Blogging Through the Book of Mormon

90:10-11 - The Lord continues that the preparation done in these classes will be helpful in “the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power in convincing the nations, the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, of the gospel of their salvation. For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fullness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ.” I never realized how important it was for someone to learn the gospel in their native language until I had a friend who was Japanese and even though he communicated and understood English just fine, he thrived in the Japanese ward because the language was so much easier for him. I only speak English so I can’t really relate too much to what that’s like. The IM says, “President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: ‘In order that the Gospel might be declared among th...

90:1-5 - There is no background information given as to why section 90 was received. Going directly into the text, DJR comments that this section, “As it begins, we see that the humble Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith, Jr., had been feeling his inadequacies and had pled with the Lord for forgiveness of his sins.” The Lord begins by assuring JS that He has heard “thy prayers and the prayer of thy brethren.” The Lord tells him “thy sins are forgiven thee, according to thy petition.” The Lord assures him that he is blessed with the “keys of the kingdom” which “shall never be taken from you, while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come.” This is interesting because it shows not only the priesthood power in this life, but that those keys and that authority continues. There was another time when this concept came up in the Book of Mormon and I learned that all callings one has received in this life, continues on with us in the next life. I think it’s nice to have that c...

89:12-17 - The concept of how, when, where, and how much meat to eat has always been complicated for me. I’ve struggled with the knowledge and understanding, because honestly, I’ve never been taught anything like that, it’s always been associated with shaming and inconsistency. The Lord says that we are to eat meat sparingly and “only during times of winter, or of cold, or famine,” the IM teaches, “’The Word of Wisdom is not a system of vegetarianism. Clearly, meat is permitted. Naturally, that includes animal products, less subject than meat to putrefactive and other disturbances, such as eggs, milk, and cheese. These products cannot be excluded simply because they are not mentioned specifically. By that token most of our foodstuffs could not be eaten.’… This verse has caused some to ask if meat should be eaten in the summer. Meat has more calories than fruits and vegetables, which some individuals may need fewer of in summer than winter. Also, before fruits and vegetables could b...

89:8 - We’ve covered conspiracy and alcohol so we move onto tobacco. The Lord says “tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.” The IM teaches, “One Latter-day Saint physician noted the side effects of tobacco on the body: ‘Time and time against the medical and psychological sciences have brought forth evidence which points towards the destructive nature of the cigarette. In addition to the evidences recently found which link cigarette smoking to lung cancer, (there are) a number of interesting and arresting discoveries respecting the cigarette. E.A. Murphy and J. F. Mustard discovered that chronic smokers were less able to withstand the effects of radiation than were nonsmokers, and that smoking interfered with action of the bone marrow, the part of the body that manufactures blood. A.J. Schaffer points out that there is a higher premature birthrate among children who...

89:5-7 – The first substance that the Lord addresses is that of alcohol. He says that Heavenly Father is not pleased when “any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you… except for use with the sacrament. And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.” The IM teaches, “Over the earth… the demon drink is in control. Drunken with strong drink, men have lost their reason; their counsel has been destroyed; their judgment and vision are fled; they reel forward to destruction. Drink brings cruelty into the home; it walks arm in arm with poverty; its companions are disease and plague; it puts chastity to flight; and it knows neither honestly nor fair dealing; it is a total stranger to truth; it drowns conscience; it is the bodyguard of evil; it curses all who touch it. Drink has brought more woe and misery, broken more hearts, wrecked more homes, committed more...

89:4 - The Lord begins speaking and addresses a very interesting concept saying, “In consequence of evils and desgins which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarned you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation.” Conspiring men and health? How is that connected? If we look at ancient conspiracy, we see murder, war, power struggles, but for the most part, the food, water, and wine were not a part of the way in which one could gain power. The IM specifically addresses the issue of tobacco marketing their wares when they knew full well the risks, but I think, personally that there is a more widespread and even more dangerous health related conspiracy at work in our world today. I’m not going to go into detail with it because this is about God’s word, but mine, but much of it is talked about later on in the section, so I think that counts. I’ve worked in medicine for all of my adult life, and I like to watch patterns...

Section 89 is really interesting for me because I think that this is the only section that I’ve ever read in the D&C before now. Why is that? Because the topics here are all my addictions, and this is probably going to be a confessional section for me more so than anything else we’ve covered so far. I’ll probably divulge quite a bit going forward so I won’t cover any of that right now. The background to section 89 is given in the IM as quoted by President Brigham Young saying, “I think I am as well acquainted with the circumstances which lead to the giving of the Word of Wisdom as any man in the Church, although I was not present at the time to witness them. The first school of the Prophets was held in a small room situated over the Prophet Joseph’s kitchen, in a house which belonged to Bishop Whitney… The brethren came to that place for hundreds of mils to attend school in a little room probably no larger than eleven by fourteen. When they assembled together in this room after br...

  88:117-120 - One of the things that I keep forgetting is that I’m studying this whole section at once, as one document, but that’s not how it was received, it came as multiple revelations received throughout a few days, that’s why it makes more sense when the transition from verse 116 to 117 is a little bit awkward. The topic goes from the events that are going to happen in the last days, the resurrection, the second coming, the Millennium, and other future events to establishing the school of the prophets. The Lord tells them to gather together, teach each other, “organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” I think that there are very specific applications for this commandment, such as specifically the school of the prophets, but I think that it also applies to us and tells us the manner in which we are to organize ...

88:99 - We're talking about the second coming of the Savior and how that affects the resurrection. We've learned that the celestial dead will be resurrected and the righteous living will be quickened and come up to meet him, although I believe that they will not die at that point but go back to living during the millennium. After the celestial beings are resurrected the second trump will sound "and then cometh the redemption of those who are Christ's at his coming; who have received their part in that prison." The IM teaches, "This passage is a reference to the resurrection of terrestrial beings. After the celestial resurrection, 'after the Lord and their righteous who are caught up to met him have descended upon the earth, there will come to pass another resurrection. This may be considered as a part of the first, although it comes later. In this resurrection will come forth those of the terrestrial order, who were not worthy to be caught up to meet him,...

88:70-76 - The Lord now turns to giving the brethren specific instructions concerning the affairs of the Church. DJR comments, “There seems to be a transition now from the Savior’s ‘classroom’ to practical instructions for these brethren in conducting the business of the Church in the Kirtland are. Remember that these men have been doing much traveling on the Lord’s errand. Next, He asks them to stay in Kirtland for a season.” The Lord will be asking these brethren to set up and attend the School of the Prophets in the end of this section, but it appears he’s setting it up to alleviate some of their concerns beforehand, so that perhaps when he does bring it up, they might be already comforted. The Lord says, “I will take care of your flocks, and will raise up elders and send unto them. Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.” When I heard this part I was very relieved because in my personal situation I’m not going on a mission or attending a “School of the Prophets” but I feel like...