“K” is for King of Kings

“All kingdoms of the earth are become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.¹”

When I began thinking about what I wanted to write for this particular article, the first thing that came to mind were the words of the scriptures used in the Hallelujah Chorus by George Friedrich Handel as written above. If you would like to hear this beautiful chorus sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, click here.

We believe that the Millennium, the thousand years that Christ will reign upon the earth, will be very similar to life as we know it, with one great exception: there will be complete peace and evil will be banished. But what does this mean in the sense of King of Kings?

There’s a story in the Book of Mormon that tells of a group of people called Lamanites. These people were divided into different groups with a king that ruled over each separate group of people. However, there was also a Head King that reigned over all the other minor Kings. The smaller groups had a certain degree of autonomy, but were still subject to the whims of the Head King. If he didn’t like the way one of the subordinate kings was acting, he had the power to remove the lesser king or interfere with the way he was running things. The minor kings didn’t have the collective right to remove the Head King. So it will be during the Millennial period, except that the King of Kings will rule in righteousness and will not rule with whims, but according to set rules that will not change, because they will be just. People will not have to change their religion, during this time, if they don’t feel the need, because no man or woman will be commanded to be what they don’t want to be.

 

 ¹Revelations 11:15; 19:16

See Articles of Faith 10 for further information

Painting: the Second Coming by Harry Anderson

“H” is for Health—The Word of Wisdom

“Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—”¹

When I first started working for the L.A. Times, just shortly after I joined the LDS Church back in 1973, I was disconcerted to discover that I was followed by several of my co-workers whenever I went on break. This continue for several days until, exasperated, I turned around and asked, “Is there something I can do for you?” Taken by surprise, they stood mute for about two seconds, after which their response took ME by surprise, “We know you’re a Mormon, so why are you drinking Coke?” I put their dear little hearts at ease, by telling them (truthfully) that I was in fact drinking root beer, not Coke. I would like to point out that drinking Coke or other similar beverages is not prohibited, but only suggested that we not drink them.

Other foods and drinks that are warned against include alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, tobacco and stimulants. It is also advised to eat meat sparingly, in times of winter or famine. There are many foods which we are encouraged to eat including herbs, grains, cereals, fruit, etc.

A number of people have tried to get me, and others, to drink wine, saying that it is nothing more than fermented grape juice and that grape juice is good for you; they also like to point out that it was used all over in the Bible. I like to show them these verses found in the Bible:

“Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine or strong drink, and not any unclean thing.”²

 “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”³

As a result of keeping these commandments, we are are promised that we will be free from bonds, and that we will “find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures”⁴

 

¹Doctrine and Covenants 89:4

²Judges 13:4

³Proverbs 20:1

⁴Doctrine and Covenants 89:19

“E” is for Easter: the Atonement and the Resurrection

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”¹

Easter is one of my two favorite holidays. It is the day that we, together with all Christianity celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, we believe that every person who has ever lived, because when Jesus rose from the dead, He triumphed over the physical death that was brought upon the world through Adam’s transgression, for all mankind, regardless of who they are.² The resurrection is the literal reuniting of our soul with our physical body, rendered immortal. As Job said, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”³

The part of Easter that is so important for believers in Christ actually began several days before Easter Sunday, in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, knowing what was to come, withdrew to a solitary place, asking his closest friends to wait for him and to keep watch. There, he took upon himself the weight of the sins of the people of the world. The physical and spiritual pain that He alone could bear was so great that the scriptures say that he “bled from every pore”.⁴ And after he had finished praying, he went out and found that his friends had fallen asleep and that he had been betrayed by one of his own disciples into the hands of those who wished him no good.

Still bearing the weight of the world’s sins, mocked, derided, and whipped, a thorn crown pushed onto his head he was dragged from one illegal “kangaroo court” to another, until he was condemned to die on the cross by the same people he had come to save. And there, in the midst of thieves, he completed His atonement, for all those who would accept the gift of his sacrifice, with the words, “It is finished”.⁵

“We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”⁶ 

 

¹John 3:16

²1 Corinthians 15:21-24

³Job 19:26

⁴Luke 22:44

⁵John 19:28-30

⁶The Articles of Faith

The painting in the upper left corner: The Crucifixion of Christ, by Harry Anderson

The statue on the Right: The Christus, by Thorvaldsen 

 

“D” is for Disciples and Apostles

“We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth.”¹

Disciple: 1) a follower of a teacher or a school of thought; (2) One of the personal followers of Jesus Christ, including the twelve apostles.²

Apostle: One of the twelve disciples chosen by Christ to preach his gospel. The word comes from the Greek word meaning messenger.³

As can be seen, there is a difference between disciples and apostles, in that anyone who follows a certain person – in this case Jesus Christ – can be called a disciple, whereas an apostle is a person who has been specifically called and set apart to serve as a messenger or witness for Jesus Christ. Apostles are also disciples, since they are followers of Christ, but disciples are not necessarily apostles.

This is not to say that Christ’s disciples are unimportant; quite the opposite is true, for these are the people who take on the other roles essential to the Church’s structure. In the LDS church, these disciples take on the roles of pastors (branch presidencies or ward bishops), teachers in the various auxiliaries (primary, relief society, Sunday School, young men and young women and so on), evangelists (aka seventies⁴ and missionaries).

 

¹ Articles of Faith, 6; Ephesians 4 (see v. 11 in particular)

²  Reverso Dictionary disciple, definition

³ ibid. apostle, definition

⁴ Luke 10: 1-20

The painting on the left: The Sermon on the Mount, by Harry Anderson

The painting on the right: The Last Supper

“B” is for Bible AND Book of Mormon

One of the most common misconceptions that people have of our beliefs is that we don’t believe in the Holy Bible. This may be because of our belief in an additional book of scriptures, the Book of Mormon; those who are of this opinion are mistaken, however. As the Eighth Article of Faith states: “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” This year, members of the Church are studying the New Testament as part of the Sunday School curriculum.

Some might argue, “A Bible, a Bible, we have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.”¹ But even the Bible itself speaks of the Book of Mormon: “Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, ‘For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick and write upon it ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions:

“And join them one to another in one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.”²

We believe that the Book of Mormon is that stick upon which is written “For Joseph” and that its teachings, combined with those of the Bible contain the fullness of the Lord’s gospel.

Another important point to keep in mind is that Jesus himself said that “…in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”³ In fact, the full name of the Book of Mormon is: The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

The Bible speaks mainly of the relationship between God and the Jews, and Jesus’ ministry in Palestine, whereas the Book of Mormon speaks of the relationship between God and the people on the American continent, as well as Jesus’ ministry to that people.

As a child growing up in another faith, I loved reading and listening to the stories of the Bible, especially the stories of Jesus; as an LDS mother, I loved teaching my daughter the stories in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, because both books of scriptures teach us how to become like Jesus and how to return to him. And yes, I do believe that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God, and I’m thankful for their teachings.

 

¹ 2 Nephi 29:3 (Book of Mormon)

² Ezekiel 37:16-19 (Bible: Old Testament)

³ Matthew 18:16 (Bible: New Testament)

 

© Mary Purpari April,1, 2015