Teshuvah -- A Return to God : Commentary for Doctrine and Covenants: Sections 27-28

Section 27

Background Information

This revelation prescribes what liquid can be used to represent the blood of Christ. Prior to receiving this revelation, JS recounts the following:

Early in the month of August Newel Knight and his wife paid us a visit at my place in Harmony, Pennsylvania; and as neither his wife nor mine had been as yet confirmed, it was proposed that we should confirm them, and partake together of the Sacrament, before he and his wife should leave us. In order to prepare for this I set out to procure some wine for the occasion, but had gone only a short distance when I was met by a heavenly messenger, and received the following revelation, the first four paragraphs (i.e. verses) of which were written at this time, and the remainder in the September following.”

The exact date of this revelation is uncertain. The earliest extant copy dated in broadly to the year 1830, according to John Whitmer. However, despite Whitmer's placement the version published in the 1833 Evening and the Morning Star and the Book of Commandments (precursor to the Doctrine and Covenants) place the date of the revelation on September 4, 1830. Conversely, the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants removed the specified date of September 4th, and dated it generally to September. However, in JS's later history, he explained that the revelation is the combination of two revelations -- one recorded in August and the second part recorded in September. Although JS did not specify the September date.

Section

1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful. 2 For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins. 3 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies; 4 Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.

5 Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh [referring to the end times] that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth [referring to wine], and with [The following names and groups are those will participate in this feast]

1. Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim; 6 And also with

2. Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days; 7 And also

3. John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias; 8 Which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto the first priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron; 9 And also

4. Elijah, unto whom I have committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse; 10 And also with

5. Joseph and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, your fathers, by whom the promises remain; 11 And also with

6. Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days; 12 And also with

7. Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them; 13 Unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times; and for the fulness of times, in the which I will gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; 14 And also with all

9. those whom my Father hath given me out of the world.

Verse 5: The Fruit of the Vine --

This statement is quotation from what Christ told his disciples in Matthew 26

26 ¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

What does the fruit of the vine refer to? Wine? Grape Juice?

It likely refers to wine, with Jesus drinking it with the righteous after His Second Coming. Some argue that Christ is referring to grape juice, because he used the phrase "fruit of the vine" instead of the more commonly used word for wine (oinos). But the problem with this view is that grape juice didn't exist anciently, as crushed grapes, without pasteurization, naturally fermented and there was really no way, anciently, to preserve the grapes without them fermenting. Moreover, the Mishnah (oral commentary on the Torah) tractate called the Berakoth stated that wine was ordinarily used at the Passover and was called the "fruit of the vine." Given that Christ's statement to JS is a quotation from what he said in Matthew, and the "fruit of vine" reference was referred to as wine anciently, Christ mention of the fruit of the vine means wine. However, it should be noted that wine anciently did not have the same alcoholic content as today, as distillation methods, which increased the alcoholic content, were not used until the medieval ages.

Verses 5-14: Those With Whom the Lord Will Feast With (and Commentary About Each):

Moroni (5): who hold the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim (Book of Mormon)
Elias (6): A individual who possesses the keys of restoration, to restore all what the prophets of old have prophesied about. This includes, but is not limited to, the gathering of Israel.
John the son of Zacharias (aka John the Baptist) (7): Apparently Elias (from verse 6) visited John's father and gave a promise that Zacharias should have a son. Notably from Luke 1, we learn that Gabriel visited Zacharias.

11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

Is Gabriel the Elias mentioned. Or was there another figure?

Elijah (9): Although there is a Elijah person in the Old Testament, section 27 is using Elijah as a title. Like Elias, Elijah is a future individual who has the keys of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers. JS taught that there are two categories of the spirit and power of Elijah: 1) the Spirit of Elias/Elijah and 2) the Spirit, power, and calling of Elijah
- Regarding the second -- The Spirit, Power, and Calling of Elijah. This power "is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 337)
- Notably, Gabriel told Zacharias that John would go before the Lord "in the spirit and power of (Elijah) to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17). Thus the future Elijah will be like a John the Baptist. The purpose of sending John the Baptist, as Luke 1:17 indicates, is to make people ready to receive the Lord. God, who works according to patterns, will follow the same pattern to inaugurate the Lord's second coming. The future Elijah will prepare the way for the Lord.
- This future Elijah is the one Malachi prophecies of when he writes:
- This is the BRANCH mentioned by Zechariah
- This person has many names. I refer to him as the Davidic Servant (because it is prophesied that David's line will build up a people to the Lord), but other names are the messenger, Elijah, the mighty and strong, and the branch, ben-David,
- The work of this person will be to bring about Zion and restore Jerusalem.
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (10): The patriarchs post-flood.
Michael or Adam (11): The father of the human family
Peter, James, and John (12)
and also “all those whom the Father hath given me out of the world (14): refers to those who have been redeemed by the Lord.

15 Wherefore [given that the Lord is coming to feast with the righteous, what follows are the things we are to do in order to be part of that feast -- we are to put on the armor of God], lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand. 16 Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you; 17 Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; 18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.

Armor of God:

Armor serves to protect vulnerable parts of the body. And since we are engaged in spiritual warfare, the armor protects the parts of our body vulnerable to Satan's attacks and is the means by which we're able to stand at the last day. It's notable that the Lord quotes Paul's metaphor after he discussed eating with the righteous at the end times. I believe these verses are the Lord's way of telling us how we can abide His coming, so we can feast with Him in Zion.

Loins Girt with Truth: Loins deal with our generative/procreative organs. These organs can be used righteously or wickedly. Our proper use of them determines our level of righteousness. Our ability to use these organs righteously is based upon whether we are centered in truth. Most of the world has chosen to use these organs wickedly. And they do so because they lack truth about the proper role of sex. Most of the world has largely acknowledged that sex outside of marriage is no problem and instead assert that it's a natural function -- failing to see the consequences stemming from a liberal view about sex.
Breastplate of Righteousness: The breastplate is designed to protect the vital organs -- the heart, intestines, lungs -- and arteries. A wound to any of these areas, especially in ancient times, was fatal. Moreover, the heart anciently represented the essential part of the person. Aristotle identified the heart as the most important organ of the body. It was the seat of intelligence, motion, and sensation. We protect the vital parts of our spirit through righteous behavior and action. The righteous are those who are in "right" standing with God. At the bar minimum, the righteous are justified person who have aligned their will with God.
Feet shod (covered) with the gospel of peace: Our feet propel our motion, directing us to our destination.
Shield of Fatih: The purpose of a shield is to defend against the enemy's blows. We defend ourselves against Satan's "blows" through faith. As darkness increases in greater degrees upon the earth, the line of demarcation, separating the wicked from the righteous, runs along faith. The challenge all of us face is whether despite the immense amount of suffering we are able to maintain our faith in the Lord.
Helmet of Salvation: The helmet covers our head. Our eyes set our aim, which aim creates our goals. For us our aim should be towards salvation -- causing our goals to lead us heavenward.
Sword of the Spirit: The Spirit is our instrument of attack. The Spirit, if heeded, will endow us with power to fight. Although the coming days (days, months, years) will result in an increase of persecution from physical enemies, the main enemy is not built of flesh and blood, but are spiritual forces. As Paul appropriately declared: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12, ESV) The Spiritual realm influences the temporal. Behind the actions of each human is a spirit -- good or evil. Corrupt leaders and iniquitous people are falsely lead by spirits in "high places" who direct their action and conduct. Our purpose is to withstand the forces, which will seek to influence us. We combat them through the Spirit. The Spirt is our sword because it will expose the plans of our spiritual adversaries through instruction and protect us form their plots through guidance.

Section 28

Background Information

This revelation was given in response to action taken by OC that raised the question of who was authorized to receive revelation for the church.

This question first arose during the summer of 1830, where he "commanded" JS to change a passage in the Articles and Covenants of the Church (section 20) that outlined the beliefs and practices of the church. Specifically, OC was not pleased with the phrase in Articles and Covenants that listed the requirements for baptism: “And truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins.”

Despite having originally approved of the Articles and Covenants on April 6th, 1830, when the church was organized, OC wrote a angry letter to JS: “I command you in the name of God to erase those words, that no priestcraft be amongst us.” In response, JS traveled from Harmony, Pennsylvania to Fayette, New York, to persuade OC and the Whitmers that they were mistaken. According to JS's later account about the incident, it was “not without both labor and perseverance” that he “could prevail with any of them to reason calmly on the subject.” And it was only with the help and support of Christian Whitmer that JS was able to persuade OC and the Whitmer family “that they had been in error, and that the sentence in dispute was in accordance of the rest of the commandment.”

The questions also arose from Hiram Page who claimed to have received a seer stone and claimed to receive revelations on behalf of the church.

As a bystander explained:

“[Hiram Page] found a smooth stone, upon which there appeared to be writing, which when transcribed upon paper, disappeared from the stone, and another impression appeared in its place. This when copied, vanished as the former had done, and so it continued alternately appearing and disappearing; in the meanwhile, he continued to write, until he had written over considerable paper. It bore most striking marks of a Mormonite revelation, and was received as an authentic document by most of the Mormonites, till Smith, by his superior sagacity, discovered it to be a Satanic fraud.”

These revelations received by Page, according to JS, caused JS "great grief" and Page's revelations were "entirely at variance with the order of Gods (sic) house, as laid down in the new Testament (sic), as well as in our late revelations." Initially, JS decided to that it would be wise not to directly address Page's revelations until the upcoming conference. However, after seeing that many of the members supported Page's revelation --including OC and the Whitmer family -- , he decided that it would be "best to enquire of the Lord concerning so important a matter." Before the conference started, JS received this revelation.

Section

1 Behold, I say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee that thou shalt be heard by the church in all things whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which I have given [OC has authority in the church to teach what God has revealed]. 2 But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses [although OC has authority to teach revelation, he does not have authority to receive commandments on behalf of the church. Only JS has that authority]. 3 And thou [OC] shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him [JS], even as Aaron, to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and authority unto the church [OC's role is to declare what JS receives].

4 And if thou [OC] art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. 5 But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom; 6 And thou shalt not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church [OC does not have authority to supplant JS -- this verse addresses the appropriateness of OC's command for JS to change some passages in the Articles and Covenants]; 7 For I have given him [JS] the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead.

Verse 5 -- By Way of Commandment

Not every revelation is a commandment. To determine whether a revelation is a commandment requires us to examine the context the revelation is arising in.

If the revelation is personal: The Lord will give us personal revelation directed concerning His will for us, which is binding on us, but not for the church. Thus, if the Lord directs you to give all you money to a family need, that revelation is binding upon you, but not the church. This means that you are not permitted to declare to the church, as a commandment, that they need to give all their money away.

However, it should be noted that sometimes a personal revelation may conflict with the teaching of the church. This is for various reasons. One could be that the individual has received more light and truth than the church as a whole, and thus he/she is given greater commandments. For instance, some members are at the level where they can live the law of consecration. But this is not commanded of the church because the majority of church members are not at that level. However, this doesn't prevent the Lord for personally directing someone to obey the higher law of consecration.
This principle was also seen when JS practiced polygamy. At that time, only JS was given the commandment to take on multiple wives. The commandment did not apply to the church as a whole.
This principle is also seen in the scriptures (1 Kings 13) where a man was given a command about what he should say and do. Specially, the Lord commanded the prophet to not drink or eat food. However, another prophet came to test the man's obedience to the Lord. The following events transpire:

15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17 For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. 19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 ¶ And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, 22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. 23 ¶ And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.

If the revelation is given by a leader directed at the church. This is the category that the Lord addresses in this revelation. Leaders are permitted to give revelation, but unless they are the head of the church, their revelation is not a commandment upon the church. It is only revelation "by wisdom". That is, revelation that serves to provide instruction and knowledge about a certain topic or principle. Only the head of the church can receive commandment for the entire church if he declares that the Lord has given him a commandment.

8 And now, behold, I say unto you [OC] that you shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them; and inasmuch as they [Lamanites] receive thy teachings thou shalt cause my church to be established among them; and thou shalt have revelations, but write them not by way of commandment [OC's revelations will not be binding as a commandment to the Lamanite church]. 9 And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it [Zion] shall be on the borders by the Lamanites. 10 Thou shalt not leave this place [Fayette, New York] until after the conference; and my servant Joseph shall be appointed to preside over the conference by the voice of it, and what he saith to thee thou shalt tell [OC is to act as a spokesman for JS, like Aaron did for Moses].

11 And again, thou [OC] shalt take thy brother, Hiram Page, between him and thee alone, and tell him that those things which he hath written from that stone are not of me and that Satan deceiveth him; 12 For, behold, these things [referring to revelations] have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants [that is, no revelation shall be given as commandment to the church that contradicts its teachings]. 13 For all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith. 14 And thou shalt assist to settle all these things, according to the covenants of the church, before thou shalt take thy journey among the Lamanites. [After other men were called to accompany OC, the group of missionaries left in late October 1830] 15 And it shall be given thee from the time thou shalt go, until the time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do. 16 And thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing. Amen.

Verse 11 -- Those Things Are Not Of Me

The story of Hiram Page is significant, as it emphasizes the principle that we must test all things. It's telling that many of the church, including OC and the Whitmers, were deceived by Page's revelation from the seer stone. It's also notable to point out that the stone acted in many ways like JS' stone. The stone conveyed letters the came and disappeared. And the letters were frequent enough that Page was able to record a considerable amount of information from the stone. This level of deception shows how diligent we must be in prayer and study of the scriptures, lest we fall to deception.
JS recounted a meeting he had with "Joshua, the Jewish minister" when he was living in Kirtland. This Jewish minister claimed to be a prophet. JS later discerned that this Joshua was in fact a false prophet who had stood trial for a suspicious death of a follower. Yet, JS' conclusion did not occur upon meeting. Instead JS accounts that Joshua stayed with him and his family, and he and JS discussed many issues. It wasn't until the following day that JS learned the true nature of this minister. Thus, detecting falsehood is not always easy and often requires us to test the fruits of what the person is teaching. Of course, some teachings are clearly against scripture, but some are not as obvious. If JS, a seer and prophet, did not discern that Joshua was a false prophet until the morning after their meeting, what about us?

Teshuvah -- A Return to God

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Commentary for Doctrine and Covenants: Sections 27-28

Section 27

Section 28

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