D&C Section Ninety Eight

At this time, Joseph knew there were problems in Missouri, but he would have had no idea of the seriousness of the situation the Saints were in. So it is interesting that he receives this revelation dealing with how to respond when you are attacked by your enemies. I personally think he sensed by the Spirit, or by revelation, that things were much more dire than people in Kirtland realized. There are three important principles in this revelation. First, freedom comes from the Lord, but governmental laws affect that freedom. The Lord teaches that we have a divinely inspired constitution and as long as we elect good and wise men to represent us, we will be fine. But when our elected officials fall short, evil will come of it. We can certainly see that in today's world.

The second principle deals with how we (the church) are to respond when attacked, and how we as a nation are supposed to respond in situations of war. First we are not to fear our enemies. If they come upon the church a first time, we are to bear it patiently and not seek revenge. The Lord promises that if we do this, we will be rewarded. If they come upon us a second time and we bear it patiently and don't seek revenge, we will be rewarded a hundred fold. If they come a third time and we again bear it patiently and not seek revenge, the hundred fold blessings are doubled four times and these three times will stand as a testimony against those who seek to do harm. However, after the third time, if the Lord has not taken vengeance, we can warn our enemies that we will not stand idly by, and the Lord will bless us in our efforts to protect ourselves. The Lord will deliver them into our hands and not hold us accountable. If we still do not seek revenges, we have the promise that the blessings will be extended to our children to the third and fourth generations. As a nation, any time another nation or people proclaim war against us, we should raise the standard of peace three times. If they don't respond, our nation is justified in going to war and the Lord promises that he will fight our battles.

The third principle in this revelation deals with forgiveness. In this, the Lord says that if we are wronged by someone, we should forgive them up to three times, even if they don't repent of the wrong they have done. However, the fourth time, we do not have to forgive them, but should take the matter to the Lord and allow him to deal with it. If they seeks forgiveness, then we should still forgive them. But whether it be through forgiving or turning the matter over to the Lord, it is done so that we remove any bitterness or hate in our hearts. Otherwise, the wounds will fester and harm us more than the damage that was done to us.