Follow Him: A Come, Follow Me Podcast - Doctrine & Covenants 88 Part 2 : Dr. Anthony Sweat

Episode Date: August 8, 2021

Can you explain the importance of baptism or marriage in one sentence? Can you describe the significance of the temple endowment in one sentence? Understanding  the temple endowment can be more complicated. Still, Dr. Anthony Sweat continues shares how the School of the Prophets enabled the Savior to reveal Himself to a company of endowed priests and priestesses and teaches the purpose of the endowment--a purpose you can share in a sentence!Shownotes: https://followhim.co/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followhimpodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FollowHimOfficialChannel"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com/products/let-zion-in-her-beauty-rise-pianoPlease rate and review the podcast.

Welcome to part two of this week's podcast. I'm excited. You seem to enjoy this school of the prophets. You may have mentioned it before in the podcast. I don't know if I knew or not. I maybe enjoy it so much because like everything we write is autobiography, really. And, you know, John, you mentioned, you mentioned the Holy invitation. I wrote that book because I sensed a large number of young people. We're not grasping the endowment. As you could, you could take the average Saturday, say, and say, in one sentence, give me the purpose of baptism. And they could do it pretty well. In one sentence, give me the purpose of the sacrament.

They could summarize it well. In one sentence, even give me the purpose of an eternal marriage, and they could summarize it well. But if you say in one sentence, give me the purpose of the endowment. The answers start to become nebulous, and they shift, and they're not very clean, and they hem, and they shift and they're not very clean and they hem and they ha And they come with general answers like oh, it's it's a gift And you say a gift of what you know, and they'll say a gift of knowledge well a gift of knowledge of what a gift of knowledge of God for for what and they just don't know

A gift of knowledge of God for what and they just don't know So one of the reasons why I'm so passionate about this is because I actually think section 88 unlocks the endowment for us I think it gives us a key to understand what the Holy Temple is trying to do and What the endowment is all about which is why I wrote that book, The Holy Invitational, The Holy Invitational, because this of this time in church history is where this invitation is extended. And to understand it, we have to back up a little bit to the June 1831 conference of the

church that you've talked about in your podcast where the Lord says, hey, I want to read a Gathered Ohio. And if you in section 38, if you will gather to Ohio, I will endow you with power from on high. That section 38 verse 32. And when they get to Ohio in the summer of 1831, at the June 1831 conference, they get there to receive an endowment. The first endowment in this dispensation was not in the Kirtland Temple. It was not in the Naubu Temple.

The first endowment was on the Isaac Morley farmhouse in right outside of Kirtland, Ohio. In a little log cabin, where about 60 men had gathered together in the words of John Coral, quote, that they might receive an endowment. I would say that a broader definition of endowment is to receive a power or a capacity. So the question is, what great power and capacity was God trying to give these elders who gathered on the morally farm in June of 1831. Well, he was trying to give them the great power and capacity of ancient high priests. People like Enic and like Melchizedic and like Isaiah and like the brother of Jared. This is where Joseph's translation of the Bible ties in.

Joseph had been translating in Genesis 14. Joseph learned about great high priests who could divide the seas and put it defiance the armies of nations and break apart mountains. He had translated about Enoch. He had, you know, and he had learned that Melchizedek was a great high priest. And what Joseph wanted to do at the June 1831 conference is give these elders help them become high priests. Now, when I say high priests, we think ecclesiastically in the church. We think of like, state presidents bishops and and that is an after the June 1831 conference Joseph will start to use high priests to preside but the theological line the doctrinal line finds its its fruition in the temple today.

How do I make people get power and capacity to become great high priests and then Joseph will extend to women and priestesses unto God. That is what's happening at the June 1831 conference. And Joseph promises them that, let me read, Joseph says at the June 1831 conference, quote, not three days should pass away before some should see the savior face to face end of quote Levi Hancock said at the June 1831 conference Joseph simply promised them quote you shall see the Lord at this conference And I mean you guys could you imagine being invited to a conference promised that within three days if you live imagine being invited to a conference, promise that within three days, if you live pure enough and sanctified enough, that you'll have the power and capacity to rent the veil and see God face

to face. I mean, that's what's happening at the June 1831 conference. And some of them do Harvey Whitlock, Lyman White, they leave recollections that at the June 1831 conference, they did experience power. They did have the heavens parted. Some of them did say that they saw God. Most of them failed, however, at it. Like I'm sure you and I would, if we were at that conference at least I know I would. And the reason why I'm setting all this up is because this is what Joseph and the Lord through his prophet is going to work on. You guys grasp this if I can try to say it clearly. How do I create a

nation of priests and priestesses who have power in their life, heavenly power, who can understand God, no God, know his ways, know his will, that they can bring about his purposes, that they can perform miracles, that they can build the kingdom. How do I create those kind of women and men? And that is what the school of the prophets is going to try to help instigate that is going to be started in section 88. So did I make that connection clear enough about what's

happening? I think so. And not not only how do I make them, how do they, how do I get them to choose it? Yeah, right? Because I can't righteousness isn't righteousness if it's forced. Exactly. I've got to persuade you to choose this. So let me back up just a little bit more. Go to section 67 of your doctrine and covenants because this will make a tie into section 88. We often only read section 67 in the context of publishing the book of commandments. So if you look at the heading of section 67, this is given in November of 1831. So what, five months have passed since the June 1831 conference. Largely, these are the same group of elders who were trying to receive the power and capacity of great high priests endowment

at the June 1831 conference. Go to section 67, it's now November of 31. Look at verse three. The blessing which was offered to you. He endeavored to receive the blessing which was offered unto you. What blessing was offered? It was the blessing of endowment. It was the blessing of knowing God, having the heavens opened, having his mysteries revealed. But very I say unto you, there were fears in your hearts. And very this is the reason you did not receive. Now jump over to verse 10 and section 67. And again, very I say unto you that it is your privilege and a promise I give unto you.

I would highlight that line because you're gonna see it in section 88. A promise I give unto you that have been ordained under this ministry, their ordination was to become great high priests. That in as much as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears and humble yourselves before me for you are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am. Not with the carnal, neither natural mind, but with the spiritual.

You cannot be carnal and have endowment in your life, have great power and capacity. Verse 12, a natural man cannot abide the presence of God, verse 13, you are not able to abide the presence of God now. Neither the ministering of angels, of God now. Neither the ministering of angels, wherefore continue in patience until you are perfected and tell you're ready, you've got to work at this. Let not your minds turn back and when you are worthy in my own due time, ye shall see and know that which was conferred upon you by the hands of my servant

Joseph Smith, Jr. Amen. That which was conferred upon you by the hands of my servant, Joseph Smith, Jr. Amen. That which was conferred upon them was to become great high priest and to have the power and capacity of endowment. Isn't that awesome, that context? Now flip, now go to section 88 with that context. As you guys are flipping there, Joseph said after, you know, Joseph says this in October of 1831, could we all come together with one heart and one mind in perfect faith? The veil might as well be rent today as next week or any other time. if we will but cleanse ourselves and covenant before God, it is our privilege. You

got to be pure. You got to be covenant people in order to have endowment happen. So now go to section 88 and look at these, the fruition of this. Go to verse 68. You know, when you walk into schools and they have like a motto that's up there, like, you know, so and so elementary, our mission statement is to well, I like to call verse 68 the mission statement or the motto for the school of the prophets. motto for the school of the prophets. Verse 68, therefore, sanctify yourselves, and run the words become more pure and clean and holy. That your minds become single to God. And then look at this, and the days will come that you shall see him, for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, in his own way, and a coordinator's own will.

Now I want to make a caveat. There are many ways that God manifests himself to us. This doesn't have to be a literal physical appearance. But the promise is there that God will unveil himself to you. Now look at 69. Remember the great and last promise promise which I have made unto you So he ties in that promise you have to tie in Section 67 verse 3 there and you have to tie in the June 1831 conference to understand the great promise

And if I could put it my own language The great and last promise is the promise that you can be endowed with high priestly, heavenly power in your life to come into the presence of God, to know Him, to know His will, to have revelation, to be guided, and to be won with Him, and to receive a fullness of His blessings. That's the promise. Do you see why I'm geeking out about this? Do you see why I get so excited about it? Yes, awesome.

Thank you so much. And then also flip over to verse 74 and 75. We're at the middle 74. Sanctify yourselves on the middle of 74. Sanctify yourselves. Purify your hearts. Cleanse your hands and your feet before me. That I may make you clean.

That I may testify into your father and your God and my God, that you are clean from the blood of this wicked generation, that I may fulfill this promise, this great and last promise. Again, as Joseph said, we've got to be clean before God and we've got to covenant with God. So I know that we're used to talking about the School of Profits, almost like a glorified missionary training center, and I think that's an appropriate way to look at it, but a higher way to look at it is that God is trying, he's going to make a School of Profits, a school of Melchizedek's and Enix and Noah's and Adams, a school of Moses's that

can have the same revelatory power and capacity and miracles in their life, and to try to get them to achieve this. And then he's going to lay out patterns of living or an order of living so that you can live this ancient, high-priestly order in your life. It's just awesome to me to see it. Hey, Tony, I know my own kids, when we get to verse 69, they're gonna say, does God not want us to laugh, right? Your excess of laughter far from you.

Can you clarify what that means? There's a great cross-reference to first Peter IV that's where Peter is talking about, you know, you used to live this way. I want you to be a saint. And he says, when you walked in lasciviousness, lust, excess of wine, revelings, and abominable idolatries. That's different than having a laugh. No, I agree. I mean, you guys kick off this podcast with, we love to learn, we love to laugh, you know?

Yeah. You have to remember, in context here, the Lord is trying to get rid of light-mindedness, afflipant, a low base, a T-lestual way of living, a way that's light. Just crude, crass, careless light about things that shouldn't be made light of. Or we all know that there are times when things get really sacred, for example, there's just a general heavenly sense that it's not the right time to be flippant and joky. And so I think that Lord seems to be saying, have an appropriate humor in an appropriate way

at the appropriate time. Right. It's not saying don't enjoy life and have a good sense of humor, right? I think that is of God, but it's in the right way in the right time. Well, you just made a little sermon there, Tony. Crude, cracks and careless. I was like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, the right time. Well, you just made a little sermon there, Tony. Crude, Crashing, careless.

I was like, hey, yeah. I was like, hey, yeah. I was like, hey, yeah. Crude, Crashing, careless. I'm gonna use that because that's humor that has a bad aftertaste, I call it. Crude, Crashing, careless. Sorry, John, what were you gonna say?

No, I think that I have been, and I bet you have two, Hank, I've been to, and probably you two, Tony, you've been at a youth conference or something, and I remember one time, I will never forget it. There was just, I don't even remember who was speaking. It was like the last talk, a testimony meeting, and it was a great, there was a wonderful spirit in the chapel, and they sat down and nobody wanted to leave. There was, and the crazy thing that happened was somebody gave the thumbs up to the people in the gymnasium to start the dance, and all of the sudden in the gym we started hearing the boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, and you could see a

pained look on the teenagers in the room as as some that it was just dances aren't evil, but it was not the same spirit that was in the chapel. And there's what you said about just kind of a time and a place and appropriate. And there were some I stayed in the chapel with a bunch of kids that just wanted to stay in there and talk about wonderful things. And I was delighted to miss the dance. And to stay with them. And I bet you've both seen that sort of thing happen where a different spirit just came. And that's where you would not want the excess of laughter.

And we just sat and talked about wonderful things in the chapel and it was the best part of the youth conference was not the dance. I love that. It was that we just sat there on the pews and talked about the gospel and our testimonies for hours. One time when I was young in my seminary teaching days,

when I was learning how to become an educator, one of the harshest rebukes I received from a supervisor, and I'm glad he did, was at the end of a class, he said to me, he said, sweat, you want to know why your class is missing a certain level of power? And I said, why? And he goes, because you're too consistently trying to be funny the whole time. Many said you're too light and you're treating some sacred things too flippantly and too carelessly.

And that rebukes Dung. I'm gonna be honest with you. I like bristle a little bit, but as I reflected a lot over the next number of days, I found that he was right. And don't get me wrong. Again, this is the balance. Have fun, enjoy life, have appropriate humor.

But there's the right time and there's the right place. And one time Joseph himself wrote a letter and he said, our solemn assemblies, I mean, that very, this section tells them to call a solemn assembly. And that very word means it's time to get serious, it's time to get sacred. And Joseph said, sometimes our solemn assembly have been too light, too vain, and too trifling were the words that Joseph used in the context of that. I remember, President Hinckley saying, in all all of living have much fun and laughter, right?

Remember, he said that. And with both of you, I have laughed, you know, just in our conversations, I have laughed and I felt like so good about that because it's never been crude, crafts or careless. And it's never been in a setting where we needed to kind of bring our minds into a spiritual focus. It's been in just, you know, we go out to dinner and we have it. And you can feel the spirit of friendship and there's a purity there.

So yeah, I just, I thought we'd catch that versus just real quick, Tony, just making sure that, you know, all laughter is bad. Excess of laughter is the idea of, yeah, don't take anything seriously. I'm really going to use this crude grass and careless. I'm going to use this a lot. You go, buddy. I remember reading something. I think it was in the Stephen Oramitsyn and Dean Garrett commentary where they pointed out excessive laughter here, all laughter in this same section in verse 21. But this is talking about more of now you're in the temple,

organize a house of, you know. And it's the idea of a time and a place. And I really appreciate something Truman Madsen did once where he talked about differentiating lightheartedness from light mindedness. And that was that was helpful as well. And all three of us know that I've used humor in my classes sometimes as a learning hook. But then there are times when it would be an appropriate to use it. Where there is genuine interest in a wonderful hook, but then there are times when it would be an appropriate to use it, where there is a genuine interest in a wonderful topic. You don't need it. You don't need it.

Because people are locked in and they're listening in the spirits there, and then it wouldn't be right. Yeah. And I think we've all experienced that. Yeah, and I'll tie into this this you could add verse 121 there. You know, Hank, you read verse um that's 69. You had 69 jump over from and I'll come back to these 121. Seize from all your light speeches and it's all laughter there and all laughter there. And all laughter, in context of this, your lustful desires, your pride, your light-mindedness, your wicked doings.

He seems to be classifying it that type of laughter and inappropriate humor there. Both of you are masters of this, though, of the right type of humor, of humor that just helps us enjoy life and the beauties of it and the follies of it but then balancing that with keeping, keeping holy things holy at the right time and place. Oh, I hope so, or I'm in so much trouble. P2.

Okay, verse 117 is the shift. Verse 117 is the shift. Verily I say to you, my friends, call your solemn assembly. Verse 119, so this sacred, I want you to call a sacred meeting, organize yourself in 119, prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God. That is the command there. So the Lord says, all right, the morally farm was great, that little school house.

But if we're going to endow people, I want solemn places, solemn rooms, solemn assemblies in a house of God. And listen to this letter, back to the letter that Joseph writes, W. W. Phelps, just on January 11th, a few weeks after this, he writes W. W. Phelps, the Lord commanded us in Kirtland to build a house of God and establish a school for the prophets. This is the word of the Lord unto us. And then just listen to Joseph's humility,

and we must, ye the Lord unto us, and I just listen to Joseph's humility, and we must ye the Lord helping us, we will obey. As on conditions of our obedience, he has promised us great things, ye even a visit from the heavens, to honor us with his presence. We greatly fear before the Lord, lest we should fail of this great honor, which our master proposes to confer upon us. We are seeking for humility and great faith, lest we be ashamed in his presence and to quote. And that's the context. So, let me just try to say this clearly. The modern day school of the prophets is the Holy Temple. Clearly, the modern day school of the prophets is the Holy Temple. That is where the Lord calls us to solemn assemblies, and He tries to teach us patterns and orders and celestial laws and ways of living to achieve the power of endowment in our life.

Do not confuse the presentation of the endowment with the power of endowment. The presentation of the endowment is a ceremony. It's a dress rehearsal. It's a ritual trying to teach concepts so that we can achieve endowment in our lives. Don't confuse the two. There's a difference between the presentation and the power. In these early years in Curtlyn, God is trying to communicate how to get the power of God in your life, how to live a celestial way to receive a fullness of His blessings. Later in Nahu, it will get packaged. All these, will get packaged into a presentation. But those are two different things. I would be so bold as to say, you can participate in the ceremony of the endowment and never be endowed with power in

your life. So how do we get endowed with power? Well, notice what the Lord starts laying out. How do we achieve the great promise to become great high priests and priestesses? See if this doesn't ring a bell to people. Go to verse 121. Get rid of your light speeches, your laughter, we are tied.

So get rid of light speech and inappropriate laughter. Get rid of all your lustful desires. What do we call the law in the church that tries to get you and I to control our lustful desires? We call that the law of chastity. So live the law of chastity. Get rid of your pride and light-mindedness. Get rid of all your wicked doings.

In other words, learn how to be obedient. Look at verse 123. See that you love one another. Seize to be covetous. Learn to impart to one another as the gospel requires. What do we call the law in the church that tries to unite a love our neighbor as ourselves and to impart of what we've been given. That's called the law of consecration. I mean, the Lord, and then we can keep going. Look at verse 138. Don't receive anybody into this school unless they're clean from the blood of this generation.

How do we get clean from the blood of this generation? Well, we get received by the ordinance of the washing of the feet. Front of this end was the ordinance of the washing of the feet instituted. Joseph Will, when the school is organized, he will wash the members' feet in remembrance of how the Savior washed his apostles' feet. But they will then later extend this washing into a whole body washing when the Kirtland Temple will be built in 1836.

They will wash their entire bodies as well. So you guys, look at this pattern. Wow. You want to come into the presence of the Lord. You want to get his power in your life. You want him to unveil his face, give you his mysteries, reveal himself. Well, so you call a solemn assembly in a holy temple. You commit to getting rid of inappropriate speech and light-mindedness, you covenant to live the law of obedience, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration, and you try to become clean from the blood of this generation through a ceremonial washing that will induct you or initiate you into this

school of future high priests and priestesses. This is laying the foundation for the Holy Temple today. Sometimes I hear people say if you want to understand the endowment, study the Old Testament, I think that can help, but if I would say if you want to understand the endowment, study the doctrine and covenants, because in the pages of the doctrine and covenants, the Lord reveals the purposes and procedures of the endowment bit by bit lying upon line and Section 88 is a major one of those. That's awesome. Isn't that so cool to see that? It's right there. I mean yeah. But I didn't see it until you started pointing out those phrases. And I want to too, like when we read verse 119 where it says,

establish a house, even a house of order, we kind of sometimes interpret that as a house of organization or a house of neatness. I wanna give another definition, that's appropriate, but another definition is a house of a type of person. So all of you Harry Potter fans out there, you know about like Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix. Meaning an order is also a select group of individuals

or a type of person. So the Lord is not only gonna establish a house that has order, he's gonna establish a house to institute and order. And the order that he wants to institute is what Joseph Smith calls the order of the Son of God or the order of Melchizedek. It's the order of great high priest. Again, back to June 1831, I want to make you great high priests like Melchizedek. So I'm going to initiate you into the order of Melchizedek or the order of the Son of God. When you go to the Holy Temple today, you are going to be washed and anointed ceremonially, sacredly,

appropriately, chaste and and it's solemn and it's sacred, but you're going to be initiated to say you can become part of this order. You are then through metaphor, you're going to enter a solemn meeting, a solemn assembly in a sacred temple, and you're going to be taught laws and patterns and ways of living that are Christ-like, like, and the churches published these five major laws. You can read them on temples.churchageeschrice.org. You can also read them in the handbook of instructions under section 28, I believe.

Five major laws of celestial living, obedience, sacrifice, the higher law of the gospel, Jesus's higher teachings as embodying the sermon on the mount, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration. So when you become endowed, the Lord is trying to teach you, when you go through the ceremony, He's trying to say, to the degree that you can learn to pattern your life after these laws, is the degree that you're going to learn to get the power of God in your life, and you'll grow in light, and you'll grow in truth, and you will metaphorically part-vails, and you will watch the plan of salvation be unfolded unto you like prophets have, and you will come into my presence. It's all section 88. It's all

school of the prophets. As you were speaking, I remember when the veil is parted for the brother of Jared, Elder Holland spoke on that moment. And I think it ties it well in here. He said, it was declared, when the brother of Jared did that, that ordinary people with ordinary problems, he said, this is a man whose once best ideas were rocks. A man who doesn't even have a typical name. A man who forgot to pray. And for once in all time, it was declared that ordinary people with

ordinary problems can can run the veil. It seems like that's what the Lord is saying here in 88. I want you here. I love that. That is what he's saying. And again, back to like these laws that section eight sets up, you and I do not have to be perfect. We don't have to be otherworldly. We can be ordinary as you said, Hank, the question is, what do we love? What do we strive? What do we want? Well, I want to be chased. I want to be obedient. I want to sacrifice. I want to be consecrated. And I'm going to continue to work with that and strive for those things in my life. And hopefully we all do who are listening to this podcast. And I am convinced that as you strive and desire, God will work miracles through you.

He'll unveil his face to you in his own way and his own time. He will manifest himself. He'll give you mysteries, meaning you'll understand God. You'll understand his purposes, his ways. You'll get power in your life to perform miracles. I just know that's true. I like also in these verses, Tony, and then, John, I'll hand it over to you. I like also in these verses, Tony, the idea that we need each other. over to you. I like also in these verses, Tony, the idea that we need each other, right? As all, he says in 118, as all have not faith, you know, seek he diligently and teach one another. He says that again in 122, appoint among yourselves a teacher. Don't let everybody speak at once. Speak one at a time that you all may be edified out of all, verse 123, see that you love one another. Close yourselves

in the bond of charity that I don't know about you both, but as we're being, as this is recorded, we're just coming out of COVID, getting back to church. And I, it was like for me personally, it was like a, it was like drinking fresh water, being back with, being back with my word family. I actually, when, when I'm having in-person classes, I actually put up verse 122. Like, this is how we're going to do class, you know? I've, I've been appointed your teacher, but I'd like everybody to have a chance to speak and that we all want to edify each other is so I love 122, but I was going to ask, I don't want to unfairly characterize other faiths or denominations, but I just think it's so wonderful.

or faiths or denominations, but I just think it's so wonderful. It's part, for me, part of my testimony is this idea that the temple was so important in the New Testament. And now in the restoration, it's, here's the temple. And then there's another, and another, and we get kicked out of, we don't even build the one in, you know, Missouri, but keep getting kicked out and bringing me on cons into the valley. First day puts his cane down and says, here we build the temple. And will the prop guy put a stick in a rock there for Wilford Woodruff to, you know, if you're watching the movie, you know, the Lord is really convenient.

He just, oh, here's something. I'm going to whack that in. kind of, he kind of marks the spot. but I love the idea as part of the restoration. What happened to temples? And I hope I'm not being unfair, but look at how important temples are in the restoration. And the other thing I was going to add is, I love the Joseph Smith statement that why did the Lord command us together? The Jews, I think he said the Jews or the object of every activity, every lesson, every progressive step in the church, all our efforts in the church lead to the holy temple. Like from the beginning, the temple was central, and it's to me one of the signs of the fruits of the restoration of the church, is that the temple is central. And Tony, maybe as someone would, I can hear a student asking me, I thought Christ was central.

If you look closely enough, if you're careful, the Savior is throughout your endowment, right? He's throughout the temple. You're endowment, right? He's throughout the temple. The temple is trying to teach you how to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him to quote, Maroni 10. It is, it is trying to say, live these celestial laws and ways and receive these ordinances and bind yourself and take His name upon you. As Elder Bednar said, in the temple, you more fully and completely take upon you the name of Christ. Baptism points you to the temple. Our Savior is in and through every aspect, down to the clothing, down to the light, down to the rooms, down to the signs,

rooms down to the signs, the sacred symbols. The veil itself. The veil. The Christ is, we are trying to come under Christ, and the temple is the house that allows us to put him his name upon us fully. I don't think it would be overstating to say, if you want to come under Christ as closely as possible as you can in this life, the temple is the, is the way to do it. Yeah. Amen to that. Amen. And can I, I mean, back to coming into Christ, I got to share with you just a

little bit about what happens with when they organize this. By the way, we get the name school of the prophets from verse. Oh, I wanted to applaud it myself. There it is. It's one, yeah. 127. The order of the house prepared for the presidency of the school of the prophets.

So this is that January 3rd revelation, like, okay. I just told you to call us all assembly and organize yourself together. Let me give you some instructions. They're going to call out the School of the Prophets. And then here's a fun thing. In verse 130, when the teacher shows up first, he needs to be first. You got to be early. The on-time teacher. Verse 131, I want him to pray and offer himself up to God, but then and when any verse 132, when any shall come in after him, let the teacher arise and with uplifted hands to heaven. Joseph Smith will teach by the way, and Zebra DeCulture and others will leave records of this. He teaches the school of the prophets to pray with uplifted hands. As a matter of fact,

verse 120 that your incomings may be in the name of the Lord, that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord, that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord with uplifted hands to the most high. So when anybody came to the school, there was worthiness check. So let me jump to 132. And when any shall come and after him, let the teacher arise and with uplifted hands to have in the eight, even with, even directly salute his brother or brother

with these words, art thou a brother or a brother, and I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token of remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship and in determination that is fixed, immovable and unchangeable to be your friend and brother through the grace of God and the bonds of love

to walk in all the commandments of God, blameless, in thanksgiving forever and ever, amen. And he that is found unworthy of this salutation, shall not have placed among you, for ye shall not suffer that my house shall be polluted by him. There is one I want to read this is from the very beginning, the Lord is establishing worthiness requirements, to enter the school of the prophets,

or enter what I would call the modern day school of the prophets of the prophets or enter what I would call the modern day school of prophets of the temple today. And it's a covenant based that you're willing to, to, to live the commandments, to, to love each other, to, to this covenant based living. Tony, I know I can, I can hear the idea of like there has to be good feelings between everyone in this. Exactly. Yeah. There's got to be good feelings between everyone in this. Exactly. There's got to be good feelings between people. You've got to be each other's brothers and sisters

and be in harmony with each other. And he that come within and is faithful before me, I'm in 135 and is a brother or if they be a brother in, they shall salute the president or the teacher with uplifted hands to heaven, and this same prayer and covenant, or by saying amen in token of the same. So there is also this feeling of you need to be in harmony with each other. I don't want to say more than I can, but there are sometimes those who try to say, you know, Joseph Smith just ripped off the temple endowment from free masonry, for example, while there is an undoubted overlap between aspects of

free masonry and the presentation of the endowment. Again, those are two different things, endowment and presentation of the endowment. The endowment has nothing to do with Masonry. Now the presentation, how these concepts are presented, there is overlap and there is connection. But Joseph is learning about the power of endowment, the covenants of endowment, the concepts of endowment, the principles of it, long before he ever becomes a Mason, long before he ever establishes the ceremony.

He's learning about it line upon line, precept upon precept, and this is evidence of that. This is almost a decade before. This is almost a decade before he does the presentation of the endowment in Navu. The Lord's already. And this isn't the first time it's even been mentioned. No, we start coming back in June of 1831. Sometime in 29 to 30, Joseph visits with Michael or Adam on the banks of the Sessqua Hannah and receives keys to detect true messengers of God from false ones.

Joseph is learning principles of truth and error, light and darkness, coming into Christ, coming into God, living celestial ways, line upon line, precept upon precept, all trying to help us be endowed with power. except all trying to help us be endowed with power. He even hints it in 137, right, that the school of the prophets will be a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit to your edification. The tabernacle of the Old Testament is a temple. I love it. I love it.

And then I gotta read this story. Like, one of the things I love about these early saints is they are so obedient. Like, you know, they get this revelation in December and the first week of January. Joseph writes, W. W. Phelps, on January 11th. And then at the end of January, they start the school of the prophets. Like within a month, they've got the school going.

They are so obedient. They meet in the Nulke Whitney store. You guys have both been there many times. They meet in that upper little room. You know, it doesn't or so people. It's not very big. It's not very big. How did you get that many people in there? I know. Orson Hyde is a point to be a teacher. One of the most sacred ones on one of the first days, as I mentioned, Joseph washes their feet. Frederick G. Williams washes Joseph's feet as a sign that he is committed to be Joseph's friend

and brother. They speak in tongues. The Lord pours out his spirit upon them. And then let me read you this from Zebari culture and it's a later recollection of Zebari culture, but he was there, listen to what he says, quote, at one of these meetings after the organization

of the school, the school being organized on the 23rd of January 1833, when we were all together, Joseph having given instructions and while engaged in silent prayer, kneeling with our hands uplifted, each one praying in silence, no one whispered above his breath. A personage walked through the room from east to west, and Joseph asked if we saw him. I saw him, and I suppose the others did. And Joseph answered, that is Jesus, the Son of God, our

elder brother. Afterward, Joseph told us to resume our formal position in prayer, which we did. Another person came through. He was surrounded with a flame of fire. I experienced a sensation that it might destroy the tabernacle, as it was consuming fire of great brightness. as it was consuming fire of great brightness. The prophet Joseph said, this was the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as the Holy culture says, I saw him. The prophet then said, brethren, now you are prepared to be the apostles of Jesus Christ,

for you have seen both the father and the son end of quote. Powerful stuff. Powerful stuff. That's right there in that Nulke Whitney store and that tiny little room. And there in that quote, Zephyriti culture says you're now prepared to be apostles. That could hint towards quorum of the twelve apostles. Zephyritvity culture has never remembered the core of the 12, but it can also hint to little a apostle, meaning like, why do we want our missionaries to be endowed before they go out into the world? Because again, we want our missionaries to be part of this sacred order. We want our missionaries to have Christ's name upon them.

We want our missionaries to be promised to become great high priests and priestesses. We especially want our missionaries to know God's purposes, his patterns, his ways, his order that help people come into Christ and be perfected. his order that help people come into Christ and be perfected. They want people to metaphorically know how to come into the presence of God and learn of him through things like obedience and sacrifice and consecration and chastity so that then they can go out and represent God to the world. They can knock on someone's door or message them or zoom them or Facebook, chat them or FaceTime them and say, I know God. I know His purposes. I know His ways. I know His

patterns. The Holy Temple has taught them to me. And that would give them power and it'll help them lead other people to the temple to gain power in their life. I just, it's so clear to me in it. And that's why it, that's why it just, it just, it pains me. I'm sorry, I shouldn't get emotional. It pains me when, for various reasons, people can't see this in the house of the Lord. We need to be better as parents, as teachers, as leaders. We need to understand the temple better. We need to then teach our children better, so that then our children can come to the temple and find this power in their life and find the meaning

in the temple. Otherwise, they do miss it and they do struggle with the temple and they do struggle sometimes with the endowment because we've never taught them these fundamental central purposes of what the Holy Temple is trying to do. And I'm just, I just apologize for being emotional there, but I just, for me, I have found so much meaning in studying these revelations from Joseph Smith and taking them to the temple and having all hams to go, I see it. I see what the endowance trying to do through symbol and ceremony and allegory of how it's trying to teach me these things. And I just hope we can prepare people as, you know, as we're recording this, the church has announced they're rolling into phase three of

temples opening back up. I hope we have a people that go back to the temple, not only excited to be back in the Holy House, but excited to grasp what the endowment is trying to do as they participate in the modern day school, the prophets today. Yeah, it reminded me of our discussion with brother Michael Cox. Where's your heart? Right? Who has your heart? Yeah, because if the Lord has your heart, you're gonna want to be in that temple. And Tony, what you said, what do we love? What do we strive? Did you say what do we chase? I thought, yeah, what are we going after? What are we going after?

Yeah, where is our heart? I wanted to mention one thing as an insight and then John, I'll hand it over to you. Oftentimes you hear in the temple and you hear it here in section 88, the idea of becoming clean from the blood of this generation. I was sitting with a, I was sitting in a meeting once where Dr. Stephen Covey, who was since passed away, was teaching from the scriptures. He

talked about in there that Joseph Smith, long before anyone else, has the idea of DNA passing on weaknesses and difficulties. You know, that we kind of inherit from our grandparents and our parents and how the temple can allow us to even cleanse ourselves or give us power to overcome our own DNA to be cleansed from the blood of this generation. I that stuck with me, it stuck with me for so long, the blood and sins of this generation, right? Um, Tony, I just thought it would be cool if you you mentioned that we can ask people, give me an ascension or two, what's the purpose of baptism, what's the purpose of the sacrament. After all of this, can we ask you give give us Tony's put the endowment in a couple of sentences? Here's by one sentence summary. It's the power and capacity to come into the presence

of God and receive a fullness of his blessings. Period. That's what the endowment is trying to do. It's it's the power and capacity to come into the presence of God and receive a fullness of his blessings. You know, when I teach the tower of Babel, I love to tell my students, I might even be right, but that it's like a counterfeit temple. It's we are gonna force our way into God's presence on our terms. And Bable means God's gate. So that was their attempt to get Nimrod, the

hunter, to kind of hunt down God. And the real temple though is, here's how God is inviting us in his presence on his terms. I like that, John, because the Tower of Babel is they're trying to build a tower to get to God. And we sometimes look at the drawings and illustrations of this big circular stairway trying to get. No, the tower that gets us to God is a temple. I can understand, you know, if they're literally trying to build a scaffolding stairway up into the heavens, God would just laugh at that and say, well, that'll collapse after five stories. But the moment somebody, if we read the tower of Abable is a temple, the moment someone

starts to say, I'm going to subvert and pervert the laws and ordinances of exaltation. And I'm not gonna abide by the law that is established for celestial ways of living to come into God's presence. God has no tolerance for that. I can see him getting really upset over that. Right, not only am I not gonna live it, I'm gonna teach others to not live it.

Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna take them with me. Tony, once again, you've been, you've, you've opened our eyes to these, another revelation. I would encourage anyone who is just getting started with the podcast, go back to our very first episode on section one, when we were, we had no clue what we were doing, right John? I don't know if we do yet, but we it was we were throwing this together and Tony just knocked it out of the park for us and then back to our episode on section 29 with Tony. So

please go back to those Tony Bears testimony twice in those those. Tony bears testimony twice in those in those episodes in just powerful, powerful terms. So at the end of this episode, Tony, let's talk about, let's talk about Tony Sweats view of Joseph Smith, right? And, and what he has done. Tell me about him. What have you learned about him? What do you think about Joseph Smith and the restoration? You know, I appreciate you saying that, Hank. I can't remember on the last time I was on your podcast, I think I quoted Richard Bushman that says, you know, a religion that works must be taken seriously. Yes. And I love that line. And I talked about one of the reasons why I love the restoration is because it has, it works for me.

It helps bring out the best of myself, but what comes to mind as you ask that question right now, you know, I could talk about Joseph's character, I could talk about Joseph's, the greatness of his soul, his weaknesses and his strengths, his unbounding love, his sometimes passionate temper. Joseph was human just like all of us. He was quick to reproof as we've seen here in section 88

with some of his letters to W. W. Phelps. And I love by the way, I didn't say at the end of his letter to W. W. Phelps, he ends it with a post grip saying like, and you need to do a little bit better with what you're publishing in the evening and morning star. Otherwise the newspaper is going to fail. Just a little side note. Joseph was quick to rebuke. He would reproof B times with sharpness, but then afterward he would show an increase of love, less his brother esteemed him as his enemy. I could talk about all those things with Joseph,

but we've kind of talked a little bit as we ended the podcast here on about the temple. And when I think about the temple, I was at the temple before it closed before COVID. I remember looking around at all these women and men in this, in their ceremonial symbolic clothing to be one day become great high priests and priestesses, talking about the potential of exaltation

to become like God for families to be bound with the same sociality that exists among us here, exists amongst us there. Looking at people finding such meaning and strength in the ordinances, this gathering place, and I just remember thinking, man, if Joseph could see this, he would be like, this is awesome. Look what, look what, I mean, you get, look how hard it is just to even, you guys have created a great podcast.

Could you imagine creating a religion that millions and millions and millions of people, over hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years, find the most profound depth in meaning in. And I just looked at that in the temple going, what, how did this come about if it was not God inspired? This rejoicing in the house of the Lord, even as much as I revered Moses,

sometimes Joseph Smith is called the modern Moses. I know we call that the Brigham, but the Lord likens Moses to Joseph. Because what what was Moses trying to do when Moses was trying to create a nation of priests and his people weren't ready. And I am convinced if Moses showed up today and looked at a modern day temple endowment session, he'd say to Joseph, my goodness, Joseph, you have created a nation of priests and priestesses. And Joseph would be like, I goodness, Joseph, you have created a nation of priests and priestesses,

and Joseph would be like, I know, isn't it a miracle? It's... And Moses, Tony, Moses had 120 years. Joseph had 38. Yeah, he's a kid. I can't hit that enough. He is a kid. He is, I mean, again, he's 27 years old

as he's revealing these things. And I go to the temple, and I find so much meaning in it, in its ordinances, in its promises, in its rituals, in its symbols. And I just can't help but see the finger of God just written through the whole thing. And written through the whole thing. And when I think of, you know, I think of things like, you know, Hank, you you mentioned, where is Christ in the temple? He's everywhere. And that's just one of the things about the temple, about the restoration about Joseph. I am a more chased person. I'm a more consecrated person. I'm a more obedient person. I strive to live the higher law of the gospel. I strive to sacrifice because of my love of Jesus, but because of the Jesus that the restoration has made him so big to me and it's helped me grasp him so much better. You know, it's almost like the restoration, the revelations of Joseph are like a magnifying glass to Jesus.

You know, I can see him on a certain level, but the restoration and the revelations of the restoration just magnify him and therefore magnify me. And so because of that, I just, you know, I just just want the, you know, I'm looking out my window and looking at the mountains here. I just want to climb up on this mountain top and shout to the world that the Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. And where can we find his match? You know, where, where can we see somebody who was like him? Surely we don't see his match in the last few hundred years.

And there's probably Joseph Rinks among a handful of people, of great religious leaders, to mobilize and marshal and find meaning in the purpose of life. So I just love Joseph. I love him as a prophet. I love the restoration because of how it's magnified God to me and his son in the purpose of life. And I see that when I go to the holy temple and I hope your listeners do as well. Oh, Tony. Section 88 to me is, is changed. It's transformed.

I hope, I hope everyone, when you listen to our podcast, I hope you don't just listen to the podcast and beat and that's it because there's so much more in these sections that we don't get to cover. I hope it's spurring you and I think John you'd say the same thing. I hope listening to this is spurring you to sit down with your doctorate and covenants and and find, you know, find your own. And if any of your listeners out there are struggling over valid things, things we worry about, things we think about. But again, if you want to get to the root of these sections like Hank is saying, you know, obviously number one, sit down and read the book of

Mormon and ask yourself, where did it come from? But also sit down with sections like 76 and 84 sections like 76 and 84 and 88 and 93, 121, 122. And just ask yourself, where are these concepts, these words, these ideas, these doctrines, these ordinances, these exalting principles? Where are they coming from? And you basically have two options. One is the Joseph Smith is just a religious genius, or two, they are being revealed from on high, from God through his chosen servant in these last days. So I hope is Hank saying, you don't just listen to what I might say or Hank or John or any other guests are on here. You get in here and just, just marinate in these words and let the spirit of them marinate

on you and just, just embed themselves into your, into your life and mind and character. Yeah, I think there's something sacred about finding somewhere quiet and sitting down and reading section 88 slowly, carefully, that's a sacred experience all by itself. I can't tell you how many countless times I've read this section and just preparing for this podcast. I read it last night again and I read it this morning again. And as I read it last night, I just was like, you know, I was totally not doing where it tells me to go to bed early.

I was sitting up at midnight reading it, reading a section, telling me to go to bed early. But as I was reading it, I was just blown away again, like the power of this section. It's the pen of heaven. It's, yeah, it's just just absolutely. I don't know, there's not, there's not a word to describe it besides, I don't know, sublime sacred. Yeah, it takes you to a new level. I don't want to get out of, out of topic, but I feel the same way about the

Pearl of Great Price, lots of, where did this come from? I mean, what was the papyrus? What was this? What was that? Would just read it and go, whoa, where did this come from? Yeah. And I understand, you know, again, I sympathize with people who have various struggles and those are real and acknowledged, but sometimes we get caught up on minor details, you know, it's a little bit like looking at the Mona Lisa and noticing a brushstroke that seems a little awry and missing the greater painting or, you know, Van Gogh's starry night and

going like, well, you know, this or this in the painting bothers me, but don't overlook the fact that it's a masterpiece still. And there will be aspects, I one time say to somebody, you know, someone said to me, how do you explain this about Joseph or how do you reconcile that? And I said, I don't try to reconcile Joseph Smith. I just try to reconcile myself to God, you know, the scriptures tell us be reconciled to God, not be reconciled to Joseph. Joseph will have to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord like we all will.

And so there are certain aspects or things that I'm like, yeah, that's difficult for me or I don't know how to explain that or I can't explain that brushstroke, but I do see the master piece in the overall canvas of the restoration that came through the artist of Joseph. Yeah, you imagine taking one of those pieces, seeing the brushstroke, you just don't quite understand or don't like and tossing out the whole, the whole painting, the tragedy in my mind. Yeah, I love that the Richard Bushman statement. I feel like the, the older I get, I think when I was young, I expected a testimony to be a feeling and

I think so much more now that I'm older. I'm just recognizing fruits all over the place. And the way you said that Tony, I religion that works must be taken seriously. I have seen it work for so many people and bless them and change them. And they are walking witnesses all around me of what it does for what a religion that works does for people. Yeah. I think Stephen Harper one time said, I think it was Steve. We not only need to show people that the church is true, we also need to show them that the church is good. And I like that line,

because, and one of the ways that we show people that the church is good is that the church produces good. And it doesn't mean that there aren't bad people in the church, it doesn't mean there aren't things that are wrong in the church. As we move forward in the ongoing restoration, things are still need to be rectified and revealed and clarified and fixed and errors that need to be made right.

But that which edifies is of God, as section 50 says, and watch the church edify you and watch it edify others as we learn to live these principles that are revealed in sections like 88 because they bring us they take bad to good and good to great and great to God which is what I think it's trying to do for us and will do a full follow-its ordinances and principles. I think all three of us we watch these students come into our classrooms and sometimes just these delightful countenances and just faithful kids and I I feel something whisper behold the fruits of the gospel right in front of you look at how unusual these young adults are and they're just delightful and bright. And there it is, right in front of me, it's a testimony.

Yep, amen. Amen to that. And so many of those listening to this podcast are they are the very fruits. They're the very kind of people that show that the restoration is real. You know, young and old, it's a marvel to me. I think if you guys knew me back when I was in the 1900s, you would say the gospel is true. Look what it took. It took that and turned it into that going for God. God's most improved.

You might get the most improved player of the year award, but I might get the runner up right behind you. I can't remember if I said this before and if you want to exit out, go ahead. But when I was a seminary student, when I was a teenager, I was not the best kid. You know, I say that I was more concerned with being cool than I was with being kind. You know, I was more centered on being an all-state basketball player than a all-state priesthooder all-stake priesthooder is I should have been and My seminary teacher called my mother and said sister sweat. This is brother so I don't know how to say this But every time your son enters my class the spirit leaves

and Then later oh And he was probably right. When I later, after I mission, when I became a seminary teacher, we were at a meeting and he saw me as a newly hired seminary teacher. And he walked out to me and he goes, Tony Sweat is that you? And I said, yes. And he hugged me and all he did, he just shook his head and he goes, Tony Sweat is that you? And I said, yes. And he hugged me and all he did, he just shook his head and just said, the church is true.

The church is true. Oh. Yeah, that's another fruit, right? It's another fruit of just what it's done to us. Well, we are all a work in progress and let's allow others, including those who have gone before us in church history to be a work in progress, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

I'm a work in major progress. That spells Wimp, but yeah. Yeah. Um, I, I, I want to, I want to finish today by quoting section 88 verse 133, you are both my friends and my brothers through the grace of God and the bonds of love. I hope people presents that.

I feel the same way. I'm actually an honor to be with you again. Thanks for having me on your podcast again. I just love you both. And so grateful for all the great work that you both do. Thank you for being my friends. Yeah, and we love you. Thank you.

We want to thank Dr. Anthony Sweat-Toni for being with us. We want to thank all of you for listening. We're grateful for your support. We want to thank our executive producers, the wonderful Steve and Shannon Sorenson. And we have a great production crew. Don't we, John? People who are working behind the scenes on this that we've got to, oh, we feel like people come up to us. I love your podcast. The podcast is helping so much, and I, and that, you know, we've got this team that's doing all this work, and no one's walking up to them and telling them. So we wanna make sure that David Perry and Lisa Spice and Jamie Nielsen and Kyle Nelson and Will Staten and Maria Hilton get the love that they deserve.

We love you and we're grateful for our team. We hope you will join us on our next episode of Follow Hamlet.