The Last Great Sacrament Meeting- Doctrine and Covenants Section 27

Yesterday I posted my thoughts about the first part of Section 27, The Purpose of the Sacrament, so today I will continue on with the second part, The Last Great Sacrament Meeting.

Prior to the suffering of the Savior in Gethsemane, and His death upon the cross He met with His twelve disciples to instruct them regarding the ordinance of the Sacrament. In Matthew 26 we read:

JST Matthew 26:26 ¶ And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, band blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall come and drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

In verse 29 the Savior references a future time when He will once again partake of the Sacrament with them, but it will not be until He “shall come and drink it new” in His Father’s kingdom. This reference, though seemingly rather cryptic to those He was with, can be better understood today because of continued revelation.

Look for what is meant by “His Father’s Kingdom.”

D&C 27: 4 Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made anew among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.

5 Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, ...

This “kingdom” Christ refers to is literally that, it is the Kingdom of God, a pure Theocratic form of government which will be upon the earth when Christ returns as “king of kings.” The ordinance of the Sacrament will be shared once again with those who will be a part of this kingdom. I can visualize this last great Sacrament meeting, as a political convention, as well as, a church event. It will be the ultimate combination of “church and state.” It will be one in which Christ will take the helm as both “King and Priest.” This great event will take place at the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, which is located in Daviess County, Missouri.

Some back ground on this location can be found in Doctrine and Covenants Section 107:

D&C 107:53 Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.

54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.

55 And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.

56 And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.

This event, in which Adam introduced his posterity back into the presence of the Lord, was also one where Adam assigned keys to those who would carry forth the work. One might picture this as a very formal Priesthood Executive Committee meeting, where everyone received their assignment to do the work. The Last Great Sacrament Meeting will be the bookend of this meeting, or the return and report meeting. It is here that all “keyholders” will return their keys to Adam, who will then return them back to Jesus Christ showing their support and allegiance to Him as both their political and religious leader.

Who will be there and why?

• Moroni- Key holder to the record of the stick of Ephraim
• Elias- (which this time is Noah or Gabriel)- Keys to the restoration of all things
• John the Baptist- Keys to the Aaronic Priesthood
• Elijah- Keys to the sealing power
• Joseph, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham- Representatives of the Abrahamic Covenant or Patriarchal line
• Adam- Father of all, Prince of all
• Peter, James, and John- Apostolic Keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

AND

27:14 And also with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world.

Will you be there?

The Purpose of the Sacrament- Doctrine and Covenants Section 27 (1)

Section 27 in the Doctrine and Covenants is all about the Sacrament.

Historically, Emma Smith and a few others had been baptized about two months previous to this revelation. The baptism was cut short because of mob violence and they had not, however, been privileged to receive the Holy Ghost or partake of the “emblems of the Sacrament.” Joseph had been arrested and spent some time in jail and did not have another opportunity until this point to confirm these individuals, including Emma, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As the saints went about to procure some wine to participate in the ordinance of the Sacrament, the Lord revealed some beautiful doctrine regarding the Sacrament itself, and some information about the “last great Sacrament meeting” to come.

Section 27 could be divided into three main parts or principles:

• The purpose of the Sacrament.
• The last great Sacrament meeting.
• How you can be there.

The purpose of the Sacrament.

Verses 1-4

Look for the most important thing you can do when you partake of the Sacrament.

1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.

2 For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins.

3 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies;

4 Wherefore, you shall partake of none except it is made anew among you; yea, in this my Father’s kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.

What do you think “His Glory” is referring to?

The apostle John recorded the Saviors words as He uttered the beautiful Intercessory Prayer just prior to His experience in Gethsemane. It is here that He speaks at length on “glory”.

John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

How can you make sure when you partake of the Sacrament you are doing so with an “eye single to His glory”?

The Savior wanted His saints to understand that what the Sacrament emblems consisted of was of less importance than the condition of the heart of the partaker. (For example, in war torn Germany they used potato skins instead of bread because of the shortage of bread.) The importance of the Sacrament is clearly felt by the individual’s preparation, not what he actually eats and drinks.

If one could visualize the Sacrament table as the altar, with the Priests of Aaron officiating there, the offering or sacrifice, is the one you bring to the altar. It is an offering of “a broken heart and contrite spirit” with an “eye single to His glory”. Humility, repentance, and gratitude are just a few of the conditions that are necessary to partake of the Sacrament properly. Only then is your offering truly an offering in righteousness.

The Sacramental offering you bring to the Altar is similar to the offering the Priest made on the Day of Atonement. It was a double offering, consisting of a “goat” and a “scape goat”. The Children of Israel placed their hands on one of the goats, symbolic of the transference of sin onto the animal, and that goat was allowed to go free. The other goat was the one offered upon the altar for the actual remission of their sins. You bring your offering, which is not a “perfect” offering so it is allowed to be set free, that is replaced with the perfect offering of Jesus Christ, or the emblems of his Atonement. The Sacrament is a beautiful illustration of both justice and mercy.

The actual substance that you take into your body is not as important as what you purge out. What you take into your body is the Atonement of Jesus Christ which is the most important aspect of understanding the Sacrament. For it is “His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal life of man.”

Do you really think about what you are bringing to the altar each time you partake?