THE RECOMPENSE OF GOD

 

Our beginning on this earth through Adam and Eve is an incredible witness that God’s purposes cannot be frustrated and that His success is imminent and without fail.

Something wonderful happened to Adam and Eve after they buried their hopes and dreams and plans for their righteous son Abel. He it was that was groomed by his parents to be the heir of the Priesthood and thus become the presiding high priest over the kingdom of God on earth. He was to succeed his father and become the head of a whole new cultural pattern of righteous living that would take the humanity on a different path than what was up to that time established by Satan among the children of men (Moses 6:15).

Only those parents who have buried their children after an unjust death would understand the deep sorrow experienced by Adam and Eve when they lost Abel. These parents, I believe, will be compensated for their loss, just like our first parents were, sometime, somewhere, somehow.

Adam was 130 years old when Eve had another son. This was the golden boy that replaced Abel. He was tutored and taught the science of righteous living and gave his parents cause to have hope for the future. This was Seth who in every way resembled his father Adam. The Lord in modern revelation said this of him: “Seth was a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father….and could not be distinguished from him only by his age.” (D&C 107:43)

This was the compensation, the recompense, the reward for all our first parents suffered because of their children: “Seth lived a total of 912 years (ibid v 46), and during his long ministry he saw the Church of God become a great organized power for good among the children of men………. Seth prophesied and preached repentance for 840 years. As a result, many who would have otherwise grown up in wickedness caught the vision of faith which his daily conduct and sermons portrayed (Moses 6:23). (W. Cleon Skousen, “The First Two Thousand Years” p 132)

Seth, the recompense and the beginning of the patriarchs.

Some years ago I had a memory from my pre-earth life. I was sitting with the Saviour and He was saying to me: “I will save you and make up for everything”. My life to this day does not resemble any ‘make-up’ but I still believe in the promise. If not in this life, then most assuredly in the next, and the next life is what truly matters to me. In the meantime, all glory be to His name for the greatest recompense He has given me…..the close association I now have with Him and our Father….and that to me is the greatest reward I could possibly have.

May you, who are in your sorrow, believe in Him who has the power to say: “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten……… (Joel 2:25)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Acquainted with Grief by Jenedy Paige)

A SALVATION ASSURED

 

“Over long eons of time in the premortal realm the Saviour proved faithful and dependable and honourable in every commitment, every responsibility, and every charge……He never deviated from the mark, never slacked in his performance, never shrank from his word.

“He kept every command with exactness; he discharged every duty with precision; he was ‘not slack concerning his promise’ (2 Peter 3:9). His promises were  ‘ immutable and unchangeable’ (D&C 104:2). As a result, his spiritual credit was rapidly escalating until it was pure gold, even infinite in value.”  (Tad R. Callister, “The Infinite Atonement, 80)

Elder Callister goes on to say that the laws of justice (meaning the Father) recognised the Saviour’s Atonement as a surety long before it became a reality. He recognised and accepted it because Christ’s pledge and covenant was one of perfect integrity. What’s more, we all knew it too. This is why we could with a surety sustain Him as the author of our salvation for “there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it” (Abraham 3:17)

The Saviour’s commitment and integrity is not the only thing we relied on. His perfect knowledge, wisdom and power was undeniable. A massive mission such as the salvation of the whole host of heaven had to be trusted to one no less than a god. Because of His perfect knowledge and foresight, our salvation was sure.

There are a couple of scriptural examples in the Doctrine and Covenants which demonstrate this clearly. The first is found in Section 1 which suggests that the Lord called Joseph Smith as the prophet of this last dispensation because He knew the difficulties we would face in these last days (v 17).

Another example which is rather startling involves the loss of the 116 pages of manuscript of the Book of Mormon translation involving Martin Harris. Even though this event occurred in 1828, the Saviour inspired Nephi in 570 B.C. to compile a small set of plates and instructed Mormon in 385 A.D. to include those small plates in his records. Neither Nephi nor Mormon knew why they should do this but they trusted Him who knew. The Restoration and the Book of Mormon were secured because of the work of Him who promised us our salvation cannot and WILL NOT be frustrated.

The Saviour has knowledge of the beginning to the end (Abraham 2:8). Without our understanding that He has all knowledge, we could not exercise faith in Him and be assured of our salvation.  He does not miscalculate, nor is he startled over the events of this life or our thoughts and actions. Rest assured…..He has it covered.

Is there anyone greater than this man we call our God…???

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Light of the World by Mindi Oaten)

MERCIFUL REDEMPTION

 

“I once heard a child tell the parable of the lost sheep in a way that stirred fresh thoughts about who the lost sheep is. A little girl so tiny that we could barely see the top of her ponytails over the pulpit told the story in a sacrament meeting….She said:

“There was once a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. He loved his sheep, so he counted them every day. One day he counted: ‘……ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine.’ A little sheep was lost. The shepherd went to find him. The little sheep was far off in the rocks and bushes. He was frightened and lonely. The shepherd went to find him. The little sheep heard him and was glad. He said: ‘Baa-aa’. The shepherd came and found the little sheep. He picked him up and carried him on his shoulder back to his mommy. Then he counted again: ‘…..ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.’ All the sheep were safely home.” (Bruce C.  Hafen, “The Broken Heart”, p 37-8)

Elder Hafen said that it dawned on him as he listened, that he was the lost sheep, that those he knew and loved were the lost sheep, that the people in the Church were the lost sheep, indeed he said we are all lost sheep…..because of our first parents, Adam and Eve who “were cast out of their garden of innocence into the lone and dreary world, and ‘out in the desert they wandered, hungry and helpless and cold’ (p 38).

The Atonement has so many facets that it is difficult at times to grasp it all. Perhaps the most important  would have to be Christ’s power to redeem us from The Fall. Having been removed from the Father’s presence, we are born strangers and pilgrims on this earth (D&C 45:13) but the Saviour’s Redemption means we can one day be restored to our former home.

The greatest scriptural symbol of Redemption is Ruth, a lowly woman of Moab who married an Israelite. She was a convert to the Lord, God of Israel ‘under whose wings she had come to trust’ (Ruth 2:12). When her Israelite husband died and left her with no children, Ruth became one of the lowliest of the earth, devoid of security or livelihood. When she returned to Bethlehem with her mother Naomi, she consented to a ‘levirate’ marriage with Naomi’s next of kin, as was the custom in Israel.

Through a levirate marriage, the woman was provided with children and restored to security and society and brought back to the family home. Here is where things become interesting. The Hebrew word for a man who would step up to this responsibility was GO’EL. The King James Version of the Bible translates it as simply ‘kinsman’ but the proper and literal meaning of GO’EL is ‘redeemer’ (Rasmussen, “Introduction to the Old Testament”, 1:157)

Ruth’s GO’EL was Boaz. Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer and restorer of all she had lost. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, who was the progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ.

Consider for a moment how Christ redeems us from our fallen state and restores us to the presence of the Father and our eternal home. The Saviour himself affirms His role as the GO’EL when He refers to himself as the bridegroom and us, Israel, as the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; D&C 33:17; 65:3; 88:92; 133:10). He is the greatest GO’EL of all….. the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Hope of Israel, the Shepherd who leads home all that are lost.

Elder Hafen tried to imagine how he would feel if he was found unworthy on Judgment Day to return to Father’s presence. He said he didn’t think he could stand a longing for eternity that could not be fulfilled (p 88). I am of certainty that I would feel like Cain of old who said when he was banished from God’s presence to be a vagabond on this earth: “My punishment is greater than I can bear.”  (Genesis 4:13)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Guiding Them Home by Yongsung Kim)

RUTH, A SYMBOL OF REDEMPTION

 

This is a story of the beautiful life of a simple woman from Moab called Ruth.

 

It is said by oral tradition that women in ancient Israel lived with a hope that the Messiah would come through their line. Ruth from Moab had no blood of Israel running through her veins.  She was a convert to the Lord, God of Israel ‘under whose wings she had come to trust’ (Ruth 2:12). When her Israelite husband died and left her with no children, Ruth became one of the lowliest of the earth, devoid of security or livelihood. When she returned to Bethlehem with her mother Naomi, she consented to a ‘levirate’  marriage with Naomi’s next of kin, as was the custom in Israel. Through a levirate marriage, the woman was provided with children and restored to security and society. Here is where things become interesting. The Hebrew word for a man who would step up to this responsibility was GO’EL. The King James Version of the Bible translates it as simply ‘kinsman’ but the proper and literal meaning of GO’EL is ‘redeemer’ (Rasmussen, “Introduction to the Old Testament”, 1:157)

 

This is how Ruth, a lowly woman of Moab became the symbol of Christ’s redemption: Her GO’EL was Boaz, an Israelite kinsman of Naomi. Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer and restorer of all she had lost. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, who was a progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ…… Consider for a moment how Christ redeems us from our fallen state and restores us to the presence of the Father, AND grants us eternal posterity through His power of exaltation. The Saviour himself affirms His role as the GO’EL when He refers to himself as the bridegroom and us, Israel, as the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; D&C 33:17; 65:3; 88:92; 133:10). He is the greatest GO’EL of all….. the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Hope of Israel, the Rock of our Salvation. 

 

I will follow Thee my God and My All

When I can see no more;

I will trust in Thee

When all hope flees;

I will praise Thy name

When I am left without ease.

I will nurture the seeds of my faith

With tears of my affliction,

Yet will I look up to heaven

And believe in Thy throne;

I will trust in the strength of Thine arms

To lift me and carry me home.

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist Unknown)

OUT OF MERCY AND BY WISDOM

As I study the scriptures I am continuously amazed about two things: 1. how merciful the Saviour is and 2. how incredibly wise He is. The Book of Mormon is replete with examples of both of these attributes of the Saviour but none more powerful than the restoration of the Church borne out of His mercy and accomplished through His wisdom. Following the Saviour's death and that of His apostles we learn in 1 Nephi chapter 13 that the efforts of 'the great and abominable church' destroyed the converting power of the Bible which gave Satan great power and caused many to stumble and be in an awful state of blindness. Bruce R McConkie has stated that 'all organizations of whatever name or nature - whether political, philosophical, education, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious - which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 137-38) fall in the category of 'the great and abominable church'.

The corruption of the Bible lay not only in interpretations of various men but in alterations and substantial deletions by "local churches of gentile composition, into whose hands the [Gospels] came at an early time [in the 70's and 80's A.D.] (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol. 7, Ch 2, p 26-7). The translation of Hebrew text to Greek "presented further problems such as scholastic incompetence and theological bias of the translators which caused them to change the meaning or paraphrase texts that were either unclear or embarrassing to them. Concrete terms in Hebrew came out as abstract terms in Greek. Expressions about God deemed by the Greek translators to be crude or offensive because they described Deity as the Holy Man that he is, rather than the immanent spirit they supposed him to be - were changed or toned down or deleted entirely. Passages setting forth the so-called anthropomorphic nature of Deity were simply assumed by the translators to be false and were translated, paraphrased, and changed accordingly...(Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p 403).

When Nephi wanted to know the things his father had seen (1 Nephi 11:1) he was not only shown the meaning of Lehi's dream but was given a panoramic vision of this world to the end of time (see 1 Nephi 14:18-30). Nephi was devastated when he saw the future of the promised land and the slain of his people (1 Nephi 15:5) but the Lord told him that his people will be the means of blessing the Gentiles who stumble in darkness because of the loss of the plain and precious things from the Gospel of the Lamb. He had devised a wise plan to counteract the cunning of the devil and He told Nephi about it: "I will manifest myself unto they seed, that they shall write many tings which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, an also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb. And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation" (1 Nephi 13:35-6). These writings of course became the Book of Mormon. Twice in this chapter the reason for this wise plan is preceded with "I will be merciful unto the Gentiles" (vs 33, 34). And God in His mercy employed His wisdom to carry out this plan beginning with a very important man.

This man was Christopher Columbus and what an amazing and godly man he was! He must have been given the mission to discover the new world and the remnant of 'Lehi's seed' before the foundation of this earth for the Lord made all the knowledge available to him in preparation for such an important task. What was the purpose of him discovering this new land? For the restoration of the plain and precious truths hid in a hill which had been lost from' the record of the Jews' (1 Nephi 13:23) and to bring the Gentiles out of 'the awful darkness' according to Christ's mercy (1 Nephi 13:32, 34). It needed to be a new land for the gospel to be restored for "if the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation [America], it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchial governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of this great kingdom. The Lord has done this" (President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], p 409). Speaking in his own words of his role in discovering a land that would offer religious freedom to all, Columbus said:

"From my first youth onward I was a seaman and have so continued until this day....The Lord was well disposed to my desire, and he bestowed upon me courage and understanding; knowledge of seafaring He gave me in abundance, of astrology as much as was needed, and of geometry and astronomy likewise. Further, He gave me joy and cunning in drawing maps and thereon cities, mountains, rivers, islands and harbours, each one in its place. I have seen and truly I have studied all books - cosmographies, histories, chronicles and philosophies, and other arts, for which our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my emprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed, But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me (Jacob Wasserman, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, pp 19-20, 46)

Speaking of the importance of the land of America and Columbus' role in its' discovery Orson Pratt, an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provides additional interesting insight:

"In those early and perilous times, our men were few, and our resources limited. Poverty was among the most potent enemies we had to encounter; yet our arms were successful; and it may not be amiss to ask here, by whose power victory so often perched on our banner? It was by the agency of that same angel of God that appeared unto Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the history of the early inhabitants of this country, whose mounds, bones and remains of towns, cities and fortifications speak from the dust in the ears of the living with the voice of undeniable truth. This same angel presides over the destinies of America, and feels a lively interest in all our doings. He was in the camp of Washington; and, by an invisible hand, led on our fathers to conquest and victory; and all this to open and prepare the way for the Church and kingdom of God to be established on the western hemisphere, for the redemption of Israel and the salvation of the world.

This same angel was with Columbus, and gave him deep impressions, by dreams and by visions, respecting this New World. Trammelled by poverty and by an unpopular cause, yet his persevering and unyielding heart would not allow an obstacle in his way too great for him to overcome; and the angel of God helped him - was with him on the stormy deep, calmed and troubled elements, and guided his frail vessel to the desired haven. Under the guardianship of this same angel, or Prince of America, have the United States grown, increased, and flourished, like the sturdy oak by the rivers of water (Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol 6, p 368, July 4, 1854)

I hope there was a degree of comfort in Nephi's heart, despite the destruction of his people, when he was shown the glorious future of the promised land and the power that would come upon those who embraced the covenants restored through a Gentile of the seed of Joseph (2 Nephi 3:7-15). His vision of the Church of the Lamb of God should also give us comfort amidst the evils of our day. Nephi saw that the saints' numbers in our day were few and that the devil gathered together multitudes of people among all nations to fight against the Church of God. There is, however, one thing that the multitudes who fight against the Church do not have while the saints do:

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory" (1 Nephi 14:14).

We are the covenant people. We are endowed with God's power with which we can defeat armies and nations who fight against the Church and will do so because the Kingdom of God will prevail, never to be taken from the earth again. The scriptures describe the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church as 'a great and a marvelous work' (1 Nephi 14:7, 3 Nephi 21:9). The Church is, however, not an empty constitution but an active institution of people without which it would not flourish. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained that the significance of the Church is two-fold:

"This church, the great institutional body of Christ, is a marvelous work and a wonder not only because of what it does for the faithful but also because of what the faithful do for it. Your lives are at the very heart of that marvel. You are evidence of the wonder of it all" (in Conference Report, Oct 1994, 42; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, p 32)

Remember: Satan might be marching with his armies to steal, kill and destroy but he does not have the power on his best day to take you out on your worst day....

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee,

but with great mercies will I gather thee"

3 Nephi 22:7

THE DAY OF THE HUNTER

The prophet Jeremiah preached to the Kingdom of Judah for 40 years attempting to avert the impending captivity that eventually left Judah's land desolate. So seeped in sin and idolatry, Judah, like Ephraim and the 10 tribes, lost sight of the God they once promised to worship and serve. It would seem they needed the experience of captivity to discover them that this is indeed the god they wanted and not the dumb idols of heathen nations that they came to bow down to. The 10 tribes came to their senses quickly and were led by the hand of Jehovah into obscurity until such time that He would bring them back. Judah on the other hand became a very zealous nation for its God whilst in captivity to Babylon. They realised as their homes were left desolate that the prophets were right all along and that they needed to abandon image worship and return to the one true and living God. So zealous were they in their devotion to Jehovah's law that they became slaves to the numerous rules of conduct that went beyond the law itself. Out of this zeal different religious factions were born such as Pharisses and Sadducees which ensured strict observance to the overwhelming number of laws and rules that were invented. Up until the Babylonian captivity, scriptures were only read on special occasions and on the sabbath. Once Judah was taken into captivity this changed and scriptures began to be taught to the general public on regular basis by another factious group called scribes. Over time the Jews in Babylon began to adopt the language and culture of the Chaldeans forgetting the Hebrew language. This necessitated the assistance of scribes who read and interpreted the scriptures to them. "Through the years, each religious group - scribes, Pharisses, Sadducees and others referred to the written word, quoted it, enlarged upon it, interpreted it, and in other ways continued to add to what their fathers had established. The commentaries, explanations, interpretations, and inferences became known as oral tradition. In time, these traditions, written and oral, took on so much importance that they often overshadowed the law and became a stumbling block for the Jews" (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings - Malachi, p. 262). This is the condition in which the Saviour found them when He made His appearance as the awaited and promised Messiah.

"....A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not." (Jeremiah 31:15)

Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, the mother of Israel, is here depicted lamenting over the loss of her children which she longed for and which were given an inheritance in the household of God; once a chosen people, now lost in captivity (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 255). And they would be lost forever if not for one thing: the everlasting love of a God who never forsakes and abandons and never breaks the covenants which He has made; a god of mercy, a god of love, a god who fulfills his promises. As the Jews entered exile, the Saviour made a promise that He would bring them home to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity (Jeremiah 29:10). True to His word, 70 years later to the day, King Cyrus of Persia, raised by the Lord for this purpose, ended the Babylonian rule and released Jews from their captivity giving them a charge to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. And herein lies another testament of Jesus' endless love - after the time of Christ Judah endured another exile that would last for centuries but once again the Saviour of all mankind does everything in His power to reclaim that which is lost.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel, and with the house of Judah....this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel...I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God and they shall be my people.....for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Preceding the Saviour's second coming, a latter-day gathering of the scattered Israel will take place in three phases: the gathering of Israel to the land of Zion, the American hemisphere; the return of the Ten Tribes from the countries of the north; and the reestablishment of the Jews in Palestine as God's chosen people (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 254). The Lord will accomplish this work through the restoration of His Church. Israel will be gathered and return to the land of their fathers 'with weeping' (Jeremiah 31:9) 'because they will realise that the sufferings they have endured throughout the centuries came about because they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall lead them in the last days' (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 255). The Saviour, with everlasting love and willingness to always forgive will lead them as they come out of obscurity to once again possess their blessings: "I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9)

 "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks." (Jeremiah 16:14-16)

In Jeremiah's day, most fishing was done with nets and so was in Peter's but Peter was no ordinary fisherman, he was called to be a fisher of men. Peter fished with his nets and brought in 3,000 converts on the day of Pentecost. In like manner the early converts of the Church used nets to fish and bring in multitudes of converts: Wilford Woodruff converted more than 2,000 people in eastern states of America and British Isles; The Twelve under the direction of Brigham Young converted over 6,000 people in Britain between 1839 and 1841 and Parley P. Pratt who repeatedly baptised in excess of 100 people wherever he stopped to preach. But after the fishers, the Lord promised that He would send many hunters. Hunting, unlike fishing with nets, is more precise work. It is not usual practice to hunt a heard but individual animals, 'from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks' (Jeremiah 16:14-16).... Is not the day of the hunter here as we seek for the honest in heart who want to become the pure in heart? Are not our missionaries searching with precision individuals who desire to know the Lord? Are we not labouring endlessly seeking out our ancestors and those who have gone before us to bless them with saving ordinances necessary for salvation? We are hunting in His name by day and by night so that not one is overlooked who seeks to know Him and come unto Him for He will go to any length and any depth and any measure to find that which is lost.

A PLACE OF REFUGE

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law; and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem".   Isaiah 2:2-3


The central theme of Isaiah's prophecies is the destruction and restoration of the House of Israel. Because of this, many of his prophecies had dual meanings. The beauty of his writing is not in the destruction of Israel, nor in his repeated call to repentance but the restoration of the splendor of Zion which would come about in our day and which Isaiah saw with prophetic clarity. He, as a prophet and seer, who witnessed the iniquities of Israel in his day, also witnessed the calamities and wickedness of this dispensation which could easily have weighed heavily on his heart yet what comes through his works the most is the beauty of Zion and the Millennial day. No dispensation of earth's history has ever had as much as we have. The Kingdom of God established to no more be destroyed, with all the rights of the priesthood, a true and only path to the salvation of man. I wonder if we know how incredibly important we are in the history and preservation of Israel and its spiritual destiny. We, of the tribe of Ephraim, the modern Israel, are the hope of the world as we progress the Kingdom and offer to the children of men a refuge from the storm.

The 'mountain of the Lord' spoken of by Isaiah refers to the restoration of Christ's church in this the last dispensation. President Harold B. Lee said: "The coming forth of His Church in these days was the beginning of the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy when 'the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains'" (Conference Report, Apr. 1973, p. 5). Elder LeGrand Richards has said: "How literally (Isaiah 2:3) has been fulfilled, in my way of thinking, in this very house of the God of Jacob right here on this block! This temple (Salt Lake), more than any other building of which we have any record, has brought people from every land to learn of his ways and walk in his paths" (Conference Report, Apr. 1971, p. 143)

The question begs to be asked, are we spiritually sensitive enough to recognise the storms of from which we need protection or are we in our comfort zone being politically correct with the rest of the world that calls 'evil good and good evil' (Isaiah 5:20)? Do we long for the Millenial day when they that are proud no longer 'grind the faces of the poor' (Isaiah 3:15) and we co-exist in Zion splendor where all are equal in possession and stature? Do we strive to protect our children from the influences which are beckoning and threaten to destroy the moral fibre of our society? Do we appreciate and treat the Church as the spiritual haven that it is for ourselves and our families? If we don't recognise it as such now, there will come a day when we will be forced to. I know not of any more powerful words than these uttered by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, which he spoke at the Manti Temple in April of 1987:

"Before the Saviour comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time where even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these walls. The Saints will come here not only to do vicarious work, but to find a haven of peace. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake...

We will not be alone in our temples...

The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death, we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm; we will mount up as on eagles' wings; we will be lifted out of an insane and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and clear as the moon.

When the Saviour comes He will honour His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple-loving people. They will know Him.

Our children will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep, and bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials known to man.

Let us prepare them with the faith to surmount every trial and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples".