2 Nephi 8 - God will take care of Zion; trust in God more than man

God wants to have a set of people (as large as possible) that follow him and who He can protect.

15 But I am the Lord thy God, whose ^awaves roared; the Lord of Hosts is my name.

16 And I have ^aput my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold, thou art my ^bpeople.

It's important that we don't focus on fearing men more than we fear God:

12 ^aI am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be ^bafraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto ^cgrass?

13 And ^aforgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath ^bstretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the ^coppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?

Joseph Smith was told the same thing after the incident with the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript that were lost. D.C. 3:

7 For, behold, you should not have ^afeared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and ^bdespise his words—

8 Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and ^asupported you against all the fiery ^bdarts of the^cadversary; and he would have been with you in every time of^dtrouble.

Future of the Mormon Church

On my mission we taught a girl who was studying at a divinity school. She was a smart, attractive younger woman (I'm guessing 25-28) who loved learning about the Old Testament in particular. She liked what we taught but would never actually attend church or truly study the scriptures.

Towards the end I just wanted to tell her that eventually it would be very clear that the LDS church was the true church. The church had progressed so much over the previous 30 years in Guatemala (and the world) and would continue to do so over the next 30 years, and that at a certain point sometime in the future, it would be obvious to her that the LDS church was indeed Christ's church and people on the earth.

God predicts this will happen in D.C. 105.

26Now, behold, I say unto you, my friends, in this way you may find favor in the eyes of the people, until the ^aarmy of Israel becomes very great.

31But first let my army become very great, and let it be^asanctified before me, that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as the ^bmoon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations;

32That the kingdoms of this world may be constrained to acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the^akingdom of our God and his Christ; therefore, let us become^bsubject unto her laws.

This is a section describing when Zion will be redeemed. The members of the church (in Missouri) were being persecuted in a substantial way, and 200 church members from Ohio made a trip to try to protect them. However, the Lord says in D.C. 105 that the time isn't yet for the "army of Israel" to deliver the people of Zion. However, the time would come that the army of the Lord would be very great and it would be obvious to "the kingdoms of this world" that Zion (the Church) is in very deed the kingdom of God and his Christ.

I believe this will happen. There has been tremendous growth and progress over the last 30 years, and there will be over the next 30 years, until the point comes that it will be obvious that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is absolutely the kingdom of God on the Earth. That day, the lady we taught will know that she made a mistake not taking our message more seriously.

Have a great day.

Zion – the pure in heart – is sometimes one person

When I was a freshman in high school, my dad was a substitute in seminary (early morning scripture study) on one particular occasion. We happened to be studying D.C. 97. He taught us something about D.C. 97 that I’ve never forgotten.

In the early days of the church, the concept of Zion, the gathering place of the Saints, was very important. The people wanted to move to this utopian type setting and be firmly established there. At times the Lord helped them understand that Zion wasn’t exactly as they may have expected it. At some point Zion will be a city, but it has other meanings as well. In fact, in D.C. 97, he gives a particularly interesting definition of Zion:

21Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is ^aZion—the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn.

Zion also exists in the pure in heart. My dad spoke about going to a high school at which he was the only member of the church. At times that meant he was alone in some ways, but it also taught him that this verse was a reality. Zion could exist even if it was just himself, and many times that’s what it had to be.

Being a young high school student who had some LDS friends, but none on my basketball teams where I spent a lot of time, this meant a lot to me. I spent a large majority of my time around people who didn’t live the way I was expected to, but I could still experience the joys of Zion if I was pure in heart myself.

I have come to know this is true. The full blessings of the gospel can exist when you are the only member of your branch or when you are in the largest ward in Utah. The qualifier is to be pure in heart. I should explain what it means to experience Zion, but that’ll have to wait for tomorrow when I have some more time.

Have a good day.

LaDon

Zion - Round 2

When will Zion come? That's what Joseph asked before receiving D.C. 57, and this subject continues. Consider Section 58's beginning verses:

1Hearken, O ye elders of my church, and give ^aear to my word, and learn of me what I will concerning you, and also concerning^bthis land unto which I have sent you.

2For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that ^akeepeth my commandments, whether in life or in ^bdeath; and he that is^cfaithful in ^dtribulation, the ^ereward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

3Ye cannot behold with your natural ^aeyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the ^bglory which shall follow after much tribulation.

4For after much ^atribulation come the ^bblessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be ^ccrowned with much ^dglory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.

Certainly they didn't know what awaited them or the glory they would receive in the next life, or the foundation they would lay for this church. There is no way they could have known the foundations they would be laying for such a tremendous work. And yes, there were a lot of tribulations. A lot of them. Understanding what was on the Saints' mind and what the Lord told them, and then what ended up happening to them convinces me that this is an inspired book.

I think they will be honored for laying the foundation. I just joined a startup, and if the startup does really well, I'll make more money than someone who joins significantly after me. I'll be rewarded for laying the foundation. I think there's something similar in store for the early Saints. They'll be blessed. Look at this verse:

7And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the ^aZion of God shall stand

Oh, and why do Bishop's give counsel to people? It's right here:

17And whoso standeth in this mission is appointed to be a ^ajudgein Israel, like as it was in ancient days, to ^bdivide the lands of the heritage of God unto his ^cchildren;

20Let no man think he is ^aruler; but let God rule him that judgeth, according to the counsel of his own ^bwill, or, in other words, him that counseleth or sitteth upon the judgment seat.

And Bishops better know the scriptures very well:

18And to judge his people by the testimony of the just, and by the assistance of his ^acounselors, according to the laws of the kingdom which are given by the ^bprophets of God.

Very good section!