Scott Woodward:
With sign-seeking, you want, like, all the benefits of faith without actually having a relationship with God so that you can get the fruits of faith. Right? It has to come as a fruit of a strong, faithful, covenant relationship, Not a cheap, roundabout way to try to get the fruits of the thing without having the relationship that is a prerequisite for the fruits.

Casey Griffiths:
It’s just really common among people whose faith is struggling to try and look for more and more specific manifestations, like proof that it’s there because their faith is being weakened by their disobedience to the commandments.

Scott Woodward:
When you’re trapped in sin, you start to doubt that you could ever be the kind of person that the Lord would want in his kingdom. I just think it’s beautiful how the Lord ends this section here about, like, no, this is. This is for you guys.

Casey Griffiths:
So in our last episode, we covered Sections 60 to 62, which talk about the journey that Joseph Smith and his companions make from the land of Missouri back to Ohio. Today we’re going to cover Section 63, which is the aftermath of when they get back to Ohio and they have to deal with some irregularities that have popped up in the Church. So if you’re ready, Scott, let’s dive into Section 63.

Scott Woodward:
Let’s do it. So this is received like, what? Like three days after Joseph gets home. So it’s like, right off the bat. Drop us into it.

Casey Griffiths:
All right, so here’s the context. In August of 1831, Joseph Smith and other Church leaders have traveled 800 miles from Independence to St. Louis to Cincinnati and then home to Kirtland. And three days after they get home, they’re at the Isaac Morley farm. And there seems to be two major issues on Joseph’s mind. The first is that there appears to have been some moral corruption and personal apostasy among some of the Church members in Kirtland. That’s to be expected. These people are new converts. All of the leadership of the Church pretty much went on this trip to Missouri. And while they were gone, some problems popped up. Two weeks earlier, in Section 61, the Lord had told Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery that the congregations of their brethren in Ohio needed them more urgently than the congregations of the wicked, meaning these other congregations on the road. And John Whitmer, who’s the Church historian who actually stays in Ohio during this time, he explains why. So John Whitmer says, “There was much trouble and unbelief among those who called themselves disciples of Christ. Some apostatized and became enemies of the Church of God and persecuted the Saints. And now, when the elders had returned from Missouri to their homes in Ohio, the churches needed much exhortation because in the absence of the elders, many apostatized.”

Casey Griffiths:
So a lot of people in the Church sort of went off the rails while they were gone. Joseph’s own history of the time records, “We could not help beholding the exertions of Satan to blind the eyes of the people so as to hide the true light that lights every man that comes in the world.” So that’s the first major issue that they’re dealing with. You want to talk about the second issue?

Scott Woodward:
Yeah. So the second issue on Joseph’s mind was about the practical application and implementations of the instructions he received back on August 1 through Section 58 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which involved some logistical matters about buying Missouri land, you’ll remember, and helping Saints gather to Missouri not in haste, but in an orderly way. For instance, in Section 58, when the Lord said that an agent was to be appointed in Kirtland, quote, “to receive moneys to purchase lands in Zion.” So the question was, who should this agent be? He had also given a commandment to Sidney Rigdon in that section where he told him to, quote, “write a description of the land of Zion and a statement of the will of God which would be included in an epistle that would be then distributed to Church branches in order to solicit donations for funds to help purchase Missouri lands.” So by now, nearly a month later, Sidney has drafted his first land of Zion description. But was this draft acceptable to the Lord or not? Joseph wanted to know. Also, once the epistle had been written and approved, who should be the ones to take it around to the Church branches and to be entrusted to collect financial donations?

Scott Woodward:
That’s another question. Furthermore, in Section 58, the Lord had instructed that, quote, “the work of gathering should not be done in haste nor by flight.” So, practical question, how exactly should the gathering be organized and regulated? So it’s these kinds of questions, right? These kind of practical implementation questions about building up a physical, temporal Zion, those are on the mind of Joseph. He needs to know what to do because they need answers before Church leaders and Saints can then take the next steps forward. So Joseph’s history succinctly summarizes these issues this way. He says, quote, “as the land of Zion was now the most important temporal object in view, I inquired of the Lord for further information upon the gathering of the Saints and the purchase of the land and other matters.” So that’s the backstory of the second issue he was dealing with.

Casey Griffiths:
Let’s dive into the content of Section 63. This section is broken down basically to answer those two issues. Apostasy that had happened to the Church, and then the work of getting ready to build up Zion, to get people ready to travel to Zion. So basically, the section breaks down with verses 1 through 19 providing clear warnings to the wicked in response to the issue of personal apostasy and moral corruption. And then from about verses 20 to verse 66, the Lord is making known his will on various issues related to the Saints assembling themselves together to Zion. So let’s dive in. In verses 1 through 6, he addresses the wicked, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, telling them that his anger is kindled against such, and reminding them that he is able to cast the soul down to hell. “Wherefore,” he says, “let the wicked take heed, and let the rebellious fear and tremble, and let the unbelieving hold their lips, for the day of wrath shall come upon them as a whirlwind, and all flesh shall know that I am God.” Then in verses 7-13, he addresses sign-seekers, specifically people who might have a penchant for seeking miraculous displays of God’s power, signs to create and sustain their faith in God.

Casey Griffiths:
To such people like this, the Lord says, “He that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation.” Meaning, as he mentions in the previous verse, the wicked will one day come to know that I am God after the day of wrath comes, which of course will involve some miraculous displays of God’s power. Nevertheless, these displays of divine power, though witnessed by the wicked, don’t lean to their salvation. This is the old dichotomy that signs don’t convert, necessarily. The whole Laman and Lemuel model from the Book of Mormon.

Scott Woodward:
And Ezra Booth, right. We’ve been talking about him a lot recently. Like he was converted because of a sign. Seeing Elsa Johnson’s hand healed right in front of his face. And he doesn’t last very long, Casey. Like he saw a sign. He wanted a steady diet of signs, and they were slow in coming. And that starts to erode his faith quite quickly.

Casey Griffiths:
Yeah, and I know we’ve been a little hard on Ezra Booth the last couple episodes, but it seems, I mean, pretty clear that this is addressing him. You know, he’s converted. When he sees this miraculous sign, the Lord goes on to say, “there are those among you,” in the Church,” who seek signs,” which he suggests has been at least somewhat common. So maybe it’s not just Ezra Booth, but he also says “there have been such even from the beginning. But, behold,” he explains, “faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.” In other words, those who seek faith by way of signs have the process backwards that you believe and then you get signs, not that you get signs so that you can believe. In fact, twice in the Doctrine and Covenants prior to verse 9, the Lord has already taught that signs or evident displays of God’s power would follow and affirm those that believe. So he’s not saying signs are bad. For example, in Section 35:8, he says, “I am God, and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders unto those who believe on my name. That is also reiterated in section 58:64.

Casey Griffiths:
Keep in mind here that miracles, signs, and wonders themselves are seen in a really positive light. They’re gifts from God intended to reward or confirm belief. But he adds, “signs come by faith and by the will of God, not by the will of men. Yea, signs come by faith,” he repeats, “unto mighty works.”

Scott Woodward:
Yeah. And in his history, John Whitmer recorded one such mighty work wrought as a result of faith at this very time in the Kirtland area. In his words, he. He wrote of, quote, “an infirmity in an old lady who had been helpless for the space of eight years, confined to her bed. She did not belong to this church, but sent her request to the elders,” whom he identified as elders Emer Harris, Martin Harris’s brother, Joseph Brackenbury, and Wheeler Baldwin, who he says, quote, “immediately attended to her call and after their arrival, prayed for her and laid their hands on her head.” And, he reported, “she was immediately made whole and magnified and praised God and is now enjoying perfect health.” Such signs as this, like you were just saying, that come as a result of faith and God’s will, are actually pleasing to God. They’re pleasing to God. But in verse 12, he says, “I’m not pleased with those among you who have sought for signs and wonders for faith.” His words, for faith and not for the good of men unto my glory. I think this is the heart of the issue, isn’t it?

Scott Woodward:
That what displeases God about sign-seekers is that they want this good thing that God is willing to give, that is signs and wonders, but they want it for the wrong reason, as a kind of like substitute for genuine faith and the proper relationship with God attested to by such faith. And it’s not for the good of men unto my glory, he says. So in other words, sign-seeking is like a lazy man’s shortcut to cheap faith and is inherently selfish at its core, right? Like, no wonder God is not pleased with such.

Casey Griffiths:
Yeah. Now he goes on to add, “Nevertheless, I give commandments” to help people build faith, to grow in their relationship with them, adding, “many have turned away from my commandments and have not kept them.” It seems like the case study here, and probably at least one person that’s being addressed in the revelation, there’s other people who could be struggling with the same thing, is Ezra Booth. And Ezra is a smart guy. He’s an intelligent man. But we’ve mentioned this before. His assumptions about Joseph Smith and especially his expectations about miracles may have been misplaced. And this leads to his short-lived belief while on his mission. And when he comes home, he apostatizes. Joseph Smith even records this in his history that Ezra leaves the Church when he gets back. He wrote, “About this time Ezra Booth came out as an apostate. He came into the Church upon seeing a person healed of an infirmity of many years standing. He went up to Missouri as a companion of Elder Morley. But when he actually learned that faith, humility, patience, and tribulation go before blessing, and that God brings low before he exalts, then instead of the Savior’s granting him power to smite men and make them believe, as he said he wanted God to do in his own case, then he was disappointed. And when he was disappointed by his own evil heart, he turned away and became an apostate.”

Casey Griffiths:
So Joseph Smith directly basically says this guy was expecting signs and wonders and didn’t realize that he had to exercise faith beforehand and that’s what caused him to turn away. Tough story, but it does seem like that’s what’s being addressed here. Among other things.

Scott Woodward:
Yeah, such is the fragile nature of sign based believing. And then in verse 14 through 18, he pivots to a related topic. It doesn’t seem related at first, but there is an interesting connection here. This is where he warns about sexual immorality. He says, “There were among you adulterers and adulteresses; some of whom have turned away from you, and others remain with you, that hereafter shall be revealed. Let such beware and repent speedily, lest judgment shall come upon them as a snare and their folly shall be made manifest, and their works shall follow them in the eyes of the people.” In a related vein, he warns that, “He that looketh on a woman to lust after her, or if any shall commit adultery in their hearts,” will experience three consequences. First, they shall not have the Spirit. Second, they shall deny the faith. And third, they shall fear the relationship between these three effects of sexual lust seem pretty clear. Since both thriving faith and confidence with God require the steady nurturing influence of the Spirit. It’s no wonder that when lustful and adulterous thoughts are invited into one’s heart and the Lord’s Spirit is lost, that over time, if not repented of, testimony will suffocate and shrivel as a natural consequence until you eventually deny the faith and confidence with God likewise then dwindles until in its absence is left either the fear of coming into God’s presence ill-prepared and unclean, or the existential despair of nonbelief.

Scott Woodward:
This is really interesting psychologically, right? Why this matters, the Lord explains further is, quote, “That the fearful and the unbelieving and all liars and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, and the whoremonger and the sorcerer shall ultimately have their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death,” he says, “and such shall not have part in the first resurrection.” His concluding line is, “Now behold, I, the Lord, say unto you that you are not justified because these things are among you.”

Scott Woodward:
Wow. So we have sign-seeking, we have sexual immorality, we have lustful thinking. And the Lord says, all of these things are going to lead you away from the goal of Zion, right? These are going to lead you to the opposite, by the way, one connection between sign-seeking and sexual immorality. It’s interesting how Jesus says in the New Testament that it’s an adulterous generation that seeketh after a sign. Remember that phrase? Like I’ve thought about why the Lord would make a connection between sign-seeking and sexual immorality. And it kind of dawned on me maybe as we were talking through this, that with sign-seeking you want like all the benefits of faith without actually having a relationship with God so that you can get the fruits of faith, right? Think about that with a sexual relationship, like the Lord said, signs are good. Signs are good. I want to give you signs, but they need to come in the right way, right? Same with procreation. The Lord’s like, he designed that, he made it, he invented it. Right? But it has to come as a fruit of a strong, faithful, covenant relationship, not a cheap, roundabout way to try to get the fruits of the thing without having the relationship that is a prerequisite for the fruits.

Scott Woodward:
Right? It kind of seems to follow that same interesting pattern. And I wonder if that’s why the Lord tends to put these together. It’s kind of the same impulse from the soul. It’s like the cheap way to get the thing without building the relationship. That is like the Lord’s way to make the thing as sweet and satisfying and beautiful as it’s intended to be.

Casey Griffiths:
That’s a good connection between the two, because it does seem like they’re linked several times in scripture, right. And my take on it has been that when we engage in sin, a lot of times that leads us to more, hey, I don’t even know if I believe this anymore kind of thing. And again, it’s just really common among people whose faith is struggling to try and look for more and more specific manifestations, like proof that it’s there because their faith is being weakened by their disobedience to the commandments.

Scott Woodward:
I’m troubled, frankly, by the Lord’s relationship here between lust, looking on a woman to lust after her and denying the faith. And then you think about the proliferation of pornography in our culture, and at the same time, pornography proliferates. Faith is tanking, you know, among religion worldwide. And I wonder if there’s a correlation there. There seems to be. The Lord is saying here, like, yeah, those are connected, right? It’s not to say that if your faith is tanking it’s because of pornography or whatever, but there does seem to be, like, if you are steeped in this secret sin and you find that your faith is also waning, there might be a connection between those two. The issue is maybe not your faith. The issue is the cause of the waning of the faith, right? Like, plug that hole in your ship first. Like, repent of that. Get clear on that, and then watch what happens to your faith as the Spirit of the Lord’s in your life, more and more, you’re going to find your faith is bolstered more and more.

Casey Griffiths:
So the good news is these warnings to the members of the Church in Kirtland do appear to have worked to some degree. John Whitmer reports that after this revelation was received, “many returned again to the fold from whence they had strayed.” And we should emphasize that not all of this revelation is rebuke and correction for the things that they were doing wrong. In fact, there’s kind of a turn in verse 20 where the Lord starts to adjust and to reward the faithful by giving them more information about Zion, about the future, about the good things that we have to look forward to, and that give us hope. For instance, verse 20, the Lord says, “Those that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come; that is the day when the earth shall be transfigured according to the pattern” his New Testament apostles saw on the mount, which, an account we have not yet received. Now, this is one of those little intriguing, pull the curtain back and then drop it. The story of the Mount of Transfiguration is found in three of the four Gospels, but it’s very, very quick.

Casey Griffiths:
In each one, Peter, James, and John are taken up to the top of this mountain. They see Jesus transfigured, and then Moses and Elijah. Most accounts, one account, the JST adds John the Baptist. But then it doesn’t explain what happened there. And we’ve tried to connect it to transfer of priesthood keys or temple ordinances or anything like that, but the Lord just says one thing that happened here is that they saw the earth in its transfigured form as it will be when it’s going to be transfigured. I assume after the Savior’s coming or at some future point in time. Hasn’t happened yet.

Scott Woodward:
Yeah. Remember in the Sermon on the Mount, when the Lord says, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Like it’s this transfigured, beautified, sanctified earth I think, that he’s talking about. Right. Ultimately. So that’s intriguing that he would show that on the Mount of Transfiguration. Now, additionally, he goes on to promise that “unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom. And the same shall be in him a well of living water springing up unto everlasting life.” And you know, it’s interesting, Casey, that these glorious promises of inheriting this transfigured earth and becoming a well of water springing up to everlasting life and having the mysteries of the kingdom unfolded. Like he’s saying that right on the heels of asking the wicked to repent. I think the Lord is again showing his merciful nature that if you will repent of these things that trouble you, if it’s sexual sin or whatever. He’s highlighting that in this section. But there’s other types of sin that if you’ll repent of those, like, I will forgive you and you can inherit all of this. I think that’s important.

Scott Woodward:
Like, sometimes, you know, when you’re trapped in sin, you start to doubt that you could ever be the kind of person that the Lord would want in his kingdom. And I just think it’s beautiful how the Lord ends this section here about like, no, this is for you guys if you’ll repent. So, so good. We all need to hear that from time to time. Now in verse 24, the Lord transitions to the various practical issues related to the gathering to the land of Zion, saying quote, “This is the will of the Lord your God concerning his saints, that they should assemble themselves together unto the land of Zion, but not in haste, lest there should be confusion which bringeth pestilence.” So he says they are to “purchase the lands” in and around Zion so “that you may have legal claim on the land in the eyes of the world, that they may not be stirred up unto anger. For Satan putteth it into their hearts to anger against you and to the shedding of blood.” Now the Lord says the two straightforward ways that the land of Zion could be obtained are one, by purchase or two, by blood.

Scott Woodward:
But he warns them to obtain it by nonviolent means, lest, since, quote, “you are forbidden to shed blood, lo, your enemies are upon you, you and ye shall be scourged from city to city and from synagogue to synagogue. And but few shall stand to receive an inheritance.” So don’t do it by blood, do it by purchase.

Casey Griffiths:
This is going to become a theme throughout the Doctrine and Covenants that they want the land and they want to build Zion. But the Lord keeps telling them here and then again, especially in Section 105, you can’t do this by violent means. You can’t get it that way. So continuing the thread in verses 32 to 37 he reminds the Kirtland Saints about one of the key undergirding purposes for the gathering of Zion, namely because he’s angry with the wicked. And he says, “I’ve sworn in my wrath and decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked and fear shall come upon every man, and the saints also shall hardly escape. Nevertheless, I the Lord am with them and will come down in heaven from the presence of my Father and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire. But behold, this is not yet by and by. Wherefore,” he’s going to connect the pieces here. He says, “Seeing that I, the Lord, have decreed all these things upon the face of the earth, I will that my saints should be assembled upon the land of Zion as a place of safety.”

Casey Griffiths:
So ultimately the Saints are supposed to focus on their own righteousness and their own faithfulness, as well as lifting a warning voice to the inhabitants of the earth. That desolation is going to come upon the wicked. And he introduces some interesting ideas here which is that the wicked will punish the wicked. And one of the key purposes for building a church, for building Zion in the latter days is to give a space of refuge for the righteous to be in so that they don’t have to engage in this destruction that’s going to scourge the land as they go.

Scott Woodward:
Yeah, that’s kind of interesting. I just made the connection as you were reading through that again, with Section 1, where the Lord says, I, the Lord, knowing the calamity that’s going to come upon the wicked, therefore I called upon my servant Joseph and other servants to give them commandments to go out and warn the world. Right. The voice of warning, which, by the way, Section 1 has not yet been given when this revelation was given, but will come in just a couple months. It’ll be November of this year. And so, so this is the theme we’re starting to see developed here, that I want the wicked to stop being wicked so I can save them. That’s the reason for the whole Restoration, is to help gather in as many people as possible in preparation for the Second Coming so that it will be well with them. Right? He’s not vindictive. He’s not wrathful. You come to that conclusion if you don’t read carefully where he says, I’m going to destroy the wicked with unquenchable fire. Like, you just read. Like, man, he’s a wrathful, angry God. But if you’re reading carefully, that’s the opposite, right?

Scott Woodward:
He said, that’s what’s coming. Because when the Lord comes to Earth, like he can’t abide with the wicked, the wicked will not be able to abide with him. So, so let’s get as many people not wicked as we can so that when that day comes, you know, this happens to the least number of people. That’s the Lord’s merciful angle here, which is, I think, again, a beautiful insight into his character.

Casey Griffiths:
He’s going to shift gears by going into the immediate next steps. So he tells them, let my disciples in Kirtland arrange their temporal concerns who dwell upon this farm, that is the farm that they’re at, the Isaac Morley farm. First, Titus Billings, who’s Isaac Morley’s brother-in-law and who also takes care of his farm, is instructed to dispose of the Morley farm, “that he may be prepared in the coming spring to take his journey up to the land of Zion” together with some of those who dwell upon the farm. Now, in context, this is kind of a big deal because the sale of the Morley farm would be impacting several families who are living there. That includes Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, who are both staying there. But Titus obeys this command. In October 1831, he sells much of the Morley farm in preparation for him and others to move to Missouri. Furthermore, the Saints are told that they should “let all the moneys which can be spared, for it mattereth not unto me whether it be little or much, be sent up to the land of Zion.” Zion is their project. They’re going to go all in on Zion.

Casey Griffiths:
And as for those who should gather to Missouri and when, he says, “Behold, I the Lord will give unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., power that he shall be enabled to discern by the Spirit those who shall go up unto the land of Zion and those of my disciples who shall tarry in Ohio.” Working our way through this project to build Zion. Now we’re in the stage of, hey, we need to start calling people to go to Zion. I’m going to grant Joseph Smith that power. Additionally, Newel K. Whitney is told to retain his store in Kirtland and not sell it yet for a little season. But he’s to impart all the money that he can impart to be sent up to Zion according to wisdom. He’s also to be ordained as an agent unto the disciples that shall tarry in Kirtland, thus fulfilling the appointment first described in Section 58:49, of an agent under the Church in Ohio who would receive money to purchase lands in Zion. So our main guy who’s been in charge of temporal affairs, Edward Partridge, is now planted in Zion. This is a forerunner to Newel K. Whitney eventually being called as the bishop or the head of temporal affairs in Kirtland.

Casey Griffiths:
These two Church centers is one thing to keep in mind. And then Newel K. Whitney is commanded to “speedily visit the churches, expounding these things unto them with my servant Oliver Cowdery, obtaining moneys even as I have directed.” And these two will fulfill another commandment given in Section 58, to take Sidney Rigdon’s letter that he’s supposed to write, to present to all the churches to obtain money to purchase lands in Zion. So they are going all in on the Zion project and asking people to start making real sacrifices. Give up their farms, give up their livelihood, move to Zion in preparation for building the city that’s going to be constructed there.

Scott Woodward:
The Lord then promises Church members that, quote “He that is faithful and endureth shall overcome the world. And he that sendeth up treasures unto the land of Zion,” by way of donations, quote, “shall receive an inheritance in this world, and his work shall follow him, and also a reward in the world to come, even after death. For,” he explains, those that die in the Lord before the Second Coming, “shall rise from the dead, and shall not die after, and shall receive an inheritance before the Lord, in the holy city. And he that is alive when the Lord shall come, and hath kept the faith, blessed is he. Nevertheless,” at some point, he says, “it is still appointed to him to die at the age of man.” In fact, he explains that during the millennial era, quote, “Children shall grow up until they become old and old men shall die,” but their resurrection will be virtually instantaneous since, quote, “They shall then be changed in the twinkling of an eye.” We’ve talked about this a little bit in previous sections, Casey. But these eschatological things the Lord says, are the things that the Saints can look forward to.

Scott Woodward:
And speaking after the manner of the Lord, he says they are now nigh at hand. It is soon then, he says, “yet until that hour,” when he comes again, “there will be foolish virgins among the wise,” alluding to his New Testament Parable of the Ten Virgins. But at his Second Coming, he says there will be a complete, quote, “Separation of the righteous and the wicked; and in that day will I send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into unquenchable fire.” Drawing some lines in the sand here. I’m being merciful with you now. This is a time of sifting. This is a time of choosing. This is a time of deciding if you’re going to be a foolish virgin or wise. Put oil in your lamp or not. But there will be a time when the time runs out and there will be a separation.

Casey Griffiths:
From the eschatological back to the practical. The next part of the revelation is going to address Sidney Rigdon. And remember, Sidney Rigdon has been been asked to write this epistle describing the land of Zion. But the Lord says he’s not pleased with Sidney Rigdon because “he exalted in his heart and receiveth not counsel, but grieves the Spirit. Wherefore his writing,” meaning the description that he’s supposed to write of the land of Zion, this is what the Lord commanded him to write all the way back in Section 58, the Lord says, “is not acceptable unto the Lord. He shall make another. And if the Lord receive it not, not behold, he standeth no longer in the office to which I have appointed him.” So Sidney’s sent back to the drawing board. Thankfully his second attempt, which actually incorporates portions of this revelation, was accepted by the Lord and is included in the epistle which he wrote, which then Oliver Cowdery and Newel K. Whitney are going to take around the Church and they succeed in raising funds to purchase some of the land in Missouri. The Lord’s going to conclude with verses 57 through 64, giving an invitation and some warnings.

Casey Griffiths:
First he invites “those who desire in their hearts, in meekness, to warn sinners to repentance, to be ordained unto this power,” saying, “this is a day of warning, and not a day of many words. For I, the Lord, am not to be mocked in the last days. I am over all and in all and through all, and search all things, and the day cometh that all things shall be subject unto me.” In other words, things won’t always be in the the world the way that they are now. Wickedness is not always going to prevail and one day all things in this earth will be subject to Christ. This is why he’s trying to get everybody ready. This is why sinners need to be warned and invited to repent. He goes on to say, “these are the words of Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ,” a name which carries special significance. He says, “wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips- for there are many who are under this condemnation who use the name of the Lord and use it in vain, having not authority.” And here the Lord seems to be condemning those who use his name illegitimately, not talking about profanity, but people that are invoking his name in a religious sense.

Casey Griffiths:
While this is often interpreted to mean other Christians performing ordinances in the name of Jesus without priesthood authority, that’s not really supported by the text here. It seems like the Lord is directly addressing Church members here, as he says in the next verse, “Wherefore, let the church repent of their sins, and I the Lord will own them, otherwise they shall be cut off.” Now, we don’t know how exactly many Church members were using the Lord’s name in vain or empty or flippant or unauthorized ways to draw out his rebuke. But it’s clear that they’re instructed here to do better. He says, “Remember that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit.” If they will take this approach, then there is no condemnation, otherwise there remaineth condemnation.

Scott Woodward:
So verses 65 and 66 act as something of like a postscript to this revelation which instructs, quote, “Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, seek them a home as they are taught through prayer by the Spirit.” Remember, the context here being that as a result of the Lord’s commandment earlier in the revelation to sell the Morley farm where they were currently living, they’re going to need to find new homes for their families. And so then the Lord finally acknowledges that he has issued some challenging directives in this revelation. And he concludes, quote, “These things remain to overcome through patience, that such may receive a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, otherwise greater condemnation. Amen.” It’s really interesting how Section 63 kind of blends, like you said, the practical and the eschatological, a specific explicit condemnation of sign-seeking and sexual sin, and then back to the practical and then promising these beautiful eschatological things. But there’s this thread through it all where he keeps saying the word overcome. And I love how he ends it here, like whatever you’re struggling with or wherever you’re at in the path to building Zion, or whatever sins you need to repent of, I love how he just said, these things remain to overcome through patience.

Scott Woodward:
If you can’t conquer your bad habits in a day, that’s okay. The Lord is so merciful to sinners as long as we are persisting in our repentance. So be patient with yourself when it comes to building Zion. Be patient. Such will receive a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory as you continue patiently to overcome whatever it is we need to overcome. So what a great ending to Section 63.

Casey Griffiths:
So, Scott, let’s talk controversies from Section 63. We’ve already addressed some of the these in a minor way, but what controversies do you see in the section?

Scott Woodward:
It’s kind of that beginning of the section issue that we referred to of sign-seeking, right? Is it okay to seek for signs? And the Lord’s answer here is super interesting, right? He says, actually, signs are a good thing if they come after faith, but they are never a good substitute for faith.

Scott Woodward:
And I think as long as we keep that in mind, we can, you know, understand what the Lord’s saying. For instance, like every missionary who ever asks an investigator to pray about the Book of Mormon is in essence asking that investigator to seek a sign from heaven to get a confirmation from the Holy Ghost, right? But it’s that asking in faith, it’s that seeking. It’s that reading and studying and pondering and thinking that precedes the request. That is the key thing. The opposite of that would be something like, you know, I’ll believe this Book of Mormon is true if you like, show me a sign, right? Then I’ll take it seriously, then I’ll read it, then I’ll try to follow its precepts. But until you can, like, prove it’s true, like, I’m not going to take it seriously. Right. Like, that attitude, like, the Lord’s not okay with that. So sign-seeking, if you want to call, you know, asking for a confirmation from the Spirit as a sign-seeking, like, yeah, missionaries ask people to do that all the time. So there’s a certain way to go about it. I think that’s the Lord’s resolution to that particular controversy. Anything you would add to that?

Casey Griffiths:
That really poignant statement where he says signs come according to his will, I think of that talk, I think it was Elder Christofferson gave where he said, sometimes we treat God like he’s some sort of cosmic vending machine. Like, we do good stuff and we get blessings back. There’s a modicum of truth to that. But the truth is that we demonstrate faith in God. He does bless us, but not always with what we wanted exactly, or in the way that we expected and not always when we expect it to happen, too. Signs can be an amazing thing. I have seen some incredible things in my lifetime, but the Savior is just saying, that’s not the purpose of signs. The purpose of signs are to affirm those who’ve already done the work to develop faith. Once you’ve done the hard mental work of praying and seeking and living the gospel, then signs follow those who believe. But if you’re trying to get your testimony by saying, hey, give me a sign, there’s just never a point in scripture where that works. And in my own observations, in my own life, I’ve just seen that that’s always a sign that you don’t have faith when you’re saying, well, show me a sign and then I’ll believe.

Scott Woodward:
Okay, so, Casey, consequences of Section 63. How would you summarize that?

Casey Griffiths:
Section 63 kind of reminds me of when you get back from a really long trip, right. And you have to kind of pick things up, right. Get things back in order. The Church in Kirtland had strayed a little bit in Joseph Smith’s absence. Then there’s the practical matter of, well, what do we do next? How do we actually build Zion? They’ve gone on this amazing journey where the location of Zion has finally been identified. Now they’ve got to get down to the difficult work of becoming the sort of people that are worthy to go to Zion. And two, just the practical concerns of how do they get together the money, who’s going to go? Who’s going to actually build the homes, the temples and the structures that will make up the city of Zion? Now, in addressing this, he’s addressing some personal stuff. Consequences of sign-seeking, adultery, lust, as well as just the down on practical matters of how do you pay for this? Who’s going to purchase the land? Who’s going to take care of things for the poor here in Kirtland now that Bishop Partridge has been planted in the land of Zion? But it does open up to this beautiful ideal that they are on the road finally.

Casey Griffiths:
They’re going to finally start building the city that they’ve been promised that the Book of Mormon talks about. They don’t know how rough it’s going to be, but these are the first steps to take toward building Zion. And that’s going to cause a lot of changes to happen internally and to happen externally in the Church, as we’re going to see in the sections that follow up here.

Scott Woodward:
Great thoughts. We made it back from Zion. We’re back in Ohio, and next week, more really interesting revelations coming in Sections 64 through 66. So look forward to discussing those with you.

Casey Griffiths:
Okay, we’ll see you then.

Scott Woodward:
See you then.