Sometimes in the scriptures, there are stories that parallel each other that command our attention and teach principles.  Such is the case of the two accounts in scripture where Jesus was with his Apostles and commanded them to watch and pray always lest they entered into temptation. One was at the Garden of Gethsemane and the other at the Bountiful Temple in the Book of Mormon.  The similarities of Jesus telling both sets of Apostles to pray and then retreating three times in prayer Himself, invites one to compare the events, yet it is the contrasts between them that are the most instructive.

AT THE GARDEN

The first event took place after the Last Supper, or the first time Jesus introduced the Sacrament to His Apostles.  Afterwards in the dark of night, Jesus took his apostles to the Garden of Gethsemane and “went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives.” [Luke 22:39]  Luke records that Jesus said unto them, “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” [vs. 40]  Then he withdrew “about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed.” [vs. 41]  Returning, he found them asleep and asked, “Could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” [Matthew 26:40-41]  Then Jesus retreated and prayed again.  Returning to the Apostles, he found them asleep, even though he had asked them to stay awake and “neither wist they what to answer him” [Mark 14:40]. Jesus retreated and “being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” [Luke 22:44] as he bore the sins of mankind.  When he returned the third time, he told them to “sleep on now, and take your rest.” [Matt. 26:45]

AT THE TEMPLE

The parallel event occurred during Jesus Christ’s visit to the Nephites.  During the day, after He had administered for them, the “first supper” of the sacrament, He admonished the Disciples to “watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.” [3 Nephi 18:15]

The next day, the twelve Disciples and a multitude had gathered together.  After teaching the multitude the words Christ had taught the day before, the Disciples had baptized each other and received the Holy Ghost, and were encircled as if by fire and angels administered to them.  Jesus appeared to them and commanded the twelve Disciples to pray.   Jesus then departed out of the midst of them and went a little way off and prayed, thanking the Father for giving them the Holy Ghost.  He returned and found them still praying.   He blessed them and His “countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them and they became white as the countenance and garments of Jesus.” [3 Nephi 19:25]  Jesus told them “to pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.” [vs.26]  Jesus retreated again and prayed unto the Father, thanking Him for purifying them because of their faith.  He returned and found them praying steadfastly and He did smile upon them again, and behold they were white, even as Jesus.  Jesus retreated for the third time and “tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed.” [3 Nephi 19:32]

A brief comparison of the contrasts are:

GETHESEMANE                                               TEMPLE AT BOUNTIFUL

Jesus was mortal                                              Jesus was resurrected and immortal

It was night                                                       It was during the day

The Apostles fell asleep                                                The 12 Disciples prayed and stayed awake

The Apostles had not received the Holy Ghost    The Disciples had received the Holy Ghost

There were just the Apostles                              There were the 12 Disciples and the multitude

Christ prays in anguish 3 times                           Christ prays in gratitude 3 times

The Apostles scatter by daybreak                      The 12 Disciples were sanctified

I believe that the pivotal principle between the contrasts is prayer and staying awake. What a difference the twelve Disciples experienced when praying and staying awake, verses the Apostles who fell asleep.  A simple application of these two events is that when we “fall asleep” and cease to pray, Jesus suffers and, as the Apostles who “forsook him, and fled,” [ Matthew 26:56] we leave Him.  When we pray and stay awake, Jesus rejoices and we become sanctified.  

Sleep is referred in the scriptures as an unconsciousness of one’s sins. Jacob implored, ”Behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things?” [2 Nephi 9:47]  Lehi entreated his wicked sons, “O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound.” [2 Nephi 1:13]   

In the parable of the ten virgins, all the virgins fell asleep [for we all have sinned] but I believe that the five wise virgins awoke long before the others and had their lamps trimmed and were prepared for the coming of the Lord.  The warning has been going forth for many years among all people: “Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.” [Doctrine and Covenants 133:10]  There was not a last minute panic among the wise ones.  Wise “virgins” are “faithful, praying always, having their lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with them, that they are ready for the coming of the Bridegroom.” [Doc. & Cov. 33:17]

What is the key to staying awake?  Praying always. “Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death.” [Doc. and Cov. 61:38 – 39]  “And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing.  For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.  But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint [sleep].” [2 Nephi 32:8 – 9]

The question might be asked, “Can good people be asleep?”  I remember one Sunday when I was driving towards the church and went into “automatic mode” and it wasn’t until I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, did I “awake” to how far off track I had driven.  I believe that incident parallels many of our lives.  We get so involved in our daily routine or get distracted [even in good things!] that we do not realize that we are not heading in the direction we intended.  Paul counseled, “Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication.” [Ephesians 6:18] The Lord also warned, “Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation; Yea, and even let those who are sanctified take heed also.” [Doc. & Cov. 20:32 – 34]  Nephi understood the danger of being unconscious to ones sins as he cried, “Awake, my soul!  No longer droop in sin.  Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.”  [2 Nephi 4:28]

We love to sing the hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer”, yet how often have any of us spent an hour in meaningful prayer?  The Disciples at the temple continued, without ceasing, to pray… “and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire…and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus…And Jesus said unto them:  Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.”  The Disciples had become sanctified.  Yet, even after this they did not cease to pray.  It was because of their continual, spirit filled prayers, that Jesus said unto them, “So great faith have I never seen among all the Jews…and there are none of them that have seen so great things as ye have seen; neither have they heard so great things as ye have heard.” [vs. 35-36]

The Brother of Jared, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, seemed to have difficulty with prayer.  Jared had come to him twice to inquire of the Lord regarding the protection and direction of the family during the crisis of Babel.  Mahonri-moriancumer did go to the Lord and the Lord did bless them and led them towards the promised land by a pillar of fire, like Moses and the children of Israel, through the wilderness until they reached the great ocean.  I am sure they needed a rest and the Lord allowed that.  However, after four years of resting, Mahonri-moriancumer was chastised for “not remembering to call upon the name of the Lord”. [Ether 2:14]  It is difficult to believe that he forgot to pray.  However, it is very possible that he did not go to the Lord in mighty prayer, seeking direction.  He probably was comfortable in his situation and possibly really didn’t want to know if the Lord wanted them to cross the great waters.  We are often like that in our lives.  We are happy with our situation, we really do not want to experience more growth inducing situations in our lives, or desire to know what we need to improve in our character.  We need to apply the example of young Joseph Smith in seeking to “know of my state and standing before Him” [JSH 1:29] often in our lives.  C. S. Lewis understood this principle when he wrote that God “… is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.’ [Mere Christianity]

When the Lord commanded Nephi to build a ship, He did not simply hand Nephi the directions.  He had to go often in prayer to the Lord for step by step, or “line upon line” directions.  Sometimes, we may think that since we have the commandments, they are all we need to perfect ourselves. We need to remember that God is not a “checklist” God and that we cannot simply check our righteousness from a “good Mormon” list!  If we do not go to the Lord often for direction in our lives, how will we feel at judgment day when we find, like the rich young man [Matthew 19:16-21], that there are things yet lacking that are not on the list? It is interesting to note that in this incident, the Apostles were amazed and asked, “Who then can be saved?” [vs. 25]  Jesus then explained that “With men this is impossible [in other words, we cannot save ourselves!] but with God all things are possible” [vs. 26] through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Nephi explained, that it is “by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” [2 Nephi 25:23]

One of the key differences with the Apostles who fell asleep and the Disciples who stayed awake, was that the Disciples had received the Holy Ghost.  Nephi testified that the Holy Ghost “will show unto you all things what ye should do.” [2 Nephi 32:5]  A vital key to sanctification is through seeking and following the promptings of the Spirit.  We need to take the counsel the Lord gave Luke Johnson and William McLellin to call “…on the name of the Lord for the Comforter, which shall teach them all things that are expedient for them—Praying always that they faint [sleep] not; and inasmuch as they do this, I will be with them even unto the end. Behold, this is the will of the Lord your God concerning you. [Doc. & Cov. 75:10 – 12]

Sometimes we are led by the Spirit to do certain things “for the Lord” such as church callings, missions, civic duties, or maybe some sort of project.  It is imperative that we seek the Lord often in doing these things.  I remember when I was asked to transcribe an old, hand written, Kirtland, Ohio cemetery record.  I was doing my best, fixing misspelled words, punctuation, etc.  I had typed about 70 pages worth, when I consulted with the person who asked me to do this.  To my great chagrin, I was told that I would have to do it over because he wanted it transcribed exactly how it was written.  I was pretty upset, but learned a powerful lesson.  If I had consulted much earlier on exactly what was wanted, it would have been done right the first time.  I just simply thought I knew how to do it and plunged ahead.  Can you imagine if Nephi, when commanded to build the ship, just took his knowledge and common sense and forged ahead, without going “to the mount oft and praying oft unto the Lord” for directions? [1 Nephi 18:3]  Nephi warned, “But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint [sleep]; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. [2 Nephi 32:9]

One of the differences between the two stories was that the twelve Disciples were sanctified in the midst of the multitude. The Apostles were alone and were not sanctified. I believe that the principle suggested is that sanctification comes through our dealings with our fellowmen.  Just previous to their sanctification, they had been teaching the multitude the words of Christ.  They were probably among those who had spent the previous night gathering people to the Temple to be there when Christ would come as He promised.[3 Nephi 19:2-3]  The real test and growth of our righteousness is through our daily, selfless, interactions with others.  

Prayer without action is like faith without works.  In Elder David Bednar’s recent conference talk he stressed, “As we speak of prayer, I emphasize the word meaningful…. Simply saying prayers is quite a different thing from engaging in meaningful prayer.  I long have been impressed with the truth that meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work.  True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to righteous action.  I testify that prayer becomes meaningful as we ask in faith and act.” [Ask in Faith, April 2008 General Conference]  Those righteous actions include real repentance, restitution, service, sacrifice, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, peace….the delicious fruits of the Spirit. [Galatians 5:22] 

The Disciples’ prayers, at the Bountiful temple, were meaningful and sincere.  Even though the sanctification process for them occurred within a very short time, it was their sincere, spirit filled prayers that made all the difference.  Sincere prayer can take us, in effect, from the “dark night of Gethsemane to the bright daylight of the Bountiful Temple.”   Paul said, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. [Romans 13:11-12]  Alma related the captivity and deliverance of their fathers, “Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God.  Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word. [Alma 5:7]

May we all take the admonition of the Lord, “Pray always, that ye may not faint [sleep], until I come.  Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself.  Amen.” [Doc. & Cov. Section 88:126]

            “On the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on

            the seventh day from all his work which he had made.  And God blessed the

            seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work

            which God created and made.” [Gen. 2:2-3]

I have often wondered whether God really rested after He had created the earth and all things in it.  It isn’t logical to me, because after He had created man, it appears His work really got started!  He, Himself, stated, “This is my work and my glory–to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” [Moses 1:39]  Is it possible that the account of the creation of the world was an overview of the plan of God and that the seventh day has yet to occur?  

Enoch was told that the “day of the Lord” [Moses 6:45] would come in the last days and that the righteous would be gathered unto Zion, “which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.” [vs. 64]  It is interesting to note that the Lord included Zion as part of His creations and then the rest comes.

Additionally, Enoch, in the vision, he heard a voice from the bowels of the earth saying,

            “Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the        wickedness of my children.  When shall I rest and be cleansed from the filthiness    which is gone forth out of me?  When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may

            rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?” [Moses 7:48]

Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord, saying “When shall the earth rest? [7:58] The next verse records that he saw Jesus Christ ascend to the Father.  Enoch cried unto the Lord saying, “Wilt thou not come again upon the earth?” [7:59]

In answer to those two questions, Jesus Christ answered, “As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you…and the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened…and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve.” [7:61] “And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years.” [7:65]

If the “seventh day“ has not occurred yet, then we are still in the “sixth day” of creation in God’s plan.  John S. Welch also supports this idea.  He wrote, “I first turn to the idea that our creation by God, described in Genesis and the Book of Moses, is, in an important sense, still ongoing.  By seeing that the earth’s creative cycle has not ended and that we are still in its sixth creative day, we can situate God’s omnipotence in this temporal world.” [BYU Studies, “Why Bad Things Happen at All” June 18, 2007, p. 77]  He explained that chapter two of the Book of Moses is an account of a spiritual creation and that chapter three is the account of the physical creation of the world and of Adam and Eve.  The Book of Moses continues on into the history of mankind; stopping with the story of Noah.  Welch says, “It is significant, however, that the Book of Moses, never describes or mentions day seven a second time.  The book ends, not with the completion of humanity and God resting from His labors, but with the commandment to have faith, repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost, an invitation to become perfected and completed in the future…Day seven in the physical creation is yet to come in the millennial or celestial age.” [IBID, pg. 80]

The Sabbath Day or the Day of the Lord, was instituted for two reasons:  to commemorate God’s day of rest in regards to the creation and also the redemption of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. “Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.” [Deut. 5:15]  It is interesting to note that Paul told the Colossians that the Sabbath Day was a “shadow of things to come.” [Colossians 2:16-17]  Hence the Sabbath Day could be designed to be a type and a shadow of the great Millennium where the righteous enter into the rest of the Lord, and the deliverance of the righteous from the “prince of darkness”, for Satan will be bound a thousand years.

The scriptures are clear that the Lord’s rest is to enter into His presence.  In the Millennium, the Lord will personally rule and reign.  Alma taught that we must repent and do works of righteousness in order that we might enter into the rest of the Lord.  The righteous who enter into the rest of the Lord, after this life, are in a state of paradise where they rest from all their sorrow, troubles, and cares. [Alma 40:12]  The Millennium is also day of rest from strife, pestilence, war, sickness and sin.

However, the seventh day starts out in darkness.  Several scriptural references illustrate this, for example in Joel 2:1-3, “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; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.”  Amos also recorded, “The day of the Lord is darkness and not light.” [Amos 5:18]

Why would the “day of the Lord” or the Lord’s Day be darkness?  It is interesting to note that in the scriptural account of the creation, each segment or “day” was written as “and the evening and the morning was the first day.” [or second or third day, etc.]  In other words, the day started at night!  This is why the Jews start the new day at sunset.  It seems likely that the Lord would be consistent and start His day symbolically and literally with darkness.

There are other instances regarding the Lord’s second coming starting off in darkness.  The Lord has likened Himself as the Bridegroom and the Church as the Bride.  In the parable of the ten virgins, the Lord states, “And at midnight, was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.” [Matthew 25:6]  Likewise, Peter declared, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” [2 Peter 3:10]

The scriptures state that the darkness and destruction are a prelude to His actual coming.   “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.” [Joel 2:31] “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord:  the mighty men shall cry there bitterly.  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” [Zephaniah 1:14-15] 

The Nephites also experienced great darkness and destruction before Jesus actually appeared to them. “And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.” [3 Nephi 8:22]  President Ezra Taft Benson stated, “The record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior’s visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior’s second coming. [Ensign, May 1987]

The righteous Nephites/Lamanites were watching for the darkness that would precede the Lord‘s coming.  “The thirty and third year had passed away; and the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land.” [3 Nephi 8:2-3]  There is no record if there was any preparation for those days of darkness, whether the righteous had gathered to escape the great destructions, whether they stored up food or any other precautions.  The Lord did say that the more righteous were spared, however.

All of this darkness and destruction is aimed at the wicked.  The earth will be cleansed before the Lord comes to reign.  “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened  in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.  And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay down the haughtiness of the terrible.” [2 Nephi 23:9-11]

Paul, however, counseled the Saints, “For ye yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night… But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  Ye are the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” [1 Thessalonians 5:2-6]

Likewise, the Lord told Joseph Smith, “And again, verily I say unto you, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and it overtaketh the world as a thief in the night—therefore, gird up your loins, that you may be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief.” [D & C 106:4-5]

Just as the light of the morning follows the darkness of the night, so shall the second coming of Jesus Christ.  In the Pearl of Great Price, we read: “For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” [JST Matthew 1:26]

The effect of Jesus Christ’s visit to the Americas was so great that these people lived in a state of happiness for many years.  “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.  And there were no envying, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.” [4 Nephi 15-16]  Imagine how wonderful it will be when Christ reigns for a thousand years! “For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.” [Doc. & Cov. 29:11]

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:  for the former things are passed away.” [Rev. 20:4-5]

The Sabbath Day should be our day of rest in that we strive to have the Lord’s Spirit with us, that we rest from our temporal labors and concerns, and that we remember the Lord’s great deliverance of our souls from the bondage of sin in preparation for the great Millennium yet to come.

Joseph Smith recorded, “We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things.” [Doctrine and Covenants 77:12]

The Jews were expecting a Messiah that would save them from their enemies.  Hence, many did not recognize Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, when he preached such doctrines as “love thy enemy…do good to those who hate you…forgive seventy times seventy,” and rode on a lowly donkey during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

When Christ returns again to the earth, however, He will, come as the all-powerful Messiah the Jews have been anticipating for many generations.  He will be coming, not on a lowly donkey, but as the Conquering Warrior King, in full regalia upon a white horse, followed by the armies of heaven. [Revelation 19:11-16]  The book of Revelation also reveals Christ’s role as the Righteous Judge of the nations and as the Avenger of innocent blood that has been spilt by the wicked from the beginning.

Richard D. Draper, author of the book, The Opening of the Seven Seals, wrote, “The first chapter of Revelation, indeed the first sentence, introduces the theme of the entire vision.  It is the revelation of Jesus Christ.  But the genitive form of the Greek verb can be taken two ways:  either as the revelation the Lord gives, or as the revelation that unveils him.  The first interpretation emphasizes the purpose of the vision, the second emphasizes the importance, the work, and the role of the Savior….that is, the revelation proclaims the mission, ministry, and importance of the Lord and Savior.” [pg. 25]

This article focuses on the roles and mission of the Savior at His second coming as revealed to John.   John first sees Jesus Christ in a vision, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt with a golden girdle standing in the midst of seven candlesticks.  “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass…and his voice as the sound of many waters…and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” [Revelation 1:13-16]  In the Lord’s hand were seven stars, which John explains as the angels/servants of the seven churches and the candlesticks as the seven churches.  Seven is symbolic of complete/perfection and I believe the seven stars and churches represent the leaders and membership of Christ’s church, not only in John’s time period, but throughout the dispensations where the Gospel has been on the earth.

Christ then gives this introduction of Himself, “I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore…and have the keys of hell and of death.” [Revelations 1:17-18]  In chapters two and three, John is instructed to write to the servants of the seven churches.   Each epistle begins with “These things saith” and then there is a small portion of the description of the Lord as seen in John’s vision.  For example, to the church in Thyatira, the epistles says, “These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass“. [Revelation 2:18]  The church at Laodicea received additional information.  The epistle reads, “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God“. [Rev. 3:14] Each church receives admonition and a blessing. It is noteworthy that the blessings of the seven churches have temple imagery.   Paul has said that we, the church, make up the body of Christ, each with different roles or parts. [1 Corinthians 12:27]  With that in mind, it makes sense to have different aspects of Christ introduced to each of the seven churches.

John was then shown a book that contained seven seals that only the “Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes” had the power to open the book.  It was because of His atoning sacrifice, that Jesus Christ had the power to open the book, and to assume the right, powers, and role of the Avenging Warrior King and Righteous Judge who will rule the nations with a rod of iron, [Rev. 19:15] instead of simply opening a time frame of history. 

The number seven and the horns represent perfect power, thus showing Christ’s omnipotence and the seven eyes represent His omnipresence. Thus, it makes sense to have each of the seven seals represent the perfect, the powerful, and the omnipotent Christ.

The First Seal [Rev. 6:1-2]    

The vision opens with a rider upon a white horse, carrying a bow and wearing a crown and he went forth conquering.  I believe this is representative of Jesus Christ as the Conquering Warrior King.  Further in the revelation, John records, “And I saw heaven opened, and beheld a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns…” [Rev. 19:12]  Evil has been permitted to wreak havoc, ruin and misery from the beginning, but at the last day, Jesus Christ will no longer permit the “Prince of Darkness” to exercise his powers over the children of men.  The wicked and wickedness will be destroyed and Satan and his evil army will be bound.  It is very fitting that the first seal opened with Christ as the Conquering Warrior King, with the white horse representing the purity of Christ and the rider is crowned, representing Christ as the King of Kings.

The Second Seal [Rev. 6:3-4] 

In this seal, John was shown a red horse and “power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”  Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth:  I came not to send peace, but a sword.  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” [Matthew 10:34-35]  The sword of Christ has been equated with truth.  It is the truth that Satan, “the father of all lies” fights against. [2 Nephi 2:18] The battle between truth and deception has waged a long war and continues to do so. 

Further in the vision, John saw that the Conquering Warrior King, “was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood” [Rev. 19:13].  Likewise Joseph Smith saw, “And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat“. [Doc. & Cov. 133:48] Jesus, like the horse, will be red in His apparel at the second coming.

Jesus bled from every pore in Gethsemane, and was also flogged and crucified.  His garments were stained with his blood as He paid the price for mankind’s sins.  Perhaps he will wear the garments that testify of His atonement at His coming. 

The Third Seal [Rev. 6:5-6]

In this seal, John was shown a black horse and the rider had a pair of balances in his hand and said, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”  This rider could be symbolic of Jesus Christ as the Righteous Judge.  It is interesting that our judges wear black robes.   In Psalms 67:4, David declares that Christ “shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.”   Paul testified that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” [Romans 14:10] Mormon likewise testified, “And for this cause I write unto you, that ye may know that ye must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil.” [Mormon 3:20]

The wheat and barley that were measured out equaled about a quart for the wheat and three quarts for the barley.  The price was a penny, which was a man’s daily wages at John’s time period.  A day’s wages for a quart of wheat would have been indicative of a famine where the prices were greatly inflated.  Some biblical scholars think that this fourth period represented a famine, however, I think it represents those who are the “harvest” of Christ.  The Lord has used wheat as a metaphor for the righteous.  In the parable of the sower, the tares were allowed to grow among the wheat until the harvest. [Matthew 13:24-30]  At the harvest, the tares were gathered and bound in bundles, ready to be burned. The amount or ratio of grain that was harvested was not mentioned, however, Jesus said, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, few there be that find it.“  [Matthew 7:14] 

Perhaps the tithe, representative of the Lord’s portion, is indicative of the “harvest of good wheat.“  Hence the scripture that says, “He that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming“.  [Doc. & Cov. 64:23] refers to the righteous who really are the Lord’s portion.  Simply paying tithing as “fire insurance” does not guarantee worthiness. The quart of wheat could represent those who are of Celestial quality, and the three quarts of barley could be those of Terrestrial.  

Wine and oil were an integral part of the Old Testament sacrifices as well as an important staple of ancient Israel’s diet.   The oil and wine are symbolic of the healing powers of the Lord’s Spirit and His atoning blood.  In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan [representative of Christ] heals with oil and wine.  The Lord has taught his disciples to anoint with  oil in their healing blessings.  “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” [Mark 6:13]  Jesus used wine to represent His atoning blood.

The Fourth Seal [Rev. 6:7-8]

In this seal, John was shown a pale horse and the rider’s name was Death and hell followed him.  Christ declared that He held the keys of death and hell early in the revelation.  John also saw that “the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse…and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet and …were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse…and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” [Rev. 19: 19-21]  This rider can also represent Christ, as He destroys the wicked and they are cast into hell. “Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.” [2 Nephi 28:23]

The Fifth Seal [6:9-11]

In this seal, John was shown the souls of “them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:  And they cried with a loud voice saying, How long, O lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” [vs. 9-10]  The righteous from Abel to the present day, have been slain by the wicked and their blood cries from the ground.  Luke records, “Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” [Luke 18:7] 

Christ said that He would come “in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance” [Moses 7:60].  The vengeance is Christ’s upon the wicked.  “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.  And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay down the haughtiness of the terrible.” [2 Nephi 23:9-11]

Isaiah wrote, “…and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.  According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.” [Isaiah 59:17-18]

The Sixth Seal [Rev. 6:12-7:17]

When this seal opened, John was shown a great earthquake, the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth. [Rev. 6:12]  This is the great sign of the coming of the Lord.  The wicked shall say to the mountains, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” [vs. 16] 

The Lord has been “long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” [Peter 3:9-10]  The Lord has extended His “voice of mercy all the day long“, and would have saved us with an everlasting salvation, but we would not!  The Lord says, “Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.” [Doc. & Cov. 43:25-26]  That day of justice has come.

Then, as an interlude, John saw that the righteous from all the tribes of Israel [Why Dan is not mentioned, is not known] were sealed against the destruction and he also saw “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues…which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” [Revelations 7:9, 14]

Enoch saw that the righteous would be gathered upon the face of the earth.  He recorded, “And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten…and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, a Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins and be looking forth for the time of my coming…” [Moses 7:62]

The Seventh Seal [Rev. 8 – 9:21]

The seventh seal opens with silence.  Prior to the Lord’s visit, the Nephites/Lamanites experienced three days of darkness.  In the darkness, they heard the voice of the Lord explaining why He destroyed their cities.  Their response was silence.  “And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it.  And after these sayings, there was silence in the land for the space of many hours; For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.”  [3 Nephi 10:1-2]

The sixth seal had opened with great destructions.  Perhaps the Lord will, as He did with the Nephites, explain the reason for the destruction and the heavens will mourn in silence and the world will be stunned into silence.

Joseph Smith recorded that after the silence, the face of the Lord shall be unveiled. [Doc. & Cov. 88:94-95]  John then sees seven angels which stood before God with seven trumpets.  Then another angel, having a censer full of incense, along with the prayers of the Saints, places it on the altar before the throne of God and the smoke ascended up before God.  It seems like those prayers will be avenged, according to the rest of chapter eight in Revelations and all of chapter nine. 

The seven angels sound and 1/3 of things and men are destroyed in Revelations chapter eight.  One-third of the hosts of heaven were cast out during the war in heaven.  Perhaps 1/3 is a symbolic fraction, representing the wicked.  Note that the tabernacle/temple commanded by the Lord contained three areas–the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place and the outer courtyard, symbolic of the Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial Kingdoms.  Even though animal sacrifice was performed in the outer courtyard, it was not sacred space like the inner sanctum of the temple.  Perhaps the 1/3 is symbolic of the “outer” third or the ones who are cast out and cannot dwell with the righteous during the Millennium.   These are those who will have the “animal” in them destroyed as they suffer for their sins during the Millennium before they can inherit the Telestial Kingdom.

Chapter nine describes some fierce looking locusts that have power to torment the wicked five months.  They come from the “bottomless pit” and because of their torment, the wicked shall desire to die and seek death, but “death shall flee from them.” [Rev. 9:6]  It seems like John is seeing the torment of the damned souls by the hosts of Satan, seeing that they come from the “bottomless pit”.  In the parable of the servant who owed the Lord ten thousand talents, in which the Lord forgave, and then turns around and does not forgive someone who owes him a hundred pence, Jesus made this comment; “O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me:  Shouldest not thou also have compassion on they fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” [Matthew 18:32-34]  Alma the younger described his three day visit to hell.  “I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins….Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct, both soul and body…for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.” [Alma 36:12-16]   The number five has been symbolic of “the law” and because the wicked have willfully rebelled against the law, I believe the five months of torture, is symbolic. 

Even at the end of the torture, John records that there were those who would not repent of their murders, thefts, fornications, worship of devils and idols of gold and silver.  Perhaps these are the sons of perdition who simply will not repent.

It is not clear exactly when the seventh seal ends, whether it ends with chapter nine or continues through the rest of the Book of Revelation.  In chapter ten, John is given a book to eat that was sweet to the taste, but bitter to the belly.  It was his commission to prophesy again “before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” [vs. 11]  The Book of Revelation, written in many languages throughout the world, helps to fulfill John’s commission.  The Book of Revelation testifies of the roles and missions of Jesus Christ at the last days.