S4E47 Where is Zion?

Summary

Standard of Truth Podcast: Episode S4E47 "Where is Zion?" Summary

Release Date: November 21, 2024

Hosted by Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat, Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at BYU, the "Standard of Truth" podcast aims to deepen the understanding of Latter-Day Saints regarding their history and bolster their faith. In episode S4E47 titled "Where is Zion?", Dr. Dirkmaat engages in a multifaceted discussion with Professor Richard Leduc, exploring historical teachings, contemporary missionary experiences, and theological insights related to the concept of Zion.

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1. Missionary Insights and Anecdotes

The episode opens with light-hearted exchanges between Dr. Dirkmaat and Professor Leduc about recent missionary experiences. Professor Leduc shares a humorous yet unfortunate story about a missionary from Orem who was robbed in Peru:

Professor Richard Leduc [02:14]: "First of all, Rigdon's been robbed three times. One at knife, one at gunpoint, one he got decked in the head. And so big guy who's hitting him? Rodrigo was his name, actually. It was very funny, actually."

Despite the comedic retelling, the underlying message underscores the challenges missionaries face and the resilience they must embody. Additionally, the hosts discuss the logistical efforts to replace the missionary's stolen items, highlighting the supportive network within the community.

2. Listener Correspondence and Community Engagement

Dr. Dirkmaat and Professor Leduc address several listener emails, reflecting the podcast's interactive nature. One notable interaction comes from Elder Neal of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mission, who humorously requests premium access to the podcast to fend off "priestcraft" from a fellow missionary:

Elder Neal's Email [13:11]: "...I need to gather his tools of priestcraft for when I train. Thank you so much for your podcast. It has helped me learn so much about Joseph Smith and the kind of man he is. Keep killing it out there, proverbially."

The hosts respond with wit, emphasizing the importance of community support and the podcast's role in aiding missionaries:

Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat [13:57]: "The Pittsburgh Pennsylvania mission is encouraging us to murder."

Another email from a listener named Kimberly praises the podcast for fostering genuine brotherhood and faith, reinforcing the show's impact on its audience.

3. Pronunciation of 'Missouri' and Its Historical Significance

A significant portion of the episode delves into the pronunciation of "Missouri" and its implications for understanding Zion. A listener named Danielle shares her insights on how the pronunciation reflects historical contexts:

Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat [20:19]: "That's... how people pronounce Missouri the same way that most people say it."

Professor Leduc corroborates this by referencing local news broadcasts in St. Louis, illustrating the regional variations in pronunciation. This discussion serves as a segue into the broader historical narrative of Zion's location and its theological importance.

4. Joseph Smith's Vision of Zion as All of North and South America

The core of the episode examines Joseph Smith's declaration that "the whole of North and South America is Zion," providing both historical context and theological reflection. Professor Leduc elaborates on the implications of this revelation:

Professor Richard Leduc [35:16]: "Joseph not only is declaring that all of north and South America is Zion, that it's a responsibility upon those who get endowed in the temple to go take those ordinances and those teachings to the other people in the other parts of north and South America."

Dr. Dirkmaat adds depth by recounting the challenges faced by early Saints in Missouri and Illinois, emphasizing the resilience required to build Zion amid persecution:

Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat [35:32]: "But the Saints are driven from Jackson county and then eventually driven from Missouri completely."

The discussion highlights how Brigham Young embraced Joseph Smith's proclamation, reinforcing the expansive vision of Zion beyond traditional geographical confines.

5. Salvation, the Second Coming, and Following Prophetic Guidance

Towards the conclusion, the hosts address contemporary anxieties surrounding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Dr. Dirkmaat shares a personal anecdote about inadvertently advising a friend during a conversation about end-times theories:

Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat [26:23]: "I unleashed on this faux theory that challenges prophetic utterance... he never told me that the guy was with him or that he put it on speakerphone."

This leads to a broader discussion on the importance of relying on prophetic teachings over speculative or unsupported theories. Professor Leduc emphasizes adhering to the guidance of church leaders:

Professor Richard Leduc [37:09]: "Being prepared for the second coming is not a trick... If you follow what the prophet and the leaders of the church are saying, you'll be ready."

The conversation underscores the balance between acknowledging historical injustices and maintaining a hopeful, faithful outlook towards divine promises and the fulfillment of Zion.

6. Building Connections and Future Endeavors

As the episode wraps up, Professor Leduc shares his excitement about an upcoming temple expedition to Argentina, coordinated with donor support from listeners:

Professor Richard Leduc [06:22]: "...We're going to spend time with these Saints. They. We're going to be helping in the temple and in the baptistry with the youth and stuff. It's going to be, it's going to be just awesome."

This initiative not only aids in building Zion in South America but also exemplifies the collective effort of the podcast's community in supporting global missionary work.

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Key Takeaways:

• Zion's Expansive Vision: Joseph Smith's revelation that all of North and South America constitutes Zion broadens the traditional understanding, emphasizing a collective responsibility to build and sustain the community through missionary work and temple ordinances.

• Missionary Resilience and Community Support: The anecdotes shared illustrate the hardships faced by missionaries and the unwavering support network that aids them in overcoming adversities.

• Faith Amidst Persecution: Historical accounts of early Saints' suffering and resilience serve as a testament to the enduring faith that underpins the Latter-Day Saints' commitment to Zion.

• Navigating Contemporary Challenges: Addressing modern anxieties about the Second Coming, the podcast advocates for reliance on prophetic guidance over unfounded theories, fostering a grounded and hopeful approach to faith.

• Global Outreach and Unity: Upcoming missions, like the temple expedition to Argentina, highlight the ongoing efforts to fulfill the vision of Zion, underpinned by listener support and communal solidarity.

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Notable Quotes:

• Professor Richard Leduc [02:14]: "Rigdon's been robbed three times... it's very funny, actually."

• Professor Richard Leduc [35:16]: "Joseph not only is declaring that all of north and South America is Zion..."

• Professor Richard Leduc [37:09]: "Being prepared for the second coming is not a trick... If you follow what the prophet and the leaders of the church are saying, you'll be ready."

• Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat [26:23]: "I unleashed on this faux theory that challenges prophetic utterance..."

This episode of "Standard of Truth" intricately weaves historical teachings with contemporary experiences, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of Zion's significance and the enduring call to build and uphold it across the Americas.

Transcript

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Welcome to the Standard of Truth podcast. In this podcast, Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat and Professor Richard Leduc explore the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the life and teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith. They examine the original historical sources and provide context for events of the past. They approach the history of the church with faith expertise and humor.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Foreign.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Hi, welcome to another episode of the Standard of Truth podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Garrett Dirkmont, and I am joined by my friend, my erstwhile companion, someone who is still trudging through the depths of dissertation swamp. He's in the everglades of dissertation revision. Richard leduc.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Hello, Garrett. Thanks for having me back. Yeah, it's great to be here. Great show as always. I'm glad for the opportunity to come here and we've got a fun topic. We've got some very funny emails from many missionaries that are proving to be hilarious.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

These missionaries, are they. Some of them need to get into.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Some standup routines, like just really funny stuff.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah. For an 18 year, this is going to surprise most of our listeners, but apparently some 18 year olds are very sarcastic. Now this, there's a considerable number of our listeners are like, what?

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, it was funny actually. Our son Rigdon, down in Peru, he had a missionary that came into his zone and it was his first day in the great country of Peru and they gathered in a church building there in Miraflores where the mission office is or near it, and somebody came and stole all of his stuff that was, that was there at the church.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Like it was just sitting out in a bin or something. Or he came with a gun. No.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Well, so there's multiple versions of the story. All I know is this missionary from Orem has been improved for four seconds and all of his stuff is gone. It's all been stolen. And so he's telling us the story and he's doing it in the most sarcastic way possible. It was, it was very unfortunate, obviously, but the way my son told the story, it was very funny. I will tell you though, the mother reached out to the places that they purchased the items from and give them.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

A shout out if they did something.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

You know what? I should. Yeah, let me pull them up here. I will do that because it was quite remarkable.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

They might not want the shout out. We can't have everyone who's robbed in Peru coming back to get their stuff back. We break the bank. So my.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Look, first of all, Rigden's been robbed three times. One at knife, one, one at gunpoint, one he got Decked in the head. And so big guy who's hitting him? Rodrigo was his name, actually. It was very funny, actually. Well, I thought it was funny again. His mother didn't think it was quite as funny as me. So it's the next day after he gets decked in the back of the head and his stuff stolen. And they're walking and they're like, hey, what'd you do to make Rodrigo so mad because he got robbed by the church, right? And they're like, what are you talking about? The guy that punched you and whatever. And he's like, I didn't do anything. He just came up and decked me and stole my stuff. And they're like, that's Rodrigo.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

You know, crazy Rodrigo.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Anyway, so, so these. These place. So the mom. So the reason that, you know, my son reaches out to us, he talks to his mission president. His mission president knows that we're coming down to South America and going down actually this week. We leave tomorrow, so.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Oh, wow. So you're about. And yet here you are.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Here I am.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Dedicated to the proposition.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yes.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

This podcast continues to go out.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yes. To. To Zion, which is north and South America. So. So we're going down with a friend of ours, Carlos, who's going to be coming down with us. He's going to help with translation and stuff with the. The wonderful saints from Rio Gallegos, Argentina, up to the Buenos Aires Temple. And so he's going to be going. He's from Peru and so he's going to go to Argentina and then he's going to go over to Peru. And so my wife calls him up and is like, hey, can you take like three more suitcases of stuff for this missionary that was robbed? Anyway, so we're trying to coordinate with the mom and whatever, and she said so yesterday. She reaches out to. Let's see, who. Who were they? It was caller Odeon and Missionary Mall and told them the story and they replaced all of the items for free, which is just so, so nice of them.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Like I said, they may not want that shout out. I was robbed in my basement by needing a new pair of shirts.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Anyway, so they, I mean, so nice of them, but it still costs so much money to get it down. So we're loading our buddy Carlos up with like three suitcases. That's great stuff to take to Peru. So anyway, but he. When he told the story, he did it in a very sarcastic and I mean, it's not funny yet. The way he told it, it was kind of hilarious.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Well, so this Is Richard going down to complete the Sweetwater rescue trip for this year where they are taking over 100 saints from rural Argentina to the temple. And all thanks to listeners listening to us who donated money, who put their money where their testimony was in order to help get Saints that they don't know to the temple. This is pretty awesome.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

So, literally, we received donations from nearly 200 listeners to the podcast from every continent except, I believe, Antarctica. We're very disappointed, obviously.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

I feel like the seven scientists who are there have a very agnostical outlook on life.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

That's.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah, look, if you're already depressed because you're a scientist and then you're in Antarctica, you're not donating anybody.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

No, but it's, it's, it's so awesome. We're going to go down there and we're going to, we're going to spend time with these Saints. They. We're going to be helping in the temple and in the baptistry with the youth and stuff. It's going to be, it's going to be just awesome. So I'm excited to come back and to tell that story. So it's. We're recording this. I mean, we're releasing this on Thursday and then Friday we leave and then I'll be gone for a week. So we'll be, you know, having Angie.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Record all the others.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, right. That's right. So we'll be sure to share it, the experience. But anyway, we'll have cool videos that we'll be able to share. And I literally cannot thank the Littners enough for just their incredible kindness. And Gary, we were talking about this before the show, before we, you know, hit record and just the craziness of it all, just that how kind and wonderful that they don't know us and they sure don't know the people there. And it doesn't matter because President Nelson said going to the temple is the most important thing you can do and these Saints can't get there. And you know what? We're going to help people we don't know do something that we believe to be important. And that's just beautiful.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah. Like I said, they're putting their, their money where their testimony is. One thing, one thing to say, well, I sure hope those people get to the temple. It's quite another to say, yeah, I sure hope they get to the temple and I'm going to pay their way to get there because I want them to go to the temple that bad.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah. Well, so Garrett, to the Phoebe Draper Palmer Brown mailbag. And a couple of missionary emails. We received several missionary emails from family members asking how can they get access to the podcast, the premium stuff.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

And we just need to become acquainted with our secret works.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

They just need to send us their missionary email and then we'll. We'll give it to them and then they can have access to it and go and hit specifically Joseph Smith and the Restoration. That seems to be a very popular.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

I feel like they need to learn about the great inversion in early colonial.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

America, moving from indentured servitude to slavery. You think that's a major?

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Well, that's what they feel like. They go from training to, you know, being a trainee to being a trainer as a missionary.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

My son credits condemned to repeat it on his mission for his, you know, the. The 92% he got on his midterm in American Heritage. So that's. That's something.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

That's good.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, he's like 90. 92% in American heritage. That's like. It's incredible.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Richard is in my class currently and has decided that he's going to grow a mustache.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

It looks so terrible.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

First of all, all of them look terrible on my students. But second of all, his especially does his looks like he got in a fight with his mustache and lost. It's just not even really there. But it is.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

It is gonna. Just. Just pictures from this month are gonna dramatically impact our ability to ever have grandchildren because I don't know who's signing up for that. He did have a funny line, though, in your class today, I believe.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yes. Well, not during class. Afterwards, when I said, are you trying to grow a mustache? And he said, yes. And I'm like, yeah, well, it's kind of missing the whole middle part of your lip. And he said, yes. Even my upper lip knows that I'm Jewish. And so it won't grow the Hitler part of the mustache because he can only grow in a hair on the right and the left side and the middle part is just bare. So he looks like. He honestly looks like a. Like a 1920s carnival barker. Unlike a New Jersey, you know, like. Like an Atlantic City is what he looks like, because there's nothing in the middle but these little, you know, pointy things on the side. It's.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yes. So anyway, on. That's very funny. Onto the mailbag. Hey, Dr. Dirkmont and Professor Leduc, this is Elder Nichol from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mission. We own Pittsburgh.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

It's a state. Well, it's actually a commonwealth. We had people correct us. It's a commonwealth.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yes, so, yeah, we own that mission. We have.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

We have 40 missionaries.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, we legit have, like, 30 missionaries from that mission.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

The mission president there must hate. He must be so tired of people, like, sharing. Like, you know, I just really heard about what the witnesses said, and. And you know that there's some elder who's like, let me tell you about when Angel Moroni appeared like a Spanish conquistador and that, you know. You know that someone's doing that. I'm sure Rocky's probably already done it in his elders.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Oh, I guarantee. I guarantee it. Well, so here's the. Here's the thing that's funny. Is that, like in. In a normal ward or in a normal setting, in a Sunday school class, when people reference something that they listen to, it's usually follow him.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Well, it's usually something that's not us.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Well, sure, but it's almost always that. It's never us. Except for in what I imagine is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mission zone conference, where we're. Follow him in that zone conference.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

For sure.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

It's very exciting.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

It was the demographic we had to have. We had to have the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mission, and we got it.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

And all you had to do is trash this Pittsburgh.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

It's funny that that really inspired many more listeners. It must have been like, the first and third wards. Must be like, you got to listen to these guys. They're finally on our side. You.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

The second word's got to be so sanctimonious.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Oh, yeah, the second words. Always talking down to everybody. If you're wondering what we're talking about, we had a listener's email many years. I don't know, like a year ago, maybe. Yeah, a year where they were told that the Pittsburgh Second Ward was the oldest ward in the church east of the Mississippi. And so we talked about that. So that's the reason why we're talking about this Pittsburgh Second Ward. Looking down on other people, I was.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Wondering if Yin's could extend premium access to yours truly. My trainer has been practicing priestcraft with his subjugation of yours truly with his famous cooking and soul holding of the premium access, I am about to transfer out. So I need to gather his tools of priestcraft for when I train. Thank you so much for your podcast. It has helped me learn so much about Joseph Smith and the kind of man he is. Keep killing it out there, proverbially.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

So.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

That's from Elder Neal.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Good thing you said proverbially. That would be.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yes, yes.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

I would hate to think that. In addition, the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania mission is encouraging us to murder.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

This next email comes from Brannon daughter and son on a mission. I have a son in Salta, Argentina and a daughter in Omaha, Nebraska. They don't have access to podcasts but would love to listen to you. My daughter is particularly interested given her high level of sarcasm and repeated reference and repeated references to the fornicating fornicator Dr. Thalassus Hurlbut. What's the best way for them to get access?

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

She absolutely needs access. If she likes to hear some fornicating fornicators, she needs access.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yes. This next person comes to Email comes to us from Kimberly, who has a last name that's unique and has to be related to somebody that I served with because it's a fairly unique name. Great missionary, by the way, in Southern California. I have been procrastinating writing this email as much of Richard has been as much as Richard has been procrastinating with his dissertation. But maybe you need to hear this because the thought just keeps coming back. Sometimes you mention that someone has objected to your nonsensical preambles. Here's the thing.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Okay, well, we just did that for the first 12 minutes here, I guess. I mean, we're reading emails, but we're.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Talking about good old Peru robbery story.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah, I mean, that's not what the people want.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

There aren't that many people in the history of the world who have a friendship like yours. I have six children, five boys. And if I could wish one thing for them, it would be an understanding that they can be as goofy and fun loving and easily distracted as they want and still have a rock solid, unshakable, willing to shout it from the rooftop testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your example of being real flesh and blood men who love one another and the prophet Joseph and have fun is a rare gem. Our young people need to understand that they don't have to be wearing a suit and tie, sitting in a red velvet chair, reading a flawless script from a teleprompter in order to be effective disciples of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your uplifting and positive examples of brotherhood and the gospel. Or brotherhood in the gospel.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

That was incredibly kind. What a. What a beautiful prose she wrote with too. Wow. She must be an author of some kind. That was, that was. That was beautiful. Thank you. And hopefully, I mean, as much as some of you are annoyed by it, I mean, there's obviously a method to our madness. Or at least we say that when really we just like to joke around.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Wait, is this. I think this is the same. Is this the same? Kimber? Hold on. I think that she'd emailed in before and I think that she had done a TED talk. She's that that writing is far too smart actually.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah, it's better than this yo.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah much we can discern.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

We can discern what people are better.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

So this email I think is the jumping off point. Garrett, for the the topic you want to discuss, I'm excited to finally have something pertinent to share that I think will add something of value to your content. Last weekend I attended the temple with my Relief Society sisters as the St. Paul, Minnesota temple has recently reopened after six a six month closure. With the ease of FamilySearch, I was able to print family names for ceilings daughters to parents and and was grinning like a fool when I came across these relatives names. One of my distant cousins is Albertine Missouri Bundy, who was born in North Carolina in 1836. I'd say this is a solid evidence for the correct pronunciation of the state name, although probably more of a thick liquid, because I do make some assumptions because it originates from the US 1850 census and as such is somewhat contemporary to the time frame when the early church members had residences in Missouri or Missouri. At least her birth date is. Anyway. My assumption is analogous to Joseph Smith writing Chech Ch I r the church Church Edward Patridge in the church, as he would pronounce it. The parents of his daughter named her Missouri and spelled it after their pronunciation of the state name. I have no other evidence to offer, so this argument might be waning into the flimsiest of viscosities as well into the gaseous territory. But I wanted to share it anyway. I've taken a screenshot of the information in FamilySearch, yada yada yada. I also wanted to say how grateful I am for your recent podcast. Can't say how recent with your non existent indexing, we're bringing a shot coming at us. As soon as this dissertation's done. As soon as it's done, I'm going to get on it. I'm going to start indexing. Danielle, I can promise you that's going to happen sometimes this century where Brigham Young references Joseph Smith is saying the whole of north and South America is Zion because my husband went to Missouri on a business trip recently and his review of Missouri was similar to the Early Saints and yours and the participants of the tours you lead there. Namely, I'm not sure if I can go to Missouri if the Prophet calls us back to populate Zion, you might have to go without me for the sake of my marriage. I want to believe Minnesota can be a Zion too. Of course, this was said in jest and as natives to San Diego who have lived in Utah, Ohio, Maryland, South Carolina, and now Minnesota since we've been married, I think we can justly say we've gone where the Lord has wanted us to go, and we have been immensely blessed in each of the places we've lived and have been able to build great relationships with our ward families as well as members in each of these areas. I'm so grateful for the information and testimonies you share on the podcast. Thanks for all you do, Danielle.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Well, thank you, Danielle. First of all, look, I'm fairly confident and we have so many listeners in Missouri or Missouri that, that I have listened to people in, in Missouri today. That's how they pronounce their own state. I don't think it's so much the case in, like, St. Louis. I think in St. Louis, you hear people say Missouri, like, and if you watch St. Louis television, I don't know that you do. I mean, if you ever just casually watch St. Louis television, if you're just, you know, bouncing around on the, on the radio dial scanner that you have and you're like, you know what? I want some St. Louis radio, you'll find that I, at least when I'm there, it seems like everyone says Missouri the same way that most people say it. I will say, however, on the other side of the state, in the Kansas City area, especially the more rural you go, I do hear people say Missouri as the way they pronounce the state. They say Missouri, not, not, not Missouri. What about you, Richard? Do you any, any experience with that?

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, no. I, I one of my wife's favorite things to do is when we're in a place is she likes to watch the local news in the place where we're at. Now, I don't care about local news in the place where I live, but she likes to watch it in a place that we're visiting. And I, I have seen local news in St. Louis, while in St. Louis, and I can attest that that is correct. And I spend a lot of time in and around the rural parts of Kansas City in my work career. But I mean, almost any rural place, you're gonna be dropping all kinds of stuff. I mean, I grew up in. Becky makes fun of me when I she says I'm a chameleon when I go home and I'm starting to conjugate words that I don't normally conjugate because I'm more in rural Idaho, and that's the way it is.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Look, there's a borrow pit when I'm back home in Idaho. There just is. You say that in Utah, people look at you like you just killed somebody, like you're the murderers that the Pennsylvania mission thought we were. You know, and some. Some of this, you know, conjugation gets into our. Our, you know, to the point where it's so natural and so normal that people put it into their regular lives. Like I. Our elders quorum function this last week, we went with our wives to the Mo Bettas, right. Restaurant in. In Spanish Fork, which is obviously a Hawaiian, you know, way of saying it's. It's more better. And we actually met the. The general manager of. Of the Moetas in. In Spanish Fork, a guy by the name of Joe, super nice guy, and apparently either recognized me or recognized my voice and came up to let me know he was a big fan of the podcast. So shout out to Joe.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

With great food, by the way, too. Everyone should go.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Oh, my gosh, Hawaiian food is the best. The only place better than Jersey Mike's Moetta. Go to Mo Bettas for your. For all of your lunch or dinner needs and go to Missionary Mall, where if you get robbed, they're going to.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Replace all your stuff that's not in writing. And we aren't spokespeople. Honestly, though, it was. It was great food. But I think it's a pretty good assumption of what you're making, Danielle, that. That when they named their daughter Missouri, that's. They probably did spell it the way it would have been pronounced. So that's. That's an interesting thing. But on your second point, I really want to spend a little bit of time on this in part because I am inundated. Well, that maybe that's too strong of a word. I am regularly confronted by. I'm not drowning. I'm not in a. I'm not in a river. I'm not in the Missouri trying to get across. But I am regularly either confronted by email or by text or by people who are really worried about the second coming. Okay. And I want them to be worried about the second coming. It's important. You do need. When the prophet says you need to get yourself ready, well, then you need to get yourself ready. And the problem is that sometimes we have zeal without knowledge. Right? We so desperately want a thing that it actually opens the door for people to using our zeal. To kind of carry us down a road. That's not accurate. The other day, a friend of mine called me and asked me about a particular end of times scenario that is making its way on the Internet, which, you know, is proved by the little feather that Donald Trump would be reelected and on down the line. I mean, it was just, it's this whole thing. And I, I, I was, I thought I was talking to my good friend. It wasn't Richard, so it was a good friend, and I thought I was talking to my good friend. And so I unleashed on this faux theory that challenges prophetic utterance, and I just, I went off and about five minutes into my ranting about how, how wrong this theory was and why it was wrong and how we just need to learn how to follow the prophet, not someone that we read on Twitter, my friend comes back on the line. He's like, hey, I just wanted to let you know I was with the guy and put it on speakerphone when I asked you. And he never told me that the guy was with him or that he put it on speakerphone.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

That's, that's.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

So I ranted like an idiot. And, and he was like, you know what, though? He was like, yeah, that's what I needed to hear. So my, yeah, probably we just, you know, shook hands. Was all a big misunderstanding, I guess.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

But now, in fairness, Garrett, that's not, that's not on you. Look, when my wife calls me and I'm. It's on speaker. Because people in the car, it's the first thing I say.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Hey, I'm on speaker.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, yeah, before. Yes, I'm on speaker. Just be careful.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Because, like, you're with your boss and she calls like, hey, are you with that loser? Oh, she loves your boss. But I mean, if it was.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

But yeah, that's right.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

If it was. If it was someone that you dislike that you were with at the time.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's a huge football. So that's not on you, Garrett.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah, well, so. But the point being is that I, I handle questions and inquiries with people who have anxious anxiety about the second coming and are hearing things from people about what they really need to do to get to prepare. I mean, heavens, A couple of weeks ago, there's a guy who claimed that the actual priesthood meeting that was supposed to take place before the coming of Jesus was taking place, you know, a couple weeks ago in Adam Ondi. Amen. You know, and there are people who believed it, and they really believed it. Why Am I spending time talking about this? Well, first of all, it's clearly an issue or it wouldn't come up as often as it does because it's not just crazy people or irate people from the Pennsylvania Mission, you know, wanting to be backed up on what they believe. Sometimes it's otherwise really, really good. Members of the church and people are presenting these theories of the end times to them with such, you know, such power and claiming to have such evidence that that's, that's how my friend's friend was, who was listening without my knowledge is he didn't know if he believed it, but his family sure believed it and it seemed like they had good evidence. And so my friend was like, well, you know, I know a guy, let's call him and we'll tell him that theory and see what he says. I didn't know that. I didn't know that it was being broadcast normally. I'm much more kind. And he said, yeah, I knew you would be if you knew. And I wanted it to be unfiltered. So I just didn't tell you that he was on the line. I'm like, I need you to tell me. I need to know. Some of these end of time scenarios, some of these discussions have the ability to take a form of nationalism that can be troubling sometimes. People want to argue that the only truly blessed place on earth is the United States, that the United States is the only land, that's the land of freedom. The United States is the only blessed land, it's the only promised land. And you know, for their evidence, they will say things like, well, I mean, look, look at the rest of north and South America. Are you saying that they're the promised land? And this will sometimes merge with or coincide with a belief that the Book of Mormon only took place inside of what is today the United States. Because the United States is the blessed land and the United States is the Promised Land, no other place. There's a couple of reasons that to be careful and hesitant about this thinking. First, historically for the Latter Day Saints, when we were murdered out of Missouri and driven with many more murders out of Illinois, including the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Latter Day Saints at that point felt like whatever promise the United States had, it had forfeited. And Doctrine and Covenant Section 136, the revelation that Brigham Young receives in Winter Quarters, states that directly in the voice of the Lord, that the nation has cast you out. It's not just a theoretical, it's not just a metaphor. Of the saints being driven out. The Lord declares that the saints have been driven out. And you know, I would love to tell you that the remainder of the 19th century was one of great kumbaya and campfire songs between the United States government and Latter Day Saints living in Utah territory. But you and I both know that it wasn't. There was federal law after federal law passed trying to hurt Latter Day Saint religion and not just about polygamy, but that was a big part of it. To the point where, you know, if you were a member of the church in the 1880s and there were hundreds of men and women that were in federal prisons for the marriages that they had entered into, for laws that were only selectively applied in front of juries for which Latter Day Saints were not allowed to serve on juries, you think that you are to be tried by a jury of your peers? Well, not so. Not in Utah territory. Latter Day Saints are barred from serving on them. Women who have the right to vote, given the right to vote in 1870 in Utah have their right to vote stripped from them because with their vote, they continued to vote for church leaders who were trying to uphold the Lord's commandment that the church practice plural marriage. So if you were to talk to a member of the church in 1885 or 1886, they would not feel this overflowing feeling of patriotism towards the United States. They would certainly still reverence the Constitution. They would reverence the Declaration of Independence. They would still culturally be American, those who weren't born in Europe anyway. But they would have thought that the United States lost its promise a long time ago because it murdered Joseph and Hyrum and then drove the saints out and into the hundreds of people are going to die in winter quarters and in crossing the plains. Over a thousand total. Now I'm not saying that because I mean, hey, I think everybody, you know, needs to. To hate on the United States. Look, I love living in the United States. My dad is an immigrant to the country. He came, he was born in Nazi occupied Holland and, and after the war immigrated with this family to, to the United States. And I developed a great patriotism from him because he loved this country. And boy, fourth of July was a favorite holiday for him. But that didn't mean that he was blind to the fact that there were evils and sins in the past of the country. And I feel like it's kind of a balance. You have to do that. You need to be able to talk about the great aspects of the country at the Same time, acknowledge that there were children murdered at Haun's Mill and not one person receiving justice for that. We even know who committed the murders, but not one person receiving justice for that. And I feel like there has to be a little bit of a balance. Well, in regard to this question of is Missouri really Zion or where does this come from? That all of north and South America, it's actually a stunning thing to the church. So in 1831, Joseph Smith receives the. The revelation doctrine coming section 57, that declares that the. The new Jerusalem is to be built in Jackson County, Missouri, there in Independence, basically, near the courthouse in Independence. And the church attempts to build up that city of Zion. For two years. They make preparations. Saints move there, and. And then in the Latter Half of 1833 and early 1834, mob violence erupts. And someday we'll. We'll do this. I know Richard desperately wants me to do the full details of Zion as far as the driving out, but it's not safe for children.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

It's tough. It's tough. In fact, I mean, the Hyrum Smith affidavit, which is full of some of the most vile languages, as Hyrum is just relaying.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

He's just quoting what the mob is.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Quoting what the mob said. It is.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

And what they did.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

And what they did, and it is. It is aggressive. And I will tell you, there is a big difference between, hey, there was some violence and it was bad versus reading what, Hiram Smith.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Right. And there's. There's a. There's a reason why when people, like. Well, there were faults on both sides. There's a reason why when people say that to me, I. I become angry, Garrett, and I, you know, I rip my shirt. Yeah, you're.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

You're the dander meter. You're at like a 37.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah, you wouldn't like me very much when I'm angry.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

It's on a scale of 1 to 10, by the way.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Yeah. Yeah. Scale from 1 to 10, it's 40.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Your Dander's Way up.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

But the point being that there's just vile things that take place and. But the Saints are driven from Jackson county and then eventually driven from Missouri completely. They have the spot for the temple outlined in Independence where the cornerstones are. They lay cornerstones for a temple in Far west, but they're driven out and they go to Illinois, where eventually in Nauvoo, they're able to actually build their temple. And then only a short few years there, they're going to be, you know, not Only are Joseph and Hyrum going to be murdered. All the Saints are going to be driven out of the country and into Mexico. As soon as the Saints get to Mexico, within a year, Mexico, that part of Mexico becomes part of the United States because of the Mexican War, because of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought it back. I had to bring it back. Everyone was wondering. And so for Latter Day Saints, who were culturally, many of them at least, American, who'd grown up as Americans like Joseph Smith, they were stunned by the. They weren't stunned that the, that the city of New Jerusalem was going to be built inside the United States. That just made sense. The United States is the land of freedom. Most places in, in. In north and South America are still controlled by, you know, European empires, or they're just barely have gained their independence from Spain and they've set up their own dictatorships. And so it makes sense that, yeah, here it is in this land of liberty that we. We'd have the New Jerusalem set up. But after the Saints are driven out of Zion and they continue to try to grow the church and spread the gospel, always they are looking back to, when are we going to return to Missouri? It's a question that gets asked Joseph Smith all the time. It's a question that gets asked to Brigham Young all the time. Are we going back to Missouri? Brigham Young will always remind people, you know, Zion's a people and a place. So if you aren't a Zion person, then you aren't ready to go back to Zion. One time asking the brothers and sisters who had collected for church how many of them drank alcohol this morning or how many of them had tea with their breakfast. You're not ready to go to Zion. But it's in an 1843 conference that Joseph Smith is going to really just stun the church. So since 1831, they have believed that the United States is the land of Zion, and more particularly Zion. The city itself is in Jackson County, Missouri, because Revelation declared that to them. And of course, when they read the Book of Mormon, they read it as something pertaining to where they were and where the New Jerusalem was going to be built up. That was a very natural thing. In this conference address, the first portion of the conference on April 7, Joseph spent a lot of time talking about baptism and the resurrection. Some funny little pithy things. He says. Many talk of any baptism not being essential to salvation, but this would lay the foundation of their damnation. Obviously, Protestants don't believe baptism is essential. And so Joseph is saying, well, actually, that's damnation. There's also been remarks made concerning all men being redeemed from hell. But I say that any man who commits the unpardonable sin must dwell in hell worlds without end. So that's a little. Okay. The unpardonable sin being denying the Holy Ghost or becoming a Son of perdition. And then it said, conferences adjourned until the next day. So this is now the April 8th day of the 1844 conference. So this is the. The. The. The early conference. The early. The early 1844 conference. And Joseph's going to be murdered in June of 1844. So this is the last church conference that he is going to be speaking at. President Joseph Smith arose and he said, it is impossible to continue the subject that I spoke upon yesterday in consequence of the weakness of my lungs. Now, remember, these guys, they have to. You got 20,000 people gathered at the Grove, and they've got to shout loud enough for everybody to hear. And that's over the mosquitoes that are in Nauvoo. So that's. I mean, there's no way you're getting over that. It's just the loudness. But so he says, you know, I wanted to pick up more on baptism than. But I'm not going to yet. I have a proclamation to make to the elders. You know, the Lord has led the church until the present time, and I now have a great proclamation for the elders to teach the church and to teach the church hereafter. And it is in relation to Zion. The whole of north and South America is Zion. The mountain of the Lord's house is in the center of north and South America. When the house is done, the baptism font erected and finished, and the worthy are washed and anointed and endowed and ordained kings and priests which must be done in this life. When this place is prepared, you must go through all these ordinances of the house of the Lord so that you who have any dead friends must go through all the ordinances for them the same as for yourselves. Then the elders are to go through all America and build up churches until all Zion is built up. Now notice, when he says all America there, he does not mean United States of America. He just explained the whole of north and South America is Zion. So after you've received your own endowment, after you received your own ordinances, the elders are then to go through all of America, north and South America, and build up here. And the Elders endowed then to go forth and accomplish the work and build up stakes in all of north and South America. So Joseph not only is declaring that all of north and South America is Zion, that it's a responsibility upon those who get endowed in the temple to go take those ordinances and those teachings to the other people in the other parts of north and South America. How awesome is that? That you've got a son serving in South America and that you are just about to lead a temple expedition, let's call it. Makes it sound like you're looking for a lost idol and you know there's going to be poison darts flying out of it.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, I've got, I've got a bag of sand and so they want to scan a temple recommend and I put the bag of sand and see if I can trick him and see if.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

He can still get in. Yeah, and then the temple just collapses on you. If not.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, just the baptismal font starts rolling through and you have a son in North America teaching the gospel. So the Dirk Mots and the Leducs, we're doing our part.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

Well, I love that part where Joseph says, you know, look, you first need to get endowed and receive these ordinances and then you need to go give them to other people.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Yeah, that's great.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

And. And Joseph makes this proclamation. This is not like, you know, Joseph like sitting and talking to Willard Richards while they're whittling a stick. It's not Joseph like, hey, Ward, you know what I was thinking? I was thinking maybe, I think maybe all north and South America was nine. What do you think? Instead? This is something that he says. I don't have enough voice to be able to talk. But I have to tell you this. For whatever reason, the Lord directed Joseph Smith here in, in this last sermon that he is going to give. Not the last sermon, but one of the last sermons at the General. At General Conference that he's going to give to the whole church. One of the last things he told them is that all of north and South America is Zion. And following him, you know, the next speaker is George Adams and he gets up and he spoke at length concerning Zion that was to be built up in the last days and pointed out Joseph from the Scriptures and brought much testimony to prove the subject. And at the close of the discourse, President Joseph Smith turned over the conference to the hands of the 12 and adjourned until 2 o'clock. At 2 o'clock, Hyrum Smith is the one who spoke. And, and Wilford Woodruff doesn't record much of what he said other than, you know, the elders need to try to try to teach the Elders wisdom that they might act in wisdom when they go out to preach. So the cool part is April 9th. Okay, so already this is a Tuesday. I. I'm not sure, like, everybody thinks General conference is a Saturday and a Sunday. We're four days into this. We are. If you think you're getting away with just, you know, a couple of conference bingos, you are not. April 9, 1844. Brigham Young is the person who's chairing the conference. And he gets up to speak and what he says just demonstrates just how powerful that doctrine is. He says, when I heard Brother Joseph make his proclamation yesterday about north and South America being Zion, I thought it was a sweepstakes. What a cool way of describing it. Joseph declaring that all of north and South America is Zion is similar to Brigham Young of winning the sweepstakes. That's what it's like to him. I thought it was a sweepstakes when he said north and South America was Zion. Any elder that will be wise when he gets his endowment can go into any city and build up the largest church in the city. This proves the prophet true that the priesthood is fitted for the condition of every man and woman that was on earth. Will the elders go out this season and preach the things we tell them to and then stop? Build up churches in all the world is a perfect knockdown to mobs. Mob away and best let us alone and we will evangelize the world and not make much a fuss about it. Mob us and we will do it sooner. We want the elders to go out and election year for President Smith and we want to build the temple this season and by the help of God, we will do it. Pay your tithing if you want a seat in that house. And many other useful remarks was made by Elder Young. It is hard not to love Brigham Young when he is on, on a tear like that. But it just shows how, how much mentality changes and how quickly Brigham Young embraces it. Essentially, everyone thought that the only land of Zion was there in the United States and in Missouri. And for Brigham Young, he hears Joseph Smith say, I have a proclamation from God to you. And instead of Brigham Young going, actually, Joseph, I know you said it was a bit, I was checking and really the only place where there's a government that could be called from God. Brigham Young's response was, that's incredible. And not only is it true, I'm going to reiterate what he taught. It's not something he believed. It's not something he culturally would have believed. It's not something that he knew, but when it was declared from a prophet of God, Brigham Young immediately said, this is the truth. And I think that's why it's so important we talk about the promised land that we recognize. It's easy to get parochial and to think the promised land is Spanish Fork, Utah, or possibly, possibly Layton, Utah, but only possibly because you guys have two temples within, like, a mile of each other. We're still back here waiting.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

No, it's tough. It's tough for us because while we're in the Layton Temple district, you can hop on, you know, the 177 and get to Syracuse a little faster. So we do struggle with that. Which. Which temple.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

What's the time difference in driving to Layton Temple and the Syracuse Temple?

[Professor Richard Leduc]

Well, it really depends on the lights you're going to hit on Gentile. There's no street in all of Utah with a better name than that. By the way, the fact that the temple is just off of Gentile is hilarious to me.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

I mean, frankly, the temple is kind of bringing in some Gentiles, so I think maybe that's about right.

[Professor Richard Leduc]

No, it's. It's exactly. It's. It's actually. I mean, kidding aside, one of the main reasons that we wanted to take our kids on this temple trip to Argentina is because we wanted them to see. Because we talk about how important the temple is and. And they go. And the youth are incredible in terms of how much they go and do baptisms, far more than I certainly did as a kid. Now, the temple wasn't nearly as close, but still. And we want them to be able to see, look, this is how people feel when they don't have a temple. We hope that the excitement and the joy of temple worship rubs off on the kids and they're able to see that.

[Dr. Garrett Dirkmaat]

And understanding that God loves all people of all places now, you know, highlighting that north and South America are declared to be Zion and the Promised Land. I don't mean to denigrate people living in other places either, that God loves everyone everywhere. In fact, I was just casually. Because that's how I do things, right? Just casually reading a. A sermon from Brigham Young. And he makes a point that I think is a beautiful point to make about how much God loves everyone. Already. Brigham Young has really endorsed and believes that God is going to save everybody, that, yeah, you know, if you are a son of perdition, you're going to dwell in hell. But other than that, God loves you and there's going to be a place for you, Brigham is responding to one of the earlier sermons. This is an 1866 General Conference meeting. And he says, the first discourse that we listened to this morning, I will answer you by saying, I think very well of it. I've invited a great many Christian preachers to come to our stand and give us the best that they have got. And I don't know that I have ever heard from any man's mouth words of greater comfort than presented here than what we have had this morning. And he goes on to list some of the things that were said, but then he just says, you know, he wants to distill it down what it is that the people have said. He said, I could discover the necessity of people living as was declared by the first speaker. And this is how he summarizes it. Do all the good we can and as little harm as possible. And any man or woman that will do this and follow it in their lives, I will warrant them a good place hereafter. And I will ensure them to have less sorrow, ensure a great deal more knowledge, wisdom, joy and peace and comfort than they enjoy here. I do not care who they are or what country they live in, no matter whether they are Christians or Mohammedans. That's a way of saying Muslims in the 19th century, Jews or pagans or any of the isolated nations, it is no matter where they live. What a comforting thing. He says that, that anyone who tries to do good and do as little harm as possible, do all the good possible and do as little harm. There is great salvation in contemplating the kindness and goodness and benevolent fatherly care. It is a satisfaction to contemplate the inhabitants of the earth of their past, present and future existence, those who have lived and those who now live and those who will come after us to live upon the earth. What the Father has done for the redemption of the human family and the places that he has prepared for his children to dwell in each and every one of their capacity, calling and privileges, and to the knowledge that they gain and according to their lives here upon the earth. I ask those that were here this morning who heard that exhortation and the discourse to live it. So that is a pretty good watchword, that to do as much good as possible and as little harm as possible. And I thought I'd just mention that just because I realized that as Latter Day Saints, we know we have the truth because the Lord revealed it through the prophet Joseph Smith. And sometimes I fear that people still believe that someone who lives somewhere where they haven't heard the gospel are somehow just not as good as they are, or that by some random chance God blessed one person and not the other. It is a great thing to know that we belong to a religion where God is truly no respecter of person. No one has an equal chance in this life. Nobody. All of us are going to suffer different, horrible, unfair things. Some of us will deal with sickness and disease, either in ourselves or our loved ones. Some of us will suffer financial reverses and struggle with great difficulty to make ends meet. Others will have family member, friends, spouses, betray them and leave a gaping hole in their life where there once was happiness. Some people will never know what it's like to be in a marriage for eternity in this life. And some people will never be able to raise their precious child to adulthood. This world is filled with misery and suffering. The great promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that suffering will end. And so I exhort everybody, the same way that Joseph Smith did and then Brigham Young followed it up, to realize that when you go and you receive your endowments and you become someone who has made this covenant with God, that you go and you share that gospel in any way you can to someone else. Because God desperately loves everyone. And whether they accept it or not, whether they listen to you or not, God has prepared a place for everyone. We don't believe in that Protestant hell where everyone rise in agony forever. We believe that there's suffering for our sins. But we also believe that God will reward and save those based upon the knowledge that they have. And that because of work for the dead, everyone's going to have an opportunity, an equal opportunity, not just for salvation, but for exaltation. And I love it. I love the fact that Joseph Smith taught this. That Zion goes well beyond the borders of Missouri and well beyond Jackson county, and that our responsibility in sharing the gospel goes well beyond the temple walls. As members of the church, we need to be willing to follow what the prophets teach. Don't be led astray by people who claim they know what God wants us to do and then begin trying to quote you from obscure talks or visiting general authorities from 20 years ago. President Nelson has made it very clear what it is that you are to do. He wants you to go to the temple. He's well aware. This is a spoiler alert. President Nelson is well aware that we are in the last days and approaching the second coming of Jesus. He keeps telling us that we are. So I'm pretty sure he knows. And he doesn't need somebody trying to reinterpret a passage from an apocryphal book of Scripture to tell people how they really have to get prepared for the second coming. He's already said what he wants you to do. He wants you to read the Book of Mormon. He wants you to pray and receive a testimony through the spirit of Revelation. He wants you to be kind. He wants you to go to the temple. He wants you to preach the gospel. Now, maybe none of those things are, as you know, scintillating as the idea of stockpiling ammunition and trying to get together with your local militia to be prepared for when the end times come. But that's not what our prophet has told us to do. And like Brigham Young, when Joseph was challenged, I would not give the ashes of rye straw for anything if we did not have a living prophet of God. So if you have concerns, if you look at the world around you and you feel like things aren't going the way I want them to, things are spiraling out of control. How can I raise my children in this environment? What am I going to do for my adult children? If you feel that anxiety and you feel the wickedness of the world closing in, I guarantee that every person listening agrees with you. They all feel that. So in our desperation, whom do we turn to? Do we turn to some supposed expert on a Twitter posting or a subreddit? Do we listen to what some supposedly smart person has to say about the way they reinterpreted a scripture? Or do we follow what the prophet of God says? Being prepared for the second coming is not a trick. It's not a shell game. That God is constantly moving the shells around and you picked the wrong one and, oh, you weren't really ready. He's actually made it very easy to be ready. If you follow what the prophet and the leaders of the church are saying, you'll be ready. Now, does that mean we'll all survive the Apocalypse when it comes? No. Brigham Young state specifically that there are righteous who are going to die. Joseph Smith says this, but we die in the Lord then. So let's look forward to the second coming of our Lord not with fear and anxiety, but with hope that all of the unfairness of this life will suddenly and in an instant be wiped away. And through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we will not only have our sins washed away, we will have all of our loved ones returned to us. All of our pains and suffering will be taken from us. And we will have that true bliss, that true joy that comes with eternal life. So thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for listening to the Standard of Truth podcast, hosted by historian Dr. Garrett Dirkmont. If you know anybody that could benefit from the material in this episode, please share it with them. And for more resources, visit standardoftruth. Com. Until next time.