Current Lessons
Lesson No. Thirty-Nine

A Marvelous Flood of Light

A flood of light is sweeping the earth – Only six generations after Adam, the Lord taught Enoch about the latter days: “And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth” (Moses 7:62). This flood began in 1820, the year of the First Vision when the Father and the Son first appeared to Joseph Smith.

Poor Until 1820 is the title of an article in the Wall Street Journal on January 11, 1999 confirmed this truth: “Our millennium has had three distinct epochs of economic growth: the Middle Ages, 1000-1500, when world per capita gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.05% a year; the protocapitalist epoch, 1500-1820, when it grew by 0.07% a year; and the capitalist epoch, 1820-present, when per capita GDP has increased by 1.17% a year” (emphasis mine). The adjacent chart graphically illustrates that for 2,000 years the whole world was poor, then things changed in 1820, and today the prosperity the world enjoys continues to accelerate. I am confident that the scholar who wrote this article had no idea that the long promised latter-day Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ began with the First Vision “on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty” (Joseph Smith History 1:14).

In the latter days the Lord will pour out His spirit on all flesh, meaning all mankind, members and non-members alike – On the night of September 21, 1823, when Moroni first visited Joseph Smith, among many other things, he quoted Joel (2:28-29): “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaid in those days (the latter days) will I pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29). “[Moroni] also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be” (Joseph Smith History 1:41, parentheses mine).

The restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has brought a worldwide flood of light that has enabled a multitude of inventions for the primary purpose of furthering the Lord’s work – President Russell M. Nelson wrote, as found in the Ensign, April 1988, p. 73, the following: “We are blessed to be living in such an exciting gospel dispensation. God is inspiring the minds of great people to create inventions that further the work of the Lord in ways this world has never known. I recall the statement by Joseph Fielding Smith:

“I maintain that had there been no restoration of the gospel, and no organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there would have been no radio; there would have been no airplane, and there would not have been the wonderful discoveries in medicine, chemistry, electricity, and the many other things wherein the world has been benefited by such discoveries.”

“Under such conditions these blessings would have been withheld, for they belong to the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times of which the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church constitute the central point, from which radiates the Spirit of the Lord throughout the world. The inspiration of the Lord has gone out and takes hold of the minds of men, though they know it not, and they are directed by the Lord. In this manner he brings them into his service that his purposes and his righteousness, in due time, may be supreme on the earth. …”

“I do not believe for one moment that these discoveries have come by chance, or that they have come because of superior intelligence possessed by men today over those who lived in ages that are past. They have come and are coming because the time is ripe, because the Lord has willed it, and because he has poured out his Spirit on all flesh.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1926, p. 117.)

The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776; The Constitution was ratified in 1790 – The light and freedom that came with the founding of the United States was necessary so the Gospel of Jesus Christ could be restored – (See also Current Lesson 38) “[The Lord] established the Constitution of [the United States] by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80). The Lord gave a marvelous flood of light to a handful of men, led by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, who wrote the Constitution; and a few more men who actively supported it, including George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin; and a few more men at the Constitutional Convention who signed off on the Constitution on September 17, 1887. This marvelous flood of light engulfed the 13 original Colonies, comprised of approximately 2.5 million citizens, during the ratification process which concluded with Rhode Island on May 29,1790.

Travel – The invention of the Fulton steamboat that took place in 1807 brought many railroads and canals in the next few decades. Modern cars were first built in 1885 in Germany by Karl Benz. Henry Ford began mass producing the Model T in 1908. The Wright Brothers made the first powered flight of 120 feet lasting 12 seconds in Kitty Hawk North Carolina on December 17, 1903. Most amazingly Neil Armstrong walked on the moon only 66 years later on July 20, 1969. Today air, rail, automobile and water provide access to reliable transportation worldwide. and relatively easy access for the gospel to be taken and administered worldwide.

Communications, computers, the internet, and artificial intelligence – The electric battery was created by Alessandro Volta in 1800, and the electromagnet by William Sturgeon in 1824. Samuel Morse began experimenting in sending electrical signals by wire in 1837. An electromagnetic telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore became operational in 1844. The creation of the electrical telegraph set the stage for all subsequent innovations in communications technology. The digital communication of everything which we enjoy today including the personal computer and the World Wide Web are the descendants of the telegraph.

Modern Medical Miracles – 1800 the use of nitrous oxide or laughing gas began; 1816 the stethoscope was used to diagnose chest infections; 1818 the first successful blood transfusion of a patient who had hemorrhaged; 1842 the first use of inhaled ether anesthesia for a surgical procedure; 1847 brought an understanding of the importance of disinfected hands; 1867 Joseph Lister used carbolic acid to clean wounds and sterilize surgical instruments; 1879 Pasteur produced the first vaccine, and many vaccines have been produced since including Covid; 1895 X-rays were discovered; 1897 Aspirin was produced; 1901 blood types were classified; 1903 brought the EKG; 1906 saw the discovery of vitamins; 1921 insulin was discovered; 1928 penicillin was discovered; 1929 human brain waves were recorded; 1932 brought the first antibiotic; 1943 saw the first dialysis machine; 1946 the first effective cancer chemotherapy drug; 1954 the first human kidney transplant and many other organ transplants since; 1958 the first pacemaker; 1960 CPR tested successfully; 1985 fingerprinting and profiling developed; 1998 use of the first embryonic stem cell; and a flood of medical miracles continues unabated.

Testimony – We live in a day of miracles, and we have a God of miracles. I am going to be blessed with a personal medical miracle with a knee replacement tomorrow, July 8, 2024.

This marvelous flood of light continues, and it blesses our lives every day. Most importantly, this marvelous flood of light is being orchestrated by the Lord, and it makes it possible for the gospel to spread throughout the earth, to be administered worldwide, and to bless lives on both sides of the veil. This marvelous flood of light will continue to increase until the Savior comes in His glory.

Released on July 7th. 2024.