D&C 124:6-17

124:6-11 - I have to be honest, I’m having a difficult time getting into this section, so that’s a little frustrating, but I am trying. I think one of the reasons is because The Book of Mormon has a story line, there is a human aspect, and so it’s a little bit easier for me to follow, but for instance, we’ve jumped at least 2 years in revelations between sections 123 and 124 and there’s not a whole lot, in the scriptures, of filler in between that time. Anyway, I wasn’t able to find explicitly the proclamation that Joseph Smith created to call on the President of the United States and other rulers of nations, I didn’t really look anywhere other than in the IM, but it’s not technically there, there is a large excerpt from a proclamation made by President Ezra Taft Benson in 1975 where he reaffirms “to the rulers and peoples of all nations… that the God of heaven has established his latter-day kingdom upon the earth in fulfillment of prophecies. Holy angels have again communed with men on the earth. God has again revealed himself from heaven and restored to the earth his holy priesthood with power to administer in all the sacred ordinances necessary for the exaltation of his children.” He warns that Christ’s second coming “is near at hand.” He says that all the blessings and “unbounded knowledge” the Lord has given to people on the earth “has been used to destroy mankind instead of to bless the children of men as the Lord intended.” He calls upon world leaders “to humble themselves before God, to seek his inspiration and guidance. We call upon rulers and people alike to repent of their evil ways. Turn unto the Lord, seek his forgiveness, and unite yourselves in humility with his kingdom. There is no other way.” To hear this in a general conference would be a great proclamation to the saints in the church, but honestly, to hear this from a wicked outsider perspective might seem like the crazy guy standing on the street corner yelling “Repent! Jesus is coming!” that people avoid and laugh at. It’s significant to those who already know the importance, but to those who have hardened their hearts, it makes the prophets look insane and I guess that’s the point. The Lord tells JS to not be afraid of the world’s leaders “for they are as grass, and all their glory as the flower thereof which soon falleth.” This reminds me of the discussion we had earlier about any amount of power destroying most people who wield it. The IM comments, “The servants of the Lord are encouraged to proclaim the Gospel to kings and rulers without fear, for ‘they are as grass.’ Their power and glory are transient. The gospel is the only permanent factor in human history. The Priesthood is eternal.” This was a very powerful statement for me, it’s so easy to get caught up in the different stresses of life, and think that some things are so important, but ultimately the only thing that really matters is the gospel. It’s like when Pilate told Jesus, “Don’t you know that I have the power to save you or kill you?” When I first learned about this I was very young, and I thought “yeah Jesus, let him save you,” but now that I’m older and I know better, the Lord’s answer is totally appropriate and contains eternal truths, “you only have the power that my Father gives you.” I think it’s really difficult to fully understand the significance of this concept at this time in my existence because the gospel seems so obscure to most people, the truths there are not widely accepted or even widely known. My beliefs seem to be so small in terms of the number of people who share them, and so far-fetched in terms of what average people are willing to accept, it’s difficult to understand how one day the gospel will be widely known and accepted. I think that when that time comes, many people will be very surprised and disappointed. The Lord has to give warnings to people, even though He knows that these warnings will be rejected, because otherwise it’s not just to destroy them or not bless them because “oh well, they would reject it if I gave it to them.” That’s not how it works. The Lord finishes this call saying, “Awake, O kings of the earth! Come ye, O, come ye, with your gold and your silver, to help of my people, to the house of the daughters of Zion.”

124:12-17 - The Lord begins to address individuals now beginning with Robert B. Thompson, commanding him to “help you to write this proclamation.” He is promised “a multiplicity of blessings,” unfortunately, as the IM tells us, “In May 1841 Robert B. Thompson was appointed an associate editor of the Times and Seasons in Nauvoo. He served in that capacity until August 1831, when he died at age thirty, never able to fulfill the divine commission.” JS wasn’t able to complete this command either because he died before it was finished and published, so that begs the question, why would the Lord command them to do these things if He knew that they would die before it could be done? Because they needed to work on it, they needed to learn something that came with being obedient to that commandment. The next person addressed is Hyrum Smith, “for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that this is right before me, saith the Lord.” The IM quotes President Heber J. Grant saying, “NO mortal man who ever lived in this Church desired more to do good than did Hyrum Smith, the patriarch. I have it from the lips of my own sainted mother, that of all the men she was acquainted with in her girlhood days in Nauvoo, she admired Hyrum Smith most for his absolute integrity and devotion to God, and his loyalty to the prophet of God.” This opens up a different dynamic for consideration because Hyrum was Joseph’s older brother. Laman and Lemuel were Nephi’s older brothers and they were not supportive of Nephi as a prophet like Hyrum is of Joseph. It wasn’t Hyrum’s role to be the prophet, but he had other roles, it easily could have become a case of jealousy or rivalry, it takes a very special person to support and protect another person, let alone a younger sibling, he truly was/is a remarkable person. The next person addressed is John C. Bennet who is commanded to “help you in your labor in sending my word to the kings and people of the earth… I have seen the work which he hath done, which I accept if he continue, and will crown him with blessings and great glory.” John C. Bennet’s story is quite a bit different than Hyrum Smith’s though because though he started out as a member in good standing and lots of potential, the IM says that soon, “he became one of the most bitter enemies of the Church. His slanders, his falsehoods and unscrupulous attacks, which included perjury and attempted assassination were the means of inflaming public opinion to such an extent that the tragedy at Carthage became possible. Why, the, did his name appear, in this Revelation, as that of a trusted assistant of Joseph? John Taylor furnishes the answer to that question. He says, ‘respecting John C. Bennet: I was well acquainted with him. At one time he was a good man, but fell into adultery, and was cut off from the Church for his iniquity.’” It’s really interesting how we can convince ourselves that wrong is ok, one step at a time, and then fall off the spiritual cliff completely. I bet if a younger, nobler John C. Bennet was to be told that he would one day cheat of his wife, and try desperately to become a murderer, that he would be disgusted, but here we are later having become just that. But here, the Lord is taking him at his word and giving him the opportunity to spiritually grow as much as he chooses. The IM makes a very interesting statement saying, “The Lord does not withhold present blessings because of future sinful behavior. He blessed King David as long as he was faithful and did not withhold opportunity, although he had a foreknowledge of David’s future transgressions with Bathsheba. As long as one obeys, the blessings come. With the perspective of history one may be tempted to ask why the Lord chose men who would eventually falter to be leaders in the Church, but one should remember that at the time of their calling they were faithful and true.”