Come Follow Me: D&C 45
This section is a powerful revelation containing much information about the destructions and blessings of the Last Days. When studied along with Matthew 24 (JST), D&C 87, 88, and 133, we get a lot of information regarding the events preceding the Second Coming.
Verses 1-15 is a clarion call from Jesus Christ to the Saints, telling them again and again to hearken unto his words. In this portion, we see many of the names by which the Lord is called: Advocate, Creator, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Light and Life of the world, etc.
Jesus goes through the history of the world briefly in these verses: the Creation, the Atonement of Christ, Enoch's people, the Restoration, and the Second Coming. All of these periods and events are interconnected. Each is a powerful event in and of itself, but together they become the true epic story of the world and how it is saved by Christ, one soul at a time.
Starting in verse 16 through verse 24, Jesus references his experience with the apostles as found in Matthew 24. He discusses the Desolation of Abomination that would occur in their day. In 70 AD, the Jewish Zealot attacks on the Romans, as they sought to drive the foreigners out, caused the Roman Emperor to send out vast armies to end the uprising. Jerusalem was put under siege for over a year. The siege began at Passover, when the city was filled with pilgrims. It is likely that over 1 million people were in the city when the siege began. Starvation soon became a serious problem. One story in the Apocrypha talks of a woman who killed her child and divided it in half - so she could share with the violent robbers who would undoubtedly storm her house as soon as they smelled cooked food. Finally, the Romans rushed the city, slaying thousands who fled to the Temple grounds, believing God would rescue them. The temple was destroyed, stone by stone. Eventually, most Jews would be carried off to other regions of the Roman Empire, in an attempt to destroy them as a people.
In verse 25, the Lord notes that the Jews will return to Jerusalem in the last days, when the days of the Gentiles are being fulfilled. This would be a very important event for Latter-day Saints. Within a decade, Joseph Smith would send apostle Orson Hyde (of Jewish descent) to Jerusalem to dedicate the land for the return of the Jews. In 1800, only about 6500 Jews lived in Palestine. By 1890, the desire of Jews in Europe and Russia to return to their homeland was so strong, that Jews had become a majority in Jerusalem. In 1948, the Jewish homeland of Israel was reestablished by the British. This was just a little more than a century after Orson Hyde dedicated the land for the Jews to return. (History of the Jews - Wikipedia)
The Restoration and the Time of the Gentiles
"And in shall be heard of and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall them, and they shall say that Christ his coming until the end of the earth.
"And the of men shall wax cold, and shall abound.
"And when the times of the is come in, a shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my ;
"But they it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their from me because of the of men.
"And in that generation shall the of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (D&C 45:26-30)
These times for Restoration and the Gentile Times Ending are not specific time/date events, but with other major events (like the Second Coming events), they extend over a period of years and even generations. The Restoration continues today, even though it began in 1820. The fulfilling of the times of the Gentiles continues. It is the story of the wheat and tares, which will be covered later in section 45. The righteous and wicked grow up together as wheat and tares. Eventually, they are easily distinguishable, just as it is easier to see wickedness in today's world than it was just a generation ago, when compared to the righteous. This section will explain how the wicked and righteous will be segregated in the last days, so that the righteous can be preserved and the wicked prepared for the burning.
Scourge of Desolation - Standing in Holy Places
"And there shall be men standing in that , that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing ; for a desolating shall cover the land.
"But my disciples shall in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and God and die. (vs 31-32)
It may be that the Covid 19 pandemic is a warning shot to the world in regards to the upcoming desolating scourge. It is possible that this virus could mutate into something ten times as deadly, if we fail to vaccinate the world. It is also possible that the overflowing scourge will come sooner or later, as we again are not prepared for such a sickness to come again.
Note, that those standing in holy places "shall not be moved." Anciently, the "holy places" were all connected to the temple or a sacred space: Garden of Eden, Mount Sinai, the City of Enoch, Noah's Ark, Melchizedek's City of Salem (Peace), the Tabernacle, The Temple.
Today, we understand through modern scripture that "holy places" can be any place made sacred by God and his disciples: modern temples, Zion and her stakes, the homes of righteous people. For D&C 45, the holy places especially is tied to the city of Zion and her stakes.
Devastating Earthquakes
"And there shall be also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the , one against another, and they will kill one another." (vs 33)
Earthquakes AND many desolations will occur. Often, people tend to repent and return to God when things become tragically hard. After the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Americans and many people throughout the world humbled themselves. Believers of many faiths gathered together in brotherhood, to pray and repent. Such actions will not occur during the times mentioned above. Instead, "...at that day shall he (Satan) in the of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good." (2 Nephi 28:20)
What is the response of wicked men to these disasters? Declare war on one another. Economics is often a reason for war. When Germany was economically devastated by the debts it owed to France and England after World War I, it had no recourse but to renounce the debt and seek to defeat those who economically oppressed them. So difficult was it for Germany, that in the 1920s, it took billions of German Marks to equal one American dollar. It led them to war against Europe.
We will see this again, as the economies of the world are devastated by disease, plagues, earthquakes and other desolations. People will become angry, seeking for others to blame for their poverty and suffering, and they will destroy one another. The Germans blamed the Jews. Serbians blamed Croatians.
In 1994, over a 100 day period, in the African nation of Rwanda, angry Hutus slaughtered over 500,000 Tutsis, using machetes.
These examples given will seem mild compared to the violence of the last days.
The Remnant
"And it shall come to pass that he that me shall be forth for the great of the Lord to , even for the of the coming of the .
"And they shall see signs and , for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath.
"And they shall behold blood, and , and vapors of .
"And before the day of the Lord shall come, the shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven.
"And the shall be gathered unto this place;
"And then they shall look for me, and, behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the of heaven, clothed with power and great ; with all the holy angels; and he that not for me shall be cut off." (vs 39-44)
Remnants are important in latter-day scripture. In the Book of Mormon, Captain Moroni notes that a remnant of Joseph's many colored coat remained after his supposed violent death (Alma 46:24).
The term is used 85 times in the Old Testament, but only 6 times in the New Testament. However, in the Book of Mormon, it is found 54 times and in the Doctrine and Covenants 8 times. In the Doctrine and Covenants, it is used to denote Lamanites as remnants of Israel, that Israel would be scattered, that the remnant of Israel would be gathered, and a separate remnant of slaves that would rise against the Gentiles in the last days (D&C 87 - I'll discuss this when we get to the Prophecy on War).
The remnant of the righteous shall see terrible disasters, including some event that will cause the Sun and moon to go dark. This seems to be a final sign for the righteous to gather. As I've noted in the last couple posts, the Gathering is an important part of the Restored Gospel, in preparation for the Second Coming. Again, we see the Gathering as one of the key things that will preserve the remnant from the final disasters, scourges, and desolations prior to the Second Coming.
The 2nd Coming - Dead will Arise (vs 44-46)
When Christ returns, he will come in great power and glory. Let no one confuse you by claiming they are the Messiah. They aren't.
A trump will sound - whether those on earth will hear, we do not know. But at the sound of the trump, the righteous dead will arise and be caught up to meet Christ in the air. The righteous living will also be caught up to meet him.
This is symbolic of an ancient practice. When the king would return triumphant from battle, the city would empty out and meet the king on the road home. They would celebrate his return, and bring him into the city. At the 2nd Coming, Christ will approach the earth and the New Jerusalem with his armies. The righteous will be caught up to meet him and bring him to the earth.
The Jews converted, Satan bound (vs 47-55)
Prior to Christ's return, the nation of Israel will be in the fight of its life. Millions of soldiers from the Arab nations and other states will have a war of extermination against the Jews. It will last 3 1/2 years. Near the end, half of the city of Jerusalem will have fallen, and the Jews will have their backs up against the Mount of Olives. It will be at this moment that Jesus comes in power. He will step upon the Mount of Olives, which will split in two in a giant earthquake. The Jews will retreat into the new valley, just as they retreated anciently from the Egyptians into the divided Red Sea. There, the Jews will see Christ and realize he is their Messiah.
The armies of the enemy will be destroyed by Christ and his angelic army.
"And then shall the nations be , and they that shall have part in the ; and it shall be for them." (vs 54)It will be at the 2nd Coming that the heathen nations, which include China, India, and other nations that do not have a majority belief in Christianity, will be redeemed. The gospel will be preached to them. It is possible that the 144,000 high priests mentioned in Revelation 14, will be in the key role of missionary work to the heathen nations.
"And then cometh the day when the arm of the Lord shall be in power in convincing the nations, the nations, the house of , of the gospel of their salvation.
"For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own , through those who are unto this , by the administration of the , shed forth upon them for the of Jesus Christ." (D&C 90:10-11)
"Q. What are we to understand by sealing the hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel—twelve thousand out of every tribe?
"A. We are to understand that those who are sealed are , ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the ." (D&C 77:11-12)
It appears that these will be the key missionaries at the 2nd Coming to preach the gospel to the heathen nations, among others who will preach the gospel.
The Gathering to Zion
"Ye hear of in foreign lands; but, behold, I say unto you, they are nigh, even at your , and not many years hence ye shall hear of wars in your own lands.
"Wherefore I, the Lord, have said, gather ye out from the lands, assemble ye yourselves together ye elders of my church; go ye forth into the western countries, call upon the inhabitants to repent, and inasmuch as they do repent, build up churches unto me.
"And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you." (D&C 45:63-65)
Again, the Lord calls for the gathering to the New Jerusalem and her stakes. It begins with a warning of "wars in your own lands." Later, in D&C 87, the Lord would specify one of those wars, foreseeing the Civil War. This would give a reason to move out west, although the saints at the time of this revelation would not have read it that way. Had they stayed in Missouri, they would have been in the center of the war on the western front. Major skirmishes occurred between the Missourians and those living in the neighboring states, like Kansas. Being in Utah allowed the saints to miss the bloodshed and disease that slew hundreds of thousands.
Safety in Zion
"And it shall be called the , a of , a city of , a place of for the saints of the Most High God;
"And the of the Lord shall be there, and the of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.
"And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his must needs flee unto for safety.
"And there shall be unto it out of every under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at one with another.
"And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are ; wherefore we cannot stand.
"And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with of everlasting ." (vs 66-71)
New Jerusalem is the center city of Zion. Zion and her stakes will be a land of peace. It is a refuge. In D&C 133:26-34, we find that millions will come from "the north countries" as immigrants to the Americas, where they will be blessed in Zion. America is a land for immigrants. The Lord seems to think there is plenty of room for millions to come here as refugees from the lands of Babylon. Perhaps these scriptures should influence our views on immigration.
Zion will not have to be protected by guns and weapons. God will be its protector. He shall fill Babylon with fear, so they do not dare attack it. All those people living among the wicked who tire of the violence, who will refuse to fight - choosing to bury their weapons of war even as the Ammonites did in the Book of Mormon, will be forced to flee to Zion for safety.
Zion is an immigrant people. They are leaving Babylon to join the people of God. None are kept out, as long as they renounce war and are obedient to the commandments of God. People who did not listen before, now are forced to repent and believe, or continue dwelling with the wicked in never ending violence - much like the Jaredites' last days.
Building Zion
Are we busy building Zion? Are we living with one foot in Babylon and the other in Zion? Or are we creating Zion in our homes? How dedicated are we? Will we be among the first to consecrate ourselves and build Zion, be among those who must flee Babylon for refuge, or choose to dwell among the wicked?
Will we rely on the arm of flesh, or on the arm of the Lord? Just what is it that is keeping us from being a Zion people? What "debris", as President Nelson calls it, is keeping us from building our part of Zion? Are we a people of peace? Are we a people who embrace immigrants? Are we a people who embrace the Lord and his prophets?
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