Come Follow Me LDS- D&C 3-5
Jan 17, 2021
'The Field Is White'
- One Eternal Round
- Many are called but few are chosen
- A gift removed
- The field is white
- Veiling the Book of Mormon like veiling the Ark of the Covenant
Raw Transcript
all right
all right welcome to the quick media
podcast
and the come follow me series we are
studying sections three
to five in the doctrine and covenants in
this episode this is going to be short
and this time i
really mean it uh we're going to save
most of the meat in this
for a couple weeks from now when we get
especially to
section 10 that also goes over the 116
pages in a little bit more
depth but let's get into this and
see what we find out about these
revelations given to joseph smith here
in starting in july of 1828 where over a
year
before the time of the organization of
the church here
and this is during the time when they
are a more
this is actually probably about midway
through
the translation of the book of mormon
for the majority of this time
the scribe has been martin harris
and so he's the one if you can get i had
somebody
respond to me on uh the interview i did
with don bradley a couple of months ago
saying well how can you trust martin
harris right because he fell away from
the church
although he never denied things with the
book of mormon but
she said how do you how can you trust
him well
in the words of don bradley it's hard to
trust anybody more than
martin harris because as far as the lost
pages are concerned probably up to about
300 pages actually not 116.
this is about half of what mormon
abridged
if you can imagine that about half is
what we lost
and so as he's going through this he's
described for most of it
so he's hearing joseph smith go through
it listening to the translation
the changes that are in in joseph
smith's mind
discussions that joseph smith inevitably
would have had with martin harris
as the scribe as he's going through this
it's a different process
seems to be using the interpreters here
him and thumb not just a seer stone
perhaps at the time
it's he's very
intimate to the knowledge of what's
going on here with the 116 pages
he also has a very long carriage ride
from pennsylvania back to new york where
he alone
has those lost 116 plus pages
so when we get to that point martin
harris is our best
witness he might even be and this is
probably blasphemy to some people but he
might even be a better witness
than joseph smith because
joseph smith may not have had the time
to go through all of the manuscript
half of the book of mormon like martin
harris did on that on that carriage ride
all the way up to new york back home
but let's go here to verse one of
section three the works and the designs
and the purposes of god cannot be
frustrated
neither can they come to not this is a
response from the lord
to joseph smith who's blown it here
right with the lost manuscript he's
saying look
my designs are the one eternal round
your designs you're trying to keep
straight here and make the path straight
we're not the same in that regard and
that has a lot to do with how the record
is kept that idea
that the lord knows knows what's right
and and he's trying to divulge his word
to us to the prophets and we may not
always understand that the prophets may
not always understand how that works
but i think it's important to understand
applying that to today
that when we hear the prophet and we
don't understand really what is being
said
or we don't agree with it right there's
a very strong statement right there the
works and the designs and the purposes
of god
cannot be frustrated we may want to
change
things but he's got something else in
mind
oftentimes and they can and neither can
they come to not so whatever is in his
plan whatever he chooses
to happen is going to happen
and he explains himself more here in
verse 2 for god does not walk in crooked
paths
neither doth he turn to the right hand
nor to the left neither doth he vary
from that which he hath
said right therefore his paths are
straight
so we are not that way we can't
keep that straight path yet and we are
not eternal
and his course is one eternal round he
finishes up in that verse too
now as i mentioned in the episode that i
just did previously
the episode called one eternal round if
you haven't listened or watched that
please go and do that
because this section here three will
make a lot more sense
one eternal round when that is mentioned
or something similar like
god is always the same yesterday today
and forever or today yesterday and
forever
it is oftentimes in fact almost always
inserted in scripture when it is
referring to the records or at least
some type of
revelation like a vision from the lord
and that's pretty interesting to
understand put in context what this
means
about one eternal round right this
section here
section 3 is all about the 116 pages
the record of god now verse 3 remember
remember that it is not the work of god
that is frustrated
but the work of men so we can kind of
kick against the pricks so to speak and
try and change things and make them more
along
what our ideology is or our manner of
thought
our view of the world or where our
honest sincere compassion might lie
but it's the lord's gospel
he knows the truth we are just trying to
do our best
and then there's kind of a childing from
the lord to joseph smith
right and and it's nice that joseph
smith is willing to put this
in scripture right he's making himself
not look very good here
i think that's important he says in
verse 4 here for although this is the
lord for although a man may have many
revelations like joseph smith
and have power to do many mighty works
yet if he boasts in his own strength
and sets it not the councils of god and
follows after the dictates of his own
will
and carnal desires carnal desires does
not mean
sex we always go to that that's included
in it
carnal desires is the desires of man
in a temporal state right that's what
carnal means
that's what the aaronic priesthood is
the carnal priesthood
he says that person must fall and incur
the vengeance of a
just god upon him so again not just
looking at joseph smith here
and and understanding how this applies
to us we're the same way
right it's important for us to humble
ourselves and accept
the word of god and understand what his
intentions are
and try to fall in line we're
individuals
and we have our own will but
our job our potential is all
based off of the opportunity
to fall in line with truth and to fall
in line with the gospel
verse five behold you have been
entrusted
with these things you know
i mean just imagine how how joseph smith
is feeling going through
this here as this revelation is coming
to him by the way he's getting this
through the urim and thumin
right it's it's not just something
that's kind of spiritual
here that that he feels and feels
impressed to write
something like that right he's looking
through the urim and thumb
on this revelation like he is through
many of them especially
starting off i think up through about
section 17 we know
that some of those revelations are given
through those sections are given through
the urim and thumb
so he's going through and he's reading
this and he's probably if it's anything
like we get the description of with the
book of mormon he's getting this word
for word
so you can imagine the the sinking heart
that you would have if you were in his
shoes
as the lord puts this gives him this
revelation
but we're the same way again right what
have we been entrusted with
what talents right and again i mean the
parable of the talents
not singing and tap dancing i mean
what what have we been given what
spiritual gifts
have we been given by the lord
what opportunities have we been given by
the lord
where do we live what opportunities have
been given us to be an influence of for
good to those around us
what intelligence have we been given
what what wealth have we been given
most importantly what knowledge have we
been given with the gospel
what about our spouses and our children
and and other family members our friends
what have we been entrusted with by the
lord
and are we trying to keep a straight
angle here are we are we trying to make
a right angle on this are we trying to
keep
his path straight with what he has
entrusted us
i think that's a good lesson to extract
here
from section three now again this is
interesting this is about joseph smith
verse six
and behold how oft you have transgressed
the commandments and the laws of god
and have gone on in the persuasions of
men look if joseph smith is doing that
a and in this time with with all that
he's received and
and seen and felt uh
we're certainly doing that all the time
i think you know maybe not drastically
maybe not in an evil purpose
but how much influence are we
are we under being
being in this world and
how much are we persuaded by men over
god
verse 7 for behold you should not have
feared man
more than god and again fear is
something where it's about respect
it's about that values hierarchy that's
all that means we think about being
you know cowering up and being scared
watching a horror movie or something
like that that's not what that is
fear here is more about respect paying
attention to
adhering to so that's all about that
values hierarchy is
god at the top or is man at the top and
then i like
verse 8 where it says and he would have
extended his arm and supported you
against
all the fiery darts of the adversary
right so we're getting here the example
of the imagery of
lehi's dream and probably
other things as well but those fiery
darts are
from the adversary and in a sense
they're allowed by god they're the
protection
from the throne the protection from
the throne of god and the tree of life
because the only people that can go
there are those that
deal with the adversary and grow and
progress and repent
it's kind of a dualism to the fiery
darts
then i'm gonna go again to nine here and
i'm not gonna go through all of these
verses here but it says behold
thou art joseph or behold thou art
john or mike or mary or
tiffany or whoever it might be whoever
you are
right put our name in there behold thou
art greg
and thou was chosen to do the work of
the lord
but because of transgression yikes
if thou art not aware thou wilt fall
so that certainly applies to each one of
us
then i like here in verse 11 he talks
about having the gift
and whenever he talks about one eternal
round it is usually brought together
with the idea of the gifts of god
the the the holy ghost
and revelation coming down from god
that is all removed and then down in
verses 16 through 18 this is pretty
interesting he says nevertheless my work
shall go forth
for inasmuch as the knowledge of a
savior has come into the world
through the testimony of the jews right
well how is the savior how's the savior
coming through the testimony of the jews
well because it's the bible
right the bible is the stick of judah
and that includes the new testament
right the new testament was written by
jews
or at least the majority of it was you
might have
luke and acts maybe something else there
that's not from jews right all the early
followers and
and disciples of jesus christ were jews
christianity was a sect of judaism
for a long time it was looked at that
way
so it came from the jews to
to the world and then it says in 17 and
to the nephites and the jacobites and
the josephites and the zoramites
through the testimony of their fathers
very consistent here those are the four
tribes of the nephites
still the same that's that was started
off when lehigh blessed
his sons he he created seven tribes
of the lehites and then in 18 and this
testimony shall come to the knowledge of
the lamanites
and the lemuelights and the ishmaelites
those are the other three tribes which
are all
under the umbrella of the lamanites
who dwindled in unbelief because of the
iniquity of their fathers
whom the lord had suffered to destroy
their brother in the nephites
because of their iniquities and their
abominations so
the knowledge of the savior needs to go
out to them as well
and be solidified and grow even more
through the book of mormon
he says that right here in 19 and for
this very purpose are these plates
preserved
which contain these words that the
promises of the lord
might be fulfilled which he made to his
people well that's twofold i think
number one
that's the promises that were made from
the nephites to begin with to the
lamanites
right they were always talking about the
lamanites and trying to bring the gospel
to the lamanites
successful at times
because they knew that the lamanites
were going to last
and the nephites were not and that
eventually the book of mormon that they
were writing
was going to get back to the hands of
the lamanites and secondly
it's the abrahamic covenant right which
is
not in or at least not interpreted
and understood properly in the bible
that is something that for the most part
is only an lds
doctrine and so if we look at the book
of mormon
it's one of its primary purposes is that
it is a
a second witness right another testament
of jesus christ
and it is full chock-full
of the abrahamic covenant a lot of that
through isaiah
all right and then we get over to
section four which is of the famous
missionary section
and this comes from phrases from isaiah
right
it says now behold a marvelous work is
about to come forth
among the children of men
it's just so interesting that we again
you know we always go back to isaiah
over and over again
so he's saying here that you know it's
interesting again if we if we understand
that's from isaiah
we understand this is about the
fulfillment of the prophecies of the
latter days
and we understand that this is about
getting an understanding
and the priesthood the melchizedek
priesthood and
its ordinances out to the world for the
abrahamic covenant
that's what isaiah is all about as well
as a greater understanding of the
doctrine of christ
and that's what section 4 is going over
is the missionary effort
to do that in verse 3 there's something
i want to point out it says therefore if
ye have desires to serve god
ye are called to the work
this reminds me this doesn't say this
here but it reminds me of course of the
phrase which is
many are called but few are chosen i
used to wonder what that meant and
thinking about that more and more i
think what you there's what the lord is
saying is
look all of us can be called to
something we can all be entrusted
with something right but there are few
that are
chosen well what who are the chosen
there's that series that's out right now
the chosen about to start season two
that's fabulous if you haven't seen it
you need to go watch it it's really
really well done the chosen
it's about the life of christ but the
chosen are the same
word for that is the elect right it's
who
are chosen by the lord the two those who
are
elected by the lord why would some be
elected not others
if god is not a respecter of persons
well it's because of our choices
merit matters right it's not all that
matters
but it matters and so those that are
the the elect of god the chosen of god
right would be those that are in really
an exaltation
i think would be the best term to use
for that
in fact if you've seen some of the uh if
you go to the one eternal
one eternal round episode i just did i
don't have this in there i should have
put this in there but
there are some things in for example in
greek and
and roman
archaeology where you have plates
or drawings of a plate or a round a
circle
or a shield like achilles shield
right where you have uh an outer border
right you've got different depictions of
of life in the world or gods and men
kind of like facsimile too but on the
outer rim
and that is where the uroboros would be
right that is where the one eternal
round is
and that would be a that that represents
eternity
other things as well but one thing it
represents is eternity so it's those
that are with eternal life
is how i would read that so many are
called but few are chosen of course we
know that
there is disparity there's always
disparity
that's not wrong that's the plan of god
based on choices
so that we can all try and help each
other out that's how it works
verse 4 for behold the field is white
all ready to harvest
i had someone ask me once what fruit is
white
right this is this is wheat think of
wheat
that's how they describe the large
fields of wheat
and when it is ripe or ready to go out
with a sickle
right it is they describe the field as
white
so that's what that is for behold the
field is white all ready to harvest
and lo he that thrusteth in his sickle
with his might
the same layeth up in store that he
perisheth not
but bringeth salvation to his soul
because that's how the plan works
no man no woman is an island you can't
work that way
never works that way we are social
beings we're designed to be social
beings
and we're designed to help each other
out that is charity
and so we are saved by helping others be
saved
pretty good plan and then he goes into
the gifts of god here
and faith hope charity and love with an
eye single to the glory of god
qualify him for the work and then he
goes on to a few other descriptors here
again and i love seeing these things
when we see this it's like reading paul
where you do get faith hope and charity
a lot of it
right where you read it read a lot about
faith hope and charity but
paul's letters his epistles are so much
about
behavior and that's really what
christianity is
it's it's who are we supposed to be
that's the doctrine of christ
so it's not just seeing these doctrines
in this this where we can grab a little
bit of knowledge and
facts right i mean true christianity
is who we are becoming and are we
becoming more and more
like jesus christ so that's what he
requires
for those that are going to go out and
find
those that will become the elect of god
and restore the abrahamic covenant and
gather
israel in the last days okay going over
to section five
this one here is given in harmony
pennsylvania in march 1829 again we are
still
more than a year before the church is
organized here
now section 5 is largely about who he's
going to show the plates to
and this is at first as far as what
joseph smith knows
there's only going to be a few that are
going to see the place now we know that
there are many more
we know there's at least i believe at
least 13 people maybe 14 people
that saw the plates but here's our
friend martin harris again
right and martin harris wants to see the
plates i mean
think of his position here he's not the
prophet he's close to things he sees
what's going on here but
he doesn't have physical evidence of
everything
not real physical evidence he keeps
wanting to know more he's got to be sure
and so he wants to be a witness of the
plates but he's the one who's lost the
manuscript
so the lord says okay look joseph martin
can see the plates
and be a witness for this if he repents
and we see that formula again
right over and over again if you want to
receive
blessings from heaven if you want to
enter into the fluid hierarchy
if you want the gifts of god you've got
to be in a repented
state it just doesn't work otherwise
remember the story we'll get that later
on
where joseph can't translate right
because he's in a fight
with emma and he doesn't have the spirit
with him
i mean imagine being that in tune and
being in
in guided daily so strongly by the
spirit that if something's just
kind of a disturbance in the force so to
speak
you can't you can't do it i mean that
comes with its own problems but it's a
it's a good place to be
so there are very few people that get to
see the plates but but i think we should
understand something here it's the same
thing
as the holy of holies and the ark of the
covenant remember how strict everything
was in the old testament going along
with the ark in the covenant you weren't
about allowed to see it
you could not unwrap it when they were
moving it throughout the wilderness
that with the children of israel many of
the priests and levites
died because they saw it
right who knows exactly how that
happened or what went on there
and in the tabernacle and in solomon's
temple
only the high priest one day a year
that's it
could go into the holy of holies where
the ark of the covenant was well
the book of mormon is kind of like one
of the
artifacts like one of the like one of
the objects of
an ark of the covenant
it came out of the stone box on in the
hill gamora
like an ark and so it's always veiled
like the holy of holies is
there's always got to be something
covering it and they have a curtain at
times and other times it's
wrapped up or covered with a linen it's
a holy object
and has to be treated that way just like
the celestial room
is always got a cover on it it's got a
veil
around it it's the same thing we get
some more information here about what is
given to joseph smith and when and how
this the lord works
he says in verse 4 and you have a gift
to translate the plates right the
seership
and this is the first gift that i
bestowed upon you
i and i have commanded that you should
pretend to no
other gift until my purpose is fulfilled
in this
he wants him focused this is it the book
of mormon this tool
has got to be done and i'm not giving
you anything else until it's done and he
doesn't
for i will grant unto you no other gift
until it is finished
and then in six he says for hereafter
you shall be ordained and go forth and
deliver my words unto the children of
men
right you know once you're ordained once
you've got the priesthood which you do
not have right now
then you're called to go out and preach
the word to everyone
and then again we're here we're talking
about the
a record here with the book of mormon
and being a witness of it of the plates
we get a phrase that is common to see
with one eternal round
and the lord is the same today yesterday
and forever and that is
that the lord has done this for a wise
purpose
that also is something that is is thro a
phrase that is thrown in often when
we're talking about the records of god
in nine he says behold verily i say unto
you i have reserved those things
which i have entrusted unto you look at
alma 37. so same thing that
alma the younger says to his son helaman
about entrusting these records
to you son that i have entrusted unto
you my servant joseph for a wise purpose
in me
and it shall be made known unto future
generations
and then very clearly this generation
shall have my
word through you remember that he's not
set up right now as the high priest he's
not set up as
the prophet at this time he's a seer
but he does not have the priesthood
right so
this generation he may not know this
even right now the idea of building up
the church the idea of
being at the head of something so
magnificent he may not know anything
about this
he may not know really or understand
or have comprehended or or have settled
in on what his real calling overall is
going to be
then he says apart from you there will
be three other witnesses
of course there's going to be more later
on but for right now there's going to be
three other witnesses
of these plates and he says something
interesting here just like because
something is veiled right in verse 13 it
says
i will give them power so they have to
be
in a sense endowed in a way this is kind
of what i think of here
in some way they've got to be
somehow endowed not like we think of in
the temple but
they've got to be covered in glory so to
speak they've got to be endowed
and he's go the lord is going to give
them the power
that they may behold and view these
things as they
are not a metaphor it's not a vision
that's one of the things that goes on
out there right now and the whole idea
about
if you've come across it right the idea
that there really were never any plates
and the book of mormon isn't real it's
just something that is written to
be an an inspired story for us to follow
i've heard that quite a bit i have
friends that believe that
right that you will view things as they
are is what it says and then in verse 14
he talks about the church coming out of
the wilderness
which would be out on the fringe out
from the view of everybody
it will come out clear as the moon and
fair as the sun
and terrible as an army with banners
something very similar is found in the
songs of solomon
kind of those racy scriptures that we
have that racy book of scriptures that
we have but that's in songs
of solomon 6 10.
something very similar is written in 22
he says and that you be firm in keeping
the commandments wherewith i have
commanded you
and if you do this behold i grant unto
you eternal life
even if you should be slain well
of course that's what happens right it's
kind of a
foreshadowing of things to come
then getting more specific about joseph
smith
and then more specific about martin
harris here in having
him repent before he is able to be a
witness of the plates of the gold plates
the lord says behold i say unto him he
exalts himself
and does not humble himself sufficiently
before me
so there's an issue there got to have
the weakness you got to have the
meekness
but if he will bow down before me and
humble himself
in mighty prayer and faith in the
sincerity of his heart
then will i grant unto him a view of the
things which he desires to see
so again i mean that's that's the
requirement here
that's how he becomes endowed that's how
he becomes blessed
from the lord that's how he gets the
gifts from god is
humbling himself being meek being weak
when i say weak i'm not talking about
weak as an incapable
i'm talking about the difference between
you and the lord and understanding that
difference
that's how the prophet saw it
and of course it's the same for us if we
will just humble ourselves
and again what what is this in our minds
here this is our choice
it's the choice between the tree of life
which is the doctrine of christ
what's the doctrine of christ what did
he do
the doctrine of christ is lowering
himself
into meekness weakness
right humility lowering himself below
all of us
taking on our sins in gethsemane and
then
allowing himself to be tortured and
killed right he he lowered himself below
all before all mortality
that's the doctrine of christ and we're
to do the same
and that's where the glory of god comes
in
that's where the compensation if we put
it crudely or the reward is
spiritual for us when we humble
ourselves
and then to finish up the section here
the lord gives joseph smith a warning
he uses martin harris as an example
right because he hasn't humbled himself
yet
but he uses him as an example and then
he says here in verse 33
and there are many that lie in wait to
destroy thee from off the face of the
earth
and for this cause that thy days may be
prolonged
i have given unto thee these
commandments
right so if he was to give this out to
everyone
and not follow what the lord has in
store for him
then he wouldn't make it very long so
that could be another reason why there
aren't
a lot more people that have seen the
records but i think the
idea of the veil over the records is is
probably what we ought to look toward
the most
he says in 34 year for this cause i have
said stop
and stand still until i command thee
and i will provide means whereby thou
mayest accomplish the thing which i have
commanded thee
and if thou art faithful in keeping my
commandments
thou shalt be lifted up at the last day
the brazen serpent i'll talk to you next
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