It is important that we not only leave Babylon but also that we remain worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. “For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man” (2 Nephi 26:11; see also D&C 1:33; 20:32; Moses 8:17). To ensure the continued companionship of the Holy Ghost, the faithful must “stand in holy places” (D&C 101:22). “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord” (D&C 87:8). The holy places where the faithful should stand are in the temples of the Lord. It is in such places that the power to overcome the world is delivered to them. The nature and significance of this power should not be underappreciated.
Three years following the First Vision, Joseph Smith received another heavenly messenger, Moroni (see Joseph Smith—History 1:27–48). His message included recitation of biblical prophecies concerning the latter-day coming of the Lord and the conditions leading up to His coming. Quoting Malachi, Moroni declared: “For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven,” leaving the proud and the wicked “neither root nor branch” (Joseph Smith—History 1:37). But “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” Moroni continued, “I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet” (Joseph Smith—History 1:38). And Elijah “shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming” (Joseph Smith—History 1:39).
Clearly, Moroni’s message was important. He delivered it three times that night and once the next morning “without the least variation” (Joseph Smith—History 1:45). It was the first heavenly communication the Prophet Joseph Smith had received since the appearance of the Father and the Son, which had initiated the work of the Restoration. The thrust of Moroni’s message was that “great judgments … were coming upon the earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence” (Joseph Smith—History 1:45) and that the power to avoid such judgments was coming in the priesthood keys that Elijah would help restore to the earth.
Thirteen years later, Elijah came as promised, bestowing upon Joseph in the Kirtland Temple the sealing power. By this power, “all covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations” have “efficacy, virtue, [and] force in and after the resurrection from the dead” (D&C 132:7). Without such power, every human undertaking has an end after death (see D&C 132:13–14). This, then, will be the great waste that awaits the world unless the children of men receive the sealing power that Elijah restored. It is not the physical destruction that accompanies war, pestilence, earthquake, and famine but rather that men and women will be left alone, without root (connection to ancestry) or branch (connection to posterity).
In conclusion, they who will endure the storms of the last days and will stand when the Lord appears are they who know and obey His voice. As the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith: “They … [who] have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day” (D&C 45:57; emphasis added). Such persons will have sanctified themselves through receipt of the saving ordinances and obedience to the covenants associated with such ordinances, understanding that when the veil is rent and all men shall see Him, “he that is not purified shall not abide the day” (D&C 38:8; emphasis added). Such persons will be those who have availed themselves of the blessings of the temple and made such blessings available to their kindred dead (see D&C 128:24; Revelation 7:14–17).
May we do as the Lord has instructed so that we may be build on a solid foundation and endure successfully the raging storms of mortality (see Matthew 7:24–27; Helaman 5:12).
Without the sealing power bestowed upon Joseph Smith by Elijah, every human undertaking has an end after death. This is the great waste that awaits the world unless the children of men receive the sealing power.
Illustrations by Greg Newbold
1. “Church leaders tour devastation of three states,” Church News, Sept. 10, 2005, 11.
2. The Lord posed a similar question to the people of our day: “Vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it?” (D&C 97:22).
3. The voice of the Lord’s servants includes the “elders of my church,” who are sent unto the nations of the earth (D&C 133:8–10, 16, 36–38, 71).
4. As prophesied by Joel and affirmed on the day of Pentecost, the Lord’s Spirit was poured out upon all nations (see Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17–18).
5. See also Zechariah 14:4 (“his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives”); Revelation 1:7 (“every eye shall see him”); D&C 38:8 (“day soon cometh that ye shall see me”); D&C 76:63 (“he shall come … to reign on the earth”); D&C 88:95 (“the face of the Lord shall be unveiled”); D&C 104:59 (“prepare my people for … when I shall dwell with them”).
6. See also Moroni 10:32–33 (sanctified “by the grace of God”); D&C 88:21 (sanctified through obedience to “the law of Christ”); D&C 84:33 (sanctified through “magnifying their calling” in the priesthood).
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