In June 1833, the Lord chastised church members for neglecting His commandment, given five months earlier, to build a temple. To help them understand the importance of this commandment, He explained the purpose this temple would serve:
For the preparation wherewith I design to prepare mine apostles to prune my vineyard for the last time, that I may bring to pass my strange act, that I may pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.
Doctrine and Covenants 95:4; see also Doctrine and Covenants 101:95
This verse alludes to three other scriptures in rapid succession:
- Zenos’s Allegory of the Olive Tree, in which the Lord of the vineyard assembles a large team to prune his vineyard “for the last time” (Jacob 5:61-64).
- Isaiah’s prophecy that God will “do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act” (Isaiah 28:21).
- Joel’s prophecy that in the last days, the Lord will “pour out [His] spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28).
What is this “strange act,” and how does it relate to an expanded missionary effort and widespread revelatory experiences?
In the Isaiah passage, two Hebrew words are both translated as “strange”: zuwr (זוּר) and nokri (נָכְרִי). Both words refer to something foreign or out of the ordinary. Zuwr carries a threatening connotation: an external force that is dangerous or hostile. Nokri is more neutral; it’s a form of the verb nakar (נָכַר), which means to scrutinize and become acquainted with something. It carries a connotation of expanded knowledge through exposure to the unfamiliar.
Moses named his oldest son Gershom, which means “sojourner there”, because he was far from his home in Egypt. He explained the name by saying, “I have been a stranger in a strange [nokri] land” (Exodus 2:22). His departure from the home of Pharaoh, his marriage to Zipporah, and becoming a father were significant formative experiences which prepared him for his prophetic calling.
Alma invoked Moses’s words as he spoke to the hostile citizens of Ammonihah. He told them that they were “highly favored” by the Lord because they were “wanderers in a strange land” (Alma 13:23). Alma’s friend Ammon quoted the same passage at the end of his 14-year mission among the Lamanites:
Blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land.
Alma 26:36
Ammon saw his and his brothers’ service among their enemies as a microcosm of their collective displacement from their original home in Jerusalem. In both cases, being in an unfamiliar place unlocked the blessings of God to them.
When Jesus visited the Nephites and Lamanites after His resurrection, He emphasized the universal scope of His mission. He declared:
If [the Gentiles] will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
3 Nephi 21:22-23
This imagery of Gentiles and Jews—including formerly rebellious people—working together to build a latter-day Zion is inspiring and energizing in its inclusiveness. The implication is clear: We will work alongside people who are very different from us. We must learn to interact productively with people of different cultures and backgrounds.
President Russell M. Nelson has taught:
The gospel net is the largest net in the world. God has invited all to come unto Him, “black and white, bond and free, male and female.” There is room for everyone. However, there is no room for prejudice, condemnation, or contention of any kind.
“Peacemakers Needed,” General Conference, October 2023
Elder Ulisses Soares gave church members the following challenge:
Those of us who are at different points in the long journey of discipleship must extend a warm hand of fellowship to our new friends, accept them where they are, and help, love, and include them in our lives. All of these new friends are precious sons and daughters of God. We cannot afford to lose even one of them because … we need them just as much as they need us, to become a mighty force for good in the world.
“One in Christ,” General Conference, October 2018
The apostle Paul similarly urged unity across cultural boundaries. In his letter to church members at Ephesus, he wrote:
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.
Ephesians 2:19
Today, I will embrace new experiences and open my heart to friendships with people who are different from me. I will remember that God’s work sometimes feels like a “strange act,” pulling me out of my comfort zone. I will trust that this discomfort will invite His blessings and that what feels strange now will one day feel familiar.
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