Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
I love the story of the widow’s mite, and in this video, we will discuss the symbolism of the coin and how it applies to our lives. We will study one of the Savior's greatest sermons on the signs that precede His second coming. We will focus on covenants, promises and what the faithful will be doing to prepare for the coming of Christ.
“The Widow’s Mite was first minted by King Alexander Jannaeus (Judean King, 103 – 76 B.C), nephew of Simon and Judah The Maccabees. Several types of small bronze pieces were issued during the rule of King Alexander Jannaeus, but the most common ones featured an anchor and a star. Anchors were often featured on coins of the time and for the next century because of the importance of the seacoast cities of the Holy Land areas. The coin was produced in great quantities and it was struck from Bronze with a Macedonian Eight-pointed Star on one side and the Phoenician inverted anchor on the other. Between the rays of the eight-pointed star are tiny ancient Hebrew letters spelling Yehonatan, the Hebrew name of the King. (see https://shipwrecktreasuresofthekeys.com/pages/widows-mite; https://bullionsharks.com/blog/what-are-widows-mite-coins/)
Elder James E. Talmage: “The rich gave much yet kept back more; the widow’s gift was her all. It was not the smallness of her offering that made it especially acceptable, but the spirit of sacrifice and devout intent with which she gave.” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 561–62).
Elder Lynn G. Robbins: “The truer measure of sacrifice isn’t so much what one gives to sacrifice as what one sacrifices to give (Mark 12:43).” (Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 36; or Ensign, May 2005, 34).
Elder Sterling W. Sill: "The most often mentioned event in the entire Bible is that wonderful, yet awful experience that we will have when Jesus Christ shall come to judge our world…”
“If God thought this subject that important, he must have wanted us to do something about it." (CR, April 1966, p.19)
Ezra Taft Benson: “Herod the Great…undertook to reconstruct the temple. He spared no expense or labor to restore that building to the beauty and magnificence of the days of Solomon. The project took about forty-six years to complete, six years longer than the Salt Lake Temple in pioneer days. According to Josephus, a Jewish historian, some of the stones used in the foundation were prodigious in size, measuring approximately sixty feet in length. Can you imagine how improbable it must have seemed to Jesus' disciples that one stone would not be left on another? Yet, thirty-seven years later, when the Romans invaded Jerusalem, that prophecy was literally fulfilled. It is said that after Roman soldiers burned the temple, they dug up the foundation stones in the hopes of finding a treasure buried there.” (Come unto Christ, 109.)
“The Setting It was probably on Tuesday of the last week of His life that Jesus climbed the Mount of Olives after leaving Jerusalem. He had spent His day teaching at the temple. As the sun began to sink toward the western horizon at day's end, Jesus paused high on the slope of the mountain with four of His apostles. … The Gospel of Mark names the apostles who were with Jesus. They were the two pairs of brothers from Galilee: Peter and Andrew, James and John. Thus Jesus spoke the words of His sermon in the presence of the most trustworthy witnesses of that age. I wish to emphasize that this point is not minor. This discourse, detailed in Matthew 24, was to be one of the most significant of Jesus' mortal ministry…
"The Last Supper was now only 48 hours away. Tradition holds that Jesus and His four apostles sat together in a small cave near the crest of the mountain while He spoke the words of His now-famous sermon. Tradition has also associated this spot with other very important events, as we have noted. As a result, Queen Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, founded on this spot a church that was built at the same time as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.” (S. Kent Brown, BYU devotional address, 2 November 1999)
Question 1: "When shall these things concerning the destruction of Jerusalem be?" (Matt. 24:3).
Answer: JS-M 1:5-20.
Question 2: “… and what shall be the sign of thy coming, at the end of the world?" (Matt. 24:3).
Answer: JS-M 1:21-55.
"Take heed" -Beware—watch—this is in general the ground-tone of the whole discourse
“Deceive (planao) - to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way from planos "to seduce"
“These statements of warning Christ directed specifically to His disciples, for they were to be fulfilled in their lifetime. That many did come claiming to be Christ is attested to by sacred and secular history. There was, for instance, Simon Magus, who drew many people after him, Menander, Dositheus, and Theudas; the false apostles referred to by Paul; and others including Hymeneus and Philetus. Josephus, a contemporary, made record of ‘a body of wicked men, who deceived and deluded the people under pretense of divine inspiration, who prevailed with the multitude to act like madmen, and went before them into the wilderness, pretending that God would there show them the signals of victory.’” (Hyrum L. Andrus, Doctrinal Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price, 416.)
The Greek word for "offended" (scandalizo) means "to make to stumble." From the same root comes the word skandalon, which is translated as "stumbling block." In Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:8 the Savior was saying that many would fall away or turn away from the faith. (Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, 45)
“This refers not to the false Messiahs of which he had spoken (v. 6), but to prophets who should appear during the siege of the city. Of them Josephus says, “The tyrannical zealots who ruled the city suborned many false prophets to declare that aid would be given to the people from heaven. This was done to prevent them from attempting to desert, and to inspire confidence in God.” (See Jewish Wars, book vi., Chap. 5, & 2, 3.)
To "wax" means to increase in intensity.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Since the scriptures, ancient and modern, speak of the time when because ‘iniquity shall bound, the love of many shall wax cold,’ can we really ignore iniquity, when it diminishes our capacity to love our fellowmen—in a world where the need for love exceeds the mortal supply? How we see each other and our situations determines how much we feel each other's elbows, how much we will excuse, endure, and expect from others.” (The Smallest Part, 34)
“Devoid of the Spirit, one's love and respect for God and others diminish and begin to ‘wax cold.’ Those who have no conscience or regard of others view human life with no special reverence but rather as being expendable as deemed necessary. The most extreme and abominable result of love waxing cold is that not only can one shed innocent blood without repulsion but also can actually receive pleasure in doing it. This was the case with the Nephites, and Mormon's account serves as a warning to us of the wickedness that will prevail in the last days, when men's hearts fail them and the love of many shall wax cold. Delighting in bloodshed epitomizes the awful depths to which a person or society can fall when they are spiritually ‘past feeling’ (1 Nephi 17:45).” (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4: 228.)
Abomination of desolation
"Daniel spoke prophetically of a day when there would be “the abomination that maketh desolate” (Dan. 11:31; 12:11), and the phrase was recoined in New Testament times to say “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matt. 24:15).
"Conditions of desolation, born of abomination and wickedness, were to occur twice in fulfillment of Daniel’s words. The first was to be when the Roman legions under Titus, in A.D. 70, laid siege to Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15; JS—M 1:12).
"Speaking of the last days, of the days following the Restoration of the gospel and its declaration “for a witness unto all nations,” our Lord said: “And again shall the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, be fulfilled” (JS—M 1:31–32). That is, Jerusalem again will be under siege." (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/abomination-of-desolation?lang=eng)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Guided by inspiration, the primitive saints withdrew from Jerusalem and Judea before the desolating scourges fell upon the city and the people. The saints left the unholy city and went to a place of safety, a holy place, a place made holy by their presence, for it is not places but people that are holy.” (Millennial Messiah, p. 472.)
Eusebius (H.E. iii. 5,3) says that the Christians actually fled to Pella at the foot of the mountains about seventeen miles south of the Sea of Galilee. They remembered the warning of Jesus and fled for safety.
Tribulation – (GR, thlibo and thlipsis) - These words occur a total of fifty six times in the New Testament, having such meanings as “to crowd, press; to oppress, afflict; to be under pressure; to be distressed, troubled, afflicted; to be in anguish of heart and mind.”
For example:
Destruction of Jerusalem
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: Now … “these are your days” (Helaman 7:9) in the history of the Church. Mark well what kind of days they will be, days when, with special visibility, the Lord will “make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations” (D&C 133:3). God will also “hasten” His work (D&C 88:73). He will also “shorten” the last days “for the elect’s sake” (Matthew 24:22); hence, there will be a compression of events (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:20). Furthermore, “all things shall be in commotion” (D&C 88:91). Only those in the process of becoming the men and women of Christ will be able to keep their spiritual balance. Brethren, may we “walk by faith” and, if necessary, even on our knees! (, in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 57; or Ensign, May 1992, 39)
What The Faithful Would Be Doing?
After quoting Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:22, President Harold B. Lee defined the elect as "members of this Church" (Stand Ye in Holy Places, 384). Similarly, Elder Marion G. Romney, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: "Now, those 'who are the elect according to the covenant' are members of the Church, so we ourselves are on notice to beware" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1956, 70; see also D&C 29:7-9).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Enoch wept over the wickedness in his time, and at first he “refused to be comforted” (Moses 7:44; see also verse 41). But then came revelations, successively showing Jesus redeeming the world, the latter-day Restoration, and the Second Coming. Enoch was told to “lift up his heart, and be glad” (Moses 7:44). The doctrines and revelations can likewise lift us—even amid “wars and rumours of wars” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; see also 1 Nephi 12:2; Mormon 8:30; D&C 45:26). Thus we need not grow weary in our minds (see Hebrews 12:3; D&C 84:80). (in Conference Report, Oct. 2002, 15; or Ensign, Nov. 2002, 16).
What Will The Faithful Be Doing?
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "Many years ago now, long before I was called as a General Authority, I participated as a speaker in a young-adult conference. The conference concluded with a testimony meeting in which a handsome, young returned missionary stood up to bear his testimony. He looked good, clean, and confident—just like a returned missionary should look.
"As he began to speak, tears came to his eyes.
"He then told of coming home from a date shortly after he had been ordained an elder at age 18. Something had happened on this date of which he was not proud. He did not go into any details, nor should he have done so in a public setting. To this day I do not know the nature of the incident, but it was significant enough to him to have affected his spirit and his self-esteem.
"As he sat in his car for a while in the driveway of his own home, thinking things through and feeling genuine sorrow for whatever had happened, his nonmember mother came running frantically from the house straight to his car. In an instant she conveyed that this boy’s younger brother had just fallen in the home, had hit his head sharply and was having some kind of seizure or convulsion. The nonmember father had immediately called for an ambulance, but it would take some time at best for help to come.
"As he sat in his car for a while in the driveway of his own home, thinking things through and feeling genuine sorrow for whatever had happened, his nonmember mother came running frantically from the house straight to his car. In an instant she conveyed that this boy’s younger brother had just fallen in the home, had hit his head sharply and was having some kind of seizure or convulsion. The nonmember father had immediately called for an ambulance, but it would take some time at best for help to come.
"He bolted from the car and ran down the street to the home of a worthy older man who had befriended him in the ward ever since the boy’s conversion two or three years earlier. An explanation was given, and the two were back at the house still well before the paramedics arrived. The happy ending of this story as told in that testimony meeting was that this older man instantly gave a sweet, powerful priesthood blessing, leaving the injured child stable and resting by the time medical help arrived. A quick trip to the hospital and a thorough exam there revealed no permanent damage had been done.
"Then the returned missionary of whom I speak said this: “No one who has not faced what I faced that night will ever know the shame I felt and the sorrow I bore for not feeling worthy to use the priesthood I held. It is an even more painful memory for me because it was my own little brother who needed me and my beloved nonmember parents who were so fearful and who had a right to expect more of me.
"But as I stand before you today, I can promise you this,” he said. “I am not perfect, but from that night onward I have never done anything that would keep me from going before the Lord with confidence and asking for His help when it is needed. Personal worthiness is a battle in this world in which we live,” he acknowledged, “but it is a battle I am winning. I have felt the finger of condemnation pointing at me once in my life, and I don’t intend to feel it ever again if I can do anything about it. And, of course,” he concluded, “I can do everything about it.”
Elder David A. Bednar: “I now want to use one of many possible interpretations of the parable of the ten virgins to highlight the relationship between testimony and conversion. Ten virgins, five who were wise and five who were foolish, took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Please think of the lamps used by the virgins as the lamps of testimony. The foolish virgins took their lamps of testimony but took no oil with them. Consider the oil to be the oil of conversion.
…“Were the five wise virgins selfish and unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil of conversion cannot be borrowed? Can the spiritual strength that results from consistent obedience to the commandments be given to another person? Can the knowledge obtained through diligent study and pondering of the scriptures be conveyed to one who is in need? Can the peace the gospel brings to a faithful Latter-day Saint be transferred to an individual experiencing adversity or great challenge? The clear answer to each of these questions is no.
“As the wise virgins emphasized properly, each of us must ‘buy for ourselves.’ These inspired women were not describing a business transaction; rather, they were emphasizing our individual responsibility to keep our lamp of testimony burning and to obtain an ample supply of the oil of conversion. This precious oil is acquired one drop at a time—‘line upon line and precept upon precept’ (2 Nephi 28:30), patiently and persistently. No shortcut is available; no last-minute flurry of preparation is possible.
“‘Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom’ (D&C 33:17)” (“Converted unto the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 109).
President Spencer W. Kimball: “This was not selfishness or unkindness. The kind of oil that is needed to illuminate the way and light up the darkness is not shareable. How can one share obedience to the principle of tithing; a mind at peace from righteous living; an accumulation of knowledge? How can one share faith or testimony? How can one share attitudes or chastity, or the experience of a mission? How can one share temple privileges? Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself. …
“In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. … Each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 255–56).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Men are not born equal. Each person in this life is endowed with those talents and capacities which his pre-earth life entitle him to receive. Some by obedience to law acquired one talent and some another in pre-existence, and all bring with them into mortality the talents and capacities acquired there. (Abra. 3:22-23.)
"Glories promised the faithful saints hereafter are described in terms of kingdoms and thrones, of principalities and powers, of being rulers in God's house, of ascending the throne of eternal power—all such heights being beyond even the comprehension of finite men. …
“How gratifying it is to learn, therefore, the eternal principle that those servants who are faithful over a few things shall be made rulers over many in the realms to be. (DNTC 1:688)
Joseph Smith: “The reflection that everyone is to receive according to his own diligence and perseverance while in the vineyard ought to inspire everyone who is called to be a minister of these glad tidings to so improve his talent that he may gain other talents, that when the Master sits down to take an account of the conduct of his servants, that it may be said, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will now make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Evening and Morning Star, Feb. 1835, 135)
Teaching Thoughts:
“The Widow’s Mite was first minted by King Alexander Jannaeus (Judean King, 103 – 76 B.C), nephew of Simon and Judah The Maccabees. Several types of small bronze pieces were issued during the rule of King Alexander Jannaeus, but the most common ones featured an anchor and a star. Anchors were often featured on coins of the time and for the next century because of the importance of the seacoast cities of the Holy Land areas. The coin was produced in great quantities and it was struck from Bronze with a Macedonian Eight-pointed Star on one side and the Phoenician inverted anchor on the other. Between the rays of the eight-pointed star are tiny ancient Hebrew letters spelling Yehonatan, the Hebrew name of the King. (see https://shipwrecktreasuresofthekeys.com/pages/widows-mite; https://bullionsharks.com/blog/what-are-widows-mite-coins/)
Elder James E. Talmage: “The rich gave much yet kept back more; the widow’s gift was her all. It was not the smallness of her offering that made it especially acceptable, but the spirit of sacrifice and devout intent with which she gave.” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 561–62).
Elder Lynn G. Robbins: “The truer measure of sacrifice isn’t so much what one gives to sacrifice as what one sacrifices to give (Mark 12:43).” (Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 36; or Ensign, May 2005, 34).
Elder Sterling W. Sill: "The most often mentioned event in the entire Bible is that wonderful, yet awful experience that we will have when Jesus Christ shall come to judge our world…”
“If God thought this subject that important, he must have wanted us to do something about it." (CR, April 1966, p.19)
Ezra Taft Benson: “Herod the Great…undertook to reconstruct the temple. He spared no expense or labor to restore that building to the beauty and magnificence of the days of Solomon. The project took about forty-six years to complete, six years longer than the Salt Lake Temple in pioneer days. According to Josephus, a Jewish historian, some of the stones used in the foundation were prodigious in size, measuring approximately sixty feet in length. Can you imagine how improbable it must have seemed to Jesus' disciples that one stone would not be left on another? Yet, thirty-seven years later, when the Romans invaded Jerusalem, that prophecy was literally fulfilled. It is said that after Roman soldiers burned the temple, they dug up the foundation stones in the hopes of finding a treasure buried there.” (Come unto Christ, 109.)
“The Setting It was probably on Tuesday of the last week of His life that Jesus climbed the Mount of Olives after leaving Jerusalem. He had spent His day teaching at the temple. As the sun began to sink toward the western horizon at day's end, Jesus paused high on the slope of the mountain with four of His apostles. … The Gospel of Mark names the apostles who were with Jesus. They were the two pairs of brothers from Galilee: Peter and Andrew, James and John. Thus Jesus spoke the words of His sermon in the presence of the most trustworthy witnesses of that age. I wish to emphasize that this point is not minor. This discourse, detailed in Matthew 24, was to be one of the most significant of Jesus' mortal ministry…
"The Last Supper was now only 48 hours away. Tradition holds that Jesus and His four apostles sat together in a small cave near the crest of the mountain while He spoke the words of His now-famous sermon. Tradition has also associated this spot with other very important events, as we have noted. As a result, Queen Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, founded on this spot a church that was built at the same time as the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.” (S. Kent Brown, BYU devotional address, 2 November 1999)
Question 1: "When shall these things concerning the destruction of Jerusalem be?" (Matt. 24:3).
Answer: JS-M 1:5-20.
Question 2: “… and what shall be the sign of thy coming, at the end of the world?" (Matt. 24:3).
Answer: JS-M 1:21-55.
"Take heed" -Beware—watch—this is in general the ground-tone of the whole discourse
“Deceive (planao) - to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way from planos "to seduce"
“These statements of warning Christ directed specifically to His disciples, for they were to be fulfilled in their lifetime. That many did come claiming to be Christ is attested to by sacred and secular history. There was, for instance, Simon Magus, who drew many people after him, Menander, Dositheus, and Theudas; the false apostles referred to by Paul; and others including Hymeneus and Philetus. Josephus, a contemporary, made record of ‘a body of wicked men, who deceived and deluded the people under pretense of divine inspiration, who prevailed with the multitude to act like madmen, and went before them into the wilderness, pretending that God would there show them the signals of victory.’” (Hyrum L. Andrus, Doctrinal Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price, 416.)
The Greek word for "offended" (scandalizo) means "to make to stumble." From the same root comes the word skandalon, which is translated as "stumbling block." In Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:8 the Savior was saying that many would fall away or turn away from the faith. (Pearl of Great Price Student Manual, 45)
“This refers not to the false Messiahs of which he had spoken (v. 6), but to prophets who should appear during the siege of the city. Of them Josephus says, “The tyrannical zealots who ruled the city suborned many false prophets to declare that aid would be given to the people from heaven. This was done to prevent them from attempting to desert, and to inspire confidence in God.” (See Jewish Wars, book vi., Chap. 5, & 2, 3.)
To "wax" means to increase in intensity.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Since the scriptures, ancient and modern, speak of the time when because ‘iniquity shall bound, the love of many shall wax cold,’ can we really ignore iniquity, when it diminishes our capacity to love our fellowmen—in a world where the need for love exceeds the mortal supply? How we see each other and our situations determines how much we feel each other's elbows, how much we will excuse, endure, and expect from others.” (The Smallest Part, 34)
“Devoid of the Spirit, one's love and respect for God and others diminish and begin to ‘wax cold.’ Those who have no conscience or regard of others view human life with no special reverence but rather as being expendable as deemed necessary. The most extreme and abominable result of love waxing cold is that not only can one shed innocent blood without repulsion but also can actually receive pleasure in doing it. This was the case with the Nephites, and Mormon's account serves as a warning to us of the wickedness that will prevail in the last days, when men's hearts fail them and the love of many shall wax cold. Delighting in bloodshed epitomizes the awful depths to which a person or society can fall when they are spiritually ‘past feeling’ (1 Nephi 17:45).” (Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4: 228.)
Abomination of desolation
"Daniel spoke prophetically of a day when there would be “the abomination that maketh desolate” (Dan. 11:31; 12:11), and the phrase was recoined in New Testament times to say “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matt. 24:15).
"Conditions of desolation, born of abomination and wickedness, were to occur twice in fulfillment of Daniel’s words. The first was to be when the Roman legions under Titus, in A.D. 70, laid siege to Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15; JS—M 1:12).
"Speaking of the last days, of the days following the Restoration of the gospel and its declaration “for a witness unto all nations,” our Lord said: “And again shall the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, be fulfilled” (JS—M 1:31–32). That is, Jerusalem again will be under siege." (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/abomination-of-desolation?lang=eng)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Guided by inspiration, the primitive saints withdrew from Jerusalem and Judea before the desolating scourges fell upon the city and the people. The saints left the unholy city and went to a place of safety, a holy place, a place made holy by their presence, for it is not places but people that are holy.” (Millennial Messiah, p. 472.)
Eusebius (H.E. iii. 5,3) says that the Christians actually fled to Pella at the foot of the mountains about seventeen miles south of the Sea of Galilee. They remembered the warning of Jesus and fled for safety.
Tribulation – (GR, thlibo and thlipsis) - These words occur a total of fifty six times in the New Testament, having such meanings as “to crowd, press; to oppress, afflict; to be under pressure; to be distressed, troubled, afflicted; to be in anguish of heart and mind.”
For example:
- “tribulations because of the world (Matt.13:21)
- “in the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33)
- “Tribulation worketh patience (Rom.5:3)
Destruction of Jerusalem
- “Take heed” (v. 5)
- False Christs (v. 6)
- Hated of all nations (v.7)
- “Then shall many be offended (v.8)
- False prophets (v. 9)
- Love of many shall wax cold (v. 10)
- The “steadfast” were warned and saved (v. 11)
- Then days of “great tribulation” (v. 18)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: Now … “these are your days” (Helaman 7:9) in the history of the Church. Mark well what kind of days they will be, days when, with special visibility, the Lord will “make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations” (D&C 133:3). God will also “hasten” His work (D&C 88:73). He will also “shorten” the last days “for the elect’s sake” (Matthew 24:22); hence, there will be a compression of events (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:20). Furthermore, “all things shall be in commotion” (D&C 88:91). Only those in the process of becoming the men and women of Christ will be able to keep their spiritual balance. Brethren, may we “walk by faith” and, if necessary, even on our knees! (, in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 57; or Ensign, May 1992, 39)
What The Faithful Would Be Doing?
- Steadfast (v. 11)
- Not overcome (v. 11)
- Stand in holy places (v. 12)
- Flee from wickedness (v. 13)
- Trust God will shorten the last days (v. 20)
- “According to the covenant” (v. 20)
After quoting Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:22, President Harold B. Lee defined the elect as "members of this Church" (Stand Ye in Holy Places, 384). Similarly, Elder Marion G. Romney, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: "Now, those 'who are the elect according to the covenant' are members of the Church, so we ourselves are on notice to beware" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1956, 70; see also D&C 29:7-9).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Enoch wept over the wickedness in his time, and at first he “refused to be comforted” (Moses 7:44; see also verse 41). But then came revelations, successively showing Jesus redeeming the world, the latter-day Restoration, and the Second Coming. Enoch was told to “lift up his heart, and be glad” (Moses 7:44). The doctrines and revelations can likewise lift us—even amid “wars and rumours of wars” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; see also 1 Nephi 12:2; Mormon 8:30; D&C 45:26). Thus we need not grow weary in our minds (see Hebrews 12:3; D&C 84:80). (in Conference Report, Oct. 2002, 15; or Ensign, Nov. 2002, 16).
What Will The Faithful Be Doing?
- “According to the covenant” (v. 22; D&C 29:7)
- Not deceived, seeking best gifts (v. 22, 37; D&C 46:7-8)
- “Be not troubled, for all I have told you must come to pass” (v. 23)
- God’s elect shall be gathered (v. 27)
- Testimony (v. 29; D&C 88:88-90)
- Christ will “speak for mine elect’s sake” (v. 29)
- Gospel preached “for a witness” (v. 31)
- Signs given (v. 33, 36)
- Treasure up my word (v.37)
- “See all these things, they shall know… (v. 39)
Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "Many years ago now, long before I was called as a General Authority, I participated as a speaker in a young-adult conference. The conference concluded with a testimony meeting in which a handsome, young returned missionary stood up to bear his testimony. He looked good, clean, and confident—just like a returned missionary should look.
"As he began to speak, tears came to his eyes.
"He then told of coming home from a date shortly after he had been ordained an elder at age 18. Something had happened on this date of which he was not proud. He did not go into any details, nor should he have done so in a public setting. To this day I do not know the nature of the incident, but it was significant enough to him to have affected his spirit and his self-esteem.
"As he sat in his car for a while in the driveway of his own home, thinking things through and feeling genuine sorrow for whatever had happened, his nonmember mother came running frantically from the house straight to his car. In an instant she conveyed that this boy’s younger brother had just fallen in the home, had hit his head sharply and was having some kind of seizure or convulsion. The nonmember father had immediately called for an ambulance, but it would take some time at best for help to come.
"As he sat in his car for a while in the driveway of his own home, thinking things through and feeling genuine sorrow for whatever had happened, his nonmember mother came running frantically from the house straight to his car. In an instant she conveyed that this boy’s younger brother had just fallen in the home, had hit his head sharply and was having some kind of seizure or convulsion. The nonmember father had immediately called for an ambulance, but it would take some time at best for help to come.
"He bolted from the car and ran down the street to the home of a worthy older man who had befriended him in the ward ever since the boy’s conversion two or three years earlier. An explanation was given, and the two were back at the house still well before the paramedics arrived. The happy ending of this story as told in that testimony meeting was that this older man instantly gave a sweet, powerful priesthood blessing, leaving the injured child stable and resting by the time medical help arrived. A quick trip to the hospital and a thorough exam there revealed no permanent damage had been done.
"Then the returned missionary of whom I speak said this: “No one who has not faced what I faced that night will ever know the shame I felt and the sorrow I bore for not feeling worthy to use the priesthood I held. It is an even more painful memory for me because it was my own little brother who needed me and my beloved nonmember parents who were so fearful and who had a right to expect more of me.
"But as I stand before you today, I can promise you this,” he said. “I am not perfect, but from that night onward I have never done anything that would keep me from going before the Lord with confidence and asking for His help when it is needed. Personal worthiness is a battle in this world in which we live,” he acknowledged, “but it is a battle I am winning. I have felt the finger of condemnation pointing at me once in my life, and I don’t intend to feel it ever again if I can do anything about it. And, of course,” he concluded, “I can do everything about it.”
Elder David A. Bednar: “I now want to use one of many possible interpretations of the parable of the ten virgins to highlight the relationship between testimony and conversion. Ten virgins, five who were wise and five who were foolish, took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Please think of the lamps used by the virgins as the lamps of testimony. The foolish virgins took their lamps of testimony but took no oil with them. Consider the oil to be the oil of conversion.
…“Were the five wise virgins selfish and unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil of conversion cannot be borrowed? Can the spiritual strength that results from consistent obedience to the commandments be given to another person? Can the knowledge obtained through diligent study and pondering of the scriptures be conveyed to one who is in need? Can the peace the gospel brings to a faithful Latter-day Saint be transferred to an individual experiencing adversity or great challenge? The clear answer to each of these questions is no.
“As the wise virgins emphasized properly, each of us must ‘buy for ourselves.’ These inspired women were not describing a business transaction; rather, they were emphasizing our individual responsibility to keep our lamp of testimony burning and to obtain an ample supply of the oil of conversion. This precious oil is acquired one drop at a time—‘line upon line and precept upon precept’ (2 Nephi 28:30), patiently and persistently. No shortcut is available; no last-minute flurry of preparation is possible.
“‘Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom’ (D&C 33:17)” (“Converted unto the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 109).
President Spencer W. Kimball: “This was not selfishness or unkindness. The kind of oil that is needed to illuminate the way and light up the darkness is not shareable. How can one share obedience to the principle of tithing; a mind at peace from righteous living; an accumulation of knowledge? How can one share faith or testimony? How can one share attitudes or chastity, or the experience of a mission? How can one share temple privileges? Each must obtain that kind of oil for himself. …
“In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. … Each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 255–56).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Men are not born equal. Each person in this life is endowed with those talents and capacities which his pre-earth life entitle him to receive. Some by obedience to law acquired one talent and some another in pre-existence, and all bring with them into mortality the talents and capacities acquired there. (Abra. 3:22-23.)
"Glories promised the faithful saints hereafter are described in terms of kingdoms and thrones, of principalities and powers, of being rulers in God's house, of ascending the throne of eternal power—all such heights being beyond even the comprehension of finite men. …
“How gratifying it is to learn, therefore, the eternal principle that those servants who are faithful over a few things shall be made rulers over many in the realms to be. (DNTC 1:688)
Joseph Smith: “The reflection that everyone is to receive according to his own diligence and perseverance while in the vineyard ought to inspire everyone who is called to be a minister of these glad tidings to so improve his talent that he may gain other talents, that when the Master sits down to take an account of the conduct of his servants, that it may be said, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will now make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Evening and Morning Star, Feb. 1835, 135)
Teaching Thoughts:
- The widow’s mites of our lives. Giving up the little things that bring us closer to Christ, especially in our storms.
- Teaching the signs of the times in context of covenants.
- Focus on what the faithful will be doing to prepare for the coming of Christ.
- Focus on the promises made to the faithful in a day of tribulation.