All Things Must Pass Away
Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants 29:21-29
In Doctrine and Covenants 29:21 the Lord refers to a prophesy by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel. The Lord promises to cast down the great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, by devouring fire, as Ezekiel prophesied. This prophesy has yet to be fulfilled, but it surely must come to pass, for as the Lord lives, abominations shall not reign. What was Ezekiel’s prophesy?
Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:
And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?
And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.
For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 38:14-23)
As incredible as it now seems, even after the Millennial reign of our Savior Jesus Christ, there will still be commotion among men before the end of the world:
And again, verily, verily, I say unto you that when the thousand years are ended, and men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth but for a little season;
And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth.
For all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fulness thereof, both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea;
And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand. (D&C 29:22-25)
A new heaven and a new earth? Yes:
We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. (Articles of Faith 1:10)
Old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new? What will remain? What, then, is lasting? What truly endures? These questions take me back to the beginning of our study of the Doctrine and Covenants:
Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.
What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.
For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever. Amen. (D&C 1:37-39)
Whereas all old things shall pass away, including the heavens and the earth and all the fulness thereof, the following things shall remain:
The word of God (whether by His own voice or by the voice of His servants)
The truth (the truth abideth forever and ever)
The workmanship of God’s hand (renewed men and beasts, renewed fowls of the air and fishes of the sea; not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost)
Is there anything else that lasts forever?
The Lord’s mercy endures forever (see Psalm 118)
Charity endures forever (see Moroni 7:45-47)
There may be a few other things that last forever, but most everything else, especially that which moth and rust corrupt or that which thieves break through and steal (see Matthew 6:19-20), shall pass away. As the Beatles put it: “All things must pass away.”
Nevertheless, important events shall take place before the old things pass away:
But, behold, verily I say unto you, before the earth shall pass away, Michael, mine archangel, shall sound his trump, and then shall all the dead awake, for their graves shall be opened, and they shall come forth—yea, even all.
And the righteous shall be gathered on my right hand unto eternal life; and the wicked on my left hand will I be ashamed to own before the Father;
Wherefore I will say unto them—Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
And now, behold, I say unto you, never at any time have I declared from mine own mouth that they should return, for where I am they cannot come, for they have no power. (D&C 29:26-29)
Because of the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, every person who has ever lived (except those who have never died) shall rise from the dead. All of the Lord’s parables will then be fulfilled completely.
Smith and Sjodahl’s commentary on these verses is helpful:
22-29. Here a view is presented of the condition of the world after the Millennium. (1) Men shall again deny God (v. 22); (2) for a “little season” the Earth will be spared, but the end is inevitable (vv. 23-25); (3) before the end, Michael will summon the dead; all shall rise - the righteous to eternal life, and the wicked to eternal fire (vv. 26-29; Rev. 20:7-15).
Again begin to deny their God] During the thousand years Satan will be bound so that he cannot tempt any man. During this time temples will be erected in all parts of the land and the work of salvation for the dead will be continued until it is accomplished and the Lord will reveal all things pertaining to his kingdom. The Lord and other resurrected beings will visit the earth from time to time and give instruction to those still in mortality so that eventually the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters do the sea. (Isa. 11:9; Heb. 2:14) After the Millennium Satan will be loosed and will go forth again to deceive the nations, and then will come the great conflict with Gog and Magog. (Rev. 20:8.)
Earth shall be consumed] Not only the kingdom of the Earth and human authority, as in former catastrophes, but Earth itself shall pass through the fire and be “born again,” and become a habitation fit for celestial beings. In its new state it will be a Urim and Thummim (Sec. 130:9), like the place where God dwells.
Old things shall pass and all things become new] After the thousand years are ended and the “little season” when Satan shall gather his forces and come to the final judgment, all things mortal shall come to an end and pass away; then shall come the restoration in the resurrection of all creatures “both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea; and not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand,” the Lord declares. The Lord created nothing that is not to be eternal. Paul wrote: “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Rom. 8:21-22.) “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.” (Eccl. 3:14.) When the celestialized heaven and earth shall come, then will all creatures be free from mortal bondage and be permitted to partake of the blessings of immortality in the “glorious liberty” granted to all our Father’s creations.
Workmanship] Everything created is God’s handiwork and will be taken care of. Paul (Eph. 2:10; and Rom. 1:20) speaks of everything created as His “workmanship,” or “making.” The word he uses is one from which our work “poem” is derived, as if he would say that the works of creation are God’s poetic compositions- His poems.
Michael *** shall sound his trump] The world generally represents Gabriel as sounding the trump that summons the dead. Here we learn that it is Michael. How appropriate that the Ancestor of the race should perform this function! That the father should call his children in the morning of the resurrection day!
-29. The language here employed is like that found in Matt. 25:31-46, where the Lord speaks of judgment upon nations. There has been a separation, so that while some have the blessings of light, others are groping in darkness. Finally, there will be a similar separation of individuals.
Depart from me, ye cursed] This is the final fate of the sons of perdition (See 76:32-39). It should be noted that in Matthew those on the right side are “blessed of my Father,” while those of the left side are “cursed.” This curse they bring upon themselves by their disobedience, and not because it pleases the Creator to see them punished. “For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.” (Alma 42:24-25)
Those whose fate is the everlasting fire are finally lost. There is no “return” for them. The details of their sufferings are not revealed (See Sec. 76:45, 46); only that they will not return (See Rev. 20:7-10).
Power] The power of the Spirit of God. The Spirit has left them. There remains only torment. (pp. 154-55)
