3 Nephi 24-27
3 Nephi 24:1
“The Lord shall come to His temple”
“The Lord, whom we seek, shall suddenly come to His
temple…Indeed, He came suddenly to the Kirtland
Temple on the 3rd day of April in 1836; He also appeared
in others of His holy houses; and He will come in due
course to the temples in Jackson County and in
Jerusalem” (Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah,
557).
Evidently the Lord wants us to know something
about Malachi 3-4!
Joseph Smith History, verses 36-39, D&C 2, 13, 110.
3 Nephi 24:2
“He is like a refiner’s fire”
“The Savior’s return will be a
cleansing, refining experience by fire,
The righteous will endure and be
purified by this flame of truth, while
the wicked will be burned as stubble,
unable to withstand its unquenchable
demands” (Jeffery R Holland, Christ
and the New Covenant, 294).
3 Nephi 24:2
What is the “Offering of Righteousness” the Sons of Levi
will make?
“It is generally supposed that sacrifice (blood sacrifice) was
entirely done away when the great sacrifice (i.e.,) the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ was offered up, and that there will be
no necessity of the ordinance of sacrifice in the future; but
those who assert this are certainly not acquainted with the
duties, privileges and authority of the Priesthood, or with the
Prophets.
“The offering of sacrifice has ever been connected and forms a
part of the duties of the priesthood…
“These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the
Priesthood, will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built, and
the Sons of Levi be purified, be fully restored and attended to in
all their powers, ramifications, and blessings” (Joseph Smith,
Teachings, 172-73).
President Joseph Fielding Smith further explained that “we are
living in the dispensation of the fullness of times into which all
things are to be gathered, and all things are to be restored
since the beginning. Even this earth is to be restored to the
condition which prevailed before Adam’s transgression.
Now in the nature of things, the law of sacrifice will have to be
restored, or all things which were decreed by the Lord would
not be restored. It will be necessary, therefore, for the sons of
Levi. Who offered the blood sacrifices anciently in Israel, to
offer such a sacrifice again to round and complete this
ordinance in this dispensation. Sacrifice by the shedding of
blood was instituted in the days of Adam and of necessity will
have to be restored.
“The sacrifice of animals will be done to complete the
restoration when the temple spoken of is built; at the beginning
of the millennium, or in the restoration, blood sacrifices will be
performed long enough to complete the fullness of the
restoration in this dispensation. Afterwards sacrifice will be of
some other character” (Doctrines of Salvation 3:94).
“The Lord… shall sit as a refiner a purifier of silver,
and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them
as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an
offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a
church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer
unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us
present in His holy temple, when it is finished, a book
containing the records of our dead, which shall be
worthy of all acceptation” (D&C 128:24). (D&C 13:1).
“These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance
belonging to the Priesthood, will, when the Temple of
the Lord shall be built, and the sons of Levi be
purified, be fully restored… Those things which
existed prior to Moses’ day, namely, sacrifice, will be
continued” (Joseph Smith, Teachings, 172-73).
3 Nephi 24:8-12
How important is tithing?
“Tithing is paid by faith more than it is by money”
(Gordon B Hinckley, Ensign, December 1989, 5).
“By this principle (tithing) the loyalty of the people of
this Church shall be put to the test. By this principle it
shall be known who is for the kingdom of God and
who is against it. By this principle it shall be seen
whose hearts are set on doing the will of God and
keeping His commandments… There is a great deal of
importance connected with this principle, for by it
known whether we are faithful or unfaithful. In this
respect it is as essential as faith in God" (Joseph F.
Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 225).
Elder Holland suggested five reasons why all of us,
rich or poor, longtime member or newest convert,
should faithfully pay our tithes and offerings.
1.
For the sake of your children.
2.
3.
To rightfully claim the blessings promised.
As a declaration that possession of material goods and the
accumulation of worldly wealth are not the uppermost goals
of your existence.
Out of honesty and integrity because they are God’s rightful
due.
A personal expression of love to a generous and merciful
Father in Heaven.
(C.R., Oct. 2001, 39-41)
4.
5.
President Harold B. Lee taught that the opening of the windows
of heaven, of course, meant revelation from God to him who is
willing thus to sacrifice (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, ed.
Clyde J. Williams [1996], 206).
President Heber J. Grant testified that God will bless those who
obey the law of tithing with increased wisdom. Those who pay
their tithing will be able to utilize the remaining nine-tenths, and
it will be of greater value to them and they will be able to
accomplish more with it than they would if they had not been
honest with the Lord (C.R., Apr. 1912, 30).
I hope our members will qualify for the blessings of the Lord by
paying a full tithing (Elder Dallin H. Oaks, C.R., Apr. 1994, 44).
3 Nephi 25:1
“Leave them neither root nor branch”
Roots
Branches
=
=
fathers and grandfathers
children and grandchildren
3 Nephi 25:2
How will the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in His
wings”?
“The ‘Son of Righteousness’ (Malachi 4:2; 3 Nephi 25:2) will
bring the healing power of the resurrection and redemption (2
Nephi 25:13), and the righteous will be nourished ‘as calves if
the stall’ because of their obedience to the Lord (1 Nephi
22:24)” Daniel H. Ludlow, ed., Encyclopedia of Mormonism,
2:851).
3 Nephi 25:5
Fulfilled April 3, 1836, Kirtland
What did Elijah come to restore?
“By restoring the sealing keys, Elijah revealed the greatest use
to which the priesthood may be put by mortals on earth” (Bruce
R. McConkie, New Witness of the Articles of Faith, 508).
“When the full measure of Elijah’s mission is understood... it
applies just as much on this side of the veil as it does to the
other side of the veil. The hearts of your fathers and mother
must be turned to your children right now, if you have the true
spirit of Elijah, and not think that it applies merely to those who
are beyond the veil. Let your hearts be turned to your children,
and teach your children; but you must do it when they are
young enough to be schooled. And if you are neglecting your
family home evening, you are neglecting the beginning of the
mission of Elijah just as certainly as if you were neglecting your
research work of genealogy” (Harold B Lee, Teachings, 281).
3 Nephi 26:2-3,6-21
Jesus expounds all things from the beginning
to the end.
It will take no faith to renounce worldly things
when these are among the ashes of a melted
planet (Neal A. Maxwell, Not My Will, But
Thine, 12).
3 Nephi 26:11
It takes revelation to share revelation!
3 Nephi 27:3, 8
What did they call themselves?
(3 Nephi 26:21)
D&C 115:4
We received our official name eight years after the
Church was organized.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Church of Christ
Church of God
Church of Latter-day Saints
In 1834, the “Mormonites” from the School of the
Elders
Don't let the Lord down by calling this the Mormon
Church. He didn’t call it the Mormon Church”
(George Albert Smith, C.R. April 1948, 160).
“The name of the Church was not obtained through study or
research, but by revelation directed from the Lord… Of all the
churches in the world, there was not one that bore His name
when the Lord restored His Church in this dispensation”
(LeGrand Richards, Marvelous Work and a Wonder, 131-32).
“I suppose that regardless of our efforts, we may never convert
the world to general use of the full and correct name of the
Church,” conceded President Gordon B. Hinckley.
He continued “Because of the shortness of the word Mormon,
and the ease with which it is spoken and written, they will
continue to call us the Mormons, the Mormon Church and so
forth.” President Hinckley recalled the Prophet Joseph Smith’s
comment that the name “Mormon means more good,” and
therefore suggested we should not be ashamed of this
nickname” (Teachings, 299-300).
Far West Temple Site
3 Nephi 27:13-14
“I have given unto you my gospel”
What is the gospel then?... So often I hear
my brethren saying something the I wish
we would not say quite that way - that the
gospel is a way of life. It is not a way of
life - it is the way to eternal life. It is the
science of salvation (Harold B. Lee, C.R.,
April 1959, 68).
3 Nephi 27:21-27
What manner of men ought ye to be?
The word “ought” means to be necessary’ or ‘to
be held or bound in duty or moral obligation’
(Noah Webster’s First Edition of an American
Dictionary of English Language, 7th ed. [1993],
‘ought’).
“Christ is God the Son and possessed every virtue in
its perfection. Therefore, the only measure of true
greatness is how close a man can become like Jesus.
That man is greatest who is most like Christ, and
those who love him most will be most like him" (Ezra
Taft Benson, New Era, Jan.1973, 20).
“The reality is that there will be
a whole hierarchy of judges
who, under Christ, shall judge
the righteous. He alone shall
issue the decrees of damnation
for the wicked” (Bruce R.
McConkie, Millennial Messiah,
520).