Doctrine & Covenants Lesson 32 (D&C 85–87)
July 31-August 6
D&C 85
On the 27th day of November, 1832, the Prophet wrote to Elder William W. Phelps who was in Independence, Missouri, in charge of the printing and with authority to assist the bishop in matters concerning the establishing of the saints in their inheritances and expressed to him in words of tender fellowship, his love and confidence. This section is a portion of that letter. Among other things, the Prophet wrote: ‘Brother William, in the love of God, having the most implicit confidence in you as a man of God, having obtained this confidence by a vision of heaven, therefore I will proceed to unfold to you some of the feelings of my heart, and to answer the questions.’
● D&C 85:1–5 Instructions concerning inheritances in Zion.
The Still, Small Voice of God
● D&C 85:6 The Spirit speaks with a “still, small voice.”
Sister Vicki F. Matsumori, a former counselor in the Primary General Presidency, gave this counsel: “Because the Spirit is often described as a still, small voice, it is . . . important to have a time of quiet in our lives as well. The Lord has counseled us to ‘be still, and know that I am God’ [Psalm 46:10]. If we provide a still and quiet time each day when we are not bombarded by television, computer, video games, or personal electronic devices, we allow that still, small voice an opportunity to provide personal revelation and to whisper sweet guidance, reassurance, and comfort to us.”1
President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Do you take time to listen to the promptings of the Spirit? Answers to prayer come most often by a still voice and are discerned by our deepest, innermost feelings. I tell you that you can know the will of God concerning yourselves if you will take the time to pray and to listen.”2
Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings. Such words as quiet, still, peaceable, Comforter abound in the scriptures: ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ (Ps. 46:10). And the promise, ‘You shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom.’ (D&C 36:2). Elijah felt a great wind, an earthquake, a fire. The Lord was not in any of them; then came ‘a still small voice.’ (1 Kings 19:12)”3
● 1 Kings 19:11–13 The Lord comforted Elijah on Mount Horeb, speaking to him through a “still, small voice.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Now, let me just say, categorically, that the things of God are understood by the Spirit of God, and one must have and seek and cultivate that Spirit, and there comes understanding and it is real. I can give testimony of that . . .
“I think the best way I could describe the process is to liken it to the experience of Elijah as set forth in the book of First Kings. Elijah spoke to the Lord, and there was a wind, a great wind, and the Lord was not in the wind. And there was an earthquake, and the Lord was not in the earthquake. And there was a fire, and the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still, small voice, which I describe as the whisperings of the Spirit.”4
● 1 Nephi 17:45 God’s voice is similarly described in the Book of Mormon.
3 Nephi 11:3
Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “Inspiration comes more as a feeling than as a sound.”5 He also said, “We do not have the words (even the scriptures do not have words) which perfectly describe the Spirit. The scriptures generally use the word voice, which does not exactly fit. These delicate, refined spiritual communications are not seen with our eyes, nor heard with our ears. And even though it is described as a voice, it is a voice that one feels, more than one hears.”6
Those Who Are Called To Re-Establish Zion
● D&C 85:7 A prophecy concerning “one mighty and strong” who will some day lead in the redemption of Zion. Many false prophets have arisen in the last days claiming to be this person.
● D&C 85:8–12 A warning to priesthood leaders who fail to follow counsel and seek to “steady the ark” in ways they are not authorized. William W. Phelps and others eventually did exactly this, and at least for a time they apostatized.
D&C 86 — The Wheat and Tares in the Church
● D&C 86:1–7 The righteous will be gathered in the last days.
● Matthew 13:24–30 This parable and its interpretation are quite clear, but the additional explanation in D&C 86 gives the parable
Matthew 13:37–43 particular meaning in the latter days.
D&C 86
● D&C 86:2–3 After the death of the apostles, apostasy drove the true church into the wilderness, or, in other words, caused the removal of the priesthood from the earth.
● D&C 86:4–7 The faithful are given time to grow stronger before the Lord sends down his angels to the harvest near the end of the world.
President Wilford Woodruff clarified this scripture in 1894 when he said, “But I want to tell you now, that those angels have left the portals of heaven, and they stand over this people and this nation now, and are hovering over the earth waiting to pour out the judgments. And from this very day they shall be poured out.”7
D&C 87
A Prophecy on Wars
The Prophet Joseph Smith said:
“Appearances of troubles among the nations became more visible this season than they had previously been since the Church began her journey out of the wilderness. The ravages of the cholera were frightful in almost all the large cities on the globe. The plague broke out in India, while the United States, amid all her pomp and greatness, was threatened with immediate dissolution. The people of South Carolina, in convention assembled (in November), passed ordinances, declaring their state a free and independent nation; and appointed Thursday, the 31st day of January, 1833, as a day of humiliation and prayer, to implore Almighty God to vouchsafe His blessings, and restore liberty and happiness within their borders. President Jackson issued his proclamation against this rebellion, called out a force sufficient to quell it, and implored the blessings of God to assist the nation to extricate itself from the horrors of the approaching and solemn crisis. On Christmas day [1832], I received the following revelation and prophecy on war: . . . “8
● D&C 87:1–3 War is prophesied between the Northern and Southern states 28 years before it happened. All of the details of this prophecy were literally fulfilled.
● D&C 87:4–5 There will be uprisings of both blacks and Latinos against this nation.
● D&C 87:6 War will be poured out upon all nations and until it has brought a “full end” to “all nations.”
Elder James E. Talmage said, “Now, I do not believe in trying to explain away the words of God that predict calamity, but are nevertheless full of assurance unto the righteous, be it a righteous man or a righteous nation. We should awaken to their dread import. The Lord is dealing with the nations of the earth, and his Spirit has departed in large measure from nations that have defied him and his commandments, and as a result, they, being left largely to themselves, war with one another, and seek all means by which they can destroy one another most expeditiously. Now, the Lord is not the author of these evil things; the nations are bringing these inflictions upon themselves, and there shall be a consummation brought about as the Lord hath decreed, which shall mean an end of all nations as such, if they will not observe the law and the commandments of the Lord their God.”9
● D&C 87:7 These things will happen in recompense for the shedding of the blood of the Saints—something that had not yet happened at the time the prophecy was uttered, but which would begin to happen in Missouri very soon and would continue in Nauvoo and thereafter.
Elder George Q. Cannon said, “There is no sin that a nation can commit, which the Lord avenges so speedily and fearfully, as he does the shedding of innocent blood, or, in other words, the killing of his anointed and authorized servants. No nation which has been guilty of this dreadful crime has ever escaped his vengeance. The thunderbolts of his wrath have been always launched forth for the destruction of the perpetrators of such wickedness. It is a rank offence against the majesty of Heaven and the authority of the Creator, which he never suffers to pass unrebuked; for such men act in his stead, and are his representatives on the earth.”10
“Stand Ye In Holy Places”
● D&C 87:8 When all of these wars and tribulations occur, the Saints are commanded to “stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come.”
● Holy places include:
— Our homes
— Our houses of worship
— The temples of our God
Notes:
1. “Helping Others Recognize the Whisperings of the Spirit,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 11.
2. In Conference Report, Oct. 1977, 46; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, 32.
3. “Reverence Invites Revelation,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 21.
4. In Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 71; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 51.
5. In Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 28; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 20.
6. “The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, January 1983, 52.
7. Young Woman’s Journal, Aug. 1894, 512.
8. History of the Church, 1:301.
9. In Conference Report, Oct. 1923, 54.
10. Millennial Star, 4 June 1864, 361–362.
