PREPARING FOR ZION

 

I was working at the Church Office in Sydney when Elder Bruce C. Hafen was the Area President here in Australia. He was generous enough to share some knowledge with me which I valued highly. He told me that the directive of the Church at the time given to the leaders was to prepare the members for Zion. That was some 25 years ago.

This made me see how important the Church is as an organisation because of its leaders who are implementing this preparation. We are told certain conditions need to be met before Zion can be established as ‘the bridge between the world as it is and the world as God designed it and meant it to be’ (Hugh Nibley, “Approaching Zion” p 4).

Section 105 of the Doctrine and Covenants speaks in detail of the needed preparation of the saints before the Lord can ‘redeem Zion’ but the very first requirement is relative to the elders of the Church which are to be endowed with power from on high so that we, the members, might be taught more perfectly what God requires of us (D&C 105:10,11). The structure of the Church is based on leadership. The leaders are to be taught and trained as much as the members below them. The leaders are meant to learn to lead and we are meant to learn to follow.

There are some who believe they can be inactive in the Church and in the end show up at New Jerusalem’s gate expecting to live a Zion life. Imagine arriving to Zion without any experience behind you that would have taught you to be obedient to the leaders’ instructions and to be united with other members of the Church community. I have wondered how they could become obedient to the leaders overnight when they didn’t value their leadership beforehand. I know some wonderful and good members of the Church who are inactive and are highly critical of the leaders. There are some who do not support the general authorities of the Church and tend to believe they are ‘nice old men’ but not prophets, seers and revelators.

The leaders might not be perfect but the Lord values their leadership of His saints. This is how important it is to honour the administration of the Church in preparation for the Second Coming:

“The coming of the Son of Man never will be – never can be till the judgments spoken of for this hour are poured out: which judgments are commenced. Paul says, “Ye are the children of the light, and not of the darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief in the night.” It is not the design of the Almighty to come upon the earth and crush it and grind it to powder, BUT HE WILL REVEAL IT TO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS (Amos 3:7)” (Teachings of Joseph Smith, p 286)

The leaders of the Church might not know the exact day and the hour but the proximity of it will be very real to the Church because of the preparation that the leaders will have put into place for the readiness of the Kingdom. The New Jerusalem for one will have to be ready and peopled to receive our King.

We, the children of light, have more information regarding the Second Coming than the rest of the world. The signs of the times are clear in modern day revelation as contained in Doctrine and Covenants. We know the sequence of events that are to take place. We are not dumb sheep without knowledge and without untrained shepherds. The Lord has not left us unawares and clueless. He wants His people to be ready and He wants us all in Zion to welcome Him.

There will be no excuse if we are not there on that auspicious day….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Second Coming by Ron DiCianni)

GLORY OF THE PRIESTHOOD

 

Studying about the patriarchs this year has given me a greater understanding of the priesthood. I am developing a reverence for it I have never felt before.

I was reading the other day about the power of godliness through the priesthood ordinances without which no man can see the face of God, ‘even the Father, and live’ (D&C 84:19-22). Then something else caught my attention I hadn’t noticed before.

Verse 19 tell us that the greater priesthood administers the gospel and holds the key of the mysteries of the kingdom , “even the key of the knowledge of God”. I understood then that it was through the priesthood that all the revelations pertaining to the human family are given.  

I remembered Adam, the Ancient of Days, who bestowed his last blessing upon the patriarchs and his righteous posterity three years prior to his death at Adam-Ondi-Ahman at which time he ‘predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation’  (D&C 107:53-56) (see also “Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith” p 158). It was the priesthood keys he held that entitled him to the knowledge he received regarding his posterity.

I also remembered Abraham and the knowledge he was given of the universe, our pre-mortal life, the eternal nature of spirits, foreordination, the creation, the choosing of the Redeemer and the second estate of man, all of which we have at our disposal in the Pearl of Great Price. If it wasn’t for Abraham’s overwhelming desire to have the rights of the priesthood, he could never have been given this information relative to the covenant he made with God.

This is what confirmed to me that the priesthood is ‘the portal’ to the knowledge of God. Joseph records in his history the time that he and Oliver went into the woods to pray in May of 1829 to inquire about baptism for the remission of sins that they found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While they were praying John the Baptist appeared and conferred on them the Aaronic Priesthood.

He recounts this: “No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery, than the Holy Ghost fell upon him, and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come to pass. And again, as soon as I had been baptised by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men.” (JSH vs 72,73)

And then this: “Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of.” (v 74). It is important to note that at this time they did not have the gift of the Holy Ghost. John the Baptist promised that was yet to come (v 70).

I think of all of Joseph’s revelations that are contained in the Doctrine and Covenants which give us pure knowledge about the Gospel and the mysteries of God’s kingdom. I also think of revelations of the living prophets since Joseph, the greatest of all being the revelation of 1978 making the priesthood available to all the males in the Church. What other Church has what we have? No other.

At last my mind was taken to the One who possesses all the keys of the priesthood and all knowledge of the mysteries of God, the Saviour of all mankind who is our High Priest forever (Hebrews 3:1; 4:14). When He returns He shall reveal all knowledge:

“Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, the purpose and the end thereof – things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.” (D&C 101:32-34)

Last thought….Application of the priesthood pertaining to our lives is worth the personal pursuit….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph and Oliver Pray by Del Parson)

HOPE OF ISRAEL

 

“He was not an ordinary man. He was the great Creator housed in a tabernacle of clay. He was the Eternal Jehovah ministering among men. He was God’s Almighty Son doing the things his Father sent him to do. He inherited from the Father of his mortal body the powers and characteristics of his Perfect Parent. He was placed in a position to excel all men. He was the God of Israel taking his place and receiving his lot and inheritance among that chosen people.”

-       Bruce R. McConkie, “The Mortal Messiah Book 1” p 30

The Saviour made it clear during His ministry that He was sent to ‘the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (Matthew 15:24). The Kingdom of Judah had lost its way and by 70 AD it would be scattered throughout the world. The Ten Tribes of the Northern Kingdom had already been lost. The House of Israel had one hope and that was the arrival of the Messiah.

And so the Messiah was sent to save the spiritual fabric of the chosen people of God who rejected Him. On all accounts it seemed as it was all lost except for one thing. The Saviour had sworn He will never forget His covenant with Israel (Deut 4:31; Lev 26:44,46; Isaiah 49:15,16; 2 Kings 13:23).

What the Saviour accomplished during His earthly ministry, by organizing His Church, propelled the chosen generation of royal priesthood to take the purity of His Gospel to the nations of the earth in fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant (Matthew 28:19,20). And thus nothing was lost but everything gained. The sacrifice exacted, the Gospel given to the world for their adoption into the favoured House of Israel, the promise to Father Abraham kept.

By virtue of our discipleship, we are privileged to join in the Saviour’s role as the Hope of Israel. Consider President Nelson’s explanation of our significant role within this Hope after he quoted Nephi saying the Abrahamic covenant will be fulfilled in the latter days by all of the House of Israel (1 Nephi 15:18):

“When we know who we are and what God expects of us, we are filled with hope and made aware of our significant role in His great plan of happiness. The day in which we now live was foreseen even before Jesus Christ was born…These are the latter days. We are the ones foredetermined and foreordained to fulfill that promise.

“We are, in fact, the hope of Israel. We are God’s treasure, reserved for our particular place and time.”   (Quotes from President Russell M. Nelson, “Daily Joy”)

 

 Hope of Israel

Who would not see us lost,

Who rescued our souls

Never counting the cost. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: All Is Calm by Gabriel Heaton)

A HOLY PLACE

 

 

There is something very personal for us the Saints of the Latter-Days in the Olivet Discourse that the Saviour delivered to His disciples. In outlining the conditions of our day He said that amidst all the wickedness, desolation and commotion, “my disciples shall stand in holy places and shall not be moved, but among the wicked men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die” (D&C 45:32).

This scripture has made me reflect on how much the Saviour is depending on us. I reflected on the Church He organized in the meridian of time and how it all fell apart after He was gone. I wondered as He spoke to His disciples, if He was comforted looking forward to the restoration knowing He had special, strong spirits in reserve who will bring His Church “out of the wilderness – clear as the moon and fair as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners” (D&C 5:14).  

The adversary might have accomplished his purpose by having the early saints killed and the Church disbanded but this time there will be no saints on crucifixes lining the walls of coliseums. I think of Joseph’s death and the persecution of the pioneers which they endured with unfathomable strength. Surely this strength preserved the Church and defeated the adversary’s plan to destroy God’s kingdom on earth the second time around.

I don’t know what awaits us as persecution of Christians escalates in our day. The adversary is employing the loss of national sovereignty and religious and cultural upheaval in the world today which is destroying the brotherhood of man. The hatred is raging in people’s hearts to the point of violence as the Saviour indicated it would (D&C 45:33).

I am hoping the saints who will face the final attempt of destruction of God’s kingdom on earth will be met by the strongest of the strong who have prepared themselves to withstand the destructive forces of the fiends of evil.

The adversary will never give up. He didn’t do so when he failed to abort the Plan of Salvation in the Garden of Eden and he didn’t give up when the Saviour emerged from the tomb. Surely he would have got the message then of ‘game over’ but still he has persisted and one would have to wonder why.

The obvious reason is ‘misery seeks company’ but I think there is more to it than that. I think it is pride which seeks its reward through rebellion, retaliation and revenge. It’s a pride born out of not willing to have been wrong. You can see this same pride in the political arena which is ravaging our world today, whether between individuals or nations.

I dread to think how the Saviour will grieve when He comes and sees that many of us have left our holy places. When the time comes for the grandeur of His Kingdom to be revealed, I hope those who have left will return and come with us to New Jerusalem singing songs of everlasting joy (D&C 45:66-71).

May we find our holy place and not be moved so that we can be the strongest of the strong when we meet our King and be a joy to Him forever.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Saviour by Land of Dreams)

ONE WITH CHRIST

 

 

Imagine the Saviour appearing and you are among the multitude to witness that appearance and He calls you by name to come to Him: “And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet” (3 Nephi 11:19). Imagine the honour, the overflowing of your heart, the tears that would flow, the expression of humility and deepest gratitude for your salvation that would propel you to kiss His feet……it makes me feel the moment….

Right from the start of His visit to the Americas, the Saviour made it plain He was there to teach the members of His Church. Hence immediately after calling Nephi to come forth, He gave him and  the Twelve that He chose, authority to baptize with specific instructions as to how it is to be done.

From 3 Nephi 11:21 to 12:3, the Saviour mentioned baptism 19 times and reiterated 7 times that His doctrine is: faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. So insistent was He that this is the only path to salvation, that He emphasized that ‘whose does not believe in Him, and is not baptized, shall be damned’ (3 Nephi 11:33,34).

Worthy of mention is the concept of unity which baptism grants to all who believe in Christ and His doctrine. I have a fondness for noticing repetition in scriptural teachings. It speaks ‘importance’ to me.  In the block of scriptures regarding baptism, the Saviour mentions the Father 16 times.

The sense of unity between Him, the Father and the Holy Ghost is unmistakable…..”the Father will bear record of me,  and the Holy Ghost will bear record of Him and Me, for the Father and I, and the Holy Ghost are one” (3 Nephi 11:35,36).

I am reminded of the intercessory prayer that was uttered by Christ where He prayed ‘not for the world but for them which the Father had given Him’, meaning His disciples (John 17:9). And then for the rest of the Church membership, meaning us: “Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us….” (v 21).

Thus baptism, a covenant of obedience, which makes us Christ’s, becomes also a covenant of unity, with the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. As we come into the fold of God and become ‘the body of Christ’ we also become one with one another. The baptismal covenant reads thus (Mosiah 18:8):

·        We come into the fold of God;

·        We are being called His people;

·        We bear one another’s burdens;

·        We mourn with those that mourn;

·        We comfort those who stand in need of comfort;

·        We stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all places;

·        We enter into a covenant to serve God;

·        We covenant to keep His commandments.

I was baptized when I was 18 years of age. The moment I was raised out of the water, I was so overcome by the spirit which descended upon me that I wept uncontrollably. I knew I was one with Christ and that I was home. I know if I ever left the Church, I would be betraying my covenant of baptism, even if I continued to live the commandments….because I would no longer be Christ’s. I would not wish to lose that….ever.

How godly You were

When You planted the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth;

How noble and honourable

When You gave me hope

Through the water’s gate;

I bequest to You my earthly deeds

And fly to You

With my arms of faith. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Holy Ghost Descended Like a Dove by Greg Collins)

A HOLY PLACE

 

 

What would your answer be if someone asked you what you would do to prepare, if you knew the Saviour was coming tomorrow? I know what it should be: NOTHING! What could you possibly do in one day to make up for years of not doing it?

Consider what Elder Dallin H. Oaks said we should be doing in preparation for the Saviour’s return: “Are we following the Lord’s command, ‘Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly’? (D&C 87:8).

“What are those ‘holy places’? Surely they include the temple and its covenants faithfully kept. Surely they include a home where children are treasured and parents are respected. Surely the holy places include our posts of duty assigned by priesthood authority, including missions and callings faithfully fulfilled in branches, wards, and stakes” (in Conference Report, April 2004, 7-8 or Ensign May 2004, 9-10)

How many of the things he has mentioned could we cram into one day? Could keeping the temple covenants for one day obliterate years of neglect? Could loving and respecting our children and parents for one day wipe away all the impatience, intolerance, anger, abuse, disobedience or animosity that we might have been inflicting on each other for a prolonged time? How about fulfilling a mission in one day or faithfully fulfilling a calling?

In the abovementioned talk, Elder Oaks says that “we need to make both temporal and spiritual preparations for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming”. He also said that the preparation most likely to be neglected is the spiritual one. The Book of Mormon teaches us the importance of this.

Sixteen years after the signs of the Saviour’s birth, the Nephites faced a huge threat of extinction by the Gadianton robbers. The governor of this band, Giddianhi, made a lofty demand of the governor of the land, Lachoneous, that the Nephites surrender all their lands. Lachoneous refused and made elaborate preparations for defense arming his people to the teeth (3 Nephi 3:13,14).

 By all accounts they should all have felt incredibly secure. But lucky for them Lachoneous was a God-fearing man and he warned his people that no matter how much physical protection they had, if they did not repent and turn to God, they will in no way be delivered out of the hands of Gadiantons (v 15). So powerful was this man that great fear came upon the people and they did all in their might to do exactly as he said (v 25).

Two other things most worthy of mention are these: 1. They appointed as the chief captain of their army someone who had the spirit of revelation and was a ‘great prophet among them’ and; 2. They gathered themselves together in ‘one land, and one body’ (v 19, 25). In other words, they were united and they had a prophet at their head. Does it remind you of the Church? Because it should.

When the most perilous times come, we will not want to be found in the world, but the most important holy place, in the Church, following the counsel of the Prophet…..only we can’t wait until the calamities strike. We need to ensure our place in the Church now and be in tune with the voice of the Prophet, now. Because after all, the calamities have already started……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Second Coming by Brent Borup)

ODE TO THE TEN VIRGINS

 

I would gladly give you some oil

Your empty lamp to fill,

If you could glean the sweat

From my furrowed brow

As I worked on the oil press

So diligently until now.

It is no coincidence that the Saviour's relationship with His Church is symbolic of marriage. He is the Bridegroom whose love for His Bride exceeds all other loves because it was sealed with His blood. The question begs to be asked: which one of us does not yearn for the greatest love there is? Which one of us does not want to attend the greatest wedding there will ever be? The time is drawing near and we will not be able to live on borrowed light. 

• CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: The Five Wise Virgins by Greg Collins)