Doctrine and Covenants 71, Section heading; 71: 1, 9

 

How have you witnessed the Lord’s promise fulfilled—that no weapon formed against His work will succeed?

"Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon, at Hiram, Ohio, December 1, 1831. The Prophet had continued to translate the Bible with Sidney Rigdon as his scribe until this revelation was received, at which time it was temporarily laid aside so as to enable them to fulfill the instruction given herein. The brethren were to go forth to preach in order to allay the unfriendly feelings that had developed against the Church as a result of the publication of letters written by Ezra Booth, who had apostatized." (Doctrine and Covenants 71, Section heading)

"1 Behold, thus saith the Lord unto you my servants Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, that the time has verily come that it is necessary and expedient in me that you should open your mouths in proclaiming my gospel, the things of the kingdom, expounding the mysteries thereof out of the scriptures, according to that portion of Spirit and power which shall be given unto you, even as I will." (Doctrine and Covenants 71: 1)

"9 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you—there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper;" (Doctrine and Covenants 71: 9)

And here's the introductory commentary for this week's reading assignment: June 30–July 6: “No Weapon That Is Formed against You Shall Prosper” Doctrine and Covenants 71–75 : 

"Ever since he was a boy, Joseph Smith faced critics—even enemies—as he tried to do God’s work. But it must have been particularly difficult in late 1831 when Ezra Booth began publicly berating the Church, because in this case the critic was a former believer. Ezra had seen Joseph use God’s power to heal a woman. He had been invited to accompany Joseph on the first survey of the land of Zion in Missouri. But he had since lost his faith and, in an attempt to discredit the Prophet, published a series of letters in an Ohio newspaper. And his efforts seemed to be working, because “unfriendly feelings … had developed against the Church” in the area (Doctrine and Covenants 71, section heading). What should believers do in a case like that? While there is not one right answer for every situation, it seems that often—including in this case in 1831—part of the Lord’s answer is to declare the truth and correct falsehoods by “proclaiming [the] gospel” (verse 1). Yes, the Lord’s work will always have critics, but in the end, “no weapon that is formed against [it] shall prosper” (verse 9).

See “Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley,” in Revelations in Context, 134."

Truly, no weapon that is formed against the Lord's work shall prosper. Since the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth in this modern time, around 200 years ago, it has been rising about its challenges and filling the whole earth. And now the Lord's temple is dotting the earth. In my own country, the Philippines, there was only one temple built when I was a kid. Now there are 3 operating, 6 are under construction, and more than 5 have been announced and will be starting its construction in no time. Both temples in my home region (Bicol Region) and the region where I served my mission (Ilagan Mission) were announced at the same time.