A PROMISED LAND

 

I have always had the Brother of Jared on a pedestal because of his perfect faith that rent the veil and revealed the Saviour standing before him. This faith has been the identifier we use in the Church for this man but I am fascinated with a couple of things that occurred prior to this event.

The Brother of Jared was ‘highly favoured of the Lord’ and his mighty and frequent prayers were ‘cries’ unto God to separate him and his company of family and friends from the situation of the Tower of Babel (Ether 1:34; 43). The Lord obliged and promised to lead them to ‘the choice land above all other lands’ (Ether 1:42; 2:13).  

The company travelled in the wilderness and crossed many waters in the barges they had made and were constantly led by God (Ether 2:5,6). And this is the puzzling thing. When they arrived to the coast, they pitched their tents and settled there for four whole years! (2:13). Were they tired of all the travel? Did they survey the area and thought, ‘this is good enough’, we’ll stay here? Did they get too comfortable in having been removed from the situation they tried to evade and accepted the coast as their promised land?

I rather suspect it was this. The Brother of Jared did something uncharacteristic when they arrived there. He stopped praying….and so the guidance to keep going stopped too.  Did he think it was no longer necessary? When the Lord came to him after four years, He ‘stood in a cloud and talked with him and chastened him for the space of three hours ‘because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord’ (2:14). Obviously, it was very much necessary.

Can we relate this to us? Often we settle for something that is ‘good enough’ when in reality God has something so much better for us. We take the reins of our lives and think we don’t need to be guided so much so we stop turning to God.  I know many people who are very grateful to be on this earth and don’t want to go further because there is much to be liked and enjoyed here. The promise of eternal life seems just too costly and far away.

People of the world fear death and view it as something dark and terrible. I know someone who is 101 years old and has a 10 year plan. He is determined not to die. The world is invested in anti-aging and longevity. This earth however, is our coast, and the promised land is waiting. There is more, so much more, if we are brave enough to cross the great waters to enter ‘the choice land above all other lands’.

Let’s not settle and become too comfortable. The Brother of Jared didn’t. He repented and the next step of the journey surpassed all his expectations. The heavens parted, he saw the premortal Christ and he stepped through the veil to see the mysteries of eternity (Ether 3:18,20).

This brings me to more food for thought. The Lord solved the problem of needed air in the barges but he asked the Brother of Jared to solve the problem of needed light (Ether 2:25). I don’t know why this man thought of the stones which could be illuminated. There are a number of Jewish sources that say that God had Noah suspend precious stones or pearls inside the ark to lighten it (Tvedtnes, John A., “Ancient Texts in Support of the Book of Mormon”). Perhaps the Brother of Jared had heard about this and reasoned he should do the same.

The important thing here is that the Lord asked him to think deeply and see the possibilities beyond the obvious which require faith to be brought into reality. Following the illumination of the stones came the greatest spiritual illumination known to man (Ether 4:4). So great were the things that the Brother of Jared was permitted to see, that he was forbidden to tell no man (Ether 3:21).

This knowledge remains hidden from the world to this day in the sealed portion of the gold plates to be revealed when we, the Gentiles ‘become clean before the Lord’ and exercise faith in Him as the Brother of Jared did (Ether 4:6,7). This knowledge of eternity is more valuable than the promised land of America the Jaredites arrived at. This knowledge is a glimpse into our eternal home. This is the real promised land.

“Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world……” (Ether 4:15)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Worlds by Greg Olsen)

THE WORD

 

Some years ago I fell into following a lovely lady on YouTube who had her own ministry in America.  She was inspirational and called herself ‘the cheerleader of your dreams’. She quoted a lot of scriptures but took many out of context and adapted them to her premise of ‘living your dreams’ and getting everything you wanted.

With time I realized her understanding of the scriptures was rather limited and even shallow because she did not understand the connection of most of them to the House of Israel concept, Christ’s Church or the Plan of Salvation. In other words, she didn’t understand them deeply enough. She presumed the scriptures were tailored to the individual and missed the bigger picture.

In the end her scripture quoting frustrated me because I knew better what those scriptures meant, not because I was smarter but because I had been exposed to additional scriptures we have in the Church which give us the complete truth. I became so grateful for the treasure trove of scriptures we have and the continuous revelation we believe in.

I reflected on all the people in Christendom who believe that the Bible is complete and who cry: “A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible” (2 Nephi 29:3). Christ called such people fools who supposed that the Bible contains all His words. Those who reject so thoughtlessly more of His words, reject Him.  

Just recently I read an absolutely excellent article printed in the January 1995 Ensign titled “Scripture Reading and Revelation” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. I could not possibly summarise here the wealth of knowledge and instruction given by Elder Oaks but there is something that stood out to me that I would like to share.

The premise of the article was gaining understanding of scriptures with what he called ‘open canon’, meaning the scriptures are open to greater understanding through revelation by the Holy Ghost and the living prophets, just to name a couple. I highly recommend you read this article.

The greatest proof of revelations of the living prophets comes to us through Joseph Smith. The Church has adopted these revelations into our theology and compiled them into Doctrine and Covenants. This set of scripture is actually an ‘open canon’ in a very important way because it continues to incorporate additional revelations as they come from the living prophets.

One example of this is one of my favourite sections in the entire Doctrine and Covenants, Section 138, which records the vision President Joseph F. Smith had of the Saviour’s visit to the spirit world during the three days His body lay in the tomb. This Section records the most powerful moment in time when the Saviour, having completed His crucible, came to the faithful in the world of spirits who awaited Him anxiously ‘rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death’ (v18).

When He appeared “….they bowed the knee and acknowledged the Son of God as their Redeemer and Deliverer….the radiance from the presence of the Lord rested upon them and they sang praises unto His holy name.” (v 23, 24)

This vision was accepted as scripture and added to the Doctrine and Covenants in 1918. The point is this. If our present prophet had a vision that the Council of the Twelve accepted as scripture and they added it to the Doctrine and Covenants, how would each of us feel about ‘open canon’? How we would feel would be a sure indication of how strong our testimony is of our present prophet.

When I study Doctrine and Covenants I know the icing on the cake is coming at the end. I know I will meet the Saviour there in Section 138 and I will cry tears of joy for the life He laid on the sacrificial table for all the faithful who love Him and accept His word.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by Land of Dreams)

A LAMP UNTO OUR FEET

 

There are two valuable privileges that we have in the Church that go together as well as bacon and eggs. I speak of the scriptures and revelation. This is my favourite subject and this is why, they both involve the heart to be understood. I have a personal testimony of this because I understand the scriptures more emotionally than intellectually.

I always thought we are all wired differently so my understanding comes differently to others but it would seem the operative word in the scriptures and revelation is ‘the heart’, which we all have:

“Revelation comes as words we FEEL more than HEAR. Nephi told his wayward brothers, who were visited by an angel, “Ye were past feeling, that ye could not FEEL his words” (1 Nephi 17:45). The scriptures are full of such expressions as: “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart” (D&C 8:2), or “Speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts” (D&C 100:5). There are hundreds of verses which teach thus of revelation.”  (Boyd K. Packer, in CR Oct 1994, p 77, Ensign Nov 1994, p 60)

But this is not all, something is needed of us who are listening: “Nephi teaches us, “When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth [the message] unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1). Please notice how the power of the spirit carries the message UNTO but not necessarily INTO the heart.

“A teacher can explain, demonstrate, persuade, and testify, and do so with great spiritual power and effectiveness. Ultimately, however, the content of a message and the witness of the Holy Ghost penetrate into the heart only if the receiver allows them to enter. (Elder David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning by Faith” [An Evening with Elder David A. Bednar], Feb 3, 2006] www.ldsces.org

It is obvious from these two quotes that we ultimately receive the most knowledge and understanding from the scriptures and revelation combined together with our willingness to receive and incorporate into our lives the truth that is given.

When Jesus taught the people of Capernaum, He taught them in parables. The Gospel of Mark says: “And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.” (Mark 4:33) Joseph Smith changed the word ‘hear’ in the Inspired Version to “bear’ ( v 33a). To bear something involves the mind and the heart.

What we are given in the scriptures is meant for all of us. In fact the Lord confirms this several times in the Doctrine and Covenants by saying: “This is my voice unto all” (25:16) and “I give unto you a commandment that what I say unto one I say unto all” (D&C 61:18; 82:5; 92:1; 93:49. The revelation that we receive though whilst hearing what He tells us adapts the needful application to each of us as we need it and tells us how we can utilize it. Unless we are open to the revelation that follows, we are missing out on the real purpose of the scriptures.

I see your eternal flame

in the deepest caverns of my heart.

Your words are a lamp unto my feet;

The pillar of fire that keeps me warm

The beacon of light that will lead me home.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art:  Light of the World by Douglas Bentley)

THE POWER OF BECOMING

 

If you want proof of what God can do with you, look no further than Joseph Smith.

In 1856 Emma Smith said this about Joseph’s literacy skills:

“When my husband was translating the Book of Mormon, I wrote a part of it as he dictated each sentence, word for word and when he came to proper names he could not pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out ….and one time while he was translating he stopped suddenly, pale as a sheet, and said, “Emma, did Jerusalem have walls around it?

“When I answered, “Yes”, he replied, “Oh! I didn’t know. I was afraid I had been deceived.” He had such a limited knowledge of history at that time that he did not even know that Jerusalem was surrounded by walls. He could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well worded letter; let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon.”   (Edmund C. Briggs, ‘A Visit to Nauvoo in 1856’, Journal of History, Jan 1916, p 454)

Emma acknowledged that Joseph possessed only rudimentary literacy whilst translating the Book of Mormon which was published in 1830. Fast forward 14 years to Joseph’s explanation of an anomaly in the English New Testament:”

“I have an old edition of the New Testament in the Latin, Hebrew, German and Greek languages. I have been reading the German, and find it to be the most [nearly] correct translation, and to correspond nearest to the revelations which God has given to me for the last fourteen years.

“It tells about Jacobus, the son of Zebedee. It means Jacob. In the English New Testament it is translated James. In the 21^st [verse] of the fourth chapter of Matthew, my old German edition gives the word Jacob instead of James…..the Latin says Jacobus, which means Jacob; the Hebrew says Jacob, the Greek says Jacob and the German says Jacob; here we have the testimony of four against one.

“I thank God that I have got this old book; but I thank him more for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have got the oldest book in the world; but I [also] have the oldest book in my heart, even the gift of the Holy Ghost.”   (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 349)

So instead of Peter, James and John, we in actuality have Peter, and Jacob and John, the sons of Zebedee. But what really blows me away is that Joseph had the New Testament in four different languages.

Here we have an almost illiterate man who could barely compose a letter to a man, reading Latin, Hebrew, German and Greek 14 years later. No formal education but something far greater…..the Holy Ghost: the testator, the revealer of truth, a member of the Godhead.

The Saviour calls the willing and the pure in heart and makes them great and capable of doing His work. He proved that when He told Joseph, an uneducated man who could barely read and write, that He would give him the words to translate the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 27:20). No education needed.

You cannot possibly read the Doctrine and Covenants and not see that Joseph would have become polished in his speaking and writing having had the companionship of the Holy Ghost to receive the revelations which he recorded. That superior intelligence of the spirit must have rubbed off greatly.  

Parley P. Pratt once said that the Holy Ghost invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man (Key to the Science of Theology, p 101). I am convinced he did this with Joseph.

The Saviour has sacrificed His all for us to be tutored, shaped, moulded and refined through the gift of the Holy Ghost so we can become like Him and inherit eternal life. He deserves all the honour and glory for what we eventually become. To Him belongs the credit for the riches of the Gospel through the man called Joseph Smith.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph by Ken Corbett)

HEAVEN'S VOICE

 

 

Since God loves all His children and wants them all saved, the very first chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants indicates that this book of scripture is a voice of warning to the entire inhabitants of the earth, that God will not be mocked and judgment awaits us all.

The major theme of this book is to prepare for that judgment. The word ‘prepare’ is mentioned over 90 times throughout this book of scripture.  

The message to the world is this:

1.      In this day and age where people at large, even in most corners of Christendom, believe that revelation has ceased, the Lord has parted the heavens once again and continues to commune with humanity. In verse 30, the Lord describes His Church as ‘the only true and living Church’. The Church has a life, because it has living prophets to administer to it through revelation. It does not operate on dead doctrine.

2.      It is an offer of sanctuary to anyone who will come out of the world, repent and enter into the covenants of salvation. Doctrine and Covenants basically says this to the world: I will return; these are the signs of my return; if you will repent and come into my kingdom and make covenants with me, they will lead you to salvation and life eternal. If not, you will reap the rewards of your deeds. The warnings and promises are the same for Church members.

It is amazing to me that a book which contains such strong warnings for our day and contains such important doctrine is judged and rejected so readily, and for one reason: it encompasses the history of the Church. This is a thorn in the flesh of non-members and inactive members alike.

When I was doing my University degree, I studied a lot of history subjects. One of my history professors told us one day to be careful about judging history. He said even though history is factual it is in reality subjective because it is written by humans from humans’ perspective.

Very often we tend to judge people and past events by today’s standards and we readily disparage those who are dead because they are not here to defend themselves. We have no idea what it was like to live 1,000 or even 100 years ago.

We don’t understand the cultural differences, limitations and difficulties people lived with and what impact that all had on their mentality and understanding of the human experience, just as they could not relate to the liberties and privileges of our society today.

When it comes to the Church, we cannot understand the cultural, religious or socio-economic impact of the 1800s on the society of its day.

We cannot relate to being tarred and feathered today where human rights are the rule of the day. We cannot relate to pushing a cart across our continent and leaving our dead children in the frozen ground along the way in a day where airplanes, trains and cars take us wherever we want to go. We cannot relate to not having supermarkets full of food and having to till the ground for our survival.

We do not know what went on in the hearts and minds of people who went before us. We only know what others could see of them and write about them. That’s history. Highly subjective. When I think of Joseph and all he went through from the age of 14 and now see what is written about him, it makes me want to weep.

Imagine the disbelief, the mockery, the aversion towards Joseph when he dared to tell others of his experience. God had parted the heavens and chose him to speak to! Not a professor, not a doctor, not anyone educated and on the pillar of society, but just a man, a humble man, a teachable man, a willing man. “Fools mock, but they shall mourn……” (Ether 12:26)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith at Saviour's Feet by Liz Lemon Swindle)

A PRICELESS GIFT PART 2

 

I wrote yesterday about the priceless gift the Saviour has given to His Church, that of the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This is why I consider it the greatest gift to me. My favourite section of the Doctrine and Covenants is Section 76. In it the Saviour gives us, the members of His church, an incredible promise. It is this:

“I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honour those who serve me….to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come….yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know….. yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man…….and their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven; and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish…. (v 5-10)

This promise is my holy grail. I don’t know if it is a curse or a blessing to be a deep thinker. I think deeply and I yearn to known the truths of eternity. For this reason, the Holy Ghost is to me a priceless gift because He has enlightened my understanding as I have searched the scriptures for many years. He is my revealer and testifier of truth.

And this is a wonderful thing, the promise ‘to know’ was not made to the leaders of the Church excluding the membership. This promise is to all.

Immediately following the receipt of this promise, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were privileged to receive understanding of the things of God, and upon meditation of the same, the promise was fulfilled by granting them a vision of the Father and the Son of which Joseph and Sidney bore record to the world (v 11-21-23).

The entire Section 76 is filled with amazing doctrinal knowledge which was revealed to these two men. Their entire experience was given to them for the purpose of bearing their testimony to the Church and to the world that God and His Son live, that they are real and that the Church contains the fulness of the gospel.

It is my belief that the Holy Ghost will reveal to us things of eternity according to our capacity to receive them and to the fulfilling our purpose in this life. If it is not necessary for us to have visions, we won’t have visions but we will receive understanding of things we did not understand before that will be of benefit to us in some way. It will serve a purpose.

The mysteries of the kingdom are many and varied. They are things we do not yet understand, hence the name ‘mystery’. As members of the Church, we understand many mysteries that people of the world do not, because of the ministry of the Holy Ghost,  and we will receive even more if we are but worthy.

We are privileged to study the Doctrine and Covenants this coming year. Knowing the true doctrine of Christ in this world of confusion, false ideologies and interpretations of men which are leading many astray, it is one of our greatest privileges to be taught by the Holy Ghost by whom we shall know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:5).

Joseph Smith once admonished the sisters of Relief Society thus: “…..If you live up to your privilege, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates…..”

When the Holy Ghost takes up his abode with us, he lifts us higher in truth which leads to greater righteousness and causes us to stand on higher ground. This is where the angels are…..

I think Joseph spoke from experience. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ascension by Danny Hahlbohm)

TO BE WILLING

 

 

“When Mary told Joseph that she was with child by the power of the Holy Ghost, his reaction was one not only of shock, of sorrow, and of dismay, but also of disbelief…..That he wanted to believe Mary, but did not, is shown by his determination ‘to put her away privily’ with as little embarrassment as possible.

He planned to give her a letter of divorce in the presence of two witnesses only, as the law permitted, rather than to make the dissolution of their contract to marry a matter of public knowledge and possible gossip. It must have been at this point that Mary sped hastily to Hebron to find comfort in the arms of Elisabeth.” 

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 331-2)

Mary stayed with Elisabeth in Hebron for three months. We may well suppose that Joseph struggled with his problem during that time until he received the revelation from angel Gabriel who appeared to him in a dream testifying of the divine paternity of Mary’s expected child.

In Elder McConkie’s words: “As with all men, his [Joseph’s) faith and his willingness to submit to the divine will in all things [had to] be tested.” (ibid)

This submission to God’s will would have to have been Joseph’s greatest trial of faith. That he passed the test with flying colours is evidenced by his guardianship and care of the Christ child and His mother.

What relief and elation Joseph must have felt when he was assured of Mary’s condition. It meant she was still his but he must have envisaged that fathering such an important child that was not his own would mean he would tread a difficult road.

Receiving confirmation of the path we should follow in life is one thing but following that path is another. Receiving is sometimes the easy part and following, the hardest because it means you are conforming to God’s will instead of your own.

On a lesser scale than Joseph’s, but also of eternal significance,  is our commitment to follow the revelations we receive:

“After you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel his love and hear the word of the Lord, ‘go forward’. Don’t fear, don’t vacillate, don’t quibble, don’t whine….with the spirit of revelation, dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet…..

“Therefore, let not your hearts faint….Mine angel shall go up before you…and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land (D&C 103:17-20)……What goodly land? Your goodly land. Your promised land. Your New Jerusalem. Your own little acre flowing with milk and honey. Your future. Your dreams. Your destiny.”

-        Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, BYU Speeches ,  March 2, 1999

Next time you hear the voice of revelation, do not retreat, because you might just discover how very important you are…..to yourself….and to someone else.

 

When God called,

So willing was your spiritually tender heart

No forces of hell could sever you

from your appointed path.

 

The guardian of my youth,

The obedient servant of the Lord,

Thou art Joseph

The valiant son of God. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Mary and Joseph by Rose Datoc Dall) 

ROOT AND BRANCH

 

During His visit to the Americas the Saviour quoted two prolific prophets from the Old Testament. We usually focus and remember His references to Isaiah but  equally important are His quotations of Malachi.

Who can forget Malachi’s four iconic teachings:

·        Comparing the Saviour to a ‘refiner and purifier of silver’ in that great day when He comes to judge the world, to cleanse us through His Atonement like ‘fuller’s soap’ and prepare us to stand pure and spotless before the judgment seat (Malachi 3:2-3; 3 Nephi 24:2-3; D&C 128:24; see also Mormon Doctrine, 2^nd ed [1966], 624);

·        The promise that payment of tithing and offerings can open the windows of heaven and pour out revelation from God on the faithful who are willing to so sacrifice (Malachi 3:10; The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, ed. Clyde J Williams [1966], 206);

·        The promise that you can become a jewel in God’s crown if you remain faithful and thus have your name recorded in the book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16,17);

·        And this great promise: the great Elijah who would come to restore the priesthood keys that would seal families together and allow them to be complete – both root (ancestors) and branch (posterity) (Malachi 4:5,6). If not so, the purpose of this earth which was created for exaltation of human families would come to naught and the whole earth be wasted.

Imagine the tragedy of this:

In a Church general conference Elder Rudger Clawson of the Quorum of the Twelve related a marvellous manifestation received by one faithful Salt Lake Temple worker in which the status of married couples in the spirit prison who have not been sealed for eternity in a temple was revealed:

Upon one occasion I saw in vision my father and mother who were not members of the Church, who had not received the gospel in life, and I discovered that they were living separate and apart in the spirit world, and when I asked them how it was that they were so, my father said, "This is an enforced separation, and you are the only individual who can bring us together.  You can do this work.  Will you do it? - meaning that he should go to the House of the Lord and there officiate for his parents who were dead, and by the ordinance of sealing bring them together and unite them in the family relation beyond the veil.

"Temple Manifestations"  p. 77, 89, 131

"The story of Elijah's return can be found in D&C 110.  Obviously, there is no need to wait for him any longer.  This became the subject of conversation between Elder LeGrand Richards and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek.  Elder Richards had just dedicated the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden on the Mount of Olives.  After the ceremony, the two conversed as they ate their lunch:

Elder Richards said:  "Mayor, I want to tell you something".

"What's that?" asked the Mayor.

Looking Mayor Kollek directly in the eye, the apostle said:

"Ten years ago I was here in Jerusalem and one day I went into three synagogues and hanging up on the wall in one of them was a large armchair.  I asked the rabbi what it was there for (I knew but I wanted him to tell me, which he did).  He said that it was so that if Elijah comes 'we can lower the chair and let him sit in it'.  Now Mayor, I want to tell you something and what I tell you is the truth.  Elijah has already been.  On the third day of April 1836 he appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple".

The Mayor said:

"I guess I better tell them to take that chair down."

(LeGrand Richards, Beloved Apostle, p.301)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Elijah Appearing in the Kirtland Temple by Dan Lewis)

DIVINE REVELATION

I am so fascinated with the overpowering administrations of the spirit experienced by people in the Book of Mormon who went through miraculous conversions. The most worthy of mention is Alma. The next such conversion we learn of is that of King Lamoni, his queen and their servants during the missionary labours of Ammon amongst the Lamanites (Alma 18:41,42; 19:13,15,16). So powerful was the spirit that it could not be contained in their natural frames and they lay on the ground as if they were dead. When Ammon saw ‘the sprit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren….he was also overpowered with joy’ and lost consciousness (Alma 19:14).

I personally don’t know of anyone who has been overpowered by the Spirit of the Lord to that extent. The most fascinating thing is that the king and the queen and the servants had learnt of the nature of God during their experience. They reported that they had conversed with angels and had learnt of God’s goodness and His righteousness (Alma 19:6, 34). King Lamoni reported he had even seen his Redeemer (v 13). This is indeed divine revelation.

My favourite section of the Doctrine and Covenants is section 76. Right at the beginning is the most divine promise the Lord has made to us of these latter days. The promise is that He will honour those who serve Him in righteousness and in truth to the end by revealing all mysteries of His kingdom and the wonders of eternity…. that our understanding will reach to heaven and that we will be so enlightened by His power that He will make known unto us ‘those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man’ (D&C 76:5-10). Does this not blow your mind??? This promise was spoken of anciently through the prophet Joel through whom the Lord said: “And it shall come to pass…that I will pout out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28).

These scriptures indicate to me that it is our responsibility to seek divine revelation, not just for ourselves but to aid others in understanding Gospel truths. It is our right to receive it as members who have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost. In President Nelson’s words: “The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children….” (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, General Conference April 2018).

Being worthy of course is the key: “As long as the spiritual eyes are single to the glory of God – that is, as long as they are undimmed by sin and are focused solely on righteousness – men can view and understand the things of the Spirit”. (McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:240)

Increased spiritual capacity leads to more and more understanding of eternal truths until we come to receive the greatest promise: “……the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him”  (D&C 88:49). If we are not used to receiving revelation and understanding the things of the spirit, how can we ever comprehend God? And which one of us does not want that?

I cannot fathom

The greatness of Thy Godhood.

I can scarce contain who You are

In the hollow of my lacking heart.

I am so small

And you are so vast;

Endow me with wisdom,

Endow me with might,

Help me to comprehend

Beyond the ages of the wise.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Radiance of Divine Revelation by Ivan Guaderrama)

HERITAGE OF JACOB

 

 

 

Isaiah has, once again, tugged at my heartstrings today. I have understood for a while now the law of the Sabbath and the direct blessings that stem from it, namely: divine protection, temporal plenty, and spiritual power. However, Isaiah chapter 58 has taken this to another level for me.

 

Isaiah referred to the sabbath day as ‘the holy of the Lord’ (v 13).  Holy means to be sanctified or be set apart for the work of God. This again I knew because Sabbath day is the day of sanctification. So important did Jehovah consider this concept that He made non-observance of the Sabbath, anciently, punishable by death to symbolise spiritual death that would come from abstinence of sanctification. 

 

Isaiah added another blessing as a promise for Sabbath observance when he said the Lord would cause us ‘to ride upon the high places of the earth’ (v14). Since mountains and high places of the earth have anciently always been sites of revelation and communication with God, this would suggest that keeping the Sabbath holy would entitle us to the same. But this is what caught in my throat as I read the finish of that sentence: ‘….and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father’ (v14). As ‘heritage’ comes from the same root as ‘heir’ and ‘inherit’, it means only one thing: exaltation, even as our righteous father Jacob, or Israel, the father of our covenant, has received it (D&C 132:37).

 

This is not all. Chapter 56 says that anyone who observes ‘sabbaths’ will be exalted. Anciently, all Israel’s festivals and feast days such as Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, the day of Atonement and the weekly sabbath day were grouped together under the term ‘sabbaths’. Jehovah referred to the observance of these sabbaths as ‘taking hold of my covenant’ (v6), meaning that these sabbaths embraced the entire Mosaic law. It is obvious then that sabbath observance alone does not guarantee exaltation but the observance of the entire law of the gospel does.

 

I have heard it say that the extent of our Sabbath day observance is a good indication of our devotion to God the Father and His Son, who laid the foundations of this earth in order that we might ‘ride upon its high places’ and be fed with the ‘heritage of our father Jacob’. This is a devotion that is for the serious followers of Christ. This is a devotion for those who truly love Him and the Father who sent Him.

 

I have no life but this

To follow the path to Thy throne

To be greeted with a holy kiss,

And know the reality of such bliss.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: As I Have Loved You by Greg Olsen)

THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY

 

 

I have one thing to say about brilliant Isaiah, a statesman, a prophet, a poet, a psalmist, a visionary, the mighty seer…..it is impossible not to feel the strength of his testimony of the God he called the Holy One of Israel. Consider verses such as these:     

• Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation (Isaiah 12:2);
• O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou has done wonderful things…….. thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat……(Isaiah 25:1,4);
• As for our redeemer, the Lord of Hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 47:4).

Isaiah’s testimony permeates his entire book and references to it are too many to mention here. Why is this important? Because the words of Isaiah are plain ‘unto those who are filled with the spirit of prophecy (2 Nephi 25:4) and the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 19:10). Many of us are reluctant to study Isaiah because of his reputation that he is hard to understand. It is true that knowing the historical background and the manner of prophesying amongst the Jews is most helpful in this endeavour but the depth of our understanding of Isaiah comes from the depth of our testimony of Jesus.  

Listen to the Saviour’s invitation: “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord……the people in whose heart is my law: Great are the words of Isaiah….search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (Isaiah 51:1,7; 3 Nephi 23:1; John 5:39). When we reach the depth of understanding concerning prophecies of Christ, we will become like Nephites of old and be able to say: “…we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ….” (2 Nephi 25:26). And may we also LOVE CHRIST. 

 

How much You must love those

Who proclaim Thy holy name.

Thy prophets, Thine everlasting friends,

Thine angels who herald

Thy gospel and Thy name;

To the ends of the earth they speak

And their words forever remain.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Road to Emmaus by Liz Lemon Swindle)

DIVINE ORIGIN OF MAN

 

There is a Ridley Scott movie entitled "Exodus, Gods and Kings". I was excited to see this movie as it has been many years since the last depiction of Moses' story which was "The Ten Commandments". Even though "Exodus, Gods and Kings" was a very well made movie I felt it was very much lacking in spirit. I do not know if Ridley Scott is a religious man or what his motivation was for making this movie which was dedicated to his late brother. The insight I gleaned from my observation of this movie is not in line with criticism of his work. My insight has to do with the depiction of Moses and his non-existent relationship with God. This Moses was portrayed as someone who knew not God and as a result doubted Him at every turn. As I contemplated this, I reflected upon Moses' encounter with God, the account of which we have in The Pearl of Great Price. The Book of Moses in The Pearl of Great Price records that God who introduced Himself to Moses as 'the Lord God Almighty' (Moses 1:3) addressed Moses as 'my son' and proceeded to do so more than once inferring a paternal relationship. 

 

God gave Moses the vision of all the worlds He has created and the purpose of this earth. This is followed by the most powerful statement God has ever made: "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The majestic I Am who created the earth that Moses stood on considered Moses and all who dwell on this earth His greatest creations. And not just any creations, but spiritual offspring of divine origin.

 

I wondered if Ridley Scott's Moses would have been different if he had read The Pearl of Great Price. As I pondered more about this, a familiar scripture came into my mind: "And because my words shall hiss forth - many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible" (2 Nephi 29:3). Would we know better of Moses and the origin of man if we despised revelation and rejected further words of God? Are we grateful for additional scripture that sits on our bookshelves? Are we studying with real intent the words of eternal life that are at our disposal? God said something else very significant to Moses: "And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they [the lost words] shall be had again among the children of men - among as many as shall believe" (Moses 1:41). 'Another like unto thee' is of course Joseph Smith (2 Nephi 3:7-9) who gave us the Book of Moses as a result of revelation whilst translating the Bible in June 1830. How much the adversary had to gain by having the Book of Moses lost from the Bible! But the work of God cannot be frustrated and the enemy will never win. 

 

 

Your truth pierces my soul

And binds me to Your loving heart.

Your teaching moments

Find my hungry mind

And feed me like a bird in flight

Searching for a morsel

That gladdens its hungry heart.

Your mysteries are laid at my feet

And I, I come to you Father

Clutching these riches that are mine to keep.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

ART: From the video dramatization of J. R. Holland, “Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence” (BYU Devotional Address, 2 March 1999).