Lesson 12
"Take upon You My Whole Armor"
Sections 27-28
Section 27:
How was this revelation given? (See introduction to D&C 27)The Sacrament is a sacred ordinance, one of the most important to our salvation as it allows us to renew our Baptismal Covenant each time we partake of it. What guideline has the Lord given us for partaking of it? (See vv. 1-4).
When will the Lord "drink of the fruit of the vine" again? (D&C 27:5; see also Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18).
With Whom will He participate in the Sacrament? (D&C 27:5-14.)
(See also: "This Final Glorious Gospel Dispensation" by Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, April 1980, pp. 21-25. https://www.lds.org/ensign/1980/04/this-final-glorious-gospel-dispensation?lang=eng) To whom do you think verse 14 refers?
Verses 15-18 of Section 27 advise us to put on ourselves the whole armor of God. (See also Ephesians 6:11-18) Do you feel the descriptor "whole" is important? Why? (Or why not?) What constitutes the whole armor of God? (See "Put on the Whole Armor of God," by N. Eldon Tanner, Ensign, May, 1979, https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/05/put-on-the-whole-armor-of-god?lang=eng; or watch and listen at https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1979/04/put-on-the-whole-armor-of-god?lang=eng&query=the+whole+armor+of+god.)
This film was made for Seminary Students many years ago:
(Additional video from Elder Dallin H. Oaks: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-07-030-take-upon-you-my-whole-armor?lang=eng.)
Section 28:
In The Articles and Covenants of the Church (Sections 20 and 22), the Lord made plain that his Authority is to be administered in a specific way: that is, that the Prophet leads and guides the Church and that all things are done by the law of Common Consent. In September of 1830, the Lord reiterated this for the Saints in the fledgling Church.
The Student Manual provides this information on Section 28:
Historical Background
The Church, having been organized only a few short months, faced one of its first major problems at the time this revelation was given in September 1830: Who is entitled to receive revelation for the Church? The question arose because Hiram Page had found a stone through which he claimed to be receiving revelation.
Many of the early converts came from a congregationalist background, that is, from churches in which anyone had the right to proclaim doctrine if the rest of the congregation concurred. Thus, it seemed natural to them to respond to Hiram Page’s revelation as valid. But as a result of this revelation, the Saints in New York understood that only one could receive revelation from the Lord for the whole Church. The new converts in Kirtland also had to learn this same lesson (see D&C 43).
Newel Knight, who was an eyewitness to these events, recorded this account:
“After arranging my affairs at home, I again set out for Fayette, to attend our second conference, which had been appointed to be held at Father Whitmer’s where Joseph then resided. On my arrival I found Brother Joseph in great distress of mind on account of Hyrum Page, who had managed to get up some dissension of feeling among the brethren by giving revelations concerning the government of the Church and other matters, which he claimed to have received through the medium of a stone he possessed. He had quite a roll of papers full of these revelations, and many in the Church were led astray by them. Even Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer family had given heed to them, although they were in contradiction to the New Testament and the revelations of these last days. Here was a chance for Satan to work among the little flock, and he sought by this means to accomplish what persecution failed to do. Joseph was perplexed and scarcely knew how to meet this new exigency. That night I occupied the same room that he did and the greater part of the night was spent in prayer and supplication. After much labor with these brethren they were convinced of their error, and confessed the same, renouncing the revelations as not being of God, but acknowledged that Satan had conspired to overthrow their belief in the true plan of salvation. In consequence of these things Joseph enquired of the Lord before conference commenced and received the revelation published on page 140 of the Doctrine and Covenants [section 28], wherein God explicitly states His mind and will concerning the receiving of revelations.
“Conference having assembled, the first thing done was to consider the subject of the stone in connection with Hyrum Page, and after considerable investigation and discussion, Brother Page and all the members of the Church present renounced the stone, and the revelations connected with it, much to our joy and satisfaction.” (Journal History, 26 Sept. 1830.)
Hiram Page was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon and was married to Catherine Whitmer.
The early Saints were zealous to begin building Zion as they had been instructed (see Sections 21, 23, 24, 26). Many of the revelations that Brother Page shared with his fellow Saints dealt with the subject of Zion. How does having a knowledge of how the authority of God functions help a person to establish and build Zion? How does Oliver Cowdrey's assignment to "journey among the Lamanite" (vv. 14-16) relate to the building of Zion? Do we have a similar charge today?
This revelation was given through Joseph Smith to Oliver Cowdery. Obviously Elder Cowdery was able to receive revelations (see vv 4, 15). Why do you think the Lord chose to use Joseph Smith to deliver this message rather than revealing it directly to Elder Cowdery?
In Section 27, we learned to put on the "helmet of salvation" (27:18). Elder Harold B. Lee offered the insight that the helmet of salvation, going on our heads, is to guard our thoughts. ("Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace, address to Brigham Young University MIA, 89 Nov., 1954, p. 2.) How does listening to those whom the Lord has called to leadership positions within His church help us keep the helmet securely in place?
In the October 2011 General Conference, Elder Ian S. Anderson said, "Hiram Page, one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, taught us a valuable lesson about distractions. He had a certain stone and through it recorded what he thought were revelations for the Church (see D&C 28). On Hiram’s being corrected, an account says the stone was taken and ground into powder so it would never again be a distraction." (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/a-time-to-prepare?lang=eng&query=hiram+page) How does eliminating distractions from our lives help us to build Zion?
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