D&C 78:11-22
78:11-13 - I've been thinking, with all the revelations about the law of consecration, why this one, and why now? It seems to be a big deal because from 1832 until 1981 the names in this revelation had been changed. The IM teaches, "Elder Orson Pratt answered this question in this way: 'The law of Enoch is so named in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, but in other words, it is the law given by Joseph Smith, Jr. The word Enoch did not exist in the original copy; neither did some other names. The names that were incorporated when it was printed, did not exist there when the manuscript revelations were given, for I saw them myself. Some of them I copied. And when the Lord was about to have the Book of Covenants given to the world it was thought wisdom, in consequence of the persecutions of our enemies in Kirtland and some of the regions around, that some of the names should be changed, and Joseph was called Baurak Ale, which was a Hebrew word; meaning God bless you. He was also called Gazelam, being a person to whom the Lord had given the Urim and Thummim. He was also called Enoch. Sidney Rigdon was called Baneemy. And the revelation where it read so many dollars into the treasury was changed to talents. And the City of New York was changed to Cainhannoch.' In the 1981 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, the substitute names were eliminated, since the need for them no longer existed." Maybe the law of consecration wasn't as wide spread within the church as I thought that it would be, that's why it keeps getting talked about, but most of the stuff that is being covered is repeat stuff that we've already discussed. Maybe that's the point, maybe the point is that the Lord repeats his doctrine, constantly and consistently. His doctrine and will won't be found in some obscure talk from 40 years ago, it will be heard and taught all the time. Maybe it's because the importance of this is "to prepare and organized yourselves by a bond or everlasting covenant that cannot be broken." The IM teaches, "I construe the new and everlasting covenant as I could construe, in large measure, a legal contract. I believe that our Father intended that he would obligate himself as well as obligate the beneficiaries of that contract to the performance of it. I believe that no one is entitled to the full measure of its blessings unless he subjects himself to all the conditions upon which those blessings are predicated, and I construe that covenant to be broad enough to embrace every principle of the gospel." The Lord continues, "And he who breaketh it shall lose his office and standing in the church, and shall be delivered over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption." To me, this means that those who break their covenants will suffer greatly, and that because we rejected the Savior, we are not able to receive his atonement or his protection, we will suffer for our own sins. I know personally that this is true, when I went off the deep end, and it was so painful and took/is taking so long to get back on track spiritually. The IM says, "To be turned over to the buffetings of Satan is to be given into his hands; it is to be turned over to him with all the protective power of the priesthood, of righteousness, and of godliness removed, so that Lucifer is free to torment, persecute, and afflict such a person without let or hinderance. When the bars are down, the cuffs and curses of Satan, both in this world and in the world to come, bring indescribable anguish typified by burning fire and brimstone. The damned in hell so suffer." When I heard this, I thought, "without a body, what can Satan possibly do to us that would be so awful that we would feel like we are being tortured?" But then I think about the "persecutions" aspect, he can stand in our face and say all types of horrible things to us, and that is pretty awful and would be torment to endure, until our "day of redemption." The IM says, "Satan's plan is to destroy. Ever since his rebellion in the former estate he has determined to carry out his plan by exercising force and compulsion against mankind. All those who accept the Lord's plan did so with an organized bond and covenant that was to be everlasting and not to be broken. The Lord's covenants are always intended to be everlasting or to have a bearing on everlasting life. The brethren were duly warned that if they broken this covenant evil consequences would follow. 'Satan seeketh,' said the Lord, 'to turn their hearts away from the truth, that they become blinded and understand not the things which are prepared for them.' If they failed in this everlasting covenant then they were to be turned over to the buffetings of Satan until the day of redemption. We might thing that the day of redemption means that they then, after their suffering, would be reinstated and receive the blessings which were first offered them. We are not justified in this conclusion. The day of redemption is the day of the resurrection. We should remember that the Lord has said at other times that such may not come into his presence." And I might add, that they can't, but they also don't want to come into his presence.
78:14 - The Lord now discussed trials and tribulations saying, "that through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world." There is a really interesting explanation for this statement, and the IM says, "The law of consecration was withdrawn by the Lord because the Saints showed that they would not abide by its laws. In 1936, under direction of the First Presidency, the welfare program was instituted, based on the same principles that governed the Saints in the united order, such as love, service, self-reliance, and consecration. The promise that the Church would stand independent above all other creatures (organizations, people, and so forth) will be partially fulfilled through the implementation of the welfare plan. President Marion G. Romney said: 'I do not want to be a calamity howler. I don't know in detail what's going to happen in the future. I know what the prophets have predicted. but I tell you that the welfare program, organized to enable us to take care of our own needs, has not yet performed the function that it was set up to perform. We will see the day when we will live on what we produce. We're living in the latter days. We're living in the days the prophets have told about from the time on Enoch to the present day. We are living in the era just preceding the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to so prepare and live that we can be... independent of every creature beneath the celestial kingdom. That is what we are to do. This welfare program was set up under inspiration in the days of President Grant. It was thoroughly analyzed and taught by his great counselor, J. Reuben Clark, Jr. It is in basic principle the same as the United ORder. When we get so we can live it, we will be ready for the United Order. You brethren know that we will have to have a people ready for that order in order to receive the Savior when he comes. I know from my own experience and the witnesses by the thousands that I have receive of the Spirit that this is the Lord's work. It is to prepare us. If you'll think of the most sacred place you ever have been, you'll remember that the final things that we are to do is to be able and willing to consecrate all that we have to the building up of the kingdom of God, to care for our fellow men. When we do this we'll be ready for the coming of the Messiah.'"
78:15-22 - One of the purposes of the law of consecration is "tat you may come up unto the crown prepared for you and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy one of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high... ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are your, and the riches of eternity are your." Some really interesting concepts in here, first the Lord brings up Michael and Adam-ondi-Ahman. The IM says, "Adam was among the intelligences spoken of by the Lord to Abraham who were appointed to be rulers on this earth. He was Michael, a prince, and son of God chosen to come to this earth and stand at the head of his posterity, holding the 'keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life.' This Holy One is Jesus Christ. On the earth Michael was known as Adam. In the pre-existent state he was a spirit like the others of our Father's children... Elder ORson Pratt pointed out that 'there is one revelation that this people are not generally acquainted with. I think it has never been published, but probably it will be in the Church History. It is given in questions and answers. The first question is, 'What is the name of God in the pure language?' The answer says, 'Ahman.' 'What is the name of the Son of God?' Answer, 'Son Ahman- the greatest of all the parts of God excepting Ahman.' President Joseph Fielding Smith added: 'We also learn from the closing verses of this revelation that Jesus Christ is also called Son Ahman. Therefore his name is connected with the name of the place where Adam dwelt. For that reason Elder Orson Pratt gives it the interpretation of 'the Valley of God.'" The last topic that the IM discusses is the "church of the Firstborn," saying, "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who so devote themselves to righteousness that they receive the higher ordinances of exaltation become members of the Church of the Firstborn. Baptism is the gate to the Church itself, but celestial marriage is the gate to membership in the Church of the Firstborn, the inner circle of faithful saints who are heirs of exaltation and the fulness of the Father's kingdom."
78:14 - The Lord now discussed trials and tribulations saying, "that through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world." There is a really interesting explanation for this statement, and the IM says, "The law of consecration was withdrawn by the Lord because the Saints showed that they would not abide by its laws. In 1936, under direction of the First Presidency, the welfare program was instituted, based on the same principles that governed the Saints in the united order, such as love, service, self-reliance, and consecration. The promise that the Church would stand independent above all other creatures (organizations, people, and so forth) will be partially fulfilled through the implementation of the welfare plan. President Marion G. Romney said: 'I do not want to be a calamity howler. I don't know in detail what's going to happen in the future. I know what the prophets have predicted. but I tell you that the welfare program, organized to enable us to take care of our own needs, has not yet performed the function that it was set up to perform. We will see the day when we will live on what we produce. We're living in the latter days. We're living in the days the prophets have told about from the time on Enoch to the present day. We are living in the era just preceding the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to so prepare and live that we can be... independent of every creature beneath the celestial kingdom. That is what we are to do. This welfare program was set up under inspiration in the days of President Grant. It was thoroughly analyzed and taught by his great counselor, J. Reuben Clark, Jr. It is in basic principle the same as the United ORder. When we get so we can live it, we will be ready for the United Order. You brethren know that we will have to have a people ready for that order in order to receive the Savior when he comes. I know from my own experience and the witnesses by the thousands that I have receive of the Spirit that this is the Lord's work. It is to prepare us. If you'll think of the most sacred place you ever have been, you'll remember that the final things that we are to do is to be able and willing to consecrate all that we have to the building up of the kingdom of God, to care for our fellow men. When we do this we'll be ready for the coming of the Messiah.'"
78:15-22 - One of the purposes of the law of consecration is "tat you may come up unto the crown prepared for you and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy one of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high... ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are your, and the riches of eternity are your." Some really interesting concepts in here, first the Lord brings up Michael and Adam-ondi-Ahman. The IM says, "Adam was among the intelligences spoken of by the Lord to Abraham who were appointed to be rulers on this earth. He was Michael, a prince, and son of God chosen to come to this earth and stand at the head of his posterity, holding the 'keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life.' This Holy One is Jesus Christ. On the earth Michael was known as Adam. In the pre-existent state he was a spirit like the others of our Father's children... Elder ORson Pratt pointed out that 'there is one revelation that this people are not generally acquainted with. I think it has never been published, but probably it will be in the Church History. It is given in questions and answers. The first question is, 'What is the name of God in the pure language?' The answer says, 'Ahman.' 'What is the name of the Son of God?' Answer, 'Son Ahman- the greatest of all the parts of God excepting Ahman.' President Joseph Fielding Smith added: 'We also learn from the closing verses of this revelation that Jesus Christ is also called Son Ahman. Therefore his name is connected with the name of the place where Adam dwelt. For that reason Elder Orson Pratt gives it the interpretation of 'the Valley of God.'" The last topic that the IM discusses is the "church of the Firstborn," saying, "Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who so devote themselves to righteousness that they receive the higher ordinances of exaltation become members of the Church of the Firstborn. Baptism is the gate to the Church itself, but celestial marriage is the gate to membership in the Church of the Firstborn, the inner circle of faithful saints who are heirs of exaltation and the fulness of the Father's kingdom."
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