Lessons of 2026
Lesson No. Twenty-Four
By the Wisdom and Power of the Father
Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
In a remarkable scripture about the relationship between the founding of the United States and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Jesus explained: “For it is wisdom in the Father that they ( “they” as used here refers to the founding generations of Americans) should be established in this land (United States), and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things (The Book of Mormon,) might come forth from them (“them as used here refers to the founding generations of Latter-day Saints) unto a remnant of your seed (latter day Lamanites), that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel” (3 Nephi 21:4, italicized explanations are mine). From this single verse we are taught powerful truths about the connection between the founding of the United States and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The “truths” Jesus taught in this verse include the following:
- Many of us have ancestors numbered among the founding generations of Americans. It was “in the wisdom of the Father” that our ancestors immigrated to the United States.
- They were “set up as a free people by the power of the Father.” The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were successful because of the power of the Father. (See D&C 98:4-10; 101:77-80)
- The primary reason the Father used His wisdom and power in this way was so the gospel of Jesus Christ could be restored; specifically, it was so “these things” (Jesus is referring to the Book of Mormon) could be translated by the gift and power of God to come forth in our day.
- “The covenant of the Father” is that in His wisdom and by His power the gospel of Jesus Christ will be restored and Israel will be gathered in the latter days.
- “These things” (The Book of Mormon) gives the pattern of how Israel will be gathered in the last days. The following verses are from 1 Nephi 22:
· Israel was scattered among all nations, brought into captivity, and spiritually confounded because of wickedness, and because they rejected their Savior (Vs 3, 5).
· The Lord raised up a mighty nation (the United States), and the marvelous work of restoring the gospel and fulfilling his covenant to gather Israel is in process (Vs 7-9). · The Lord will make bare his arm (show his power) to gather Israel (Vs 10-11).
· The Lord will insure people can gather to the Church in their own nations (Vs 12).
· They shall be brought out of darkness, gain a testimony, and join His Church (Vs 12).
The pattern used to gather Israel began in the United States; 1 Nephi 13 -14 reveals this pattern:
· The Colonists were delivered and given freedom by the power of God (13:10-19).
· The Gentles were also delivered from their “awful state of (spiritual) blindness” (13:32). The Book of Mormon will make known to all people that Jesus is the Christ “the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot by saved” (13:40).
· The Restoration, including the Book of Mormon, is a marvelous work which sifts the nations. Those who accept the gospel receive eternal life; the devil has power over those who do not (14:7).
· The Lord’s Church is worldwide; it is small compared to the world (14:12).
· The Lord protects His people who make and keep temple covenants (14:14).
· The Father uses this pattern to fulfill His covenant to gather Israel (14:17).
This pattern which began in the United States is being repeated –
· People worldwide will have enough political and religious freedom to hear the gospel. Then Elder Dallin Oaks said: “The United States Constitution was the first written constitution in the world. It has served American well, enhancing freedom and prosperity during the changed conditions of more than two hundred years. Frequently copied, it has become the United States’ most important export. After two centuries [most] nations have adopted written constitutions and the U.S. Constitution was a model for all of them” (Ensign, February 1992, p. 68).
· Our living Prophet holds the keys, restored through Joseph Smith, to gather Israel.
We labor with the Lord as He fulfills his covenant to gather Israel. (See Jacob 5:69-72)
· Faithful members worldwide provide the leaven which lifts their countries out of darkness as more of their countrymen join the Church. This is also the salt which will preserve their freedom.
· The primary way that the house of Israel blesses the families and the nations of the earth is through missionary service. Abraham’s seed have the responsibility to “bear this ministry and priesthood unto all nations” (Abraham 2:9). “Abraham’s seed have carried out the missionary activity in all the nations since Abraham’s day” (Bible Dictionary, Abraham, Covenant of, p. 602).
The Father uses the Book of Mormon to fulfill His covenant to gather Israel. President Ezra Taft Benson rhetorically asked: “What is the instrument that God has designed for the gathering of Israel?” He answered: “It is the same instrument that is designed to convince the world that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is His prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. It is that scripture which is the keystone of our religion. It is that most correct book which, if men will abide by its precepts, will get them closer to God than any other book. It is the Book of Mormon.”
“The gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today” (Russell M. Nelson, Hope of Israel, June 3, 2018). From the Lord’s perspective, and that is the only perspective that really matter, the gathering of Israel on both sides of the veil is the most important thing taking place on earth today.
To gather Israel religious freedom must increase throughout the earth. Our living Prophet, President Dallin H. Oaks has asked that we unit in fasting, as part of our celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, to thank God for our religious freedom and pray that it will increase world-wide. From the time he become an Apostle he has often taught the importance of religious freedom. The following are examples:
In a personal conversation after a Devotional for workers in the Salt Lake Temple, President Oaks told me: “The greatest challenge to the Church in fulfilling its mission to take the gospel to the world is the increasing effort in many nations, including the United States, to limit religious freedom. There is a great need for Church members to work hard to maintain religious freedom. Our heritage is built on the foundation of political, economic, and particularly religious freedom. Religious freedom is a necessary part of the plan of salvation.”
In a sermon entitled Religious Freedom given at BYU-Idaho on October 13, 2009 President Oaks said: "There is a battle over the meaning of [religious] freedom. The contest is of eternal importance, and it is your generation that must understand the issues and make the efforts to prevail." In this regard President Ronald Reagan said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation.”
Testimony. In a landmark sermon entitled Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution given at conference in April 2021, President Oaks said: “In these remarks I do not speak for any political party or other group. I speak for the United States Constitution, which I have studied for more than 60 years. I speak from my experience as a law clerk to the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. I speak from my 15 years as a professor of law and my 3½ years as a justice on the Utah Supreme Court. Most important, I speak from 37 years as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, responsible to study the meaning of the divinely inspired United States Constitution to the work of His restored Church” (Emphasis mine).
President Oaks since he became an Apostle, has had the primary responsibility among his brethren of the First Presidency and the Twelve to understand the Constitution as it applies to the ongoing work of the Lord. In this sermon he identified five principles of the Constitution which are divinely inspired. At this very time, President Oak’ fifth principle may be the most important in defending our divinely inspired Constitution.
“We are to be governed by law and not by individuals, and our loyalty is to the Constitution and its principles and processes, not to any office holder. In this way, all persons are to be equal before the law. These principles block the autocratic ambitions that have corrupted democracy in some countries. They also mean that none of the three branches of government should be dominant over the others or prevent the others from performing their proper constitutional functions to check one another” (emphasis mine).
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence should pray for the wisdom to understand and for the courage to follow our living Prophet.
Released on July 5th. 2026.