, and the Lord saw fit to reveal the preface to
the Prophet Joseph on November 1, 1831.
The Weak
Things of the World
The Lord makes it clear in this revelation that he trusts His
servants and that He knows who it is He is calling. "Knowing
the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth,"
the Lord says, [I the Lord] "called upon my servant Joseph
Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments."
(D&C 1:17) What an amazing statement from the Lord! Knowing
of great destructions and evils and calamities and great spiritual
darkness which would come upon the earth, the Lord called from
among the great and noble ones His servant Joseph Smith to do
his work. Joseph F. Smith recorded of his uncle Joseph the Prophet,
his father Hyrum and others, "I observed that they were
also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning
to be rulers in the Church of God. Even before they were born,
they, with many others, received their first lessons in the
world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due
time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation
of the souls of men." (D&C 138:55,56)
These noble
and great ones came to earth disguised as the weak and simple
ones. Who would lay the foundations of the Kingdom of God on
the earth in the last Dispensation? Two simple farmers and a
one-room school teacher would become the principle witnesses
of the Book of Mormon. A potter, glazer and simple carpenter
would be called to stand firm by the Prophet Joseph. A twenty-three
year old printer, who never joined the Church, would actually
print and publish the Book of Mormon. A simple German farming
family would provide a small 20 x 30 foot cabin as the first
headquarters of the Church. A poor, unsuccessful homesteader
who had never really been able to finish his payments on his
land would be called off a canal boat to become one of the great
missionaries of these last days. The list could go on and on.
And all of these led by a simple farm boy from western New York.
And this would indeed be the stone cut out of the mountain without
hands that will roll forth and fill the whole earth.
And in the
days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be
left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44)
"What
I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken," the Lord states
at the end of the Preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, "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." (D&C 1:38)
A Personal
Note
May I briefly step upon my soapbox and add a personal note at
the end of this lesson. What I am about to say I have said to
every institute and gospel doctrine class I have taught, near
the beginning of the semester or curriculum year, for the past
twenty years.
Brethren
and Sisters, it is time for us to take seriously the admonition
and counsel of the Lord and His prophets concerning the reading
of the scriptures. It is time for us to read and study the scriptures
every day, not casually, not reluctantly, not unwillingly, but
with all of our hearts--and every single day, the rest of our
lives. We should never miss, no, not one day. Today is the day
we should start. Okay, so twenty years ago would have been the
best day to start, but the second best day to start is today,
this very day, Tuesday, December 28, 2004 or whatever day it
is you are reading this endnote. It will change your life forever.
You can set a goal, and obtain that goal, of reading the scriptures
every day the rest of your life from this day forward-never
miss. Never, never, never miss. I know that the blessings
that flow into your life are inestimable. Today is the day.
I know, sometimes you go to bed at night, you are beat, you
had a hard day at the office, the kids nearly divided the house
in two, the dog made a mess on the new carpet, you had not one,
but two flat tires, and, ah, yes, the finances are so bad and
you are feeling so much pressure to pay not just last month's
bills but everything is crashing down at once. Yes, this
is the time to commit, no matter what, at all hazards, you will
read the scriptures every day, never fail, the rest of your
life. You can do this. I know, you are about to doze off to
sleep and the thought strikes your mind, "I didn't read
my scriptures today." Fine, turn on your flashlight, your
night light, light your candle, whatever, read a verse of scripture,
turn out the lights and go to bed. This cannot happen often,
but use that in case of emergency. You can do this. I plead
with you, all of you who are reading this lesson and these words to
begin today. I still have students who come to me and say, "Scot,
I am still doing it. Yes. October 24, 1994 I began reading the
scriptures every day and I have never missed since." Today
is the day. Now is the time. It is the right thing to do. It
will bless you forever. I promise.
