12: “All Things Must Be Done in Order” (Doctrine and Covenants 27–28)
This week’s lesson is full of important topics. The sacrament, seer stones, putting on the full armor of God—Doctrine and Covenants 27–28 is just a lot to unpack. But these topics are so essential for us to understand as we face challenges the world has never seen before. So grab your scriptures and let’s dig into how these topics can help us today.
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Segment 1:
Title of Section 27: The Sacrament; Whole Armor of God
Background for Section 27:
"Emma Smith and Sally Knight had been baptized on 28 June 1830, but a mob broke up the services and they were unable to be confirmed at that time.1 Joseph Smith later explained that 'Early in the month of August Newel Knight and his wife paid us a visit at my place in Harmony, Pennsylvania; and as neither his wife nor mine had been as yet confirmed, it was proposed that we should confirm them, and partake together of the Sacrament, before he and his wife should leave us. In order to prepare for this I set out to procure some wine for the occasion, but had gone only a short distance when I was met by a heavenly messenger, and received the following revelation [section 27], the first four paragraphs of which were written at this time, and the remainder in the September following'" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol.1, "Doctrine and Covenants 27," Deseret Book).
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, August 1830. In preparation for a religious service at which the sacrament of bread and wine was to be administered, Joseph set out to procure wine. He was met by a heavenly messenger and received this revelation, a portion of which was written at the time and the remainder in the September following. Water is now used instead of wine in the sacramental services of the Church.
Revelation about the Sacrament:
1 Listen to the avoice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is bquick and powerful.
2 For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall aeat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my bglory—cremembering unto the Father my dbody which was laid down for you, and my eblood which was shed for the fremission of your sins (Doctrine and Covenants 27:1–2)
Instructions about the sacrament given to Joseph:
3 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase awine neither strong drink of your enemies;
4 Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made anew among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth (Doctrine and Covenants 27:3–4).
- New = unfermented
Quote: "We partook together of the Sacrament, after which we confirmed these two sisters into the Church, and spent the evening in a glorious manner. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, we praise the Lord God, and rejoiced exceedingly" (History of the Church, Volume 1, Chapter 11, "A Confirmation Meeting," p. 109, byustudies.byu.edu).
Segment 2:
Revelations Given in Section 27:
1-4: These verses were written in August 1830
5-18: These verses were written in September 1830
5 Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will adrink of the fruit of the bvine with you on the earth, and with cMoroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the drecord of the estick of fEphraim; (Doctrine and Covenants 27:5).
- "I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you upon the earth": A sacrament the Savior will attend when He comes again.
Cross references for this sacrament:
29 But I say unto you, I will not adrink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I bdrink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom (Matt. 26:29).
Names for this sacrament:
Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Matt. 22:1–14)
The Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son (Luke 14:15–24)
Cross References:
Quote: "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. This passage is another of the beatitudes of the book of Revelation. Those who are invited guests at the Lamb's celebratory marriage feast are blessed indeed. There are three persons or groups at the marriage supper: the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb; the Bride, who is the Church (as an institution but also as a collection of many individuals); and the guests, who also are likely the individual members, those who have qualified by righteousness for the grace of Christ" (Jay A. Parry, Donald W. Parry, Understanding the Book of Revelation, "Rev. 19," Deseret Book).
Segment 3:
Who will be invited to the sacrament?
6 And also with aElias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days;
7 And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he a(Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be bJohn, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias; (Doctrine and Covenants 27:6–7).
- Elias: The Greek form of Elijah. Elias is also a title or office of a holy messenger who comes to restore.
Eliases in Scripture:
Noah or the angel Gabriel (History of the Church Volume 3, chapter 26, p.386)
John the Revelator: (Doctrine and Covenants 77:14)
John the Baptist (Matt. 17:10–13)
Jesus (JST John 1:28)
Additional Guests:
9 And also aElijah, unto whom I have committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the bfathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a ccurse;
10 And also with Joseph and aJacob, and bIsaac, and Abraham, your cfathers, by whom the dpromises remain;
- Fathers (Doctrine and Covenants 2:2) in Greek is First Fathers or Ruling Fathers
11 And also with Michael, or aAdam, the father of all, the prince of all, the bancient of days;
12 And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have aordained you and confirmed you to be bapostles, and especial cwitnesses of my dname, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them; (Doctrine and Covenants 27:9–12).
14 And also with all those whom my Father hath agiven me out of the world (Doctrine and Covenants 27:14).
Quote: "Those who keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in His statutes to the end, are the only individuals permitted to sit at this glorious feast. . . . [Paul wrote:] `I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. . . .' . . . His labors were unceasing to spread the glorious news: and like a faithful soldier, when called to give his life in the cause which he had espoused, he laid it down. . . . Follow the labors of this Apostle from the time of his conversion to the time of his death, and you will have a fair sample of industry and patience in promulgating the Gospel of Christ. Derided, whipped, and stoned, the moment he escaped the hands of his persecutors he as zealously as ever proclaimed the doctrine of the Savior. . . . Reflect for a moment, brethren, and enquire, whether you would consider yourselves worthy a seat at the marriage feast with Paul and others like him, if you had been unfaithful? Had you not fought the good fight, and kept the faith, could you expect to receive?" (Jay A. Parry, Donald W. Parry, Understanding the Book of Revelation, "Rev. 19," Deseret Book).
41 aFear not, little bchildren, for you are mine, and I have covercome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath dgiven me;
42 And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be alost (Doctrine and Covenants 50:41–42).
Link: All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between by Fiona and Terryl Givens
Segment 4:
The Whole Armor of God:
16 Stand, therefore, having your loins agirt about with btruth, having on the cbreastplate of drighteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the egospel of fpeace, which I have sent mine gangels to commit unto you;
17 Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the afiery darts of the wicked;
- Darts = Arrows
- Wicked = Evil one or Satan (Ephesians 6)
Quote: “The devil is not smart because he is the devil; he is smart because he is old" (President Ernest LeRoy Hatch of the Guatemala City Temple quoted by Elder James E. Faust, "'The Great Imitator,'" October 1987 general conference).
18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my aSpirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be bcaught up, that where I am ye shall be calso. Amen (Doctrine and Covenants 27:16–18).
Quote: "We have the four parts of the body that the Apostle Paul said [are] the most vulnerable to the powers of darkness. The loins, typifying virtue, chastity. The heart, typifying our conduct. Our feet, our goals or objectives in life and finally our head, our thoughts. . . . The loins is that part of the body between the lower rib and the hip into which you will recognize are the vital organs which have to do with reproduction” (Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Nov. 9, 1954], 2).
15 Wherefore, alift up your hearts and brejoice, and cgird up your loins, and take upon you my whole darmor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to estand (Doctrine and Covenants 27:15).
Segment 5:
Title of Section 28: One at the Head; Revelation for the Church
Video: "Seer Stones and the Translation of the Book of Mormon"
Story of Martin Harris replacing the seer stone:
"During the spring and early summer of 1828, Martin scribed as the young seer dictated the translation. Though the process must have seemed miraculous to him, Martin was still on guard against deception. He once replaced Joseph’s seer stone with another stone to see if Joseph would notice the difference. When Joseph was unable to continue translating, Martin confessed his ruse and returned the seer stone. When Joseph asked him why he had done it, Martin explained that he wanted to 'stop the mouths of fools, who had told him that the Prophet had learned those sentences and was merely repeating them'" (Matthew McBride, "The Contributions of Martin Harris," Revelations in Context, ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Quote: "According to a European tradition of folk belief reaching back at least into the middle ages, quartz crystals or other stones could be used to find missing objects or to see other things not visible to the natural eye. This practice accompanied European immigrants to North America and was part of JS’s cultural environment in western New York in the 1820s, though by then the practice was waning. In his youth, JS occasionally used seer stones to help neighbors find missing objects or search for buried treasure" ("Seer Stone," Glossary Topic, josephsmithpapers.org ).
Other Sacred Objects Used in Scripture:
The rod of Aaron
Moses' staff
The brass serpent
The Ark of the Covenant
The urim and thummim
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, at Fayette, New York, September 1830. Hiram Page, a member of the Church, had a certain stone and professed to be receiving revelations by its aid concerning the upbuilding of Zion and the order of the Church. Several members had been deceived by these claims, and even Oliver Cowdery was wrongly influenced thereby. Just prior to an appointed conference, the Prophet inquired earnestly of the Lord concerning the matter, and this revelation followed.
2 But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, ano one shall be appointed to receive commandments and brevelations in this church excepting my servant cJoseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as dMoses (Doctrine and Covenants 28:2).
Quote: Satan is the "great imitator, the master deceiver, the arch counterfeiter, and the great forger" (Elder James E. Faust, "'The Great Imitator,'" October 1987 general conference).
9 And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the acity bZion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites (Doctrine and Covenants 28:9).
- Where will Zion be? Independence, Missouri (Doctrine and Covenants 57:2–3)
Segment 6:
Background for section 28:
Quote: "The previous month, while the Prophet was still in Harmony, Oliver had written to him that there was an "error" in the recorded wording of Doctrine and Covenants 20:37, which says: 'And truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins.' Oliver then commanded Joseph 'in the name of God to erase those words, that no priestcraft be amongst us!' Joseph went to Fayette and convinced Oliver and the Whitmers that Oliver, and not the revelation, was in error. The wording in this verse, 'thou shalt not command him who is at thy head,' is perhaps a reference to this earlier exchange. Together with Oliver's errors in the Hiram Page affair merely a month later, these episodes foreshadow the future difficulties Oliver would have due to his tendency to follow his own judgment rather than the Prophet (see D&C 23:1) (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 1, "Doctrine and Covenants 28," Deseret Book).
Quote: "It was not without both labor and perseverance that I could prevail with any of them to reason calmly on the subject" (Histories, Volume 1: 1832–1844, Vol. 1 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers [2012], 426; see also pages 424–25).
What was Oliver instructed to do?
8 And now, behold, I say unto you that you shall go unto the aLamanites and preach my bgospel unto them; and inasmuch as they creceive thy teachings thou shalt cause my dchurch to be established among them; and thou shalt have revelations, but write them not by way of commandment (Doctrine and Covenants 28:8).
10 Thou shalt not leave this place until after the conference; and my servant Joseph shall be appointed to preside over the conference by the voice of it, and what he saith to thee thou shalt tell (Doctrine and Covenants 28:10).
Background of Oliver's Mission:
Quote: "In the 1820s and 30s there were large numbers of native Americans living in the eastern and midwestern United States. Four months before Doctrine and Covenants 28 was received, on 28 May 1830, Congress had passed the Indian Removal Bill, which directed that all native Americans within the boundaries of the United States were to be relocated to the federal Indian Territory west of Missouri. Some of the tribes had already moved there, and it was clear that 'the borders by the Lamanites' (v. 9) west of Missouri would be where the Church could most quickly reach the largest number of native Americans.
"This relocation was far from complete, however, and Oliver's mission to the Lamanites would take him and his companions first to New York to the Catteraugus Indians, to Ohio and the Wyandots, and only then beyond Independence, Missouri, to present-day Kansas, the Indian Territory. Here, 'on the borders by the Lamanites,' the missionaries led by Oliver Cowdery taught the Shawnees and the Delawares. In all, the missionaries to the Lamanites covered about fifteen hundred miles, much of it on foot, in the winter of 1831. More information concerning this Lamanite mission and those who were to be Oliver's companions is recorded in sections 30 and 32.11
"While traveling through Ohio, the missionaries stopped in Mentor, near Kirtland, to see Sidney Rigdon, a Reformed Baptist minister and a friend of Parley Pratt. Rigdon and more than 120 others in the Kirtland area were converted to the Church within a month's time, and a branch of the Church was organized there" (Stephen E. Robinson, Dean H. Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 1, "Doctrine and Covenants 28," Deseret Book).
15 And it shall be agiven thee from the time thou shalt go, until the time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do.
16 And thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing. Amen (Doctrine and Covenants 28:15–16).
Tammy 0:00
Okay, picture this: broken-up saltine crackers and water poured from a camouflaged-covered canteen into my metal Sierra cup. This is what the sacrament looked like for five weeks during my summer of 1992. So my final semester at Rick's College, or BYU–Idaho, I signed up for a program called Discovery and I've mentioned this experience before, but I gotta tell you guys, I had NO idea until our first Sunday morning that the sacrament could be anything other than my childhood sacrament of white Wonder bread, and water from a tiny accordion-folded paper cup. And so today in our discussion of Doctrine and Covenants, Sections 27 and 28, this truth about what we use for the sacrament is taught, along with who can receive revelation for the Church, and it's pretty fascinating.
Welcome to the Sunday on Monday study group, a Desert Bookshelf PLUS+ original brought to you by LDS Living where we take the "Come, Follow Me" lesson for the week, and we really dig into the scriptures together. I'm your host, Tammy Uzelac Hall. Now if you're new to our study group, we just want to make sure that you know how to use this podcast, so please follow the link in our description that will explain how you can best use this podcast to enhance your "Come, Follow Me" study, just like my friends Holly Stewart, Lisa Scofield, Tracy Wilde and Leslie Flowers. Hi, ladies! Each week, I get to invite two friends to join me to talk about the scriptures. And so there's always a different perspective, which is what makes this podcast so awesome. So today I have my really good friends Jalyn Peterson and Aliah Hall. Hi, ladies! Okay, so we've had Aliah on before, and we've had Jalyn on before. So tell me ladies, though, here's what I want to know, tell me what it was like when you first met?
Jalyn Peterson 1:38
We first met doing one of the first episodes of the podcast together.
Aliah Hall 1:45
It was like episode seven or something like that? A year ago?
Jalyn Peterson 1:51
Yeah. And we just bonded.
Aliah Hall 1:53
I know, I was like, "This lady!" She's my soul sister.
Jalyn Peterson 1:57
We just decided our celebrity name is JaLia.
Tammy 2:01
Which I love. Welcome, JaLia. So glad to have both of you here today. Well, for those of you want to know more information about my friends, you can find pictures of them or their cute families and their bios at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday. So go check it out and read about them. Alright, I'm gonna give you a little background about these sections because, well, I should just ask you, how are you guys feeling about these two sections?
Aliah Hall 2:25
You should give the background before I tell you how I feel about it.
Tammy 2:31
Okay, here's the background. The revelations we're studying today, they were given in August and September of 1830. Now remember, last week, when we learned that Joseph, he had been arrested twice, back to back, and not convicted of any crime? And then after he's free, he returns home and he received Sections 24, 25, and 26. So now it's August, and Joseph is back with his family, and Newell Knight and his wife, Sally, they stopped by for a visit. Sally had not yet been confirmed, nor had Emma, so Joseph decides to do something about it. So friends, grab your scriptures, and let's dig in. Okay, so there's your background, Aliah and Jalyn, how you feeling about it?
Aliah Hall 3:08
I feel like you need a Doctorate in History to have any idea what's going on in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Tammy 3:16
For sure.
Aliah Hall 3:17
And that makes me a little bit bitter.
Tammy 3:21
Well, now you can understand why we, as Seminary and Institute teachers, feel like it's the hardest book to teach.
Aliah Hall 3:26
Because it's like, it's not just what it is. It's like: read this other tome—like these three verses.
It's not a story, like you have to put it in that historical context.
Jalyn Peterson 3:40
Exactly.
Aliah Hall 3:41
At least in the Book of Mormon, it's like, “Hey, this is doctrine. And then like, here's the story,” you know. This is like, the commentary or like the historical part is in like this completely different, inaccessible place—at least inaccessible to me. I'd sure like to Tammy, it's accessible.
Tammy 4:00
Oh, no, no, it comes with a price to know this for sure. Because it's a book of questions and answers. Yeah. And then you go, Okay, well, but why did he ask that question? And then you got to go research that and read all the history about the background.
Jalyn Peterson 4:12
I mean, that kind of brings me to even why we have these two sections, because you just said, a lot of people hadn't been confirmed. They've been baptized, but not confirmed. So, but then, why are we now talking about the sacrament?
Tammy 4:29
You know, Jalyn, that is an excellent question. So friends, grab your scriptures, let's dig in, and find out why we're talking about the sacrament. Here we go then. I'm just going to ask you real quick because, Jalyn, you asked why are we even talking about the sacrament here? So I do want to know, do either of you have a unique sacrament experience? Like I shared that we really blessed saltine crackers, and they blessed all the water in the canteen and then poured it into all of our Sierra cups. That was such a trip. Do either one of you have one like that?
Aliah Hall 4:55
So I served a mission on a small island off the coast of Panama with an indigenous tribe, so sacrament was always interesting.
Tammy 5:06
Like what? Give me an example.
Aliah Hall 5:08
I mean, occasionally we would have bread. There was one guy on the island who had a stove, a gas stove, that would make bread. But if he didn't make any bread, then there was no bread. So we just had to use whatever. And we always had water but it was river water or rainwater. You know, random water, wherever it came from. Every Sunday was like, "Okay, what are we going to do? Are we going to have bread? Are we not going to have bread? Are we going to use Ritz crackers? Or are we going to use Corn Chex or stale bread? What are we going to use this week?" There's no grocery stores. We were on a tiny, tiny island. So there was no grocery stores, there was no place to run and grab something. The membership was really small, and they didn't have any bread. There was no running water or electricity so who would have bread? And we stressed about it for a while. But then we were like, whatevs.
Tammy 6:07
Yeah. Oh, I like that, "whatevs." Because Section 27 teaches us, "Whatevs." Jalyn, do you have one?
Jalyn Peterson 6:13
No, I'm so Utah white bread in like every sense of the word. So I remember the day wheat bread was on the tray. And I was like, "Does it still count if it's wheat bread? I don't even know." And then there was just that one time, the deacons slipped some Perrier in there or some sparkling water instead of real water just to be funny. That's about it. That's all I've got.
Tammy 6:38
So great. Well here's the good thing. It still works. So let's look at the section heading for chapter 27. Here's what we need to know about this. Jalyn, will you read the section heading for us?
Jalyn Peterson 6:49
Sure. "Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, August 1830. In preparation for a religious service at which the sacrament of bread and wine was to be administered, Joseph set out to procure wine. He was met by a heavenly messenger and received this revelation, a portion of which was written at the time and the remainder in the September following. Water is now used instead of wine in the sacramental services of the Church.”
Tammy 7:15
Okay, thank you so much. So here's what we need to know, in Section 27, like I had said, Joseph Smith was back from being in court for two different accusations. And he's receiving these revelations. And, like I had said, Newell and his wife, Sally, stopped by and Sally had not yet been confirmed, and neither had Emma. And so Joseph decided, "Well, let's hold just an impromptu sacrament meeting. Let's do this and let's confirm them." And so as they were putting everything together, he realized, "Oh, but we don't have any wine. Because I've been gone." So he's running to get wine. And as he's going, an angel comes to him, and here's the revelation he gets, and it's verses one and two. And Aliah, will you read verses one and two for us?
Aliah Hall 7:54
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful. For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.
Tammy 8:20
So that's the whole purpose of those two verses. And Joseph was like, "Oh, it doesn't matter? So we can have something else?" So here's what I want to do. I'm going to read verses three and four and, Aliah and Jalyn, as we read these verses, will you look for the instructions that the heavenly messenger gave to Joseph? Because he just said, "It doesn't matter what you eat, or what you drink." But then he's going to give them some rules about what they drink. So I'm going to read verses 3 and 4. And will you look for these? Here we go: "Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies; Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth."
Aliah Hall 8:59
So I'm reading this and I'm thinking, "Okay, this is where we start having water for the sacrament." And then I read 3, and it says, "Don't purchase wine neither strong drink from your enemy." And I'm like, that, to me, seems like the more important part of the revelation is like, "Don't buy stuff from your enemy." Not like, "Have water."
Tammy 9:20
I agree. Isn't that interesting?
Jalyn Peterson 9:22
How many times did we learn in the Book of Mormon that, you know, it just takes some alcohol and you can solve a lot of problems? Right?
Tammy 9:32
A lot of damage can be done. Sure.
Jalyn Peterson 9:34
Was feeding the alcohol to the guard so we can sneak out the back fast. Like we're getting people liquored up so we can bring about God's purposes. And if you're buying it from someone where you don't know where that came from, you don't know what's in that.
Aliah Hall 9:50
I think what you're saying, Tammy, even, has context for this section, is that Joseph had just gotten out of court twice over for false things that people had said about him. And so that part of it makes sense to me now, as you give that history, okay, so Joseph's mind was on my enemies, and maybe the Lord was kind of like, "Hey, don't be so trusting of everybody."
Tammy 10:17
I love that you pointed that out, Aliah. Absolutely. This is such wisdom in here. Thank you. Anything else stand out to you?
Jalyn Peterson 10:24
The only thing you can partake of is something that's "made new among you."
Tammy 10:28
Highlight that. I love you pointed that out, Jalyn, because the word "new" means, in this context, unfermented. Or non-fermented? I don't even know how you'd say that. I'm not a wine... what do you call someone who's good at drinking wine?
Jalyn Peterson 10:41
Sommelier?
Tammy 10:41
A wine monger? Yeah, sure. Thank you. It means he's speaking of non-fermented, so just make it, use it, and that's that. At this meeting, at this specific sacrament meeting, there were only five people present. It was Joseph, Emma, Sally Knight, Newell Knight and John Whitmer. And they were there to confirm them. And after they got done being confirmed, I like how in church history it says, quote, "They spent the evening in a glorious manner." Just together, as friends, celebrating that Joseph is free, that Emma and Sally had been confirmed. So I just love that. Now the title for Section 27 is this. It's called "The Sacrament: Whole Armor of God." So you can go ahead and write that up there. Because after today's discussion, you're going to see why there's two titles for this. But before we can even get into the second one, which is the whole armor of God, we first need to finish discussing the sacrament, and a very special sacrament meeting, or meetings, when Jesus comes. So we'll discuss that in the next segment.
SEGMENT 2:
So I have a question for both of you. And I asked you this ahead of time so you think about it. Has there ever been an event or a party or anything that you were invited to that was special or high profile that you were excited to go to?
Jalyn Peterson 11:59
I mean I had to really think about this. But one time, I wasn't really invited, I was volunteering, it was for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And it was their gala where they do a big auction. And so like all these fancy Utah celebrities are there like Jazz players, Jazz player wives. And I got to put on the pretty dress and kind of be the Vanna White for all the stuff that was being auctioned off.
Tammy 12:27
That's cool.
Jalyn Peterson 12:28
Yeah. And so it just felt fancy that I was there being Vanna.
Tammy 12:33
It's a great example. I love that! What about you, Aliah?
Aliah Hall 12:37
So I worked for Sundance Film Festival for about five years.
Tammy 12:41
Hello!
Aliah Hall 12:42
Yeah, it was super fun. I ran one of their—I was the manager of one of their theaters here in Salt Lake and so... It wasn't ever fancy, but it was kind of interesting.
Tammy 12:52
Did you see famous people?
Aliah Hall 12:53
I did, pretty regularly. I think about this, like with the whole armor of God thing. I didn't have to put on an external armor, like a fancy dress, but I kind of had to put on like a mindset, because I had to not geek out about the people. It was like, "Don't geek out. Don't geek out. Don't geek out. Like, Be cool. Be cool. Act natural. Act natural. Don't be suspect."
Tammy 13:13
That's so funny. Well, I think it's such a, those are great examples. I was thinking of this because I the only one that I have really is, when I was teaching seminary, somebody gave me tickets to conference. And they were where all the dignitaries sit, down on the very front row. And I'm not gonna lie, as I was walking down the big, the stairs all the way down to the front, I was totally a snob. I'm like, "Oh, yeah, excuse me. I'm going to go to the front. Oh, no, I get to go to the front." Because people were stopping me and I was showing them my tickets. "No, no, no. I'm up in the front." They're like, "Are you sure?" "Mm-hmm." "Oh, my gosh. Right there." So I'm like, "Yeah, I'm in the front rows." So I asked this, because in Section 27, we're gonna study a very important event that I am dying to attend and, spoiler alert, no snobs allowed. Like, you can't be a snob if you want to come to this. So we're going to get into section 27, verse five. Here we go. So it said in the section heading that part of the revelation was received earlier and the rest was in September. Verses 1 through 4 were received in August of 1830, written down, and then 5 through 18 were then received in September of 1830. So that's the break right there. So we have a new strain of thought, a new revelation. Yes, Aliah.
Aliah Hall 14:34
If one revelation was received in August and the other revelation received in September and they have nothing to do with one another, why put them in the same section?
Tammy 14:44
That is such a great question. Aliah, that happens often throughout the Doctrine and Covenants.
Aliah Hall 14:48
Oh, I know.
Tammy 14:48
Yeah, in fact, we had a section where it was Section 23, I believe, where there were several, yeah, Section 23, where there several different revelations given to four different people. So in the Book of Commandments, which is what the Doctrine and Covenants originally was, they were separate. Then when they made it the Doctrine and Covenants, they went through and combined several sections into one. So this would be one of them where it was received around the same time, so they just combined them both together to be into one.
Aliah Hall 15:13
They should put like a page break, so you won't be like confused by the fact that we were talking about the sacrament and now we're talking about this completely other thing.
Tammy 15:22
Well, I'm so glad you brought that up. Because what's interesting is that, yes, we just got done talking about the sacrament, but it makes perfect sense they combine it here because that's what verse 5 is talking about. So Aliah, read verse 5 for us.
Aliah Hall 15:36
Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim;
Tammy 15:54
Okay, let's just take the first part of that verse: "Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that," highlight this, "I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth." Okay. That line right there specifically is talking about another sacrament meeting. This is a great, amazing sacrament meeting that the Savior will have with all of us and I'm going to give you some cross references. He said this in three of the four Gospels. He said it in Matthew, chapter 26, verse 29. He said it in Mark, chapter 14, verse 25. And he said it in Luke, chapter 22, verse 18. All three of these accounts are at the Last Supper. And we're going to read what the Savior said to the twelve apostles there. So let's just go to Matthew chapter 26, verse 29, real quick. So turn there, and, Aliah, will you please read this verse for us?
Aliah Hall 16:47
"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom."
Tammy 16:56
Thank you. And he says that again, in Mark, and again in Luke. And this is at the Passover meal. Another name for this sacrament meeting in scripture is called—and you can put this in your scriptures, quote, it's called "The Marriage Supper of the Lamb." And we read about that in Matthew chapter 22, verses 1 through 14. It's also called "The Parable of the Marriage of the King's Son." This big meal that we're all going to partake in, or be a part of. It's speaking about this sacrament meeting. The Savior is saying, at the Passover, when he introduces the sacrament to his apostles, he says, "I'm not going to partake of this now. But there will be a future sacrament meeting where I will partake of it with you." And then here we have Doctrine and Covenants, Section 27, where the Lord is reiterating those words to Joseph saying, "Hey, there will be a great, amazing sacrament meeting that I'm going to come to, and I'm going to partake of it with you." And it's kind of cool because, I like how in verse 5, He says to "marvel not." This is so fun to me, because a lot of people are like, "Well, can a resurrected being eat the sacrament? Can Jesus actually take bread and wine? Can he eat that?" And a great commentary on this is that's why he uses the word "marvel." He's like "marvel not. Don't question. Like, it's going to happen. I've already said it's going to happen in the New Testament. And it's going to happen right here." And in our show notes, we're going to put a lot of other scripture references, like in Revelation, it also has this Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and that this great and last sacrament, okay, in fact, I have a really cool quote about this. And we're going to include this in our show notes. So you can go to the link and read this quote. But this quote is so great, because it tells us about this marriage feast, it's going to tell us who the bridegroom is, and who is invited to this feast and what it is all about. So, Jalyn, will you read this quote for us, please?
Jalyn Peterson 18:42
"'Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.' This passage is another of the beatitudes of the Book of Revelation. Those who are invited guests at the Lamb's celebratory marriage feast are blessed, indeed. There are three persons or groups at the marriage supper: the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb; the Bride, who is the Church (as an institution but also as a collection of many individuals); and the guests, who also are likely the individual members, those who have qualified by righteousness for the grace of Christ."
Tammy 19:13
Okay, so knowing that background about verse 5, does it make more sense why we would connect these two ideas?
Jalyn Peterson 19:19
Well, so let me ask though, so in Mark, and in Matthew, where we just read those, is the Savior talking about the Last Supper? Because here, it seems to reference, he's not only going to drink the fruit of the vine with us here on Earth at that supper, but Moroni is also going to be there.
Yep. So when Jesus Christ is with the apostles in the New Testament, he's at the Passover. He's about to die, the next, I mean, he's going to be arrested in a couple of hours. So he's teaching them the sacrament and he's saying, "I'm not going to partake of this, but I will at a future time. I'm going to come back and we're going to have a big sacrament meeting. And that's when I'm going to partake of the bread and the wine with you."
So he's at the Last Supper saying, "This is going to happen again"?
Tammy 20:08
Yes.Great question. Thank you for asking that. What about you, Aliah? Any thoughts?
Aliah Hall 20:12
My mind is still whirling that people are like, "Oh, can resurrected beings eat food?" I'm like, "Who's thinking about that?"
Tammy 20:23
Oh, it's a common question.
Aliah Hall 20:25
What?
Jalyn Peterson 20:26
My brain would go there. These are the things that I would think of, I'd be like, well, "What? How are we going to eat at—?"
Aliah Hall 20:32
I love it. I love that people are thinking about these and that—
Jalyn Peterson 20:35
Yeah, that would be me.
Aliah Hall 20:35
Joseph is giving a revelation so that people who think about those things are like, "Hey, here are things." Because my mind is, I'm just like, "What is happening?"
Tammy 20:47
I think what's so interesting, too, and I'm just now making this connection. Because remember, Joseph Smith's young, he's in his 20s. He's so young. And here he is inserting a really important doctrinal truth about something from the New Testament. And he's pointing out like, "Oh, it's going to happen." Like, this is the dispensation where, this is it. This is the last dispensation before the Savior comes. And when he does, there's going to be an amazing sacrament meeting. And that's a high-profile event, if there ever was one. Talk about something that I want to be at, right?
Jalyn Peterson 21:23
So cool, too, that we learn that in the New Testament, and then just to kind of throw in there—oh, and Moroni's going to be there, and the other people that I've, you know, given priesthood keys to. How cool is that?
Tammy 21:35
Yeah. Aliah, go ahead.
Aliah Hall 21:37
Well I can see now that like, because, you know, we're talking about the sacrament, and then we're talking about this big sacrament. And I think it's just interesting. It's like, "You don't have to drink wine and don't drink wine from your enemies. Oh, by the way, we're going to have this amazing sacrament with Moroni and Christ."
Right. It's true. It's elite.
Jalyn Peterson 21:55
I get it. Yeah. You're like, "Where are we going with this?" Yeah.
Aliah Hall 21:59
Like I feel like I'm just talking to my teenager, you know, like, "Oh, and I had a bologna sandwich for lunch today in the cafeteria. And then there was a fight!" You're like, "How did we get from bologna sandwiches to a fight?"
Tammy 22:13
But this connection is a little more solid for me, because he's like, "Here's something, important doctrinal truth about the sacrament, it doesn't matter what you eat and drink. And speaking of the sacrament, did you know there's gonna be a big old sacrament we're all going to take place in?" And I'm sure Joseph's like, "We are? Okay, let's keep finding, let's find out more about this sacrament meeting."
Jalyn Peterson 22:32
You know what else I think, though? Is that, that's kind of how revelation works for me, though, in my own life. I'll have kind of a thought. And then it can be a couple months later, or where it just evolves a little bit more, or you learn a different piece of it. So to me, it kind of makes sense that he was thinking about that and had that whole thing. And then the next month, it's like, "Oh, and by the way." I mean, for crying out loud, an angel came down to him and says... I'd still be pondering that a month later.
Tammy 23:06
Awesome!
Jalyn Peterson 23:07
Yeah, I'd still be pondering that—so, you know, God revealing a little bit more.
Tammy 23:12
That's a great point, Jalyn. Both of you have said, verse 5 says Moroni will be there. But if you're wondering who else will be there, what's so cool is, in the next segment, we're going to show you ALL the other people who are going to be invited. And of course, I'm thinking, "Please be me, please be me, please be me."
SEGMENT 3:
Okay, ladies, well let's find out who else gets invited to this sacrament meeting. We are going to look at Doctrine and Covenants, section 27, verses 6 and 7. That's where we're going to start. So, here we go. Jalyn, will you read verses 6 and 7?
Jalyn Peterson 23:50
"And also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days; And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;"
Tammy 24:13
Okay, two people in those verses that are going to be invited. Who are they?
Jalyn Peterson 24:16
The Prophet Elijah and John the Baptist.
Tammy 24:20
Very good. So we have right in the beginning, verse 6, says Elias, verse 7 says, John, and that's John the Baptist. But we have to mark Elias, and talk about this, because this it's one of my favorite names to talk about in scripture. So "Elias" is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, "Elijah." So Elijah will probably be there. But what we need to know about the name Elias is that it's not always Elijah from First and Second Kings, Elijah. So, this is cool, you guys. "Elias" is also a title or an office of a holy messenger who comes to prepare and restore. So the name "Elias" restores, it's a restorer. And there are four examples in scripture where somebody else is called an "Elias." I'll put these scriptures in our show notes. But we have, first of all, a man we've all heard of, Noah, as in Noah's Ark, Noah, and this is in verse seven, which is kind of cool because the "Elias" it's speaking of in verse seven, which is in the parentheses, it says, which Zacharias, he "Elias" visited. That specific "Elias," according to Joseph Smith–History of the Church is Noah, or the angel Gabriel. It's the same person. So the angel Gabriel, who came to Mary, who came to Joseph, who came to Zacharias, is Noah the Prophet, which I think is so cool. And he is called an "Elias." He's preparing the way. The other "Elias," there's three others. John the Revelator is an Elias. So that's John the beloved, who wrote the Book of Revelation, and that's found in Doctrine and Covenants, section 77, verse 14, where he's called an "Elias." Another "Elias" is John the Baptist. In Matthew, chapter 17, verses 10 through 13, John the Baptist is called an "Elias." And then the last "Elias," according to the Joseph Smith Translation of John, chapter one, verse 28: Jesus Christ. That's so neat that Jesus Christ is an "Elias."
Jalyn Peterson 26:18
So question then, so we know Noah comes and he's foretelling, as the angel Gabriel, that Zacharias is going to have John, who's also a forerunner. What was John the Revelator? What was he a forerunner of?
Tammy 26:37
Such a good question. So he's still on the earth today, preparing the 10 tribes to return the gathering of Israel, which is happening right now, before the Second Coming. So he's preparing the way for the Savior to come a second time.
Aliah Hall 26:49
Okay.
Tammy 26:50
Great question.
Aliah Hall 26:51
And then Christ Himself?
Tammy 26:52
Yeah. Isn't that interesting? He's an "Elias." What is he preparing the way for?
Jalyn Peterson 26:58
For all of our salvation.
Tammy 27:00
Absolutely. He is the grandest restorer of all time. Any thoughts you guys have about this? Tell me what your thinking.
Aliah Hall 27:10
I'm scribbling all these things down frantically like I'm back in college in my abnormal psych class. And I'm like, "What?"
Tammy 27:20
Well, let's look over verses 9 through 12, and here's what I want you to do. Grab a highlighter, for those of you who are listening, and same with you, Aliah and Jalyn, and just scan your eyes through verses 9 through 12. And call out the names you see. This is who else will be invited to this incredible last sacrament meeting. Who is it?
Jalyn Peterson 27:38
Elijah. We already talked about him.
Tammy 27:39
We did. Perfect.
Aliah Hall 27:40
So Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Michael (who is Adam), Peter, James, John.
Tammy 27:49
Yep. You know, everybody. Yeah, like the big guns, right?
Yeah, I'm not gonna be there. I'm pretty sure.
Aliah Hall 27:58
I don't believe that, Jalyn. I think they're going to be like, "And Jalyn."
Tammy 28:03
You're my plus one, Aliah. You're going to be my plus one.
Well, this is fun. Because if you go into verse 9 said Elijah, then verse 10—this is interesting, because normally in scripture it will say, "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob"—it's always in that threesome right there, but it's including Joseph right here, which is so cool. We have Joseph, but then we have Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, and then it says "your fathers." We read about these fathers in Doctrine and Covenants, section 2, verse 2, and the Greek translation of the word "fathers" means "first fathers or ruling fathers." So it's all the patriarchs who've ever lived will be invited. Anything else stand out to you in those verses?
Jalyn Peterson 28:41
I do like how the Lord is pointing out to Joseph Smith, "You know all these people. These are your fathers. And I've sent you Peter, James, and John, and they've confirmed you and ordained you. You're going to be there with all these people. Like I've shown you every one of these people. And you're going to be sitting there with them."
Tammy 29:04
Yeah. Absolutely. Any other questions you have or anything else you marked in those verses, just to verse 13?
Aliah Hall 29:10
Well, the thing that stands out to me is that he goes on in 12, to say, "Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I revealed unto them." And so right here it's giving kind of a definition of what an apostle is, what they're called to do. And that Joseph is part of this group of apostles, like "You're an apostle, you're a special witness, you bear the keys of the ministry, and the same thing that was revealed to all of them, will also be revealed to you."
Tammy 29:50
Aliah, I love that you just brought that up because then take it a step further because he's really talking to us. Look at verse 14. Aliah, will you read verse 14?
Aliah Hall 29:59
"And also with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world."
Tammy 30:04
That's us. Now who qualifies as that though? Do you have to be, you probably think you have to be perfect, no sins, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So I'm going to read this really cool quote from Joseph Smith. And this is who he says will make it. This is who gets invited. He says, "Those who keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in His statutes to the end, are the only individuals permitted to sit at this glorious feast. . . ." Joseph went on to preach that Paul wrote: "'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. . . .' . . . His labors were unceasing to spread the glorious news: and like a faithful soldier, when called to give his life in the cause which he had espoused, he laid it down. . . . Follow the labors of this Apostle from the time of his conversion to the time of his death, and you will have a fair sample of industry and patience in promulgating the Gospel of Christ. Derided, whipped, and stoned, the moment he escaped the hands of his persecutors he as zealously as ever proclaimed the doctrine of the Savior. . . . Reflect for a moment, brethren, and enquire, whether you would consider yourselves worthy a seat at the marriage feast with Paul and others like him, if you had been unfaithful? Had you not fought the good fight, and kept the faith, could you expect to receive?" Now my question is, how do you read that without being overwhelmed, depressed? Think if you were like, "Well, there's no point. I'm done. I'm done. I'm out." How can we do that, Aliah? How can we take those words and apply them to our lives?
Aliah Hall 31:30
I just finished reading Fiona Givens and her husband Tyrrel's book, All Things New. When I first started reading it, I'm not a—well, I am a crier now. But I'm not a weeper. And I weeped. I was weeping because this was truths that I felt to my bone, to the marrow of my bone. Things that I have always known about our Heavenly Parents and their love for us, and what we're doing here. I'm getting choked up about it right now because it's so powerful. And I think how we don't get hopeless when we hear things like that is if we're not there yet, it's not the end. If we're not there yet, if we have—in a family, you know—I have a crazy family. I love them. There's a lot of us. It's pandemonium most the time, but the party doesn't start till everybody's there. And I think this great sacrament, I think that's what Heavenly Father is trying to tell us. That's what Joseph's trying to tell us. That's what Christ is trying to tell us when he says, "And also with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world" is that until we are there, the party doesn't start. And that is his work. And that is His glory is to make sure we all arrive to the party.
Tammy 32:52
I'm going to write that in my scriptures. I love that so much. "The party doesn't start until everyone's there."
Aliah Hall 33:02
If what makes the celestial kingdom is our familial relationships, what family leaves their children behind, or their siblings or whomever? The party doesn't start till everybody's there. And so if you're not there, if you can't see yourself there, we're not at the end yet. Keep going.
Tammy 33:24
Absolutely.
Jalyn Peterson 33:26
That's so good.
Tammy 33:27
I agree. So good. I think that's the message that the Father and the Son are trying to teach us with section 27 is he's saying, "Look, I'm coming to do this again, and everyone's welcome. In fact, here's specifically who will be here," and then I love verse 14: "Everybody can come. Everybody."
Aliah Hall 33:45
One part of "Everybody can come" is that we are trying to get everybody here. I have sent all of these people I don't know if it's saying—and this is just coming to me right now—I don't know if it's saying, "Hey, look at this celebrity list." I think he's saying, "Look at all these people I've sent to come get you."
Tammy 34:05
Yes. I totally agree with you, Aliah!
Aliah Hall 34:08
I sent Moroni. I sent Elijah. I sent John. I sent Jacob. I sent Abraham. I sent Isaac. I sent Adam. I sent all of—Peter, James, John—I sent all of these people to come get you.
Tammy 34:23
Oh, in fact, as you're saying that my heart is so full because I go back to the idea of Joseph, like even Joseph who was lost, who got sold by his brothers was still found, and he's there like, "We'll get you. We'll come and get you."
Aliah Hall 34:38
Look how Joseph got his family. Like even though they had sold him, he was like, "No, I'm not gonna let you starve. I'm not gonna let you not come to the party. I'm not gonna let you—You're still my family." We're gonna have this great feast with our Savior. And we're all family and look at all these people that I sent to come and get you. And they're all going to be there waiting for you being like, "Yeah! You made it! Good for you!"
Jalyn Peterson 35:06
It even says that in Doctrine and Covenants when you look at the reference in Doctrine and Covenants, section 50, verses 41 through 42: "Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me; And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost."
Beautiful, Jalyn. That was a powerful discussion, ladies. Thank you so much for seeing that, and for discussing it because it just completely changes the way section 27... Normally how we start it out with like, "What? What is this section?" and now we know what it is. So thank you so much. In the next segment then, we're going to find out what we're supposed to wear in preparation for the meeting and then to the meeting.
Tammy 35:51
SEGMENT 4:
Okay, so Aliah and Jalyn, you both just talked about the special occasion that you attended. So here's what I want to know, did you think about or even consider maybe what you were going to wear to those events? Was that a big deal?
Jalyn Peterson 36:10
Oh, mine was like, tons of time. Because, I was the chubby girl growing up, right? So it's not like I got asked to prom or anything like that. So this was kind of the time where I was like, I remember being in there being like, "Oh!" Some men were checking me out and I was like, "Oh! I think I must look pretty good in this." You know? So yeah, so it took a lot of time to think about, okay, what am I going to wear because it was uncomfortable, it was form-fitting stuff. Eating Disorder brain was hardcore. So I probably spent way too much time on that.
Aliah Hall 36:42
I very seldom think about what I'm going to wear because I'm always obsessed about saying something stupid. Like, "What difference does it make how you look if you say dumb stuff?"
Tammy 36:54
Oh, great advice, Miss Therapist.
Aliah Hall 36:58
Oh, don't follow that advice. That's terrible. That's where my mind goes, I'm just like, "Oh my gosh, what if somebody tries to talk to me? What if they asked me something I don't know?"
Tammy 37:11
That's so funny. I've never once thought that. I'm like, "Well, I can hold my own with my words, but my outfit? I better look good while I'm doing it, though."
Aliah Hall 37:19
If I just blend in, nobody will talk to me. And then I can be at the event without having to be at the event.
Tammy 37:26
There's your introvert, right there. For sure.
Jalyn Peterson 37:28
Tam and I are totally opposite.
Well, I asked you this question because it's so interesting in Section 27. All of a sudden, out of the blue, and Aliah, you've mentioned this a couple of times, then all of a sudden, boom, we get hit with verses 15 through 18. Out of nowhere, right? But in context now, it's kind of interesting, because we just learned about this great and last sacrament meeting. And the Lord is giving us a little bit of a tip like, "Hey, by the way, if you want to come, here's what you need to wear," or "Here's what you need to prepare in wearing before it happens. And this will get you ready for this event." And so to go along with this idea, the rest of the section title is "The Whole Armor of God." Mark verses 15 through 18: "The Whole Armor of God." And let's just go over these verses, verse by verse. I want to have a discussion about the armor. What parts stand out to you?
To me, it's always—and I think I've learned this before, but I don't remember the significance of why the loins that are covered with truth. Why is it the breast that's covered with righteousness? Feet make sense to me because that indicates a direction. So if you have preparation for the gospel, but those are kind of the things that I always think about, "Why the loins truth, why the breast righteousness?"
Tammy 38:41
Well, Jalyn, I happen to have a quote for you. Would you like to read this? Let's read this quote by Harold B. Lee. He actually talks about these parts and why these parts. So read this quote for us.
Jalyn Peterson 38:50
“We have the four parts of the body that the Apostle Paul said [are] the most vulnerable to the powers of darkness. The loins, typifying virtue, chastity. The heart, typifying our conduct." Heart is conduct, okay. "Our feet, our goals or objectives in life and finally our head, our thoughts.”
Tammy 39:13
He also said that the loins is a vital part of the body between the lower rib and your hip. into which you'll recognize are the vital organs that we have to do with reproduction.
Aliah Hall 39:25
Well and that's kind of what when I think of our loins, and I've heard that quote before, and it's like, "Oh, chastity, and things like that." But I think when we dive into kind of the idea of chastity, it's not just like, "Oh, don't have sex before you're married." But really like, "Who are our heavenly parents? What do they do? They create things. And that, in this earthly body, our loins is our creative center. We create bodies and house souls of our Heavenly Parents. So of course, he would want to protect those.
Tammy 40:01
Well, Aliah, I love this so keep expounding on this because it says to have our "loins girt about with truth." Why would we have it "girt about with truth" and not strength or fervor or vitality?
Aliah Hall 40:13
To understand the truth of who we are. We are creators. I think that's a plain and precious thing that we've lost. I think we, we feel like we are the created. But we are creators, much like our Heavenly Parents, much like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And so, to understand that truth, and to have a true knowledge of who we are as creators, is powerful. And it would protect us against the fiery darts of the wicked, or, you know, the evil day, to be like, "Hey, wait a second, you, Satan and minions, will never create anything."
Tammy 40:59
How do you think we can interpret "the breastplate of righteousness"? How do we not say the breastplate of perfection? Sometimes I think we read that and think righteousness equates perfection.
Aliah Hall 41:13
Whenever people talk about perfection, and when they use that word "perfection" in the in the scriptures, I always try to remind people that—and maybe, Tammy, you will correct me—but that that's a poor translation because it's actually "wholeness" and "completeness" not perfection.
Tammy 41:30
In Hebrew and in Greek it means "complete or finished." We've talked about this when Jesus Christ NEVER said he was perfect, until AFTER he was resurrected to the Nephites. Jalyn, you brought this up, you said I understand the feet shod, it says "feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Tell me a little bit about that. Because it's interesting because he can he goes on by saying, "which I have sent my angels to commit unto you."
Jalyn Peterson 41:55
Well, like that quote said like, it's your goals and your objections, and whatever direction your feet are pointed, that's where you're headed. It's kind of like "perfect" being "whole," like, it's preparation. It's aiming for it. It's goals. It's angels are there to help you with it.
Aliah Hall 42:12
Look what he's preparing us for. It's the preparation of the gospel of peace, the gospel being the good word of peace. He's preparing us to be peaceful.
Jalyn Peterson 42:24
We got a long ways to go there.
Aliah Hall 42:27
And then this armor is guarding us to be peaceful and that juxtaposition of words—we're putting on armor to be peaceful. I don't know, I'm playing with that in my head right now. I don't know what that means. But it's putting on this armor is preparing us for peace.
Jalyn Peterson 42:47
I think the armor is protecting our peace. I think we were, like you said, perfection is whole and complete. We were born whole and complete. We came to this earth, we are whole and complete just by the nature that we exist and we're God's child. And so armor, I think, is to protect us from all that stuff coming in, so that we are peace, that we remember that peace, that we're the ones carrying it forward, and not letting all that outside stuff come in so that we forget. We know exactly what we're doing and where we're going to that feast, and we just have to remember that peace and that's why the armor is on us.
It's so awesome because you said these outside things coming in, which in verse 17, I really liked the imagery of this. And it says, "Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." And that word, "darts"—it's interesting when I was reading this, because it means "arrows." And what's unique about these fiery arrows, like they're really on fire. But the cool thing about it is that they're unexpected—at all angles, not even in front of you. They're from behind, from the side, up above you, coming down. And so we have them shooting from all different directions. And I think it's interesting when it says right here "of the wicked." In the book of Ephesians, where the armor of God also exists, that word "wicked" is translated into Greek to mean "the evil one," to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And of all his tricks and plans. I mean, we've said this before, Satan isn't Satan because he's good, Satan is Satan because he's old. And he's been doing this a long time and he knows how to do it. So knowing all of this, let's go to verse 15. I want you to read it, Jalyn, and as you do, tell me "What is the Lord trying to teach us here?" Think back to getting ready for your big event. Think back to all the things you're thinking about while you're getting dressed, and doing your hair and your makeup or whatever. Or, Aliah, thinking about what you're going to say. Verse 15 teaches us something profound about how we're supposed to get ready. Will you read verse 15?
Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.
Tammy 45:03
What's he trying to teach us?
Jalyn Peterson 45:06
That we should do it with a happy heart. That we should be so grateful that we have this armor. That, you know, we're prepared that we are, we have been given the tools to withstand the evil of the day. So I always like to picture myself putting on the armor of God. Like I will pray for that a lot of times. And when I think about it first I'm like, but it feels heavy. It feels oppressive, heavy. So I have to visualize that in some, you know, neoprene shark suit kind of like no, it's like...
Aliah Hall 45:39
Vibranium.
Tammy 45:40
It's not a burden to put on.
Jalyn Peterson 45:42
You're not bearing it your own self either. Like this is the armor of God. He hasn't made it to be this oppressive, heavy, "Well, I gotta slog into battle today." It's meant to be, I don't know, some sort of magical material that just feels good and protective, and gives you lightness and happiness when you put it on.
Tammy 46:04
Yes. So good. Aliah, how do you interpret that verse?
Aliah Hall 46:09
Well, I think along with what Jalyn was saying, I think the armor that we're really putting on is the love of God. We put on the love of God. We really understand with our heart and with our head, and with our gut, with our whole selves that we are His children, that he loves us, that he has prepared this world and all of these things for our benefit. The armor that we need, and the armor that we have to walk through that is our relationship with Him. And his love for us. And that is light.
Jalyn Peterson 46:49
And that feels good, right? Like if you think about "I'm putting on the love of God." That just feels like warm, cozy, wonderfulness, you know.
Tammy 46:58
There's nothing heavy about that.
Jalyn Peterson 47:00
Right. Not like heavy stuff, "I got to slog into battle today." I'm putting on the love of God.
Tammy 47:05
Wow. Thank you. Thank you so much, ladies. That was an excellent discussion of the armor. I appreciate that so much.
Aliah Hall 47:11
Thank you, Tammy.
Tammy 47:12
Wow. So that's the end of Section 27. So in the next segment, we are going to jump into section 28. And learn about a controversy that is the reason why we have Section 28. Oooo, see what happened.
SEGMENT 5:
Alright, I'm going to show you guys a picture and I just want you to describe to the listeners what it is that you see. You ready?
Jalyn Peterson 47:41
It's a stone and it looks to me like maybe Tiger's-eye, sort-of-ish.
Aliah Hall 47:49
Sedimentary stone, like different layers, maybe like a wood fossil.
Jalyn Peterson 47:54
It's a brown, a brown rock with some tan swirlies on it.
Tammy 48:01
Okay, what you just saw is a seer stone. THE seer stone that the Church History has—you can find this in the Church History website. So let's just talk about it. Here we go. We're going to talk about the seer stone, and all this fun stuff about it, because this is what leads into Section 28. So Joseph Smith had a seer stone. He also had a Urim and Thummim, which are two clear stones that look like glass, and they were put in glass frames to translate the Book of Mormon. Now, Martin Harris, this is interesting, Martin Harris said that Joseph began using the seer stone out of convenience. And that's interesting, because then Martin explains that the Urim and Thummim didn't really fit on Joseph's face. So he actually took the stones out of the glasses and put them in a hat. And he would translate out of this black hat. And the whole purpose of the black hat was just to keep light out because there was so much light in the place where they were translating, and he needed a dark room. So he put it in a black hat and he started to read from those stones. And then he realized if he could just use his own seer stone, then he could put the Urim and Thummin away and use the seer stone, which was much more convenient for him. So we have this seer stone and there is a funny story about Martin Harris and the seer stone because Martin Harris wanted to know if this was legit. In the summer of 1828, Martin Harris actually replaced Joseph's seer stone with another stone that he had found, and he wanted to see if Joseph could notice a difference. And when Joseph was unable to continue translating, Martin confessed his ruse, returned the seer stone. And when Joseph asked him why he had done it, Martin explained, "to stop the mouths of fools who had told him that the Prophet had learned those sentences and was merely repeating them." So that's where Martin kind of got his testimony of the seer stone. But I want to give you a little back history on seer stones because this isn't something that Joseph Smith just came up with. According to a European tradition of folk belief reaching back to at least in the Middle Ages, quartz crystals or other stones could be used to find missing objects or to see things that were not visible to the natural eye. This practice, it accompanied European immigrants to North America and it was part of Joseph Smith's cultural environment in western New York in the 1820s. So by then the practice, it was kind of waning, but it was something that everyone was very familiar with. And actually, in his youth, Joseph Smith occasionally use seer stones to help neighbors find missing objects, or search for buried treasure. And it's kind of funny because it was, in fact, the most believable part of Joseph Smith's story at the time. When people heard he was using a seer stone, they're like, "Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Okay." It wasn't weird for them at all like it kind of is for us today. And if you want to know more about that, we'll have the links in our show notes. But it's kind of cool, because this is kind of the pattern that God has used throughout scripture. I mean, in the Old Testament, he's always worked through, to further his work, through inanimate objects. We have the rod of Aaron, we have Moses' staff, the brass serpent, the Ark of the Covenant. And then we have the Urim and Thummim. And that's also in the Book of Mormon. So here we have Section 28. Now, this section is given because Hiram Page claimed to have his own seer stone, and that he was receiving revelation for the church. In fact, the title for this section is, quote, "Revelation for the Church, One at the Head," unquote. That's the title. And what's so cool about this section, Section 28, is, you guys, this is laying the foundation for who can receive revelation. And I just think it's so important for us to know Section 28. Let's read the section heading to this. And Aliah, will you read that for us?
Aliah Hall 51:26
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Oliver Cowdery, at Fayette, New York, September 1830. Hiram Page, a member of the Church, had a certain stone and professed to be receiving revelations by its aid concerning the upbuilding of Zion and the order of the Church. Several members had been deceived by these claims, and even Oliver Cowdery was wrongly influenced thereby. Just prior to an appointed conference, the Prophet inquired earnestly of the Lord concerning the matter, and this revelation followed.
Tammy 52:02
Okay, so we have Hiram Page, he thinks that he's getting revelation for the Church through a seer stone, and members of the Church, including Olivery Cowdery are believing him. But before we can even judge these guys too harshly, here's what I want to know. Right from the start, I just want to ask both of you, what do you think about seer stones?
Jalyn Peterson 52:18
I honestly never really thought about it. Because, I mean, it is kind of one of those things where we're like, "What? Urim and Thummin?" It is that part of it, where you're like, "That just sounds crazy." I mean, I find that super fascinating that that was the least unbelievable part of the story. But I don't know, it's just, it's a little out there where you're like, "Why would anyone believe that?"
Aliah Hall 52:44
When I was reading this, and when I was thinking about it before, I was just like, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" I'm sure it's important. I'm sure that people are sitting around discussing these topics at length and gleaning historical whatever. But the thing that pulls me back into it, is that Joseph, he took it seriously, instead of being like, "Stop it."
Jalyn Peterson 52:47
Yeah. "Really, people? Come on."
Aliah Hall 53:17
"I am the Prophet. I get revelation. You do not. You can get revelation for your family." And I think these are things that we know now because of these things, and so I think we take for granted that they were starting in foundling church, they were figuring all this out. And now we're looking back on it from a perspective of having known this already, you know. And so I love that Joseph took the time to be like, "Okay, and this is a seer stone, and this is what it is, and this is how it goes, and blah, blah, blah, blah." He's explaining how that works to everybody and this is, instead of just being like, "There's only one prophet. Cut it out. Whether you have a seer stone or not, whether you have a Urim and Thummin or not, whether you, a holy messenger came down to visit you or whatever, you do not receive revelation for the church. That's not how this works. The end."
Tammy 54:11
Perfect! Aliah, read verse two, because yeah, verse two seems like a "No duh" verse to all of us. But you're right, the church was just getting started and now the Lord's like, "Okay, and here's another principle you're gonna have to learn." So read verse two for us.
Aliah Hall 54:24
But, behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.
Tammy 54:37
Thank you. And so yeah, there is the principle being taught because of this question, because of the situation that arose. And as I was studying Section 28, I thought, "Oh my gosh. Of course there's this seer stone that is trying to be replicated." And it's interesting because Satan only tries to mimic goodness. He's got a handle on bad, right? And I love how James E. Faust said about Satan, He is the "great imitator, the master deceiver, the arch counterfeiter, and the great forger." And so, in my mind, I'm thinking, "If the seer stone wasn't real or something from God, why would Satan take the time to mimic it?" And that's exactly what he does in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 28, with a man by the name of Hiram Page. And, you know, I think back to the seer stones too. And I think, if it was kind of weird, or if Joseph made it up, I just thought he would have written it out, like, "Oh, yeah, we're not going to put that part in. Let's just kind of, let's keep this revelation out. No one needs to know about those seer stones." Yeah, like he's very upfront and honest about it because it was normal and treasure seeking, very normal, which we learned from Jenny a couple weeks ago. Totally normal. Of course he'd write it in his history. And so we have this thing where he's like, "No one else's can receive revelation" because Hiram Page was looking into the seer stone, and he was, in fact, receiving his revelation. He was receiving revelation as to where Zion would end up. And that leads us to this verse right here in verse nine. When you read verse nine unless you know the context for it, verse nine just seems like a random verse. But Jalyn, read verse nine now.
Jalyn Peterson 56:14
And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites.
Tammy 56:27
Okay, when he says it'll be given hereafter, put Doctrine and Covenants, Section 57, verses 2 through 3. That's when the revelation comes of where Zion will be: Independence, Missouri. I said this earlier at the beginning of the segment, but I can't stress it enough. This is the FIRST time we're being taught who can receive revelation for the Church. It's one at the head. It is Joseph Smith, and Joseph Smith only. And when we get to Section 43 a little bit later on, he's going to, the Lord is going to reiterate this again to us. And he's going to teach, this is part of his gospel or his law to the people. So I think it's, it's really important that he wants us to know this.
Jalyn Peterson 57:05
But I do love how like the rest of it was very much, he says to Oliver, "You're still going to get revelations. You're still going to have, the Holy Ghost is going to teach you. You're just not supposed to write this all down as commandment to the whole entire Church. But you personally will be led, you'll be directed, all these things." You know, personal revelation is real. The Holy Ghost is real. And those things that you learn, you need to teach those and share those, because that is from me, but you're not just supposed to say, "Oh, the Church's," you know, you're not supposed to write it down and be like this applies to the entire Church.
Tammy 57:43
Yes.
Aliah Hall 57:44
When I'm in session with clients, and they're telling me more modern things like this. I'm always like, "Stay in your lane."
Tammy 57:55
Stay in your lane.
Aliah Hall 57:57
"Stay in your lane. That's not your stuff. You can see revelation for you. You can decide what's good for you. You could talk about your own boundaries, your own wants, your own needs, but you don't get to decide that for anybody else. Stay in your lane."
Jalyn Peterson 58:13
Yeah, so true.
Tammy 58:14
That is good. I wrote that next to verse 2: "Stay in your lane." Excellent. Jalyn, I love that you brought up that he's talking to Oliver Cowdery in this section as well. So in the next segment, we are going to talk about why he's talking to Oliver Cowdery as well as to Hiram Page.
SEGMENT 6:
So my question to you guys to start this segment out is, have you ever been given a calling that you thought, or even said out loud, "You want me to do what? Come again?"
Aliah Hall 58:52
The day I turned 18, the bishop called me to teach in the Primary. And I was like, "You know I don't like kids, right?"
Tammy 59:05
[laughter]
Aliah Hall 59:05
And he was like, "Nevertheless..."
Tammy 59:05
Fantastic. "You know I don't like kids?" Okay, that's a perfect example.
Aliah Hall 59:06
I didn't even like kids when I was a kid.
Tammy 59:18
What about you, Jalyn? Yeah, there's been those callings, and I am of the opinion that you never turn anything down.
Me too.
Jalyn Peterson 59:27
I stupidly accepted the single adult coordinator thing. And I was like, "No. No. I did my time in singles' wards."
Tammy 59:38
Yeah, there should be a cut off for that calling.
Jalyn Peterson 59:40
I feel like I graduated. And so I said I'd do it. I'm kind of embarrassed to say that but like...
Tammy 59:49
It's okay. We're all friends.
Mine's my calling right now, because I was telling someone about it. And I was like, I told them I play the organ. That's my calling. I'm ward organist. She goes, "You play the organ?" And I said, "No, no, I don't actually." That's how awful it is. I play the piano and we needed a ward organist. And in fact, I'm not even kidding: two Sundays in a row, while playing the organ, I hit the chimes button in the middle of the sacrament meeting, in the middle of sacrament song. Here we are singing this, getting ready to take the sacrament, and I hit the chimes button. I stopped the entire congregation and made them restart. Like, that is proof we're a lay church right there. Chimes button.
Jalyn Peterson 1:00:29
Return tab. Church History. I want to know how the organ even got messed up in the whole thing. Like, why do we still have an organ? Anyone?
Tammy 1:00:38
I don't know. I don't know. It's the godly instrument, apparently. So let's go in back into Doctrine and Covenants, Section 28. And here's a little background. So, Jalyn, you kind of led us beautifully into this because the Lord is speaking to Oliver now. And Oliver, he actually wrote a letter to Joseph Smith. When Joseph was living in Harmony, he received a letter from Oliver Cowdery, who was in Fayette, New York. Oliver said he discovered an error in the revelation that we now call Doctrine and Covenants, Section 20. So it's in Section 20, verse 37, that Oliver disagreed with some of the wording in this specific verse. And Oliver wrote in this letter, quote, "I command you in the name of God to erase those words," unquote. Wow. Pretty, that's pretty lofty.
Aliah Hall 1:00:45
Stay in your lane.
Tammy 1:01:27
So Joseph traveled to Fayette and learned that the Whitmer family had agreed with Oliver about this error, like Oliver had gotten people to believe him that they needed to fix this. So Joseph wrote, quote, "it was not without both labor and perseverance that I could prevail with any of them to reason calmly on the subject," unquote. Eventually, the Prophet succeeded in bringing, not only the Whitmer family, but Oliver Cowdery, to also acknowledge that they had made an error in this. And we read this, and Jalyn, you talked about this, "Thou shalt not command him who is at the head of the church." That's the Lord speaking to Oliver about this. So he's saying, "You can have all the revelations in the world you want for yourself, just not for the Church." And that's the purpose and meaning behind verse 6. And so now the Lord is going to speak to Oliver Cowdery and say, "Now, here is something that I want you to do." Look at verses 8 and 10. And, Jalyn, read those for us.
Jalyn Peterson 1:02:19
And now, behold, I say unto you that you shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them; and inasmuch as they receive thy teachings thou shalt cause my church to be established among them; and thou shalt have revelations, but write them not by way of commandment. Thou shalt not leave this place until after the conference; and my servant Joseph shall be appointed to preside over the conference by the voice of it, and what he saith to thee thou shalt tell.
Tammy 1:02:43
I mean, this is a huge calling, and, Jalyn, I asked you to give us a little bit of history behind why this is such a big deal. What happened before the calling?
Jalyn Peterson 1:02:53
Right. So in May of 1830, so four months before this revelation was given, Congress passed the Indian Removal Bill, which directed that all Native Americans within the boundaries of the United States would be relocated to Federal Indian Territory west of the Missouri. So there's a large—
Tammy 1:03:14
Astounding. Astounding.
Jalyn Peterson 1:03:14
Really astounding. And so, and there's a large number of Native Americans living, you know, in Eastern and Midwestern United States, and they're all being told they have to go west of the Mississippi. Some of the tribes had already moved there. But it was very clear that the borders of the Lamanites west of the Missouri, that's going to be where the Church can reach the most numbers. So here on the borders by the Lamanites, the missionaries led by Oliver Cowdery taught the Shawnees, the Delawares. In all, the missionaries to the Lamanites covered about 1500 miles, much of it on foot.
Tammy 1:03:54
That's a big mission.
Jalyn Peterson 1:03:56
It's huge.
Tammy 1:03:57
And not one Native American Indian was baptized on that mission. But over 100 people along the way were, as they stopped in all these little towns, specifically Sidney Rigdon. He was found and baptized. Also, Isaac Morley, he was very faithful and he ended up settling Manti, Utah. We have John Murdock who was baptized and it's his twins that he will then give to Emma and Joseph to raise because his wife dies in childbirth. We have Lyman Wright. He will be in Richmond Jail and Liberty Jail with Joseph Smith. And we have Edward Partridge, who's the very first Bishop in the Church ever. He's the first one called, and he'll be in Richmond Jail with Joseph. And so we have these really incredible men who will join the Church as a result of this huge mission that they didn't even teach anyone they thought. And it's where they become familiar with Independence, Missouri, which we talked about later, is where Zion, they will establish as a place of Zion, which we'll talk about more because it's not just one place, it's many places. So the idea of this and then going to verse 15 and 16. Aliah, will you read this for us?
Aliah Hall 1:04:56
And it shall be given thee from the time thou shalt go, until the time thou shalt return, what thou shalt do. And thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing. Amen.
Tammy 1:05:11
Thank you. What did he tell him to do in those two verses?
Aliah Hall 1:05:14
To open their mouths and to declare the gospel.
Jalyn Peterson 1:05:17
And to go by revelation given to him. So because I always, I feel like at first it starts out as like kind of this chastisement, you know, a little bit from the Lord of like, "Hey, you know, you can't tell the Prophet what to do." And so at first, if I'm thinking about this, if I'm Oliver, I'm like, "Oh man, I'm being punished. I gotta send, I got to go to the west side of the Missouri where Native Americans are, which, by the way, I've just been kicked out of their home. And now I got to go cover this 1500-square-mile mission." I wonder if he felt like a little bit punished or like, you know, a little bit like, "Oh, geez, I, you're right, I shouldn't have believed that, I shouldn't have." But at the end, these two verses to me are just like, "You are going to get revelation." It's kind of like, "I'm going to tell you everything you need to do. And you need to declare the gospel with rejoicing." To me, it's kind of like, "No, you're good, you're good. You are going to get revelation. You are going to be guided, just not in the manner that you were trying to do it before."
Aliah Hall 1:05:23
I think that's really beautiful, Jalyn, because I think that's true. Our Heavenly Parents and our Brother, they're not trying to punish us or chastise us, other than to correct us when we're going in the wrong direction.
Jalyn Peterson 1:06:37
It was nice way to say, "Stay in your lane."
Aliah Hall 1:06:40
Yeah. "You can receive revelation. You just can't receive revelation like this, or in this—this is not your sphere. This is not your lane."
Jalyn Peterson 1:06:49
Yeah. "And I still trust you with all that. I still trust that you, you're worthy of all that. And we love you. And this is how we're going to help you do it."
Aliah Hall 1:06:58
And then we have Oliver and Hiram, and we could kind of villainize these people and be like, "Oh, how dare they question the Prophet or how dare they go against whatever was going on?" But that's kind of the foundation of our Church is to like, not to just go along, to get along, but to know for yourself. And so you have Hiram and you have Oliver and you have Joseph, and they're all kind of at the, you know, that this front line, this frontier of religious learning and gospel learning, and they're all trying to push the boundary and like, "What more can I do? What more can I do? What more can I know? Where is this going next?" And I think that's commendable.
Tammy 1:07:38
You know what, Aliah, it is commendable. Like, they just wanted to be a part of this work. And they were trying to find their place. In fact, going back to Section 27, they were all about lifting up their hearts and rejoicing, weren't they? Like they were girding up their loins, they just needed direction on how they specifically were to do this in this new church. So I just wonder, like, how does this apply to us today? We have the rules. We know the armor that we're supposed to put on. And I just wonder how can we rejoice today as we do it?
Jalyn Peterson 1:08:06
It goes back exactly to what Aliah said, it's you are, you're coming from a place of the love of God, you have the love of God with you. And the love of God shows you who you are, led to be authentic to yourself, that wholeheartedness, that's all you're doing is you're sharing that love of God that you have been put up on with and there's nothing more glorious than, there's nothing more happy.
Tammy 1:08:06
Amen.
Aliah Hall 1:08:06
I think it is something that we struggle with, particularly as women in the Church, but I think all of us within the Church is when we stop questioning our worthiness, then we can be joyful. When we're constantly like, "I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm not thin enough. I don't know enough. You know, I didn't do my calling well enough. I haven't praised the Lord, you know, loud enough." When we're constantly questioning, with even with just within ourselves, of our worthiness of the love of God, then it's hard to rejoice. But when you take on that full armor of God and if we replace armor with love, the full love of God, that this divine being loves me as I am, that I am worthy of His love, their love. Then how could you not just rejoice? How can it not just like beam from you and feel like, "I am enough."
Tammy 1:09:38
As a therapist, can you give us one practical piece of advice or one thing we could do to change that narrative in our brains?
Aliah Hall 1:09:49
Stop talking mean to yourself. Every time your mind says something mean about you, say out loud, "Stop." Say something kind and generous about yourself. We would never talk to someone else the way we talk to ourselves. We would never talk to anybody like that. But we talk to ourselves like that all the time.
Tammy 1:10:14
And God would never talk to us that way. Never.
Aliah Hall 1:10:17
And I can't imagine that he is pleased or joyful about how we talk about ourselves. He's like, "Hey," and I remember growing up my when I would say, "Oh, I didn't do this test well," or, you know, "I'm not performing well, in whatever way." And my Dad would be like, "Don't talk about my daughter that way. Don't talk about her that way." And I'm like, "Wait, that's me." And he's like, "You don't get to talk about her that way. I love her."
Jalyn Peterson 1:10:46
And I think those are the fiery darts. Like I think those fiery darts. It is, it's our own thoughts about, because we're not standing in the truth of who we really are.
Aliah Hall 1:10:59
I think we think of those fiery darts as they're coming from outside of us. I think they have come more often from inside.
Jalyn Peterson 1:11:08
I totally agree.
Tammy 1:11:10
Thank you and A-men. I agree with all of this. What a rich discussion today. Oh my gosh, I love you both so much. Okay, we take a minute and just tell me what was your takeaway? Something that you learned from today?
Jalyn Peterson 1:11:23
My takeaway is that putting on the armor is the love of God. Like the armor is the love of God, and how that just feels so, so comforting.
Aliah Hall 1:11:36
I can reach the Doctrine and Covenants, like I can do this. I can do this.
Tammy 1:11:46
You can do this.
Aliah Hall 1:11:48
No matter whether it's the Isaiah chapters or the Doctrine and Covenants, I can do this.
Tammy 1:11:54
You can, and when we get to the Isaiah next year, you're gonna love it. You can do this. My takeaway was the party doesn't start until everyone is there. Yeah, that was great. Thank you for sharing that. Thank you, both of you. That was such a great discussion. And I knew it would be because it's JaLia. And I just love you both so much. So thank you.
For those of you who are listening, we would love to hear what your big takeaway was from this episode. So if you have not already joined our discussion group, just do it. Go on Facebook, sign up for Facebook and Instagram. There is goodness in this, I promise, do not be afraid of it. Because it's such a great place to ask questions as you study. I try to answer questions I can throughout the week. But it's neat, because we all answer each other's questions. So then at the end of the week, usually on Sunday, we post a call for our big takeaways. So comment on the post that relates to this lesson, and let me know what you've learned. And I read all of them. It's so much fun to read what people are learning. You can get to both our Facebook and Instagram by going to the show notes for this episode at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday. And it's not a bad idea to go there anyway, because it's where we'll have the links to all of the references that we use today, as well as a complete transcript of this whole discussion. So go check it out. And it's something very cool that we will have is what I'm going to introduce to you is called glue-ins. So it's my favorite thing about teaching seminary. I would have quotes that I thought were really good that were specific to the lesson and then I'd cut them out and hand them to my students and we'd glue them into our scriptures in the middle of our scriptures. And so I've included a couple of glue-ins that I think you guys would really enjoy and have, I think it's perfect to put in Section 27 and 28. So you'll find those at the end. The Sunday on Monday Study Group is a Desert Bookshelf PLUS+ original brought to you by LDS Living. It's written and hosted by me, Tammy Uzelac Hall, and today our incredible study group participants were Aliah Hall and Jalyn Peterson, or as we'll affectionately call them from now on, JaLia. You can find more information about these ladies at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday. And please remember this, that when those thoughts creep in, I want you to remember the words of Aliah's dad, "Don't you dare talk that way about Heavenly Father's daughter or son because you are his favorite." It's recorded and mixed by Mix at Six Studios and our executive producers Erin Hallstrom. Thanks for being here. We'll see you next week.