Why I Believe: Evidence Sixty-Six: Joseph Smith and Prayers for the Kingdom of God

 101 Reasons Why I Believe Joseph Smith Was a Prophet of God

Evidence Sixty-six:

“Joseph Smith and Prayers for the Kingdom of God”© 

Most members of the LDS Church know that the Book of Mormon tells the story of Christ appearing to the Nephite people at the Bountiful Temple in America following his resurrection and ascension in the Old World. They also know the sermon he gave is virtually the same sermon Jesus gave on a mountain side in Galilee known as the Sermon on the Mount. They also know that there are some differences between the two sermons. This brief essay is about one of those differences.

As part of his Sermon, Jesus teaches his followers what is known as the Lord’s prayer, found in Matthew 6:9-13 and 3 Nephi 13;9-13, and one of those differences mentioned above is found in this prayer. It is in verse ten of both versions. The Matthew version reads: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” However, in Third Nephi, the first sentence is omitted, and the second sentence is identical. Third Nephi 13:10 simply reads, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It is important to the Church to know that one of the topics included in Jesus’s model prayer in his Sermon on the Mount in Palestine was to pray “Thy kingdom come.” Many thoughtful and insightful commentators on the Sermon on the Mount have made important observations about why Jesus wanted the Church to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God and the implications of those petitions. Among the more profound implications is that inherent in this petition is that we are asking to be included in the Kingdom and governed by its laws, regulations, policies, and practices. So, one may rightfully ask why that particular petition was omitted from 3 Nephi 13:10 as seen above? The short answer is that the kingdom has come and therefore it is not necessary to pray for that.  

That being the case, the next logical question is, “Well, if the Lord wanted the Church to pray for the kingdom during his dispensation of the Meridian of Time, does he still want us to pray for the kingdom during our Dispensation of the Fulness of Times? And the answer is “yes, he does.”  In the latter-day the Lord has again instructed the church to pray for the kingdom of God, but as we shall see upon examination, we are to do so in the context of the new dispensation when the kingdom of God is already upon the earth.

In the spring and summer of 1831, Joseph Smith and many others were called to travel from Ohio to the Independence, Missouri area for a conference. There the Lord made known the location for the City of Zion, the New Jerusalem, and the spot for its temple. In the Fall of 1831, Joseph and others returned to the Kirtland area. On Sunday, 30 October 1831, he met with the Saints in Hiram, Ohio.  William E. McLellin, a new convert, was present and recorded in his journal that later in the day a revelation was given to Joseph Smith. We know it as Section 65 of the Doctrine and Covenants; it has six verses. McLellin made a copy for himself and said that it related to Matthew 6:10, a part of the Lord’s prayer, which reads, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”  Joseph Smith was then working on the New Testament in his project to “translate” the Bible which we know as the Joseph Smith Translation. Apparently he recently worked on the Sermon on the Mount. It is not clear what other circumstances may have acted as a catalyst for the reception of the revelation on that Sabbath day.

The subject of the revelation’s six verses is the kingdom of God. The first three verses call us to “Hearken” to “a voice, as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men–Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” This has echoes which remind us of what was said of John the Baptist prior to the Savior’s mortal ministry, but it is in a new context now. Verse two says the “keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on earth.” From or by those keys “shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth,” It is Daniel’s stone, the kingdom of God, cut out of the mountain without hands and which rolls forth until it fills the whole earth. “Yea, a voice crying,” verse 3 says, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.” This obviously speaks of the Second Coming, but it is characterized as preparing for “the supper of the Lamb,” and making “ready for the Bridegroom”–the supper spoken of the Matthew 22:1-14 and the Parable of the Ten Virgins awaiting the arrival of  the bridegroom in Mt. 25:1-13.

Then follows two important verses of instruction about praying for the kingdom of God!

4) Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people. 5) Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.

Verse 4 charges us to “make known his wonderful works among the people.” In the context of the subject of the kingdom of God and the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, those would be the marvelous works and wonders brought about by the restoration of the Gospel and the establishment of the kingdom of God upon earth in the final dispensation. Rather than pray for the kingdom to come, tell the world that the kingdom is here again and is one of the Lord’s “wonderful works among the people.”  

But there is more. Verse 5 directs us to offer three specific petitions to the Lord:

1)  that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth

2)  that the inhabitants thereof may receive it

3)  and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.

This is perfect. With the kingdom established, the Lord now wants members of his Church to have the interests of the kingdom of God in their hearts, and those are that the kingdom may go forth “upon the earth” and be received by the people. Moreover, the purpose of the earth-wide kingdom is so the “inhabitants thereof” may “be prepared for the days to come,” when Christ shall come down, “clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.” This last phrase is an important doctrinal point. As verse 6 teaches us, when Christ “comes down” he will be with the kingdom of heaven, and will meet the “kingdom of God set up on earth.” In the Millennial day the two kingdoms–of heaven, and of God on earth–will be united for the 1,000 years of Christ’s reign.

What is more, the final verse, verse 6, appears to be Joseph Smith’s model prayer for the kingdom:

6)  Wherefore, may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest be glorified in heaven so on earth, that thine enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Several clues indicate verse 6 is a prayer. First, “may the kingdom of God go forth,” is petitionary as is the entire verse, and obedient to the direction to pray that the kingdom of God “may go forth upon the earth.” The second petition of the prayer is for the kingdom of God to go forth that the kingdom of heaven may come.” The third petition, made directly to God (“O God,”) is that God may be glorified both in heaven and on earth. Both are his kingdom. Both, though they are set up for the benefit of God’s children, bring him glory. And fourth, as is so often found in the Psalms of David, there is a petition that the enemies of God “may be subdued.” They oppose the kingdom. They opposed it being set up at the time of Christ and they opposed its restoration in our day. They continue to oppose it “going forth upon the earth.” Typically, the prayer is concluded with Amen. With this as background and encouragement to pray for the kingdom, the implied prayer is still “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

In some ways the difference between Matthew and Third Nephi is a little thing. And if all we had was the Book of Mormon, we may be led to think that it is no longer necessary to pray for the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is no longer necessary to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God. However, with D&C 65, we know that praying for the kingdom is still important to the Lord, but those prayers in today’s context, direct the Church toward a slightly different focus–to pray for the progress and success of the kingdom in preparation for the time when the kingdom of heaven comes down to join with the kingdom of God on earth. It is still an implied plea that we may be in the kingdom, under the authority and direction of its Divine Ruler, subject to his laws, regulations, policies, and practices.  It is a plea that the whole world will be so subject.

Ah, one more sweet, good, righteous reason I believe Joseph Smith was a prophet. He does it again!  What seems like a little thing, is in reality a pretty big thing. The changes are consistent with the history of the kingdom, and the new purposes are logical and meaningful, even profound! They do not come from a scatter-brained, evil, frenzied, or deceptive mind. They come from the mind of a man who communed with the Almighty and received from the same Lord who first gave instructions to his followers in Palestine to pray for the kingdom of God, updated and relevant instructions about how to pray for the kingdom in our day. 

Thank God for Joseph Smith.  I love his soul!

Let’s think together again, soon.