Scriptural Highlights

• The Savior opens the door to Heavenly Father's presence.
• The Savior shows mercy for those in spirit prison
• The Savior is a strength and a refuge.
• The Savior will prepare a feast and destroy the "vail."
• The Savior wipes away our tears.
• The Savior will bring the Resurrection.
• The Savior is our sure foundation.
• The Savior will restore the gospel to the earth.

A study of this lesson will encourage us to come unto Christ as we recognize some of the wonderful things he has done.

"Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things"

The Savior Opens The Door To Heavenly Father's Presence

• Isaiah 22:22: "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."
• WHO IS THIS VERSE REFERING TO?
• Jesus Christ.
• WHAT IS THE KEY OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID?
• Joseph F. McConkie: "Isaiah spoke of the 'key of the house of David' being placed upon the shoulder of the Messiah and of his having the power to open that which no one else could open and to shut that which no one else could shut (Isaiah 22:22)." (The Pearl of Great Price: Revelations From God, p77)
• Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "In ancient Israel, David was a man of blood and battle whose word was law and whose very name was also a symbol of power and authority. Accordingly, when Isaiah sought to convey a realization of the supreme, directive control and power resident in our Lord, the Son of David, he spoke these words in the Lord's name: 'And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.' (Isa. 22:22.) Centuries later, speaking of himself, our Lord said to John: 'These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.' (Rev. 3:7.) Thus, the key of David is the absolute power resident in Christ whereby his will is expressed in all things both temporal and spiritual." (Mormon Doctrine, p409)
• WHAT DOOR IS IT THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN OPEN?
• Jesus once said to Thomas, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
• WHAT MUST WE DO TO HAVE THE DOOR OPENED FOR US?
• "...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23).
• "O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation" (2 Nephi 9:45).

The Savior Shows Mercy For Those In Spirit Prison

• Isaiah 24:21-22: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited."
• WHO ARE THE "HIGH ONES"?
• The wicked (see Franklin D. Richards and James A. Little, A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel, p81).
• WHAT IS THIS PRISON WHERE THE "HIGH ONES" SHALL BE GATHERED?
• President Ezra Taft Benson: "There were two grand divisions in the world of spirits. Spirits of the righteous (the just) had gone to paradise, a state of happiness, peace, and restful work. The spirits of the wicked (the unjust) had gone to prison, a state of darkness and misery." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p37)
• WHAT DID THE SAVIOR DO FOR THE SPIRITS IN PRISON?
• READ ISAIAH 42:6-7. The righteous called to be a light.
• Joseph F. Smith: "And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them;
       "But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.
       "And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel." (D&C 138:29-31)
• President Wilford Woodruff: "When Joseph Smith had laid the foundation of this work he was taken away. There are good reasons why it was so. Jesus sealed his testimony with his blood. Joseph Smith did the same, and from the day he died his testimony has been in force upon the whole world. He has gone into the spirit world and organized this dispensation on that side of the veil; he is gathering together the elders of Israel and the Saints of God in the spirit world, for they have a work to do there as well as here. Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Father Smith, David Patten and the other elders who have been called to the other side of the veil have fifty times as many people to preach to as we have on the earth. There they have all the spirits who have lived on the earth in seventeen centuries -- fifty generations, fifty thousand millions of persons who lived and died here without having seen a prophet or apostle, and without having the word of the Lord sent unto them. They are shut up in prison, awaiting the message of the elders of Israel." (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p151)

The Savior Is A Strength & A Refuge

• READ ISAIAH 25:1-4. The Lord to be a strength, refuge, and shadow.
• READ ISAIAH 25:1-2. The Savior to be a protection.
• WHAT DO THE FOLLOWING IMAGES FROM THESE VERSES TEACH ABOUT HOW THE SAVIOR HELPS US WHEN WE FACE CHALLENGES?
• The images:
• He is a refuge from the storm (25:4).
• He is a shadow from the heat (25:4).
• He is a hiding place from the wind (32:2).
• He is a covert from the tempest (32:2).
• He is rivers of water in a dry place (32:2).
• He is the shadow of a great rock in a weary land (32:2).
• These images paint a picture of a person struggling with the elements. I have had experiences through my life with all of the above elements. I have been caught in both rain an snow storms. Many are the times when I have sought out shade to protect myself from the hot sun. Here in the Northwest, we often have windstorms in the fall with twigs and branches breaking off of the tall trees. A hiding place from the wind is necessary for one's safety. And there is little better than a water when one has been hiking for hours through a dry area.
       And yet Isaiah was talking about the Savior being more than just a protection from the elements of weather. I also see a picture of our lives and the struggles and challenges we face. There are times when the "winds" of temptation blow hard. Unless we can find a "hiding place," we may not be able to endure the struggle. As we depend on the Lord, we can find that hiding place. There are times when the "storms" of life seem to great. How comforting is the "refuge" of the Lord. The words of the Lord, from the scriptures and the Lord's servants, are like "rivers of water in a dry place."
• Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "Under the circumstances we might well expect to find Messianic prophecies saying that King-Messiah, during his mortal ministry, would be the source of living waters. And so it is. One of the greatest of these is Isaiah's proclamation that 'a king shall reign in righteousness,' and that among other things, he shall be 'as rivers of water in a dry place.' (Isa. 32:1-4.) Most of the Messianic utterances of this nature, however, were destined to have only partial fulfillment in the meridian of time and were to come to a glorious consummation in the dispensation of restoration when the promised King would reign personally upon the earth."
• Consider these words from our hymns:
• Savior, pilot me
  Over life's tempestuous sea;
  Unknown waves before me roll,
  Hiding rock and treach'rous shoal.
  Chart and compass came from thee:
  Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
  (Hymn 104, verse1)
• Master, with anguish of spirit
  I bow in my grief today.
  The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
  Oh, waken and save, I pray!
  Torrents of sin and of anguish
  Sweep o'er my sinking soul,
  And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
  Oh, hasten and take control!
  
  The winds and the waves shall obey they will:
  Peace, be still.
  Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
  Or demons or men or whatever it be,
  No waters can swallow the ship where lies
  The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
  They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
  Peace, be still; peace, be still.
  They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
  Peace, peace, be still.
  (Hymn 105, verse 2 & chorus)

The Savior Will Prepare A Feast & Destroy The "Vail"

• Isaiah 25:6-7: "And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations."
• WHAT IS THE MOUNTAIN?
• It is a symbol for the temple.
• WHAT IS THE FEAST?
• A feast of of the words and teachings of Christ.
• D&C 58:8-11 also speaks of this feast.
• Brother Monte S. Nyman makes the following comment: "The Saints who went into Jackson County in 1831 were to invite the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble (the Gentiles) to participate in the establishment of Zion. Since the Gentiles rejected this opportunity, the work would be accomplished later by the poor, the lame, the blind, and the deaf (the house of Israel) through the Lord's power. This is the time spoken of by Isaiah in verse 6. The law of consecration was to do away with the poverty, and the feast would be physical as well as spiritual." (Great Are The Words of Isaiah, p90)
• HOW CAN TEMPLE ATTENDANCE BE LIKE A FEAST?
• WHAT IS THE "VAIL" REFERRED TO IN VERSE 7?
• It is the "vail" of darkness and ignorance, the unbelief that prevents people from coming to Christ.
• HOW WILL THE "VAIL" THAT IS OVER THE EARTH BE DESTROYED?
• D&C 121:26-28, 33: "God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now;
       "Which our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory;
       "A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld....
       "How long can rolling waters remain impure? What power shall stay the heavens? As well might man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints."

The Savior Wipes Away Our Tears

• Isaiah 25:8: "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it."
• HOW DOES THE SAVIOR "WIPE AWAY OUR TEARS"?
• Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "A tender and hope-filled assurance is given by Isaiah, who said the Savior 'will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces.' (Isaiah 25:8.) The Lord, who knows perfectly about suffering, will, one day, comfort us so personally. The hopeful understand this as well." (Notwithstanding My Weakness, p56)

The Savior Will Bring The Resurrection

• Isaiah 26:19: "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."
• WHAT IS THE VERSE REFERRING TO?
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22: "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
• WHO WILL BE RESURRECTED?
• "Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous" (Alma 11:44).
• President Ezra Taft Benson: "Nothing is more absolutely universal than the Resurrection. Every living being will be resurrected." (Teachings of ETB, p16)
• HOW WILL WE FEEL WHEN WE ARE RESURRECTED?
• Isaiah says that we will "sing".
• In his vision of the dead, Joseph F. Smith said: "I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand" (D&C 138:15).
• Joseph Smith: "When the voice calls for the dead to arise,...what would be the first joy of my heart? To meet my father, my mother, my brother, my sister; and when they are by my side, I embrace them and they me." (TPJS, pp295-296)

The Savior Is Our Sure Foundation

• Isaiah 28:16: "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
• WHAT IS THIS FOUNDATION OF STONE?
• The Savior.
• HOW IS JESUS CHRIST OUR SURE FOUNDATION?
• Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "The emphasis here is clearly upon the blessings which shall flow from building a house of faith and salvation upon the only sure foundation, which is Christ." (The Promised Messiah, p172)
• Helaman 5:12: "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
• Stephen R. Covey: "If we could deepen our commitment so that it was all-pervasive in our lives and build upon Him [Christ], then we could resist these tremendous external pressures and persecutions, and even many of the internal, vacillating thoughts, the double-mindedness of our lives." (BYU Speeches, February 22, 1966, p5)

The Savior Will Restore The Gospel To The Earth

• Isaiah forsaw the latter-day restoration of the gospel.

• Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "The Restoration brought a flood of faith-building truths that would develop a Zion people, a covenant people, a people willing to obey God's commandments and submit to His will. Isaiah described the Restoration as a 'marvellous work and a wonder' (Isaiah 29:14). The Hebrew roots for 'wonder' refer to things 'beyond human capability,' the 'miraculous'." (Not My Will, But Thine, p35)
• Isaiah 29:18: "And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness."
• HOW HAS THIS PROPHECY BEEN FULFILLED?
• Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "The gathering of Israel in the last days shall consist in bringing together 'the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears,' that is, the spiritually blind and deaf shall come to a knowledge of the things of God and they shall see and hear. (Isa. 43.) In large part the opening of the eyes of the blind and the unstopping of the ears of the deaf shall take place by means of the Book of Mormon. 'And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.' (Isa. 29:18)." (Mormon Doctrine, p184)
• HOW HAS THE BOOK OF MORMON HELPED YOU SEE AND HEAR SPIRITUALLY?

Summary

Isaiah wrote and prophesied of the many wonderful things that the Savior has done for us. How blessed we are to live in a day when his gospel has been restored and pure knowledge is being dispensed. What can we do in return? Our gratitude is shown as we our obedient to his commandments and seek to share his gospel. Are we doing it? What can we do better?

Next Lesson

Lesson 38: Isaiah 40-49.