Isaiah 25

 

At the Last Supper, the Savior promised his disciples, "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matt. 26:29). The Master was referring to the great Millennial feast when the Lord makes a great and terrible feast. It is great for the saints who will sup at his table, feasting both temporally and spiritually on "fat things" and "wines on the lees well refined."

 

"According to ancient and modern scripture, Jesus Christ, the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1-13), will host a 'marriage supper' at his second coming when he symbolically claims his bride, the faithful members of his Church (Rev. 19:5-9; D&C 109:73-74).

 

"In Jesus' parable of the marriage of the king's son (Matt. 22:1-14), 'the king' represents God, and 'his son' is Jesus. The guests first 'bidden to the wedding,' are the house of Israel. Guests invited later from 'the highways' are the gentiles to whom the gospel went after most Jews rejected it in the meridian of time (JC, pp. 536-40).

 

"Latter-day Saints believe that by teaching and exemplifying the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world they are extending to all mankind the invitation to come to the marriage feast. 'For this cause I have sent you...that the earth may know that...all nations shall be invited. First, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble; ...then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord' (D&C 58:6-11).

 

"After partaking of the Sacrament with his apostles, Jesus said, 'I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom' (Matt. 26:29). In latter days, the Lord declared, 'The hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you' (D&C 27:5-12). 'There is to be a day when...those who have kept the faith will be...admitted to the marriage feast; ...they will partake of the fruit of the vine,' or the sacramental emblems of Christ's atoning sacrifice, and reign with him on the earth (TPJS, p. 66)." (John M. Madsen, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, 860.)

 

I recall fifty years ago when with the missionaries and President Grant who was then the president of the European Mission, I attended a conference in Holland that lasted all day. There were many tears shed during that day. At the close of the conference President Grant said: "Today we have feasted on the fat things (Isa. 25:6) of the spirit of the Lord. Now, brethren, go out and give it away. The more you give away the more you will have left." That should be the feeling in the heart of every member who has been privileged to attend this conference. We ought to carry its spirit wherever we gain our workshops, in our businesses, on our farms, and in all our activities in the Church, and in whatsoever we are called to do, we should carry this wonderful spirit with us into the world. (Conference Report, April 1955, pp. 119-124)

 

 

"As Isaiah describes the gathering of the faithful to Zion, he indicates that they will partake of 'wines on the lees well refined' (25:6). In the process of making wine, 'lees' are the sediments of yeast and pulp that settle to the bottom of the wine vat during processing, after the grapes have been trampled. Some types of wine sit upon the lees for a time to improve their flavor and quality; others will be ruined if they are left upon the lees. Thus lees can be understood as a type, or symbol, of things that can make us better or worse, depending on what we are made of. Trials and challenges can be lees. They can help us grow and even sanctify us (D&C 101:3-5), or they can leave us bitter and angry, depending on our character and faith. (Terry Ball and Nathan Winn, Making Sense of Isaiah, [SLC: Deseret Book, 2009], 73)

 

 

We need not be atop high mountains or in sacred groves for God to be there. God is also there even in the mildest expressions of His presence.

 

Conscience permits the Lord to be there, whether in early warnings or final warnings. He gives us a flash of insight or a twinge of remembrance, pulling us back from a precipice or prompting us to do good. Conscience can warn that we are only falling further behind by insisting on getting even. Conscience warns us not to sink our cleats too deeply in mortal turf, which is so dangerously artificial.

 

In a hundred ways, Deity will always be there, just as Enoch testified, including in our suffering.

 

Some among us, desperately ill, know the loneliness of a hospital room by night when loved ones have departed or are "sleeping for sorrow" (Luke 22:45), unable to "watch" another "hour" (Matt. 26:40). The night magnifies the stillness of the hospital corridors, as these individuals brush against the veil of death. Even so, whether or not "appointed unto death" (D&C 42:48), these faithful are in His hands. They can and do know of God, "Yet thou art there!" (Moses 7:30)

 

Widows and widowers whose deprivation stretches into years, when the caress of dimmed memories is insufficient, sometimes sob to see purpose in it all. However, they will later know moments when the Lord shall "wipe away tears from off all faces" (Isa. 25:8). Meanwhile, they can truly testify, "Yet thou art there!"

 

Wives and husbands whose lives are shattered by the betrayal of a deserting spouse may feel forsaken or drenched by injustice. Yet they, too, can know, "Thou art there," by responding to Jesus' invitation, "Come unto me, all ye that ... are heavy laden" (Matt. 11:28).

 

Parents, striving to reach and to rescue the truculent teenager, experiencing disappointment after disappointment and wondering when it all will end, can be assured, "Yet thou art there!"

 

To those of you who so suffer and who, nevertheless, so endure and so testify by the eloquence of your examples, we salute you in Christ! Please forgive those of us who clumsily try to comfort you. We know from whence your true comfort comes. God's "bosom" is there to be leaned upon. ("Yet Thou Art There," Ensign, Nov. 1987, 32)

 

 

One of the tough things about being religious is suffering ridicule. The secular world mocks us; the natural man pokes fun. The great and spacious building is full to overflowing, and sometimes it's hard to wait for the Lord's hand of justice to fall on the wicked. Who has waited for the Lord? The man born crippled has "waited for him." The lonely, forgotten widow has "waited for him." The victim of physical abuse has "waited for him." The sorrowing, sexually abused soul has "waited for him." The righteous but single sister has "waited for him." The couple bereft of children has "waited for him." The divorced and abandoned has "waited for him." All of us who love the gospel and love the Lord have "waited for him." We are all still waiting for him-waiting for him to come-waiting for him to teach us-waiting for him to lead us-waiting for him to love us in person-waiting for him to establish righteousness and judgment in Zion and in Jerusalem.

 

Not one person who has "waited for him" will be disappointed. How untrue that is of those who hope in the arm of flesh!

 

All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it. (History of the Church, 5:362.)