VIDEO: Come Follow Me with Casey Paul Griffiths (Doctrine and Covenants 115-120)

Come Follow Me with Casey Paul Griffiths (Doctrine and Covenants 115-120, October 11-17) – powered by Happy Scribe

Latter-day Saints go by a lot of different names. Sometimes people call us “Mormons.” Some people have called us “Saints.” Sometimes people have called us “Latter-day Saints.” But the true name of the Church was given by Revelation in 1838 to Joseph Smith as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

One of the more obscure Church history sites that a person can travel to is a little place in northwest Missouri called Far West. When you go to Far West, the Far West temple site has been kept and preserved by the Church, and a monument has been placed there that recognizes all the revelations given in Far West and the surrounding areas. This monument has on it basically everything from section 115 of the Doctrine Covenants to section 120 of the Doctrine Covenants, or the Socalled Far West Revelations. So let’s walk through each one of these and learn why they’re important.

Section 115 of the Doctrine Covenants is where the Church received its final name.

You might remember from reading the Book of Mormon that the Savior counsel the Nephi TS that they needed to call the name after his Church. He said, Whatsoever, you shall do you shall do it in my name. Therefore Ye shall call the Church in my name, and you shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the Church for my sake. How be at my Church, save it be called in my name. The members of the Church took everything in the Book of Mormon very seriously.

And when the Church was originally organized in section 20 of the Doctrine Convenance, it was called the Church of Christ. That’s the name. The Church went by until about 1833, when the name was changed subtly to the Church of the Latter Day Saints. If you go to Kurland, Ohio, today and you look on the temple itself, it’s been restored to its original appearance. Where originally it said, built by the Church of the Latter Day Saints.

An 1834. In 1838, Joseph Smith received this revelation that designated the true name of the Church to be the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. And Joseph Smith took this to heart even later on in his office in Navo, there was a big sign that said Joseph Smith’s office, President of the Church. Large letters Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Recently, the leaders of the Church have emphasized the importance of us using the correct name, partially because we want people to know that we worship Jesus Christ, but mostly because that’s the name that the Savior gave for the Church and that’s the name that we should use.

Now, as Joseph Smith arrived in Far West, they started to realize that there were going to be enough Saints in the area that they needed to have more than just one stake, and they scouted out different locations in section 116 of the Doctrine Covenants, which is an excerpt taken from Joseph Smith Journal, they found a beautiful little Valley near the Grand River in northwest Missouri. Joseph Smith received a revelation that explained that the name of this Valley was Adam on diamond and that this was a place where the ancient of Days would visit his people, making a reference to a prophecy found in the book of Daniel, chapter seven that speaks of the ancient of days.

Returning now, who is the ancient of days? Later on, in 1839, Joseph Fifth gave a discourse where he said, When Daniel Seven speaks of the ancient of Days, he means the oldest man, our father, Adam Michael. He will call his children together and hold a counsel with them to prepare them for the coming of the son of Man.

He Adam is the father of the human family and presides over the spirits of all men and all that have the keys must stand before him in this grand counsel. Now, when and where is this going to take place? Joseph Smith further explained this, Mary, take place before some of us leave the stage of action. The son of Man stands before him and that they’re given him glory and Dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ.

That which was delivered to him is holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing, his head of the human family. And that’s one of the neat things about traveling to Adam on diamond is it’s not just a Church history site? Because the Church did set up a settlement there. It’s a Church future site. It’s a place where we know that Adam, the Ancient of Days will appear and that Jesus will also appear all around the places in far west in the northwest Missouri, Joseph Smith received revelations that allowed him to feel and know the meaning and the special nature of the place they were living.

Section 117 of the Doctrine Covenance was counseled to certain people that were hesitating to travel to Missouri. It was a difficult thing to pick up stakes and move your entire life from one state to another that was over 800 miles away. And a couple of men like William Mark and Neil Kate Whitney had hesitated. That’s not a criticism. Nellk Whitney had a really successful business in Kirtland that must have been difficult to leave behind, but the two of them are commanded to Nazi after the things of the world, but to give up those things and travel all the way to Missouri.

Now Oliver Granger, who’s mentioned in verses twelve and 13 of the revelation, is a different story. Rather than being told to leave Ohio, Oliver was sent back to Ohio to try and settle and arrange for the depths of the first presidency was still dealing with in Ohio. If you go to Ohio today, you can find Oliver Granger’s headstone right next to the Kurtland Temple. It’s a humble little grave, and it looks like the guy that carved the grave didn’t know where he was starting and almost left the R off of Oliver Granger’s name.

It’s not the best way to remember Oliver Granger, but section one at 17 assures us that the Lord would remember Oliver Granger.

The Lord said, I remember my servant, Oliver Granger. Behold Verily, I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation forever and ever. Oliver Granger today is not well known in the Church that is remembered by the Lord. And that’s the most important thing. Now, another revelation that came in Far West directed the core of the Twelve Apostles one year hence to leave from far west to cross the waters and serve a mission in England.

Verses four and five of section 118 says, next spring, let them the Twelve depart to go over the great waters and their promo gate, my gospel, the fullness thereof, and bear record of my name. Let them take leave of my Saints in the city of Far West. On the 26th day of April, Nicks, on the building spot of my house, stay at the Lord. Now this revelation is kind of unique because it’s a prophecy that has a specific time and place that it has to be fulfilled.

Wilford Woodruff, later on, said, this is the only revelation that’s ever been given since the organization of the Church that I know anything about.

I had a day and a date given with it now. Unfortunately, the revelation was given in July 1838, and by April 26 of 1839, when the Twelve were supposed to leave from Far West, Far West had collapsed. It had become anti Mormon central, and even going to Far West was an act of courage by the Twelve Mary people were aware of section 118, and they wanted to prevent its fulfillment. And they started to send out notices that if the Twelve came to Far West, they’d be arrested or killed.

Now, at this point, the Twelve could have just thrown up their hands and basically said, Well, we tried, but we couldn’t quite get it accomplished.

But Brigham Young, who was now the leader of the Core of the Twelve, decided they were going to fulfill the word of the Lord. Brigham Young and several members of the Core of the Twelve arrived in Far West on April 26, as the revelation said, they just did it really, really early in the morning they arrived on the scene. They read the revelation according to the instructions there. They even ordained several new Apostles. They sang him together, Adam on diamond, and briefly did a little work on the temple.

And then they got out of town just as fast as they could. One person who was with the Quorum of the Twelve, Theodor Turley, just couldn’t resist going to the home of his old missionary companion, Isaac Russell. He woke Isaac Russell up in the wee hours of the morning just to tell him that the Twelve had fulfilled the prophecy, and then he got out of town as fast as he could. Now. Section 119 is the basis for one of the most important Commandments that we live today in the Church.

Up to this point, Church members had used various means to support the Church and pay for its needs and help meet the poor. Section 119 gives us the law of timing, which the Lord has then and now continually defined as 10% of your increase. Now this did represent some changes to the law of consecration, as we understand it. For instance, Brigham Young, who was present when Section 119 was given, asked about surplus property and who is to be the judge of a person’s stewardship. Going back to section 42, a person typically worked out their stewardship with the Bishop.

At this point in time, there was a change. Brigham Young was told by Joseph Smith when he asked, who shall be the judge of what a surplus property that Joseph said, let them the people be the judge themselves. I care not if they do not have a single dime. So far as I’m concerned, I do not want anything that they have. Now we sometimes talk about section 119 like it ended, the practice of consecration.

Consecration is still alive and well in the Church, but it did alter the financial part of consecration to set up the law of timing, as most Church members are familiar with it. But the law of consecration was still enforced in the Church, and they still attempted to live it in different times in different places. But Joseph Smith, also around this time, gave a discourse where he very simply said, for a man to consecrate his property is nothing more or less than to feed the hungry, the clothe, the naked, to visit the widow and fatherless, the sick and the afflicted, and do all he can to administer to their relief and their afflictions, and for him and his house to serve the Lord.

That’s guiding principle of consecration. And the next revelation.

Section 120 just sets up a Council consisting of the first Presidency, the presiding Bishop, Brick, and the core of the twelve that oversee how tithing money is used. The funds that are raised from the law of diving are used for consecrated purposes, like building temples or assisting missionaries or building meeting houses where we can participate in ordinances or doing humanitarian projects where assist people around the globe. The Lord expects each of us to still live the law of consecration. But the financial part of the law of consecration, the law of typing, which is also a law of sacrifice, is an expectation for us now, too.

So there’s a whole bunch of things happening here, and we’re leading up to some serious persecutions that happened in Missouri.

But to Joseph Smith and the revelations that he received a place like far west, which today is just a feel in the middle of nowhere was a sacred place there were things there that people didn’t know about its past, and things taught about its future that were grand and glorious. That would lead up to the second coming of Christ and the time when all of us would eventually get to see and know that he lives again. Joseph Smith saw with an eye of faith when he came to a place that was just an empty field.

He knew that something could be made of it. And the Lord also informed him of its sacred past and its sacred future.

It’s the same with all of us. We might just think that you’re an ordinary person, but you have a sacred past that stretches back into eternity and a sacred future that stretches forward into eternity more than you can ever imagine.