D&C 121:26-37
121:26-29 - While the Lord blasts those who fight against his work and his people, he makes an incredible promise to those who stay faithful saying, "God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now; which our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory. A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest. All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ." There is a lot of content and points made in these few verses, the first one being the use of the word "unspeakable." To me this sounds related to "unpardonable" which refers to the denial of the Holy Ghost, so both of these words related to the Spirit. The IM makes an interesting comment saying, "This section and the two following are excerpts from letters written by the Prophet Joseph Smith from Liberty Jail. The Prophet's comments that preceded this passage were not included in the Doctrine and Covenants but are of interesting in setting the stage for his comments on the gifts of the Holy Ghost: 'The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out... How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God, than the vain imaginations of the human heart!... We are called to hold the keys of the mysteries of those things that have been kept hid from the foundation of the world until now. Some have tasted a little of these things, many of which are to be poured down from heaven upon the heads of babes; yea, upon the weak, obscure and despised ones of the earth. Therefore we beseech of you, brethren, that you bear with those who do not feel themselves more worthy than yourselves, while we exhort one another to a reformation with one and all, both old and young, teachers and taught, both high and low, rich and poor, bond and free, male and female; let honesty, and sobriety, and candor, and solemnity, and virtue, and pureness, and meekness, and simplicity crown our heads in every place; and in fine, become as little children, without malice, guild or hypocrisy. And now, brethren, after your tribulations, if you do these things, and exercise fervent prayer and faith in the sight of God always, God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit..." This makes more sense and sets up the verses. Another point made here is that the revelation that we receive now in the "last times" has never been received before in the history of our world. I don't really understand this because if God loves everyone the same, then why would he give revelation to some people and not others? The IM explains "the gift of the Holy Ghost has been enjoyed by faithful Saints since the world began. But in the dispensation of the fulness of times al the keys, powers, and principles known in past dispensations individually are now enjoyed collectively. In addition, the revealed organization of the earthy kingdom is, as President Harold B. Lee said, 'more perfected than in the past dispensations.'" Further on, the IM quotes President Joseph Fielding Smith as teaching, "from the very beginning Satan through his emissaries, has endeavored to destroy this work and to stop the Church from receiving revelation. The Lord has given to the Church knowledge and guidance constantly suited to their advancement. There is much that is still held in store, many great and important truths, when we are prepared to receive them. The Lord has promised to give revelation 'and commandments not a few,' to the faithful who are diligent before the Lord." I guess it's not so much that he likes some people more than others, maybe it's that some people are ready for different aspects of the gospel and some are not, and I don't think that necessarily means individually, but as a society and community too.
121:30-37 - The Lord promises to reveal much more at a later time, like the planetary systems, how nature works "according to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal god of all other gods before this world was." Much revelation will be received, but much more is yet to be received because "there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men." The IM asks "Who are those who are called?" It's pretty straight forward, the IM quotes Elder Joseph Fielding Smith saying, "I take it that every man who is ordained to an office in the priesthood has been called. The Lord is willing that any man should serve him." And quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as saying, "to be called is to be a member of the Church and kingdom of God on earth; it is to be numbered with the saints; it is to accept the gospel and receive the everlasting covenant; it is to have part and lot in the earthly Zion." Pretty straight forward. The IM asks "why are they not chosen?" And answers saying, "President N. Eldon Tanner interpreted this passage as referring to those who fail to magnify their priesthood or who use it as it should not be used: 'I know of many cases where a man has gradually failed to magnify his priesthood and moved away from activity in the Church. As a result, a man who has been very active loses his testimony and the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from him, and he begins to criticize those in authority, and to persecute the saints, apostatize, and fight against God... We must not be nearly dependable, but always dependable. Let us be faithful in the little things, as well as the big ones. Can I be depended upon to fill every assignment, whether it be for a two and a half minute talk, home teaching, a visit to the sick, or a call as a stake or full-time missionary? Remember... there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are et so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of en,...' and they are not dependable.'" This goes back to what we talked about yesterday about our testimonies being living and breathing parts of ourselves, that they must be nourished and cared for daily or else they will wither and die. Another point is one that I found when I had studied this phrase before and that is the part of the phrase that says that few are chosen. This implies that the Lord refuses to accept your offering because he doesn't feel that what you do is enough. This is difficult to imagine because he knows us personally and knows whether or not we are trying our best, and it seems very uncharacteristic for the Lord to reject any pure intentioned service. What I concluded last time was that it isn't that few are chosen by the Lord, but that few actually choose the Lord. The IM has a really cool little chart describing "How our attitudes and actions determine whether we are chosen:
When the hearts of men-
1. Are set on the things of the world, or
2. Aspire to the honors of men,
They will act in ways detrimental to spiritual growth, including-
1. Covering their sins.
2. Gratifying their pride and vain ambitions.
3. Exercising unrighteous dominion over others.
These actions cause-
1. The heavens to withdraw themselves.
2. The Spirit of the Lord to be grieved.
3. A withdrawal of power and authority.
This can also be stated positively:
When the hearts of men-
1. Are set on the things of God, and
2. Aspire to God's approval,
They will act in ways beneficial to spiritual growth, including-
1. Repenting of their sins.
2. Humbling themselves.
3. Seeking the kingdom of God first.
4. Exercising love and charity toward others.
These actions cause-
1. The heavens to draw near.
2. The Spirit of the Lord to be near.
3. An increased in power and authority."
121:30-37 - The Lord promises to reveal much more at a later time, like the planetary systems, how nature works "according to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal god of all other gods before this world was." Much revelation will be received, but much more is yet to be received because "there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men." The IM asks "Who are those who are called?" It's pretty straight forward, the IM quotes Elder Joseph Fielding Smith saying, "I take it that every man who is ordained to an office in the priesthood has been called. The Lord is willing that any man should serve him." And quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as saying, "to be called is to be a member of the Church and kingdom of God on earth; it is to be numbered with the saints; it is to accept the gospel and receive the everlasting covenant; it is to have part and lot in the earthly Zion." Pretty straight forward. The IM asks "why are they not chosen?" And answers saying, "President N. Eldon Tanner interpreted this passage as referring to those who fail to magnify their priesthood or who use it as it should not be used: 'I know of many cases where a man has gradually failed to magnify his priesthood and moved away from activity in the Church. As a result, a man who has been very active loses his testimony and the Spirit of the Lord withdraws from him, and he begins to criticize those in authority, and to persecute the saints, apostatize, and fight against God... We must not be nearly dependable, but always dependable. Let us be faithful in the little things, as well as the big ones. Can I be depended upon to fill every assignment, whether it be for a two and a half minute talk, home teaching, a visit to the sick, or a call as a stake or full-time missionary? Remember... there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are et so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of en,...' and they are not dependable.'" This goes back to what we talked about yesterday about our testimonies being living and breathing parts of ourselves, that they must be nourished and cared for daily or else they will wither and die. Another point is one that I found when I had studied this phrase before and that is the part of the phrase that says that few are chosen. This implies that the Lord refuses to accept your offering because he doesn't feel that what you do is enough. This is difficult to imagine because he knows us personally and knows whether or not we are trying our best, and it seems very uncharacteristic for the Lord to reject any pure intentioned service. What I concluded last time was that it isn't that few are chosen by the Lord, but that few actually choose the Lord. The IM has a really cool little chart describing "How our attitudes and actions determine whether we are chosen:
When the hearts of men-
1. Are set on the things of the world, or
2. Aspire to the honors of men,
They will act in ways detrimental to spiritual growth, including-
1. Covering their sins.
2. Gratifying their pride and vain ambitions.
3. Exercising unrighteous dominion over others.
These actions cause-
1. The heavens to withdraw themselves.
2. The Spirit of the Lord to be grieved.
3. A withdrawal of power and authority.
This can also be stated positively:
When the hearts of men-
1. Are set on the things of God, and
2. Aspire to God's approval,
They will act in ways beneficial to spiritual growth, including-
1. Repenting of their sins.
2. Humbling themselves.
3. Seeking the kingdom of God first.
4. Exercising love and charity toward others.
These actions cause-
1. The heavens to draw near.
2. The Spirit of the Lord to be near.
3. An increased in power and authority."
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