The Bible, a sealed Book

The Bible, a Sealed Book
Bruce R. McConkie, BYU, 1984.

I am pleased and honored to be here, and I pray for a
rich outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all of us as we
now consider some matters of surpassing import where
our work as teachers is concerned.
I shall speak about the sealed book, which contains many
of the mysteries of the kingdom. These are things that
are of great worth unto all who teach the gospel. My
specific subject is the Bible, a sealed book, but my
approach and handling of this subject may not fit the
normal pattern.
There are many things that need to be said, and I shall
speak plainly, hoping to edify and not to offend.
These rather well-known words may have some
application to what I am about to say:
To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his gods?
(Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Horatius,” lines
219-24, in The Lays of Ancient Rome, 1842)
There is a plainer translation, which I think, however, is
either colloquial, or apocryphal, or pseudopigraphic. It is
to this effect: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. So
be it.
Both Isaiah and John tell us about a book that is sealed.
Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of taking words from the
unsealed portion of the book to one of great learning, to
a might tower of intellectual power, who asked to receive
the book itself.
Being told that some two-thirds of the book was sealed,
the intellectual giant, skilled in all the linguistic learning
of the world, said, “‘I cannot read a sealed book,’”
(Joseph Smith–History 1:65). This prophecy was fulfilled
when Martin Harris took some of the characters, copied
from the Book of Mormon plates, to Professor Charles
Anthon in New York City (see Isaiah 29; 2 Ne 27;
JS–History 1:63–65).
John the Revelator saw in the hands of the Great God a
book sealed with seven seals. “It contains,” as our
revelations tell us, “the revealed will, mysteries, and the
works of God; the hidden things of his economy
concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of
its continuance, or its temporal existence” (D&C 77:6),
each seal covering a period of one thousand years. As
John saw, no one but the Lord Jesus — “the Lion of the
tribe of Juda, the Root of David” (Revel 5:5) — had the
power to loose these seven seals.
This same knowledge is contained in the sealed portion
of the Book of Mormon. For aught we know the two
sealed books are one and the same. Of this much we are
quite certain: When, during the Millennium, the sealed
portion of the Book of Mormon is translated, it will give
an account of life in the premortal existence; of the
creation of all things; of the Fall and the Atonement and
the Second Coming; of temple ordinances, in their
fullness; of the ministry and mission of translated
beings; of life in the spirit world, in both paradise and
hell; of the kingdoms of glory to be inhabited by
resurrected beings; and many such like things.
As of now, the world is not ready to receive these truths.
For one thing, these added doctrines will
completely destroy the whole theory of organic
evolution as it is now almost universally taught
in the halls of academia. For another, they will set
forth an entirely different concept and time
frame of the creation, both of this earth and all
forms of life and of the sidereal heavens
themselves, than is postulated in all the theories
of men. And sadly, there are those who, if forced
to make a choice at this time, would select
Darwin over Deity.
Our purpose in referring to the sealed book or books
spoken of by Isaiah and John is to set the stage for a
consideration of the sealed book — the Holy Bible — that
is now in our hands. As the Lord Jesus alone has power
to loose the seven seals of John’s book, so the coming
forth of the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon
depends upon our faith and righteousness.
When we rend the damning veil of unbelief that now
shuts us out from perfect communion with Gods and
angels and when we gain faith like that of the brother of
Jared, then we will gain the knowledge that was his. This
will not occur until after the Lord comes. (See Ether 4.)
The Book of Mormon came forth and was translated by
the gift and power of God. The scholarship and learning
of wise men were not involved. It was not brought forth
by intellectual giants who had been trained in all the
linguistic wisdom of the world. It came forth by the
power of the Holy Ghost. The translator said, “I am not
learned” (2 Ne 27:19). The Lord replied, “The learned
shall not read” the account on the plates (2 Ne 27:20).
There is a great key in this. The Book of Mormon is
translated correctly because an unlearned man did it by
the gift and power of God. It took him less than sixty
translating days. The Bible abounds in errors and
mistranslations, in spite of the fact that the most learned
scholars and translators of the ages labored years on end
over the manuscripts of antiquity to bring it forth.
The key to an understanding of Holy Writ lies not in the
wisdom of men, not in cloistered halls, not in a
knowledge of Greek and Hebrew — though special
intellectual insights may result from all of these — but
the things of God are known and understood only by the
power of the Spirit of God (see 1 Cor 2). Thus saith the
Lord: “I call upon the weak things of the world, those
who are unlearned and despised” to do my work (D&C
35:13).
How well Paul said: “Where is the wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? hath not God
made foolish the wisdom on this world? … Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness
of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
the wise.” (1 Cor 1:20, 25–27.)
Of course we should learn all we can in every field; we
should sit with Paul at the feet of Gamaliel; we should
gain a knowledge of kingdoms and countries and
languages (see D&C 88:76–81). “To be learned is good,”
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Jacob tells us, if we harken unto the counsels of God” (2
Ne 9:29).
But above all this — more important than all of it
combined, more important than all the wisdom ever
gained by the power of the intellect by all the wise men of
all the ages — above it all is the need for the guidance of
the Spirit in our study and in our teaching. The way the
Book of Mormon came forth — by the power of God, who
used an unlearned man — sets the tone for all of us in all
our work in the kingdom. The Lord can do his work
through us if we will let him.
Now, it is my considered judgment, and I firmly believe,
that the Bible as we now have it is a sealed book. It does
not have the Jaredite seal, which can only be removed by
faith and righteousness; the Bible is for men in our day,
both the righteous and the wicked. And it is not sealed
with seven seals but with two. These we shall name and
show how they can be removed. The Bible should
become an open book — a book that is read and believed
and understood by all men on earth.
But first we must tell what the Bible is and show its
relationship to gaining salvation and to other inspired
writings. Everyone knows that the Bible is the book of
books; that it is a volume of holy scripture; that it
contains the mind and will and voice of the Lord to all
men on earth; and that it has had a greater effect on the
civilization of the world, up to this time, than any other
book every written.
There are no people on earth who hold the Bible in such
high esteem as we do. We believe it, we read and ponder
its sayings, we rejoice in the truths it teaches, and we
seek to conform our lives to the divine standard it
proclaims. But we do not believe, as does evangelical
Christianity, that the Bible contains all things necessary
for salvation; nor do we believe that God has now taken
upon himself the tongue of the dumb which no longer
speaks, nor reveals, nor makes known his will to his
children.
Indeed, we know that the Bible contains only a sliver, a
twig, a leaf, no more than a small branch at the most,
from the great redwood of revelation that God has given
in ages past. There has been given then thousand times
ten thousand more revelation than has been preserved
for us in our present Bible. It contains a bucket, a small
pail, a few draughts, no more than a small stream at
most, out of the great ocean of revealed truth that has
come to men in ages more spiritually enlightened than
ours.
And even the small portion of truth preserved for us in
our present Bible has not come down to us in its original
plainness and perfection. An angel told Nephi, with
repetitive emphasis, that the Bible — including both the
Old Testament and the New Testament — contained the
knowledge of salvation when first written; that it then
went through the hands “of that great and abominable
church, which is most abominable above all other
churches” (1 Ne 13:26); that many plain and precious
parts and many covenants of the Lord were taken away;
and that as a result an exceedingly great many did
stumble and did not know what to believe or how to act.
(See 1 Ne 13.)
And yet, with all this, we cannot avoid the conclusion
that a divine providence is directing all things as they
should be. This means that the Bible, as it now is,
contains that portion of the Lord’s word that a
rebellious, wicked, and apostate world is entitled to and
able to receive.
We doubt not also that the Bible, as now constituted, is
given to test the faith of men. It prepares men for the
Book of Mormon. Those who truly believe the Bible
accept the Book of Mormon; those who believe the Book
of Mormon accept the Doctrine and Covenants and the
Pearl of Great Price; and those so enlightened strive so to
live that they can receive the greater light and knowledge
in those sealed books that are yet to come to light —
those books, we repeat, which shall come forth from
unlearned men as they are guided by the Holy Ghost.
Providentially the Bible is so written that all men,
however slight their spiritual endowment may be, can
gain truth and enlightenment from it, whereas those who
have the power of discernment can learn from it the deep
and hidden things reserved for the Saints alone.
By way of perspective, as far as gaining salvation is
concerned, the Bible is far excelled — immeasurably so
— by the Book of Mormon and the other latter-day
revelations. These modern scriptures are in fact the ones
that must be believed and accepted in order for us to be
saved. If it came right down to it, those of us who live in
the dispensation of the fulness of times could be saved if
there were no Bible at all, because the gospel truths and
powers have all been given anew to us by direct
revelation.
Also by way of having all things in perspective, we should
be aware that there are approved and inspired writings
that are not in the standard works. These writings also
are true and should be used along with the scriptures
themselves in learning and teaching the gospel. Next to
the standard works five of the greatest documents in our
literature are —
1. The “Wentworth Letter.” (See History of the
Church, 4:535–41.) Written by the Prophet Joseph
Smith, it contains an account of the coming forth of
the Book of Mormon, of the ancient inhabitants of
the Americas, of the organization, and of the
persecutions suffered by the early Latter-day Saints.
The thirteen Articles of Faith are part of this letter.
2. Lectures on Faith. These lectures were prepared by
and under the direction of the Prophet Joseph
Smith and were taught by him and by others in the
School of the Prophets. The Prophet said they
embraced “the important doctrine[s — sic] of
salvation” (Preface to D&C, 1835 edition; reprint,
Independence, MO: Herald House, 1971).
3. The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by
the First Presidency and the Twelve. (See James R.
Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6
vols. [SLC: Bookcraft, 1965–75], 5:26–34; see also
5:23–25.) This exposition sets forth the status and
relationship of the Father and the Son, shows those
ways in which Christ is the Father, and through its
various recitations lays to rest the false and heretical
view that Adam is our Father and our God.
4. The “King Follett Sermon” and the “Sermon in the
Grove.” (See History of the Church, 6:302–17;
6:473–79.) These two sermons, one in thought and
content, set forth the doctrine of the plurality of
Gods and of becoming joint heirs with Christ. They
show that man may become as his Maker and reign
in celestial exaltation forever.
5. “The Origin of Man,” by the First Presidency of the
Church. (See Clark, Messages of the First
Presidency, 4:200–206; see also 4:199.) This
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inspired writing sets forth the official position of
the Church on the origin of man and therefore
impinges on the evolutionary fantasies of biologists
and their fellow travelers. As might be expected, it
arouses great animosity among intellectuals whose
testimonies are more ethereal than real.
Now to our modern sealed book — the Holy Bible — the
book that prepares men for the further light and
knowledge the Lord has in store for them. What are the
seals that hide its wonders from the world?
They are two in number and are the opposite extremes of
a swinging pendulum. They are the seals of Satan and
have been forged with devilish cleverness. In fact, I
cannot think of two seals that could more effectively
destroy the value and use of the Bible than these two.
They are the seal of ignorance and the seal of
intellectuality. A word about each is in order.
As to the seal of ignorance — this seal kept the Bible
away from almost every living soul on earth for nearly
fifteen hundred years. If ever there was a sealed book, it
was the Bible all during the Dark Ages. The dominant
church neither used it nor taught it but followed instead
the traditions of the Fathers, hence such doctrines as the
three-in-one spirit God; the worship of Mary and
images; the intercession of saints; masses for the
salvation of the living and the dead; the sale of
indulgences; purgatory; infant baptism; the justifying of
the persecution and slaying of heretics, as in the Spanish
Inquisition; and so on — for none of which is there one
shred of proper scriptural justification.
The Renaissance and the Reformation that grew out of it
were, in large measure, movements to translate and use
the Bible. Many is the truth seeker who was burned at
the stake for the mere possession of an unauthorized
Bible. We need not dwell more on this. There are shelves
of books in every good library that tell the dire and dark
story.
Today the seal of ignorance remains only insofar as the
generality of Christendom, and the rest of the world in
general, have no real interest in studying the Bible.
Modern ministers are sociologists, not theologians. And
in Catholic nations there is almost no encouragement or
incentive to own or read the biblical word.
As to the seal of intellectuality — this is quite another
matter. It is imposed, no doubt unwittingly in many
cases, by “the wise, and the learned,… who are puffed up
because of their learning, and their wisdom” — these are
Jacob’s words — and who do not know they are thereby
numbered with those “whom” the Holy One of Israel
“despiseth” (2 Ne 9:42).
We shall show the fallacy of relying on learning and
intellectuality, rather than upon the Spirit and upon an
overall understanding of the plan of salvation, as we now
set forth the keys of understanding that will enable us to
remove the seals from the sealed Bible.
Some of these keys of understanding are of almost
infinite import; others are so insignificant that if they are
ignored, no one will ever miss them. Even these
insignificant ones, however, must be mentioned so as to
keep the important items in perspective. We shall take
the liberty of rating each key on a scale of one to ten.
And so we say of the Bible, as Parley P. Pratt said of the
Book of Mormon: “Remove the seals, be wide unfurled /
Its light and glory to the world” (“An Angel from on
High,” Hymns, no. 224.).
Key One: Read the Bible
Could any key be more obvious than this? Simply read
the book itself. Unless and until we do, nothing else will
fall into place. We cannot do other than rate this key as a
ten on our scale. All biblical scholarship and
understanding begin with reading the basic source
material.
One of our problems is that we read what others have
said about the Bible; we read a book of Old Testament
stories; we get something the Reader’s Digest publishes
under the biblical name that leaves out the genealogies
and supposedly hard parts.
Read the book itself. “Search the scriptures” (Jn 5:39).
Treasure up the Lord’s word. Go to the source. The
words are sacred. Insofar as they have come down to us
as originally penned, they were inspired by the Holy
Ghost. They are to be read over and over again as long as
we live.
But in my opinion they are not all of equal worth. The
Gospels, particularly the Gospel of John, are worth their
weight in gold. Acts is not far behind them. Paul’s
epistles, Romans being the chief and Philemon the least,
are treasure houses of doctrine and wise counsel. The
writings of Peter and James, plus 1 John, rank as though
written by angels; 2 and 3 John are of no special
moment; Jude is worthwhile, at least; and for those with
gospel understanding, Revelation is a foundation of
divine wisdom that expands the mind and enlightens the
soul.
In the Old Testament, Genesis is the book of books — a
divine account whose worth cannot be measured.
Exodus and Deuteronomy are also of surpassing worth.
Numbers, Joshua, Judges, the Samuels, the Kings, and
the Chronicles are all essential history, interwoven with
deeds of faith and wonder that form a background for an
understanding of the Christian faith. Leviticus has no
special application to us and, except for a few passages,
need not give us permanent concern. Ruth and Esther
are lovely stories that are part of our heritage. The
Psalms contain marvelous poetry, and the portions that
are messianic and that speak of the last days and the
Second Coming are of great import. Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations are interesting books;
Job is for people who like the book of Job; and the Song
of Solomon is biblical trash — it is not inspired writing.
Ezra, Nehemiah, Obadiah, and Jonah are the least of the
prophets; and all the rest of the prophets — Isaiah above
them all — each in his place and order set forth the
doctrinal and prophetic word that must be studied in
depth.
Key Two: Know Hebrew & Greek
There is certainly no objection to knowing Hebrew and
Greek, but it does have some hazards. Joseph Smith and
some of our early Brethren studied some Hebrew. When
a knowledge of ancient languages is used properly — as a
means of gaining inspiration about particular passages —
it merits a rating of, say, one or one and two-tenths.
Improperly used — as an end in itself — its value sinks
off the scale to a minus five or a minus ten, depending
upon the attitude and spiritual outlook of the user.
Those who turn to the original tongues for their doctrinal
knowledge have a tendency to rely on scholars rather
than on prophets for scriptural interpretations. This is
perilous; it is a sad thing to be numbered with the wise
and the learned who know more than the Lord.
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Certainly none of us should be troubled or feel inferior if
we do not have a working knowledge of the languages in
which the Bible was first written. Our concern is to be
guided by the Spirit and to interpret the ancient word in
harmony with latter-day revelation.
Key Three: Use Biblical Commentaries &
Dictionaries
Anything to be said under this heading is more of a
warning than an endorsement. On historical and
geographical matters, these uninspired writings rate as
one or two; on doctrinal matters they drop off the scale
to a minus ten, a minus one hundred, a minus one
thousand, depending on the doctrine.
The wise and the learned know so infinitesimally little
about doctrine that it is almost a waste of time to read
them. All their creeds are an abomination in the Lord’s
sight. They teach for doctrines the commandments of
men. They twist and pervert the scriptures to conform to
their traditions; and if they get anything right, it is an
accident.
One says Jesus did not walk on the water, for that is
impossible; rather, he waded in the surf.
Another says He did not feed the five thousand by
multiplying loaves and fishes, for that is contrary to all
nature; rather, many in the congregation carried food in
their knapsacks but were afraid to take it out lest they
would have to share it with others. Jesus merely taught
them to share.
Yet another says we need not look for the Second
Coming in the literal sense, for surely Christ is no longer
a man who can dwell again among men; rather, the
Second Coming takes place whenever Christ dwells in
the heart of a man.
What can the commentaries of the world teach us about
the personal nature of God; about the premortal
existence, the war in heaven, and the eternal plan of
salvation; about the fall of man with its temporal and
spiritual death; about the paradisiacal creation that is to
be restored during the Millennium; about the
Melchizedek Priesthood and its various offices; about the
literal gathering of Israel and the restoration of the ten
tribes upon the mountains of Israel; about the preaching
to the spirits in prison and the doctrine of salvation for
the dead; about temples and celestial marriage and the
continuation of the family unit in eternity; about gifts
and signs and miracles; about a universal apostasy, a
glorious day of restoration, and the coming forth of the
Book of Mormon; about the atonement of Christ, which
makes salvation available on conditions of obedience;
about the three degrees of glory; about exaltation in the
highest heaven of the celestial world where men will be
joint heirs with Christ; about almost every basic doctrine
of salvation?
My fellow teachers, all these things, and ten thousand
more, have come from God in heaven to us in this final
dispensation of grace by direct revelation. They are the
truths that make salvation available,a nd they are not to
be found in the tomes of the scholars of the world.
Key Four: Learn of Local Customs & Traditions
This has some considerable advantage. It rates a two or a
three. The words of scripture often take on a new and
added meaning when read in the light of the local
conditions that called them forth.
When we learn that the counsel of Jesus to beware of
false prophets, who come to us in sheep’s clothing but
inwardly are ravening wolves, had reference to the rabbis
and scribes and Pharisees of his day, we realize that its
modern application is to the ministers of false churches
who teach false doctrines.
When we learn that the call of the meek Nazarene to
come unto him, take his yoke upon them, and learn of
him, for his yoke was easy and his burden light, and he
would give them rest to their souls, was an invitation to
leave the ritualistic, formalistic, burdensome
performances of the Mosaic law and to accept the
simplicity of gospel worship, it places an entirely new
light on the call to leave the sin-laden burdens of the
world and accept the holy gospel.
When we learn that every group of travelers in Palestine
camped out at caravanerais, in which rooms called inns
surrounded a courtyard where their animals were
tethered, we get an entirely new vision of the place where
the Lord Jesus was born.
When we read that Jesus excoriated the Jewish teachers
because their traditions made the law of God of none
effect, that he arraigned them for their utterly inane
Sabbath restrictions, that he condemned them for their
ceremonial acts of washings and purifyings, it is of
considerable help to know what the traditions, the
restrictions, and the ceremonial acts were.
Nephi quotes “the words of Isaiah” and says “they are
plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of
prophecy” (2 Ne 25:4). As a supplemental way of
understanding the words of the prophets, he says men
must be “taught after the manner of the things of the
Jews” (2 Ne 25:5).
Authors such as Edersheim, Farrar, and Geike, writing
more than a hundred years ago when men had more
faith and when they believed in the divine sonship, give
us much good data on these ancient customs and ways of
life.
Key Five: Study All Scripture in Context
The context of every passage of scripture is important;
let us rate it as a two or a three on our scale. God is no
respecter of persons. Anything he has or will say to one
person, he will say to another who is similarly situated.
And he may give what seem to be conflicting commands
to different persons differently situated.
If the scripture says, “Thou shalt not kill” (Ex 20:13),
what is to stop the Lord from telling Nephi to slay Laban
as that Jewish leader lies in a drunken stupor? If the
scripture says members of the church who commit
murder are denied eternal life, does this apply also to the
heathen nations? If we need a passage to teach the
separation of Church and state, will we find it in the Old
Testament when the people were ruled theocratically or
in the New Testament when they were required to render
unto Caesar the things that were his? If we are studying
Levitical performances, will we turn to the Book of
Mormon, among which people there were no Levites?
And so on and so on. Obviously scriptures have limited
for general application according to the context.
Key Six: Rightly Distinguish between Literal &
Figurative Passages
This is difficult to do, it requires considerable experience
and discernment, and it surely rates as a three or a four.
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In general we are safer in taking things literally, although
the scriptures abound in figurative matters.
Literal occurrences include speaking with God face to
face as a man speaketh with his friend; man’s being
made in the image of God, both physically and
spiritually; the coming of Christ as the Only Begotten in
the flesh; the Lord Jesus himself dwelling in Enoch’s
Zion; His personal reign during the Millennium; the
resurrection of all men from the dead with corporeal
bodies of flesh and bones; and so on.
Figurative matters include Enoch’s walking with God,
the Lord Jehovah dwelling with ancient Israel, Christ
being the living bread that came down from heaven,
eating his flesh and drinking his blood in the
sacramental ordinance, and so on.
Key Seven: Use the King James Version of the
Bible
As far as the Bibles of the world are concerned, the King
James Version is so far ahead of all others that there is
little comparison. It rates as an item of five or six on our
scale. It is the Bible that came into being to prepare the
way for the translation of the Book of Mormon and to set
a literary pattern and standard for the revelations in the
Doctrine and Covenants. It is the official Bible of the
Church. Reference might well be made to Why the King
James Version? Why the King James Version? by
President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. (SLC: Deseret Book Co.,
1956) for an extensive consideration of this matter.
Key Eight: What of the Other Translations of the
World?
In answer we say: Forget them; they are of so little value
that it is almost a waste of time to delve into them. We
take a generous view to even rate them as one on our
scale. They are not binding upon us, and in general they
simply set forth the religious predilections of their
translator. Some, for instance, have Christ born of a
young woman rather than a virgin.
There may be an occasional instance in which one of
these alien translations throws some light on a particular
point; they are not all bad, but there are so many things
to study and learn that I question the wisdom of
treasuring up the translation views of the wise and the
learned who really have nothing in the inspired sense to
contribute to an understanding of eternal truth.
Key Nine: Use the Rely on the Joseph Smith
Translation, the So-called Inspired Version
This counsel rates an eight or a nine. It can scarcely be
stated with too great an emphasis. The Joseph Smith
Translation, or Inspired Version, is a thousand times
over the best Bible now existing on earth. It contains all
that the King James Version does, plus pages of
additions and corrections and an occasional deletion. It
was made by the spirit of revelation, and the changes
and additions are the equivalent of the revealed word in
the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants.
For historical and other reasons there have been, among
some members of the Church in times past, some
prejudice and misunderstanding of the place of the
Joseph Smith Translation. I hope this has now all
vanished away. The Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible
footnotes many of the major changes made in the
Inspired Version and has a seventeen-page section that
sets forth excerpts that are too lengthy for inclusion in
the footnotes.
Reference to this section and to the footnotes themselves
will give anyone who has spiritual insight a deep
appreciation of the revelatory work of the Prophet
Joseph Smith. It is one of the great evidences of his
prophetic call.
And I am pleased to say that here at Brigham Young
University we have the world’s foremost authority on the
Joseph Smith Translation. His contributions in this field
of gospel scholarship rank with the best works published
in our dispensation. He is of course Brother Robert J.
Matthews, the dean of Religious Education. His
published work, “A Plainer Translation”: Joseph Smith’s
Translation of the Bible, a History and Commentary
(Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1975), is
deserving of your careful study.
Key Ten: Use the Teaching Aids in the LDS
Edition of the Bible
I received a letter from a seminary teacher in which he
criticized our new scriptural publications because they
had footnotes, cross-references, and teaching aids. He
argued that these were crutches which kept people from
that intensive study in which they would make their own
cross-references.
Well, I for one need these crutches and recommend them
to you. They include the Joseph Smith Translation items,
the chapter headings, the topical guide, the Bible
dictionary, the footnotes, the gazetteer, and the maps.
None of these are perfect; they do not of themselves
determine doctrine; there have been and undoubtedly
now are mistakes in them. Cross-references, for instance,
do not establish and never were intended to prove that
parallel passages so much as pertain to the same subject.
They are aids and helps only. Certainly they rate a four
or five in importance. Use them consistently.
Key Eleven: Use Inspired & Interpreting
Translations of the Scriptures
It seems to me that most of us are almost unaware of the
great enlightenment that is available to us from inspired
and interpreting translations of biblical passages. For
those with spiritual insight, these inspired
interpretations rate an eight or nine on our scale; for
those with less spiritual maturity, all they do is raise
doubts and questions.
As all of you know, almost every New Testament
quotation of Old Testament scripture varies from the
original Hebrew text as it has been translated in our
Bible. Why? There are two reasons. One reason is that
many quotations came from the Greek Septuagint and
not from the Hebrew text that has become our Old
Testament. The Septuagint had many deficiencies
because it incorporated the doctrinal views of the
translators.
More important, the Jews in the days of Jesus spoke
Aramaic and not Hebrew, but their scriptures were
written in Hebrew. Hence, it was the practice in their
synagogue worship for one teacher to read texts from the
Hebrew and for another to translate or paraphrase these
passages into Aramaic — or as they said, make these
passages targums — so they could be understood by the
people.
When these Targums were made by Jesus and the
Apostles, all of whom taught regularly and consistently
in the synagogues, they were inspired and hence throw
great floods of light upon whatever scripture is involved.
Many Old Testament passages take on new meanings
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because of the way they are quoted in the New
Testament.
For all practical purposes Nephi often did much the
same thing when quoting Isaiah or Zenos. He gave, not a
literal, but an inspired and interpreting translation. And
in many instances his words give either a new or a
greatly expanded meaning to the original prophetic
word.
As a matter of fact, Moroni did this same thing in his
1823 appearances to Joseph Smith. For instance, he so
improved upon the promise of Elijah’s return that it is
like stepping from a pleasant twilight into the brilliance
of the noonday sun. And yet years later, with a full
knowledge of the more perfect translation, Joseph Smith
retained the King James language in the Book of
Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants and his
inspired rendition of the Bible.
Sure there is a message here. For one thing, it means
that the same passage of scripture can be translated
correctly in more ways than one and that the translation
used depends upon the spiritual maturity of the people.
Similarly, the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of
Mormon preserves, with a few improvements, the
language of the King James Version of the Bible. But
later, the Joseph Smith Translation renders much of this
sermon in a way that excels even the Book of Mormon.
So simple a passage as John 17:3 has a limited meaning
for all men, but it is a celestial beacon of blazing light to
us. From it we learn that to know God and Christ is to be
like them — thinking what they think, speaking what
they speak, doing what they do — all of which knowledge
is beyond the capacity of an unenlightened mind to
receive.
As rapidly as we learn the plan of salvation and get
ourselves in tune with the Holy Spirit, the scriptures will
take on an entirely new meaning for us. No longer will
we be limited, as are the small minds of the worldly wise,
but our whole souls will be filled with light and
understanding beyond anything of which we can now
conceive.
Key Twelve: Modern Scripture Unveils the
Ancient Scripture
I cannot lay too much stress on this key. It rates a ten or
more. In the real and true sense of the word, the only
way to understand the Bible is first to gain a knowledge
of God’s dealings with men through latter-day revelation.
We could be saved without the Bible, but we cannot be
saved without latter-day revelation. Ours is a restored
kingdom. The doctrines, laws, ordinances, and powers
were all restored. God and angels gave them anew. We
believe what we believe, and have the truths we possess,
and exercise the keys and powers in us vested, because
they have come by the opening of the heavens in our day.
We do not look back to a dead day or a past people for
salvation.
As it happens — it could not be otherwise with an
unchangeable God — what we have conforms to what the
ancient Saints had. Any agreeing truths and practices
they had stand as a second and supplemental witness of
gospel verities. But our knowledge and powers come
directly from heaven.
Hence, the imperfect and partial accounts of the Lord’s
dealings with his ancient Saints, as found in the Bible,
must conform to and be read in harmony with what we
have received. It is time we learned, not that the Book of
Mormon is true because the Bible is true, but just the
reverse. The Bible is true, insofar as it is, because the
Book of Mormon is true.
The everlasting gospel; the eternal priesthood; the
identical ordinances of salvation and exaltation; the
never-varying doctrines of salvation; the same Church
and kingdom; the keys of the kingdom, which alone can
seal men up unto eternal life — all these have always
been the same in all ages; and it shall be so everlastingly
on this earth and all earths to all eternity. These things
we know by latter-day revelation.
Once we know these things, the door is open to an
understanding of the fragmentary slivers of information
in the Bible. By combining the Book of Mormon, the
Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, we
have at least a thousand passages that let us know what
prevailed among the Lord’s people in the Old World.
Did they have the fullness of the everlasting gospel at all
times? Yes. There was not a period of ten minutes from
the days of Adam to the appearing of the Lord Jesus in
the land Bountiful when the gospel — as we have it, in its
eternal fulness — was not on earth.
Do not let the fact that the performances of the Mosaic
law were administered by the Aaronic Priesthood
confuse you on this matter. Where the Melchizedek
Priesthood is, there is the fulness of the gospel; and all of
the prophets held the Melchizedek Priesthood.
Was there baptism in the days of ancient Israel? The
answer is in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible
and in the Book of Mormon. The record of the first six
hundred years of Nephite history is simply a true and
plain account of how things were in ancient Israel from
the days of Moses downward.
Was there a Church anciently, and if so, how was it
organized and regulated? There was not so much as the
twinkling of an eye during the whole so-called pre-
Christian Era when the Church of Jesus Christ was not
upon the earth, organized basically in the same way it
now is. Melchizedek belonged to the Church; Laban was
a member; so also was Lehi, long before he left
Jerusalem.
There was always apostolic power. The Melchizedek
Priesthood always directed the course of the Aaronic
Priesthood. All of the prophets held a position in the
hierarchy of the day. Celestial marriage has always
existed. Indeed, such is the heart and core of the
Abrahamic covenant. Elias and Elijah came to restore
this ancient order and to give the sealing power, which
gives it eternal efficacy.
People ask, Did they have the gift of the Holy Ghost
before the day of Pentecost? As the Lord lives, they were
so endowed — such is part of the gospel — and those so
gifted wrought miracles and sought and obtained a city
whose builder and maker is God.
I have often wished the history of ancient Israel could
have passed through the editing and prophetic hands of
Mormon. If so, it would read like the Book of Mormon,
but I suppose that was the way it read in the first
instance anyway.
General Key: Ponder, Pray, & Seek the Spirit
This is the conclusion of the whole matter. This key
removes the seal. This is the only way the pure and sweet
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and hidden truths of the Bible may be known in full. And
it is rated above all others.
We all know that we must treasure up the words of life;
that we must live by every word that proceedeth forth
from the mouth of God; that we must ponder the things
of righteousness by day and, with Nephi, water our
pillows by night — all as we let the solemnities of eternity
sink into our souls.
We all know we must ask the Lord for guidance and
enlightenment. “Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it
shall be opened” (D&C 4:7). “If any of you lack wisdom,
let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given unto him” (Jas 1:5).
“And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of
faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach”
(D&C 42:14). For, “No prophecy of the scripture is of any
private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old
time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Pet 2:20–21.)
Now, much more might be said; we have but opened the
door to investigation. However great the darkness may
be in the world among the wise and the learned, we need
not be confused nor uncertain. The gospel trump sounds
no uncertain tones. We have power to remove the seals
from the sealed book and to bask in the light that shines
forth from its pages.
May I, by way of conclusion, doctrine, and testimony,
give you four simple directions:
1. Teach from the source. Use the scriptures themselves;
our tendency often is to study texts about the Bible
rather than to take the divine word in its purity.
Streams of living water flow from the Eternal Fountain,
and they flow in scriptural channels prepared by the
prophets. Here is a bit of wisdom most of you will
understand: Don’t drink below the horses, particularly
the horses of sectarianism.
2. Teach doctrine in preference to ethics. Read again
your instructions as given by President J. Reuben Clark,
Jr., in The Charted Course of the Church in Education
(address delivered to religious educators, 8 Aug. 1938;
see also Charge to Religious Educators [SLC: The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981]). As he
sets forth, if we teach ethics and nothing more, we fail; if
we teach the great and eternal doctrines of salvation, we
succeed, and the ethical principles will thereby take care
of themselves.
3. Teach by the Spirit. This is axiomatic. It has been true
from the beginning and will be so everlastingly. Have
you caught the vision of that great proclamation made in
the Adamic day as to how and in what manner the gospel
must be preached?
The scripture saith: “Believe on his Only Begotten Son,
even him whom he declared should come in the
meridian of time, who was prepared from before the
foundation of the world” (Moses 5:57). That is, believe in
Christ and conform to the great and eternal plan of
salvation.
Then come these words: “And thus the Gospel began to
be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy
angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his
own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Moses
5:58).
The gospel is and must be and can only be taught by the
gift of the Holy Ghost. That gift is given to us as the
Saints of the Most High and to none other. We stand
alone and have a power the world does not possess. Our
views on religious and spiritual matters are infinitely
better than theirs because we have the inspiration of
heaven.
This is the reason the call to teach, the call to be a
teacher — and I speak now of teachers of both sexes — is
the third greatest position in the Church. Truly Paul said:
“God hath set some in the church, first apostles,
secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues” (1 Cor 12:28). Apostles, prophets,
teachers — in that order. Then the moving of mountains
and the raising of the dead.
Apostles and prophets are also teachers, and what
greater commission can anyone have from the Lord than
to stand in His place and stead, saying what he would say
if he personally were present, and doing it because the
words uttered flow forth by the power of the Holy Ghost?
4. Become a gospel scholar. With such a great
commission, how can we do other than become gospel
scholars and then so live as to enable the Spirit to draw
from our acquired treasures of truth those portions
needed in the very hour?
In the very nature of things every teacher becomes an
interpreter of the scriptures to his hearers. It could not
be otherwise. We are to preach, teach, expound, and
exhort. But our explanations must be in harmony with
prophetic and apostolic utterances, and they will be if
they are guided by the Spirit. Remember that these are
the chief officers placed in the Church to see that we are
not “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind
of doctrine” (Eph 4:14.)
Now, one final word: In the Church we are all brethren;
the Lord is no respecter of persons; it is not a church
position that saves but obedience and personal
righteousness.
The gospel has been restored so “that every man might
speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of
the world” (D&C 1:20). We are all entitled to the spirit of
inspiration. As the Prophet Joseph Smith said, “God
hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will
make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint
may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them”
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph
Fielding Smith [SLC: Deseret Book Co., 1938), p. 149.
The gifts of the Spirit are available to all of us. Indeed, it
is our privilege — the privilege of every elder in the
kingdom — to strip ourselves of jealousies and fears,
and to humble ourselves before the Lord, until “the veil
shall be rent” and we shall see him and know that he is
(D&C 67:10).
The work is true; the Lord’s hand is in it; it will come off
triumphant. And all of us who do our part will receive
peace and joy in this life and be inheritors of eternal life
in the world to come. In the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, amen.