D&C 88

Well I just completed the Old Testament. I guess I'll head back and pickup where I left off at the first of the year in the 88th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. The Lord began this revelation with -

"...thus saith the Lord unto you who have assembled yourselves together to receive his will concerning you..." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:1)

His faithful saints assemble regularly in Sunday meetings, priesthood meetings, leadership meetings, and the list goes on and on. But what is interesting is the Lord's comments on these faithful saints -

"Behold, this is pleasing unto your Lord, and the angels rejoice over you; the alms of your prayers have come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 88:2)

Have we ever thought when we assemble in a meeting that the Lord is pleased, the angels rejoice, and our prayers are heard and names sanctified. Why would we ever complain when commanded to assemble.

Malachi 3

The words and prophecies of Malachi were so important that our Heavenly Father commanded the Savior to share these words with the people in the Americas. The Lord said to Judah -

"Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?" (Old Testament | Malachi 3:13 - 14)

The comment "It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance" seems as applicable today as in Malachi's day. For even -

"...now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered." (Old Testament | Malachi 3:15)

Isn't that true. Today we look at sports figures, celebritities, politicians, etc who do no keep "His" ordinances and commandments. They even seem "set up" and "delivered". But the Lord asks -

"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?" (Old Testament | Malachi 3:2)

I love some of the closing words of Malachi -

"...behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." (Old Testament | Malachi 4:1)

I interpret "root nor branch" to mean neither parents or children. The promise is only -

"...unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings..."(Old Testament | Malachi 4:2)

Zachariah 12

Zechariah prophecies a significant warning to the nations of our day that -

"...it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." (Old Testament | Zechariah 12:9)

But this will not just default upon Judah. They must first come to the true faith in Jesus Christ and repent and it will be then -

"...I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Old Testament | Zechariah 12:10)

And -

"IN that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." (Old Testament | Zechariah 13:1)

And just as Ezekiel saw in vision -

"And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem..." (Old Testament | Zechariah 14:8)


It is Zachariah that provides these great prophecies in that -

"Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4 ¶ And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." (Old Testament | Zechariah 14:3 - 4)

"And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." (Old Testament | Zechariah 13:6)

It shall be a "great" day for some and "terrible" day for others.

Micah 6

It is my understanding that Micah was a contemporary with Isaiah. There seemed to be a correlation of thought between them. Isaiah taught -

"...it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." (Old Testament | Isaiah 2:2 - 3)

Micah taught -

"...in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." (Old Testament | Micah 4:1 - 2)

Isaiah warned the people -

"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
16 ¶ Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." (Old Testament | Isaiah 1:11 - 17)

Micah taught -

"...shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Old Testament | Micah 6:6 - 8)

The Lord has declared -

"...in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established." (New Testament | Matthew 18:16)

So is the case with Isaiah and Micah

Jonah 4

Having lost much, Job declared -

"...the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Old Testament | Job 1:21)

In the eternal scheme of things, or the "plan", I believe the Lord does so, to help us learn and change our perspectives -

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Old Testament | Isaiah 55:8 - 9)

But yet, He wants us to come to learn and understand His ways and His thoughts. I see this with Jonah. Maybe because of pride or inherent dislike for assyrians or whatever, as the people of Ninevah began to repent -

"Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.
6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd." (Old Testament | Jonah 4:5 - 6)

But as the Lord gave, He also took away as -

"...God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die..." (Old Testament | Jonah 4:7 - 8)

Jonah was angry that the Lord would allow the beneficial and innocent gourd to be destroyed. Why would the Lord do that. The Lord used this happening to change the heart of Jonah as He explains -

"Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" (Old Testament | Jonah 4:10 - 11)

...suggesting, how can you have pity on a gourd but not a city full of God's children. The writer does not continue any further or reveals what Jonah learned from this experience, but we can.

We can learn from Jonah that there is a plan and God loves all His children.

Amos 8

The prophet Amos foresaw a time and condition when the full truth would not be available on the earth, where -

"...saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." (Old Testament | Amos 8:11 - 12)

Not being found would suggest that the word of the Lord would not be on the earth. Amos also taught what constituted having the word of the Lord for -

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Old Testament | Amos 3:7)

It would seem that an apostasy or loss of the word of the Lord then would have a great deal to with the Lord's "servants, the prophets". Amos saw that -

"Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations..." (Old Testament | Joel 3:2)

But the Lord would later -

"...also gather all nations..." (Old Testament | Joel 3:2)

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
14 And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
15 And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God." (Old Testament | Amos 9:13 - 15)

As the Lord promised the days would come when there would be no famine in the land, I wondered in the above passages were more symbolic that the word of the Lord would be more than availabe and fruitful because the servant of the Lord, a prophet was on the earth.

Joel

Joel saw the last days of wars and tribulations before the second coming of the Savior. To those in Zion the Lord said -

"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD..." (Old Testament | Joel 1:14)

And -

"BLOW ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand..." (Old Testament | Joel 2:1)

These words were of such great importance that Joel again repeated -

"Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children..." (Old Testament | Joel 2:15 - 16)

And then the Lord provides this promise in these difficult days -

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call." (Old Testament | Joel 2:32)

Much like Malachi would write, Joel also refered to the second coming saying -

"...for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Old Testament | Joel 2:11)

For those in Zion, it will be a great day. To the wicked a terrible day for today or -

"...now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered." (Old Testament | Malachi 3:15)

But -

"...behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." (Old Testament | Malachi 4:1)

Hosea 13

Much of the writings of Hosea seem to be focused on chastising Ephraim or the kingdon of Israel for the wickedness and following false gods and idols. Hosea said something that I thought seemed to have great application even to us in our day -

"O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help." (Old Testament | Hosea 13:9)

Alma told his son -

"...Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness." (Book of Mormon | Alma 41:10)

Isn't is interesting that through failure to be obedient to the plan of happiness, we destroy ourselves. But nonetheless, the Savior is always ready to help if we humble ourselves and come to him for -

"I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities?" (Old Testament | Hosea 13:10)

If we wish not to be destroyed, we must turn to him.

Daniel 6

As the Prophet Joseph Smith was incarcerated in prison, the word of the Lord came -

"If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;
6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can't you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;
7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."
(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 122:5 - 7)

Though Daniel was a righteous and faithful servant, he was also one of those who was "in perils among false brethren" and of whom "the sentence of death passed upon thee" and the billowing surge conspire against thee..." It was his fellow servants that conspired against him whereby -

"...the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God." (Old Testament | Daniel 6:4 - 5)

Just as the Prophet Joseph Smith was accused, Daniel was accused and cast into the lions den. In Daniel's case -

"My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." (Old Testament | Daniel 6:22)

In the Prophet's case, he was eventually freed. As promised in both cases, it was apparent that these things did give them experience, and was for their good.

Daniel 3

"We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." (Pearl of Great Price | Articles of Faith 1:3)

We read in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar, when -

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Old Testament | Daniel 3:16 - 18)

...that -

"Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace." (Old Testament | Daniel 3:19 - 21)

"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (Old Testament | Daniel 3:24 - 25)

What is interesting is the words "they have no hurt". The story continues that they -

"...came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them." (Old Testament | Daniel 3:26 - 27)

In other words, there was no harm done to them or they were "saved". All of us will pass through fiery tribulaton or challenges, some maybe "seven times" more than others. But nonetheless, if we have faith in Jesus Christ by demonstrating obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, we may also be "saved" or receive no harm whether by death or by living.

Daniel 3

Most of us or more than familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, so I won't go through the entire story. But what seemed to touch my mind this morning was the response of these men when the king said "in his rage and fury" -

"...Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace..." (Old Testament | Daniel 3:14 - 15)

Faced with such a potentially catastrophic event, the men answered -

"...O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Old Testament | Daniel 3:16 - 18)

It was the words "we are not careful to answer thee in this matter" that caught my attention. Would we not be more faithful servants if we were always ready and willing to answer "we are not careful to answer thee in this matter" when it comes to following the counsel of the Lord.

Daniel 2

Daniel, being one -

"...of the king's seed, and of the princes..." (Old Testament | Daniel 1:3)

...lived in such a manner to be worthy of the Lord's blessings. When Nebuchadnezzar was so frustrated with his "magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers", because they could not tell him what he had dreamed, he commanded that all his "wise men" should be destroyed. And because of Daniel's present position in the kingdom -

"...they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain." (Old Testament | Daniel 2:13)

What is interesting is what Daniel did when he heard of this, what many would consider, terrible news -

"...Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." (Old Testament | Daniel 2:17 - 18)

This event reminded me of Ammon response, after having had the king's flock dispersed and the king's servants weeping that they would now be slain -

"Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words." (Book of Mormon | Alma 17:29)

It may have been the same for Daniel and his companions as -

"Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his..." (Old Testament | Daniel 2:19 - 20)

Daniel proceeded to recount to the king his dream and its meaning upon which the Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed -

"...Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret." (Old Testament | Daniel 2:47)

Both Ammon and Daniel looked at what appeared to be bad things as opportunities. As a result -

"...the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king." (Old Testament | Daniel 2:48 - 49)

I have one more thought this morning on the interpretation of the kings dream. Daniel explained that the parts of the image that the king saw were kingdoms of the earth. What caught my attention was the last kingdom or -

"...the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." (Old Testament | Daniel 2:40 - 43)

I sense this final kingdom was of great strength but also with divisive weaknesses. It reminded me of our political system today.

Stake Conference Experience

With a high probability of success in battle and little time to do it, Joshua prayed -

"...to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." (Old Testament | Joshua 10:12 - 13)

I'm sure there have been skeptics throughout history that I tried in different ways to explain these few words. Nonetheless, I believe it was a miracle.

This past weekend, I experienced a personal miracle or as Nephi explained -
"...the tender mercies of the Lord..." (Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 1:20)

It was our stake conference and I was assigned to speak three different times. In the adult session and general session of conference, I was to speak for 20 minutes. After I prepared and written my talks, it was apparent that with the length of the material, it would extend beyond the allowed 20 minutes. As a matter of note, I have prepared and written enough talks that I know how long it will be generally by the number of pages. In the case of these two talks, they greatly exceeded what 20 minutes would allow. I reviewed the talks over and over looking for ways to delete portions to shorten the talks. But as I did, I continued to feel that these were the words that were to be spoken.

When I felt I could do no more, I went to my knees, reminding the Lord of the miracle when the sun stood still. I pleaded for somewhat of the same blessing. In my case, that the clock would stand still allowing me to present that which I had prepared.

In both sessions, as I was speaking, I would glance at the clock and while doing so, received a personal impression that the clock was being made still. Upon the completion of both talks, each talk landed exactly at the prescribed time of 20 minutes. My prayer was answered.

Some may consider this a coincidence, but to me, it was a miracle.

Ezekiel 43

Ezekiel received a marvelous vison concerning the House of the Lord as he records -

"...behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 43:2)

"And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 43:4 - 5)

Not only was there noise like many waters, but he also saw -

"AFTERWARD he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward..."(Old Testament | Ezekiel 47:1)

John the Revelator would later record of his own vision of the temple -

"...What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters..." (New Testament | Revelation 7:13 - 17)

Nephi recorded that -

"...I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life..." (Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 11:25)

The glory of God is in the temple and from the temple flows living waters. It is those that enter there in that receive of this living water for the Lord said -

"...mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 44:5)

It is only those that are worthy that are allowed in the temple to partake of living waters for -

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 44:9)

"...be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD." (Old Testament | Isaiah 52:11)

These are they arrayed in white robes.

Ezekiel 37

Paul taught the Corinthians -

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (New Testament | 1 Corinthians 15:22)

Ezekiel was granted a great vision regarding the resurrection and all being made alive as he saw -

"THE hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones..." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 37:1)

Whereby the Lord asked Ezekiel -

"...Son of man, can these bones live? " (Old Testament | Ezekiel 37:3)

The Lord then declared -

"...I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 37:5 - 6)

And sure enough -

"...the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 37:8)

But the Lord commanded Ezekiel to prophecy that the breath of life would enter them so Ezekiel -

"...prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 37:10)

As a result of this vision, Ezekiel was commanded by the Lord to teach the people of the resurrection saying -

"Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves..." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 37:12)

Is there any question that at some future date, -

"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (New Testament | Romans 14:11)

Ezekiel 18

"We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression." (Pearl of Great Price | Articles of Faith 1:2)

In a age where we hear much about "collective salvation", the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel -

"...all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 18:4)

The Lord explains -

if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman,
7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,
9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 18:5 - 9)

He continues to suggest that if he sins, he shall die. And if his son sins, his son shall die. And if the father is wicked and the son is righteous, the father shall die and the son shall live, for -

"Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 18:19 - 20)

And with that, Ezekiel teaches the principle of repentance and the atonement saying -

"...if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 18:21 - 22)

"But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 18:24)

Just as Nephi taught -

"...Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day..." (Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 22:31)

On a different matter, much like Jeremiah and Isaiah, Ezekiel prophecied of the latter days and the gathering to stakes of Zion -

"For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 34:11 - 15)

I believe the feeding on high mountains of Israel refers to the temples of the Lord.

"And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing." (Old Testament | Ezekiel 34:26)

Jeremiah 38

As I read of Jeremiah's prophecies concerning Judah to both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, I couldn't help but think of the Book of Mormon story of Abinadi and king Noah. Just as king Noah,both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah were persuaded by their piers and rejected the warnings of a prophet of God. In Noah's case, he eventually died by fire. Jehoiakim died in captivity by the Babylonians, and Zedekiah died in prison after seeing his sons killed and then having his eyes put out. All because they chose to not follow the counsel of a prophet which counsel may not have seem logical as given by his fellowmen. You can tell that Zedekiah did have some respect for Jeremiah for after Jeremiah had been imprisoned for -

"...Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD?..." (Old Testament | Jeremiah 37:16 - 17)

Much like Abinadi responded to the questions of Noah and his wicked priests, Jeremiah answered -

"...There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?" (Old Testament | Jeremiah 37:17 - 19)

This response was similar to that of Abinadi where his priests said to the king -

"...O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man?" (Book of Mormon | Mosiah 12:13)

Jeremiah counseled Zedekiah to basically give in to the Babylonians and would be well with him. Zedekiah decided to not follow his counsel and follow the counsels of his fellow leaders to depend on the Egyptians which led to his horrible circumstances and suffering.

The life of Zedekiah is quickly be summed up by Mormon -

"...how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!
5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's paths!
6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide." (Book of Mormon | Helaman 12:4 - 6)

Jeremiah 31

Jeremiah revealed of our day -

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD..." (Old Testament | Jeremiah 31:31 - 32)

It becomes clear that the Lord will establish again in the latter days, a "new and everlasting covenant" and -

"...this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Old Testament | Jeremiah 31:33)

I note that we will not write this covenant and His law in our hearts, but He will put and write this law in our hearts, much like the the people of Alma where -

"...he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God." Book of Mormon | Alma 5:7)

As we choose to accept and enter into His new and everlasting covenant, It is His Spirit that actually changes our hearts.

Jeremiah 23

The Prophet Joseph Smith explained in what has now become known as the Articles of Faith -

"We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes..." (Pearl of Great Price | Articles of Faith 1:10)

Jeremiah prophesied of the same, that the Lord -

"...will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase." (Old Testament | Jeremiah 23:3)

And with this gathering, he also prophesied -

"...I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD." (Old Testament | Jeremiah 23:4)

And this shall be to Zion or stakes of Zion -

"...that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth." (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 115:6)