Today I read Doctrine and Covenants 2, which is only 3 verses long. It is a extract from the words Moroni spoke to Joseph Smith when Moroni came to visit him 3 times in one night on September 21, 1823. Moroni is quoting Malachi chapter 4 here but he quotes it a little different.
The standard version of this scripture, the one found in the Bible states that Elijah will turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the children, lest the Lord smite the earth with a curse. When the Savior quotes it to the Nephites upon His visit to them in 3 Nephi, he quotes it the exact same way. But Moroni changes it ever so slightly. Moroni tells Joseph Smith that "[Elijah] will plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers and the hearts of the children will turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at His coming."
That is a very interesting change of wording to me but it is also very clear to me. It helps to clarify what Malachi and later the Savior meant when they said this. We know today from our modern day prophets that they are referring to genealogy and sealing the parents to their children etc. And as we have previously discussed, genealogy is one of the hottest internet hobbies around now a days. But Moroni's phrasing gives us another aspect to Elijah's coming. Moroni said that with Elijah's coming he would plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers.
That to me indicates an increase in religion and an increase of spirituality. Now, we know that Elijah returned to the Kirtland Temple in 1836, so let me ask you, has there been an increase since that time of spirituality and a turning to religion? I think the answer you get might depend entirely upon who you ask. Some would say no way, this world is more irreverent than ever. However, if you ask any missionary or returned missionary, they will tell you about the dozens of people they came into contact with who just one day literally woke up feeling the need to change their life and find a church and to start attending it. Nothing changed in their lives, they just literally one day felt the desire to get to know God better.
Now, most return missionaries could also tell you about the hundreds of people they met that had crisis' in their lives and how it turned them to religion also. Some of those even stick with it once they are there. But the point is, most definitely yes, there has been an increase of religious fervor since Elijah's coming. I think the exact phrasing of this scripture also refers to the scriptures. If we are to take it literally, how can we know what the promises that were made to the fathers were if we do not have access to the scriptures to tell us? Much like the Nephites needed the brass plates to know what commandments they needed to keep while in the wilderness, the people could not understand the promises made to their fathers without a record of it.
It is food for thought and we have certainly seen this prophecy fulfilled in our day no matter how you slice it. We most definitely have seen what is commonly referred to as the spirit of Elijah in this day and age and will continue to see it until the second coming of our Savior. And we could all use a little more genealogy and religion in this world, it would do it some good I think. Until tomorrow.
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