Gold and the Two Ways -- part 3

This is part 3 in a series.  Part 1. Part 2.

In this section we'll look at references to gold and treasure in the New Testament. I'll end with the teachings of Jesus from the Gospels, so let's begin with the other books.  This is not comprehensive, it is only meant to be a sample of the type of messages about treasure which relate to the doctrine of the Two Ways. To summarize a theme I see repeated throughout scriptures: the way of life values God's hidden wisdom over any earthly treasure, whereas the way of death causes one to be willing to enter into secret combinations in order to gain earthly treasures.

James 5

1 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. 2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. 4 Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. (James 5, NRSV)

This passage contains a really important details which I'll develop in more detail as we look at Book of Mormon passages about gold and riches. Notice how James describes the consequence of laying up earthly treasures at the expense of the poor: not only will your treasure rust, it will also stand as evidence against you (that you did not freely give it to the cause of Zion) and it will "eat your flesh like fire." This intense visual metaphor is really important in understanding Book of Mormon references to hell and damnation. 

Acts 3

3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3)

Acts 17

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. (Acts 17)

Acts 20

32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
33 I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.

34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. (Acts 20)

2 Timothy 2

20 In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. 21 All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work. (2 Timothy 2, NRSV)

I have one additional reference to gold from the epistles of Paul which I'll save for the end of this post, because it builds on some ideas I'll develop in more detail in future parts of this series.

The Gospels

Jesus teaches about the potential perils of riches many times and in a variety of contexts:

In Matthew 2, the wise men give the Christ child a gift including gold.

Matthew 10: 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

 

Matthew 23: 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? (NRSV)

 

Mark 10: 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23 ¶ And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! (See also Matthew 19:21-23.)

Luke 6: 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (See also Matthew 12:35.)

Matthew 6: 19 ¶ Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Luke 12: 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Conclusion and final example

It really strikes me how often Jesus' words about treasure directly connect to the doctrine of the two ways. It is clear that James 5:4 (quoted above) is a direct reference to Genesis 4:10, in which Abel's blood cries from the ground to the Lord as a testament of Cain's evil.

This connection to such an ancient, foundational Old Testament passage has me pondering about riches and treasure.  I'm starting to see these ideas in new and interesting ways. For example, in the next part we'll look at the curse described in the Book of Mormon where treasure becomes slippery.

But I think it goes even deeper than that. Part of the test of mortality involves a choice between valuing gold above God and our fellow man, thereby becoming as dross. Alternatively, we can humble ourselves and seek the things of a better world, thereby becoming as dross (cast out by the wealthy of the world), which process refines us as gold in God's eyes.  This connects pretty directly to a variety of scriptural symbols: the gulf in Lehi's dream, the lake of fire and brimstone, and the smoke that "ascendeth up forever and ever." We also see some similar teachings in the apocryphal Books of Enoch.  

Let's conclude this post with one last passage from the New Testament:

1 Corinthians 3: 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (NRSV)

The day of judgment brings fire to test what kind of temple each of us has built on the foundation which has been laid. Will it be burned up or will it stand?

I'll develop this idea in the final two parts of this series.

The Angel Moroni uses the Bible to summarize the purposes of the Restoration -- Part 2

In part 1, we reviewed quotations from Malachi and Isaiah used by Moroni to teach Joseph Smith about the purposes of the restoration.  In this post, we'll look at the rest of what he said.

We begin in the New Testament.

Acts 3:22-23

22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

Moroni offered some explanation for these verses:

He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when “they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,” but soon would come.

The phrases "destroyed from among the people" and "cut off from among the people" seem to refer to the Way of Death, or rejecting the covenant/Gospel of Christ. Thus, in contrast, it seems to me that the saying "him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you" refers to the Way of Life, or accepting the covenant/Gospel of Christ.

Joel 2

Next, Moroni quotes the end of Joel chapter 2, with some obvious references to covenants (see verse 32) and also some obvious references to spiritual gifts (see verses 28-29):

28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

Verse 31 clearly references a coming day of judgment -- the "great and terrible day of the Lord." The purpose of the restoration is to give us what we need in order to withstand that day. We find deliverance through calling upon the name of the Lord in Mount Zion. In other words, the Priesthood, together with its ordinances (including temple ordinances) prepare us to stand clean before God on the day of judgment.

Joseph says the angel mentioned that this prophecy of Joel is "not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be."

Then Joseph says this:

And he further stated that the fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here.

We're left to wonder what was quoted and what was said.

We also learn that this divine message was repeated four times over the next few hours.

Conclusion

What I take away from reviewing these scriptures is that the purposes of the restoration have been clear and consistent from the very beginning.  The plan laid out by the voice of the angel echoes the same things we hear President Nelson emphasizing today: Faith, repentance, saving ordinances, Priesthood, and temples. Moroni makes it clear that all of this is designed to offer us a way to withstand the day of judgment and stand clean before God.

In these visits to Joseph Smith, Moroni summarizes the purposes of the restoration using the Bible.  At the very end of the Book of Mormon, he summarizes the purpose of the Book of Mormon (the instrument of the gathering of Israel) using his own words.  Notice the references to judgment, prophecies being fulfilled, spiritual gifts, covenants, the atonement of Jesus Christ, and standing clean before God.

27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?
28 I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.
29 And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.
30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.
31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen. (Moroni 10)

Jesus quoting the Old Testament in 3 Nephi 20

There are several posts on this blog about unannounced quotations from Old Testament/Brass Plates prophets. Sometimes these quotations are also quite complex as the Book of Mormon text jumps in and out of the quoted passage like demonstrated here.

Another great example of complex Old Testament quotations is 3 Nephi 20 and 21 when Jesus himself is speaking. With "complex" I mean that you don't just memorize some Bible verses and dictate it on the fly. This post will focus on 3 Nephi 20. 3 Nephi 21 will be evaluated in a later post. In 3 Nephi 20:11, Jesus reminds the people of an Isaiah passage he said would be fulfilled in 3 Nephi 16:17 about the gathering of Israel. He elaborates on this over the next few chapters and from verse 16 and on, he begins to quote several Old Testament passages in between his own words. The color coding represents a match or close match with a passage in the Bible.

Book of Mormon	Bible	Reference
16 Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.	8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.	Micah 5:8-9
17 Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.	9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
18 And I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor.	12 But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.	Micah 4:12-13
19 For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it.	13 Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.
20 And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles.
21 And it shall come to pass that I will establish my people, O house of Israel.
22 And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.
23 Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.	15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; … 18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.	Deuteronomy 18:15,19
24 Verily I say unto you, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.	Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.	Acts 3:24 (!)
25 And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.	and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.	Genesis 12:3
26 The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—
27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel.	and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.	Genesis 12:3
28 And they shall be a scourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father.	I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God	Ezekiel 11:21
29 And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.
30 And it shall come to pass that the time cometh, when the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto them;
31 And they shall believe in me, that I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name.
32 Then shall their watchmen lift up their voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye.	8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.	Isaiah 52:8
33 Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them Jerusalem for the land of their inheritance.
34 Then shall they break forth into joy—Sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Father hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.	9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.	Isaiah 52:8-9
35 The Father hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Father; and the Father and I are one.	10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
36 And then shall be brought to pass that which is written: Awake, awake again, and put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.	1 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.	Isaiah 52:1-3
37 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.	2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
38 For thus saith the Lord: Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money.	3 For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak.	6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.	Isaiah 52:6-7
40 And then shall they say: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!	7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
41 And then shall a cry go forth: Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not that which is unclean; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.	11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.	Isaiah 52:11-15
42 For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward.	12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.
43 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.	13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
44 As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—	14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
45 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.	15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
46 Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall Jerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance.

Some reflections:

• I find it interesting that Jesus is quoting prophets so liberally. He seems to be demonstrating that their words are as good as his since he revealed it to them in the first place.
• He doesn't quote chronologically. Micah 5 is quoted before Micah 4. Isaiah 52:8-9 is quoted before Isaiah 52:1-3, etc. Still, the text is coherent. 
• The text displays a deep knowledge of the Old Testament. Try preparing a coherent and meaningful talk for sacrament meeting where half of it is various Old Testament passages interspersed. Not big enough of a challenge? OK, try dictating the words to a scribe on the fly instead without manuscript. For me, it's another one of many examples where the Book of Mormon text itself indicates that it was written by someone with a lot of time and notes and not Joseph Smith.
• One of the quotes is actually from the New Testament. Acts 3:24 is the Chapter after the day of of Pentacost, probably not too long after. We know from 3rd Nephi 8:5 and 10:18 that Christ visited the Americas almost a year after his death. The Day of Pentacost was 50 days after his resurrection. This means that Peter had presumably already uttered these words when Christ repeated them to the Nephites, although they probably hadn't been written down yet, at least not in the Book of Acts as we have it. Just a little oddity.