The Solemnities of Eternity
Background and Reflections on Doctrine and Covenants 43
The background for Doctrine and Covenants 43 is similar to that of the previous two sections (see here and here), but this section that was revealed in mid-February of 1831 came in response to the confusion caused by a woman named Hubble and a man named Hawley who claimed to receive revelations for the Church.
The Lord had already corrected the errors introduced into the Church by Hiram Page’s false revelations, but another revelation was needed to correct new errors. In the chapter “All Things Must Be Done in Order” in Revelations in Context, we learn more about the background for these sections:
Joseph frequently received revelations and commandments, but most of them remained unpublished for several years, limiting their availability among Church members. At the same time, the Church’s missionary efforts produced a large number of new proselytes. Many members either were unaware of, misunderstood, or chose to disregard the revelations that clarified Joseph Smith’s role, and spurious claims to revelation for the Church continued on occasion.
Not long after the Church’s relocation to Kirtland, Ohio, a “woman by the name of Hubble” came forward claiming her own revelations.12 Once again, a revelation (now known as Doctrine and Covenants 43) confirmed that Joseph was the one “appointed unto you to receive commandments & Revelations from my hand” and added “that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him.”13
The Saints’ doctrine of renewed, New Testament–like manifestations of the Holy Ghost invited members to seek the gift of revelation for themselves. For the Church as a whole, however, the developing structure and practice designated Joseph Smith’s as the lone voice of authority to pronounce revelation that would be binding on all Church members. “For,” as the September 1830 revelation told Oliver Cowdery, “all things must be done in order.”14 (p. 52)
In The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Lyndon W. Cook sheds more light on the background for D&C 43:
Date. February 1831.
Place. Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio.
Historical Note. In early 1831 a self-styled prophetess by the name of Hubble (possibly a convert) came to Kirtland, Ohio. This lady declared the Book of Mormon to be true and affirmed that she would become a “teacher in the Church of Christ.” Inasmuch as some new converts in the Kirtland area believed the “revelations and commandments” of the Hubble woman, the Prophet inquired of the Lord concerning the matter.
Ezra Booth, an early apostate, wrote the following with respect to this woman named Hubble:
“A female, professing to be a prophetess, made her appearance in Kirtland, and so ingratiated herself into the esteem and favor of some of the Elders that they received her as a person commissioned to act a conspicuous part in Mormonizing the world. Rigdon, and some others, gave her the right hand of fellowship, and literally saluted her with what they called the ‘kiss’ of charity. But [Joseph] Smith… declared her an imposter, and she returned to the place from whence she came. Her visit, however, made a deep impression on the minds of many, and the barbed arrow which she left in the hearts of some, is not as yet eradicated.”
Publication Note. Section 43 was first published in the Evening and Morning Star (October 1832) and was included as chapter 45 in the Book of Commandments in 1833. pp. 61-62)
In their book Joseph Smith and the Doctrine and Covenants, Milton V. Backman, Jr. and Richard O. Cowan cite historian John Whitmer’s record of the same events:
About these days there was a woman by the name of Hubble who professed to be a prophetess of the Lord and professed to have many revelations, and knew the Book of Mormon was true, and that she should become a teacher in the Church of Christ. She appeared to be very sanctimonious and deceived some who were not able to detect her in her hypocracy: others however had the spirit of discernment, and her follies and abominations were made manifest. The Lord gave Revelation that the saints might not be deceived [D&C 43]….
After this commandment was received, the saints came to understanding on this subject, and unity and harmony prevailed throughout the Church of God: and the Saints began to learn wisdom, and treasure up knowledge which they learned from the word of God, and by experience as they advanced in the way of eternal life (Early History, pp. 42-44). (p. 54)
The first part of D&C 43 deals with matters of Church polity, and the latter part contains a warning that the elders must give to the nations of the earth. Let’s examine this revelation a piece at a time:
O hearken, ye elders of my church, and give ear to the words which I shall speak unto you.
For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my church, through him whom I have appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations from my hand.
And this ye shall know assuredly—that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken, if he abide in me.
But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him; for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead.
And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments;
And this I give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of me.
For verily I say unto you, that he that is ordained of me shall come in at the gate and be ordained as I have told you before, to teach those revelations which you have received and shall receive through him whom I have appointed. (D&C 43:1-7)
There is order in the Lord’s Church. The Lord appointed Joseph Smith, Jr. to deliver commandments and revelations to the Church, and as long as he was faithful, Joseph Smith, Jr. received power from the Lord to teach and direct the Lord’s Church. One of the most fascinating things about these passages is that the Lord also had a back-up plan should Joseph Smith, Jr. falter. If the gift of revelation were taken from Joseph Smith, Jr., he would no longer have any power except to appoint a successor. The Lord protected His people from deception in this way.
These passages of scripture are important to remember as we investigate exactly whom the Lord appointed as Joseph Smith’s successor. Thus far, despite momentary human lapses in judgment and conduct, Joseph Smith proved faithful to the Lord in every way. There are a couple of books on the topic of succession in the Church of Jesus Christ that I have begun to read (see here and here). If B.H. Roberts wrote an entire book on the topic, it must be an important topic. These books may lean heavily toward defending the Brighamite Church, and therefore I would be interested to know about other books on the topic from the perspective of other branches of the Restoration.
In their commentary, Smith and Sjodahl shed further light on these particular verses:
A short time after the Revelation in Section 42 was given, a woman named Hubble came to the Prophet Joseph and made the claim that she had received divine revelations. She was one claimant of many, at this time. Elder George A. Smith relates that, “There was a prevalent spirit all through the early history of this Church, which prompted the Elders to suppose that they knew more than the Prophet. Elders would tell you that the Prophet was going wrong” (Jour. of Dis., Vol. XI., p. 7.) On one occasion Sidney Rigdon began a sermon by saying that the Church and Kingdom had been rent from them and given to another people. Joseph was absent, and when he came home, he found Rigdon acting very strangely. There was a man named Hawley who said the Lord had commanded him to go to Kirtland and tell the Prophet that he had lost his office, because he had caused John Noah, a pretended prophet, to be cut off from the Church. Many were bewildered by the different voices and consequent confusion. It was therefore necessary to ask the Lord for light and guidance with regard to this matter, and this Revelation came in answer to prayer.
In this important communication to the Church our Lord (1) gives the law concerning the leadership of the Church and the succession (1-7); (2) states the duties of the officers and members with regard to (a) public assemblies (8-10); (b) the divinely-appointed leader (11-14); (c) the world (15-16); (d) in view of the advent of the Lord (17-28); and (3) gives a promise of the coming of the Millennium (29-35).
1-7. In these paragraphs the Lord declares that there is only one appointed at a time to receive divine Revelations and commandments for the Church. This law was more than adumbrated in a Revelation addressed to Oliver Cowdery in September, 1830 (Sec. 28:2-7); and again in a Revelation to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, in December, the same year (Sec. 35:18). Here it is again stated.
A Commandment for a law] Refers to Sec. 42. This Law of the Church was received through the Prophet Joseph Smith; not through any of his associates; much less through any of the numerous pretenders that appeared in Kirtland at this time. This ought to have been sufficient evidence to the Saints that God had chosen Joseph as the Prophet through whom He would speak to the Church.
There is none other appointed] The Lord has declared that his house is a house of order and therefore only the President of the Church is appointed to receive revelation for the Church. There was some difficulty in the early years of the Church because men assumed the privilege of receiving revelation for the Church. This led to confusion and some were deceived. It was due to this condition that the Lord decreed that only Joseph Smith was authorized to receive revelation for the Church, and this was to be the law to the Church.
Except through him] If Joseph should prove not faithful, the gift would be taken from him, and in that case he would have “no power, except to appoint another in his stead.”
“It was necessary at this time that some provision be made for the perpetuity of the Priesthood with its keys and powers, and especially the prophetic office, in case that Joseph Smith should not prove faithful to the great trust in the days of his preparation and qualification, and before he became thoroughly seasoned and fitted for this important calling. In such an emergency the power of necessity must have been conferred by Joseph Smith on his successor, for he held the keys; therefore the Lord declared that in case of the Prophet’s transgression, or removal, he would still retain the power in that case to ordain his successor, and to confer upon such successor, whom the Lord was to choose, the keys and authority that had been conferred upon him” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Origin of the ‘Reorganized’ Church, p. 39).
Except to appoint another in his stead] This clause, at first sight, may appear difficult to understand. If the Prophet should be removed through apostasy, for instance, would he, in his fallen condition, be willing, or have authority, to ordain a successor? Would he not, more probably, make an effort to retain the position for himself? Would Sidney Rigdon, when he aspired to the Presidency, have appointed somebody else, even at the request of the Church? On the other hand, if the Prophet should be removed by death, how could he “appoint another in his stead?” But whatever difficulty the passage may present, has been removed by God, when He inspired His servant to appoint a Council of Twelve Apostles and to confer upon this body all the keys, power, and authority which he held himself. Thus provision was made for a successor appointed and ordained, as the Revelation says he should be, through, or by, the Prophet, before his removal, fully equipped to step into the vacant place.
Note that this arrangement is the same as that which our Savior made when He was here in the flesh. He told the Twelve that it was the Father’s good pleasure to give them the kingdom (Luke 12:32). shortly before His death He said to the Twelve, “I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me” (Luke 22:29); and again, in His prayer, after the last passover, He said, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17-18). He committed the Kingdom with its duties and responsibilities to their care. They were to administer it after His departure. Even so, in our day, He has provided that the leadership of the affairs of the Kingdom should devolve on the Twelve, in the case of the removal, by one cause or another, of the Prophet; see Secs. 90:4; 107:24 and 112:30-32.
President Anthon H. Lund, commenting on John 21:15-17 observes:
“The word which is here (v. 16) translated “feed” is different in the Greek text from the word so translated above. The word first used is boske, which is translated, “graze,” “feed,” “nourish.” The word used in the second place is poimaine, which has been translate “feed,” but which has a much broader meaning. My lexicon gives the following translation of poimaine, “to herd”; “to be a shepherd”; “to rule”; “to take care of”; “to tend.” Peter was, therefore, called to be the shepherd, the caretaker, the ruler of the Church. *** I consider that the charge which Jesus gave to Peter and the Apostles was that they should direct and take charge of His church here upon the Earth. Follwing the history of the Apostles, as it is given [in the Act], we find that when any dissensions arose in the Church, men were sent to Peter and James and John at Jerusalem, to learn from them what was the Word of God on those matters, and the decision of the Apostles was the end of the controversy. There we have the precedent given us, that when the President of the Church was taken away, the Apostles took the place. Jesus presided over the Church while He lived in the flesh upon the Earth; He continued to preside over the Church through His Spirit and revealed His Word to His servants, but His earthly representatives were the Apostles, and they took charge of the Church. So when the Prophet Joseph was martyred, the responsibility rested where he had placed it. There was no talk of heredity there was nothing said about his relatives taking charge; but there was the Quorum of the Apostles, and upon them rested the responsibility of carrying on the work, and they did so, they continued the work that Joseph had commenced so well” (From a Conference Address given at Salt Lake City and quoted by the Liahona).
This shall be a law] It must be observed. It is not merely a rule that may or may not be observed.
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At the gate] No one can enter the Church except through the gate - baptism. Nor can anyone enter the office held by the Prophet except through ordination. (pp. 240-242)
It makes sense that the Lord’s Restored Church follows the same patterns as the Lord’s original Church as established in Jerusalem, but I’m much less confident than Anthon H. Lund that matters of succession were as simple as he seems to make them. I would like to know more about what the Prophet Joseph Smith and his associates understood about prophetic succession, and what they said about it. It is easy to begin with the conclusion that there is an unbroken line of succession in the Church from Joseph Smith through Brigham Young to the present day prophet, and then work backwards to confirm that conclusion. The more accurate method, in my opinion, is to begin with Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith, and their words and deeds, and work forward through history to discover what exactly happened.
I’m also less confident than Lund that authority in the Lord’s original Church and His restored Church had nothing to do with family lines. There are indications that both in the Lord’s original Church and in His restored Church, there were both Priesthood and family lines of authority, and that sometimes there were conflicts between those two lines. I’m more interested in what the scriptures say on the topic, and what the Prophet Joseph Smith himself said on the topic than I am about what someone two centuries later - or two millennia later in the case of the original Church - said about it.
Because of these revelations, and also because of persecutions, it makes sense to me that the Prophet Joseph Smith may have begun to think about prophetic succession very early on. Whom did the Lord and the Prophet Joseph Smith have their eye on in terms of a back-up plan or a successor? This is a question to investigate as we move forward with our study of the Doctrine and Covenants.
And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.
And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me—
That inasmuch as ye do this, glory shall be added to the kingdom which ye have received. Inasmuch as ye do it not, it shall be taken, even that which ye have received. (D&C 43:8-10)
The Lord gives laws and commandments to bless, prosper, save, and exalt His children. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:
God himself finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent saw proper to institute laws, whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself; the relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge; He has power to institute laws, to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits.
Why do we gather, in our families, in our branches, wards, and stakes, and as a Church? One reason for assembling is to instruct and edify each other so that we may know how to act and direct the Lord’s Church. We also learn together how to act upon the points of the Lord’s law and commandments. Learning and obeying the laws of God takes time, practice, and patience. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:
We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the more conspicuous are his views, & the greater his enjoyments, until he has overcome the evils of this life and lost every desire of sin; and like the ancients, arrives to that point of faith that he is wrapped in the glory and power of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed into the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, till his mind was capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equity, and consistency of the same. For further instruction we refer you to Deut. xxxii. where the Lord says, that Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye, &c. which will show the force of the last item advanced, that it is necessary for men to receive an understanding concerning the laws of the heavenly kingdom, before they are permitted to enter it: we mean the celestial glory. So dissimilar are the governments of men, and so divers are their laws, from the government and laws of heaven, that a man, for instance, hearing that there was a country on this globe called the United States of North America, could take his journey to this place without first learning the laws of this government; but the conditions of God’s kingdom are such, that all who are made partakers of that glory, are under the necessity of first learning something respe[c]ting it previous to their entering into it. But the foreignor can come to this country without knowing a syllable of its laws, or even subscribing to obey them after he arrives. Why? Because the government of the United States does not require it: it only requires an obedience to its laws after the individual has arrived within its jurisdiction.
Regarding these verses, Smith and Sjodahl observe:
8-10. It is the duty of the Saints, when they assemble, to instruct each other in the Laws and Commandments already given, in order that all may be instructed, and edified, and sanctified by that which has been received; not to endeavor to bring forth new Revelations.
Instruct *** each other] The Law is for instruction. It is significant that the Lord here uses the very word which the Hebrews gave to the Law. They called it Torah (Instructions); “an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes” (Rom. 2:20)
Be sanctified] This means to be made clean and pure and fit for the service of the Lord, as for instance, Ex. 19:10, “Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day,” viz., to receive the Law. By obedience to the Law of Christ the Saints are sanctified. (p. 243)
The revelation in D&C 43 continues:
Purge ye out the iniquity which is among you; sanctify yourselves before me;
And if ye desire the glories of the kingdom, appoint ye my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and uphold him before me by the prayer of faith.
And again, I say unto you, that if ye desire the mysteries of the kingdom, provide for him food and raiment, and whatsoever thing he needeth to accomplish the work wherewith I have commanded him;
And if ye do it not he shall remain unto them that have received him, that I may reserve unto myself a pure people before me. (D&C 43:11-14)
The Lord requires a pure people to build His Kingdom upon the earth and to establish Zion. Joseph Smith the Prophet was pure in heart and he consecrated himself entirely to the work of the Lord. Thus to sustain and support Him as the head of the Church under Jesus Christ was to promote the Kingdom of God. The glories of the Kingdom of God flowed through him unto all those who received and upheld him.
Smith and Sjodahl share the following insight on this topic:
11-14. It is the duty of the Saints to sustain the Prophet God appoints, by prayer and by their works. There is an illustration of the latter in the history of the Prophet. When he, owing to the presecution in Missouri, was reduced to poverty, the Twelve addressed an appeal to the branches of the Church at Lima, Ramus, Augusta, and other places, and immediately the Saints sent him several wagon loads of grain and other provisions. Paul was in the same way relieved by the generosity of the Saints in Philippi (Phil. 4:16). It is not an idle ceremony to sustain the authorities at the general conferences. It means that we are willing to aid them by all honorable means at our disposal. (p. 244)
The revelation in D&C 43 continues:
Again I say, hearken ye elders of my church, whom I have appointed: Ye are not sent forth to be taught, but to teach the children of men the things which I have put into your hands by the power of my Spirit;
And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power, that ye may give even as I have spoken. (D&C 43:15-16)
As the Saints gathered in Ohio, the Lord prepared them, sanctified them, and eventually endowed them with power, thus enabling them to preach His Gospel with power and authority. Joseph Smith and these early Saints did not invent new ideas or doctrines. The Lord put His Words into their hands by the power of His Spirit. Our commission in the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same: we have been sent for to teach the children of men the things which I the Lord put into our hands by the power of His Spirit.
The revelation in D&C 43 continues:
Hearken ye, for, behold, the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand.
For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations: Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again.
Wherefore gird up your loins lest ye be found among the wicked.
Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying: Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord;
For if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will ye say when the day cometh when the thunders shall utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying—Repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord?
Yea, and again, when the lightnings shall streak forth from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that hear, saying these words—Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come?
And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying: Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made you.
O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!
How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!
Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.
Behold, verily I say unto you, that these are the words of the Lord your God.
Wherefore, labor ye, labor ye in my vineyard for the last time—for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth. (D&C 43:17-28)
One way or another, the Lord’s voice shall be heard, whether it be by the testimony of His servants, by the ministering of angels, by His own voice, or by the very powers of nature herself. We have but a short time to labor in the Lord’s vineyard for the last time before the cup of the wrath of His indignation is full.
Smith and Sjodahl observe:
17-28. There are certain duties the Saints must perform in view of the coming of the day of the Lord. Among these are the following: - They must separate themselves from the wicked (v. 19); they must call upon the nations to repent (v. 20); they must take up the labor in the vineyard for the last time (v. 28).
The great day of the Lord is at hand] This is the message that the Prophet Joseph Smith brought to the earth. At a general conference in Nauvoo, April 6th, 1843, he said, “There are those of the rising generation who shall not taste death till Christ comes.” At the same time he was well aware that the coming of the Lord in the clouds was not to be expected immediately. Our Savior had told him, in answer to prayer, that, “If thou livest until thou are eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man” (Sec. 130:15); but he was left in doubt as to whether this meant that Christ would come in power and glory at the end of the year 1890, or whether he (the Prophet) at that time, should be admitted into His presence. The Prophet says, “I took the liberty to conclude that if I did live till that time, He would make his appearance” (History of the Church, Vol. V., p. 336). This conclusion does not appear improbable. The work the Lord did accomplish through the Prophet Joseph in a few years, from 1830 to 1844, was certainly wonderful. What would it have been in 60 years! At the same time, the Prophet knew that many great events were to precede the Millennium. At the Conference referred to, he said:
“Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the City and the temple, etc., and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance. There will be wars and rumors of wars, signs in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, the sun turned into darkness and the moon to blood, earthquakes in divers places, the seas heaving themselves beyond their bounds; then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, etc. But the Son of Man will come as the sign of the coming of the Son of Man, which will be as the light of the morning cometh out of the east” (Hist. of the Church, Vol. V., p. 337).
The heavens shall shake] See Sec. 21:6
Gird up your loins] Take up your journey and depart from the wicked.
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When the Thunders shall utter their voices] This is to be taken literally. It is predicted that calamity and destruction await the inhabitants of the earth if they continue to reject the Gospel and fill the cup of their iniquity. This punishment will come when “the wrath of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure.” (Doc. and Cov. 1:9) It will come after the elders of Israel have declared their message to all the world. Then will come the testimony of wrath and indignation; the testimony of earthquakes, the voice of thunders and lightnings and tempests and the waves heaving themselves beyond their bounds (Doc. and Cov. 88:88-91.) “Do you think there is calamity abroad now among the people? Not much. All we have yet heard and all we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the Elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, ‘Come home; I will now preach. my own sermons to the nations of the earth,’ all you now know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction. *** The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations, and nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands; and they will destroy each other, caring not for the blood and lives of their neighbors, of their families, or for their own lives. They will be like the Jaredites who preceded the Nephites upon this continent, and will destroy each other to the last man, through the anger that the Devil will place in their hearts because they have rejected the words of life and are given over to Satan to do whatsoever he listeth to do with them.” - - (President Brigham Young, July 5, 1860.)
Lightnings] In this great day of tribulation the thunders of heaven and the lightning streaking from the East to the West, will be more terrible than man has witnessed before. This is to be taken literally as an event to come when the cup of iniquity is full.
Again, the Lord shall utter His voice] If we understand this prophecy correctly, it means that after the warning voices of the thunders and lightnings and world wars, God will again speak to the children of men. In other words, the gospel sound will be heard. The Lord will explain to men, through His servants, why the calamities have come, viz., to cause men to repent and be saved (v. 24-27) (pp. 245-247)
The revelation in D&C 43 continues and concludes thus:
For in mine own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth.
For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come.
For Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth.
And he that liveth in righteousness shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the earth shall pass away so as by fire.
And the wicked shall go away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in judgment.
Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.
Be sober. Keep all my commandments. Even so. Amen. (D&C 43:29-35)
I look forward to the great Millennium and for the time when Satan shall be bound. I hope that as many of us as possible will repent and be saved in the Kingdom of God. In the meantime we have a lot of work to do to live in righteousness. We also have a lot to study in order to treasure up the things of the Lord in our hearts. We need make time to be still in order to allow the solemnities of eternity rest upon our minds. There is enough commotion in the world already without the need for us to add to it.
29-35. The Lord, in this Revelation, as in others, has placed before the world a picture of distress on Earth, as a consequence of divine wrath. He ends by a promise that after the day of judgment upon the nations, His people will be redeemed, and the Millennial reign established on Earth. In the revelations of God to man the final view is always one of redemption, glory, and alleluias. It is not Paradise Lost, but Paradise Regained, that is the purpose of the message of God to man.
Satan shall be bound] Persecution shall cease; liberty shall prevail; peace shall be permanent and universal. Satan’s reign is characterized by religious persecution, political oppression, and strife everywhere. After the Millennium he will again be in evidence for “a little season,” and then comes the end.
He that liveth in righteousness shall be changed] During the Millennium the Saints will be changed. (I. Thess. 4:16, 17). Again, at the time of the end of the Earth, after the Millennium, those who are faithful will be changed “in the twinkling of an eye.”
The Earth shall pass away] Parley P. Pratt observes:
“Righteousness will abide upon its face, during a thousand years, and the Savior will bless it with His personal presence, after which the end soon comes, and the earth itself will die, and its elements be dissolved through the agency of fire. This death, or dissolution of the Earth, is a penalty of the original sin. Infants and righteous men die, not as a penalty of their own sins, but because Adam sinned; so the Earth dies, or undergoes a similar change, not because of the transgression of the children of Adam, but because of the original transgression. But all mankind are made alive from the first death through the resurrection, so the Earth will again be renewed, its elements will again be collected, they will be recombined and reorganized, as when it first issued from the womb of chaos” (Jour. of Dis., Vol. I., p. 331). (p. 248)