The Riches of Eternity

Reflections on the Second Half of Doctrine and Covenants 38

The Lord’s revelation during the third Conference of the Church continues:

Therefore, be ye strong from henceforth; fear not, for the kingdom is yours.

And for your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers, and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons.

And I have made the earth rich, and behold it is my footstool, wherefore, again I will stand upon it.

And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh;

And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts.

And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.

But, verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you.

Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand? (D&C 38:15-22)

Be strong. Fear not. These are encouraging words from the Lord that each one of us needs. It’s always encouraging as well to know that the Lord hears our prayers. Not only this, but the Lord hears the complaint of the poor. This revelation offers much hope for those who struggle in financial and temporal matters because the Lord has greater things in store for those who love Him. The Lord’s perspective on wealth is different from our mortal perspective. He made the rich, although the rich seldom acknowledge Him. He made His footstool, the earth itself, rich. The Lord focuses on our salvation and prepares us for His impending return. He will again stand upon the earth.

Remember that many of the Saints at this conference were in the process of moving to Ohio, leaving behind lands and riches, and sacrificing many temporal and material things for the cause of Zion. Many of them, if not all of them, must have wondered what to do next in terms of homes and their material needs. In this revelation the Lord reassured His Saints that there was a much greater blessing ahead of them than anything they had left behind. This blessing included “greater riches,” namely, “a land of promise.” Think of the great patriarchs and prophets of the past who sacrificed all for the Kingdom of God, men such as Abraham, the Brother of Jared, and Lehi. Abraham, the Brother of Jared, and Lehi obtained promised lands as part of their covenant with the Lord, and nothing they left behind was nearly as valuable as the blessings that the Lord bestowed upon them in their promised lands. Joseph Smith and the early Saints followed the same pattern of the great patriarchs and prophet of the past, and they pressed forward towards their promised land.

How does the Lord describe this new promised land? The new promised land (which was also the promised land that the brother of Jared and Lehi obtained), was part of the “greater riches” that God deigned to give the Saints. It was and still is “a land flowing with milk and honey.” The Lord described Abraham’s promised land in the same way:

And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Exodus 3:8)

But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people. (Leviticus 20:24)

A land flowing with milk and honey refers to the physical place of Zion as well as the spiritual and eternal inheritance of the Saints. Flowing milk and honey symbolize great abundance and blessings. This is what the meek will inherit, and when the Lord returns, the curse that fell upon the earth after the Fall will be lifted:

Then all that was promised the Saints will be given,

And they will be crown’d with the angels of heav’n,

And earth will appear as the Garden of Eden,

And Christ and his people will ever be one.

This is Hoyt W. Brewster Jr.’s entry on “Land Flowing with Milk and Honey” in his Doctrine & Covenants Encyclopedia:

At a conference of the Church in 1831, Jesus Christ spoke of giving his Saints “a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh” (D&C 38:18). Such a land appears to be descriptive of the state of the terrestrial earth during the Millennium, when it will have returned to his paradisiacal glory, the state in which it existed before the Fall (Articles of Faith 1:10; AF, 375-77)

The reference to a land flowing with milk and honey is “a proverbial expression indicating fertility and abundance” (Dummelow, 51). It is found in the Old Testament and is descriptive of the land of promise into which Jehovah led the children of Israel (Exodus 3:8; Lev. 20:24; Jer. 11:5).

See also: Land of Inheritance; Land of Promise; Milk (pp. 310-311)

The Lord promised the Saints this land of inheritance if they and we would seek it - like Abraham, the Brother of Jared, and Lehi - with all our hearts. Not only this, but the Lord promised to bestow the blessings of the promised land for the inheritance of future generations forever. Furthermore, the Lord promised an even greater blessing to the Saints: political liberty and safety under His Divine Kingship. Those who hear the voice of the Lord and follow Him shall be a free people under a perfect government, governed by the laws of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the true and just Lawgiver. I look forward to and hope to be a part of this Zion society.

What does the Smith and Sjodahl’s commentary on these verses add to our understanding?

15. - 22. In the last Revelation given in in the year 1830 (Sec. 37), the Saints were commanded to gather in Ohio. In this Revelation our Lord explains that the command was given for their salvation, and He establishes the Covenant of Gathering (v. 20).

16. For your salvation] Why were the Saints instructed to gather? One reason is stated in the twelfth verse. The enemies were combining against them, and gathering would be a means of escape from their plots. Another reason is given in the paragraph, as follows:

    The poor have complained] In the world there is an artificial and mischievous distinction between rich and poor. The Lord was mindful of His destitute children, as well as those who were wealthy, and he commanded His people to gather in a place where that class distinction could be wiped away.

17. -

18. Great riches] God’s design was to give to His gathered people great riches, even a land of promise, “upon which there shall be no curse [of destitution] when the Lord cometh.”

19. The Lord promises to give His Saints such a land, if they will seek it with all their hearts. It cannot be obtained except through diligent, God-directed effort.

20. This shall be my Covenant with you] A covenant is an agreement between two parties - in this instance, between our Lord and His Saints. The Lord promises to give to the Saints a land of inheritance, just as He formerly gave Canaan to Israel, - a land which they shall possess, while the Earth stands, and then in a glorified state after the transformation of the globe and the general resurrection.

21. The Saints, in accepting this promise, agree to yield allegiance to Him as the Supreme King and Ruler.

22. And to hearken to Him and follow Him. On this condition they would be a free people, and their laws would be His laws, He being the Law-giver.

    The gathering-place of the Saints, then, was designed to be a place of temporal as well as eternal salvation; a place from which every “curse” shall be removed; a place in which the Lord shall be the Supreme Ruler, and the laws be His laws.

    “We have to learn that, in the first place, the Lord sent His servants forth to preach the principles of the gospel, to impress upon the inhabitants of the Earth the necessity of believing in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, repenting of their sins, and being baptized for the remission of them, and receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and it was hoped and expected that when the Holy Ghost descended upon men and women they would be filled with the spirit of obedience, and that their understandings would be so awakened that they would begin to comprehend the object God had in view in restoring the everlasting gospel to the Earth. It has had that effect, but it has been slowly manifested; it has dawned upon us ray by ray; gradually opening our minds to the comprehension of the great work the Lord has established on the earth; and today, after years of experience, the Church of Christ has barely commenced to comprehend the great work God had in view in establishing His kingdom on the Earth. But we are learning it now more rapidly than we have in past years” (George Q. Cannon, Jour. of Dis., Vol. XI., pp. 32-3). (pp. 204-205)

The Lord’s revelation during the third Conference of the Church continues:

But, verily I say unto you, teach one another according to the office wherewith I have appointed you;

And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me.

And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself.

For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there—and looketh upon his sons and saith I am just?

Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine. (D&C 38:23-27)

In order to obtain the blessings of the promised land and the promised inheritance, the Saints must learn and live by the Lord’s laws and commandments. In order to learn and live by the Lord’s laws and commandments, the Saints must develop the virtues and Christ-like attributes that are necessary for a Zion society. In these verses the Lord emphasizes the first and second great commandments and presents a parable to help us understand His higher ways.

What do you think of this parable? How does this parable help us to understand the Lord and His Kingdom?

Just as He taught His disciples in Jerusalem before His death and resurrection to love one another as He had loved them, Jesus taught the early Saints, and He teaches us now, to love one another, and to esteem our brothers and sisters as ourselves. The Lord’s parable of the man and his twelve sons reminds me that Israel had twelve sons. It also reminds me that the Lord called twelve apostles to follow Him. If it would be unjust for a father to favor one faithful and obedient son with robes while clothing another in rags, do we suppose that a just God would allow some of His Saints to dwell in luxury while others of His Saints languish in poverty? Sadly, this is exactly the condition of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the present time: some members live sumptuously in the lap of luxury while many others, clothed in rags, struggle just to survive.

If we consider the sons in this parable as the twelve tribes of Israel, which son was clothed in robes and which son was clothed in rags at this time? The Lord had already established Judah in the promised land of Canaan, but Joseph had yet to be re-established in his promised land of America. As I read it, the Lord was already preparing Joseph, or the seed of Joseph - who was, metaphorically speaking, temporarily clothed in rags - to inherit the promised land of America. I see in the twelve sons in this parable a representation of the twelve tribes of Israel and the purpose of the gathering of Israel. In any case, the Lord commands His people to be united, to be one, just as He is one with His Father and the Holy Ghost, otherwise we are not His.

Let’s consult the Smith and Sjodahl’s commentary again to further expound upon these verses:

23. - 27. In the previous paragraphs our Lord has stated the conditions on which He would make a covenant with the Saints. He adds an admonition to unity: “If ye are not one, ye are not mine.”

    23. Teach one another] One of the means by which unity is preserved among the Saints is teaching. Everyone appointed to an office in the Church must magnify that office, and every member must sustain him in it. That brings unity.

24. Let every man esteem his brother as himself] This is made possible in the kingdom of God, because there the standard of superiority is different from that which governs in the world. It is, in fact, inverted: “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11). There is no exalted position in the kingdom of God but that of service. “I,” saith the Lord, “am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27). In this kindgom, therefore, there can be no competition for “first” places; no envy, no agitation for offices. And it is, consequently, not impossible for every man to “esteem his brother as himself.”

25. This injunction is repeated, because of its importance.

26. - 27. I have given unto you a parable] The illustration in the previous paragraph shows the effects of class distinction among men. What would happen in a family where some children should be clothed in rags and made to suffer want, while others live sumptuously every day? There would be discontent, revolt, perhaps crime. The results are no less serious in society where unjust lines are drawn between classes. God does not make such lines. In the Church they must be obliterated, as they were in Enoch’s Zion. “And the Lord called His people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Book of Moses 7:18). See also IV. Nephi 1:1-3. In these two verses, together with verses 24 and 25, the Lord sets forth the principle that members of his Church are to look after the temporal needs of worthy poor Church members. This is the basic principle underlying the United Order and the Church Welfare Plan.

The Lord’s revelation during the third Conference of the Church continues:

And again, I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives. (D&C 38:28)

Why does the Lord reiterate this warning? Obviously it was important for the early Saints to know, just as it is important for us to know, that trouble and danger lurk in the shadows. Who is the enemy in the secret chambers? Some people balk at any mention of conspiracies or secret combinations, but the Lord quite clearly and repeatedly warns that one of the purposes of the gathering is to protect the Saints from hidden enemies.

Smith and Sjodahl add the following in their commentary:

Again the warning is repeated: “The enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives.”

“It has ever been the desire of the wicked to destroy the people of God. They have never slackened their efforts, nor failed to use all the means in their power, nor hesitated to resort to the most cruel, foul, and fiendish acts to accomplish their nefarious purpose *** What a host of apostasies there have been since the organization of the Church! There have been Rigdonites, Strangites, Benemites, Wightites, Gladdenites, Cutlerites, Morrisites, *** but what does the world care about these? Nothing. Why? Because they have forfeited the Priesthood, they have not the power, nor the principles of salvation except in part; they have deserted the cause, have struck hands alike with the infidel and the bigot, and formed an alliance with the maligners and persecutors of the saints, and therefore they are harmless in the eyes of the world” (Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. XIX, pp. 24-5). (pp. 206)

Honestly, I think that Joseph F. Smith’s comment is too harsh on the various branches of Mormonism, and that Smith and Sjodahl may not have understood who the real enemies were. Even if Rigdon, Strang, and others went their own way and drew away followers after them, there was something much more nefarious plotting against the Saints, and I don’t think that the Brighamite branch was free from the reach of its tentacles. The enemy in the secret chambers, seeking to kill the Saints, sounds a lot more like a secret combination in the style of the Illuminati or corrupt Freemasonry than it does like a group of bewildered Saints after the martyrdom of the Prophet and his brother.

The Lord’s revelation during the third Conference of the Church concludes:

Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.

I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.

And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless—

Wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high;

And from thence, whosoever I will shall go forth among all nations, and it shall be told them what they shall do; for I have a great work laid up in store, for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead them whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my hand.

And now, I give unto the church in these parts a commandment, that certain men among them shall be appointed, and they shall be appointed by the voice of the church;

And they shall look to the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief that they shall not suffer; and send them forth to the place which I have commanded them;

And this shall be their work, to govern the affairs of the property of this church.

And they that have farms that cannot be sold, let them be left or rented as seemeth them good.

See that all things are preserved; and when men are endowed with power from on high and sent forth, all these things shall be gathered unto the bosom of the church.

And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old.

And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a commandment, that every man, both elder, priest, teacher, and also member, go to with his might, with the labor of his hands, to prepare and accomplish the things which I have commanded.

And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness.

And go ye out from among the wicked. Save yourselves. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Even so. Amen.

It is noteworthy that this revelation was given not too long before the Civil War began. Whenever I hear of wars and rumors of wars in foreign countries, I think of these verses, and of Abraham Lincoln’s warning:

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.

The Lord knows the hearts of men in the United States of America, even if we do not. The Lord knows the nefarious plans of the enemies hiding in the secret chambers, even if we do not. The Lord revealed these things to us in order to protect us from our enemies and to and prepare us for Zion. This revelation was given as a direct response to the prayers of the Saints who had gathered together for the third conference of the Church. It is important to consider the context of one of the most famous and oft-quoted sentences in scripture among Mormons: “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” The preparation of which the Lord speaks pertains specifically to treasuring up wisdom in our bosoms, and even more specifically to the repeated warnings regarding the enemies in the secret chambers who plot to kill the Saints.

Because the Lord wants us to escape the power of the enemy, He gathers unto Himself a righteous people. For this reason the Lord commanded His early Saints to gather to the Ohio, and to prepare to receive His law and to be endowed with power from on high. In other words, the Lord gathered His people and prepared them to construct and worship in a Temple. The Temple in Kirtland became the center of the Church, the hub of Zion. The Lord prepared the Saints to accomplish His great work, which includes saving and leading Israel.

The Lord gave specific and powerful commandments regarding temporal matters, especially for the care of the poor and the needy. Heavenly Father wants to bless and prosper His people, and even to bestow riches. The Lord revealed that it is Heavenly Father’s will to bless the Saints, and even to make them the richest of all people, both temporally and spiritually. The riches of the earth belong to God. They are His to give. But God also understands human nature and the perennial mortal tendencies that too often accompany periods of abundance, peace, and prosperity. The Lord blessed the Saints with riches, and I’m afraid that, because of pride, we have already become as the Nephites of old, if not much worse.

The Lord concludes this revelation with commandments regarding work, missionary efforts, gathering, and cleanliness. I wonder why we seem to hear less preaching by the warning voice, and why we have not yet gathered out from among the wicked. This revelation was given almost two hundred years ago, and it seems to me that instead of going out from among the wicked, the Saints have blended in with the wicked. Why?

The Smith and Sjodahl commentary on these verses is helpful, and I commend the full commentary to your attention by sharing just a few of the most interesting points:

32. To the Ohio] The Ohio valley was the first gathering place. The Saints were promised a Pentecostal outpouring of power. There they received some of the grandest manifestations and most glorious Revelations ever vouchsafed to man in mortality (Secs. 101 and 110, for instance).

39. Ye shall be the richest of all people] By the possession of eternal riches; and also the wealth of the Earth. Our Lord does not objet to his people’s being rich. It all depends on how they obtain wealth, and how they use it. Wealth obtained by dishonesty and oppression is a curse. Wealth used for selfish purposes is a snare. Money received of the Lord, through His blessings, and used for the furtherance of His kingdom is a means of eternal exaltation.

General Notes

Concerning the subject of gathering, the Prophet Joseph says:

“All that the prophets have written, from the days of righteous Abel, down to the last man that has left any testimony on record for our consideration, in speaking of the salvation of Israel in the last days, goes directly to show that it consists in the work of gathering” (History of the Church, Vol. II., p. 260; see Deut. 30:1-4; Rev. 21:3; III. Nephi 20:22; Ether 13:1-12).

It is evident, from this Revelation, that the Lord, from the beginning, intended to teach the members of the Church the principle of the United Order or consecration.

To acknowledge the Lord as the Supreme Ruler is not to be disloyal to any earthly government, but for any government to fail to acknowledge the Supreme Ruler, is an act of disloyalty to the Supreme Ruler. (pp. 208-209)