D&C 65

Section 65 is really short, and in an interesting format, the IM says that “The Prophet Joseph Smith indicated that this section is a prayer. He said, ‘In the fore part of October, I received the following prayer (D&C 65) through revelation.” I thought that this was interesting that the Lord would give him a prayer, but further reasoning why comes from the IM saying, “At Hiram, several important conferences were held. There (sixteen) Revelations were received, including the memorable vision recorded in Section 76. There a mob, excited by the agitation of Ezra Booth, who had denied the faith and become an enemy, tried to take the life of the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon. No doubt, this Revelation came to strengthen them for the work and experiences before them.” One of the main topics of this section is the establishing of the Kingdom of God on the earth. The IM quotes the Prophet Joseph Smith as teaching, “The ancient prophets declared that in the last days the God of heaven should set up a kingdom which should never be destroyed, not left to other people; and the very time that was calculated on, this people were struggling to bring it out… I calculate to be one of the instruments of setting up the kingdom of Daniel by the word of the Lord, and I intended to lay a foundation that will revolutionize the whole world… It will not be by sword or gun that this kingdom will roll on: the power of truth is such that all nations will be under the necessity of obeying the Gospel.”

65:1-6 - The Lord begins by calling “prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until lit has filled the whole earth.” The IM talks about this reference by quoting Elder Harold B. Lee saying, “We might then ask, what is the kingdom of God? And again we are not left without an answer, for the Lord replied, ‘The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth…’ Where there are the keys to the kingdom, there is the Church of Jesus Christ, and it is the stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands, as told in Daniel’s interpretation of the dream, which was to roll forth and smite the image and break it in pieces and to roll on until it should fill the whole earth. The Prophet Joseph Smith makes this definition of the kingdom of God: ‘Some say that the kingdom of God was not set up upon the earth until the day of Pentecost, and that John did not preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, but I say unto you in the name of the Lord that the kingdom of God was set up upon the earth in the days of Adam to the present time. Whenever there has been a righteous man on the earth, unto whom God revealed His word and gave power and authority to administer in His name, and where there is a priest of God… to administer in the ordinances of the gospel, and officiate in the priesthood of God, there is the kingdom of God… Where there is a prophet, a priest, or a righteous man unto whom God gives His oracles, there is the kingdom of God; and where the oracles of God are not, there the kingdom of God is not.’ This is but another way of saying… ‘Where the kingdom of God is not there is nothing.” The Lord is telling us that we should pray to “make known his wonderful works among the people. Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth. Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever.” This wording is similar to the Lord ’s Prayer from the New Testament. I wonder why the Lord wants us to pray for his kingdom to come, I guess because if in our hearts we really don’t care about the kingdom of heaven being the ultimate ruling entity, then we aren’t really out of the world. We want to be on the “safe” side, but we don’t want to be out of it so much that we can’t skimp a little off the top every now and then and blame it on the “world.” I so often think that I wish the Savior would come again so that we can have peace on the earth, and be ruled by righteousness. The IM quotes Elder James E. Talmage as teaching, “The expression ‘Kingdom of God’ is used synonymously with the term ‘Church of Christ’; but the Lord had made plain that He sometimes used the term ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ in a distinctive sense. In 1832 He called attention to that in these words, addressing Himself to the elders of the Church: (D&C 65:1-6). Such was the prayer, such is the prayer, prescribed for this people to pray, not to utter un words only, not to say only, but to pray- that the Kingdom of God may roll forth in the earth to prepare the earth for the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. That provision in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ has not been abrogated. We are praying for the Kingdom of Heaven to come, and are endeavoring to prepare the earth for its coming. The Kingdom of God, already set up upon the earth, does not aspire to temporal domination among the nations. It seeks not to overthrow any existing forms of government; it does not profess to exercise control in matters that pertain to the governments of the earth, except by teaching correct principles and trying to get men to live according to the principles of true government, before the Kingdom of Heaven shall come and be established upon the earth with a King at the head. But when He comes, He shall rule and reign, for it is His right.”