Doctrine and Covenants and the Future

I received a copy of Doctrine and Covenants and the Future by Roy W. Doxey from my friend Zachary Soard, one of my good missionary friends. I had mentioned this book to him one day because I had read a really interesting excerpt. My friend surprised me a few days later with the book, which has been out of print for quite some time.

Ironically, the excerpt I read that made me want this book is also in Life Everlasting. There was very little new material in this book that I have not already read. I do find it interesting, however, that so many authors of the same faith can write about the same doctrine and yet have different viewpoints or emphasis. This really illustrates the need for living prophets who can give us the pure, undiluted truth.

The doctrine I am referring to is the doctrine of salvation—who will be saved in the Celestial Kingdom and who won’t. On this specific subject, all authors I have read agree. However, some say that very few will be saved in this sense, while others declare most will be saved (see my post for Odds Are You’re Going to Be Exalted. I may re-read this book again and add to my earlier post).

However, there is one part of Doxey’s book that I really enjoyed, and I wish to share it here. He is quoting William Jennings Bryan: “Must we understand [our food] before we eat it? If we refused to eat anything until we could understand the mystery of its growth, we would die of starvation. But mystery does not bother us in the dining room; it is only in the church that it is a stumbling block.”

Even though we don’t understand all aspects of the Gospel doesn’t mean we should refuse to live it. We have the promise that when the Savior returns, He will reveal all things. In the meantime, we can study the Gospel to try to learn it better, but we must also remember and trust in the promise that we will receive no witness until after the trial of our faith (Ether 12:6).