D&C 21

Section 21 is much shorter, 12 verses, but again, a lot of content. The section gives the background as follows: “revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Fayette, New York, April 6, 1830. This revelation was given at the organization of the Church, on the date names, in the home of Peter Whitmer, Sen. Six men, who had previously been baptized, participated. By unanimous vote these persons expressed their desire and determination to organize, according to the commandment of God; see Section 20. They also voted to accept and sustain Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery as the presiding officers of the Church. With the laying on of hands, Joseph them ordained Oliver an elder of the Church; and Oliver similarly ordained Joseph. After administration of the sacrament, Joseph and Oliver laid hands upon the participants individually, for the bestowal of the Holy Ghost and for the confirmation of each as a member of the Church.” The IM says, “For over seventeen centuries the Church of Jesus Christ had been, as John the Revelator prophesied, in ‘the wilderness’ because of apostasy, and Christ’s Church had been corrupted by the doctrines of men. On Tuesday, 6 April 1830, in the state of New York, a small group of people convened in the home of Peter Whitmer Sr. No heads of nations were invited to this meeting, nor were the religious leaders of the day. No newspapers heralded the events of this meeting. But in heaven the angels rejoiced, and on earth this select group, under the direction of a modern prophet, organized the Church of Jesus Christ. The meeting was opened by solemn prayer. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were sustained as leaders in the kingdom of God and were given unanimous approval to organize The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Prophet Joseph Smith recorded the events that ensued: ‘I then laid my hands upon Oliver Cowdery, and ordained him an Elder of the ‘Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;’ after which, he ordained me also to the office of an Elder of said Church. (Although they had been ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood earlier, they were told to defer ordaining each other to the office of elder until the Church was organized. We then took bread, blessed it, and brake it with them; also wine, blessed it, and drank it with them. We then laid our hands on each individual member of the Church present, that they might receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and be confirmed members of the Church of Christ. The Holy Ghost was poured out upon us to a very great degree- some prophesied, whilst all praised the Lord, and rejoiced exceedingly. Whilst yet together, I received the following commandment: (D&C 21).” I was thinking about this just the other day, about how when the Church was organized, it was such a universe altering event for everyone, but there was hardly any who participated, or even knew about it. The eternal significance of the restoration is immense, but like the birth of the Savior, it was a quiet, subtle event. Interesting similarities there. 21:1 - The Lord beings, “Behold, there shall be a record kept among you; and in it thou shalt be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, and elder of the church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of you Lord Jesus Christ, Being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy faith.” The IM begins its commentary commenting on “There shall be a record kept among you,” saying, “From the very day the Church was organized the Lord instructed His servants in the importance of keeping records of His revelations and in keeping a regular day-by-day history of the Church.” The IM asks and answers “What are the special gifts of the one called to be the Lord’s prophet?” saying, “Seer. Elder John A. Widtsoe defined a seer as ‘one who sees with spiritual eyes. He perceived the meaning of that which seems obscure to others; therefore he is an interpreter and clarifier of eternal truth. He foresees the future from the past and present. This he does by the power of the Lord operating through him directly, or indirectly with the aid of divine instruments such as the Urim and Thummim. In short, he is one who sees, who walks in the Lord’s light with open eyes. Translator. The title ‘translator’ may refer to one who received two blessings given a prophet by the spirit of God: 1. The power to convert the written or spoken word into another language. 2. The power to give a clearer meaning to a given language. Through the gift of translation a prophet does not merely convey in the language of the reader the words that were recorded by the writer but by revelation preserves for the reader the thoughts or intents of the original writer. Prophet. According to Elder Widtsoe, ‘a prophet is a teacher. That is the essential meaning of the word. He teaches the body of truth, the gospel, revealed by the Lord to man; and under inspiration explains it to the understanding of the people. He is an expounder of truth. Moreover, he shows that the way to human happiness is through obedience to God’s law. He calls to repentance those who wander away from the truth. He becomes a warrior for the consummation of the Lord’s purposes with respect to the human family. The purpose of his life is to uphold the Lord’s plan of salvation. All this he does by close communion with the Lord, until he is ‘full of power by the spirit of the Lord.’ In the course of time the word ‘prophet’ has come to mean, perhaps chiefly, a man who receives revelations and directions from the Lord. The principal business of a prophet has mistakenly been thought to foretell coming events, to utter prophecies, which is only one of the several prophetic functions. In the sense that a prophet is a man who receives revelations from the Lord, the titles ‘seer and revelator’ merely amplify the larger and inclusive meaning of the title ‘prophet.’… Apostle. An Apostle is a special witness of Jesus Christ to all the world. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: ‘What importance is there attached to the calling of these Twelve Apostles, different from the other callings or officers of the Church?... They are the Twelve Apostles, who are called to the office of the Traveling High Council, who are to preside over the churches of the Saints, among the gentiles, where there is a presidency established; and there are to travel and preach among the Gentiles, until the Lord shall command them to go to the Jews. They are to hold the keys of this ministry, to unlock the door of the Kingdom of heaven unto all nations, and to preach the Gospel to every creature. This is the power, authority, and virtue of their apostleship.’ Elder. The name of an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood, elder is also the general title used to address one who bears this priesthood. Elder Bruce R. McConkie added that an elder is a representative of the Lord: ‘What is an elder? An elder is a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. He holds the holy Melchizedek Priesthood. He is commissioned to stand in the place and stead of his Mater- who is the Chief Elder- in ministering to his fellowmen. He is the Lord’s agent. His appointment is to preach the gospel and perfect the Saints.’” I really liked some of these definitions starting with a “seer.” I’ve always struggled with what a “seer” really was, but thinking about it is terms of “seeing with spiritual eyes” gives me a little bit more understanding. I liked that a “translator” is one that conveys the writers original intentions and meanings, and I love that an Elder is one who can “stand in the place and stead of his Master,” like a commissioned officer. 21:2-6 - Continuing, the Lord references Joseph Smith when he says, “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; For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith. 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 shale for your good, and his name’s glory.” DJR comments of the “doctrine” of verses 4-6 as being “If we faithfully follow the living prophet, we are assured of exaltation.” The IM asks, “whose words are the saints to receive as if from the Lord’s ‘own mouth’?” The answer in the IM is a quote from President Joseph Fielding Smith saying, “There has been much speculation in relation to the statement of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith: ‘For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.’ This is the word which the Lord gave to Israel in relation to Moses. It is just as true in the case of any other person who is sustained as the mouthpiece of the Almighty. Later, in speaking of his inspired servants, the Lord said, ‘And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.’ In this dispensation the same characteristics are shown by the people as were in ancient times. We are more inclined to accept as the word of the Lord something which was uttered in some former dispensation, but look with critical eye and unbelief upon that which the Lord delivers today through his chosen servants. Yet the word of the Lord is very clear on this matter. Let us not lose sight of the word of the Lord, that by hearkening to his chosen servant- and this is true whether it is Joseph Smith or some other President of the Church- ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against us.’” I’ve definitely learned the hard way to follow the prophet’s counsel. I’m not perfect at it, not even close, but I try so hard to do what they counsel because I’ve learned that it’s not that I’m so special I don’t have to follow the prophet, but I’m so special that I do have to follow the prophet. Another point that I think is important to make here, is that personal revelation will not contradict prophetic counsel, unless we are the prophet, like Nephi. I’ve had that conversation a few times, and I’ve found that to be true. This is something that I’ve also learned the hard way. I used to think that in order to go with my personal revelation, I could act contrary to prophetic counsel. For instance, I wanted to start a business and my personal revelation answer was that I should do it, so instead of saving my money to use the funding, I went deeply into debt to get started and it spiraled into a terrible spending habit that went against provident living and went into debt so deeply that it’s taken me years and years to get out of it and I’m still not, but I’ve learned my lesson and I’m trying desperately to stay within the safety of the commandments. Continuing on in that same vein, the IM quotes President Harold B. Lee as teaching, “The only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, ‘as he received them, walking in all holiness before me;… as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.’ There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life… Your safety and our depends upon whether or not we follow the ones whom the Lord has placed to preside over his church. He knows whom he wants to preside over this church, and he will make no mistake. The Lord doesn’t do things by accident… Let’s keep our eye on the President of the Church.” I guess it can seem a little bit strange to listen to the leader of the Church exhorting the church members to follow him, it could easily be viewed as a manipulative move on the part of the speaker, “the Lord says do what I say…” This is where faith and personal testimony come into play because if we look at prophetic counsel as a humanistic power grasp, then it would be difficult to follow them, and we probably wouldn’t be members of this church. The IM continues, “In this verse (verse 6) three blessings are promised to those who give heed to the words of the prophet: 1. ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.’ Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave the following explanation of this concept: ‘The gates of hell are the entrances to the benighted realms of the damned where the wicked go to await the day when they shall come forth in the resurrection of damnation. Those beckoning gates prevail against all who pass through them. But those who obey the laws and ordinances of the gospel have the promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.’” Damnation, like we learned previously, is where your eternal progression is stopped, and that we choose for it to be stopped, not because we desperately want to repent and the Lord refuses to let us, it’s that we refuse to repent despite all the pleadings of the Lord. So the damnation is our own choosing, and if we choose to be damned, then we are choosing to not value prophetic counsel or the atonement. If we do value prophetic counsel and try our hardest to maintain our integrity when it comes to being obedient, then despite our mistakes and mess ups, we are still progressing, no matter how slowly, and that is not damnation. So it can be a little bit daunting to think that if we don’t follow the prophet with 100% exactness, we are not assured those protections, but when we look at it from the perspective described here, then we can see that god doesn’t require perfection, but progress. The IM continues with our promises, “2. God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you.” I think that this might mean that we are more able to see with spiritual eyes, have the Holy Ghost as our guide so that we can know what’s real and what’s not. Lastly, the IM says, “3. He will ‘cause the heavens to shake for your good.’” This I’m not exactly sure what it means. 21:7- - Verses 7 and 8 give us some interesting insight into JS and his commitment and tender feelings for the work. The Lord says, “For thus saith the Lord God: Him have I inspired to move the cause of Zion in mighty power for good, and his diligence I know, and his prayers I have heard. Yea, his weeping for Zion I have seen, and I will cause that he shall mourn for her no longer; for his days of rejoicing are come unto the remission of his sins, and the manifestations of my blessings upon his works.” This reminds me of when Nephi says that he cries for his people, it seems that this is a pretty standard for prophets or those close to God to be sad or anxious about the status of church members. I also want to point out that this section again tells JS that he has received a “remission of his sins.” Interesting that that seems to weigh so heavily on him, his status before the Lord, not that it’s out of place but just interesting that this particular phrase keeps coming up. Interestingly, the IM says, “In verse 7 the word him refers to Joseph Smith, but this verse also applies to anyone else who is given the keys to lead the Church. For the Saints in 1830 Joseph Smith was the prophet whom God inspired to move the cause of Zion. For the Saints in 1860, the one called ‘to move the cause of Zion’ was Brigham Young. For the Saints in the year 2000, the one who had this calling was Gordon B. Hinckley. Elder Delbert L. Stapley declared: ‘I bear witness to you, my brothers and sisters, that God sustains (the living prophet), and no one else in the world today but him, because he has the holy calling of prophet, seer, and revelator, representing the Lord upon the earth in our time. He only has the right to revelation for the people of the Church, and if all people would understand that, they would not be tossed about by those who would seek to divert their minds from the Church and its glorious principles… They will be fortified against false teachers and anti-Christs, and we do have them among us.’ Elder Harold B. Lee testified: ‘We are not dependent only upon the revelations given in the past and contained in our standard works- as wonderful as they are… We have a mouthpiece to whom God does and id revealing his mind and will. God will never permit him to lead us astray. As has been said, God would remove us out of our place if we should attempt to do it. You have concern. Let the management and government of God, then, be with the Lord. Do not try to find fault with the management and affairs that pertain to him alone and by revelation through his prophet- his living prophet, his seer, and his revelator.’” Interestingly, the IM comments on the phrase “He shall mourn for Zion no longer,” saying, “Though the sorrow Joseph Smith would experience in ‘moving the cause of Zion’ was not yet over- indeed, had hardly begun- the Lord had heard his pleadings for help in establishing the work. His sins were remitted, the Lord manifested his blessings of Joseph’s work, and Joseph needed no longer to stand alone in carrying forth the kingdom. With the organization of the Church, the kingdom was set up. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands would now roll forth until Zion was fully established and filled the whole earth.” I hadn’t considered before that JS carried a heavy burden before the church was organized because he was the only one, the only leader and the only one called.