Note: For the material on Isaiah 7-21, see Book of Mormon posts on February 13th and 21st of 2020.
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The Covenant Breakers
READ Isaiah 22:21-23
Who is being talked about here?
Christ.
What power does He possess?
Power to govern.
Power to seal.
Power to save (“sure nail”).
Power to further glorify His
father by exalting His father’s children.
READ 2 Nephi 9:41
What does it mean that the Holy One of Israel is the
keeper of the Gate to Heaven, and He doesn’t employ a servant there?
There is only ONE way to get
to Heaven.
If you do not KNOW the Gate
Keeper and are known by Him, you cannot enter.
In ancient times, the risk of
opening the gate to see if one could recognize the traveler as an acquaintance,
or to assess a stranger as a friend or foe was way too great. So, after dark especially, unless the
gatekeeper recognized your voice as a family member or close friend to the
House, you would be denied entry.
READ Isaiah 24:3-6
Why is the earth defiled?
Because those with the Gospel
of Christ, which is the only thing that can lead people back to the Keeper of
the Gate, have not been true to their stewardships.
The stewardship was to guard
against losing the knowledge of the path back to the gate, and to fail to
communicate that knowledge to those that needed it.
What have they done?
They have transgressed the
laws.
Changed the ordinances.
Broken the everlasting
covenant.
They thought they knew better
then God – they put “fences” around the Law focusing on outward “performances”.
They changed the ordinances to
be more acceptable to the thinking (philosophies) and behavior of the world
(politically correct and culturally aligned).
By doing these things, the
people cannot perform the ordinances or obey the commandments that will allow
them to know for themselves the Holy One of Israel or be known by Him, such
that they will be “strangers at the Gate” and will not be opened to, to receive
the everlasting covenant for themselves – in affecting breaking it, for
themselves at least.
What happens if the law is transgressed, ordinances are
changed, and covenant is broken?
The whole earth (not just
Israel) is cursed.
They are desolate or burned;
they are utterly wasted at His coming in glory because they cannot abide it –
it is a natural consequence.
Only the few that knew the
Gatekeeper/Master’s voice are left alive because only they can abide it as they
are filled with enough light.
The Covenant Keeper’s
Wedding Feast
But for those who are faithful
and keep the Lord’s covenants unchanged…
READ Isaiah 25:4-5
Who are those who keep His covenants and receive his
protection?
The poor and needy – not the
“terrible ones”, meaning “mighty” or “powerful” ones.
Those who sought Him out
because they understood they needed His protection and covenants – they
understood their need for redemption and were humble (and wise) enough to do
whatever it took to receive it.
Those who loved Him – whose
deepest desire was to be with Him and to do His will to help to save
others. But these activities don’t
usually result in earning the praise and rewards of the World.
READ Isaiah 25:6-9
What will the Lord do in His “mountain”?
Prepare the finest of feasts
for “all people”.
Rend the veil for all who are
at the feast.
Swallow up death.
Wipe away tears from off all
faces.
Remove the rebuke of His
people.
All are invited but who will attend the feast?
Those who can abide the glory
(when the veil is removed).
“His” people – those who
waited for Him.
READ Matthew 22:2-14
Who ends up actually attending the feast?
Not the originally invited
guests.
The folk from the highways.
Why are both “bad and good” invited from the highways?
The Lord can forgive both the
“bad” and the “good” if they will come to the feast and put on a wedding
garment.
Bad and good are not His
criteria for attendance – it is willingness or desire to come which is the
criteria.
What does the wedding garment symbolize?
The Atonement.
Being “chosen” or self-elected
(see JST) – those who accept the atonement and are clothed in His glory.
The protective or
“appropriate” garment enables you to attend the feast and be in the presence of
the King without shame.
Who provides the wedding garment?
The King.
You do not “bring your own
garment” – implied would be that you can stand in God’s glory without the need
for any transfiguration.
So why would this man be found without the wedding
garment?
He rejected the atonement – he
refused to put it on when presented it, prior to entering into the feast.
He was called but “chose” not
to sacrifice what was required (his whole soul).
READ Isaiah 26:3-4, 9
What mindset must you have to “put on the wedding
garment”?
Mind is “stayed on thee” (i.e.
always remember Him).
Trust in Him forever – because
of who He is, a God of Truth, meaning that as long as He exists, He will keep
His promises (or, if He did not keep His promises, He would cease to be God).
Desires of your soul (or
“heart”) are for Him – day and night.
You act on those desires by
seeking for Him (to be like Him, yes - that we might resonate at His frequency
and glory, BUT FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENTERING INTO HIS PRESENCE and being sealed
up to Eternal Life, which first requires being forgiven – we can only seek Him
and offer our whole souls – He must do the rest); the real test of this is
whether or not we share His desires – which is to save as many as will come,
which saving requires extreme sacrifice on the part of the savior – which comes
from pure love.
The Knowledge That Saves
READ Isaiah 28:9-10
Joseph said that knowledge saves a man (see TPJS
400:2), so what does this verse teach us about what we should be actively
pursuing?
The knowledge that SAVES.
Not all knowledge is the same.
How do you receive this knowledge?
Line upon line – through
experience and study/prayer/revelation – the “live and learn” principle (See 1
Nephi 10:19, Jacob 4:8, Mosiah 1:5, Alma 12:9-11).
Now let’s talk about where
that knowledge can be found, for those with eyes to see it…
READ Isaiah 29:9-14
Why has the “vision of all” become as the words of a
book that is sealed?
Because the people are drunken
or asleep with regards to the words of God, i.e. the vision of all.
We all know the story of Martin Harris and Professor
Charles Anthon, so what is the sealed book?
Book of Mormon.
Could also be referring to the
“Book of Mahonri” within the Book of Mormon – the literally sealed portion of
the plates containing the vision of Mahonri, the brother of Jared, which Moroni
sealed up.
If it is the Book of Mormon, why is it a “sealed book”?
Because we don’t read it.
Because we read it but don’t
understand it – we listen to how the precepts of men interpret the book instead
of going directly to God (see 2 Nephi 32:4-7).
Because we read it but take it
lightly – and are under condemnation for doing so (see D&C 84:49-58; Ezra
Taft Benson, “Cleansing the Inner Vessel” April 1986 General Conference; Dallin
Oaks “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”, BYU Fireside Talk June 6, 1993).
The bottom line is that the
knowledge that the Book of Mormon gives us is the knowledge of how to awake
from the deep sleep and walk back into the presence of God through covenant
with Jesus Christ to be sealed up to Eternal Life. Experience after experience tells this same
tale: Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Benjamin, Alma, Lamoni, Nephi, the people at
Bountiful, Mormon, Moroni…it must not be a “sealed book” to us if we are to
avoid the condemnation.
Lastly, we have a comparison
of two kinds of Saints – defined by
how they react to the “marvelous work and a wonder”:
READ Isaiah 30:1, 9-13
What do the rebellious “children” (i.e. Saints) want?
They do not want to hear the
voice or word of the Lord (direct revelation and the scriptures).
They want what is pleasing to
the world – to appeal to the world – to be popular with them (“cover with a
covering but not of my spirit”; prophesy “smooth things”; also the verses we
didn’t read about “Egypt”, the “Superpower of the West”, i.e. v2-7).
They want to do things the
world’s way (by oppression and perverseness – i.e. D&C 121).
What will happen to them when the Lord comes again?
Their destruction will be as a
flood – coming in an instant and washing them away (v13).
Implied is that they will be
ok until that flood breaks; perhaps they think they will make it.
READ Isaiah 29:18-19
What hope do these verses give us?
The deaf will hear and the
blind will see.
If we are blind and deaf now –
i.e., we are still failed seekers – but there is hope for us. The key is that we must open the book that is
“sealed” and do what it teaches us to do (come unto Christ in the flesh) before
it is too late!
