D&C 117

Section 117 deals with money and materialism, which seems to be a running theme throughout the scriptures, but thus is human nature I think. The IM gives background saying, “This revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants is the first of four revelations that were all given to the Prophet Joseph Smith on 8 July 1838 at Far West, Missouri. Their order in the Doctrine and Covenants is somewhat different, however, from the order given in Joseph Smith’s history. ‘The Lord had commanded the Saints to gather and build up Far West speedily. A company of 515 souls, known as the Kirtland Camp, left Kirtland on the 6^th of July, 1838, for Zion. On the 14^th of September, it appears only 260 members were left, the others having been scattered ‘to the four winds.’ The camp arrived in Adam-ondi-Ahman on the 4^th of October. Neither Marks, Whitney, nor Granger were members of this company. (Granger was already in Far West. He carried this revelation to Marks and Whitney in Kirtland and was instructed to return speedily to the land of Zion.)  Joseph Smith at Far West had no means of knowing, at that time, who had, or who had not, left for Zion; but the Lord knew. Hence this Revelation in which He… calls William Marks and Newel K. Whitney to come to Zion and instructs the Saints concerning the property in Kirtland.’” What a pruning process to start out with so many people and end up with probably half, to have the other people just scatter on the way down.

117:1-6 - The Lord commands William Marks and Newel K. Whitney to “settle up their business speedily and journey from the land of Kirtland, before I, the Lord, send again the snows upon the earth.” The Lord is NOT pleased with them staying in Kirtland because he’s telling them to “repent of all their sins, and of all their covetous desires, before me, saith the Lord; for what is property unto me? Saith the Lord.” Apparently these guys were staying in Kirtland because of their property or businesses. I think it’s really interesting that the Lord asked “what is property unto me?” Very profoundly he says “for have I not the fowls of heaven, and also the fish of the sea, and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all the armies of the nations of the earth?” The IM has a very awesome insight saying, “the Saints had private property in Kirtland, and there was property belonging to the Church. Many of them lingered there, reluctant to sacrifice their temporal interests. Our Lord regards this disposition as a sin, and calls upon the people to repent and to let the property go for the liquidation of debt. He would recompense them for any sacrifice they might make in His service.’ William Marks and Newel K. Whitney were mentioned by the Lord as not relinquishing their property in Kirtland and obeying the commandment to go to Missouri…Those who ally themselves with the Lord will ultimately prosper. God has power over all and will cause all things to work together for the good of those who walk uprightly and follow His counsels… Those who sought to hold on to their property in Kirtland when the Lord had commanded them to move to Zion risked losing something of far greater value than the property they held. President Spencer W. Kimball taught: ‘One man I know of was called to a position of service in the Church, but he felt that he couldn’t accept because his investments required more attention and more of his time than he could spare for the Lord’s work. He left the service of the Lord in search of Mammon, and he is a millionaire today. But I recently learned an interesting fact: If a man owns a million dollars worth of worth of gold at today’s prices, he possesses approximately one 27-billionth of all the gold that is present in the earth’s thin crust alone. This is an amount so small in proportion as to be inconceivable to the mind of man. But there is more to this: The Lord who created and has power over all the earth created many other earths as well, even ‘worlds without number;’ and when this man received the oath and covenant of the priesthood, he received a promise from the Lord of ‘all that my Father hath.’ To set aside all these great promises in favor of a chest of gold and a sense of carnal security is a mistake in perspective of colossal proportions. To think that he has settled for so little is a saddening and pitiful prospect indeed; the souls of men are far more precious than this.’”

117:7-10 - The Lord continues “Therefore, will I not make solitary places to bud and to blossom, and to bring forth in abundance?” The IM asks “Have the Latter-day Saints seen the solitary places blossom?” And answers, “This promise has been miraculously fulfilled in the history of the Latter-day Saints. Wherever they have settled, the land has been blessed, the moisture of the air has increased, and the rigor of the climate has been tempered. The so-called ‘Great American Desert’ exists no longer. In its place, there is an inland empire with a teeming population, centers of industry, and busy marts, and this modern wonders was performed by the location of the Church in the mountains.”

117:11-16 - The Lord blasts Newel K. Whitney saying “let my servant… be ashamed of the Nicolaitane band and of all their secret abominations, and of all his littleness of soul before me… and be a bishop unto my people, saith the lord, not that in name but in deed.” The IM quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as saying that Nicolaintans todays are “members of the Church who (are) trying to maintain their church standing while continuing to live after the manner of the world… The designation has come to be used to identify those who want their names on the records of the Church, but do not want to devote themselves to the gospel cause with full purpose of heart.” And continues, “In 1951 J. Reuben Clark Jr. was called to be Second Counselor in the First Presidency under President David O. McKay. He had previously served as First Counselor to President George Albert Smith. A lesser man could have considered this a demotion and a reason to be offended. President Clark, however, did not take offense but instead taught a lesson to the Saints. He made the statement that ‘in the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how.’ Church position does not guarantee exaltation. People will be judged by how they serve and not be what position they hold. It is their thoughts, works, words, and the desires of their hearts that matter.” The Lord was quite displeased with them, and I know that he has been with me many times.