Heed and Diligence

As we start the Passover tomorrow evening and ponder on the importance of the Seder dinner and the Haggadah I’m inclined to think about the glass of wine left out for and the invitation given to the Prophet Elijah to come.

Joseph discussed the importance of Elijah, and said the following: “The Bible says, I will send you Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come that he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children & the hearts of the children to their fathers lest I come & smite the whole earth with a curse,‘ Now the word turn here should be translated (bind or seal) but what is the object of this important mission or how is it to be fulfilled, The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, The gospel to be established the Saints of God gathered, Zion built up, & and the Saints to come up as saviors on mount zion but how are they to become saviors on mount zion? by building temples erecting Baptismal fonts & going forth & receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, annointings, ordinations & sealing powers upon our heads in behalf of all our Progenitors who are dead & redeem them that they may Come forth in the first resurrection & be exalted to thrones of glory with us,”

D and c 110 (The account given of the key bestowal) was written in 1836 the foregoing on Jan 7, 1844

On March 10, 1844. Joseph says “The spirit power & calling of Elijah is that ye have power to hold the keys of the revelations, ordinances, oricles, powers & endowments of the fulness of the Melchezedek Priesthood & of the Kingdom of God on the Earth & to receive, obtain and perform all the ordinances belonging to the Kingdom of God even unto the sealing of the hearts of the fathers unto the children & the hearts of the children unto the fathers even those who are in heaven.” This points to the holy order. The literal adoption into the family of God.

This also fly’s in the face of the current doctrine of sealing us to our kindred dead. The current temple ceremony practiced by the LDS and ordinance has no saving power if sealing you to those who are dead and without salvation. You must first be saved and adopted into the family and religion of the fathers who are dispensation heads who collectively hold the Presidency as administered by Adam. Those who are saved are adopted into this family.

Those dead in prison need for us to be saved in order to reach back and save them. We must first have our hearts turned to those first fathers and holy men and theirs towards us in order to be saved and accepted into their order of priesthood. 

Joseph continues “I wish you to understand this subject for it is important & if you will receive it this is the spirit of Elijah that we redeam our dead & connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven” Remember, this is to those who have been saved or seen their salvation. Our dead unsaved fathers have way to save us because they aren’t in a position to do any of the work necessary. That opportunity has already passed with death. He continues “& seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection & here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those which dwell in heaven.” “Again, the doctrine or sealing power of Elijah is as follows: if you have power to seal on earth & in heaven then we should be Crafty, the first thing you do you go & seal on earth your sons and daughters unto yourself, & yourself unto your fathers in eternal glory” Fathers in eternal glory are not dead unsaved relatives. They are the Fathers of dispensations and those who have obtained the promises of the lord themselves. “ these men are in heaven but there [sic] children are on earth. There bowels yearn for us. God sends down men for this reason”. (Diary of Wilford Woodruff August 1839.)

For this purpose we see that all dispensations must necessarily conduct themselves according to previous dispensations. It is necessary for ordinances to be restored by Elijah in a proper place where they can be performed. (The original purpose of the Nauvoo Temple)

“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. “ (Investigation of the priesthood 1844, Joseph Smith)

We see that all previous dispensations have a culmination in the final dispensation.  When God delivers a dispensation of the gospel to the earth, the head of that dispensation is granted the right and privilege of organizing the dispensation. As the head organizes their dispensation according to righteous principles and receives God’s approval of the pattern, the dispensation is established and remains in effect until apostasy necessitates another restoration.

Adam was given the first dispensation, and he patterned it after the order of Heaven. Abraham was also given a dispensation, which he patterned after Adam’s dispensation. 

Moses was given a dispensation, but established a different pattern for the children of Israel according to the hardness of their hearts, which dispensation John the Baptist brought to a lawful close. 

Jesus Christ began a new dispensation which he patterned in a manner to reflect Abraham’s family, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob mirrored in Peter, James [Jacob], and John; the twelve tribes led by twelve sons of Jacob reflected by the twelve disciples; the seventy children of Jacob who entered Egypt at the time of father Joseph reflected by the seventy. And thus, Christ used his right to honor the family of Abraham. Joseph Smith Jr. was given a dispensation, which he organized to honor the pattern Christ established. Such is the right and privilege granted to those who stand at the head of dispensations of the gospel. Adam, when given dominion over the whole earth by the word of God, received the Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God.

D and C 107:40 states: “The Order of this Priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed to whom the promises were made. This Order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage in the following manner:”

Now this same Priesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also — or in other words, at the end of the world, the final dispensation will restore again the pattern of the first, or Adam’s, dispensation.”

We need to be clear that this is a right and not a guarantee. For the right to be claimed one must lay hold upon it by heed and diligence in obtaining the blessings of the right by the will and hand of God.

“If there is no change of ordinances there is no change of priesthood. Wherever the ordinances of the gospel are administered there is the priesthood.” (Joseph Smith from Diary of Wilford Woodruff August 1839.)

This means if the ordinance is changed it is according to some other priesthood or some other association and not one according to the Presidency Adam holds or any of the fathers for that matter. It’s apostasy. 

With Adam we have birthright lineage being the firstborn, with Abraham we have adoption from among the wicked. 

Moses brought the law to a hardened and wicked people. An intermediary dispensation if you will. 

Jesus pointed back to Abraham.

Joseph points back to Jesus’ honoring Abraham and the next dispensation should point back to Adam with organization of a family organized in the proper way by the proper power.

Joseph was trying to teach the saints something different than what is currently practiced.

The sealing power was not passed according to what D&C says in section 110. For Joseph to reiterate that the coming of Elijah was a future event; if he said these things in 1843, 7 years after section 110, clearly something is suspect about the Warren Cowdery document inserted in 1879. (This document is a very late insertion with three blank pages afterwards written in the third person by someone who was never a scribe to Joseph.)

Joseph as dispensation head, had a version of or something related to this power when it was passed to the Patriarch of the church when the office and Priesthood were conferred upon Hyrum, but it was not the fulsome version that a required a visit by Elijah. The right to it was passed down through his (Hyrums) loins but heaven never ordained it after it was taken when both Joseph and Hyrum were martyred.

This right ended with a total apostasy of the church when Eldred Smith died in 2014 and the church eliminated the office of Patriarch to the church. The leadership thought themselves wiser than God. They missed the mark by miles and by changing the ordinances and now operate under some other Priesthood that is not connected to the Lord even though it is claimed it is.

That being said I feel that this power of which Joseph speaks with the coming of Elijah is something more. Something we can’t comprehend as of yet and are too close minded to understand. It is too commonly referred to as sealing power and binding etc. but to open a cosmic corridor and influence the heavens and the very makeup of the great deep and ethereal connections between the universe, creation and time…. (see Ether, Matthew and Revelations) there is something more in my belief. Elijah brings something much greater. Let’s invite him wholeheartedly, pour a glass of wine for him and prepare for the time when the Lord sees fit for that to happen. —

The following statement was made at the April 2023 LDS General Conference

“The key is to follow the living prophet.  Unlike vintage comic books or vintage cars, prophetic teachings do not become more valuable with age.  We should not seek to use the words of past prophets to dismiss the teachings of living prophets.”  – Elder Haynie, GC April 2023

This is in direct confrontation to what the Lord has revealed to past Prophets.

Joseph wrote in the times and seasons April 1, 1844 “If any man writes to you, or preaches to you doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and covenants set him down as an imposter. You need not write to us to know what you are to do with such men; you have the authority with you- Try them by the principles contained in the acknowledged word of God; if they teach or preach practice contrary to that, disfellowship them: cuit them off from among you useless and dangerous branches, and if they are belonging to any of the quorum in the church report them to the president of the quorum…”

True prophets don’t contradict each other. Why? Because true prophets share the same eternal truths and message. This statement by Elder Haynie admits that current LDS leaders aren’t true prophets. Why? Because God is “the same today, yesterday and forever.” After all “And all scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable — for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:15-16

“Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God—then will ye say that there is no God? Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them. For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.” Mormon (9:2-10) 

Joseph additionally exclaimed “profit by this important key that in all your trials troubles and temptations, afflictions, bonds, imprisonment and death. See top it that you do not betray heaven, that you do not betray Jesus Christ, that you do not betray your brethren, and that you do not betray the revelations of God whether in the bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants or any other word of God. Yea in all your kicking and floundering see to it that you do not do this thing lest innocent blood be found in your skirts and you go down to hell. We may ever know by this sign that there is danger of out being led to a fall and aposticy [sic], when we give way to the devil so as to neglect the first known revelations but whatever you do, do not betray your friend.” This is a copy of the original that was used in “The Words of Joseph Smith” pp 8. The record found in the Joseph Smith papers is an overwritten version that barely resembles this one.

With these statements the church leaders and those who sustain them have pitted themselves against all previous prophets, the man they claim to be the founder of the church and Jesus Christ himself. They have drawn their line in the sand and are guilty collectively, of apostasy. The scriptures and all prophets before now unanimously agree that the trials we will endure are not trials of pitting one faith against another. Its about the teachings that one accepts and whether they are receiving light and knowledge. The spirit “has no other effect than pure intelligence.” (J.S. June 29 1839) The teachings must align with prior prophecy. If pure intelligence is what flows from the mind of God, and Jesus Christ himself was a Prophet, Priest and King then why would we ever let a current claimed mouthpiece override God himself as the Prophet of them all? As Mormon said, “They have denied the revelations of God and put them away.” and Paul saw our day when he said they would be “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.” (2 Timothy 3:7-9)

Jesus when speaking to the Sanhedrin Said the following

“Woe unto you lawyers also, for you lead men with burdens grievous to be borne, and you yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe unto you, for you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly you bear witness that you endorse the deeds of your fathers, for they indeed killed them, and you build their sepulchers.” “Woe unto you lawyers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge, the fullness of the scriptures. You enter not in yourselves into the kingdom, and those who were entering in, you hindered.” (JST Luke 11)

The sanhedrin were the accusers and judges of all things both spiritual and temporal in the land and they ruled by the Priesthood Office they possessed. This very same thing is evolving now among us as they are effectively killing the words of the Prophets, dismissing the fullness of the scriptures and endorsing and building upon previous bad deeds.

Moroni gives us this warning “O ye wicked, and perverse, and stiffnecked people, why have you built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the revelations of God, for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled. Behold, the Lord hath shewn unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come at that day when these things shall come forth among you. Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shewn you unto me, and I know your doing, and I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts. And there are none, save a few only, who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquity. And your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies? Because of the praise of the world? Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick, and the afflicted to pass by you and notice them not? Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain? And cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground for vengeance upon your heads? Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you, and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer.” (Mormon 8:33-41)

This is the warning and the prophecy of what will befall those who have just done what they have done. Moroni saw them and gave them this warning. Not to other churches but to those who would be reading and basing their leadership on the Book of Mormon. Leaders in the Latter Day Saint faith.

They have built upon a weak foundation and prophesy without seeing.

“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord God: Woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit and have seen nothing. O Israel, your prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord says — and the Lord has not sent them; and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have you not seen a vain vision, and have you not spoken a lying divination, whereas you say, The Lord says it — albeit I have not spoken?

Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken vanity and seen lies, therefore behold, I am against you, says the Lord God. And my hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity and that divine lies. They shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord God. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace — and there was no peace, and one built up a wall, and behold, others plastered it with untempered mortar, say unto them who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall rend it. Behold, when the wall is fallen shall it not be said unto you, Where is the plaster with which you have plastered it?

Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury, and there shall be an overflowing shower in my anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered. And it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst thereof; and you shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall and upon them that have plastered it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that plastered it — namely the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 13:1-16)

What did Jesus have to say about the Prophets?

“And now behold, I say unto you that ye had ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently, for great are the words of Isaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel. Therefore, it must needs be that he must speak also to the gentiles. And all things that he spake hath been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake. Therefore, give heed to my words. Write the things which I have told you, and, according to the time and the will of the Father, they shall go forth unto the gentiles. And whosoever will hearken unto my words, and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things.” (3 Nephi 23:1-5)

What did Isaiah Prophesy of?

Isaiah 9:14-16 “Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”

These leaders are led by the senior most member of LDS leadership. The ancient (lower case A). He, (Nelson) is honored because of his station and not because of any works that merit the title of Prophet. He is also the tail because its a circular pattern that comes back to him being the final say in all of this. He has taught lies that the rest of the leaders teach and cause the people to err. Those that follow them are then destroyed. This is currently coming to completion as well.

Isaiah 28:7 “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.”

This passage illustrates that these leaders are not of sober mind. This isnt actual strong drink and wine its the fact that they are spiritually drunk.

Isaiah 29:9-10 “Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.”

Nephi expounds on this in his copy of the text which he had. “Yea, it shall be unto them even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold, he eateth, but he awaketh and his soul is empty. Or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold, he drinketh, but he awaketh and behold, he is faint and his soul hath appetite. Yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. For behold, all ye that do iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out and cry. Yea, ye shall be drunken, but not with wine; ye shall stagger, but not with strong drink. For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, for behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets, and your rulers and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity” (2 Nephi 27:1-5)

It is worth noting that Mt Zion is a high place above the earth with a people that are unified in Christ not in an earthly organization. This earthly organization of puppets has no inspiration and they are not in contact with Heaven. In this final closing era which we just saw last weekend, they have rejected the Prophets. They have fulfilled this prophecy

Isaiah 56:10-11 “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.”

This is evidenced in recent history. The Church auditing report also claimed that everything was done appropriately. We just saw the SEC had given a $5 million dollar fine to the church for lying and economic fraud. When they purposefully concealed the wealth from the public and church. Roger Clarke, head of Ensign Peak Advisors said “So they never wanted to be in a position where people felt like, you know, they shouldn’t make a contribution”.

In a previous post “churches unto what” I posted about what this means as far as economics go but there are some additional pointed prophecies here as well. They are of little understanding or as put in Timothy “ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the Truth.” The newest leaders they propped up are all of academic, legal and worldly status. Yet they can’t distinguish truth from error. All of these leaders look to their own way quoting themselves in a never ending spiral of spiritual death.

I would end with this quote.

“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 these had to hide themselves ‘in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth’ (Hebrews 1:49), and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men” (DHC, Vol. 4, p. 574; also TPJS, 206)

Who are you exalting and who are you following? Prophets are always called as one crying out in the wilderness. They along with all Prophets throughout all time teach the same message as those who went before them.

Our dispensation has a prescription for how the sacrament is supposed to be administered. It is a plain and simple ordinance that currently doesnt resemble what the Lord instructed us to do.

He has asked us to KEEP the commandments and KEEP the ordinances. When we stray we become apostate.

“It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus;And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it—he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer,..” (D&C 20:75-76)

We no longer practice the ordinance as given in previous dispensations.

“And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant. They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (D&CV 1:14-15)

Currently there has been an effort to subvert the will of the Lord and insert the vain things of the flesh and modify and adapt His command to suit the image of the day or the likeness of the world. The practice of wine with the sacrament and kneeling in humility as well as the symbol that every knee shall bend at His coming and the representation of the blood of Christ has been removed by those who would claim direction and authority under Him.

The Book of Mormon also describes the precise practice of the ordinance

“The manner of their elders and priests administering the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church; and they administered it according to the commandments of Christ; wherefore we know the manner to be true; and the elder or priest did minister it— And they did kneel down with the church, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ…” (Moroni 4:1-2)

“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 [Hebrews 1:2]: 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.” (Investigation of the priesthood October 5, 1840)

If ordinances have been changed from the original or previous dispensation you can know of a surety that these changes have not come as instructions from Adam or Angels sent by him. They have given in to a false spirit and are dammed to the things of eternity. They have kept neither the commandments nor the ordinances. This is further evidence of the apostasy of the modern church.

As I have been coming along in my faith journey and had many experiences and opportunities to learn from others discover new information and have spiritual experiences, all of which can lead to either desirable or undesirable outcomes depending on which spirit I hearken unto, I can’t help but think how many shiny objects or better put, happenings are occurring in a day when increasing light is had and an enormous amount of counterfeit is arrayed at the truth seeker. This constant buffering be it; new revelation, new information about a church that is abusing its members in the name of God, constant academic thought and theorizing about what these mean and talking amongst ourselves, we tend to ignore the more salient and important commands we have been given.

“And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.” (2 Nephi 2:14-16)

We have been commanded to seek the Lord and commune with Him. What happens when we become sidetracked and not mindful of our purposes. What are we supposed to accomplish with this mortal probation that has been given us?

“And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.” (Alma 12:9-11)

Are our hearts hard when we give not heed and diligence to the portion of light we have been given? When we receive light and know what it is the lord wants for us and begin to gain a clearer picture of the truth of God, it necessarily drives out darkness and makes error plain as day. It’s important to know what’s going on in the world and be wise. It’s for our benefit in a world full of counterfeit options that prey on our emotions and motivations. When we see these errors, do those errors become the object of our focus or do we turn to the Lord and seek more light and knowledge? If the Adversary or Satan decides to distract everyone who is paying attention to the fallibility of man, its crumbling institutions and keep their minds out of communion with God and focused on the little light we have magnifying the fallibility of man instead pondering the things of God, could he likewise influence us to lose light and get stuck in a cycle of repetitive captivity? 

“And now, my brethren, I would that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance. Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. 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. And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb” (Alma 34:30-36)

Now is the time for us to work out our salvation. Now is the time to look to the Lord and seek to accomplish his will. We can know what is occurring in the world and see how incredibly distraught its present situation is and we could focus on it with immense scrutiny (I have been guilty of this) or we can take what truth and light we have and build upon it by doing what the lord has asked of us. We can apply ourselves to the doing of what we profess and know to be right.  This is the day of our labors. Are we allowing; by these distractions, that night in which no labor can be performed, an early entrance by which we can be taken captive?

This blog is named heed and diligence because:

1. If we seek to have salvation, we must give heed to what the lord has given us.
2. To give heed we must be diligent in the application of what we have received. The commandments, our personal commandments (what the lord has promoted us to do) and to be not only hearers of the word but doers also.(James 1:22-25)

Each person has the immense task of coming to know the lord. Refining themselves and dealing with a world that would bring them into utter captivity by diverse and nefarious means masquerading as “good” things of the world. 

It is therefore important to be careful what we choose to give our attention to and what we look to and bring into our bodies. 

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:22-24)

Let’s hearken unto the Holy one in whom we place our hope and confidence that; as we draw near unto him, he will draw near unto us distilling upon us pure knowledge until we have the opportunity to be called his sons. 

The LDS church was fined $5 Million dollars for hiding a portfolio implemented to get gain. The reason for the fine was its attempt to conceal it from the Government, general public and church membership. The article mentions that $32 Billion was concealed of a total of $100 Billion.

The news article can be found here.

Mormon church fined $5M for obscuring size of portfolio – ABC News (go.com)

When this originally came out. An official said they didnt want the members to know because they feared they might stop tithing.

There are a couple glaring things about what happened.

1. They lied about their holdings and did not disclose them to the membership or the Government.
2. They sought to hide their counsel.
3. They teach after vain and foolish doctrines trusting in the dictates of their own conscience 
4. They sought to hide these things being puffed up in their pride

This reminds me of a certain passage from Nephi which says the following.

“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.” (2 Nephi 28:8-9)

“Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.

They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.” (2 Nephi 28:12-13)

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.