The Power of the Lamb of God

When I wrote recently about some of the promises made to covenant Israel as President Nelson invited us to do, I highlighted Nephi’s prophecy that the “the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord… and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory” (1 Nephi 14:14). This is a prophecy that President Nelson specifically spoke about in the April general conference of this year: “We live in the day that ‘our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation.’ We have front-row seats to witness live what the prophet Nephi saw only in vision, that ‘the power of the Lamb of God’ would descend ‘upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.’ You, my brothers and sisters, are among those men, women, and children whom Nephi saw. Think of that!” This amazing statement implies that each of us, as we stay true to covenants we have made with the Lord, can have the power of God “in great glory” in our lives. While many in the world arm themselves literally with weapons for protection, we can arm ourselves with righteousness and the power of God for a much greater defense against all the evils of the world.

So how are we, those who make covenants with the Lord, armed with the power of God? Elder Christofferson said this, “Our covenant commitment to Him permits our Heavenly Father to let His divine influence, ‘the power of godliness’ (Doctrine and Covenants 84:20), flow into our lives…. In all the ordinances, especially those of the temple, we are endowed with power from on high. This ‘power of godliness’ comes in the person and by the influence of the Holy Ghost.” We start to receive this power as His covenant people at baptism. The Lord made this incredible promise to James Covel concerning baptism: “If thou wilt hearken to my voice, which saith unto thee: Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on my name, and you shall receive my Spirit, and a blessing so great as you never have known…. And it shall come to pass that power shall rest upon thee; thou shalt have great faith, and I will be with thee and go before thy face” (Doctrine and Covenants 39:10-12). Through the covenant of baptism—taking His name upon us, remembering Him, and keeping His commandments—we are promised to have His Spirit and His power to be upon us.

As Elder Christofferson suggested, we also are given power through the covenants we make in the temple. The Lord promised this as the Saints prepared to build the Kirtland Temple: “Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high” (Doctrine and Covenants 95:8). This is exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed for a few years later when that house was dedicated: “And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them…. Let the anointing of thy ministers be sealed upon them with power from on high” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:22, 35). President Nelson confirmed, “Most certainly, the adversary does not want you to understand the covenant you made at baptism or the profound endowment of knowledge and power you have received or will receive in the temple—the house of the Lord. And Satan certainly does not want you to understand that every time you worthily serve and worship in the temple, you leave armed with God’s power and with His angels having ‘charge over’ you.” As we remember the covenants we have made in the temple, and strive to live those even if we cannot return to the temple in person, God has promised us His power to be upon us. Surely that is a major part of what Nephi saw: the covenant people of the Lord receiving God’s endowment of power in the hundreds of holy houses of the Lord built up in these last days.