Good morning and aloha! We hope that this new semester is off to a wonderful start for all of you. For those of you who are new to BYU–Hawaii, we wish you a special welcome and are grateful for all that you have done to prepare and qualify for this wonderful learning experience.
Here at one of the Lord's universities, we have the great blessing of a front-row seat and a unique role in His work rolling forth. At BYU–Hawaii, we are blessed to learn and grow in an environment where the gospel of Jesus Christ sets the tone and invites the Spirit in all that takes place. We also have the guidance and counsel of the Church and its educational system supported by faithful tithe payers. Additionally, we are blessed with a community of faithful saints and a temple in our midst.
In light of these amazing blessings, we acknowledge that “unto whom much is given much is required.”1 Over the past couple of years, those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators have been teaching us about "the hastening of the Lord's work." In doing so, the focus has often been on missionary work, but we are all invited to be a part of this hastening in an even broader scope. Not only are we to proclaim the gospel, but we are also to perfect the saints and redeem the dead. Still, it is useful to remember that we are not being asked to engage in a new program; we are simply being asked to be truly devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Story of Noah and the Flood
One of the wonderful examples of such discipleship that has always fascinated me is that of the prophet Noah, who we know through modern-day revelation to be the heavenly messenger Gabriel. Noah was a man of great courage and faith, undoubtedly and truly devoted to the Lord. In describing the time during which Noah lived, the book of Genesis records:
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil continually. ... And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”2
After Noah had completed the ark and filled it as directed by God, those who were righteous–Noah and three of his sons and their wives–entered the ark. They and all the living things on the ark were preserved as God proceeded to fulfill His promised destruction of the wicked through a flood that covered the whole earth.
Afterwards, God promised Noah that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood; sadly, we know from both ancient and modern prophets, not to mention our own experiences, that wickedness is again filling the earth. But in our day, the Lord is not literally flooding the earth with water to destroy the wicked. Rather, He is figuratively flooding the earth with truth to save the righteous. Listen to these prophetic verses from the book of Moses. Speaking to Enoch, the Lord says:
“And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve;
“And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten;...and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood.”3
Today, I would like to focus my remarks on how the Lord is carrying out His promise to flood the earth with truth and the implications of that for each of us. As a backdrop for that discussion, let me start by highlighting three fundamental aspects of the Lord’s plan for His children.
Three Fundamentals of the Lord's Plan
First, God’s work is the work of salvation.
Nowhere is this more simply stated than by the Lord, Himself, in Moses 1:39: “For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
God's work includes the creation of this world as a place for our mortal probation. Here, we can gain a physical body and learn and grow and prove ourselves; we can make mistakes, repent, and try again. This is a place where we can use the talents and gifts He has endowed us with to refine and pursue the desires of our hearts. Of course, central to His work is the gift of His Son, His Atonement, and His gospel, which provides us the way to accomplish these things. Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the light," and "no man cometh unto the Father but by [Him]."4
I like the way that Elder Russell M. Nelson recently summarized the components of this Work. He said:
"This important work includes member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less-active members, temple and family history work, and teaching the gospel. Too often, we think these aspects of the gospel are unrelated. But these efforts are not separate, they're all part of the work of salvation."5
The Lord invites us to be a part of His work–the work of salvation–for ourselves and for those around us. This was true in the pre-mortal realm, it will be true throughout the eternities, and it is certainly true here and now.
Second, learning is the pathway to truth.
We know that the “glory of God is intelligence or, in other words, light and truth,”6 and the Lord Himself has commanded that we “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”7 Furthermore, we know that any “knowledge and intelligence [gained] in this life through … diligence and obedience … [will be to our] advantage in the world to come.”8
The prophet Joseph Smith taught:
“[Learning the] truth, combined with proper regard for it, and its faithful observance, constitutes true education. The mere stuffing of the mind with a knowledge of facts is not education. The mind must not only possess a knowledge of truth, but the soul must revere it, cherish it, love it as a priceless gem; and this human life must be guided and shaped by it in order to fulfill its destiny.”9
To this, Elder Oaks has added:
“Our quest for truth should be as broad as our life’s activities and as deep as our circumstances permit. A learned Latter-day Saint should seek to understand the important religious, physical, social, and political problems of the day. The more knowledge we have of heavenly laws and earthly things, the greater influence we can exert for good on those around us, and the safer we will be from scurrilous and evil influences that may confuse and destroy us.”10
What a blessing it is to know that our learning is so central to God’s plan for His children and of such profound value to us both here and in the eternities. No wonder the Church and our leaders are so committed to assisting us with our education, not just on this campus but wherever we might be and in whatever circumstances we might find ourselves.
Third, revelation is the source of all truth.
As stated in the 9th Article of Faith, "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." Our church is a church of continuous revelation.
In 1862, speaking about revelation as the source of all truth, the prophet Brigham Young said:
“Every discovery in science and art that is really true and useful to mankind has been given by direct revelation from God, though but few acknowledge it. It has been given with a view to prepare the way for the ultimate triumph of truth, and the redemption of the earth from the power of sin and Satan. We should take advantage of all these great discoveries, the accumulated wisdom of ages, and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work [of salvation]."11
We have the blessing of living in the dispensation of the fullness of times–a time when all things are being revealed. In the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord taught Joseph Smith that “God will give unto you knowledge by His Holy Spirit…that has not been revealed since the world was until now."
He then added, “Nothing shall be withheld. … All … shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fullness of times.”12
The Lord further expanded this thought in section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants: “Those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed.”13
Because of this great promise, we can be confident that the Lord is guiding the discovery and implementation of new knowledge and truth, whether it be in the field of medicine, engineering, economics, or social science. He is both able and willing to reveal all things for the purpose of furthering His work and building His kingdom. It is certainly a blessing to be at one of His universities at this unique and special time, when the Lord is hastening this work.
The Hastening of His Work
One way the Lord is hastening His work of salvation is by guiding inspired men and women in their learning as He reveals additional truth at an ever increasing rate.
In my wife’s introduction, she mentioned some of the wonderful inventions that have impacted our lives. Each of these were based on what the world refers to broadly as technology. In the academic world, technology is defined as a body of knowledge that enables us to do something we could not do prior to the discovery, refinement, and application of that combined knowledge.
During much of my career, the focus of my academic work was on the development, refinement, and application of such technologies. Allow me to share a handful of illustrative examples of how revealed technology has played and continues to play a key role as the Lord floods the earth with truth.
The Written Word
The first example involves the development of the printed word. For centuries, copies of letters and manuscripts were made by hand primarily by monks. Then, in 1436, the Lord guided and inspired Johannes Gutenberg in the development of a new technology: the printing press and movable type. The first printing press could only print a single sheet of paper at a time and had with moveable type arranged and “set” by hand. The type would then be coated with ink, and as many pages as desired could be printed. Then the type would be broken down and sorted, and a new set of pages would be arranged and set, and the process repeated.
Though somewhat slow and cumbersome, almost immediately this new technology was used to convert handwritten manuscripts into printed pamphlets or tracks and even full books. With books more widely available, growing numbers of people desired to learn to read. All of this was prelude to the Lord causing His word–as found in the Bible–to sweep the earth as with a flood.
By the mid-1500s, brave men like Martin Luther and William Tyndale were using the technology of moveable type and the printing press to publish the Bible, making it available to tens of thousands of lay people. Previously the Bible had been read only by clergy (who possessed handwritten manuscripts and could read the original language in which it had been written). But now, with the printing of the Bible in common languages plus increased literacy rates, the word of God quickly became available to the lay person. This fueled the Reformation and the great opportunity for commoners to use their agency and faith in deciding for themselves what to believe.
Then in the early 1600s, King James of England sought to develop a standard version of the Bible that he hoped would quell the fighting among the various Protestant churches. The result was published in 1611 as the King James Bible, and it rapidly became widely available. The technology developed by Gutenberg, and refined by those who followed, helped accelerate the demand for religious freedom by flooding the world with the truth of God’s word. And, by 1820, these and other developments paved the way for a 14-year-old farm boy to read James 1:5 and follow its counsel by asking God for wisdom.
Exploration
The second example involves the tremendous exploration, discovery, and mapping of the earth that gained momentum in the late 1400s with the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World. Using the knowledge of ships, currents, winds, and navigation that others before him had developed, Columbus added the courage and faith required to make his epic voyage. While others had previously sailed the known world following a route from Northern Europe and the Mediterranean around the tip of Africa and traveling to India and the Far East, they rarely ventured more than a few days from the known land masses.
Until this time, the Lord had chosen to keep the Americas hidden from the view of the rest of the world. By 1492, He had prepared Columbus and his small band of comrades, spread between three ships, to make a discovery that would provide a place where freedom of religion could take hold and flourish. Indeed, Columbus said of his divine mission:
“The Lord purposed that there should be something clearly miraculous in this matter of the voyage to the Indies. … I spent seven years [in Spain] in [the] royal court discussing this subject with the leading persons in all the learned arts, and their conclusion was that all was in vain. That was the end, and they gave it up. But afterwards it all turned out just as our Redeemer Jesus Christ had said, and as He had spoken earlier by the mouth of His holy prophets."14
While others may have given up, Columbus did not. He could not. As he recorded:
“With a hand that could be felt, the Lord opened my mind to the fact that it would be possible to sail, and He opened my will to desire to accomplish the project. … This was the fire that burned within me. … Who can doubt that this fire was not merely mine, but also of the Holy Spirit … urging me to press forward.”15
Columbus’ own account of his first voyage quickly became a bestseller throughout Europe, selling out three printings in its first year. This account, combined with the maps and charts developed and refined by other explorers who soon began to sail to the New World, resulted in the development of trade routes between North and South America and Europe. Within a century of Columbus’ discovery, growing numbers of Protestants seeking religious freedom were moving to the New World, establishing communities where they could worship freely, according to the dictates of their conscience.
The Industrial Revolution
As a third example, I cite the Industrial Revolution and, more particularly, the technology of the mechanization of work. As President David O. McKay learned as a young man preaching the gospel in his native Scotland, it is very difficult to share the gospel with someone who must work sunup to sundown just to feed their family. With the development of textile machines that could produce thread and weave cloth, the productivity of the individual worker began to increase rapidly. The modern factory was born. Mill towns began to spring up, and people left the countryside, moving to cities where work was plentiful.
The productivity gains that came from the mechanization of labor resulted in improved living conditions and increased leisure time. Such mechanization spread to farming in the late 1800s, resulting in a smaller and smaller labor force being needed for the production of food. Even today, the refinement of such technology has continued to raise productivity, the standard of living, and the availability of leisure time.
As more and more of the world’s population enjoys better living conditions and more discretionary time, they are able to take advantage of greater opportunities for education and learning. Industrialization continues to provide God’s children with increased opportunities to use their agency, to find and study the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to serve others.
Transportation
A fourth example of technology hastening the work of salvation is seen in transportation. For thousands of years, travel over land was constrained by the speed of the horse and over water by the speed of sailing ships. That quickly changed as the Industrial Revolution spread from textiles to farming to finally transportation. Initially, the machines used in mills were driven by water power, such as that generated by a water wheel. But with the spread of factories, there came an increased need for more reliable and versatile sources of power. The first of those new power sources was the steam engine. Railroads and ships quickly adopted that new technology to speed travel, and the era of modern transportation had begun.
By 1869, with the completion of the transcontinental railroad, those joining the church and moving to Zion could travel by steamship and train rather than by wagon and handcart. Similarly, missionaries could travel to their fields of labor more quickly and safely.
Those improvements in transportation have continued up to the present time, further helping to flood the earth with truth by enabling the Lord's messengers and special witnesses to travel the globe, ministering to His sons and daughters. Such advances in transportation have been essential to the operation of His church on a worldwide basis.
Communication
Let me share one final example, perhaps the most rapidly changing of them all–that of advances in communication. While the development of the printing press and movable type was a great leap forward in written communication, additional technologies such as the radio, telephone, television, and satellite communications came forth in the twentieth century. These have been of great use to the Church in reaching the growing membership throughout the world. But prophets have understood that these changes were only the beginning. As then Elder Gordon B. Hinckley declared in 1981:
"We are confident that as the work of the Lord expands, He will inspire men to develop the means whereby the membership of the Church, wherever they may be, can be counseled in an intimate and personal way by His chosen prophet. Communication is the sinew that binds the Church as one great family. Between those facilities which are now available and those which are on the horizon, we shall be able to converse one with another according to the needs and circumstances of the time.”16
Today, we have the additional blessings of communication via internet and wireless technologies. Like the other technologies I've mentioned, these too are advances that the Lord has revealed to assist in causing righteousness and truth to sweep the earth as with a flood.
Conclusion
I’d like to conclude by asking this question: What does the Lord expect of each of us as we pursue the inspired purposes that have brought us to BYU–Hawaii? To answer, let's return to the three fundamentals with which I began.
First, God’s work is the work of salvation.
Because this is one of His universities, under the direction of the First Presidency and the CES Board, He expects each of us to develop a strong and growing testimony of His work. He expects and desires that our spiritual learning keep pace with our ever-expanding academic learning. As stated by then Elder Gordon B. Hinckley to a group of students here on this campus some years ago:
“Each day we are made increasingly aware of the fact that life is more than science and mathematics, more than history and literature. There is a need for another education, without which the substance of our secular learning may lead only to our destruction.
“I refer to the education of the heart, of the conscience, of the character of the spirit—these indefinable aspects of our personalities which determine so certainly what we are and what we do in our relationships one with another.”17
I invite you to assess regularly the progress of your own spiritual learning and testimony and to strengthen your spiritual education by personally becoming involved and fully enlisted in the hastening of His work. As you do so, you will be assisting the Lord in flooding the earth with truth. Indeed, the inspired vision of the prophets who have visited this campus is one of you returning to your home area and continuing to help as the Lord builds His kingdom.
Second, learning is the pathway to truth.
In a wonderful talk entitled “Where is Wisdom?” (General Conference, Nov. 1992), Elder Russell M. Nelson said:
“Because of our sacred regard for each human intellect, we consider the obtaining of an education to be a religious responsibility. Yet opportunities and abilities differ. I believe that in the pursuit of education, individual desire is more influential than institution, and personal faith more forceful than faculty.”
Education is not something that is beneficial only for some, and learning is not something that applies only during certain seasons of our lives. The Lord intends for us to gain knowledge throughout our mortal probation. If we limit our own learning and preparation, either spiritually or temporally, we will not be able to do all that we might have done, either now or in the future.
President Eyring expanded on this important principle when he said:
“The Lord knows both what He will need you to do and what you will need to know. He is kind and He is all-knowing. So you can with confidence expect that He has prepared opportunities for you to learn in preparation for the service you will give. You will not recognize those opportunities perfectly...but when you put the spiritual things first in your life, you will be blessed to feel directed toward certain learning, and you will be motivated to work harder.”18
I would invite each of you to set a standard for all you do here at BYU–Hawaii that is consistent with such learning being a part of His work and a part of your eternal destiny. Begin today to develop the habits of learning by study and also by faith. This will become a foundation for learning throughout your life. These habits will be invaluable to you in your career and in your family life.
Third, revelation is the source of all truth.
Given the pace of discovery of new knowledge and its application, none of us expect that the technologies so prevalent in our lives today will remain unchanged a decade from now. But it’s easy to lose sight of the real purposes of those technologies: To bless the lives of His children and assist in flooding the earth with truth.
When the Lord talks about putting His kingdom first, He’s talking about not losing sight of His purposes and not becoming distracted by worldly things. We need to understand, value, and apply new technologies for righteous pursuits. Satan always has and always will look for ways to use technology to lead to our destruction, but with the guidance of the Holy Ghost, those same technologies can be a great blessing to us and our families and to those we serve.
In April of 2009, Elder David A. Bednar raised a clear voice of warning with regard to these new technologies. In a talk entitled “Things as They Really Are,” he said:
“I raise an apostolic voice of warning about the potentially stifling, suffocating, suppressing, and constraining impact of some kinds of cyberspace interactions and experiences upon our souls. The concerns I raise are not new; they apply equally to other types of media, such as television, movies and music. But in a cyber-world, these challenges are more pervasive and intense. I plead with you to beware of the sense-dulling and spiritually destructive influence of cyberspace technologies that ... promote degrading and evil purposes.”19
As Elder M. Russell Ballard taught in a CES devotional earlier this year, digital technologies should be our servants and not our masters.20
I invite each of you to seek revelation through the Holy Ghost so that truth will pervade all aspects of your lives–in your spiritual and academic studies, in your use of technology, and in your personal relationships. Don’t let technology and the things of this world become a distraction from the things that matter most, and especially don’t let Satan use technology to destroy you and your worthiness to receive revelation. You can be sure that as you are obedient to His commandments and seek His help in your personal life, He will reveal what you need to know for when you need to know it.
I testify that the Lord knows us and knows our capabilities. He knows that with the assistance of the Holy Ghost, we can learn and grow and do many wonderful things to hasten His work both while on this campus and in the years to come. We can be an influence for good and “Saviors on Mount Zion” in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few short years ago, but it requires our preparing by learning all we can and then applying that learning to assist in His work.
I testify that as we do so, our lives will be filled with the blessings of heaven. We will reap a bounteous harvest, and great will be our joy with those we influence. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
1. D&C 82:3.
2. Genesis 6:5, 13.
3. Moses 7:61-62.
4. John 14:6.
5. The Work of Salvation: Worldwide Leadership Broadcast, June 23, 2013.
6. D&C 93:36.
7. D&C 88:118.
8. D&C 130:19.
9. Joseph Fielding Smith, Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, p. 269.
10. Dallin H. Oaks and Kristen M. Oaks, "Learning and Latter-day Saints," Liahona, April 2009.
11. Discourses of Brigham Young, selected by John A. Widstoe [1954], p. 18-19.
12. D&C 121:26, 28, 29-31.
13. D&C 128:18.
14. Delno West and August Line, Libro de las Profecias de Christopher Columbus, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 1991, p. 105.
15. Paolo Taviani, Columbus, p. 262, as cited in Christopher Columbus: A Man among the Gentiles, by Clark Hinckley, Deseret Book, 2014.
16. Gordon B. Hinckley, "Faith: The Essence of True Religion," Ensign, November 1981, p. 5.
17. Gordon B. Hinckley, CCH campus, 1964. See also Gordon B. Hinckley, "Words of the Prophet: Seek Learning," New Era, September 2007, p. 2-5.
18. Henry B. Eyring, "Learning How to Learn," Brigham Young University-Idaho Commencement, April 26, 2003.
19. David A. Bednar, "Things as They Really Are," Ensign, June 2012, p. 20. See also David A. Bednar, "To Sweep the Earth as with a Flood," BYU Campus Education Week Devotional, August 19, 2014.
20. M. Russell Ballard, "Be Still and Know that I Am God," Church Educational System Devotional, May 4, 2014.