Doctrine and Covenants 88

<p>In section 88, verse 81 of the Doctrine and Covenants, we read, &ldquo;And it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.&rdquo; I have had the privilege of traveling to many of the stakes of the Church to encourage the growth and development of ward missions. It has been a very rewarding and spiritual experience for me. I have discovered in these travels, and a recent survey has confirmed the fact, that over one-half of the people in the United States and Canada have little or no awareness of our practices and beliefs. I am certain the percentage would be much larger in other parts of the world. This same survey also showed that when nonmembers interact with faithful members of the Church over an extended period of time or are exposed to clear and accurate information regarding Church beliefs and doctrines, their attitudes become positive and open.</p>

<p>My young friends, the world will not glide calmly toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The scriptures declare that &ldquo;all things shall be in commotion&rdquo; (D&amp;C 88:91). Brigham Young said, &ldquo;It was revealed to me in the commencement of this Church, that the Church would spread, prosper, grow and extend, and that in proportion to the spread of the Gospel among the nations of the earth, so would the power of Satan rise.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The restoration of the gospel has a vital significance in the life of every person upon the earth. This cannot be evaded nor avoided. This responsibility we must understand. In one of the most meaningful of all latter day scriptures, the Lord has said, &ldquo;It must needs be that all men must be left without excuse&rdquo; (D&amp;C 88:82) and that applies to those who fail to hear, and even more particularly to those who fail to teach, for those who bear the divine commission to dispense spiritual truth must also share in the prospective condemnation spoken of by Paul who said, &ldquo;Woe is me if I preach not the gospel&rdquo; (1 Cor. 9:16).</p>

<p>The phrase &ldquo;among the Gentiles&rdquo; is a reference to all nations. The term <em>Gentile</em>, referring to any group of people to whom missionaries are sent forth to preach, is common in the Book of Mormon, which was written to &ldquo;Jew and Gentile&rdquo; (title page of the Book of Mormon; D&amp;C 109:60). One of the purposes of missionary work is to warn as many people as possible of the coming calamities linked to the Second Coming of the Savior.</p> <p>Joseph Smith commented on this passage when he spoke to the Twelve Apostles in 1835. He taught, &ldquo;When you are endowed and prepared to preach the gospel to all nations[,] kindred[s,] and tongues in their own languages[,] you must faithfully warn all and bind up the testimony and seal up the law (D&amp;C 88:84)[;] and the destroying angel will follow close at your heels and execute his tremendous mission upon the children of disobedience, and destroy the workers of iniquity, while the saints will be gathered out from among them and stand in holy places ready to meet the bride groom when he comes.&rdquo;<a id="_ftnref1" class="see-footnote" title="" href="#_ftn1">[1]</a></p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a id="_ftn1" class="footnote-label" title="" href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> Discourse, 12 November 1835, p. 35, JSP.</p> </div>

<p>While the revelation given on Christmas Day, 1832 (D&C 87), emphasized the man-made wars and calamities of the last days, this passage emphasizes upheavals within nature before the Second Coming. The description of the natural disasters here closely parallels the signs of the times given in chapters 7–22 of the book of Revelation. Doctrine and Covenants 77, the most valuable guide we have to understanding the book of Revelation, only explains the symbols of John’s revelation up to chapter 11. However, in Doctrine and Covenants 88, verses 86–107 provide a guide to the second half of the book of Revelation. While it does not directly interpret the symbolism in the book of Revelation, this portion does further clarify and explain the second half of Revelation. The language used in this passage also parallels the signs of the times given in many other revelations (see D&C 29:14; 43:18–25; 45:26, 42, 48; 133:22, 49; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15–16; Matthew 24:29–31; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:23–37; Revelation 11:13). </p> <p>Accompanying the commotion of the earth is the rise of the great church, Babylon, the mother of fornications. This church will persecute the Saints and gain power and influence among the children of men until the Savior intervenes. The “great sign” in verse 93 that appears in heaven is also referenced by the Savior (Mathew 24:30; Luke 21:25–27). </p> <p>In his time, the Prophet Joseph Smith cautioned against latching onto only a single sign or a small collection of signs and instead urged members to look at the signs collectively. When Hiram Redding, a resident of Ogle County, Illinois, claimed to have seen the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, Joseph Smith wrote back: </p> <blockquote> <p>I shall use my right, and declare, that notwithstanding Mr. Redding may have seen a wonderful appearance in the clouds, one morning about sun-rise, (which is nothing very uncommon in the winter season) he has not seen the sign of the son of man, as foretold by Jesus; neither has any man, nor will any man, till after the sun shall have been darkened and the moon bathed in blood, for the Lord hath not shown me any such sign, and, as the prophet saith, so it must be: Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. (See Amos 3: 7). Therefore, hear this, O earth, the Lord will not come to reign over the righteous, in this world, in 1843, nor until every thing for the bridegroom is ready.<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> </blockquote> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> Letter to the Editor, 28 February 1843, p. 113, JSP.</p> </div>

<p>Concerning the “silence in heaven for the space of half an hour” that is mentioned in verse 95, Elder Orson Pratt said, “Whether the half hour here spoke [<em>sic</em>] is according to our reckoning – thirty minutes, or whether it be according to the reckoning of the Lord[,] we do not know. We know that the word hour is used in some portions of the scriptures to represent quite a lengthy period of time . . . During the period of silence all things are perfectly still; no angels flying during that half hour; no trumpets sounding; no noise in the heavens above; but immediately after this great silence the curtain of heaven shall be unfolded as a scroll is unfolded.”<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1" title="" class="see-footnote">[1]</a></p> <p>Verses 96–102 describe in succession the multiple resurrections that will take place after the return of Christ to the earth. The “first fruits” of the Resurrection will be caught up to meet Christ as He descends from the heavens (2 Thessalonians 4:16–17). After they descend, the second trump shall sound, and those who accepted Christ in the world of spirits shall come forth from their graves as well. We consider both of these groups to be in the First Resurrection, or the resurrection of celestial and terrestrial beings. The third trump is then sounded for the spirits of those who “are found under condemnation,” or telestial beings, who are not resurrected until the end of the millennium (D&C 88:100–101). Finally, those who are “filthy still,” or the sons of perdition, also receive their part in the Resurrection (D&C 88:102).</p> <div class="footnotes"> <p class="footnote"><a href="#_ftnref1" id="_ftn1" title="" class="footnote-label">[1]</a> <em>Journal of Discourses, </em>December 28, 1873, 16:327–28. </p> </div>