Doctrine and Covenants 77-80

<p>&ldquo;The devil has had great power and dominion over the generations of the earth; and the earth itself has groaned under the load of sin and corruption which has been upon its face. Enoch, when enveloped in the vision of the Almighty, beheld and heard the earth groan under this load of wickedness, crying out to the Lord, saying&mdash;&rsquo;When will my Creator sanctify me, that righteousness may abide upon my face. When shall I rest from all the wickedness that has gone out of me.&rsquo; He was informed that there was a day of rest coming for old mother earth&mdash;for he was grieved in his heart for the earth itself, as well as the inhabitants thereof; for he saw how the earth was afflicted, until she groaned to be relieved. But the time will come, when it will be sanctified. We are living near that period of time. It is for this purpose you have come to these mountains. It is for this purpose you have received the spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to sanctify you, and prepare you to take part in this great work of the latter days, which God has decreed from the beginning should come to pass in its time and season. You have come from the nations abroad, to be instructed in the ways of the Lord, to be taught in the ordinances that pertain to the great and last dispensation of the fullness of times&mdash;ordinances that did not pertain to any former dispensation&mdash;ordinances that were not made known to any former people, but ordinances and principles that pertain to the exaltation and glory of the world which we inhabit.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The seventh thousand years act effectively as the Sabbath of the earth’s temporal existence. John wrote, “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets” (Revelation 8:1–2). This series of trumps sounding, and the events associated with them, are detailed in Doctrine and Covenants 88:95–107, which describes the resurrection of all of God’s children who came to earth. This resurrection will culminate with the final trump, when “the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him” (D&C 88:107).</p> <p>During this thousand-year-long Sabbath day the Savior will carry out and complete His work of “the salvation of man,” which is defined here as judging and redeeming all things. These blessings come to all those “which he hath not put into his power,” meaning that the people in the telestial kingdom and the sons of perdition will not be able to partake of the blessings of the millennium until near its end.</p>

<p>The ninth chapter of Revelation contains some of the most terrifying imagery found in the book and speaks of wars and plagues poured out upon the earth in the latter days. Doctrine and Covenants 77:13 indicates that these events will take place after the opening of the seventh seal but before the coming of Christ. This seems to indicate not that the seventh thousand years will commence immediately with the coming of Christ but that His coming will be preceded by some of the most terrible of the events foreseen by John. Again, we do not know the precise time of the opening of the seventh seal or even if we are currently living in the sixth or the seventh seal.</p> <p>In this case, using the metaphor that each of the thousand years is like a day and the seventh thousand years is the Sabbath of the earth’s temporal existence is instructive. A day does not begin when the sun emerges over the mountain, but in the middle of the night, when the darkness is at its height. Likewise, the seventh thousand years begins in a dark place but eventually gives way to the gradual coming of the light. The coming of Christ may be likened to the moment when the sun finally bursts over the horizon and bathes the earth in light.</p>

<p>John describes the book spoken of here in these words: “And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter” (Revelation 10:10). The sweetness and bitterness of the book speak to the bittersweet nature of John’s mission. The Savior said of John, “He has undertaken a greater work; therefore I will make him as flaming fire and a ministering angel; he shall minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation who dwell on the earth” (D&C 7:6). John was told he would “never taste of death” (3 Nephi 28:7), a sweet thing for sure. He was told that he would never have pain while in the flesh, the same blessing given to the three Nephite disciples.</p> <p>But John and the three Nephite disciples were not made completely impervious to pain. The bitterness of their mission came in the Savior’s promise that they would not know “sorrow save it be for the sins of the world” (3 Nephi 28:9). John watched as the early Christian Church fell into apostasy and disarray. He witnessed the depraved use of the name of Christ to carry out horrific acts of violence and prejudice over the centuries. But he also continued to labor to fill the mission the Lord had given to him. Only a year prior to this revelation Joseph Smith was caught up by the Spirit and prophesied “that John the Revelator was then among the ten tribes of Israel who had been lead away by Salmanaser King of Israel, to prepare them for their return, from their Long dispersion, to again possess the land of their father’s.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title=""class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <p>John lived to see some of the worst and greatest events in the history of mankind, a bitter and sweet mission indeed.</p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> John Whitmer, History, p. 27, JSP. </p> </div>

<p>The two witnesses spoken of here are described by John as ministering to the people of Jerusalem for “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 11:3). They will have power to shut the heavens and smite the earth with plagues. When they have finished their testimony they will be overcome by their enemies and killed. However, after three and a half days they will be resurrected and ascend into heaven (Revelation 11:7–12). Doctrine and Covenants 77 identifies them as “two prophets that are to be raised up to the Jewish nation in the last days” (D&C 77:15).</p> <p>The title of “prophet” given to these two witnesses indicates that they will likely be leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ordained and set apart by the heads of the Church. An earlier revelation to Joseph Smith declares that “it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church” (D&C 41:11). The designation of “prophets” raised up to the Jewish nation means that these witnesses will likely be called from among the General Authorities of the Church.</p> <p>Another significant addition that this passage makes to the text of Revelation is that these prophets are to be called <em>after </em>the Jewish people have gathered and rebuilt the city of Jerusalem. This is a prophecy of Joseph Smith’s that foresaw the modern establishment of the state of Israel in the wake of the Second World War. As Nephi prophesied, the gentile nations will act as nursing fathers and mothers as the Jewish people return to Palestine (1 Nephi 21:7). The establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 constitutes another prophecy of Joseph Smith that has been fulfilled.</p>