“And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.”
The dialogue continues. It is clear the conversation being reported by Nephi is one where both the Son and the Father spoke to Nephi, and contributed to the dialogue. A question was posed about whether Nephi heard this in connection with his vision of Christ’s mortal baptism by John the Baptist. He certainly beheld that event. (1 Nephi 11: 27.) However, the testimony and teaching of both the Father and Son regarding baptism, as reported by Nephi in this final sermon, are separate from that event. They are an independent revelation and explanation to Nephi, where both the Father and Son taught the importance of baptism.
We also have the important condition set out of “enduring to the end” as a requisite for salvation. A while ago there was a question about the concept of “enduring to the end” and the Second Comforter. They are directly linked. You cannot have a great season of concentrated effort, followed by abandonment of purpose. If it is in you to abandon the journey, then you will never qualify to receive these blessings. The Lord knows the intent of the heart. The preceding verses describe how the Lord measures the heart. You cannot deceive Him.
The Lord also knows whether it is in you to “endure to the end.” Whether the end has come is irrelevant to Him. He beholds all things, past, present and future. (D&C 130: 7.) Therefore, He knows if you are willing to “endure to the end” before your life has been lived.
Enduring to the end, or the fixed purpose to always serve God so that you may always have His spirit to be with you, is essential to salvation. You claim this is your determination every time you take the sacrament. (D&C 20: 76-79.) Whether you take this commitment seriously or not determines whether you are destined for salvation or not. It also determines if you are qualified to receive His personal ministry and comfort.
The Father declares: “Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful.” The reason Christ is the Father’s “Beloved” is directly related to His words being “true and faithful.” That is, Christ only does and says what He knows represents the Father’s will. He has done this “from the beginning.” (3 Nephi 11: 11.) He represents the “Word” of the Father because you can find in Christ’s words and deeds the very word of the Father. (D&C 93: 8.)
It is this that qualified Christ to be the Redeemer. His words are faithful and true. So are Nephi’s. The words are the Lord’s though they were delivered by a man.
Nephi, having been true and faithful in all things, was able to converse with the Father and the Son through the veil and receive from them further instruction, counsel, warning, and comfort because of the things he learned. This is the pattern for all of us. This is the culminating message of the Gospel of Christ.
Nephi added that enduring to the end also means enduring until the day our eternal life is promised to us…”and endure to the end, behold thus (then) saith the Father, Ye shall have eternal life.” 2 Nephi 31:20
Kind of reminds one of Joseph Smith’s 1st Vision…seeing and hearing both the Father and the Son…hmmm…you just might be on to something here, Br. Snuffer!
Dave
So “endure to the end” of what? What end? Is this referencing the day of physical death?
Anonymous 8:45 AM,
Doug had a very inciteful comment a little while back, he suggested that enduring to the “end” had reference to one of the names of God, i.e. “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” If his idea is correct, then “enduring to the end” means continuing in the “strait and narrow way” until the time when one stands before the Lord and receives, as Denver says, “further instruction, counsel, warning, and comfort.”
This is ideally (it appears from Denver’s books) accomplished in this life. And the sooner the better. So, the “end” comes as soon as we are worthy, and the Lord deems we are ready to receive him.
Gordon:
Wow, very insightful. Those ideas feel uplifting. I like it.
Thanks to both you and Doug.
I believe enduring to the end is keeping our covenants no matter what & until death.
But I am continually amazed at how difficult it is to do that & also how rare it is to find anyone, even a Church leader, who actually believes you have to really keep all your covenants no matter what.
Most everyone today in the Church seems to believe you can break some of your covenants, especially if your spouse does it 1st, & still make it to the Celestial Kingdom.
I have never known anyone who has broken any of their temple covenants for any reason, who hasn’t also been deceived to do evil, while still thinking they are very righteous.
It is actually impossible to keep our covenants & endure to the end unless we have the Spirit to give us the strength, knowledge & hope & faith to be able to stay faithful to our covenants, no matter what happens in our lives.
There is never an excuse to break any of our covenants, even our marriage covenants to our spouse. In fact, we should rather die than do so.
Thinking about what Denver said about being determined to follow God makes me think of the following from the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
Section Three 1838-39, p.150
When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses.
It seems that at least one key is that we have to be determined in our hearts to serve God no matter what before we receive our calling and election. Perhaps this is the end of which the scriptures speak.
Anon 12:12pm
I see it differently but don’t mean to de-validate your view or how you feel about it. I’m glad keeping covenants is important to you, it doesn’t seem to be for many people. Breaking a covenant with the Lord feels most awful, pit in my stomach, unpleasant, bad smelling, irritating, dark and dead thing to my heart. I mess up, makes mistakes, and often realize errors that require repentance. But I want to please and be a Friend to God, not offend Him. That being said, it’s hard to imagine that “enduring to the end” means keeping a covenant till I die. I was going to do that anyway. And if I become aware of some sin or error in my life, or realize I’m erring with regard to some aspect of a covenant well then I’ll do what I was already doing, repent and continue to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not unto my own understanding.
So I like to think there is more to the Gospel than just squeezing tight enough, or just being good enough until the moment of death. That almost doesn’t leave much room for what the scriptures say is the Joy of the Saints, or truth that sets you free.
Thanks for that Denver…and my assumption is that, just like the other principles, there is an ordinance that puts into ceremony the teaching. I suspect that enduring to the end and its connections to the Second Comforter are in ceremony as well.
-Brian
Anonymous 2:57,
I believe that it’s so hard it’s actually impossible to endure to the end unless one prays mightily for the strength of the Spirit & still only by the grace of God will the righteous be able to ‘barely’ hang on & get to the end of their lives with their covenants still in tack.
The fulness of joy comes later as our reward for hanging on when hardly no one else did or believed in doing so.
This is an important chapter. Three times the Father speaks. I know of only one other chapter in The Book of Mormon when the Father speaks three times.
Denver, Would you consider teaching out of Mosiah 15 and 16 sometime?
Thank you
Alma 12:27 tells us that the judgement is “the end”, and Elder McKonkie tells us that to receive the second comforter is to advance the day of judgment. So endure to the day of judgment when One will say I am Alpha and the end.
McKay
McKay, this (Alma 12:27 and the Bruce R. statement) is my understanding. It is correct. The “one will say I am Alpha and the End” part is speculation and not as I understand things. This reference to the second comforter may refer to the Holy Spirit of Promise (hope). Joseph refered to the SC in two ways: 1)He will say thou shall have eternal life…and then after testing 2)well done…
Strategicreader
Maybe part of this “Enduring to the end” riddle as to do with Charity which is said to “Endure forever” (Moroni 7:47)
47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
Possessing something that “endureth forever” I think would be key.