D&C 63:1-2, 5-6 Are You Listening?
Notice the six different times and ways the Lord said in verses 1-2 that we must listen to Him. For those who will not listen, He warns, “I, the Lord, utter my voice, and it shall be obeyed” (verse 5); and “all flesh shall know that I am God” (verse 6).
D&C 63 “Let the Wicked Take Heed”
In this revelation the Lord has much to say to His disobedient children, but also to those who are faithful to Him. Use verses 4, 6, 11-18, 32-34, 37, 54, 61-63 to make a list of the consequences that will come upon those who disobey and do not repent. Next, use verses 20-21, 23, 47-50, 66 to make a list of the blessings the Lord promises to the obedient.
D&C 63:7-12 Signs
Read these verses and answer the following (see also “Sign” and “Signs of the Times” in the Guide to the Scriptures—found in Gospel Library):
- Are signs from God real?
- What are the purposes of signs?
- What is the relationship between signs and faith?
- Can signs build our faith?
- What are the cautions regarding signs?
Among other reasons, the Lord uses signs to help us know and prepare; that we may not be troubled (see D&C 45:34-35). We are told not to seek signs (D&C 63:7), but to seek the gifts of the Spirit (D&C 46:8-12). Can you think of signs you have seen, in the spirit of D&C 63:10? Let us have “eyes to see” and recognize His hand in the latter-day work and in our preparation for the Second Coming.
D&C 63:16 Lust
What does the Lord say in verse 16 and in D&C 42:23 about the consequences of lust?
D&C 63:32-66 Prepare for His Coming
This section provides important information about the Second Coming of Christ and the times leading up to it:
- A day of wrath shall come upon the wicked and all flesh shall know that He is God (verse 6).
- The Lord is angry with the wicked and is withholding from them His spirit (verse 32).
- There shall be wars upon the earth, the wicked will slay the wicked, and fear will reign (verse 33).
- The Saints of God shall “hardly escape,” but the Lord will be with them (verse 34).
- The Savior will come down and consume the wicked by fire (verse 34).
- The Lord is calling upon His Saints to assemble together (verse 36).
- We are to lift a warning voice regarding the desolation that will come upon the wicked (verse 37).
- The faithful who endure will overcome the world (verse 47).
- Those who die faithful will resurrect at the Second Coming and receive an inheritance in the “holy city” (verse 49).
- The faithful who are alive at Christ’s coming will survive into the Millennium and then die “at the age of man” (age 100; see Isaiah 65:20; D&C 101:30-31) and then they will immediately resurrect (D&C 63:50-51).
- We are called upon to “look for” the things that are prophesied for the last days (verse 53).
- There will be an “entire separation of the righteous and the wicked” (verse 54; see also 2 Nephi 30:8-10).
- Eventually all things shall become subject to Jesus Christ (verse 59).
- We can overcome through patience and thus receive eternal glory (verse 66).
Are you trying to “look for” these things and other prophecies regarding our day? How does it help you to know about them?
In 1988 President Ezra Taft Benson said the following in general conference: “I testify that as the forces of evil increase under Lucifer’s leadership and as the forces of good increase under the leadership of Jesus Christ, there will be growing battles between the two until the final confrontation. As the issues become clearer and more obvious, all mankind will eventually be required to align themselves either for the kingdom of God or for the kingdom of the devil. As these conflicts rage, either secretly or openly, the righteous will be tested. God’s wrath will soon shake the nations of the earth and will be poured out on the wicked without measure. But God will provide strength for the righteous and the means of escape; and eventually and finally truth will triumph. I testify that it is time for every man to set in order his own house both temporally and spiritually” (Ensign, Nov. 1988, p. 87).
D&C 63:39-48 “All the Moneys Which Can Be Spared”
In these verses we find that when we donate/consecrate money and other possessions to the Lord’s purposes, it will help us to “overcome the world” (verse 47) and to inherit “a reward in the world to come” (verse 48).
D&C 63:61-64 His Name
The third of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). We often think of this as someone swearing when angry; to curse or blaspheme. But in Section 63 the Lord reveals another misuse of His name: “Many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority” (verse 62). This refers to those who falsely claim to have God’s authority to speak in His name, to perform ordinances in His name, or otherwise invoke His name and authority. “Vain” means “empty, worthless, or to no good purpose,” and it appropriately applies to such persons and behavior.
Also, we are to “remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care” (verse 64). In many cases it isn’t wrong to speak the names and titles that refer to the Members of the Godhead, but we must do so in appropriate ways (see D&C 107:1-4).
