I’ve been meaning to write this since my previous blog on the Sabbath day three years ago. I can’t believe I let so much time pass before finally sitting down to get this out there! This entry today will not mean much if you haven’t read my previous entry, which I highly encourage you to read now before continuing:
Exodus 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed (emphasis added).
Jeremiah 31:35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. (See also Genesis 1:14-18 and Psalms 136:7-9).
The day of rest is a literal day of “cessation.” It is to cease from all labors and pay our devotions to our most High God. For about FOURTEEN consecutive centuries after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, the Sabbath was calibrated by God using the full moon and thereafter thusly reckoned by the people to keep the legal commandment which served as a covenant sign between God and Israel with prohibitions against work, travel, etc. After the rejection and crucifixion of the Holy One of Israel, even Jesus Christ, the Jews fell into apostasy and destruction, giving birth to a burgeoning Christian movement. Pagan calendars altered the reckoning of time and consequently how many believers reckoned the day of rest.
Fast forward to August 7, 1831. The Lord gave a new revelation to a new covenant people who were given the Book of Mormon as a new covenant to them to redeem His people. Through Joseph Smith, the Lord declared in part the following:
D&C 59:9 And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; 10 For verily THIS is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; 11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; 12 But remember that on THIS, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord. 13 And on THIS day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full. 14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer… (emphasis added)
If you read my other blog entry on the Sabbath and the New Moons, this revelation should come as no surprise. The revelation in D&C 59 was given to Joseph Smith on a Sunday as reckoned by our modern Pagan calendar. But this should not be the end of it. Despite THIS day falling on a Sunday, it was declared by the Lord and calibrated by none other than a full moon AND a total solar eclipse . There are many websites that attest to this, but here is one:
These two signs and wonders, these two celestial witnesses – despite coinciding on a Sunday – signified the new reckoning of this, the Lord’s Day to a new covenant people. But wait! There’s more. This was a new moon in Leo. The constellation Leo is a representation of a Lion. Jesus Christ is the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5). This is His creation and His law to give and His day to mark. The constellation and zodiac Leo may mean different things to different people, but these are God’s creations and He uses them for the greatest good and for the benefit of His people. The Jews and many others today reckon the Sabbath day according to an ancient reckoning. But the Lord’s new covenant people, namely members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were commanded to keep THIS day as the Lord’s Day holy.
How and when you choose to keep the Lord’s day according to your beliefs, religion, etc, is between you and our Most High God. After all, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). But the Lord made His mind clear to His Latter-day Saints. We are to keep His day holy and ourselves unspotted from the world.
Please take a moment to read the entire section of D&C 59:
I have not heard the subject of the Second Comforter in general conference as written in John chapter 14 since the days of Marion G. Romney in the 60s and 70s. I about fell out of my seat listening to Elder Gong today. Joseph Smith expounded on this subject in his teachings in conjunction with making one’s calling and election made sure, but sadly this subject has been forgotten and ignored.
“The other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses.
Note the 16, 17, 18, 21, 23 verses:
“16. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; “17. Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. “18. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. * * “21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. “23. If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions—Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn.”–Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150
I was asked to speak in church today about the Book of Mormon. This was my message:
What happens when a microscope and a telescope run into each other? They kaleidoscope!
A kaleidoscope has three main components:
1. Mirrors: Usually three long mirrors arranged in a triangular tube. Their reflections create repeating, symmetrical patterns.
2. An Object chamber: which is a small compartment at one end containing loose, colored pieces of glass, beads, or crystals.
3. A Viewing tube or eyepiece: This is the tube you look through, which aligns your eye with the mirrors.
When you rotate the kaleidoscope, the objects in the chamber shift and move around. Light enters, reflects multiple times between the mirrors, and produces constantly changing, symmetrical geometric patterns.
The scriptures are like a priceless gold kaleidoscope, but one with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires instead of pieces of cheap glass or beads in the chamber. As we focus on these precious stones and study them from all the angles provided by the mirrors, we find that the scriptures contain their own symmetrical patterns. These common recurring themes, symbols, and motifs create a unified narrative. But this also relies on the principles of light reflection without which we could not see all the details and colors and shapes through the eye piece. It is the light and also the love of Christ within us that enable us to appreciate the intricate patterns and themes of the scriptures so that we are empowered to draw ever closer to Him. This brings me to the Book of Mormon and what I consider two paramount themes:
1. Developing a very personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. Understanding Jesus Christ’s relationship with us as a whole.
Joseph Smith declared that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.
He also said that God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he (or she) is able to bear them.
This brings me now to what I want to focus on, which is one particular passage in the Book of Mormon in an attempt to reveal some facets in one of the precious stones in our gold kaleidoscope, and hopefully in a new and unique light.
These are Nephi’s final words to the world:
2 Nephi 33:13 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.
14 And you that will notpartake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day.
Here, Nephi is addressing everyone who prefers not to partake of the goodness of God. They have “better things to do” with their busy lives. So, what does it mean to partake of God’s goodness? Well, throughout the scriptures, there are some key words that are synonymous with one another. They are partake, taste, fruit, goodness, rest, and salvation, to name a few. These are all code words which describe experiencing God’s presence and immense love. In this context, the words partake and taste are used about fifty times in the Book of Mormon. Some examples are:
1 Nephi 8:11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy…
Book of Mormon prophets hereafter drew upon the imagery of Lehi’s dream because they experienced the same.
Jacob 1:7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest
(We’ll need to come back and address the meaning of the word rest).
Alma 36:26 For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God.
The words know and knowledge are covenant terms. Adam knew Eve just as the brother of Jared knew Jesus Christ. He had faith no longer for it was replaced with knowledge.
4 Nephi 1:3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.
Mormon 1:15 And I, being fifteen years of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.
As I have read in just these few verses, when you taste of the goodness of Jesus Christ, then you will see eye to eye. Why? Because like Lehi, Nephi, the brother of Jared and others, you will have faith no longer because the finisher of your faith who is Jesus Christ will have opened unto you, giving you knowledge. Speaking of rest, let’s read a couple more important passages.
Moroni 7:3 Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.
D&C 84:21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
23 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;
24 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 restwhile in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.
There are so many more passages throughout the scriptures and key words illustrating what Nephi was talking about when referring to “partaking of the goodness of God.” Or as Jesus declared in the Doctrine and Covenants:
D&C 88:68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.
The apostle Peter used the same key words in the New Testament when exhorting us to make our calling and election sure. Then as Joseph Smith once taught, we may receive the Other Comforter who is Jesus Christ Himself.
In the Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith wrote: How do men obtain a knowledge of the glory of God, his perfections and attributes? Answer: By devoting themselves to his service, through prayer and supplication incessantly, strengthening their faith in him, until like Enoch, the brother of Jared, and Moses, they obtain a manifestation of God to themselves.
Nephi explicitly told us that if we prefer not to undertake these things, he bade us an everlasting farewell. But not only this, Nephi also explicitly warned us to respect the words of the Jews, his words, and also the words of Jesus Christ. To respect in this context means to honor and to value the authority of, and in this case, Nephi’s authority, for as he wrote in his final verse:
2 Nephi 33:15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.
I only have a few minutes left to expound on what Nephi wanted us to honor and to value. He knew that we would have the words of the Jews and also Jesus. He meticulously wove specific chunks of Isaiah’s writings into his message because there were great things that he was forbidden to reveal to us. But by including certain Isaiah concepts, he could lawfully convey to us the things we would face in the end times. There are many sequential events that will happen just before the great day of the Lord’s second coming and Nephi codified them in his inclusion of Isaiah’s words.
Most of Jesus Christ’s teachings at Bountiful revolved around Isaiah’s end-time prophecies, but the people were too weak in understanding what He was saying so He commanded them to go home and ponder His words. Now, if you want a cheat sheet of many of these sequential end-time events, they can be found in 3 Nephi chapters twenty through twenty-two, but I recommend beginning with around chapter fifteen or sixteen after he teaches His sermon on the mount. In these chapters, Jesus tells the people at Bountiful and us in the end times what to expect. He then gave us an explicit commandment:
3 Nephi 23:1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye 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. 2 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. 3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.
To reiterate, there are many great and marvelous things that will yet happen, including gentile kings and queens participating in the physical gathering of the exiled tribes of Israel to their lands of inheritances. Another great and marvelous event will be when all things are revealed to us. And they are written down in plates that are still sealed and waiting for us to become clean and worthy. Jesus Christ also talked about this at Bountiful after expounding Isaiah’s words:
3 Nephi 26:6 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people…
9 And when they (meaning us) shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.
10 And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.
11 Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people.
To believe in the words of Nephi and the words of Jesus and the words of Isaiah is to understand them. If we do not yet understand them as the people at Bountiful didn’t understand them, are we really respecting their words as Nephi exhorts? Do we honor and value them? I will conclude by reading one of Moroni’s editorials and Jesus Christ’s declaration in Ether chapter four:
Ether 4:4 Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared…
6 For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.
7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are…
13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief.
14 Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief.
15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
Brothers and sisters, Nephi was speaking to us. Isaiah the end-time prophet was speaking to us. Jesus was speaking to us. Their words are like the beautiful colors and patterns of the diamonds and rubies and emeralds and sapphires in our gold kaleidoscope. We have been offered a heavenly gift. I pray that many of us if not all, will kindle or rekindle the desire to partake of the goodness of Jesus Christ and respect the words of the prophets in the Book of Mormon unto the rending of the veil of unbelief in our lives.
“…The Law of consecration could not be kept here, & that it was the will of the Lord that we should desist from trying to keep it, & if persisted in it would produce a perfect abortion, & that he assumed the whole responsibility of not keeping it untill proposed by himself.” Minutes and Discourse, March 6, 1840 (JS Papers, Documents Vol. 7.)
I have spent many years pondering this. Today, while LDS temples are being built and announced in record numbers, giving the impression that our church is growing in leaps and bounds, the fact remains that while we covenant to live the law of consecration, there remains a gross inequality throughout the global church.
1828 Dictionary: ABOR’TION, noun [Latin abortio, a miscarriage; usually deduced from ab and orior.] 1. The act of miscarrying, or producing young before the natural time, or before the fetus is perfectly formed. 2. In a figurative sense, any fruit or produce that does not come to maturity, or any thing which fails in its progress, before it is matured or perfect, as a design or project. 3. The fetus brought forth before it is perfectly formed.
I find Joseph’s usage of the word “abortion” interesting. I believe it refers to the woman’s child mentioned in Revelation Chapter 12. Furthermore, Joseph assuming the whole responsibility for the saints’ refusal/inability to to keep it bore grave results. Zion was never redeemed, and as of today, nearly two centuries later, we are further from Zion than ever before. Consider the following revelation given in 1832:
D&C 78:3 3For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion— 4 For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven; 5 That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things. 6 For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things; 7 For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you. 8 And now, verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient that all things be done unto my glory, by you who are joined together in this order…
Just two years later, the Lord declared the following:
D&C 105:2 Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now. 3 But behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them; 4 And are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom; 5 And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself. 6 And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.
As long as there is inequality in the church, Zion will not be redeemed within the church. It just can’t be. I believe the Lord will do it His own way with His own “strange act.” In the allegory of the olive trees in Jacob chapter five, the fruit is always corrupt except “in the beginning” and until all the fruit becomes “equal.” Then and only then is the fruit no more corrupt:
Jacob 5: 74 And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.
Notice some key words in the next verse:
75 And it came to pass that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them: Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
Temples may dot the entire Earth and members covenant to live the law of consecration, all while Zion remains unredeemed (meaning to be brought back into Jesus Christ’s presence as with Enoch and his city). Here in the United States, if we experience a reprieve from a collapse of some sort, and Americans experience a tiny surge of prosperity, what will they do with their new “Golden Age” as President Trump promises? Will it prove our final condemnation? We read what will happen to us in 3 Nephi chapters 20 through 22.
Joseph Smith was fond of the German translation of the Bible.
“I have an old edition of the New Testament in the Latin, Hebrew, German and Greek languages. I have been reading the German, and find it to be the most [nearly] correct translation, and to correspond nearest to the revelations which God has given to me for the last fourteen years” – History of the Church 6:307.
“The old German translators are the most nearly correct — most honest of any of the translators; and therefore I get testimony to bear me out in the revelations that I have preached for the last fourteen years” – History of the Church 6:364.
In the German Lutheran Bible, the names of the two sons of Zebedee are Jacob and John. In the King James Bible, the translators oddly changed the name of Jacob to James. But this is beside the point…or maybe it helps to make my point. I served my mission in Germany and became fluent in the language and as such, I collected a number of German Bibles. I will now quote an interesting passage from the Lutheran Bible:
Epheser 6:12 Denn wir haben nicht mit Fleisch und Blut zu kämpfen, sondern mit Fürsten und Gewaltigen, nämlich mit den Herren der Welt, die in der Finsternis dieser Welt herrschen, mit den bösen Geistern unter dem Himmel.
Translated into English, it reads:
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not battle with flesh and blood, but rather with rulers and mighty ones, namely with the lords of this world who rule in the darkness of this world with the evil spirits under heaven.
Lord is defined as someone or something having power, authority, or influence like a landlord, a warlord, or even a druglord.
That is how I personally render the translation and it provides interesting context in light of the distorted translation rendered by the King James Version:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
An earlier English translation than the 1611 KJV, namely the Geneva Bible in 1587, renders the translation so:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, and against the worldly gouernours, the princes of the darkenesse of this worlde, against spirituall wickednesses, which are in ye hie places.”
An even earlier translation, the Bishops’ Bible of 1568 renders it similarly:
“For we wrastle not agaynst blood & flesshe: but agaynst rule, agaynst power, agaynst worldly gouernours of the darknesse of this worlde, agaynst spirituall craftynesse in heauenly places.”
My point is that we are being warned against what the Book of Mormon calls secret combinations which are perpetrated by people who hold high offices. This carries many implications which alone could fill a book. Secret combinations have existed in the church and in governments throughout history since the days of Adam. Secret combinations murdered Abel. Secret combinations murdered the Son of God, even Jesus Christ. Secret combinations also murdered Joseph Smith. They were perpetrated by the “lords” and by the “rulers” of this world. I have thought about writing my own commentary on the Book of Mormon addressing things which I have not yet seen written, but I have not felt impressed by the Spirit to do it.
Some commentaries are by prominent men who follow favorable yet trite and banal narratives. This does the membership a disservice and keeps them asleep when we are commanded in Ether chapter 8 to awake to a sense of “your” awful situation because of the secret combination that shall be among “you” (Ether 8:24). There is a duality about the last days believing Gentiles (goyim) and Ephraimites implied by Book of Mormon prophet-authors. Isaiah also warned about the Drunkards of Ephraim. Incidentally, relatively few people have read, or for that matter, admitted to reading my free book By A Thread which is a very easy read at barely 170 pages. How would I be able to persuade anyone to read a book that might easily be between 700 to 1,000 pages?
But if I could summarize succinctly what I might have written about in my giant tome, it would be this: The Book of Mormon teaches you two paramount lessons: how to seek Christ (and behold Him face to face) AND how to identify and avoid modern “Gadiantons” and the “Nephites” who support them. If this interests you, then my free book By A Thread is a good start. But it’s directed towards disciples of Jesus Christ who hunger and thirst after HIM. It is probably too dry/tedious for anyone else.
Latter-day Lamanite 