"Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.
For after today cometh the burning—this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon.
Wherefore, if ye believe me, ye will labor while it is called today."
Doctrine and Covenants 64:23-25
Clearly, the Lord's time and our time are measured differently. :) Once we get used to the way God is using today and tomorrow here though, it's clear that he is warning us about and suggesting some specific things. First, sacrifice and fasting... and saying that tithing basically makes us fireproof. Pretty cool, and in a completely serious way, a really good lesson. I don't think that God ever asks us to give up things just to ... not have them. It's so that we can learn some good lessons about giving to others, and empathy, and compassion, and that giving of ourselves to others through self-sacrifice teaches us to be disciples of Christ, who gave himself for us all. Tithing is a good example, because it helps us feel like we're contributing to the Lord's work. It gives us the opportunity to be part of that, and to give back to God, even though it is only a portion of what he has given to us. It's a chance to outwardly show obedience... and it is one of the few commandments that we can live perfectly, so it is a nice chance to feel like we're on the right track.
Tomorrow, it appears that there is going to be a lot of burning. It's interesting that it mentions Babylon. It seems to be what is talked about in Revelation 18:2-4... that we should go out from Babylon, because it is so wicked. Part of that might be literal, in that we might have to physically leave a wicked place before it is destroyed, as Lot was commanded to do at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I think that there is a lot of symbolism here as well, part of which is tithing... as we dedicate ourselves, and who we are and what we have, to the Lord, the more we leave a Spiritual Babylon behind and start building Zion instead.
Today (in our time as well as God's time), let's believe God, and do the things that he asks, so that we'll be ready and be able to withstand the Second Coming.
For after today cometh the burning—this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon.
Wherefore, if ye believe me, ye will labor while it is called today."
Doctrine and Covenants 64:23-25
Clearly, the Lord's time and our time are measured differently. :) Once we get used to the way God is using today and tomorrow here though, it's clear that he is warning us about and suggesting some specific things. First, sacrifice and fasting... and saying that tithing basically makes us fireproof. Pretty cool, and in a completely serious way, a really good lesson. I don't think that God ever asks us to give up things just to ... not have them. It's so that we can learn some good lessons about giving to others, and empathy, and compassion, and that giving of ourselves to others through self-sacrifice teaches us to be disciples of Christ, who gave himself for us all. Tithing is a good example, because it helps us feel like we're contributing to the Lord's work. It gives us the opportunity to be part of that, and to give back to God, even though it is only a portion of what he has given to us. It's a chance to outwardly show obedience... and it is one of the few commandments that we can live perfectly, so it is a nice chance to feel like we're on the right track.
Tomorrow, it appears that there is going to be a lot of burning. It's interesting that it mentions Babylon. It seems to be what is talked about in Revelation 18:2-4... that we should go out from Babylon, because it is so wicked. Part of that might be literal, in that we might have to physically leave a wicked place before it is destroyed, as Lot was commanded to do at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I think that there is a lot of symbolism here as well, part of which is tithing... as we dedicate ourselves, and who we are and what we have, to the Lord, the more we leave a Spiritual Babylon behind and start building Zion instead.
Today (in our time as well as God's time), let's believe God, and do the things that he asks, so that we'll be ready and be able to withstand the Second Coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment