Key Phrases-"Due Time of the Lord" part 2

John, Steward of Records

In addition to being a significant contributor to the Bible, John, as a translated being and ministering angel, bears responsibility for all prophecy relating to the last days:

25 But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.
26 And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.
(1 Nephi 14:25-26, emphasis mine)

John’s ministry includes sharing events of the last days with chosen individuals who are commanded to write them. Their testimonies combined with John’s testimony restore lost knowledge removed from the original text of the Bible. The process of restoring John’s writings has begun as evidenced by revelations in the Doctrine & Covenants, sections 7 & 93. Section 93, verse 18 contains the following promise regarding the records of John:

18 And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fulness of the record of John.
(D&C 93:18, emphasis mine)

A “fulness” of the record of John, combined with the records written by those John ministered to are “sealed” (like portions of the Book of Mormon) to come forward in the “due time of the Lord.”

Due time of the Lord

Many of these phrases have specific scriptural meanings that need to be distinguished from modern interpretation. The phrase “due time of the Lord” is a great example. Nephi sets the context for interpreting this phrase near the beginning of the Book of Mormon where he states:

1And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of my father, and also of my brethren.
2 For behold, it came to pass after my father had made an end of speaking the words of his dream, and also of exhorting them to all diligence, he spake unto them concerning the Jews—
3 That after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance.
(1 Nephi 10:1-3, emphasis mine)

Nephi’s account defines the phrase “due time of the Lord” as the time when Israel flees Babylon and returns to the lands of Israel’s inheritance. This actually occurred anciently but has a modern application as well. The definition of “Babylon” in modern scripture is “spiritual wickedness,” a spiritual condition that knows no borders. Modern Babyloln is found in all countries and to flee modern Babylon is to repent and keep the commandments of God. The Lord’s call to all mankind, in all generations is to flee Babylon or flee spiritual wickedness. Specifically, to flee Babylon in the “due time of the Lord” is to give heed to the clarion call (“ensign” or “standard”) that goes forth for the last time. Ancient records (when brought to light) dispel the mists of darkness (1Nephi 12:17) and deception spread by half truths (Revelation 12:15-16) upon which modern Christianity now stands. The records mentioned come forward at the due time and provide the catalyst for the following events:

10 But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.
11 And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.
(2 Nephi 27:10-11, emphasis mine)

20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.
21 Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.
22 Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men.
(2 Nephi 27:20-22, emphasis mine)

Nephi was shown these events as part of the interpretation of the
dream of the Tree of Life he was shown:

38 And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the book of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, that it came forth from the Gentiles unto the remnant of the seed of my brethren.
39 And after it had come forth unto them I beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true.
40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.
41 And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.
42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.
(1 Nephi 13:38-40, emphasis mine)

Nephi sees the sealed records from the Book of Mormon as well as sealed or removed words of the ancient Apostles when they are brought together as one (prophesied in Ezekiel 37:17). It’s important to emphasize such words in this reference as “convincing” the Gentiles, the remnant of the Lamanites and the house of Israel, herein referred to as “Jews”. Convincing doesn’t automatically equate to conversion. It suggests the secession of disbelief.
Another sentence of considerable force is the phrase “shall establish the truth of the first”. When the lost or hidden records of the Apostle come to light, it proves beyond question the veracity of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the testimonies of the early brethren. All nations are confronted with a choice. They must choose between Babylonian traditions steeped in spiritual wickedness or flee Babylon through repentance and coming unto Christ. The evidence from the sealed records will be overwhelming. In rebellion to revealed truth, many turn away in open defiance toward God. Those mired in spiritual wickedness don’t want to be reminded of their rebellious state or relinquish their quality of life. The greatest testimony against the wicked is the testimony of a righteous life lived by humble followers of Christ. Out of sight, out of mind is the catch phrase when the wicked plot against the righteous. Secret combinations plot the destruction of those who believe the new revelations:

12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.
13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.
14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.
(1 Nephi 22:12-14, emphasis mine)

Nephi refers to this event on another occasion in 1 Nephi 14:7 wherein is written:

6 Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles if it so be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God.
7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken.
(1 Nephi 14:6-7, emphasis mine)

The temptation of modern Church members is to step back and analyze this prophecy from a distance and consider it solely a problem for the Gentiles. Unfortunately it will not be that simple or straightforward. When the “other books” come to light they challenge the culture in the church. Not the doctrine, the culture. It will elevate the level of obedience required of true disciples and redefine the meaning of membership in the Church of Jesus Christ. The following reference in the Doctrine & Covenants emphasizes this point:

23 Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face.
24 Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord.
25 And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord;
26 First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.
(D&C 112:23-26, emphasis mine)

The wrath of God begins to be poured out on the earth and begins with the members of the Church who attend the Temple, professing to know the Lord but in reality, have no personal knowledge of Him. As I write this I’m reminded of the words of Ezra Taft Benson quoting Heber C. Kimball when he states:

Those of us who think “all is well in Zion” (2 Nephi 28:21) in spite of the Book of Mormon warning might ponder the words of Heber C. Kimball when he said, “Yes, we think we are secure here in the chambers of these everlasting hills…, but I want to say to you, my brethren, the time is coming when we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys to that extent that it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy against the people of God. Then is the time to look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall. For I say unto you there is a Test, a Test, a Test coming”. (“and who will be able to stand”, added by me from the Harold B. Lee quotation, Conference Report, October, 1965)
(Conference Report, October, 1963)

While reviewing this quote from Heber C. Kimball I was reminded of a vision given to S. M. Farnsworth received while working on the Nauvoo Temple. Brother Farnsworth immigrated to Pleasant Grove and I obtained a copy of his vision at the Special Collections Department of the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University. The vision foretold of Brigham Young leading the Saints West. Brother Farnsworth was troubled by the fact Joseph Smith Jr. was not present during the migration. I refer to the vision at the point where the Saints arrive at the Salt Lake Valley:

“I saw the Saints after they had arrived at the end of their journey, and they began to prosper, and were cheerful again.
Suddenly, a dark cloud appeared in the east and was driven to the west, like a great tornado, that seemed as if it would destroy everything before
it. It halted when it came to the mountains and one of the brethren remarked “It is going to break away.” And as we looked at it, it broke up and began to scatter and go around the mountains. Then the sky began to grow dark and misty, and haze over from the four points of the compass, gathering up like the approach of a big storm, which continued until everything was enveloped in extreme darkness; and it continued to grow blacker and blacker, until it appeared to me that all our enemies were against us, the elements were against us, God and His Prophet had forsaken us, and there was no ray of hope, or light, to give us comfort, but it seemed as though we would all be utterly destroyed.
All at once, President Brigham Young, unexpectedly came into the midst of the Saints, and said, “Brethren, stand still, and see the salvation of God,” and tried to comfort and cheer the Saints, but his words had no effect upon the people. He then turned around in haste and had the Church in a body, encircled by the THREE STRONG BANDS, (I saw no women or children in this circle,) which he commenced driving with a Masonic mallet, followed by the Twelve Apostles.
Each tap of their mallets drew the hoops tighter and tighter. This was the first time that I noticed the absence of Brothers Joseph and Hyrum, and I felt much troubled and weighed down, in consequence of their absence. Brother Brigham and the Twelve continued driving the hoops, their countenances being very resolute and determined, showed no signs of mercy.
I thought to myself, the brethren could not stand it when suddenly, the hoops burst asunder and about two thirds of the men scattered and ran away. I looked up and saw an opening in the clouds about, and also the heads of four or five heavenly personages, above the clouds, looking down through this aperture upon us. I cast my eyes around and saw Brother Brigham smiling, and then knew that our troubles were over.
Those heavenly personages came down into the midst of those who remained and blessed them with all that their hearts could desire, and life was a pleasure. When the clouds burst asunder they turned with a tenfold vengeance upon the heads of our enemies, and I noticed that those of our brethren that ran away, were of that class that were complaining, rebellious and had not lived up to their privileges.
I felt in my heart, that the Lord ought not to put us to such a severe trial, when one of the angels came to me and said, “that it was actually necessary to bring the Church through as close a place as that in order to sift out those that were among you, that were unworthy of the blessings you now enjoy.” I also saw that Brother Brigham had a large table, spread with all the luxuries of life, and as starvation had seemed to stare us in the
face, I thought this trial was a good “scare-crow” as no person was hurt being only frightened enough to make them run away.
Language cannot describe how happy and contented we all were, being of one heart and one mind; we enjoyed every blessing we desired.
Soon Brother Brigham jumped up and clapped hands and cried out, “Now, boys, for Jackson County,” and we were all on the move in a short time.”
(Remarkable Visions, Farnsworth Vision, pg.16-18)

I discovered another account of the Farnsworth Vision presented by Orson Hyde. The only appreciable difference is that Farnsworth stated 2/3 of the brethren broke and ran to the other side while Elder Hyde stated ½ bolted. Elder Hyde spoke of Brother Farnsworth, saying he believed Farnsworth to be a person of good character so I felt it was appropriate to include Brother Farnsworth vision here.
I have several quotes by Joseph Smith regarding the “due time of the Lord”. They are:

“Let us take up the Book of Mormon, which a man took and hid in a field, securing it by his faith, to spring up in the last days or in due times;”
(TPJS., pg. 98, emphasis mine)

“I know that Zion, in the due time of the Lord, will be redeemed; but how many will be the days of her purification, tribulation and affliction, the Lord has kept hidden from my eyes.”
(TPJS., pg.34, emphasis mine)

“All things concerning Zion will come to pass in the due time of the Lord.”
(Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, pg. 306, emphasis mine)

My belief is that John the Beloved, acting in the capacity of “Elias”, (overseeing the gathering of Israel and the restoration of all things) , directs this work. John’s effort brings to light the sealed portions of the Book of Mormon with lost records from Israel’s past. The evidence will be as compelling in power as the witness received by the Jews when the Savior ministered to them in Jerusalem. Tese records will be the “ensign” or “standard” that is raised to gather Israel, leading them to claim their inheritances in Zion. The “Root of Jesse” will be the mortal counterpart who receives direction from John restores the sealed records and gathers Israel. He will over see the work of assigning inheritances in Zion as well.