IT SHALL COME TO PASS

Bryan Kirshishnek

Have you noticed how quite a few phrases in the scripture are repeated often; so often that we tend to abbreviate them, or just read through them without pondering over their intricate meanings? Or, it could just be me. Two such phrases stick out to me, one is “all things” and the other is “it shall come to pass”; but not to be confused with “and it came to pass”. If you have ever studied a foreign language, some words are either in the feminine or the masculine, with usually with a variation on spelling, such as senorita versus signore. But, in scriptures, it seems that the “language” tends to lend itself to “who is speaking” and to “who is being spoken too.” In the scriptures, the majority of the “ideas expressed” is the “Word of God”, which is at times referred to as “Logos” which has quite a few definitions. Like Heavenly Father, there are many “names” or “titles” used in an attempt to “define” Him.

Logos is an important term in philosophy, psychology, rhetoric, and religion. Originally a word meaning "a ground", "a plea", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word," "speech," "account," "reason,"^[1][2] it became a technical term in philosophy, beginning with Heraclitus (ca. 535–475 BC), who used the term for a principle of order and knowledge.^[3]

In ordinary, non-technical Greek, logos had a semantic field extending beyond "word" to notions such as language, talk, statement, speech, conversation, tale, story, prose, proposition, and principle; and also thought, reason, account, consideration, esteem, due relation, proportion, and analogy.^[1]  WIKIPEDIA

Just out of curiosity, I did a word search on “it came to pass” and “it shall come to pass”. In the Bible there are at least 186 usages of “it came to pass”, and when this phrase is used, it usually refers to an incident involving humans. It is situational, it has a time constraint and it happened as a result of an effort by man. I could say that it means “inevitable”, but nothing is really inevitable, that would imply that there was no organized effort to bring it to pass.

(Time) Genesis 4:3 And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.

(Situation) Judges 1:28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.

(Effort of man) 14 of these references in the New Testament refer to Jesus in his earthly ministry. It seems to point to the “earthly or temporal’ life and ministry of Jesus. But you will notice that as Jehovah, and after his ascension, the reference will be “it shall come to pass”, which in High School English class is known as “future perfect tense”.

Luke 3:21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while he prayed the heaven was open.

In the usage of “it shall come to pass”, there are about 67 references in the Bible, and the wording of the sentence using this phrase, seems to refer to an absolute truth or a command, or a promise to be kept.

So one is temporal and the other is spiritual 

Isaiah 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying: Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand. 

Notice in this verse, the Lord gives no time constraint, no loop holes and this “event” cannot be interfered with by man, but man must be complicit with this directive in order to benefit from it.  

So you may be asking, “What are you getting at? Why are you talking about this?”  Well in my scripture studies, I see the word “it” a lot, especially in verses pertaining to either blessings or punishments. What is “it” and why is that word used?  Is “it” something we have inherently? What is it that shall come to pass? 

I have been pondering over a promise given by the Savior; one reference is given in 

John 14:22 He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he, who loves me, will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. 

What does manifest mean? To be readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight; to be easily understood or recognized by the mind. 

In Doctrine & Covenants 93:1 in revelation given to Joseph Smith, the Lord further clarifies what he has said:

Verily said the Lord, it shall come to pass that every soul who forsakes his sins, and come unto me, and call on my name, and obey my voice, and keep my commandments; shall see my face and know that I am.

Scripture Breakdown here:

1 Verily (most assuredly) said the Lord: It (the thing that is the desire of your heart) shall come to pass:

A) That every soul, who:

These are the desires of our heart; the new heart that the Lord has given us, motivated by the new spirit that has be instilled within us

Ezekiel 36:26-2726: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them  

b) Forsake his sins

c) And come unto me

d) And call on my name

e) And obey my voice

f) And keep my commandments

g) And (your reward) is to “see my face” (Shall see my face): To be readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight

h) And know that I am:  to be easily understood or recognized by the mind.

That’s it, the desire singular of our heart, because we should only have “one” desire and that is to stand in his presence. It is no coincidence that Joseph Smith, not withstanding that he is the Prophet of this dispensation, was given further clarity of the promise Jesus made to those disciples in John 14. This promise is to us, and I don’t know if those disciples “got it”, because one of his disciples asked:

John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said unto him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?

    

John 14: 23: Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

John 14:18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

This is a visit from the Savior to “anyone” who follows the guidelines listed in D&C 93:1. I believe that this visit is independent from his return, although in John 14, Jesus teaches about his return to gather his people, but he also makes a promise to make a personal visit, when all conditions stated are met. Wow, so this is available for you and me.

Doctrine & Covenants 130:3 John 14:23—The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse is a personal appearance and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false.

THAT’S IT!!!! 

Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying: “Fear not Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.