All men have been commanded to look forward to the coming of the Lord. To watch and to pray for their own salvation and to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. 

“For there is a time appointed for every man, according as his works shall be.

God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now;

Which our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory;

A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest.

All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And also, if there be bounds set to the heavens or to the seas, or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon, or stars—

All the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times—

According to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest.” (D and C 121: 25-32)

In talking about these times and the last days the Savior had the following to say

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;

When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.

So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:25-32)

One of those signs is happening on March 1st. The conjunction between Jupiter and Venus. (With Venus representing the Mother and Jupiter representing the Savior). Its not just a collaboration between the two but it’s also a passing from one epoch to another.

The sun and the moon are set in their orbits. The stars however move and change in their appointed seasons. 

Could it be that we have now the beginning of a change the stars? Pisces to Aquarius as they proceed through the equinoxes?

We have not seen as of yet the change in the polar star.

All of this is indicative of what has been prophesied in the past.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Rev 21:1)

I would repeat “Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

There is a prophesied order to things. When Jesus was born there was a new star. These events usually foretell great changes to which our Fathers have looked.

Lawrence corbridge said in a talk given at BYU Jan 22, 2019

“There are many who deceive, and the spectrum of deception is broad. At one end we meet those who attack the Restoration, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon. Next we see those who believe in the Restoration but claim the Church is deficient and has gone astray. There are others who also claim to believe in the Restoration but are disillusioned with doctrine that conflicts with the shifting attitudes of our day. There are some who, without authority, lay claim to visions, dreams, and visitations to right the ship, guide us to a higher path, or prepare the Church for the end of the world. Others are deceived by false spirits.”

I’d like to break this down.

“At one end we meet those who attack the Restoration, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon.”

True!

This is the truest statement of the talk. He leads with this even as satan does in the garden of Eden

“We see those who believe in the Restoration but claim the Church is deficient and has gone astray”

To classify this person as one deceived is incorrect. There is a host of accurate and true information that can’t be glossed over or justified away to show how the LDS is incongruent with Josephs teachings and that there was a very real split between the current LDS doctrine, its alignment with the world and the teachings of JS. There have been revisions, redactions, removals and changes to history to support LDS authority over what was originally taught and an effort to supplant Christ and intermediate with man.

“There are others who also claim to believe in the Restoration but are disillusioned with doctrine that conflicts with the shifting attitudes of our day”

The doctrine has shifted over time so that the young and unaware haven’t noticed or they have been appeased and made to comfort in their itching ears.

“There are some who, without authority, lay claim to visions, dreams, and visitations to right the ship, guide us to a higher path, or prepare the Church for the end of the world.”

I’d like to dig a little deeper into this one.

When the angel Moroni (Nephi) Visited with Joseph he quoted the following scripture.

“28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount  Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” (Joel 2:28-32)

He is saying that in the last days these things will occur and that we are to prepare for the coming of the Lord, bringing forth and establishing of Zion.

Further we know that God is no respecter of persons and ofr these gifts to be given it is his choice and decision and that He offers these and other gifts freely to all those who come unto him. 

33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. (2 Nephi 26:33)

22 For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.

23 And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.

24 And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.

27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?

28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men. (Moroni 7:22-24, 27-29)

While Lawrnece is referencing groups or people seeking to right the Church it seems like they feel like they are being attacked or at least feigning the same. It is rather peculiar that most of the people and groups have left the Church they love or been kicked out because the organization has a very real fear that what they teach from the scriptures has weight to it. 

In Christ comes every good thing. What can be better than to see your Salvation as Joseph puts it?  Additionally, knowing that God is no respecter of Persons and Moses wish that all men were prophets we see that He invites all to lay claim on dreams, visions and prophecy. Young, old and old. The only authorization needed is that it happened and that we can discern the spirit by which it happened. It is the very same reaction that Joseph received from his clergy when He had the first vision. The blessings of God are not limited to an elite class of clergy that would lord over you and insert themselves in the relationship between you and God. The scriptures warn against this practice repeatedly.

Nephi warned us of Mr. Corbridges talk when he wrote the following. 

5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;

6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.

In the preceding  verse we hear an echo to the future that is contained in this talk. “He hath given his power unto men” or authorized certain individuals “to lay claim to visions, dreams and visitations”. Joseph taught that all men MUST have these things to qualify for salvation and that all men MUST necessarily seek for them to have their calling and election made sure.

Joseph said “ It is alike out of the reach of the wisdom of the learned, the tongue of the eloquent, the power of the mighty. And we shall at last have to come to this conclusion, whatever we may think of revelation, that without it we can neither know nor understand anything of God, or the Devil; and however unwilling the world may be to acknowledge this principle, it is evident from the multifarious creeds and notions concerning this matter that they understand nothing of this principle, and it is equally as plain that without a divine communication they must remain in ignorance.”

I’d like to finish with this last piece. “Others are deceived by false spirits”

It seems to me that a spirit of the reformationist churches and civil society has invaded the modern Church as a whole like in the time of Joseph Smith. In his treatise try the spirits he says “At a subsequent period a Shaker spirit was on the point of being introduced, and at another time the Methodist and Presbyterian falling down power, but the spirit was rebuked and put down”

We need to be concerned with what and who we are listening to. What is born in us and how deception presents itself. What might present itself as something Holy and Praiseworthy could be entirely false and deceptive. We must have an association with God (Priesthood) to determine these things.

“Every one of these professes to be competent to try his neighbor’s spirit, but no one can try his own, and what is the reason? Because they have not a key to unlock, no rule wherewith to measure, and no criterion whereby they can test it. Could anyone tell the length, breadth, or height of a building without a rule? Test the quality of metals without a criterion, or point out the movements of the planetary system without a knowledge of astronomy? Certainly not; and if such ignorance as this is manifested about a spirit of this kind, who can describe an angel of light? If Satan should appear as one in glory, who can tell his color, his signs, his appearance, his glory, or what is the manner of his manifestation? Who can detect the spirit of the French Prophets with their revelations, and visions, and power, and manifestations? Or who can point out the spirit of the Irvingites with their apostles, and prophets, and visions, and tongues, and interpretations, etc., etc. Or who can drag into daylight and develop the hidden mysteries of the false spirits that so frequently are made manifest among the Latter Day Saints? We answer that no man can do this without the Priesthood and having a knowledge of the laws by which spirits are governed; for as no man knows the things of God, but by the spirit of God, so no man knows the spirit of the Devil, and his power and influence, but by possessing intelligence which is more than human, and having unfolded through the medium of the Priesthood the mysterious operations of his devices — without knowing the angelic form, the sanctified look and gesture, and the zeal that is frequently manifested by him for the glory of God, together with the prophetic spirit, the gracious influence, the godly appearance, and the holy garb, which is so characteristic of his proceedings and his mysterious windings. A man must have the discerning of spirits before he can drag into daylight this hellish influence and unfold it unto the world in all its soul-destroying, diabolical, and horrid colors; for nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they think they have the spirit of God. 

“The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished, and imprisoned the true prophets, and they had to hide themselves in deserts, and dens, and caves of the earth, and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, while they cherished, honored, and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men.”

I would ask you to Judge for yourself if this is a true messenger.

We live in a time where all earthly churches or institutions have been corrupted every whit. In a day in which every church is built up not unto God while professing to be of God. They have been corrupted because of wealth, power, fame and sin. This applies to every church.

The Lord stated in the beginning of our dispensation

“For behold, the field is white already to harvest; and it is the eleventh hour, and the last time that I shall call laborers into my vineyard.

And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds.

And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this church have I established and called forth out of the wilderness.

And even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice. (D&C 33:3-6)

The vineyard includes those that are of the very same church which produced this aforementioned text. The Lord saw this day and what would happen after the Book of Mormon was given to the Gentiles. 

“For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet.” (1 Nephi 22:23)

In our day we see churches built up to get gain, power, become popular and seek the things of the world. 

Does your church justify investment of tithing money and have power over the flesh through the use of membership, paid clergy, policies and dictums? Does yours seek to be popular with self given titles and facebook and instagram accounts run by marketing companies? Does yours have ties to governments through relationships, policy, support and sponsorship of laws and regulation? Does your church have ornate buildings and structures that exude power and influence?

If the answer is yes then that church greatly errs. 

Nephi is talking specifically of the types of Churches that would be on the land after the coming forth of the Book of Mormon not just those that would precede it. He is talking about the churches that would spring up as a result of the Book of Mormon and those adherents who profess to believe the words written in that book. 

False shepherds are among us and have been since the beginning. They don’t seek to protect the flock but to exalt themselves in their earthly stations. Due to their delusion of grandeur, narcissism and self righteousness they miss the mark and have their hearts so set on the things of the world that they fail to realize that no power or influence ought to be maintained by virtue of leadership or any priestly order that they find themselves in.

The Pharisees; the supreme council among the Jews, claimed that since they descended from Moses’ priestly class, they had all authority over the people in the land. They were the Lord’s anointed and they knew the law. These men of this high Office which had all power to hear, decide and execute judgment in all cases of religion, civil and criminal law because of the priestly office, condemned Jesus to death because of their grave error

They had been so far separated from God that they missed his coming all together based on academic argument and the alliteration of scripture. They knew not the Lord. They were false teachers.

Today’s institutions as stated above are in the same state as the Jews in Jesus time.

True Messengers are sent forth as ones crying in the wilderness and re-establish the law of God that men so easily forget. To keep the commandments is to preserve them and do them. These Messengers are also doers. They labor alongside all of us for the accomplishment of God’s purposes. Not over us and not supported by us. King Benjamin did this as well as did all of the Fathers from previous dispensations.

“Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—

And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.” (Mosiah 2:13-14)

Benjamin served others with his own labor, time and effort. He didn’t sit in an office writing sermons or pontificating as a paid clergy member. He worked and sacrificed. 

“Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?

And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your Heavenly King!” (Mosiah 2:18-19)

This Heavenly King, even Jesus Christ said “and he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11)

Christ taught us that he who is or could be called the greatest among us should serve. The greatest should do exactly as Benjamin did, he being an example of Christ the future king. 

To claim leadership, authority or calling and require that others give you your daily support is to practice something abominable to God. He called it Priestcraft.

Priestcraft is a cunning tool those that call themselves priests would use to craft to themselves a position of light, power and earthly reward. Joel Osteen is largely one of the wealthiest megachurch pastors in the world. Russel Nelson controls the purse strings and actions of the wealthiest church organization and Corporation on the planet. The Pope has more interactions with and revered status among nations than any other leader… but to what end? How many of these have TV stations, news outlets, media channels and social media digital strategies purportedly spreading the Gospel but bringing to bear their own interests through these mediums? Bigger is always better right? Some may even believe they are doing the work of the Lord. Everyone who says “Lord, Lord” is doing the work of the Lord. Right? 

“He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.

Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.” (2 Nephi 26:29-31) Unlike King Benjamin, Church leaders in our day receive pay and recompense for the service they render at the expense of those in Zion.

Unto what do these men labor for? Power or money? To labor for power over men is to exercise compulsion. To labor for money is to perish. Those that labor for money have not charity and forget the sacrifice required to bring salvation to their souls. How can you bring salvation to others if you yourself have not obtained it. They can claim to do the Lords will all the day long and believe themselves engaged in a righteous cause but if they heed not the commandments they in no wise know the Lord. The lord has said “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;” (D&C 1:31) Are they not sinning against God and those who would call themselves followers of Jesus Christ?

Are not the scriptures written to and about the reader? Why do we, when we read these things, think they are about someone else or some other group so that we can judge them and think ourselves righteous?

Why do we set up and call ourselves good and righteous when we persecute our brethren, uphold priestcraft and ignore written truth? 

I can recall a people that Alma stumbled upon that did this same thing.

“Now the Zoramites were dissenters from the Nephites; therefore they had had the word of God preached unto them. But they had fallen into great errors, for they would not observe to keep the commandments of God, and his statutes, according to the law of Moses. Neither would they observe the performances of the church, to continue in prayer and supplication to God daily, that they might not enter into temptation. Yea, in fine, they did pervert the ways of the Lord in very many instances; therefore, for this cause, Alma and his brethren went into the land to preach the word unto them. Now, when they had come into the land, behold, to their astonishment they found that the Zoramites had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld; For they had a place built up in the center of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head; and the top thereof would only admit one person. Therefore, whosoever desired to worship must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying: Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever. Holy God, we believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children; and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ. But thou art the same yesterday, today, and forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O God, we thank thee; and we also thank thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen. (Alma 31:8-18)

Does it change this example and make it appropriate because we say that there is Christ? Does this mingling of truth with error justify the whole of it? No. It cannot, and never will. They had been led by Priestcraft to believe in error and sin and delusionally thought themselves more blessed of God.

“Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.

Now, from this stand they did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in things to come, which they knew nothing about.” (Alma 31:21,22)

They all declared “Lord, Lord”. They had built up to themselves great structures and places of position and high presumption.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

One must search deep and strive to know Christ over institution and the teachings of man. He must act without hypocrisy and guile. He must do according to the commandments and repent of his sins and follow and do the works of righteousness.

“Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven;

And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.” (D&C 1:32-33)

For the spirit to strive with man and for revelation to not cease, one must strive to obey ALL the commandments. As we turn to God and put off this corruption we can avoid error and be shown mercy.

We cannot justify sin, claim to possess the truth and expect to be illuminated by God. 

The ancient Prophet Micah testifies of the latter day dilemma among those that have the truth. 

“And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment? Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron. Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.

Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.” Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.” (Micah 3 )

“And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.

And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.” (2 Nephi 28:8-10)

It’s the Saints blood who cries against them. Those who have sacrificed and set up that which should have been a righteous kingdom. They justified lying and wordsmithing so that they could get away with sin because they were untouchable “leaders” and communers with God. Those who would divine for profit. 

The only true way to see salvation is by communing with God and following Christ, your savior. Seeking him always and getting to know him. 

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.” (2 Nephi 31:13)

Do you belong to Christ having been called one of his own by his voice or do you belong to some institution? 

“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost. And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.”  (3 Nephi 11: 31-40)

Was your baptism based on becoming a member of some earthly organization? Did it have extra pre-requisites, questions and commitments? Did any of that include “more or less than this”?  What will you do about this?

This is the Official Announcement and can be found here.

“The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints related to marriage between a man and a woman is well known and will remain unchanged.

We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

We believe this approach is the way forward. As we work together to preserve the principles and practices of religious freedom together with the rights of LGBTQ individuals, much can be accomplished to heal relationships and foster greater understanding.”

I previously wrote a post titled “History Repeats” which can be found here that exposes the tenets of Faith regarding LGBTQ as an affront to God and that calling it a Sacrament is an opposition to God and a rejection of His image.

If the Church respected the marriage they would not endorse same sex unions as marriages. They would support them as same sex unions. To call it a marriage is to rewrite the ordinance, call it a holy sacrament and pervert the right way of God.

To call it marriage depicts abomination as a virtuous pursuit, counters the image of God and replaces the divine image with that of its own creation. It thus sets itself and its own fallible creation as the idol of worship. “They have professed themselves to be wise but are fools.” (Romans 1:22)

I will repeat here what I had previously written;

“Homosexuality is not just a rejection of the gospel, it’s a rejection of the image of God. Period. It is not just sin but a wicked act which declares in face of God; not just disobedience but superiority to Gods laws and openly mocks the heavenly union.”

This statement endorses same sex unions to be defined as marriages.

It should not be endorsed by any institution claiming to do Gods work.

Ezekiel, Nephi and Isaiah set up the last days conditions.

Scripture defines the wickedness of the latter day and how mankind would toss aside truth, ordinance,and covenant following after the dictates of their own conscience.

“Knowing this first, that in the last days there shall come scoffers, walking after their own lusts. Denying the Lord Jesus Christ, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things must continue as they are, and have continued as they are from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that of old the heavens, and the earth standing in the water and out of the water, were created by the word of God; And by the word of God, the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished; But the heavens, and the earth which are now, are kept in store by the same word, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:3-7)

Isaiah sets up the next steps showing what was to come in the sifting out of the righteous. There are some things that we have seen happen but that the scriptorians ignore or disregard in their unbelief.

“Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away,  the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. (Isaiah 24:1-6)

To counter this, a time was appointed to start a restoration of the ordinances and truth to a world in despair.

“Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:” (Ezekiel 37:16)

These are the Bible and Book of Mormon or better stated the record of the descendants of Judah and Joseph.

“And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?” (Ezekiel 37:17-18)

These verses are a segway into why this was done. The purposes of the Book of Mormon together with the Bible. In the following I intend to show you these purposes or what was meant by these.

Whats meant by the bringing forth of the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon is to: 

-Gather scattered Israel

-Combine the Tribes into one nation

-Move them into a place they can call their own

-Rid them of Idolatry and cleanse them

-Bring them back to God so they can be his people

-They shall have a king

-They will have a Davidic Servant to feed and shepherd them forever

-The everlasting covenant will be re-established

-The Lord sanctuary will be set up in the midst of them

-Christ will, in his tabernacle of the flesh dwell with them as their God.

Nephi states that all things spiritual are literal as well as spiritual and vice versa. This means that Prophecy is intended to happen in the flesh and in the Spirit.

“For by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh. Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual; for it appears that the house of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations.” (1 Nephi 22:2-3)

In the following vision hearts are to be hardened and Israel scattered. After which a standard would be brought forth and a people established to fulfill the covenants. to Israel.

“Nevertheless, after they shall be nursed by the Gentiles, and the Lord has lifted up his hand upon the Gentiles and set them up for a standard, and their children have been carried in their arms, and their daughters have been carried upon their shoulders, behold these things of which are spoken are temporal; for thus are the covenants of the Lord with our fathers; and it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren who are of the house of Israel.” (1 Nephi 22:6)

This standard spoken of is the calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith and establishing of the Book of Mormon.

Verse 2 explains that everything revealed by the spirit and written is literal and not subject to some fanciful meaning. It has to do with the House of Israel and reaches back to the promises of and covenants to the Fathers. 

This context we see here is setting the stage for something else. It is giving us a preview of an event prior to a pivotal moment in the fulfilling of them in the last days… Our days.

“And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered. And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the ^bGentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed” (1 Nephi 22:7-8)

This is the establishment of the Book of Mormon through the calling of a true Messenger (Joseph Smith)

In the 1820’s when Joseph was given his visions and prepared, the U.S. population was 9,638,453. Just over 1% of the world population. It was in its infancy. It became great after the Book of Mormon was established and unfurled as a standard. After its great establishment we can see the fulfillment of prophecy again.

“And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. But it is the kingdom of the devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them which are in the flesh— For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet.” 1 Nephi 22:22-23)

Lets analyze what happened after the Book of Mormon was established.

-Israel was scattered (Lehis descendants are among them as well as virtually all the populations of the world)

-A Nation was established among the seed of Nephi

-A Marvelous work is beginning to be prepared

-The Book of Mormon comes forth among the great Nation

-The kingdom of the Devil is overthrown. 

This Kingdom of the Devil is contemporary counterfeit. Something made to look Holy is abominable. It exists among the Churches that are established due to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and revealed truth in that day.  These churches have the following characteristics:

-They are built up to get gain

-Gain power over the people

-Become popular

-Seek lust, the things of the world and to do iniquity

What does it mean to “get gain”? It means churches that have commerce, use titles for businesses, buildings, worldly affairs and investments. They establish a worldly hierarchy and a paid clergy. 

“He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish. But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish. And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish. For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” (2 Nephi 26:29-33)

All of this was prophesied to happen after the coming forth of the Men have used the restoration of scripture and revelation through Joseph to establish Churches that are built up unto themselves and their Priesthood offices. To set themselves up as a light as intermediaries between God and Man. They get Gain and the Praise of the world by working from lavish offices visiting members of their congregations and being received with cultural celebrations and served the best the world has to offer all the while denying the actual laborer in Zion while there goods come at the expense of the laborer in Zion, abstaining to clothe and feed them. They have gained power of the people through exacting tithing money paid to themselves and their organizations to be spent on themselves and their counterfeit initiatives. Nephi says in verse 23 that these are they that belong to the kingdom of the Devil. 

Isaiah also says the following:

“His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.” (Isaiah 56:0-13)

Those that were supposed to be set as watchmen have become ignorant and disconnected with God. They because of their office, position and power deny the power of God and dictate terms to him. They love their day to day operations and their earthly increase more than they love God. In delusion they believe they serve God’s purposes while working at cross purposes to him. They are ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. They are lovers of themselves and their earthly titles and accomplishments. They scoff at the coming of Jesus Christ and miss the signs set forth and appointed in the Heavens. They tell their followers to plant a spruce tree so their descendents will rest under its shade before the second coming arrives.

Going back to Ezekiel 37, the Stick of Joseph has been established but have any of the other things come to fruition?

What of the following has happened? Below is the bullet pointed list 

-Gather scattered Israel

-Combine the Tribes into one nation

-Move them into a place they can call their own

-Rid them of Idolatry and cleanse them

-Bring them back to God so they can be his people

-They shall have a King

-They will have a Davidic Servant to feed and shepherd them forever

-The everlasting covenant will be re-established

-The Lord sanctuary will be set up in the midst of them

-Christ will, in his tabernacle of the flesh dwell with them as their God.

In any of these organizations has any of this been accomplished? Some have sent the Book of Mormon abroad. Some have tried to establish a place they call their own but increasingly these supposed New Jerusalems are being overcome by Babylon. 

Who’s their King?

Who and where is their Davidic servant?

Where and what exactly is the everlasting covenant?

Which Temple is the Lord’s Sanctuary?

For a restoration to be complete there are a lot of things that have to occur

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:11-12)

The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him. (Isaiah 56:8) We see here that they are being gathered out of both Israel and the World. 

The first time the Lord set his hand was with Joseph Smith and the second time is now. This is in advance of those who the Lord would have established a sanctuary and present it to him and in accepting dwell among those gathered in the flesh in his tabernacle. Literally taken as his coming.

Question 7: What is the Son?

A: First, He is a personage of tabernacle. (Lectures on Faith lecture Fifth)

What is the purpose in establishing his Sanctuary?

“Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:5-7)

In preparation for this the Lord restored the Priesthood to the Earth.

 “Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.” (D and C 13)

This priesthood is not wholly owned by organizations. One can; prompted by God, leave the organizations and ask God for permission to use this right (previously conferred through a lineage) just as Alma did when he left the organization of King Noah because of belief in the words of Abinadi, went into the wilderness and established truth from error. (Mosiah 11)

We need to get over the fact that organizations organize words of the Prophets into compendiums but that organizational book produced by the Catholic Church with the Bible or the LDS with the Doctrine and Covenants does not grant authority from God. Only God can do that. He commands that all write his words. 

“I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.” (2 Nephi 29:12)

Religions throughout the world know and have truth. As mentioned before this new Temple will be a place of prayer for all people. It will be built in preparation for the second coming when the Lord’s people both above and below will meet as one. The Lord will be in their presence.

The Book of Mormon is just the first in a list of records that must be restored. No one person or religion can own all truth to declare so would be tantamount to those scaling the Rameumpton in their fine clothing and declaring their superiority to their brethren.

Ezekiel, Isaiah and Nephi all speak from the ground and declare the same truths. They declare the salvation of the Lord and fe there be that find it.

I have been told by many people of faith close to me and in various parts of the country in which I have lived that the scriptures don’t have much to say about homosexuality. The entirety of Romans 1, 2 Peter 2, Jude 1 and Genesis 19 and the rest of the scriptures cited in this post point to the opposite conclusion. This is not just a few verses it’s entire sections when taken in full context

“The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” (Romans 1:18)

How is it revealed and what is the ungodliness?

Sodom and Gomorrah is an example of what’s to come and the final repugnant act of those which were created which will cause our destruction. 

Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked cities whose primary sin was sexual aberrancy in straying from the image of God and the purpose of creation. In doing this and committing these acts of homosexuality they have changed the glory of an incorruptible god into the image of corruption.  (Romans 1:23)

There has been great debate about whether or not what genesis is referring to is of a homosexual nature. 

Josephus clarifies the debate being as close to the event as any other historian by saying “About this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth: they became unjust toward men, and impious toward God, insomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him: they hated strangers and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices.

Now, when the Sodomites saw the young men to be of beautiful countenances, and this to an extraordinary degree, and that they took up their lodgings with Lot, they resolved themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence.” (Josephus antiquities 1.200)

These men from sodom and Gomorrah sought to take the messengers of God and defile them as an initiation into the sodomite way, them being strangers from another land. 

Genesis 19

“And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”

They were offended that they would be judged of strangers. They became enraged and broke down the doors of Lots house to have their way with both his daughters and the Angels. At this moment the Angels struck them with blindness.

“And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door, But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.”

The angels told lot that they were sent to destroy The Valley and that he should gather his family and flee. In talking with his sons in law they believed him to be making a mockery of their sodomite ways and rejected his request to flee with him. 

“And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”

So lot fled with his wife and two daughters. His wife a native sodomite herself, turned back and was turned into a pillar of salt. 

This behavior rears its head in many parts of the history of man. 

Paul in talking about the Greeks to the Romans said 

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.” (Romans 1:6)

“And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly” (Romans 1:27)

Our purpose in this life is to learn, be added upon and use the atonement to reduce the gulf between us and God. We do this by emulating our divine parentage and becoming like them. 

In God there is no variance. His paths are straight. 

To honor our bodies we must not be given up to uncleanliness to the lusts of the heart changing the truth of God (His image and eternal pattern) into a lie.

“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.” (Romans 1:24-25)

They, like us, having been sent Holy Messengers, are also an example of a people who have been given so much knowledge and truth, been blessed and prospered. They then have neglected it to the point of rejection leading to wicked acts which are namely sexual perversion, and pride. This pride says “I will do what I want and you God will acquiesce to my demands”.

As mentioned before, the Angels (Messengers sent from the presence of God) were sent to destroy The valley and call down the power of God to use natural forces to eliminate it. 

“And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.”

Why were they to eliminate it? Because of the rampant sin and rejection of the image of Elohim both the divine masculine and feminine as one. 

Lot was gathered as one who had been righteous.

Modern media has caused a worldwide precipitous fall into sin and abomination through its vast global reach into our homes, purses, pockets and minds of our young. It depicts abomination as a virtuous pursuit, counters the image of God and replaces the divine image with that of its own creation. It thus sets itself and its own fallible creation as the idol of worship. “They have professed themselves to be wise but are fools.” (Romans 1:22)

Those that engage in and endorse the sin become Godless and unGodly. 

“Neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord,” wrote Paul.  (1 Cor. 11: 11.) 

The divine relationship of man and woman was clearly taught by Paul and we like him; knowing and having been revealed unto us our divine parentage, are without excuse in the knowledge of what he has ordained, put together (let no man put asunder) and endorsed. 

What has God put together? He has put together the union and marriage of man and woman. Marriage being that holy ordinance divinely appointed by God so that man and woman can be added upon together to become like Elohim. To be in the plural form both masculine and feminine.  

“And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them. And I, God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, (Moses 2:26-28)

The purpose of the creation was to establish a pattern that could be followed and for mankind to fulfill the measure of his creation. That is to be fruitful and multiply. e.g. when mankind is engaged in a relationship that from the start promises to be desolate and devoid of any fruit it replaces the order and image of God being created both male and female as the literal image and likeness of God with a counterfeit.

It is also important to note that God established from the beginning that man should only have one wife. The image of God is one wife, not many. 

“But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord. Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph. Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old. Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.” (Jacob 2:23-28)

Paul had the following to reveal about the divine parentage, it being hidden behind a veil but all too clearly seen in nature. 

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” (Romans 1:20)

Nature reveals that the divine parentage of a man and a woman is the example of and the righteous union. It is that which joins together in harmony and union with creative powers naturally endowed. God does not justify carnal relations except between one man and his one wife. These two are the image of God which is the invisible thing of the creation of the world clearly seen.

Homosexuality is not just a rejection of the gospel, it’s a rejection of the image of God. Period. It is not just sin but a wicked act which declares in face of God; not just disobedience but superiority to Gods laws and openly mocks the heavenly union.

“And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.” (Moses 2:1)

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” (Genesis 1:26,27)

Jesus in speaking with the Pharisees said the following.

“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”. (Matthew 19:4-6)

We see here that the image and likeness of God is created in both the man and the woman and if neither are in Lord without each other, they must be together to create the image of God. 

“And I, God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Moses 2:28)

Relationships that are bereft of any creative power are not of God. Granted those who wield this great creative power even in its most infantile form must do so with wisdom, prudence and great care. 

Yes there are those in life that cannot have posterity because of the disorder that the fall brought in. They, in the image of God, do righteously and are blessed for their efforts. 

The Lord saw fit to destroy both Sodom and Gomorrah and the wicked descendants of Adam and Eve in Noah’s time because of this great sin which had been perpetuated.

“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.” (2 Peter 2:4-6)

Here we see one of the primary sin in Noah’s day was also this sin of sexual relations within the same sexes. This is further evidenced by examining the Book of Moses.

“And it came to pass that Cain took one of his brothers’ daughters to wife, and they loved Satan more than God. And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die; and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by the living God, that they tell it not; for if they tell it, they shall surely die; and this that thy father may not know it; and this day I will deliver thy brother Abel into thine hands. And Satan sware unto Cain that he would do according to his commands. And all these things were done in secret. And Cain said: Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain. Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness.” (Moses 5:28-31)

We see here that Cain swore a secret oath to do evil and formed a secret combination and earned a new name through this covenant with him. After the slaying of Abel Cain had posterity and the generations are listed in sequence from Cain was Enich, Irad, Mahujael, Methusael and Lamech. Lamech who had been taught in all the iniquity of his Fathers took to himself two wives.

“And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah: Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech shall be seventy and seven fold; For Lamech having entered into a covenant with Satan, after the manner of Cain, wherein he became Master Mahan, master of that great secret which was administered unto Cain by Satan; and Irad, the son of Enoch, having known their secret, began to reveal it unto the sons of Adam; Wherefore Lamech, being angry, slew him, not like unto Cain, his brother Abel, for the sake of getting gain, but he slew him for the oath’s sake. For, from the days of Cain, there was a secret combination, and their works were in the dark, and they knew every man his brother. Wherefore the Lord cursed Lamech, and his house, and all them that had covenanted with Satan; for they kept not the commandments of God, and it displeased God, and he ministered not unto them, and their works were abominations, and began to spread among all the sons of men. And it was among the sons of men. And among the daughters of men these things were not spoken, because that Lamech had spoken the secret unto his wives, and they rebelled against him, and declared these things abroad, and had not compassion; Wherefore Lamech was despised, and cast out, and came not among the sons of men, lest he should die. And thus the works of darkness began to prevail among all the sons of men. And God cursed the earth with a sore curse, and was angry with the wicked, with all the sons of men whom he had made;” (Moses 5:47-56)

We see here that Lamech had made the same oath as Cain had. In verse 47 we read “for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” Lamech had slain his progenitor Irad and a young man to his hurt. We could dismiss this that Lamech had slain a young man and felt bad about having done that but that is after the manner of the oath sworn, in reality to murder. He didnt feel bad about Irad but what of this young man. We read in 51 “and their works were in the dark, and they knew every man his brother.” We can know that this knowing was in the biblical sense, sexually to have know same sex partners. These acts became no longer a secret but became spread throughout the land and known among all men.

I’d like to mention that “as it was in the days of Adam so it shall be in the days of the coming of the Lord”

Peter compares the people in Noah’s time to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. By listing them with Sodom and Gomorrah he doesn’t outright say that same sex acts were occurring but infers it. We can know from the account in Moses that they most definitely were occurring. He also sets forth what is to happen to future generations that engage in the same as those being the ensamples to those which should after live ungodly like unto them. 

Jude adds his testimony of the destruction that comes from this immorality

“As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire”. (Jude 1:7

Strange flesh is that which is not natural and not patterned after the eternal joining of man and woman.

What would he do in a day that is likewise filled with filth and godlessness but with few who resolve to accept truth.

“The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, to and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas Angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children, Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage, For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. This is the very thing for which lots wife was turned into a pillar of salt.” (2 Peter 2:9-22) 

As mentioned before, modern communication methods have changed the global scene in that the proliferation and endorsement of unnatural desires and the passing from tolerance of, to the outright endorsement of homosexuality; it being the rejection of the divine creative power and parental lineage, has caused great abomination to encompass the world in its chain of lies and deceit. 

Faith in God, heed, diligence and Obedience to commandments is requisite for the gathering. We must treasure up knowledge. When the righteous pass from tolerance to support they engage in a great wickedness.

That very same message which Lots sons in law rejected as a mockery of their customary practice and culture is the message that the world is mocking today.

Same sex advocates make a mockery of God using the rainbow as their emblem daring God to wipe mankind off the earth again. They know not that the promise didn’t extend to the final destruction of mankind. The promise is not to end the world with a flood. 

“And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud” (Gen 9: 8-14)

We have an ensample that was given to those who would later do the same and now we see prophecy about that which is to come.

“And again shall the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, be fulfilled. And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Verily, I say unto you, this generation, in which these things shall be shown forth, shall not pass away until all I have told you shall be fulfilled. Although, the days will come, that heaven and earth shall pass away; yet my words shall not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled. And, as I said before, after the tribulation of those days, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory; And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree—When its branches are yet tender, and it begins to put forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh at hand; So likewise, mine elect, when they shall see all these things, they shall know that he is near, even at the doors; But of that day, and hour, no one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only. But as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man; For it shall be with them, as it was in the days which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. (Joseph Smith Matthew 1:32-43)

The Abomination of desolation as spoken of by Daniel is both a historical and future event. It has happened in its various forms and will happen again.

We can know that the signs of the times are happening among us now because we have seen it in the past. They’re just not always what we think they are. 

The Abomination of Desolation has to do with sacrifice and bearing fruit. First in tabernacles and temples and later in the tabernacles and temples of the body. The sacrifice of a contrite spirit. No longer is anything sacrificed. Not even that which we hold closest to our mortal tabernacle and temple. It’s anything goes. 

In our dispensation we are not talking about the destruction of just a few cities as with sodom and Gomorrah or of a flood sent to the world as in the days of Noah because of this abomination, we are talking about a global destruction, a world destroyed by fire.  We should hope that we are wanted to be gathered by the angels and look forward to the day when we can say we have advocated Christ before men so that he can advocate us before the father. 

It is not our role to intrude upon and regulate the behavior of those who would engage in these acts. This would deny them of their agency and desire to become a law unto themselves and reap the justice (which is damnation without repentance) of a fair and equitable God. This does not however mean that we don’t warn our neighbors and friends about the fruits of these sins.

We should allow all men to go and do as they see fit but stop seeking to change the definition of marriage unless you seek destruction at the hand of God. It is foolish and a vain imagination to deny the eternal power of the godhead and substitute a creation of man in its stead and declare it a holy sacrament. This is a central theme of Romans 1.

The attempt to normalize lgbtq behavior and marriage is one of the greatest in the chain of lies that envelope the world and are spread through modern communication mediums.

A different translation of the Hebrew ending of Romans 1 translation declares the following.

“Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them.”

A tolerant people are not required to accept, endorse or defend sinful acts. They are not required to actively support it. In fact to even passively support is engaging in a sin of omission. In modern days, changing the truth of God into a lie by supporting it on religious grounds is to err greatly. To call a same sex Union a marriage is also a direct affront to God by changing his ordinance and who it was meant for. You can love someone without supporting the sin. You can love them without supporting a core tenet of their own personal secular makeup. Marching in parades supporting the sin and flying the flag (an open mockery of God) is to be complicit in the sin itself. 

Homosexual sin is not endorsed by God, it is rebuked and rejected as unworthy of salvation. Whatsoever spirit we hearken to in this life we will hearken to in the next. Though you may be in the image and likeness of God and have a marriage. If you engage in this abominable permissiveness and advocacy in the stead of tolerance you are also subject to your own agency and accountability for it. This is why engaging in, permitting and endorsing the abominable act of calling it a religious sacrament of marriage is damnation to the soul. This due to the fact that it is tantamount to the worship of Baal which was the permissiveness of sinful doctrines for power, money and popularity. 

On an aside , this is another fascinating study because Baalam the prophet of Baal came from Moab, a descendant from the sinful act of the daughter of Lot. (Thought herself wise) This being a false tradition handed down through generations as a left over from sodom and gomorrah.

We must not give in to these false teachers in Babylon and even among us who teach damnable heresies and who deny God that bought them and redeemed them. (2 Peter 2:1)

“Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.”(Alma 34:34-35)

I like Paul to the Romans plead to you to not be ignorant, for the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to those who would only believe. (Romans 1:13, 16)

“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. ” (3 Nephi 24:6-7)

“Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” (Isaiah 24:1-6)

Excerpts from an investigation of the priesthood by Joseph Smith dated October 5, 1840 (Day after he announced the Nauvoo Temple)

“He is Michael, because he was the first and father of all, not only by progeny, but he was the first to hold the spiritual blessings, to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity unto the end, and to whom Christ was first revealed, and through whom Christ has been revealed from Heaven and will continue to be revealed from henceforth. Adam holds the keys of the dispensation of the fullness of times; i.e., the dispensation of all the times have been and will be revealed through him, from the beginning to Christ, and from Christ to the end of all the dispensations that are to be revealed.”

“Now, the purpose in himself, in the winding up scene of the last dispensation, is that all things pertaining to that dispensation should be conducted precisely in accordance with the preceding dispensations. And again, God purposed in himself that there should not be an Eternal fullness until every dispensation should be fulfilled and gathered together in one, and that all things whatever that should be gathered together in one, in those dispensations, unto the same fullness and Eternal glory, should be in Christ Jesus.”

“Therefore, he set the ordinances to be the same for ever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from Heaven to man or to send angels to reveal them. Hebrews 1st chapter, 14th verse]: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation? These angels are under the direction of Michael, or Adam, who acts under the direction of Christ.”

The ordinances must never change. Anytime additional information is revealed from Heaven it must be more. It must come from heavenly messengers authorized by Michael. Any perversion of, redaction or change from the original, causes the earth to be defiled, the law transgressed and the covenant broken because the ordinance has been changed by man and violated.

For this purpose we are warned adequately: Mankind can be authorized to use the priesthood but uses it his to his own salvation or condemnation. 

“The power, glory, and blessings of the Priesthood could not continue with those who received ordination, only as their righteousness continued. For Cain also being authorized to offer sacrifice, but not offering it in righteousness, therefore he was cursed. It signifies then that the ordinances must be kept in the very way God has appointed, otherwise their Priesthood will prove a cursing instead of a blessing. If Cain had fulfilled the law of righteousness, as did Enoch, he could have walked with God all the days of his life and never failed of a blessing. “

“But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul” (2 Nephi 32:9)

We must look to God and his angels to prepare a way and have the knowledge of heaven distill upon us as the dews. 

“How does he yet speak? Why, he magnified the Priesthood which was conferred upon him and died a righteous man, and therefore has become an angel of God by receiving his body from the dead, therefore, holding still the keys of his dispensation, and was sent down from Heaven unto Paul to minister consoling words, and to communicate unto him a knowledge of the mysteries of godliness. And if this was not the case, I would ask, How did Paul know so much about Abel, and why should he talk about his speaking after he was dead? Now, that he spoke after he was dead must be by being sent down out of Heaven to administer.”

By this we see that Abel had been sent by Michael to minister to Paul and ensure that the ordinances were kept according to the law of heaven, previous dispensations and the order of God. And we also see that Enoch ministered unto Jude

“Now this Enoch, God reserved unto himself that he should not die at that time, and appointed unto him a ministry unto terrestrial bodies, of whom there has been but little revealed. He is reserved also unto the presidency of a dispensation, and more shall be said of him and terrestrial bodies in another treatise. He is a ministering angel, to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation, and appeared unto Jude [Judas] as Abel did unto Paul. Therefore, Jude [Judas] spoke of him, 14th and 15th verses in Jude, [Epistle of Judas 1:3]: And Enoch, the seventh, revealed these sayings: Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints. Paul was also acquainted with this character and received instructions from him.” When these ten thousand saints come it will be for Zion to fall upon the necks of the inhabitants of Zion for this is the purpose of “this great winding up scene”, that the ordinances may be restored in their perfect state and Christ may present his kingdom or Family being of the Holy Order to the father. 

Scripture further elaborates “And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; 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, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest. “(Moses 7)

“This then is the nature of the Priesthood: every man holding the presidency of his dispensation and one man holding the presidency of them all, even Adam, and Adam receiving his presidency and authority from Christ, but cannot receive a fullness until Christ shall present the Kingdom to the Father, which shall be at the end of the last dispensation.”

The whole purpose of the Book of Mormon in these last days is to open our eyes to our ability to communicate with heaven. To see where the truth lies and that the times of our dispensation have been appointed. 

Ezekiel 37 tells us the dry bones will come alive, these messages of the prophets of old from in front of eyes, the stick of Joseph (Book of Mormon) will be brought forth to establish truth, a Davidic servant will precede the building of Zion, the cleansing of Israel, and gathering of the remnant in establishing the Lords sanctuary and ushering the millennia in his presence. 

This is all to be done so that heaven and earth can meet. The city of Enoch will reunite with Zion and the Lord will bring the Powers of Heaven with him. 3 Nephi 20:22 “And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.” (3 Nephi 20:22)

This only comes from a restoration of the original ordinances kept perfect in the state they were in throughout all previous dispensations. To again have these on the earth unchanged would be a joy worthy of a shout!

I wrote the following some time ago and feel the need to post it here.

“We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.” (Article of Faith 11)

We as a faith may worship as we see fit. There is no proscription for worship. The preceding scripture applies to us and to all mankind.

Our conscience may dictate how, what and where we worship. No one has the right to tell us how. This means culturally or personally.

“Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson, That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man. (D&C 121:34-37)

There has been a compulsion within the institution of the LDS Church where the upper echelon of leadership has systematized and made a commandment and requirement for temple worship the word of wisdom. Something that was given “not by commandment nor constraint” (D&C 89:2) but has been made a requirement for temple attendance. This is an abuse of authority and power because it has no bearing on salvation. It’s an artificial barrier created by man for what God has ordained. It puts man in a position of power to determine someone else’s salvation. Priesthood holders who uphold and sustain this abuse and compulsion have no right to the Priesthood and must turn to God and find answers in him, not some manual put out by a committee to regulate the affairs of an earthly kingdom.

I have seen no continuing restoration. Policy changes are not revelation. I am still waiting for true Messengers of the Lord.