Gays to be married in Denmark Temple?

[ldsfireguy]

Do we "marry" in the temple or do we "seal" in the temple? I know that in some countries people are required to have a civil marriage....and this affects lds couples only in the fact that they have to be married civily first. Here in the U.S., I'm not sure how it works. I "think", but don't know for sure, that sealers in our temples also have licenses to marry civily. Therefore, the sealing ordinance kills two birds with one stone....married and sealed. If push comes to shove, it seems to me that all lds couples could meet the requirement of getting married civily first and then enter the temple to be sealed....sealing is an ordinance that I don't think non-members would consider "getting married" nor do I think it would meet the definition of "getting married civily". And I note that ldsfireguy already posted what I am trying to say just before me.

+1

Anyone who thinks that the First Presidency would allow gay marriage/sealing in a temple in order to appease the will of either a government or a people is very misinformed in my opinion.

[firend]

Do we "marry" in the temple or do we "seal" in the temple? I know that in some countries people are required to have a civil marriage....and this affects lds couples only in the fact that they have to be married civily first. Here in the U.S., I'm not sure how it works. I "think", but don't know for sure, that sealers in our temples also have licenses to marry civily. Therefore, the sealing ordinance kills two birds with one stone....married and sealed. If push comes to shove, it seems to me that all lds couples could meet the requirement of getting married civily first and then enter the temple to be sealed....sealing is an ordinance that I don't think non-members would consider "getting married" nor do I think it would meet the definition of "getting married civily". And I note that ldsfireguy already posted what I am trying to say just before me.

+1

Anyone who thinks that the First Presidency would allow gay marriage/sealing in a temple in order to appease the will of either a government or a people is very misinformed in my opinion.

I agree, but I am surprised they supported taking away good mormon citizens rights with their businesses for the gays

[Ben McClintock]

Anyone who thinks that the First Presidency would allow gay marriage/sealing in a temple in order to appease the will of either a government or a people is very misinformed in my opinion.

Those that think it is possible have shown why they think so. do you care to offer any evidence for your view?

[SpeedRacer]

There is a difference between a law, and a practice. There is a law of chastity, there is a practice of polygamy. Eternal marriage exists with or without the practice of polygamy. Marriage, according to revelation, is between a man and a woman. It does not exist between people of the same sex.

We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

The Family is ordained of God. Marriage between a man and woman is essential to his eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother...

This is God explaining the Law that people cannot derive themselves from the scriptures. It is being made plain like Nephi made things plain. There is no room for same sex marriage.

[ldsfireguy]

Those that think it is possible have shown why they think so. do you care to offer any evidence for your view?

Ben,

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking me here. Are you asking me to provide "evidence" as to why I do not think that the First Presidency will ever willingly countenance gay marriage in the temple?

If that is what you are asking, then I cannot really offer any evidence, except that I do not believe the priesthood will lead the church astray in this last dispensation. Since allowing gay marriage either in the chapels or the temple would be a seriously apostate condition, I do not think it will happen. I am aware that some think that the church will go astray again before the 2nd coming - I think they are mistaken, and that is what I was saying.

[freedomforall]

Those that think it is possible have shown why they think so. do you care to offer any evidence for your view?

Ben,

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking me here. Are you asking me to provide "evidence" as to why I do not think that the First Presidency will ever willingly countenance gay marriage in the temple?

If that is what you are asking, then I cannot really offer any evidence, except that I do not believe the priesthood will lead the church astray in this last dispensation. Since allowing gay marriage either in the chapels or the temple would be a seriously apostate condition, I do not think it will happen. I am aware that some think that the church will go astray again before the 2nd coming - I think they are mistaken, and that is what I was saying.

Maybe this will help.

God Will Not Be Mocked, Oct 1974 Conference Talk

Spencer W. Kimball

President of the Church

My brothers and sisters and friends, how happy we are to see you here at this conference, the leaders and the members. We hope that you will be inspired by proceedings of this conference.

In press conferences which we attend, we are frequently asked: “Well, what is the condition of the Church?” We answer, “The Church is well and growing and is strong and healthy. Thank you.”

As we approach the conference, we have 661 stakes. There were but 148 when I came to the headquarters of the Church in 1943. There were no stakes abroad, and we were to wait for many years before the Church began to cross the oceans and the great land masses. Already, since President Romney organized the Auckland, New Zealand, Stake in May 1958—there are 86 stakes overseas. We now have 112 missions, plus the 661 stake missions, and we now have approximately 18,000 missionaries, whereas in 1943 there was a very small group, relatively. We are happy with the growth, which is consistent and continues to be stable.

And when we are asked why we are such a happy people, our answer is: “Because we have everything—life with all its opportunities, death without fear, eternal life with endless growth and development.”

With 3.3 million members of many races and numerous lands in the north, the south, east, and west, we will soon close another year of development and growth.

The people are attending their meetings and looking after their personal responsibilities. The temples are increasing in numbers, and the work at the temples indicates great spirituality. The educational program is pleasing, with the university and the colleges, the institutes and seminaries, and the ecclesiastical organizations of the Church all teaching. And knowledge is expanding and testimonies are deepening.

The construction program continues to expand throughout the land so that whereas many church buildings throughout the world are turned into bars or are boarded up and abandoned, we are building almost daily new chapels throughout the world, and they are filled with happy, faithful people.

We are not satisfied or boastful, but keep in mind constantly what the Savior has said to us:

“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31–32.)

We must remember the Lord’s great prayer:

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:15–17.)

Now, brothers and sisters, we have launched a cleanup campaign. We are a throw-away people. Trash piles grow faster than population by far. Now we ask you to clean up your homes and your farms. “Man is the keeper of the land, and not its possessor.”

Broken fences should be mended or removed. Unused barns should be repaired, roofed, painted, or removed. Sheds and corrals should be repaired and painted, or removed. Weedy ditch banks should be cleared. Abandoned homes could probably be razed. We look forward to the day when, in all of our communities, urban and rural, there would be a universal, continued movement to clean and repair and paint barns and sheds, build sidewalks, clean ditch banks, and make our properties a thing of beauty to behold.

We have asked leaders of youth groups, auxiliary organizations, and priesthood quorums to give power to this concentrated action for beautification.

The Lord said:

“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.” (Ps. 24:1.)

“And I the Lord God, took the man [Adam], and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it.” (Moses 3:15.)

Therefore, we urge each of you to dress and keep in a beautiful state the property that is in your hands.

Again we are approaching an election. This is most important to us. We urge you to study the platforms and acquaint yourself with the candidates. Then pray to the Lord for guidance, and go to the polls and vote.

We warn you against the so-called polygamy cults which would lead you astray. Remember the Lord brought an end to this program many decades ago through a prophet who proclaimed the revelation to the world. People are abroad who will deceive you and bring you much sorrow and remorse. Have nothing to do with those who would lead you astray. It is wrong and sinful to ignore the Lord when he speaks. He has spoken—strongly and conclusively.

We urge you to teach your children honor and integrity and honesty. Is it possible that some of our children do not know how sinful it is to steal? It is unbelievable—the extent of vandalism, thievery, robbery, stealing. Protect your family against it by proper teaching.

Brothers and sisters, we teach all of our people to be loyal. “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” (A of F 1:12.) Be loyal and true.

Perhaps one of the most distinguishing features of the Church is the fact that its people abstain from liquor, tea, coffee, and tobacco. Of course, there are some who apparently have not the courage nor the testimony to follow this program, but numerous thousands observe it strictly.

One of the many revelations of God through a living prophet was the 89th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, giving what is known as the Word of Wisdom. For 141 years now we have been practicing this great truth embodied in that revelation that we would abstain from wine and strong drinks, that tea and coffee are not for the body, and that we should not use tobacco in any form, that it is good only for bruises and all sick cattle. (See D&C 89:8.)

We noted recently of a community in Minnesota which set up a “D-Day” in which, through all their agencies, they persuaded people to give up smoking. In their January 7 “D-Day,” they reported 271 smokers who gave up that habit. We commend such an awake community and its leaders.

Now after all these years, we find that many of the medical profession and others agree that numerous diseases are the result of the use of these things. I remember standing by a hospital bed of a good friend of mine, and I watched him die of cancer. His physicians said it was caused by the use of tobacco. I have helped bury people who have been killed by the demon alcohol, and many other innocent people died because someone was driving who had been drinking.

The use of liquor has brought much sorrow, pain, suffering, death to innocent bystanders. Some social drinkers claim they will never become alcoholic, but how sure can they be?

Those who break the Word of Wisdom have strange and spurious excuses for the using of these obnoxious things. How can anyone ignore the revelations given through a living prophet? The Lord reiterated it through another prophet and made it a definite commandment.

We deplore the practice of many business and professional firms and others who serve liquor as a part of the entertainment in their special parties. We are especially concerned that at Christmas time many celebrate this holy birth of Jesus Christ our Lord with a so-called social hour which surely must be an affront to him. Is it not a sad reflection upon people to have to drink to have a good time, or to take a stimulant to give them energy or self-assurance?

We hope our people will eliminate from their lives all kinds of drugs so far as possible. Too many depend upon drugs as tranquilizers and sleep helps, which is not always necessary.

Certainly numerous young people have been damaged or destroyed by the use of marijuana and other deadly drugs. We deplore such.

We call attention also to the habit in which many buy their commodities on the Sabbath. Many employed people would be released for rest and worship on the Sabbath if we did not shop on that day. Numerous excuses and rationalizations are presented to justify the Sunday buying. We call upon all of you to keep the Sabbath holy and make no Sunday purchases.

We hope faithful Latter-day Saints will not use the playing cards which are used for gambling, either with or without the gambling. As for the gambling, in connection with horse racing or games or sports, we firmly discourage such things.

In the welfare meeting tomorrow morning much will be said regarding that program. We regret that there are so many people who are shifting the responsibilities of parents to institutions.

Some have become casual about keeping up their year’s supply of commodities. We hope that there may be sufficient funds and commodities in the Church program to take care of the people for their emergency necessities, and we urge the people to do something constructive by way of reciprocating for that which they receive. We urge our bishops to be wise in their providing help, neither stingy nor overgenerous, and that the people who need the temporary assistance will be honest and fair and wise.

Should evil times come, many might wish they had filled all their fruit bottles and cultivated a garden in their backyards and planted a few fruit trees and berry bushes and provided for their own commodity needs.

The Lord planned that we would be independent of every creature, but we note even many farmers buy their milk from dairies and home owners buy their garden vegetables from the store. And should the trucks fail to fill the shelves of the stores, many would go hungry.

We believe in work. We remember the fourth of the Ten Commandments says, “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work” (Ex. 20:9), and we are not sure that the rapidly decreasing work week is beneficial to mankind. We think the Lord knew what he was talking about. It would seem that we are play-conscious, travel-conscious, and our economy seems to be providing for the traveling public and the gaming public and the drinking public.

We are also concerned with the great waste from our homes and stores and restaurants and otherwise. After the usual banquet, enough is carried out in the garbage to feed numerous mouths that have been drooling for a bite to eat in less-favored countries. Many are starving, and we throw away much and waste much.

We have always encouraged the members to own their own homes. We seem to see a different brand of stability among those who own their homes. Analysts claim that hard times could come again. And we wonder what our people will do who have been spending their all and more. If employment and income should reduce, what then? Are you living beyond your means? Do you owe what you cannot pay if times became perilous? Are your shock absorbers in condition to take a shock?

Food costs are high, we know, but how much better off you are than if your employment were to terminate or incomes be greatly reduced.

When we go to places of entertainment and mingle among people, we are shocked at the blasphemy that seems to be acceptable among them. The commandment says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” (Ex. 20:7.) Except in prayers and proper sermons, we must not use the name of the Lord. Blasphemy used to be a crime punishable by heavy fines. Profanity is the effort of a feeble brain to express itself forcibly.

We hope that our parents and leaders will not tolerate pornography. It is really garbage, but today is peddled as normal and satisfactory food. Many writers seem to take delight in polluting the atmosphere with it. Seemingly, it cannot be stopped by legislation. There is a link between pornography and the low, sexual drives and perversions. We live in a culture which venerates the orgasm, streaking, trading wives, and similar crazes. How low can humans plunge! We pray with our Lord that we may be kept from being in the world. It is sad that decent people are thrown into a filthy area of mental and spiritual pollution. We call upon all of our people to do all in their power to offset this ugly revolution.

It is ridiculous to imply that pornography has no effect. There is a definite relationship to crime. Murder, robbery, rape, prostitution, and commercialized vice are fed on this immorality. Sex statistics seem to reflect a relationship between crime and pornography.

It is utterly without redeeming social value. We urge our families to protect their children in every way possible. We live in a permissive world, but we must make certain we do not become a part of that permissive world, that degenerate world. We are shocked at the depths to which many people of this world go to assert their freedom. We fear that the trends of permissiveness toward immorality are destroying the moral fabric of our generation.

Governor Reagan of California stated: “In our humanitarian society we have safeguarded the rights of the accused. Nothing horrifies us so much as the possibility of punishing the nonguilty. But now we have carried this to an excessive concern for the guilty. We do not call him a criminal. He is a patient. He may be ill, but a failure of society; and since society cannot be tried for its crime, why should he take the blame?”

We seem to shrink away from punishing of criminals or the disciplining even of children. Crime in the United States is said to be increasing nearly nine times as fast as the population. One-third of our firstborn children in the United States in two tabulated years were said to be conceived out of wedlock. In one year there were an estimated 400,000 illegitimate births in the United States; and many other countries have like records. About half of the female dropouts from high school were pregnant. The ugly estimates continue: More than a million American women each year resort to illegitimate abortions. This is one of the most despicable of all sins—to destroy an unborn child to save one from embarrassment or to save one’s face or comfort. An estimated 8,000 women die every year from such consequences. It is reported that suicide is said to be the number one cause of death among the U.S. college students.

One popular writer said: “Jesus Christ is not making a universal appeal today because of His moral austerity. Right down the line Christ gives offense by His moral austerity.” He rebukes our acquisitive society. He rebukes our comfort-loving, take-it-easy philosophy. He rebukes our moral laxity. He rebukes our reliance on force and our rejection of love and of the royal way of life. Ours is a comfort-loving society. We equate comfort with civilization. Thanks to our Heavenly Father and his Son that the program is austere.

Paul identified it:

“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” (Titus 1:15–16.)

The home is the teaching situation. Every father should talk to his son, every mother to her daughter. Then it would leave them totally without excuse should they ignore the counsel they have received.

The number of parents who go astray astounds us. The numbers of divorces that were the result, in whole or part, of the infidelity bring us back to our basic theme as quoted in the Doctrine and Covenants:

“Thou shalt not … commit adultery, … nor do anything like unto it.” (D&C 59:6.)

We say to all: Stay clean in mind and body, and let nothing lead you into the bypaths which will bring ruin and great distress to you. As the Lord said:

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matt. 5:27–28.)

Now the lust of the heart and the lust of the eyes and the lust of the body bring us to the major sin. Let every man remain at home with his affections. Let every woman sustain her husband and keep her heart where it belongs—at home with her family. Let every youth keep himself from the compromising approaches and then with great control save himself from the degrading and life-damaging experience of sexual impurity. There must be an early and total and continuing repentance.

Every form of homosexuality is sin. Pornography is one of the approaches to that transgression. There is no halfway.

Some people are ignorant or vicious and apparently attempting to destroy the concept of masculinity and femininity. More and more girls dress, groom, and act like men. More and more men dress, groom, and act like women. The high purposes of life are damaged and destroyed by the growing unisex theory. God made man in his own image, male and female made he them. With relatively few accidents of nature, we are born male or female. The Lord knew best. Certainly, men and women who would change their sex status will answer to their Maker.

We hope this is another trumpet call. President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., said: “Our very civilization itself is based upon chastity, the sanctity of marriage, and the holiness of the home. Destroy these and Christian man becomes a brute.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1938, p. 137.)

Beloved brothers and sisters, you are facing a trial of your faith. Will you listen to your leaders?

Not all sins of this permissive world are with the youth. I was shocked recently when I read a movie magazine. The man spoke of marriage as a legalistic, paper-signing institution, and said: “It should be abolished. Without the social pressures in the state, it could be utopia.” He asked the woman. She said: “Marriage should be done away with. I already know people who are living quietly together without marriage, but I haven’t yet seen the effect of this on children as they grow up in such a society.”

These are not the only ones who are advocating living together without marriage. We call this to the attention of our people with all the strength we possess.

We say again: We members of the Church marry. All normal people should marry. (There could be a few exceptions.) All normal married couples should become parents. We remember the scripture which says:

“Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man.

“Wherefore, it is lawful that he should have one wife, and they twain shall be one flesh, and all this that the earth might answer the end of its creation.” (D&C 49:15–16.)

The earth cannot justify nor continue its life without marriage and the family. Sex without marriage, for all people, young or older, is an abomination to the Lord, and it is most unfortunate that many people have blinded their eyes to these great truths.

We have discoursed many times about these worldly and pernicious things. May we quickly and firmly mention other things which we must avoid if we hope for the Lord to bless us.

Husbands and wives should love and cherish their spouses. They must not break up their homes with divorce, and especially through infidelity and immorality.

A higher and higher percentage of children grow up with only one parent. This is certainly not the way of the Lord. He expected for a father and a mother to rear their children. Certainly any who deprive their children of a parent will have some very stiff questions to answer. The Lord used parents in the plural and said if children were not properly trained “the sin be upon the heads of the parents.” (D&C 68:25.) That makes it a bit hard to justify broken homes. Numerous of the divorces are the result of selfishness. The day of judgment is approaching, and parents who abandon their families will find that excuses and rationalizations will hardly satisfy the Great Judge.

May we repeat: Sex perversions of men and women can never replenish the earth and are definitely sin without excuse, and rationalizations are very weak; God will not tolerate it.

As to abortions, we deplore the reported million unborn children who will lose their lives in this country this year. Certainly the women who yield to this ugly sin and the sin which often generated it, and those who assist them, should remember that retribution is sure. It is sure.

We marry for eternity. We are serious about this. We become parents and bring wanted children into the world and rear and train them to righteousness.

We are aghast at the reports of young people going to surgery to limit their families and the reputed number of parents who encourage this vasectomy. Remember that the coming of the Lord approaches, and some difficult-to-answer questions will be asked by a divine Judge who will be hard to satisfy with silly explanations and rationalizations. He will judge justly, you may be sure.

Why do we take our destiny in our own hands? From the building of the first colonial cabin, the home and family have been the center of true civilization. Any distortion of the God-given program will bring dire consequences. The families worked together, played together, and worshiped God together.

Could it be possible that many of us, like a cork in a stream, have been swept off our destiny line by false concepts, perilous ways, and doctrines of devils? By whom are we enticed? Have we accepted the easy way and veered off from the “strait and narrow” way to the easy and comfortable way and the broad way which leads to sorrowful ends? (See Matt. 7:13–14.) We know better than we do. Will you listen? Will you follow the advice and counsel of your leaders, local and general? Or will you choose your own paths though they lead you into the dark wilderness?

God bless you, our beloved people. Listen to the words of heaven. God is true. He is just. He is a righteous judge, but justice must come before sympathy and forgiveness and mercy.

Remember, God is in his heavens. He knew what he was doing when he organized the earth. He knows what he is doing now. Those of us who break his commandments will regret and suffer in remorse and pain. God will not be mocked. Man has his free agency, it is sure, but remember, GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED. (See D&C 63:58.)

Our counsel then to you is to live strictly the laws of your Heavenly Father. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

[freedomforall]

Or this:

Joel: God Will Not Be Mocked

Old Testament Student Manual Kings–Malachi, (1982), 83–87

(7-1) Introduction

Prophets of the Lord were called to labor among people whose lives remained in spiritual darkness. Joel was one of these prophets called to minister to a people who refused to repent. His prophecies have a common theme with those of Isaiah, Jonah, Amos, and others: repent or face destruction.

Joel is particularly significant to us because he prophesied of our day. On the night he visited Joseph Smith, Moroni quoted from Joel and said that the prophecies would shortly be fulfilled. (see Joseph Smith—History 1:41.) Joel is also a major source of information on the battle of Armageddon, one of the momentous events in the coming history of the world. So, although the book of Joel is a short work, it is full of valuable insights and information. They are applicable to us today, although they were written over twenty-five hundred years ago.
Instructions to Students

Instructions to Students
1. Use Notes and Commentary below to help you as you read and study the book of Joel.
2. Complete Points to Ponder as directed by your teacher. (Individual-study students should complete all of this section.

Notes and Commentary on Joel

(7-2) Joel 1:1. Who Was Joel and When Did He Live?

Biblical scholars do not agree on when Joel lived. Some think he preceded Amos and Hosea because both men quoted him (compare Amos 1:2with Joel 3:16), but it is also possible that Joel quoted them, so this evidence is not conclusive. Joel may have served before the time of Isaiah, for Isaiah quoted one of Joel’s prophecies (compare Isaiah 6:13 with Joel 1:15), but it may be that Joel quoted Isaiah.

All things considered, it seems probable that Joel’s ministry took place about the time that Joash reigned in Judah (see Enrichment A for more information on the reigns of the kings). Joel’s ministry evidently came before Uzziah’s reign but after the rule of the infamous Athaliah, the queen who tried to exterminate the Davidic line.

(7-3) Joel 1:1–2. “Give Ear, All Ye Inhabitants of the Land”

The message of the book of Joel is simple and straightforward. The house of Israel has fallen into a state similar to drunkenness caused by iniquity. Therefore, great judgments will come upon them from the Lord. The judgments will be so terrible that Joel calls on the Lord’s people to howl and cry for repentance. They are to call solemn assemblies (see Joel 1:14; 2:15–17) and tell the people of these judgments so that they can cry for deliverance through repentance. Though the warnings are grim and terrible, Joel holds out the assurance that if the people will turn to God in sorrow and repentance, He will respond and the disasters can be averted (see 2:12–14).

As is typical of Old Testament prophecies, Joel’s prophecies are dualistic: They warn of an immediate and impending destruction (through the conquests of Assyria and Babylonia), but they also refer directly to the last days and the destruction that will again threaten Israel just before the Millennium.

(7-4) Joel 1:1–4. The Use of Imagery in Hebrew Literature

Hebrew literature is noted for its rich imagery. In these verses and those that follow, Joel used the figure of a famine to portray Judah’s future. The palmerworm is the Hebrew gazam, which means “gnawer.” The locust is in Hebrew arbeth, which means “many.” The cankerworm is the Hebrew yeleq, which means “licker”; and the caterpillar is the Hebrew chasil, which means “consumer” (see Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible … with a Commentary and Critical Notes, 4:658). These Hebrew terms refer to the stages of development in the life of a locust. Such imagery fixed forever in the minds of the Jews the devastation prophesied by Joel for the latter days.

Is the famine spoken of only literal and physical? Or does it have a symbolic and spiritual meaning?

Looking at what happened to Judah in Joel’s day, many scholars feel that the palmerworm was a metaphor for the Assyrian-Babylonian invasions of the Holy Land. What these two empires left, the Medes and Persians “ate” during their invasions. Joel 1:4can be seen as an example of the Hebrew dualism previously mentioned. A prophet may refer to one incident and also mean another. For example, the cankerworm could also represent the invasions and suppression of the Holy Land by Greece under Alexander the Great and his successors. Then the caterpillar would represent the invasion that consumed Judah when she was overrun by Rome and eventually destroyed by Titus. These references seem also to apply to the coming battle of Armageddon, when armies from the north will gather and fight just before the Millennium.

(7-5) Joel 1:5–7. What Is to Be Understood by the Wine, the Lion, the Vine, and the Fig Tree?

Judah had become drunken with the wine of iniquity and would have cause to weep and to howl, for the Lord would not tolerate their glorying in sin. Judah’s security and wealth, which lay at the root of this wickedness, were compared to the vine from which the grapes for wine are taken. They vineyard was to be cut off: Judah would be humbled by the Lord’s almighty hand so they could be drunken no more.

The vine and the fig tree, among the most stable and enduring of the plants that nourished Israel anciently, represented the finest that the Lord had given His chosen people. But they had rejected the gift and the Giver, and all would be laid waste by the numberless nation of invaders who, as a lion, would not be denied. The lion is the most feared of animals and pulls down his prey with great savagery. A tree is barked by stripping the bark from the trunk, which kills the tree. The imagery was clear. The house of Israel would be pulled down, or cut off, and spoiled by powerful outside nations. Their vineyards and orchards would be desolate.

(7-6) Joel 1:8–20. The Loss of Temple Worship

One of the consequences of Judah’s destruction and scattering as a nation was the loss of her temple worship, the source of joy and gladness (see Joel 1:16). Their field was wasted; they were no longer a fruitful people unto the Lord (see vv. 10, 12).

At this time a husbandman was a person who tended an orchard, and a vinedresser was one who cultivated a vineyard. (In New Testament times a husbandman also took care of a vineyard.) The girding in verse 13 refers to putting on clothing of sackcloth (coarse cloth made of animal hair), which would constantly remind them of the great tragedy coming to their people. Joel called upon all the people to howl and lament because the temple would fall and the people of God would undergo national disaster.

Just as Moses had instructed Israel to learn a song (see Deuteronomy 31:30–32:43), the words of which would remind them of their condemnation if they broke their covenants, so Joel instructed Judah to learn the words they would cry in the last days as a reminder of her future sorrow. A solemn assembly was held to gather priesthood leaders and members to consider these sacred matters (see v. 14).

“The seed [being] rotten under their clods” (v. 17) refers to the fact that when the sprout was bitten off by the locusts, the seed simply rotted away. When Israel and Judah were devoured by their invaders, they, too, would spoil. The barns would be of no value, for they would house nothing.

These dire predictions were fulfilled when the covenant people fell, first to Assyria and then to Babylon, and then were ruled by a series of empires. But these verses also seem to require a latter-day fulfillment with destruction again threatening Judah. (The phrase “day of the Lord,” in verse 15, is a phrase often associated with the time just before the Second Coming. Chapters 2 and 3 of Joel definitely apply to the final days.)
temple destruction

Joel predicted the destruction of the temple.

(7-7) Joel 2:1. What Are “Zion” and “My Holy Mount”?

The Lord’s holy mountain is the place where His temple is, or the place from which He speaks to the people. Sometimes it is the temple (see Isaiah 2:1–3) or the New Jerusalem (see D&C 84:2). The Zion of the latter days, also frequently referred to in scripture as “my holy mount” (D&C 45:66–70; 82:14; 133:2, 13, 18, 26–32, 56), is a spiritual condition as well as a place. “Verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—THE PURE IN HEART” (D&C 97:21).

Speaking of Zion as a spiritual condition Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:

“Zion is people. Zion is the saints of God; Zion is those who have been baptized; Zion is those who have received the Holy Ghost; Zion is those who keep the commandments; Zion is the righteous; or in other words, as our revelation recites: ‘This is Zion—the pure in heart.’ (D&C 97:21.)

“After the Lord called his people Zion, the scripture says that Enoch ‘built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even ZION’; that Zion ‘was taken up into heaven’ where ‘God received it up into his own bosom’; and that ‘from thence went forth the saying, Zion is fled.’ (Moses 7:19, 21, 69.)

“After the Lord’s people were translated—for it was people who were caught up into heaven, not brick and mortar and stone, for there are better homes already in heaven than men can build on earth—after these righteous saints went to dwell beyond the veil, others, being converted and desiring righteousness, looked for a city which hath foundation, whose builder and maker is God, and they too ‘were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion.’ (Moses 7:27.)

“This same Zion which was taken up into heaven shall return during the Millennium, when the Lord brings again Zion; and its inhabitants shall join with the New Jerusalem which shall then be established. (see Moses 7:62–63.)” (“Come: Let Israel Build Zion,” Ensign, May 1977, p. 117.)

The Prophet Joseph Smith also taught that the place of Zion, or the “land of Zion,” is North and South America (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 362).

Though the context makes it difficult to say in which sense Joel used the terms, Zion and holy mountain, they are probably yet another example of Hebrew dualism. Mount Zion was one of the names of Jerusalem, and thus it is a cry for the inhabitants to awaken. But Mount Zion also has a meaning in the latter days.

(7-8) Joel 2:2–11. “The Day of the Lord Is Great and Very Terrible”

The “day of the Lord” will be great because Zion will be a reality, but the events associated with it will also make it terrible, as these verses make clear (see Notes and Commentary on Ezekiel 38 and 39).

An event of the latter days known as the battle of Armageddon is described in these verses. Like the locusts that devour the crops and cover the heavens with blackness because of their numbers, so “a great people and a strong” (v. 2) shall descend upon the land of Israel in the latter days. (Compare this language with that of John and Ezekiel when they describe the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 9:1–10and Ezekiel 38:8–9.) So great shall be the number of this people that “the earth shall quake before them” (v. 10). The sun, moon, and stars will be darkened.

The horses (see v. 4) symbolize war. Chariots (see v. 5) symbolize a very powerful army.

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said of the warning given in these verses: “Here we have a great, terrible army, marching with unbroken ranks and crushing everything before it, finding the garden like Eden before them, leaving the wilderness behind, causing mourning, causing suffering; and so the prophet raises the warning voice, and that voice is to us, if you please, that we might turn unto the Lord and rend our hearts.” (The Signs of the Times, p. 160.)

When these events occur they will strike fear into the hearts of Jerusalem’s inhabitants. The siege against the city will be severe. The relentless army will overrun the land of Israel. The city walls will be breached and the houses plundered (see v. 9). The phrase “when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded” (v. 8) may simply be a way of saying that the armaments used against the invaders will be ineffectual. But the Lord is strong, and He will keep His word. He has promised to rescue the people, and He will (see v. 11; see also Zechariah 14; Revelation 9, 11; Ezekiel 38–39).

Other events, such as the land being “as the garden of Eden before them” (v. 3), refer specifically to the latter days. Today the Galilee area and the Jezreel Valley in modern Israel have truly “blossomed as the rose.”

(7-9) Joel 2:12–22. The Lord Will Redeem and Bless His People

The Lord calls to His children in all ages: “Turn ye unto me with all your heart” (v. 12). He desires them to become His people so that He can be their God. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith commented on the Lord’s powerful intervention and redemption in the latter days: “You know, they used to rend their garments and sit in sack cloth when they were repentant. So the Lord says, ‘Rend your heart and not your garments.’ Humble yourselves. Prepare yourselves, oh Israel, that you may receive My blessings, that you might be protected from this condition that is going to come. And then the last words that I have read from this part of this chapter, the Lord says that He will take that great army in hand, that He also has an army. His army is terrible, just as terrible as the other army, and He will take things in hand. When I say the other army, the Lord’s army, do not get an idea He is thinking about England or the United States. He is not. He is not thinking about any earthly army. The Lord’s army is not an earthly army, but He has a terrible army; and when that army marches, it will put an end to other armies, no matter how terrible they may be; and so He says in these closing words I have read to you that He would do this thing. He would drive this terrible northern army into the wilderness, barren and desolate, with his face towards the east sea and his hinder part towards the utmost sea. He would do that, and then He would bless His people—having references, of course, to Israel.” (Signs of the Times, pp. 160–61.)

The figure of the bride and bridegroom (see v. 16) is very apt. Israel was married to the Lord in the Abrahamic covenant (see Jeremiah 3:14; see also Notes and Commentary on Hosea). The Bridegroom was Jehovah, and the bride was Israel. The Bridegroom returned to claim His bride, who had been temporarily set aside for wickedness. (see Joel 2:13–14notes for further clarification.)

(7-10) Joel 2:23–27. “Ye Shall Know That I Am in the Midst of Israel”

These verses describe Judah’s and Israel’s eventual deliverance. The years of the locust, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm indicate generations of oppression for scattered and rejected Israel. All was not lost, however, for the Lord promised “the former rain and the latter rain” (v. 23). After a punishing drought, these rains returned, a symbol of God’s acceptance of His people, who had been chastened and redeemed. “And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed” (v. 27; see also Philippians 2:10–11). One major theme of the Old Testament prophets is that although there will be a great apostasy in Israel, in the end Israel will be restored to the covenant (the gospel) and become faithful.

(7-11) Joel 2:28–32. “I Will Pour Out My Spirit upon All Flesh”

When Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith he quoted these verses, saying that they were not yet fulfilled but soon would be. Moroni also explained that the “fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in” (Joseph Smith—History 1:41). These statements clearly put the fulfillment of this part of Joel’s prophecy afterA.D. 1823. It obviously applies to the latter days in its language and content, although it has also been fulfilled previously. Verse 32 is a reference to Jesus Christ (see Romans 10:13).

Sidney B. Sperry added: “In the mind of the writer no doubt remains that Joel foresaw the dispensation in which we live and God’s judgments upon the world. This he expressed in figures that would be easily understood by his people. So acutely and painfully were the judgments that Joel saw impressed upon his mind that he cried out in anguish—as if he were present—to the people of our day to repent and escape God’s wrath.” (The Voice of Israel’s Prophets, p. 297.)

The last days are to be characterized by the pouring out of the Spirit upon all flesh. Peter, experiencing a rich and wonderful outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, quoted Joel (see Acts 2:17–21), who spoke of the latter days, the time just before the Lord’s Second Coming when He would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. That Spirit is not only the Holy Ghost but also the Spirit of Christ, that Spirit which enlightens everyone (see Moroni 7:16; D&C 93:2). Sons and daughters will prophesy—preach, exhort, pray, and instruct so as to benefit the Church. Direct revelation will be given. Young men and women who are representatives of the Lord will be inspired. The gifts of teaching and inspiration will be given to all classes and levels of people. The Lord will call and qualify those He chooses. He will pour out His Spirit upon them, and they will be endowed with the gifts necessary to convert sinners and to build up the Church. Certainly this prophecy is now beginning to be fulfilled.

The message of this passage is fourfold: (1) there will be a rich outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord in the latter days; (2) certain signs will be fulfilled before Christ’s Second Coming in the clouds of heaven; (3) His coming will be great for the righteous and terrible for the wicked; and (4) the “remnant” (v. 32), Israel of the latter days, will be those who are left after the period of tribulation and scattering is over.

(7-12) Joel 3:1–8. “I Will Gather All Nations”

These verses add to the picture described in chapter 2. Joel used allusions and figures well understood by his people to describe the great signs and judgments to take place in the latter days just before the return of the Lord. In chapter 3 Joel gave another picture of God’s judgment upon the nations. Israel, who had been scattered among the nations, will receive a change in her fortunes, and retribution will come upon her enemies in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, literally, the “Valley of Decision” in Hebrew. Just where this valley is located is not entirely clear. Most likely it is the Kidron, a narrow valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives (see D&C 45:47–49; 133:19–21; Robert Young, Analytical Concordance to the Bible, s.v. “Jehoshaphat”). This passage seems to refer to the final scenes of the battle of Armageddon in Jerusalem, when the great earthquake will strike the massive army and Jesus will appear on the Mount of Olives to deliver Israel (see Notes and Commentary on Ezekiel 38–39 for a more detailed treatment of Armageddon).

These verses are a declaration of war on the Lord’s part. They are also a challenge to those who would test His might. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: “We find Joel, Zephaniah, Zechariah, all proclaiming that in this last day, the day when the sun shall be darkened and the moon turned to blood and the stars fall from heaven, that the nations of the earth would gather against Jerusalem. All of them speak of it; and when that time comes, the Lord is going to come out of His hiding place.” (Signs of the Times, p. 170.)

The Lord will be the strength of Israel and will smite her enemies with plagues so severe that their flesh will rot and fall from their bones, their eyes will be consumed in their sockets and their tongues in their mouths—both man and beast (see Zechariah 14:12–15). And then Judah will know that Christ is the Lord their God, for He will stand on the Mount of Olives, which will cleave in twain and Judah will see Him as their delivering Messiah. They will ask about His wounds and learn that He is the Christ, and their mourning will know no bounds, for they will know that this is He for whom they have waited and whom their fathers crucified (see Zechariah 12:9–11; 13:6; D&C 45:51–53).
Kidron Valley

The Kidron Valley is also known as the Valley of Decision.

(7-13) Joel 3:17. Jerusalem to Be Pure

Strangers as used in the Old Testament refers to Gentiles, or those not of Israel. This verse states that no strange god nor impure people will be permitted to enter or pass through the city. This promise is yet to be fulfilled.

(7-14) Joel 3:18. “A Fountain Shall Come Forth”

See Notes and Commentary on Ezekiel 47:1–12.

(7-15) Joel 3:18–21. “The Hills Shall Flow with Milk”

Upon accepting Jesus Christ as their Redeemer, the Jews will enter into a new era. The very mountains and hills will flow with the riches of heaven. This imagery implies more than just an abundance of tangible fruits. Judah will know her God, and He will own His people; they will build their Jerusalem and inhabit it in peace thereafter. (See Smith, Signs of the Times, pp. 171–72.)
Points to Ponder

(7-16) The Imagery of Joel and His Message for Us

The message of Joel is important for us as Latter-day Saints. Although he used imagery that is not always familiar to us, he dealt with four major issues quite clearly:

1. A lamentation over the devastation of the land by great armies (symbolized by locusts) and other judgments.
2. The destruction of the army of locusts and a renewal of spiritual and material blessings.
3. The outpouring of God’s Spirit upon all flesh.
4. The judgment upon the nations and deliverance of God’s people.

Joel saw the days preceding the Second Coming. He attempted to warn as well as prophesy concerning those events. Because Moroni quoted a part of the book of Joel to Joseph Smith and said it was “not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be” (Joseph Smith—History 1:41), we should carefully study the message and learn of the things we need to do before the great and terrible day of the Lord.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 43:17–30 and answer the following questions:

1. When is the great day of the Lord?
2. What is our obligation to the nations?
3. What should our message be to the world?
4. What will some of the signs in the heavens be prior to the Lord’s coming?
5. Knowing that the prophecies of Joel are “about to be fulfilled” what application do you see in Joel’s writing for you? In other words, how can the book of Joel benefit you today?