VIDEO: Come Follow Me Insights with Taylor and Tyler with Book of Mormon Central | Doctrine and Covenants 88 | August 9-15

Come Follow Me Insights (Doctrine and Covenants 88, Aug 9-15) – powered by Happy Scribe

I’m Taylor and I’m Taylor, this is Book of Mormon Central’s Come, Follow Me Insights today, Doctrine of Covenants, Section eighty eight.

Now to jump in, we want you to see something that’s kind of I think it’s a beautiful contrast on the actual physical scripture page over here on page one. Sixty four of the English doctrine and covenants, we have section eighty seven and you could see that it says Revelation of Prophecy on War over here, section eighty eight. It says it was designated by the prophet as the olive leaf plucked from the Tree of Paradise. The Lord’s message of peace to us.

Huh? That’s interesting. We have this civil war prophecy that is going to find fulfillment beginning in eighteen, sixty one. And over here you have this message of peace that is given beginning two days later. So this one was on Christmas Day, December twenty fifth and then on the twenty seventh, the twenty eighth and then a week later on January 3rd is where we’re going to get the last set of verses. You get this beautiful revelation on peace signifying the olive leaf.

No, I apologize to those of you from an international audience outside of the United States. But I’m going to to demonstrate something with our one dollar bill in the United States. If you turn a one dollar bill to the back and you can you can Google this, you can look up the great seal of the United States and you can see this image of this eagle. And you’ll notice in the Eagles left hand talons, the eagle is holding 13 arrows in the right Talon.

He’s holding a branch with thirteen olives and thirteen leaves on this olive branch. Interesting. You also have 13 stripes on the Eagles shield and you have 13 stars above the Eagles head. And you have a banner in the Eagles beak with thirteen letters. And those letters are E Pluribus Unum, which is a Latin phrase to mean from many one. It’s that it’s this symbol of the United States where you take these different groups of of collections of people in these states and from many, we’re going to unite them and make them one.

What do they become united in? They become united in their war. Those arrows, they become united in their piece, that olive branch. They become united in their defense. They become united in their seeking of knowledge and wisdom and light from the stars and the truth that comes fascinating that the olive branch, the olive leaf, the olive is this symbol of peace. And it has been for for millennia. Why is that? You know, the olive tree is a fascinating one because it’s one of the few that you can cut a branch off of the tree and if you plant it just right and and give it the right conditions, that branch will actually grow a root structure and become a tree.

But it won’t become a tree that is producing fruit for many years, sometimes 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 years before you get your first olives off of the trees. Well, in antiquity, what happens when a conquering army comes in?

Well, you want to build to destroy the ability for the people who may have been rebelling to rebel again. And so you would throw salt in the fields. They can’t grow crops and you would cut down the olive trees. And at this point, you’re now looking at half a generation or maybe a full generation before you have all of us again. And we won’t go into it all. But all of us were core to the Mediterranean diet, medicine, healing light.

There’s just so many reasons that olives were so crucial. In fact, you and I, we’ve been to the Middle East. We’ve been to Israel. You can go to the garden ceremony and near the church of all nations. And there are olive trees there that are upwards of a thousand years old, possibly fifteen hundred years old. And so these trees can grow for a long time and produce an enormous amount of fruit. You’re not going to get that with an apple tree or grapes now or corn or wheat.

You get you get this beautiful symbol of the olive and this olive branch that here in section eighty eight after this prophecy on war. Now you get this prophecy of peace where the Lord says don’t don’t be troubled by all of the prophecies of the pending destruction and war and rumors of wars that are coming. Let me give you something beautiful to hold on to. And as we jump in to section eighty eight, can I just say now, this is just my opinion, I’m not I’m not speaking with any kind of authority here.

This is from my perspective alone. I can’t find a section of scripture anywhere that is more lofty and more profound than Section eight. It is. It’s mind blowing. How how incredibly cosmic and deep this theology is. These ideas are. It’s the kind of section where you really don’t need anyone to give you a lot of background. You can just jump in and start reading section eighty eight because there’s not a lot of story line that you have to know about.

Not a lot of background context. You can just start reading and you see God pouring these huge ideas into into our minds, through the Prophet Joseph. And by the way, look at the date once again. It’s December twenty seventh. Eighteen thirty two. Joseph, four days before this just barely turned. Twenty seven years old, a twenty seven year old early American frontiersman is giving us this section from the Lord that is mind blowing. I love section eighty eight.

And if you look at other scriptures, as you were pointing out, there is nowhere in all the other scriptures and all the can in the Bible The Book of Mormon that has this type of content on the concentrated, concentrated and concentrated collection of incredible ecological insights and truth. In fact, I find it really intriguing that this revelation was so grand, so vast. It took three days, but December twenty seventh and then it got late at night. And Joe Smith is like because he’s there with a bunch of high priests, about ten or eleven, the high priest who gathered together to discuss, like, you know, the coming of the Lord and they’re like, it’s time for us to go to bed.

So they get up the next morning and the revelation continues. God’s like I got more to teach you. And then another week goes by and you get January 3rd. And even after that, there were a few more verses. The last few verses got revealed later. At some point, we don’t know exactly when and got included. But I just think, you know, I’m pretty happy if I can feel the spirit while I’m praying, but I’m not sure I’ve ever had in my life where I actually was having like three or four full days of revelation and had to tell God to be quiet so I could get the bed.

Beautiful. So for the the big overview section eighty eight, verse one through one sixteen. Is this cosmic theology. It, it is so big, it is so beautiful and it is so profound, especially for eighteen, thirty two as as we’re getting ready to close out that, that year and open eighteen thirty three that new year. You’ll notice that then the second part, verse one seventeen. Look at the very first word of verse one. Seventeen.

It’s therefore so he gives you all of this incredible mind blowing teaching and then he says therefore because of that, now here’s what I want you to do. And then he gives you the remaining part, which is the very practical, very down to earth. Here’s how I want you to apply all of that knowledge that I just gave you, that light and truth. And you’re going to build up a house and we’ll talk about that. That’s going to turn into that Kirtland temple and you’re going to build the School of the Prophets.

Those two things come out of this practical part of the section and some very specific ideas of what to do with the school and profits in the building up of that house. So with that foundation, let’s dove in our section eighty eight verse. Start with verse three. He begins by telling them wherefore I now send upon you another comforter. Even upon you, my friends. Don’t you love it when the Lord calls these these high priests and Joseph, my friends, that it’s not my servants or or my people in this context, it’s my friends.

What’s interesting, if you actually look at the use of friend from God saying that to people throughout scripture, there usually is a covenant or context. So yeah, God has servants, but those who have proved themselves faithful over time become his friend. And so there’s almost like this peer relationship and then eventually sons and daughters. It’s and it’s all this covenantal experience that God wants to be fully with us.

So that progression is beautiful from servant to friend to son or daughter. So it’s fascinating to me to look at scripture and to look at practicalities of life. God loves everyone that is not in question. God loves everybody regardless. But those who are loyal to him, who take that love and those covenantal obligations that he gives us out of love, those commandments and those commitments, and we keep them and we serve him, then we get to this level where this group of people have arrived, where he can say, you’re my friends.

And then you continue Voyle in that part of the Covenant relationship and you fully become his his adoptive son or daughter.

So we know that Abraham is probably the first person we have in scripture who’s called the friend of God and his children of Abraham. He’s a model for all of us. I would include Sarah in this. Abraham and Sarah are friends of God. And that that’s invitation that we all have. And we’ve shared this before about the word comforter. If you take out the middle of that word, it’s the word for it, we all know a fort is a place of strength in the combe actually means with.

Or it’s even intensifier, sometimes I’m going to add another word here, you might remember Emmanuel God with us, right in Hebrew, the word M means with and I actually see comforter and Emmanuel as very similar words that Emmanuel, God with us, comforter, God with us. But he’s he is strengthening us by being with us. So when you read these verses and look about the description, look at the description of the Holy Ghost and Jesus God, they want to be with us and they want to give us strength and we all need it.

That’s beautiful. This this whole idea of the comforter inversed three and four is is calling to our mind the speech that Jesus delivers to his apostles at the Last Supper in John, Chapter 14 in the Greek there the word paroquet. You could look that up. There’s a lot of research on Paroquet and this comforter promise and what that paroquet is that he’s with you. He’s that strength with you. It’s really powerful, really profound. So he’s promising them this comforter to his friends that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise.

Which other comforter is the same that I promised on to my disciples as is recorded in the testimony of John. So that would be in chapter fourteen. This comforter is the promise which I given to you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom. And we’re going to talk more about the celestial kingdom a little bit later here. And then he tells you that that glory is of the church of the firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all through Jesus Christ, his son.

Now, notice this next verse. It’s beautiful symbolism where he shows you how Jesus Christ and his various positions affect his capacity. Look, five or six, he that ascended up on high as also he descended below all things in that he comprehended all things that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth. So here’s Jesus, who we’re told in this has now ascended above all. And why was he able to do that?

Because he had first descended below all he has encompassed all. There is nobody who is outside either having sunk lower than him or gets exalted higher than him. Nobody is. It is without exception. All are contained within these these symbolic arms of Jesus Christ encircling us. He’s the beginning. In the end, he he he is above all and below all things. His great condescension allows him then to make that great ascension to heaven. And isn’t that interesting that he who was a God before the foundation of the World’s John chapter one, verse one in the beginning was the word and the word was with God in the word was God.

So a God then condescends comes down below us all so that he could then exalt us. So the reason he had to go below us was so that he could lift us up and not just lift us up, but really understand us, succor us, run to us, get us understand exactly what’s going on with us.

He also encompasses us and again, you get this word comprehend. And years ago I used to think comprehension simply or to comprehend, simply meant to understand, which is one of the definitions. But the real meaning of comprehend means to contain that only God can contain all things. We cannot contain God because we we aren’t. We’re in his container, which he has created.

So to tie this all in verse three down through verse six and this this promise of the comforter, remember, looking for this comforter is the promise which I given to you of eternal life. It sounds like what that the doctrine that many of you may be familiar with called the calling an election made sure that back in the 1970s and 1980s, that was a really big deal in the church. And unfortunately, some people made such a big deal of it that they looked beyond the mark of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And they saw for that, which was too fantastical. And in the process, many people ended up losing their their membership in the church and their their faith in the Lord. Trying so hard to. Better than good. So we have to be careful when we get into this into these discussions that you keep your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and moving forward on his covenant path, line upon line, precept upon preceptor, not trying to run faster.

And you have strength.

And I’m glad the tellers laid it out this way because the phrase calling an election, we should just break it down. Thank you for holding that column and election. So there’s a covenant path. Think about the tree of life, people following that path with the rod of iron and God is symbolized Jesus is symbolized by the tree. So imagine Jesus is there calling to us. Hey, do we choose to be gathered? If you press forward and we all struggle at times we fall, sometimes we wander off the path for a bit, but if we keep listening for his call and keep choosing to be gathered, that’s what’s going on.

I actually find it really interesting that the underlying word here of lact actually in the original language means to gather. Really fascinating. In fact, you had mentioned a few minutes ago, you talked about Jesus and John, one is the word, the Greek word for word is logoff or logo’s. Just trust me on this one. The Greek word logos and the word elect actually come from the same root word. And it’s when you’re speak, you’re actually are gathering words to share.

So God, in the phrase of being the word as actually the logos, the one who gathers to be elect means one who has gathered. Now all of us are called. How many of us actually allow ourselves to be gathered? How many of us, step by step, just do the simple basic things of I may go to church and partake of the sacrament, I’m going to seek today to try to repent and try to forgive the gospels. Not complex.

Isn’t that isn’t that beautiful and fascinating that Jesus calls us? He has elected us, which means he’s voted for us, he’s put his confidence in us, he’s he’s with his words, he’s calling to us to gather to him. Now, the question is, can we make that sure. Can we say yes? All of this confidence, all of this effort that he has put in to me and you, we can make it sure and we make it sure by moving forward step by step on that covenant path.

You don’t have to be better than good today. You don’t have to be Superwoman or Superman in the gospel. You just have to be loyal to the Lord and you have to repent and change your heart and change your mind and keep relying on God as we move forward. Section eighty eight is filled with a handbook of how to do this, this step by step gathering for us and our loved ones with some very lofty ideas. So let’s pick it up.

Look at four seven. Which truth? Shyness. This is the light of Christ is also he is in the sun and the light of the sun and the power thereof by which it was made. Now you’re going to see as he takes you through these various elements of the cosmos, how he Jesus is the light whereby they are able to function and be be what they are. The sun Jesus is the light of the sun and the power there by which was made verse eight as he is in the moon, the light of the moon and in the stars, verse nine.

And in the earth also the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth. All of these things. Jesus is the real light source. None of these things are independent of him. Hmm. Makes you wonder if maybe there’s a connection to humans as well, none of us is independent of the light source, the giver of life and watch how watch how the light and life get connected in throughout this section. Look at verse 11. The Lightwood shyness, which gives you light, is through him who enlightened us your eyes, which is the same light, that quickness, your understandings.

Did you notice how there’s an external light, there’s a physical scientific light, these these photons, these rays of light that are visible or that can bring life to plants and to the to the earth, the elements on the earth. But then there’s the light that is unseen, the light that’s inside. The light, that quickness, your understanding’s. Look over 12, which light procedures force from the presence of God to feel them, to feel the immensity of space, there’s no part of space that doesn’t get affected by this power emanating from God using this this analogy of light stuff.

And think about this for a moment here. You have human beings and there is out there in space, you get this giant void with all these planets and stars and everything that’s out there. And he’s saying, my light fills the immensity of that space. The fascinating thing is if you get microscopes strong enough and powerful enough and you go not to the macro level, because there’s where you draw telescopes, but now if you go the other direction now, if you go microscope and go in, scientists will reveal that most of what’s here is space.

Most cellular structure and most down at the atomic level is wide open space, with some electrons orbiting a nucleus. So you’ve got this inner space and you’ve got the outer space. Here’s my point. There is no space, either macro or micro, either out there or in here that isn’t directly affected by the power of God that comes through this light that permeates all space. So rather than having this be just an astronomer astronomy lesson or this big cosmic mind blowing experience, the goal is that when we finish with Section eight, we walk away not just seeing the hand of God, but feeling the presence of God, filling the majesty of God, moving not just among the stars and the planets, but among my thoughts and my feelings that he’s he’s giving me life.

Look at verse 13, the light, which is in all things which give us life to all things. You’ll notice it’s in it’s not external. That light that that is symbolized externally. It becomes a part of us, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sent us upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, and who is in the midst of once again, all things. Now we get agency.

We can choose to not like that. We can choose to not respond to the light. Somebody can shine things on something and reveal truths to us. And then we have a choice. We can reject that and say, no, I’m not I’m not taking that. I’m not going with that. Or we can choose to respond to the light that comes from God, those those expressions of his love and his power and his knowledge and his grace and his goodness.

And we can be loyal to that and continue moving forward on that covenant path, trusting him. Or we can think that we’re smarter than him or embrace darkness rather than light. That will come up a little bit later in the section. Now, look over 15. This is this is monumental. The spirit and the body are the soul of man. So this is the first time we get this concept introduced in scripture where when we use the word soul from here moving forward in this context, we’re referring to both the body and the spirit.

Now, be very careful that you don’t take that knowledge that is restored in eighteen thirty two to Joseph Smith and then superimpose it backwards in time onto every previous prophet in every previous scripture, because you can find lots of scriptures in the Bible and even The Book of Mormon where they use the they’re using the word soul to be more equated with the spirit, which is more of the traditional understanding of that word. I think the significant addition we’re getting here is to say don’t hold past prophets hostage to this to this new insight, but take this new insight.

And as you move forward, recognize that your soul, my soul, is comprised of body and spirit. Why is that powerful for me? I’ll just give you a little old Tyler’s opinion here for a minute. I love this because it gives power to the eternal nature of what we will be in the resurrection body spirit combined. Why? Because sometimes if we’re not careful, we demonize the flesh. We demonize the physical body.

Well, it’s interesting what you’re talking about here in the ancient world, the Greeks and some Greeks, some Jews actually found that the body was a problem, that we might all agree the body has issues. We get sick, we get tired, we get hungry. It falls apart and eventually dies. And there were certain groups of some Greeks and some Jews and others around the world who felt that their purpose in life was to punish the body, punish the flesh.

And it ended up creating quite a few problems for them individually, for their families, their communities. And God does not ask us to punish ourselves, but to discipline. Think about fasting. Now, as a kid, I felt that was a form of punishment, but it was a way of disciplining to allow my soul to be in charge of my body and my spirit.

Beautiful this combination of the two. So rather than seeing your body as evil or bad or dirty or unclean. Rather, seeing it as an integral part of your soul and stop and think about the fact that the most wicked people we have record of in scripture, the most evil, vile of all. They never had a body. Satan and all of his followers up in the primordial council, all they were was spirit. So rather than demonizing the body, I love this concept that the soul is the perfect combination of body and spirit.

It’s beautiful. And then verse 16, The Resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul and the redemption of the soul is through him. That quickness, all things and whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.

So this word, quick or quick, and it shows up right there at the end of the Book of Mormon or Moroni says he’s talking about his commanding people to God. The judge of both quick and dead and this word quick actually has a definition most of us don’t think about, it means to be alive. So it’s not simply about running fast, which it can mean that, so when he talks about quickening, it’s he makes alive all things, which is what we just read a few verses ago, that the light of God is everywhere and provides life to all things.

And what does the adversary want to do? He wants to take that light all to himself so that other things die away. And he has now stolen all the light and love from God. But he can’t do that. God’s not easily. Now watch. Now watch as God opens up our understanding of the actual earth, the physical earth on which we live. So we’ve been told back here that Jesus is the light of the earth, the means whereby it even lives.

Notice at the bottom of verse 17, we’re told that the meek of the earth shall inherit it, the earth looking for 18. Therefore, it must need to be sanctified from and righteousness that it may be prepared for the celestial glory for after it has fulfilled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God, the father. So this earth on which we live, this planet, this dirt and rocks and air and water, it’s going to be perfected.

Why verse 20 bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever for for this intent, was it made and created and for this intent? Are they sanctified? I love that the progression that God shows us that the Earth is going through the same process for a planet, a level of perspective as you and I are as children of God, that it is going to one day become purified, sanctified, made completely whole, and it will become the celestial kingdom for those who attain unto the celestial kingdom.

And he’s going to talk about that. Now, watch this look a verse. Twenty one, they who are not sanctified through the law, which I have given unto you. Even the law of Christ must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom or that of a celestial kingdom. So he’s given a law and if we can’t abide that law, then we can’t abide that kingdom. Look, first, twenty two for he who is not able to abide the law of the celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.

Some people wonder, well, why doesn’t God love all of his children so much that he brings all of them into his presence, again, into a celestial glory? It’s it would be an unjust and unfair God to do that, so in verse twenty two, three, twenty six, you get his kind of his description of filling the measure of our creation and God trying to do everything he can to help us abide the law without taking away our agency so that we can receive we can become like him.

And then you’ll notice he he shifts down in verse thirty to people who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory, and then in thirty one, a portion of the tea, less glory and then verse thirty two, they who remained shall also be quickened. This is outer darkness, sons of Perdition. People who have lived on this earth, they who remain shall also be quickened. They’ll also be resurrected, brought back to life. Nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place to enjoy.

Notice the wording here. To enjoy that which they are willing to receive because they were not willing to enjoy with that which they might have received. So everyone who was born on the earth is going to get resurrected and you have the celestial, the terrestrial and the terrestrial people, those kinds of laws that they were able to to uphold. But those who couldn’t even uphold the Telstra law, they will be given a resurrected body. But they are going to go now to enjoy that which the wording once again, that which they are willing to receive.

Brothers and sisters, the willing to receive has far less to do with this, and it has far more to do with covenant, connection, covenant, loyalty to God, they weren’t willing to do that. So now they’re going to enjoy that which they are willing to receive because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received.

We have the story from numbers in the Old Testament, the Israelites around the wilderness. They’re getting bit by snakes and God commands Moses, create the brazen serpent and raise it up and have people look at it and I will kill them. God did not force anybody. Agency was fully alive and uncompromised and some people said that’s way to easy. I cannot imagine looking at a fake snake on a pole is going to save me and any one of us might find ourselves in a similar situation.

God has now raised up his son, Jesus Christ, and all we need to do is to look to him. Are we willing to look to him? And sometimes there are people out there like that sounds way too easy. Salvation should be way harder than other people. They get discouraged or they fall off the covenant path and feel like there’s no way they can be saved. And they start to doubt their own lovability from God and they become unwilling to receive.

So the invitation that God is insistently offering all of us is that his love is everywhere, his life is everywhere, and just receive it, accept it, and keep coming back to his table of delight, the sacrament table every single week and wherever you might be. You’re always, always welcome back at the table of God.

Love that. Love that tender look over thirty three. I had a neighbor growing up who was a dear friend and a mentor to me in so many ways. At Kearney he used to quote S.A.T. It was thirty three to me all the time. Whenever he would be giving a gift or something that he’d grown in his garden tonight we can’t take that. He would always quote the eighty eight thirty three, which is a beautiful concept for giving gifts between humans.

But in the context of Section eighty eight, it’s a beautiful concept in the cosmic level of God saying I am trying to give you a gift, the celestial law, I’m giving it to you. It’s a gift. Look over thirty three now. Four. What does it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him and he receive not the gift. Behold he rejoices not in that which is given under him. Neither rejoices in him. Who is the giver of the gift?

If you look at in this, look at this verse in this context, God saying I am offering you this gift of my celestial law and if you don’t receive it, then you don’t rejoice in it and you’re not going to receive the verses. And I don’t rejoice in having been able to offer it to you. Which to me. Is is an interesting concept, there is nothing that little old Tyler Griffin can do to repay the Lord Jesus Christ or our heavenly parents for for the life that they’ve given us.

I can’t repay them. But what I can do. The one thing I actually can do is to receive the gifts that they’ve given me and to recognize from whence they came and to value them and to value life and to value loved ones around me and to do everything I can to move forward and encourage others to move forward on that covenant path and accept the glorious gift. That is what our missionaries are doing every day out in the field is there trying to help people recognize this this beautiful gift given to them by God in in packaged in his son, in the power of his son, in the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ that allows us to become who we need to become and thus partake of all of these additional blessings that come as a result of keeping those covenants.

We might remember. In fact, I think this is crucial that the word law, we all think it’s like this legalistic thing that we’re all going to get in trouble if we break it in a biblical context. Law simply means covenantal instructions. God’s instructions to us for how to be in covenant with him, so whenever you see law in the scriptures, you can remember it’s God’s covenant instructions, it’s his instructions that he gives us. How to get Blessing’s beautiful, that’s all it is.

Look over three, four, and again, I sent you that, which is governed by law, is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same. So if you’re governed by law, then you’re preserved by the law. The covenant goes both directions. It’s not just God saying, what can I make up to to fill their time? What can I get them busily working on like I do for my kids on Saturdays?

Maybe, maybe a little bit like that. Look over thirty five that which breaks a law and abideth not by law, but seek it to become a law unto itself and willing to abide in sin and also together abideth in sin cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice nor judgment. Therefore they must remain filthy. Still, sisters and brothers. I don’t know how to emphasize this more. God loves you. But what we’re trying to build here is our ability to be trusted by God, our ability to receive more from God, not not say, well, he loves me so much, he’s just going to save me anyway.

It doesn’t matter what I do, it does matter what I do. It matters a great deal what we do in order to not abide in sin, but rather walk in his light and his law and his love.

This word by it is an interesting one, it’s not one that we typically use in English, but if you look at the root meaning of abide in the etymology, it actually comes from the word to trust to have confidence. Let’s read that those who trust in sin and altogether trust in sin. I mean, if you just translate that into the more apparent meaning of what a bite is, how many of us actually want to trust in saying I’d rather trust in God and his light and his goodness, and that’s a God who seems like you have a choice.

On one hand, you can fully trust me, on the other, you can trust in the opposite of what I am, and that is you can choose to trust and you can build an entire apparatus of your life and systems and institutions and groups and sociality that reinforce that level of trust in Ensign. Or you can be on the covenant path and follow covenantal instructions and receive everything that I have to offer and become like me and fully partake in all things that’s beautiful.

And he goes on to say, all kingdoms have a law given and there’s no there are so many kingdoms. There’s no such thing as space out there that isn’t occupied by some sort of a kingdom. Look over thirty nine. All beings who abide, not in those conditions are not justified for intelligence. Clevis Unter intelligence. Wisdom receives wisdom. Truth embraces truth, virtue, love with virtue, light clevis under light, mercy have compassion and mercy and claim the throne.

Justice continues its course and claims its own judgment goes before the face of him who sits upon the throne and governors and executes all things. Are you noticing a pattern here? As a little child is born and as it starts to develop and grow physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. As you learn certain principles of living and you abide by those principles, it then sets you up to learn higher principles and you get more skilled, more knowledge, more intelligence and light as you are true and faithful to those lesser elements that you’ve already received.

I love that progression and that idea that you know what? I don’t have to be perfect today. I’m just going to do what God has asked, which is put one foot in front of the other on that covenant path and change, repent and and move forward in faith, trusting in the Lord to help me keep his covenantal instructions that he’s given me to a greater degree today than I did last week or last month or last year. Look over 40 one.

He comprehends all things. What’s the percentage? They’re all pretty inclusive and all things are before him and all things are round about him. And he is above all things and in all things and is through all things and is round about all things and all things are by him and of him, even God, forever and ever. Goodness gracious. I don’t know if there’s a verse that is more beautiful to just show in this one verse the the all encompassing nature of God.

There is there is nothing you and I do or think or feel or desire that is outside of the realm of God’s knowing about it and and being aware of exactly who we are, where we are, what we’re doing. Notice verse forty two again verses into. He has given a law unto all things by which they move in their times and seasons and their courses are fixed. Even the courses of the heavens and the earth which comprehend the Earth and all the planets.

You’ll notice the sun, the moon, the stars. They don’t have a lot of choice. They don’t have a lot of agency. But you and I, we do. We were put in these environments and then given laws, but unlike the planets and the stars, we don’t have to abide those directions that are given. We we get to decide what to do. Look at verse forty seven or forty six until what shall I like in these kingdoms that you may understand.

Behold all these kingdoms and any man who has seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in His Majesty and power. I don’t know about you, but for me the goal isn’t just to be inspired by the wonders of the creation out there in the cosmos and to say, wow, I’ve seen the hand of God now because I’ve seen that it’s to translate that macro outerspace vision of God. Into the micro inner space to see the hand of God moving in, his Majesty, not just in my life, in increasingly trying to have my hand and my words and the way I see things become more and more and more in line with the way the Lord Jesus Christ sees things or would say things or would treat people.

But it’s also to look for that majesty in other people. It’s the the concept from Mother Teresa of Calcutta when she says on one occasion, the concept that she shared was she looks for the face of God in everybody she meets. And I believe that she said she’s never once been mistaken. She’s been able to see the face of God in everybody she’s met. She’s looking for this this goodness of God quickening everybody and everything around her. And in the process, she’s seeing the hand of God.

That’s a beautiful concept with your family members or with loved ones and your extended family or in your ward or neighborhoods or in colleagues at work. Sometimes it’s easy to see the bad and the struggle. But I love the concept of looking for the hand of God, moving in majesty and power to change and to look for the good wherever possible and to accentuate that in whatever way that that is possible. Now notice the transition into verse forty eight. I say unto you he has seen him.

Nevertheless, he who came onto his own was not comprehended. He who came under his own, obviously being Jesus who came to his own people and he was not comprehended. They didn’t get him. They didn’t understand what they were seeing. He just clarification on that. In forty nine the light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God being quickened in him and by him. Let it not be said of you and me that the Lord came into our life or into our family or into our circle of influence, and his light shined in the darkness, into the dark corners of our life, and we comprehended it not.

We either turned a blind eye to it or we didn’t recognize it, or worse yet, we rejected it because we’re more comfortable over in the dark. That would be a sad conclusion. It’s almost it’s almost like that verse is showing us this distinction between knowing about Jesus versus knowing Jesus, recognizing facts and details about his life and being able to pass a multiple choice test regarding Jesus versus knowing Jesus, recognizing him, hearing him as we’ve been invited by our profits to do to tune our ear more closely so that we recognize more quickly, more readily when he is when the voice of the Good Shepherd is calling after us.

Then you’ll notice he transitions into this parable, which is interesting because parables were used extensively by Jesus in the New Testament to teach the setting side by side of the concrete everyday stories that were set side by side with abstract, more difficult to understand concepts, powerful teaching technique. Well, here you get this long parable. He introduces an inverse 50 by saying, then shall you know that you have seen me, that I am and that I am the true light that is in you and that you are in me.

Otherwise you could not abound. Behold, I will liken these kingdoms on to a man having a field and he sent forces servants into the field to dig in the field. And then you’ve got these servants 12 different hours when they’re out working. And he promises them that if they’ll go work in the vineyard, he’ll come and spend time with them and visit them. And he goes to the first one for that first hour and then the second for the second and so on and so forth to the 12th hour.

The idea being God is going to come to us according to his timing. It’s not according to ours. We don’t tell him when and how to do things. We can make requests. We can plead with him for things. But at the end of the day, we have to trust him and his timing of when he comes. Now, as you finish that parable, look over sixty two and sixty three and let’s apply it to us today right here in the twenty first century.

For 60 to again, verily, I said, you, my friends, I leave these things with you to ponder in your hearts. Isn’t that beautiful? He just told this parable about servants going out. And now he turns to this group surrounding Joseph and he says, Now, my friends. You’re out here, you’re serving, but you’re serving at a higher level. You’re my friends and I want to leave you with this thing to ponder in your hearts with this commandment, which I have given unto you, that you shall call upon me while I am near.

That’s profound. He’s saying, recognize when I’m near, recognize when I’ve come to you, when it’s when it’s a time or a season when I’m laboring directly with you, it’s your turn in the in the the ministry, in the field, in the work, whatever, where you want to word that when I come to you look over sixty three, draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you. Seek me diligently and you shall find me.

Brothers and sisters, we live in a world that wants instantaneous answers, instantaneous solutions and no ambiguity. We live in a world that says, oh, so I’m supposed to draw near and I’m supposed to seek him diligently and I’ll find asking will receive knock and it’ll be opened. So we think, OK, I’m just going to kneel down and ask these really difficult questions and he’s going to answer them. And if he doesn’t answer, I’m going to get upset.

That’s kind of the the overarching mindset of our world is we want we don’t want to have to wrestle. We don’t want to have to be labor things over time. Did you notice in verse sixty three that he made a lot of promises, but he didn’t put a time stamp on any of them. He didn’t tell you how long you were going to have to seek or how long you were going to have to ask, or how long you were going to have to knock.

And for some of you with some of your situations, it’s pretty quick. You recognize something, you go to the Lord and then the answer is given. A resolve comes and you bear a song away and it’s beautiful and it’s quick. But there are some of you who sit in a sacrament meeting and you listen to other people bear testimony or you sit in meetings or lessons where people share experiences, where these kinds of things have happened. And then some of you were sitting there thinking, what’s wrong with me?

I’ve been pleading, I’ve been fasting, I’ve been praying. It’s my fondest desire. I have been reaching for the heavens for decades for a particular blessing. And it hasn’t come yet. I love the fact that verse sixty three makes promises of the outcome, but it doesn’t make promises of the timing of that outcome. Verse sixty four. What story you ask the father in my name, it shall be given to you. That is expedient for you.

Did you notice that? It will be given to you that is expedient for you, that is the most beneficial, that is the best case scenario for you. So instead of shaking our fists to heaven in frustration when we don’t get what we want, when we want it, perhaps these verses would invite us to bow our heads and say, Lord, I really from my perspective, this is what I need. This is what I want, and this is how I want it.

And this is when I want it. There’s nothing wrong with asking that. But at the end of the day, the covenantal loyalty and the that connection with this being who has called us his friends is to trust him, that he knows what he’s doing. He knows when it comes to timing and when it comes to magnitude of answers, he’s got a best case scenario for us. And what we’re doing when we ask, when we seek, when we knock is we’re opening up that door from our angle for him to then give us those blessings when it’s the best timing and the best fit.

From his all encompassing knowledge and view and perspective, some of you have perhaps seen the inspirational message produced by the church called Good Things to Come. It tells the story of elder and Sister Holland when they were younger and headed back east from Utah to go to school and had some pretty major car troubles along the way. It’s a delightful short video. In that message, elder Holland teaches this idea that for those who love the Lord who serve him good things to come.

For some they come early, for some they come late, and for some they don’t come till heaven. But he invites us and he even pleads with us in that talk, in that video to keep walking, keep asking, don’t give up, those good things will come in the Lord’s timing if you’ll trust in him. Now, look at her, sixty seven, if you’re I.B. single to my glory, your whole body shall be filled with light and there should be no darkness in you.

And that body, which is filled with light, comprehends all things. You’ll notice where he starts it, your eye being single to his glory. It’s we’re looking to God for the light of truth. We’re not looking to the world for the false fake light that that lacks power, that lacks endurance for sixty eight. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your mind becomes single to God and the days will come that you shall see him for. He will unveil his face and you shall be in his own time, in his own way, according to his own will.

Did you notice that three times. His own. His own. His own. It’s not our own. We make requests, but then we trust and we trust some more. And then we trust some more. Verse sixty nine, he gets pretty specific on some things here, remember the great and last promise which I have made until you cast away your idle thoughts and your excess of laughter from you, Terry. Terry, in this place, in a solemn assembly even of those who are the first Laver’s in this last kingdom.

So he’s asking those first labors, the ones who went out first to call solemn assembly. Bring them. Let’s gather them. And I’m going to teach you. Versus seventy three, behold, I will hasten my work and it’s time did you notice the pronoun I will hasten my work and it’s time and he’s allowing his friends to help him assist in that work. I love that promise. Now we go to the the calling for seventy four I give under you.

Who are the first laborers in this last kingdom. A commitment to us. Symbol yourselves together and organize yourselves and prepare yourselves and sanctify yourselves. You purify your hearts, cleanse your hands and your feet before me that I may make you clean. He wants this is a group that is pure to go and do his work where they they are able to let their thoughts be focused more on God and less on the profane, less on the things of the world.

And they’re there in their hearts, focused more on God as well. Now, look at verse seventy six, also, I give you a commitment that you shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth. And a commitment in seventy seven that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom. Now, keep in mind, 18, 30 to this is the very end of the year, we’re getting ready to go into eighteen, thirty three.

Most of these church members have been members for a year or less. The church is growing quickly and most of them aren’t extremely well learned or rich or famous or any of that. And God is teaching them what he wants them to do. And it has nothing to do with the the world’s accolades or the world’s positions or titles. These are things that every one of us can do, whether you have money or not, whether you’re a man or a woman, whether you’re old or whether you’re young, whether you’re black or white or bond or free, all are alike under God.

I love the fact that as he’s teaching this, he’s giving hope to all of us. Look over seventy eight, teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you. Did you notice that take the very best you have. Stop trying to be better than good. Don’t compare yourself to other people, don’t don’t be overwhelmed by who you’re not yet, just be you do your very best to teach diligently whether that’s in the church or my favorite application of all of these principles is in the home, teach you diligently and migration, attend you and you that you may be instructed more perfectly.

And what notice the list in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the Gospel, in all things that pertain under the Kingdom of God that are expedient for you to understand. And he doesn’t stop there. He then gives you the curriculum for seventy nine of things, both in heaven and in the earth and under the earth, things which have been so now we’ve covered astronomy, we’ve covered biology, we’ve covered geology. We’ve covered history things which must shortly come to pass these things which are coming to pass this current events, understanding the world in which we live, things which are home, things which are abroad, and the wars in the perplexities of the nations and the judgments which are on the land and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms.

Wow. This is a pretty all inclusive curriculum. He’s asking them to become experts and you’ll notice he didn’t just say sit down and study your scriptures in this. What is going to be called the School of the Prophets, these elders who are coming in to be trained. He doesn’t just want them reading their scriptures. He wants them knowing everything they can wrap their mind around. Everything is meaningful to God. Any amount of knowledge you gain, that is truth, really.

Truth, not just public opinion, is encapsulated in verse seventy nine, seventy eight and seventy nine.

I find this particularly inspiring because we live in a world where truth is far more accessible than ever before. That was a caution. There’s a lot of misinformation. So we should always as a brother have encouraged just seek after reliable sources and as an as an idea. I spent some years in graduate school and the particular school I was at had a library system of about 12 million books. I mean, just an enormous amount of material that no one person could ever consume in one lifetime.

And since that time, the Internet has exploded and there’s so much information, much good and truth on the Internet. And if you want to learn more about the world, go out and find who are the trusted voices who have paid the price to truly understand what they’re talking about. And in addition to the doctrinal truth that we get from the church, you could find incredible resources on every topic imaginable. And I’ll just say my personal life, I actually love going to YouTube and other sources and finding people again who’ve paid the price over many years of study and diligent effort to learn about many different topics.

And I can go listen to world experts on every topic imaginable and get the best ideas from them. And as God has taught us to learn out of the best books, if he was given this revelation today, he might say, learn from the best books and from the best resources on the Internet and for the best people you can find. And my personal experience has been there’s been tremendous joy in learning. If God knows all things and he has all joy, I wonder, does our joy increase as we become more like him as we learn more?

I love that concept. It reminds me of. US, a fireside that president and Russell Ballard did for four young young adults many years ago when he made an interesting comment, he said, though we are general authorities were not authorities in general. We don’t know everything about everything. That’s not our calling. And so he said when he has questions, he turns to experts, not public opinion. He says he turns to experts and he finds out what they know so he can then put that through his own filter of truth and try to discover some of these elements.

I think that’s a beautiful pattern. Instead of expecting our profits and regulators to be the only source we look to for all truth. I love this idea that God has spread knowledge down upon the heads of all of his children throughout the face of the Earth to one degree or another. And part of our job of seeking truth is to find those best sources of knowledge that’s profound.

So I’ve actually taken the time. I’ve gone to audiobooks because I have lots of little free time in the day when I may be walking somewhere. I turn on a headset and I’ve been able to read thousands of books in the last several years on every topic imaginable. And it’s been so mind expanding to realize there’s so much goodness and beauty and truth in the world and so many good people. And and obviously we want to be centered on salvific truth by staying focused on Jesus.

But if I understand about history, why not go spend time with historians or geology? But I’m a geologist, whatever it might be. And I’ve actually found over the last couple of years, as I’ve been reading more on many different topics from very qualified, reliable people, my joy is expanded. So I love God’s invitation to all of us to join with the school, the prophets, in seeking all truth.

Now, all truth, look of reality, that you may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling ring true, I have called you and the mission with which I have commissioned you. He doesn’t just want us knowing scriptural truth. He wants us prepared in all things to be able to go out and do what we need to do and to testify. Now look at verse eighty three. He seeks merely shall find me and shall not be forsaken.

I love that the earlier we can see him. Now, that is not an invitation for anyone who’s who’s a little older in life to then feel guilty and beat themselves up. I don’t read it that way. I read it in the context of right here, right now. He seeks me early, shall find me. I shall not be forsaken means don’t delay seeking God for next week or next month or next year. Or when you reach a certain threshold in your life or in your career, it’s seek him today.

Seek him early right now. Start now then. Let’s jump down to verse eighty six again. This is he’s taking these big, huge cosmic ideals and he’s helping us package them in bite sized chunks for what do I do with it. For eighty six a Biji in the Liberty. Where was your made free entangle. Not yourselves in sin but lay your hands. Be clean until the Lord comes. Did you notice what he just shared there? That sin is an entanglement that he sets up as the opposite of liberty.

Now you, you and I live in a world that would say commandments are binding. They they remove your ability to to do what you really want to do, to be free, to have liberty. And here’s God saying, let me correct this. If you abide by the commandments, then you are free, you have liberty, you have agency. You can continue to choose a higher and higher levels. But when you sin, when you break those commandments, when you sin, that leads you to the bondage, to these these ties that bind you down and entangle you in sin and take away future choice.

Then he adjusts into this section where he’s describing you missionaries. When you go out, you’re going to preach the gospel. If people reject your message, then after your gentle message of good news, of of declaring liberty to the captives if they reject that verse 88 after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people for after your testimony, then he’s going to send different kinds of testimonies. Testimonies like earthquakes and the groaning in the mists of the earth and men falling on the ground not able to stand, then come a thundering and lightning and tempest’s and waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds and everything being in commotion.

He’s he’s setting things up now for this cataclysmic description of what’s going to happen right before the second coming of the savior and we shift gears into the seven trumps being blown to prepare the way for this millennial reign and to get us through that millennium all the way down to the end. So in this first Trump to open up the the great events of the millennium, you’ll notice that first Trump has sounded and there are people in verse ninety six who are on the earth who are alive, that are faithful.

The Saints are caught up to meet him. So verse ninety seven, the graves are opened of the celestial candidates and they are they come forth and are caught up to meet him and then ninety eight they shall descend with him. First noticed they ascend and then they descend. When Jesus comes again in the clouds with his glory, with the trumpet sounding, the faithful will be caught up to meet him. But you’ll notice he doesn’t turn his back on the earth and go away to heaven with us.

He prepares the world to then descend back into the world with us. Pop, that’s a little bit like symbolically what happens every time you and I repent. We first turn from the earth, we turn to God, we come to God, and we plead with him to cleanse us and to forgive us. He he, through his infinite goodness in his infinite power, he cleanses us. But then he doesn’t instantly just take us off to heaven and say, there, now you don’t have to worry about this again.

He then brings us back down to the earth with him and we come back down to the earth in this sense changed. We’re different. Repentance changes us and we walk with him more fully. Now, that analogy breaks down at that point, but it’s this beautiful idea of of the gathering of Israel. Let God prevail. What we’re trying to do is get people to turn upward and ascend symbolically to him so that when they then reenter this earth, it’s different.

It doesn’t have the same pull and the same draw that it used to have to them because he purifies not just them, but the earth around them. Then you get the second Trump for the terrestrial candidates, the third Trump for the two candidates, the fourth Trump for those in outer darkness. And then you get the fifth Trump, where we’re now going to spread out over the four corners of the earth together people. And then the sixth where Babylon is fallen and the seventh where the Lamb of God can say it is finished.

And I have trodden the winepress alone, even the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. It’s one of only two places in the doctrine and covenants where Jesus is going to use that phrase to describe his infinite agonies of his atonement, being encapsulated in suffering the wrath, the fierceness of the wrath of an almighty God. That’s pretty sobering. Then you get the angel sounding again in the ears of all the living one through seven, the Trumps repeat again as we prepare for the very last battle between Michael the Archangel and the devil, both of which we’ve gathered together their armies.

I hope that next to verse one hundred and twelve, you can put your own name included in that army that that you say I’m going to sing and I’m going to shout with the armies of heaven. I’m going to have to fight for the right. Now, it’s one thing to look forward and think, man, I hope I’m in that group. Guess what? You don’t have to wait for this day to be in that group. Why not why not say today?

Wait, I’m in that group today, I’m going to I am going to do exactly what we’ve been talking about starting today better than I ever have before. I’m I’m going to be on this side today rather than always looking to the end. Why not look to the means, to the to the path rather than the destination and say, yeah, I’m going to do those things. It’s a battle. There is a battle going on right now. We don’t have to wait for the end of the millennium for this big epic battle to take place to to actually be a part of verse one 14.

Then comes the battle of the Great God and the devil and his army shall be cast into their own place. What a great opportunity for each of us to to pull the sword of the spirit out today closed with power and with the light of truth from heaven, and to go and engage in that battle today. Now, verse one seventeen starts with the word. Therefore, call your solemn assembly. So now we’re going to get really practical. He tells them verse 118, as all have not faith Sikhi diligently and teach one another words of wisdom.

Words of wisdom. Ye Sikhi out of the best books. Words of wisdom. Seek learning even by study and also by faith. Taylor talks about this. God doesn’t just want you fasting and praying and reading your scriptures. He wants you learning by study and also by faith, whatever that looks like for you to use all of your mind and all of your heart. Think about that for a minute, when you get all the education you can, that is a means whereby you can show your love for God.

The command is love the Lord, your God with all of your heart might mind and strength. You expand your mind with light and truth. You try to fill it with truth, not just your heart, but your mind as well. You think deeply, you study deeply, whatever that looks like for you. That’s a beautiful way to fulfill this. Now look at verse nine one 19. Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing and establish a house, even a house of prayer.

A house of fasting. A house of faith. A house of learning. A house of glory. A house of order. A House of God. There you go. That’s the command for them to build a temple. They don’t at this stage know exactly what this is going to end up at. In eighteen, thirty six, we’re going to dedicate that Kirtland Temple. But at this phase, they think they’re building this house to describe all of these things.

Kind of the school of the Prophets is going to be building this this incredible structure. Right. This house that fulfills all these things. I wonder, huh? I wonder if you and I could read verse 119 through symbolic lenses and use Paul’s phrase where he says, what? No, you not the E are the temple of our God. I wonder if we could read verse one and say Porth. He could I could replace the word house with the word soul or life or family.

Or ward or steak or church or or fill in the blank. Think about what would happen if collectively all members of the church took Section 119 personally to heart and said, wow, I need to build a life of prayer, a life of fasting, a life of faith, a life of learning, a life of glory. A life of order. A life of God. Then when you and I go to the temple, we would no longer be going to a brick and mortar structure alone.

We would actually be going to a house that fits all these descriptions as a physical, outward manifestation of what God’s trying to do with me and with you. Hmm, in that case, we wouldn’t be trying to go through the temple, we would be trying to allow the temple to go through us. We would we would let that symbolic experience. Become internalized and we would take it home with us and try to spread that light and that truth in that goodness to our families and those around us.

Look at verse one twenty one, in order to accomplish this, therefore cease from all your life speeches, from all laughter and from all your lustful desires, from all your pride in your like mindedness and from all your wicked doings, a point among yourselves, a teacher. And let not all be spokesmen at once, but let one speak at a time and let all listen to his sayings that when all have spoken, that all may be out of sight of all and that every man may have an equal privilege.

I love that idea of in a classroom. That revelation is scattered among us in a council meeting. Revelation is scattered among us in a family. Revelation is scattered among us and that one speaks at a time. But we allow all to become edified of all. It’s a powerful principle.

What a beautiful word this is, teach actually also is related to the word touch and to point or to demonstrate, like to point to so imagine of Tyler and I are both standing at the same time, both talking to all of you and pointing in different directions. Now, both what we have to say might be useful. We might have things that would be useful for you to look at, but it’s very hard for the human brain to have. Even though you have two eyes, you can really only focus on one thing at a time.

What God is pointing out is that you touch people one by one and you only have one person pointing to something one at a time. And as you take turns, it allows people to focus. Instead of everybody else turning up and all talking at the same time and pointing at 15 different things, and thereby it’s just a mass of confusion. So this is just a very simple principle of teaching, is taking an opportunity for everybody to teach one another one by one, very powerful.

And as Tyler reminded us, there is truth and revelation scattered among us. And there’s a deep power and deep joy in hearing from every individual and the things that they’ve learned that they can point to.

Now, these next couple of verses are some of the most practical down to earth principles that we could apply at an individual level. At a marriage level, at a family level, at award, at any level you prefer, this is beautiful. Verse one twenty three. See that ye love one another cease to be covetous. The implication here is you’re covetous. So if Elder were for here, he’d probably say, stop it. Right, stop being covetous, learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires cease to be idle.

In other words, you’ve got to struggle with being idle. Stop, stop. It ceased to be unclean. Cease to find fault one with another. Ceased to sleep longer than is needful, retired to thy bed early that you may not be weary, a rise early, that your body’s in your minds may be invigorated. And above all things, close your clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace, pray always that you may not faint until I come beholden or I will come quickly and receive you to myself.

Amen. And that ends the revelation on December 28th, it’s a week later, January 3rd, where he picks up with verse one twenty seven with some more direction that’s come over that week about what this incredible olive leaf, this message of peace to the to the church, what it should look like. They are commanded in one twenty seven to establish the School of the Prophets, this place where we can fulfill everything we’ve been talking about in the first hundred and twenty six verses.

And then it gives them some directions as to how to run the that school, even even so specific as to how to admit people into the school. And then the very, very end you have the ordinance of the washing of feet reintroduced into this dispensation with a few instructions as to how it is to be performed. Now, as we close this incredible section that is mind blowing, Lehi beautiful on so many levels, both macro as well as micro, external and internal.

I want to finish where we started back with this, the great seal that we talked about with this eagle and holding those 13 olives and olive leaves on that branch, this message of peace. As we strive to move forward collectively in these latter days and try to gather Israel, I love the idea that from many E Pluribus Unum, from many. We become one over time, we cease doing all these other things that are described in Section 88 that are that are leading us in different directions, and we come to become unified in our piece and in our declaration of peace as we try to encourage people and invite people to come into the arms of safety of the prince of peace, that we can be still unique.

We’re still we’re still ourself, but we become unified in the cause of Christ looking to the heavens for that light and truth that he gives to us. Brothers and sisters, this work is true. It was not established by men and women. It was established by God, and he has given to the world all the degrees of light and covenantal connections that the world is willing and able to accept from him. And our message to the world today is bring all of that wonderful goodness that you have and see if we can add to it the quote, President Hinckley.

And to invite people into those arms of safety is our goal and our desire and our hope. We know that he lives. We know that he loves and we trust him and pray that we’ll all be able to move forward in greater faith on that covenant path. And we leave that with you in the name of Jesus Christ. I know that your loved.