A Meaning of the Offering of the Sons of Levi in D&C 13

     I received a new and different, but seeming to me logical and powerful, interpretation of a scriptural passage we are currently considering in our current Come Follow Me studies, from a book on temple work by S. Michael Wilcox, “House of Glory.”   The passage is D&C 13, the words of John the Baptist as he conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery:
    “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.”  (D&C 13:1)
    I am particularly focused on the meaning of the statement that at some time in the future of this ordination, the sons of Levi will offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.  At some earlier time in my life I was given the interpretation that this might be that persons descending from of the Levite priests of the Old Testament would perform an animal sacrifice in the manner of their Hebrew ancestors as a part of the restitution of all things (all practices associated with any gospel dispensation) as predicted in by Peter in Acts 3:21, to occur in this dispensation or the millenium.  Thinking back, this interpretation might have come from as an Answer to Gospel Questions from Joseph Fielding Smith, but I am not sure.  Among other things I wondered at the meaning of the word “until.”  Did it suggest that once this offering was made, that the Aaronic Priesthood would be discontinued, or what?
    In his study, Brother Wilcox points out that John was quoting Malachi 3:3.  In that passage the word “that” is used instead of “until” (likewise in 3 Nephi 24:3), and in Oliver Cowdery’s description of his and Joseph’s ordination in the footnote on p. 59 of the Pearl of Great Price, he records that John the Baptist promised that “This priesthood and authority... shall remain upon the earth that the Sons of Levi may yet offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.”  Brother Wilcox then concludes that “the priesthood was restored “that” the offering could be made.  In other words, without it the offering could not be made.  It was also restored “until” the offering was made.  In other words, the priesthood would never be taken from the earth... As Moroni promised (when he told Joseph earlier that the priesthood would be “revealed), the priesthood was being revealed by being restored, and its purpose was also being revealed–an offering had to be made... In the Malachi 3 version, we also learn that the priesthood bearers must be “purged and purified” or be made clean in order to make the offering.” (pp. 111-112)
    He asks, “Who are the sons of Levi?  What offering will be made? Why is that offering so critical that the priesthood will not be taken from the earth?  Why is it important that the priesthood itself was restored to allow the offering to be accomplished?  What do purging and purifying have to do with the offering?” (p. 112)
    In Old Testament times, the sons of Levi were the holders of the priesthood in Israel and performed their service in the house of the Lord.  Regarding the identity of the sons of Lehi in our day, there was a great revelation given on September 22 and 23, the anniversary of Moroni’s visit, in which Malachi’s and John the Baptist’s prophecies were repeated, but with additions that amplified and clarified the necessary offering: “The sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord.”  (D&C 84:31)
    The sons of Moses and of Aaron (both of whom were of the tribe of Levi) were defined in this Section as holders of the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthoods.  Therefore, it might be concluded that John’s promise refers to both priesthoods.  We also learn that the predicted offering and sacrifice will be made in the temple, explaining why the sons of Levi must be purged and purified.  Note also the use of the word acceptable regarding their offering.
    In a later revelation, Joseph Smith described the “acceptable offering.”  Quoting Malachi’s prophecy once more concerning the sons of Levi, Joseph added this instruction, “Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.” (D&C 128:24)
    Brother Wilcox concludes: “In summary, Moroni first quoted the Malachi prophecy and promised that the priesthood wold be revealed.  John the Baptist next came to begin its revelation and added that the priesthood would remain on earth until the sons of Levi made an offering in righteousness to the Lord.  In section 84, the sons of Levi were identified as all priesthood holders, and it was revealed that the offering would be made in the temple.  Finally in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith’s letter now recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 128 invites all the Saints to participate in the offering, and the offering was identified.  It would be a book containing all the records of the ordinance work for the dead.  Since that time, tremendous effort and resources have been expended to make the offering “acceptable” to the Lord by completing it.” (p. 116)

Two Churches, the Church of God and the Church of the Devil

     Over the years, in my study of the Book of Mormon, I have sensed that an inconsistency exists between two passages.  But just recently I have found a resolution that is important to me.  The possible inconsistency was between a particular teachings of Nephi and that of Alma the Younger.  At one point Nephi taught that “there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” (1 Nephi 14:10)  In my earlier life, I had heard this taught as pointing to the contrast between our church and all other churches, or in one case, specifically our church as opposed to the Catholic church.  I had even heard people teach the notion that the devil would teach ten truths to get a person to believe one falsehood, with all still a characteristic of the kingdom of the devil.
    Some years later, Alma the younger taught what I thought seemed to be a differing doctrine, that “the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.” (Alma 19:8)  To me this seemed to imply that God would supply some persons with something less that than the fulness of the Gospel, a lesser or more limited set of truths, according to their capacity to receive and obey his words, but still at God’s discretion and direction.
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    Given & Givens find Latter-Day Saint scriptural confirmation of this latter principle in that the Lord identifies that prior to the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, persons exist who are “his people” or “his church” who need to be found and gathered into his future Church, which will contain the fulness of the gospel and light.
    “....The unprecedented innovation of Christianity was the lived experience of entering into an extended family.
    “That this family began in the unparalleled bonding and “loving-kindness” manifest in the intimacy of congregational units did not mean, as Turtullian expressed, that a more general body of Christ was not to be sought out, recognized, and cherished.  The earliest Eucharistic prayer from the first century captures this yearning: “Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Thy Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into Thy Kingdom.(quoting from Roberts and Donaldson)”  Joseph [Smith], in fact, saw the Restoration as the gathering together just such a capacious church.  The idea of a spiritual church that exists alongside, to encompass and enventually transcend the institutional church, was persistently reaffirmed to Joseph in modern scripture.  As just on such example, section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants contains a rather remarkable reassurance.  The date [for this revelation] is April 1929, a year before the Church was restored.  In this revelation, the Lord refers consistently to his Church as something that already exists.  The Restoration, he says, will not “destroy that which [my people] have [already] received.”  Therefore,” he continues, “whosoever belongeth to my church [in 1829] need not fear, for such shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.”  Those who belong to his Church, he tells us, will receive more light.  In his words, a “part of my gospel” will be theirs.  But this will not, he repeats reassuringly, “destroy my church, but I say this to build up my church.”(D&C 10:52-55)  As Saints, we are called to collaborate in the building of Zion with all those who love God and their neighbor, including so many at present unknown to us, and whom the Lord identifies as “holy men [and women] that ye know not of.”(D&C 49:8) until “all who are suffering torment, whether temporal or ‘eternal’ ... are freed, God’s Kingdom cannot come.”(quoting from Berdyaev)”  (Givens & Givens, The Christ Who Heals, pp. 78-79)

    Elder Dallin H. Oaks in a recent BYU-I devotional provides definitions of Nephi’s two churches consistent with this latter understanding.  The church of the lamb of God consists of all persons “who believe in God and seek to serve him.”  The great and abominable church is “any philosophy or organization that opposes belief in God.”
    “Book of Mormon prophecies describe the "great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil" (1 Nephi 14:17).  This "church" is prophesied to have "dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people" (1 Nephi 14:11).  Called "most abominable above all other churches," this church is also said to act "for the praise of the world" to bring the saints of God "down into captivity" (1 Nephi 13:5, 9).  Since no religious denomination--Christian or non-Christian--has ever had "dominion" over all nations of the earth or the potential to bring all the saints of God down into "captivity," this great and abominable church must be something far more pervasive and widespread than a single "church" as we understand that term today.  It must be any philosophy or organization that opposes belief in God.  And the "captivity" into which this "church" seeks to bring the saints will not be so much physical confinement as the captivity of false ideas.
    “In modern usage and in many scriptural passages the word church usually identifies (1) a house of worship or (2) a particular Christian denomination, including the true church of God.  But if we apply either of those meanings to the scriptures describing the "great and abominable church of all the earth" (1 Nephi 14:17), we miss the intended meaning.  For example, Nephi was told by revelation that there were only "two churches" (1 Nephi 14:10), "the church of the Lamb of God" and "the church of the devil" (1 Nephi 14:17; also see 1 Nephi 13:4-6).  This description suggests the contrast between those who believe in God and seek to serve Him according to their best understanding and those who reject the existence of God (see 1 Nephi 14:10).
    “Other teachings in the Book of Mormon also use the word church to signify belief or non-belief in God.  The final chapters of Second Nephi prophesy that in the last days the Gentiles will build up "many churches" that will "put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain" (2 Nephi 26:20).  They tell of "churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord" (2 Nephi 28:3), which will "teach with their learning" and "deny the power of God" (2 Nephi 28:4-5).  They will "say unto the people:  Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept, for behold there is no God today" (2 Nephi 28:5).  In the Savior's ministry among the Nephites, He warned against a "church" that "be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil" (3 Nephi 27:11).  These warnings are not limited to religious organizations.  In the circumstances of our day they include a multitude of secular philosophies and activities.  (“Witnesses of God” President Dallin H. Oaks, BYU-I devotional address, February 25, 2014)

    These latter insights eliminates my concern for any inconsistency between Nephi and Alma the Younger.  It also allows me to credit faith and righteousness wherever it may be found on this earth.