ALL IS WELL IN THE CHURCH, FOR GOD HATH GIVEN HIS KEYS UNTO MAN

WHAT CHURCH DO YOU BELONG TO?

Part 2

Part 1, Part 2,Part 3, Part 4

2^nd NEPHI 28:3-27

2^nd Nephi 28:3-6

Many of those who profess to believe the Book of Mormon hold to the belief that the condemnations in Nephi’s Isaiah of the Abominable Church are directed primarily to the Catholic Church.  What they fail to recognize is that those condemnations also apply to their Gentile Church and that although the LDS church and the Catholic church may differ in beliefs, they are almost identical in structure and the method in which they administer their religion.

The LDS church has adopted the belief that the Catholic Church is a false church because they don’t have “keys” or a direct line authority.  They make this claim because they believe that the apostles of the original church were killed and that the “keys” were not passed on and were lost.  However, history shows that the Apostles did in fact continue to call leaders including Linus, the priesthood leader from which the Catholics trace their authority. The modern LDS church says Linus didn’t hold enough “priesthood” despite the fact that this situation is almost identical to the succession of Joseph Smith to Brigham Young.  Joseph did not appoint Brigham as his successor, but in a junior office of the “priesthood”.  The LDS church does not have any superior claim to the priesthood than do the Catholics, yet both claim to be the Lord’s true church. 

“For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord”

(2 Nephi 28:3)

Any claim to being the “Lord’s” church should be contingent upon whose church conforms to the Doctrine of Christ and the teaching’s of the dispensation head.  How closely does the Catholic Church conform to the Bible and the words of the 12 Apostles in the New Testament?  How closely does the LDS Church conform to the Book of Mormon and those revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants that remain unchanged, unmanipulated, and un-doctored from the Prophet Joseph Smith’s original accounts?

The Great Apostasy didn’t come as a result of “keys” being lost.  It came because church leaders made doctrinal changes based on the decisions of a committee instead of receiving revelation directly from God.  They disregarded what was taught from the dispensation head, did not ask God for direction, and instead substituted their own ideas and wisdom as revelation from God.  (See “The Great Apostasy by Tallmage)

“And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance. And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel..”

(2 Nephi 28:4–5)

  

Leaders in a church contend with another, or in other words discuss and debate, in their church board meetings regarding how their church should be operated.  They teach with their learnings when they rely on their committee of hired lawyers, public relation specialists, and survey poll results to make decisions.  They teach with their learning and deny the Holy Ghost when they make decisions based on how the public would perceive them and not what is written in the scriptures.  A church that relies on their learning and not the Holy Ghost would fabricate, falsify, and skew the words of their founding leader to justify their reasoning to have immoral relationships and multiple wives, then declare such behavior (which they formally considered a requirement for exaltation) as apostasy when the government threatens them. That kind of church forbids wine to be used in the sacrament (3^rd Nephi 18:8, Moroni 5, D&C 89:5-6) during the 1920’s Prohibition Act, but never allows it to return when that law is repealed, and now considers the use of wine in sacrament worthy of disfellowship from temple worship.   That kind of church denies blacks the priesthood when it was socially acceptable to own slaves (Joseph never taught such things), but then allows them to have the priesthood during the Civil Rights movement when racial equality became popular.  That church would forbid the children of homosexuals from coming unto Christ because of the political ramifications it could create. 

“…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 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.”

(2 Nephi 28:5-6)

Look at that man! He'll get you somewhere
He's has a key!
All you have to do is be some keyhole!

A church that would fit this description would say things like, “Follow us, follow the ‘prophet’, obey our rules, or precepts of men.  We can NEVER lead you astray.  The restoration was completed by Joseph, therefore the Lord has done His work in establishing the church. He hath given us the ‘keys’, or in other words His power unto men, so follow us - we have keys! And if anyone claims to have received miracles by being ministered to by angels and have actually received a witness Jesus Christ, don’t believe those darn apostates because we have keys, and we are ‘righteous’ and yet we have never received such things, so they must be deceived!”

Consider the two following statements:

The first is from the “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet”

“I remember years ago when I was a bishop I had President Heber J. Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting I drove him home … Standing by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: ‘My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church and if he ever tells you to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it.’ Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, ‘But you don’t need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray.’” (Conference Report, October 1960, p. 78.)

“Keep your  eyes  riveted  on  the  First  Presidency  and  the  Quorum  of  the  Twelve Apostles. We will not lead you astray. We cannot.” (M. Russell Ballard, October 2014 General  Conference)  “Let  me  remind  you  to  stay  in  the  course  chartered  by  the Church. It is the Lord’s Church, and he will not permit it to be led astray. If we take the counsel that comes from the prophets and seers, we will pursue the course that is pleasing to the Lord.”  (Bruce R. McConkie, “Our Relationship With the Lord,” BYU  Devotional March 2, 1982.)

Now consider the following quote from Ignatius of Antioch, a man who played a significant role in institutionalizing Christianity and Catholicism.  Before him, Christians were mostly worshiping in small home fellowships without much leadership, at the time which many considered the entire world to be in apostasy. 

“You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles. Reverence the deacons as you would the command of God. Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop, or by one whom he appoints. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. Nor is it permitted without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate the agape; but whatever he approve, this too is pleasing to God, so that whatever is done will be secure and valid.” (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr; Letter to the Smyrneans § 8)

Both the Catholic church and the LDS church hold as fundamental the principle that their members must submit to their authorized leaders in order obtain salvation.  Both churches believe that God has given His power unto men and that we must obey them in order to achieve exaltation.  However, Joseph Smith states the following about submitting to priesthood leaders.

“We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark that they would do anything they were told  to  do  by  those  who  preside  over  them (even) if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience as this is worse than folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would  thus  willingly  degrade  himself,  should  not  claim  a  rank  among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God would despise the idea.  Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the saints  were  told  to  do  by  their  presidents,  they should do it without any questions. When the Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their hearts to do wrong themselves.”

(Joseph Smith, Millennial Star, 14:38, pp.593-595.) 

Obedience to the authority of mortal men is not supported by scriptures.  When talking about their church leaders, the Latter-Day Saints love to recite Amos 3:7, D&C 1:38, and D&C 21.  However, they cite them completely out of context.  Before you assume these scriptures apply to your church leaders, read the entire chapter or section and ask yourself: What is a servant?  What constitutes someone as a prophet?  Who is receiving this revelation and to whom is it directed? Perhaps this why you will always hear church leaders quoting other church leaders, who quote other church leaders, when talking about how they can NEVER lead you astray.  Because they can’t quote the words of Christ to support this belief system because Christ never said that men could not lead you astray. God has never said that we must trust and submit to man.  The only being God has ever commanded us to submit to is His son Jesus Christ.  We are condemned if we trust in man. 

“Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.”

(2Nephi 28:31)

Instead trust and rely wholly upon Him who is mighty to save, Jesus Christ( 2nd Nephi 31:19)

"O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm."

(2 Nephi 4:34)

2^nd Nephi 28:7-12

“Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. 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.” 

(2nd Nephi 7-8)

How often do you consider yourself, or members of your church, “saved” because you belong to the “true” church? Do you believe that “Odds are You’re Going to be Exalted” because you have been through a temple? Do you believe that as longs as you remain worthy of a temple recommend you can just go about your merry little life, and somehow expect to inherit salvation next to those who have offered their all in sacrifice unto the Lord? (see Lectures of Faith 6:7-8)

“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. Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted. 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.”

(2 Nephi 28:7–12)

Is your church lifted up in the pride of their hearts believing that they are THE true Church? After what manner does your church teach? Do they teach by the spirit of truth? (D&C 50:14-25) Or do they teach by some other way?  Is it possible that your emotions and psychological insecurities are manipulated, thus causing you to receive spirits you cannot understand, mistaking them to be of the Holy Ghost when they are in fact evil spirits. God doesn’t communicate to us through emotions.  His form of communication always consists of information which is why it is given to us through words or by His voice. (JST John1:1-4, Alma32:23,Moroni 8:8 D&C98:11)  We have emotional reactions to the Spirit of Truth, whether it be negative or positive.   Emotions are independent of the Holy Ghost.  So don’t mistake “warm-fuzzies” and goose bumps as truth.  Don’t mistake heavy upset stomachs (cognitive dissonance) as lies.   

False teachers, as opposed to expounding upon the ugly truth of the sins and iniquity of the people, seek to make their audiences feel good about themselves by reassuring them that they a chosen people and that they are in the right boat.  They proclaim that ALL IS WELL!  The Nephites loved false teachers because they always made them feel goody inside about themselves.

“Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.

But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.

Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that ALL IS WELL, then ye will not find fault with him.”

(Helaman 13:26–28)

Leaders who set themselves up as a light unto the world instead of consistently pointing to Jesus Christ, will always proclaim how elect, chosen, and great are the people who are in their organization.  Then they will proclaim how their organization is amazing and cannot be lead astray. 

Compare Helaman’s words to Nelson’s and Holland’s .

“My beloved brothers and sisters, you were born to be True Millennials! You are a chosen generation, fore-determined by God to do a remarkable work—to help prepare the people of this world for the Second Coming of the Lord.

Now, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bless each one of you, as though I had my hands upon your heads, with the ability to become the True Millennial you were born to be. I bless you to have the desire and ability to learn your true identity and purpose, that you will expect and prepare to do “impossible” things, that you will be undaunted in your efforts to learn how to access the powers of heaven to help you solve your problems and answer your questions. And I bless you to follow the prophet with exactness, to feel peace in your heart as you do so. I bless you to know and feel how much the Lord loves you and how much confidence He has in you. I love and sustain President Thomas S. Monson in this sacred work of Almighty God. Jesus Christ is our Savior. This is His Church. We are His people! I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.” (Becoming True Millennials, 01/10/2016)

“…Nothing—not anything, not anyone, not any influence—will keep this Church from fulfilling its mission and realizing its destiny declared from before the foundation of the world. Ours is that fail-safe, inexorable, indestructible dispensation of the fulness of the gospel. There is no need to be afraid or tentative about the future.

Unlike every other era before us, this dispensation will not experience an institutional apostasy; it will not see a loss of priesthood keys; it will not suffer a cessation of revelation from the voice of Almighty God. Individuals will apostatize or turn a deaf ear to heaven, but never again will the dispensation collectively do so. What a secure thought! What a day in which to live!” (Jeffery R Holland Facebook post May 27^th 2015)

"And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell."

(2 Nephi 28:21)

"Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well! Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!"

(2 Nephi 28:24–26)

Don’t put your trust in the vain words, empty promises, and commandments of men.  Instead seek to obtain God’s word for yourself.  If you want to know your standing with God, come unto Christ 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.  Trust wholly in the merits of He who is mighty to save, Jesus Christ 

TO BE A WHORE OF ALL THE EARTH

WHAT CHURCH DO YOU BELONG TO? 

Part 1

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

2^nd Nephi 26: 20-29

I know most people ignore my post, many despise them, but I post for the very few who are seeking and have eyes to see and ears to hear. I don’t necessarily want to write this, I am a math guy and writing is not my strong suit. However, it needs to be written. I write this for those who consider themselves a chosen and elect people who believe the warnings and condemnations in the Book of Mormon do not apply to them. I will be expounding upon scriptural passages, beginning today with 2nd Nephi 26, in an effort to persuade the people I love to stop trusting in the precepts of man, institutional religion or the arm of flesh, and instead trust fully in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church”
(Doctrine and Covenants 10:67–68)

Although a church institution may be dependent upon the Gospel, Priesthood, and the Holy Ghost, the Gospel, Priesthood, and Holy Ghost are independent and do not rely on any church organization. It does not matter what denomination or religious community you may fellowship with, if you are repenting, and are coming unto Christ(3rd Ne 18:25), you are part of His church. If you are in a position of authority and are declaring more by adding to that requirement, or are declaring less by diminishing the doctrine by removing a relationship with Christ as the only requirement for baptism, you are not of the church of the Lamb of God but of another church.

“Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.”
(1 Nephi 14:10)

Although many white European Christians/Mormons consider themselves adopted into the house of Israel, they are still considered Gentiles. They can qualify for the blessings and cursing of both the Gentiles and the House of Israel. We shouldn’t consider ourselves exempt from the warnings and condemnations in the Book of Mormon. Just because you may be a chosen people does not make you righteous and infallible, it only means you have a specific duty to fulfill.

2nd Nephi 26:20-21

“And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor. And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice.”
(2 Nephi 26:20–21)

Pride is to compare ourselves to man’s standard and not God’s standard. So when we are lifted up in the pride of our eyes we are seeking the admiration and success of the world and not God’s acceptance and definition of success. We consider ourselves righteous because we are holding ourselves to a false man-made standard of perfection, and as a result we go about establishing our own righteousness and not God’s. (Romans 10:2-3) When an organization or ministry builds up many churches worldwide, it becomes very easy for that organization to become prideful. The branches of that tree (organization) become too lofty and wild for the roots to nourish them, thus resulting in bitter fruit, or churches that cause envyings, strifes, and malaice. (Jacob 5:37,48) Some of the results of a prideful Gentile church that seeks after its own righteousness could consist of:

Denying the power and miracles of God.

Ask yourselves are miracles, the ministry of angels, and seeking Christ in the flesh present in your churches? (D&C84:65-70,Moroni 7:37) Is it even an expectation you seek after? Is healing, ministry of angels, visions, casting out devils, the Second Comforter, and other “supernatural” spiritual gifts readily accepted and taught in your churches, or is it consider too "sacred", or too weird, to even discuss?

Preach up to yourselves your own wisdom and your own learning.

Ask yourself are the scriptures, or the word of God, the main source in which you draw your knowledge from in Sunday school? Do you immerse yourselves in the scriptures? Or because you cannot endure sound doctrine, do you heap unto yourselves fables, reading nice little stories from manuals written by mortal men who have never actually claimed to see the Lord- Cycling through never ending recycled talks of men quoting men, quoting other men, quoting each other? (2nd Timothy 4:4)

A Gentile Church will seek after its own righteousness because actually preaching and conforming to the word of God is not popular in the sight of the world and doesn’t keep your membership high. Low membership= less tithing= less financial gain.

How does a church grind upon the face of the poor? 

They do so by using the funds they collect from the poor to make investments, and pay their ministers annual stipends including, medical expenses, housing allotments, travel and vehicle expenses, and college tuition for their children among other benefits. Tithing should be for the benefit of the poor and needy. (JST Genesis 14:38) Preaching the word of God and ministering to others is supposed to be a sacrifice for the one serving. Ministers and religious authorities should not benefit from the money received from or by tithing. They should not depend on the people for compensation of their religious lifestyle.

“And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God.”
(Mosiah 18:26)

Alma, a traveling missionary, did not rely on the tithing of the people to support him in the work. He didn’t receive stipends, vehicles, college tuition waiver for his kids, a part-time cook/housekeeper, and medical coverage through his church. He labored for his own support while preaching the Gospel.

“Now Alma said unto him: Thou knowest that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people; for behold I have labored even from the commencement of the reign of the judges until now, with mine own hands for my support, notwithstanding my many travels round about the land to declare the word of God unto my people.”

(Alma 30:32)

Likewise, King Benjamin did not rely on the people to support his religious lifestyle:

"I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of 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 2:12,14)

Does your church use tithing that should be used for the poor to support and maintain the lifestyle and financial security of individuals and families of religious authorities, administrators, and teachers? If so they are grinding the face of the poor.

It is absolute hypocrisy and utter priestcraft to require that the needy members pay tithing as an act of faith in order to support the “religious” work of a church. The Church grinds the poor’s faces in even deeper and harder, while curb stomping on their heads, when the leaders withhold tithing funds from the beggar in the name of self-sufficiency, when the church authorities themselves are not self-sufficient.

2nd Nephi 26:29

“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.”
(2 Nephi 26:29)

There are to be no poor in Zion. (Moses 7:18) Tithing is to be used to create Zion. (D&C119:1-2) If your church authorities are receiving any gain from tithing, they are not seeking the welfare of Zion, and therefore your church is full of priestcraft.

Priestcraft is not just financial, it is to set yourselves up as a light unto the world. There is only one light we should ever hold up and that is Jesus Christ. (3rd Nephi 18:24) Church leaders set themselves as a light unto the world when the claim that they can never lead you astray and that you must follow them to be saved. They set themselves up as a light when they require that you pledge your loyalty to them in order to receive ordinances, and that you must call them by a certain title and respect their elite status. (Mathew 23:6-12) They set themselves up as a light unto the world when they allow massive birthday celebrations to be held in their honor in religious synagogues.

We hold them up as a light when we stand in hushed silence and awe whenever they enter the room. We hold them up as light when we get giddy and brag about our associations with them. We hold them us as a light when we allow them to captivate our attention and place them as the primary foundation of our religion, and not the words of Jesus Christ.

Celeb-worshiping religious leaders is absolute idolatry and is a violation of the ten commandments, because idolatry, as defined by the Webster 1828 dictionary, is “excessive attachment or veneration for anything, or that which borders on adoration.” When we place a man between us and Christ we are placing man as our God before the Lord. (Exo 20:3)

Getting gain is not just financial, it can include obtaining any advantage from others. Power over others includes gaining the pseudo-authority to have your viewpoint respected as authoritative, whether you are right or wrong. Only the truth should compel respect. No official, expert, compelling personality or charismatic charmer should have authority or power over others. The only thing that should be given respect is truth. Truth does not get popular in the eyes of the world, and therefore if we seek popularity we are always tempted to compromise truth to win favor with others.

2nd Nephi 26:22-23

“And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever. For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.”
(2 Nephi 26:22–23)

Is your church open and honest about their doings? Or do they keep their works in the dark in the name of “sacredness”. Do they have handbooks of instruction which they believe to trump scripture yet are only accessible to the leaders to read? Do they make policy changes to those books then declare it as “revelation” months after it is accidentally leaked out to the public? Does your church seek deep to hide their council from the Lord by not disclosing their budget to its members? Our Lord does not work in darkness. He works in plain sight, in broad daylight, for those who have eyes to see.

2nd Nephi 26:24-28

“He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance. Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.”
(2 Nephi 26:24–28)

How do you become a partaker of salvation? By coming unto Christ. How do you enter into the gate to come unto Christ? It is baptism. (2nd Nephi 31:17) Does your church deny people baptism because of their family situation? Do they forbid others from coming unto Christ because of the transgressions of their parents? Do they make additional requirements for baptism when Jesus Christ himself said not to declare anything more or less to that doctrine in 3rd Nephi 11? It is not a church leaders position to be the keeper of that gate. That job belongs to the Holy One of Israel alone. (2nd Nephi 9:41) Baptism is the decision of the one receiving the ordinance. It is between them and the Lord alone, NO ONE else involved! ALL MEN (and women) are privileged and invited and He denieth none! If your church denies baptism to the penitent, for whatever reason, then your church is anti-Christ.

Of course the justification for denying one baptism is understandable if you attach a saving ordinance to membership in a multi-billion-dollar corporation that needs to maintain its government tax-exemption status and uphold a good public relation. Then it becomes very hard to obey Christ and be His bride. When a church gets in bed with money and the government, or in other words the praise and vain ambition of the world, she becomes its whore. And that is why she is called the great and abominable church, the great whore of all the Earth, because although Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, loved the church and gave Himself for it, (Eph 5:25) she brakes her everlasting covenant to cheat on Him with Babylon. (Isa 24:5, Hosea 2)

July 27th 2016

If hypothetically Joseph Smith came back today would The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints accept him, or reject him? As Mormons we give such heed and effort in memorizing the first vision, but we have neglected to even consider what Joseph’s last vision contained. Joseph’s last vision came the night before he was martyred:

I was back in Kirtland, Ohio, and thought I would take a walk out by myself, and view my old farm, which I found grown up with weeds and brambles, and altogether bearing evidence of neglect and want of culture. I went into the barn, which I found without floor or doors, with the weather-boarding off, and was altogether in keeping with the farm.
"While I viewed the desolation around me, and was contemplating how it might be recovered from the curse upon it, there came rushing into the barn a company of furious men, who commenced to pick a quarrel with me.
"The leader of the party ordered me to leave the barn and farm, stating it was none of mine, and that I must give up all hope of ever possessing it.
"I told him the farm was given me by the Church, and although I had not had any use of it for some time back, still I had not sold it, and according to righteous principles it belonged to me or the Church.
"He then grew furious and began to rail upon me, and threaten me, and said it never did belong to me nor to the Church.
"I then told him that I did not think it worth contending about, that I had no desire to live upon it in its present state, and if he thought he had a better right I would not quarrel with him about it but leave; but my assurance that I would not trouble him at present did not seem to satisfy him, as he seemed determined to quarrel with me, and threatened me with the destruction of my body.
"While he was thus engaged, pouring out his bitter words upon me, a rabble rushed in and nearly filled the barn, drew out their knives, and began to quarrel among themselves for the premises, and for a moment forgot me, at which time I took the opportunity to walk out of the barn about up to my ankles in mud.
"When I was a little distance from the barn, I heard them screeching and screaming in a very distressed manner, as it appeared they had engaged in a general fight with their knives. While they were thus engaged, the dream or vision ended."
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pg 393-394)

The Lordship of our Savior

July 17th 2016

When you hear the name Jesus Christ what is the first word that comes to your mind? I know from growing up in a church that word was “Savior”. I remember in fast and testimony meeting when a member of the congregation would stand at the pulpit to share their testimony, if they made mention of Jesus Christ, it was usually as Him being the Savior. Ever since I was a child, I have recognized Jesus as my Savior, but not until recently in life have I started recognizing my God by His many other titles or names. As I have come to love God on a much deeper level, one of the titles or names I am coming to know Him by more and more now is Lord.

Recently, while studying the scriptures, I used special software to do a word count for how many times “Savior” appeared in the standard works. Here are the results:

Old Testament: 15
New Testament: 24
Book of Mormon: 12
Doctrine and Covenants: 21
Pearl of Great Price: 6

Likewise, I did a similar word count for “Lord” and the results were drastically higher than those for “Savior”:

Old Testament: 7,278
New Testament: 734
Book of Mormon: 1,573
Doctrine and Covenants: 735
Pearl of Great Price: 202

In the scriptures Jesus Christ is more often referred to as “Lord” than “Savior”. Often when “Savior” is referenced, “Lord” is also referenced in the same verse. But what is a Lord? Webster’s 1829 dictionary defines it as:

“A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor.”

To have someone as your Lord is to serve them and to submit to their will. Just as Jesus submitted to the will of His master, the Father, (3rd Nephi 11:11, John 6:48) we must also submit our will to our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. The Savior, Jesus Christ, saves us from sin and iniquity so that through His grace we are empowered to be able to submit our will and fulfill all things the Lord, Jesus Christ, requires us to do. (Jacob 4:6-7, Ephesians 2:8-10)

Although Christ is our Savior, that is not the primary position He should hold in our lives. The primary position He should hold in our lives should be Lord; Savior is a benefit of that relationship. Allow me to illustrate my point with an analogy to which many married people might be able to relate:

Let’s pretend one day I am lucky enough to find my true love and we get hitched and have a long, lasting, loving marriage. Let’s imagine that my wonderful wife has a magical touch about her and gives the most wonderful massages and back rubs. Let’s say that throughout our marriage, because of her amazing massage skills, I sometimes refer to her as my “sweet little masseuse”. Although this may be a be a cute name I call her, I would more often and more properly refer to her as my wife. Why? Because the title wife would declare the position she holds in my life, while the other title would convey a benefit I would receive from her being my spouse. 

Likewise, Christ’s position in our life should be Lord. Savior comes as a benefit of having him as our Lord.

Another question to consider about the Lordship of our Savior:

What was the main purpose for Moses leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt?

I always thought the obvious answer was to go to the promised land, which is partially correct; however, that was not the main emphasis the Lord had for the Israelites leaving Egypt. The MAIN purpose for the Children of Israel leaving Egypt was to SERVE God, not necessarily to go to the promised land.

“And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness”
(Exodus 7:16)

This statement “Let my people go, that they may serve me..” is repeated 7 times through the book of Exodus 4:22-23*, 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, 10:3

The LORD delivered, or saved, the Hebrews so that they could serve Him.
Ironically the children of Israel were quick to desire to serve the Egyptians instead of God at the first sign of danger in the wilderness.

“And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”
(Exodus 14:11–12)

The location that they were to serve God was in the wilderness.

“The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness”
(Exodus 7:16)

The specific place in the wilderness they were to serve God was at Mount Sinai where they were to LITTERALLY meet God. (Exodus 19:7-11) Before receiving the promises, or covenants (a promised land of milk and honey being one of them), they were to first meet the Promiser. You can’t live by a higher law, or receive covenants and promises from God, unless you first meet FACE-TO-FACE while IN THE FLESH the one who sets the bounds of the covenants. All other ordinances in the Gospel point to that event.

“And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.”
(Doctrine and Covenants 84:19–22)

Receiving our Lord while IN THE FLESH is the will of the God, (JST John 6:44, John 17:3, John 14:21-23, D&C 130:3, 76:116-119, 93:1) and therefore by doing His will and fulfilling His commandments to converse with Him FACE TO FACE, you are fulfilling your role as a servant to His Lordship. Although God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and was thus their Savior, the Children of Israel failed to accept God as their Lord because they would not obey His will to come up the mountain to behold His face.

“Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fullness of his glory. Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also; And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;”
(Doctrine and Covenants 84:23–26)

Do not be like the Israelites who had to spend 40 years in the wilderness just to be left with the Aaronic Priesthood and the law of carnal commandments because they would not meet their Lord. Do not be like the early saints in Nauvoo, who, because of idolatry, made the same mistake by neglecting to finish the temple the Lord promised He would come to, thus bringing curses upon the Latter-Day Saints - leaving the whole church under condemnation to be left with nothing but the lesser priesthood. (see D&C 124,84:54-57)

Instead, be a profitable servant by accepting Jesus not only as your Savior, but as your Lord. Accept Him as your Lord by doing His will. Do His will by coming unto Christ now, while in the flesh! Seek to converse with Him and to behold His face today in this life. Jesus longs to have an intimate relationship with you; that relationship is the most real relationship one can ever have. You are the Lord’s work and glory because coming to know Jesus is life eternal. (John17:3, Moses 3:39) Let us be true servants of our Lord today by coming unto Christ.

The Precept of Eve vs The Subtle Serpent

Written June 5th 2016

We are warned throughout scripture to beware of the precepts of men.

“Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!” (2 Nephi 28:26)

What is a precept? The 1829 Webster dictionary, the language used in the time of the translation of the Book of Mormon, defines precepts as: 

“In a general sense, any commandment or order intended as an authoritative rule of action; but applied particularly to commands respecting moral conduct.“

Google defines a precept as “a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.” The precepts of men are the rules, regulations, beliefs, and policies enforced from an incorrect understanding and a lack of direct revelation from God. Those who abide by the precepts of men rely on their own wisdom, learning, and council while denying the power of God because they do not harken to the word of God and the Holy Ghost. (2nd Nephi 28:4-6) Hearkening unto the precepts of men always leads to sorrow, anger, and distrust in God. Allow me illustrate an example of why the Devil LOVES the precepts of men and how he uses them to turn us against God.

In the Book of Genesis chapter 2 or Moses chapter 3, the Lord God had already created man, but not yet woman. He places Adam in the Garden, then states in verse 16-17:

And I, the Lord God, commanded the man, saying: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Moses 3:16–17, Genesis 2:16-17)

This was God exact word and commandment to Adam. Nothing more, nothing less. Keep this in mind as we proceed to an account of the encounter between Eve and the serpent Satan.

“And now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made. And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world. And he said unto the woman: Yea, hath God said—Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (And he spake by the mouth of the serpent.) “ (Moses 4:5-7, Genesis 3:1-2)

Notice the very first tactic used by Satan to lead Eve away from Christ. In the garden the Lord God made EVERY tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (Genesis 2:9) Think about the diet of Adam and Eve - they did not hunt, nor did they farm nor need to slaughter livestock. Now think about the vast variety of fruits in the world God made available to them in the garden. They were truly blessed. Yet Satan’s tactic was to direct Eve’s attention from the bounteous myriad of fruit to the single one forbidden.

Continuing with the dialog:

“And the woman said unto the serpent: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; But of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in the midst of the garden, God hath said—Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” (Moses 4:8–9, Genesis 3:2-3)

So Eve tells Satan that God said, “Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye TOUCH IT, lest ye die.” However, if you go back to the recorded account of what God told Adam directly in Genesis 2:16-17, before Eve was made from Adam’s rib, you will see that God said nothing about touching the fruit. Why did Eve believe that touching the fruit would cause death? Because it was her precept. She had not received that original commandment personally from God because she was not yet in the garden at the time it was given. She must have received knowledge of that commandment through Adam. I can imagine Adam walking with Eve through the garden one morning while coming across the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam could have said, “You see that tree? God told us not eat of that fruit lest we die. We better not ever touch it!!” You see how easily Eve could have misunderstood what God had really said if she did not receive it directly from God?

God’s commandments can become like a game of “telephone” if we do not seek from him directly. Communicated knowledge, knowledge passed from man to man, is easily distorted and misunderstood. Like Eve, when we receive knowledge by this means it is far too easy to declare “more or less” than what was originally given by God. (3rd Nephi 11:40, D&C10:67-68) It is far too easy to attach or replace our precepts to God’s word. 

On the other hand, revealed knowledge, knowledge given to us directly from God, is unmistakable. It is unshakable. It is pure truth. Direct revelation from God is the rock upon which Christ will build His church in which the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mathew 16:17-19, 3rd Nephi 11:39, 3rd Nephi 18:12)
Eve must not have sought for herself directly from God the commandment concerning the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and instead relied on her husband’s word. This is why Satan attacked Eve, because she was already misled by a false precept.

Satan then replies to Eve’s answer:

“Ye shall not surely die;” (Moses 4:10, Genesis 3:4)

Read the Serpent’s reply very carefully. He technically did not flat out lie to Eve. Eve’s statement included dying if she touched the fruit. God never said anything about touching the fruit and dying as a result, therefore Eve could touch the fruit and not surely die. Although twisted, Satan was telling the truth. Because of Eve’s misunderstanding, or in other words unbelief, or in other words “precept” Satan was easily able to manipulate Eve into partaking and ultimately doubting her Lord. I can imagine the moment Eve held the fruit in her hand and realizing that she is still alive and not dead for touching it- doubt and distrust in her creator would have filled her. Beliefs formed by the precepts of men will cause us to turn from our Lord. They will cause us to doubt, distrust, and even hate God.

Satan then says,

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Moses 4:11, Genesis 3:5)

Again Satan is telling the truth. But now he is perverting the character of God in Eve’s eyes when he says, “For God doth know…” He is making it sound as if God has lied to her and God is holding back from her in order to hinder her progression. I think of how Anakin Skywalker felt toward Obi-Wan in Star Wars when he doubted his master, believing that Obi-Wan was jealous and holding him back. Likewise, Satan used the “dark side” to manipulate Eve into distrusting her Master.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat.” (Moses 4:12, Genesis 3:6)

Eve was attracted to beneficial traits of the tree. She saw it was good, it was pleasant, and it would make her wise. She was drawn to the good side of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. She was drawn to what she perceived to be right. However, what she perceived, and what you and I may perceive to be right may not actually be right according to God’s perspective.

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

Mainstream Christians are not drawn to the blatantly evil and vile of the world. They aren’t attracted to hard drugs, satanic concerts, or murder. Satan does not need to appear to you as a demonic being possessing magical powers in order to convince you to follow him. He is not so blatantly obvious. Don’t think because you are a good, church going Christian, you are oblivious to his tactics. He uses deception to seduce even the elect. (Mark13:22)

“And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.” (Moses 4:4)

When you are deceived, you think you are doing the right thing, when in reality you are doing exactly contrary to God’s will. What you may think is good may very well be evil. What you may think may be offensive to God may be of very little importance to Him, while some of the things you may think have a little or no significance may be considered heresy in heaven. Do not use your measuring stick of righteousness to judge what is good or what is evil. Do not hearken to the precepts of men when determining what is good. Instead seek to obtain for yourself and hearken to the voice of Lord and His word.

The devil would have us believe and perceive reality in shades of grey - that there is no absolute good or evil. This is false. The world we live in is completely black and white, light and dark, good and evil. There is no in between. Satan desires to blind you. Christ desires to give you sight. Although you may currently be ignorant, the battle between the forces of good and evil are all around us. I will leave this post with this warning given by Moroni and pray that the Holy Ghost may breathe life into the scriptures and give you sight to it’s true message as you ponder them:

“For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also. For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness. For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God. And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such. Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.

For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.

Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.

Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil. For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
(Moroni 7:5–19)