Lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants 2021
Lesson No. Three
The Promises Planted in the Hearts of Our Children - D&C 2
Concerning the return of Elijah, the Bible teaches: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6).
A more glorious rendition of the prophecy concerning the return of Elijah restores two doctrines of eternal significance: When Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith during the night of September 21-22, 1823 he gave an improved, more glorious description of the reason for the coming of Elijah: "Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming" (D&C 2).
Both versions of the prophecy concerning the return of Elijah are correct, but the improved version taught by Moroni is intended for people with greater spiritual understanding. The improved version has two restored doctrines which if properly understood and applied will qualify us for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. (See Bruce R. McConkie, The Promises Made to the Fathers, Studies in Scripture, Vol 3: Genesis to 2 Samuel, Edited by Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet)
First doctrine restored by Moroni: “Behold, I will reveal unto you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the Prophet” (D&C 2:1). Peter, James and John came in June 1829 and restored the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph and Oliver. They gave them the keys of the kingdom, the keys of this dispensation, and the apostleship. Elijah came in April 1836 and brought the keys of the sealing power, and the Lord thus revealed the total and complete use of the priesthood. This authorized the priesthood to be used to bind on earth and to seal everlastingly in the heavens. Through this sealing power all of the ordinances of the gospel are sealed, made permanent and eternal so we can enjoy the blessing that come from them both in this life and the next. (Attend a temple sealing session and listen closely to the blessings pronounced in this ordinance.)
Second doctrine restored by Moroni: “He [Elijah] shall plant in the hearts of the children the promise made to the fathers…” (D&C 2:2). This restored doctrine raises some very important questions:
Who are the fathers? Who are the children? The fathers are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are the fathers of the house of Israel. The children are the seed or children of Abraham (see Abraham 2:9-11), and through Abraham they are also children of Isaac and Jacob. Elder Bruce R. McConkie observed that “the seed of Abraham is so universally spread over the earth that it is a little difficult to suppose that there are any people left on earth who do not have some of the blood of Abraham in their veins” (Ibid).
What are the promises? The Lord promised Abraham that through him and his seed “shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, and even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11). Elder McConkie explained: “God gave Abraham a promise, and that promise has been planted in my heart because I am a descendant of Abraham. What God said to Abraham was, ‘Your descendants…shall have a right to the priesthood, to the gospel and to eternal life’…Eternal life is the key word in this passage. Eternal life is the name of the kind of life that God our Heavenly Father lives. Eternal life consists of two things. It consists of a continuation of the family unit in eternity, and it consists of inheriting the power, dignity, honor, glory, might and omnipotence of the Lord himself. That is called the fulness of the glory of the Father” (Ibid).
How are these promises fulfilled? "Abraham first received the gospel by baptism (which is the covenant of salvation). Then he had conferred upon him the higher priesthood, and he entered into celestial marriage (which is the covenant of exaltation), gaining assurance thereby that he would have eternal increase. Finally he received a promise that all of these blessings would be offered to all of his mortal posterity.... The portions of the covenant that pertain to personal salvation and eternal increase are renewed with each individual who receives the ordinance of celestial marriage" (Bible Dictionary, Abraham, Covenant of, emphasis added).
Who are the members of the house of Israel? The house of Israel are faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Russell M. Nelson referred to these faithful members as “latter-day covenant Israel” and those “who chose to let God prevail in their lives” (Let God Prevail, Ensign, November 2020).
Members of the house of Israel were chosen or “elected” in the pre-mortal existence. Election is "a theological term primarily denoting God’s choice of the house of Israel to be the covenant people with privileges and responsibilities, that they might become a means of blessing to the whole world....It has reference to one’s situation in mortality; that is, being born at a time, at a place, and in circumstances where one will come in favorable contact with the gospel. This election took place in the premortal existence" (Bible Dictionary, Election). To be born into the house of Israel is a birthright earned in the pre-existence.
The promises given to Abraham were also given to our children and planted in their hearts in the pre-mortal existence - Our children are the elect and they come to our families with a birthright inherited from the pre-existence, and with these promises already planted in their hearts. And when they are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ in this life, and if they will listen to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, they will be reminded of their faithfulness in the pre-mortal existence and this will bless their life now and in the eternities.
The Lord commanded that we "teach these things freely to [our] children" (Moses 6:58). It is our great desire that as we teach our children about the promises made to them in the pre-mortal existence, these promises will "take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life" (Alma 32:41).