Early in this gospel dispensation, Jesus Christ declared through His servant Joseph Smith: "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same" (Doctrine and Covenants 1:38).

Occasionally, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is criticized for teaching doctrine not found in the Bible. In reality, the teachings of the Church reflect reiterations of truths once had in Christ's Church that were lost through many centuries of apostasy and the consequential absence of divine authority and priesthood keys.

In view of that, it should come as no surprise that much of latter-day scripture is reminiscent of Bible passages. After all, holy writ has the same divine author, regardless of the age in which it is produced.

Alert students of the scriptures will notice much familiar phrasing from the Doctrine and Covenants in fact appeared earlier in the Bible. Knowing that, it can be an enlightening exercise to compare passages with similar wording. It is delightful indeed to find that the ancient passages support and sustain the modern ones, while the modern passages illuminate and clarify the ancient ones. A few examples will illustrate this:

? In the passage cited above, the phrase "though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled" reflects a verse from the Sermon on the Mount:

"Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18). Christ says this in the context of telling His disciples not to think He has come to destroy the law or the prophets; rather, He has come to fulfill.

Comparing the verse in Matthew to the one in the Doctrine and Covenants, one gets a sense of the continuity of the gospel of Christ from Old Testament times through the period of His mortal ministry and on down to the latter-day Restoration. His word remains constant, whether through His own voice or the voice of His servants.

? Doctrine and Covenants 4:4 reads, "For behold the field is white already to harvest." Without closely examining the wording, some readers might have the impression the term used in that verse is "all ready" as if to say "completely ready." Actually, it is "already," meaning "even now." To see why this is so, look up Jesus' words in John 4:35 and note the context: "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

The message is clear in both the ancient and latter-day passages: The time for the harvest is at hand; there is no reason for delay in bringing souls to Christ.

? An oft-quoted Doctrine and Covenants passage is from Section 89, the Word of Wisdom:

"All saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments ... shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint" (verses 18 and 20).

Compare this with Isaiah 40:31: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Considering the two passages together, the reader gets the impression that more is promised by virtue of obedience to the Word of Wisdom than mere temporal health and strength. The figure of speech "borne on eagles' wings" appears in both ancient and modern scripture and conveys the concept that God will lift His obedient children far beyond their inherent capacity, sustain them through tribulation, magnify their best efforts and endow them with power to attain what He desires for them. The promises associated with the Word of Wisdom thus take on added dimension.

? In times past, some have taken occasion to dispute the doctrine of celestial marriage by citing the words of Christ in Matthew 22:30: "In the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."

However, Doctrine and Covenants 132:15-16, through the use of similar wording, provides context and elucidation to the passage in Matthew. In the latter-day scripture, Christ speaks of those who marry not by Him or His word — in other words, not by priesthood ordinance and covenant — and says that in the hereafter, such persons "neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory."

The Savior Himself said, as recorded in John 5: 39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."

Thoughtful pondering, aided by diligent cross-referencing through both ancient and modern texts, can help us as we "search the scriptures" and try to extract every particle of meaning from the word of the Lord.