Contemplations

Things To Ponder

2012-01-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

2011-12-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

I am sometimes asked why I am not for Mitt Romney as president. The issue is not whether or not he is a good man or an active member of the LDS Church. The issue is liberty. Does he understand the issues that foster liberty and has he consistently followed those principles.

Connor Boyak has an excellent post on his blog that exposes Mitt Romney's inconsistent positions on the issues.

Click here to read the post.

The Proper Role Of Government

2011-12-08T09:20:00.001-08:00

This is a little over an hour long, but if you have not seen this it is worth the time to be instructed on this important topic.

President Monson Speaks About The Constitution

2011-11-29T06:43:00.001-08:00

Eye Opening Video 3 minutes and 40 seconds

2011-10-28T12:19:00.001-07:00

Jerusalem

2011-10-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

Jerusalem | Filmed in Imax 3D from JerusalemTheMovie on Vimeo.

Last Minute Change of Time and Place For Education Week Presentations

2011-06-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

There has been a last minute change for the location and time of my Education Week presentations. I will now be in the Varsity Theater of the Wilkinson Center at 1:50 pm to 2:45 pm. (August 16-19, Tuesday - Friday). The topics remain the same for each day.

Robert J. Norman Education Week Schedule

2011-06-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

My Education Week Schedule:

Series topic: The Distinctive Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

Tuesday-Friday 3:10 to 4:05 pm, 151 Tanner Building (TNRB)

Tuesday - The Eternal Nature of Man
Wednesday - Zion, the New Jerusalem
Thursday - The Apostasy and Restoration as Explained by the Prophet Joseph Smith
Friday - The Unique Role of Adam

I am thrilled for this announcement - a plus for America

2011-05-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

Foreordination

2011-05-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Pioneers in Africa

2011-05-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

We have some close friends that are serving as missionaries in Africa. Both couples have wonderful picture blogs that give such an excellent view of the work that they are doing. They are the true gospel pioneers in Africa. Here are their blogs so that you can see the work in Africa as it is progressing. It is so inspirational to see the growth of the Church in Africa.

Elders and Sister Frogley's blog

Elder and Sister Moore's blog

Fight For The Family

2011-04-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sharon Slater is doing a great service defending the family at the United Nations. There is a war going on to destroy all that is good and decent. Satan is doing all that he can to destroy the family world wide. Help Sharon in any way that you can.

Click here to read her report.

Blog Restored

2011-04-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends:
I had no idea how many used this blog until I removed it. I decided to restore it again. Because of my personal situation I will not be able to post as often but those using links from this blog and past posts may continue to do so.

R. J. Norman

Helpful Websites

2011-04-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

For scriptures used by General Authorities of the Church click here.

For all words used in General Conference click here.

Inspiring Painting of Resurrection

2011-03-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me by a dear friend, Doug Holt.

Dozens of Metal Plates Found in Jordan

2011-03-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Dozens of metal plates have been found in Jordan. If authenticated they may be a find more important than the Dead Sea Scrolls. For more information click here.

Congressman Paul's thoughts on the Libya no fly zone

2011-03-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

Tracting Miracle

2011-03-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

President,
Sometimes, in addition to the timing, blessings come with such a unique combination of circumstances that it becomes very clear they are from the Lord. Here is a remarkable example of what I mean. The following story was shared with me by Elder Robert R. Steuer, one of my colleagues in the Second Quorum of the Seventy.   Some years ago, he served as mission president in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was his practice with newly arriving missionaries to give them real missionary experiences on their very first day as full-time proselyting missionaries. To do this, after their orientation and a dinner at the mission home, they would be sent out that evening with their assigned companions. The seasoned missionary would take the new missionaries out either tracting, street contacting, or giving discussions.
In one of the groups of new missionaries, there was a Brazilian elder who came from the far north of Brazil. It took this missionary about three days travel by bus just to reach the MTC in Sao Paulo for his initial training. On that first evening, after having a good meal, President Steuer announced that the new missionaries would then go out and do missionary work. This new missionary’s companion decided they would go tracting, a frightening experience for this shy new elder. The senior companion said he would take the first door and told his companion to watch closely how it was done as the second door would be his.
The young elder protested, saying he was too frightened, but his companion proceeded to the first door. When this young elder knocked on the second door, the senior companion stepped back and indicated for him to proceed. He shrank back. When the door opened, to the young elder’s utter astonishment, the person standing there was his older sister. She had run away from home three or four years earlier.   The family had not heard from her since and had no idea where she was, or even if she was still alive. One can imagine the sweetness of that reunion and the tears of joy that were shed that night.
As he concluded this story, Elder Steuer said two things that deeply impressed me and made the point I’m trying to make.   He said, 'Not only was his sister one of the first nonmembers he contacted in the mission field, but she became his first convert baptism as well.   Then he added, “ As you think about that, Elder Lund, remember at that time there were between thirteen and fourteen million people in Sao Paulo!”
Elder Gerald N. Lund

Used by Permission of Elder Gerald Lund and Deseret Book
From �Divine Signatures, the Confirming Hand of God�
Deseret Book, 2010, pgs 18-20

Carl Bloch Exibition

2011-03-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

For those who live in the Salt Lake/Provo area I highly recommend going to the BYU Art Museum to view the Carl Bloch Art Exhibit. I was very touched by the spirit of his art. For information about the exhibit click here.

Something to Contemplate on the Contempations Blog

2011-02-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

Taken from Realecontv.com

Playing games with people's hunger
Not everyone gets billions of dollars in interest free money from the Fed.

Most people work for the money they get. This creates a real problem for people whose wages have been stagnant (or declining) while the US government shovels trillions of dollars to banks to help them cover their gambling losses.

What do banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan do with the free money?

They "play" ... with wheat prices, with corn prices, with oil prices.

There is no supply/demand reason for commodities to be as high as they are now. It's all speculation based on free money given to bankers.

Note: The prices will come down eventually - precipitously - but in the meantime hundreds millions of people go hungry and have had their standard of living decimated.

The Prophet Joseph Smith on Baptism and Being Born Again

2011-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

The Kingdom of God

It is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and another thing to enter into it. We must have a change of heart to see the kingdom of God, and subscribe the articles of adoption to enter therein.
(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.328)

Man Must be Born Again

Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?-Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. This strong and positive answer of Jesus, as to water baptism, settles the question: If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever: it is no wonder He is so positive in the great declaration: He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believes not shall be damned! There was no other name given under heaven, nor no other ordinance admitted, whereby men could be saved: No wonder the Apostle said, being "buried with him in baptism," ye shall rise from the dead! No wonder Paul had to arise and be baptized and wash away his sins: No wonder the angel told good old Cornelius that he must send for Peter to learn how to be saved: Peter could baptize, and angels could not, so long as there were legal officers in the flesh holding the keys of the kingdom, or the authority of the priesthood. There is one evidence still further on this point, and that is that Jesus himself when he appeared to Paul on his way to Damascus, did not inform him how he could be saved. He had set in the church first Apostles, and secondly prophets, for the work of the ministry, perfecting of the saints, etc.; and as the grand rule of heaven was that nothing should ever be done on earth without revealing the secret to his servants the prophets, agreeably to Amos 3:7, so Paul could not learn so much from the Lord relative to his duty in the common salvation of man, as he could from one of Christ's ambassadors called with the same heavenly calling of the Lord, and endowed with the same power from on high-so that what they loosed on earth, should be loosed in heaven; and what they bound on earth should be bound in heaven: He, the Lord being a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek, and the anointed Son of God, from before the foundation of the world, and they the begotten sons of Jesus though the gospel, to teach all nations-and lo I am with you always to the end of the world-that is-by the other comforter which the world cannot receive-for ye are the witnesses-having the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy.

(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.264)

Necessity of Repentance

From what has already been introduced as testimony to prove that no man can be saved without baptism, it will be seen and acknowledged that if there was sin among men, repentance was as necessary at one time or age of the world as another-and that other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If, then, Abel was a righteous man he had to become so by keeping the commandments; if Enoch was righteous enough to come into the presence of God, and walk with him, he must have become so by keeping his commandments, and so of every righteous person, whether it was Noah, a preacher of righteousness; Abraham, the father of the faithful; Jacob, the prevailer with God; Moses, the man who wrote of Christ, and brought forth the law by commandment, as a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ, or whether it was Jesus Christ himself, who had no need of repentance, having no sin, according to his solemn declaration to John:-now let me be baptized: for no man can enter the kingdom without obeying this ordinance: for thus it becometh us to fulfil ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS. Surely, then, if it became John and Jesus Christ, the Savior, to fulfil all righteousness to be baptized-so surely, then, it will become every other person that seeks the kingdom of heaven to go and do likewise; for he is the door, and if any person climbs up any other way, the same is a thief and a robber!

(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.265)

Baptism Required in All Ages

In the former ages of the world, before the Savior came in the flesh, "the saints" were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to come, because there never was any other name whereby men could be saved; and after he came in the flesh and was crucified, then the saints were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, crucified, risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, that they might be buried in baptism like him, and be raised in glory like him, that as there was but one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and father of us all, even so there was but one door to the mansions of bliss. Amen. (Sept. 1, 1842.)

(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.266)

Below is some excellent dialogue and points made on being born again from the LDS Institute Student Manual "The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles:"

Well worth the read especially for Gospel Doctrine Teachers.

Being Born To "See" The Kingdom of God Is A Step In Being Born To "Enter" The Kingdom

The following hypothetical interview should aid you in understanding what happened to the Samaritan woman and what must happen to you if you would enter the celestial kingdom of God.

QUESTION
Jesus explained to Nicodemus that a man must be “born again.” In this world our first birth is when we enter the world as infants. But the word again in Jesus’ phrase implies another, or second birth, doesn’t it?

ANSWER
Yes, there is another, or second birth.
“The first birth takes place when spirits pass from their pre-existent first estate into mortality; the second birth or birth ‘into the kingdom of heaven’ takes place when mortal men are born again and become alive to the things of the Spirit and of righteousness. The elements of water, blood, and Spirit are present in both births. ( Moses 6:59–60 .)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 101.)

QUESTION
In John 3:3 , Jesus said, “Except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” and in John 3:5 , Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” It is one thing to see the kingdom, and it is a different thing entirely to enter the kingdom. Does this mean that the second birth, or spiritual rebirth, has two parts?

ANSWER
Yes, this second birth or spiritual rebirth has two general parts. In order to understand what it means to see the kingdom of God, it is necessary to perceive what the Holy Ghost will do for a man before that man is baptized into the Church, The Prophet Joseph Smith explained:

“There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Cornelius received the Holy Ghost before he was baptized, which was the convincing power of God unto him of the truth of the Gospel, but he could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized. Had he not taken this sign or ordinance upon him, the Holy Ghost which convinced him of the truth of God, would have left him.” ( Teachings, p. 199.)

When a nonmember sees the kingdom of God, it means that the power of the Holy Ghost is poured out upon him to teach him that the Church is true. He then has a testimony. He knows.

“The Lord will reveal the truth once; then when this testimony has been given, the person should accept the truth and receive the gospel by baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. . . . Cornelius received a manifestation in strict conformity to the instruction given by Moroni, and had he turned away there would have been no further light or direction for him. The Spirit of the Lord will not argue with men, nor abide in them, except they yield obedience to the Lord’s commandments. (Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:29.)

At the time a person sees the kingdom, he does not necessarily receive a remission of his sins. The Holy Ghost has merely taught him what he must do to receive a remission of sins. Of this the Prophet Joseph Smith said:

“It is one thing to see the kingdom of God, and another thing to enter into it. We must have a change of heart to see the kingdom of God, and subscribe the articles of adoption to enter therein.” (Smith, Teachings, p. 328.)

QUESTION
Does a person always see the kingdom before baptism?

ANSWER
No, this experience may occur in the life of a baptized member of the Church as well. Sometimes people are members of the Church even for many years before they “see” or gain a testimony that the Church is true.

QUESTION
It seems clear that seeing involves witness and testimony and conviction about the truthfulness of the Church. But what has to occur so that a person has the true change of heart so that he can enter the kingdom of God?

ANSWER
“Baptism by immersion symbolizes the death and burial of the man of sin; and the coming forth out of the water, the resurrection to a newness of spiritual life. After baptism, hands are laid upon the head of the baptized believer, and he is blessed to receive the Holy Ghost. Thus does the one baptized receive the promise or gift of the Holy Ghost or the privilege of being brought back into the presence of one of the Godhead, by obedience to whom and through his faithfulness one so blessed might receive the guidance and direction of the Holy Ghost in his daily walks and talks, even as Adam walked and talked in the Garden of Eden with God, his Heavenly Father. To receive such guidance and such direction from the Holy Ghost is to be spiritually reborn.” (Harold B. Lee in CR, Oct. 1947, p. 64.)

QUESTION
Does a person always receive this spiritual rebirth at the time of baptism?

ANSWER
“Mere compliance with the formality of the ordinance of baptism does not mean that a person has been born again. No one can be born again without baptism, but the immersion in water and the laying on of hands to confer the Holy Ghost do not of themselves guarantee that a person has been or will be born again. The new birth takes place only for those who actually enjoy the gift or companionship of the Holy Ghost, only for those who are fully converted, who have given themselves without restraint to the Lord. Thus Alma addressed himself to his ‘brethren of the church,’ and pointedly asked them if they had ‘spiritually been born of God,’ received the Lord’s image in their countenances, and had the ‘mighty change’ in their hearts which always attends the birth of the Spirit. ( Alma 5:14–31 .)” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 101.)

QUESTION
What blessings are available to someone who is born again?

ANSWER
“Those members of the Church who have actually been born again are in a blessed and favored state. They have attained their position, not merely by joining the Church, but through faith ( 1 John 5:1 ), righteousness ( 1 John 2:29 ), love ( 1 John 4:7 ), and overcoming the world. ( 1 John 5:4 .) ‘Whosoever is born of God doth not continue in sin; for the Spirit of God remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God, having received that holy Spirit of promise.’ ( Inspired Version, 1 John 3:9 .) (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 101.)

BEING BORN AGAIN IS A GRADUAL PROCESS THAT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A CHANGE OF HEART

David’s father was president of the stake. David had never been to the stake president’s office; but last evening at dinner he had raised some questions about spiritual rebirth, and his father had invited him to come to the stake president’s office to discuss the matter. As he settled into a chair, David noticed a picture on his father’s desk. It was a picture of the stake presidency; there was his father, smiling and dignified. David was early for the appointment; and as he waited, the thought occurred to him that if ever anyone knew anything about spiritual rebirth, it must be his father.

David’s father had worked in the mines most of his adult life. Nothing had ever really mattered to him beyond food and sleep. Seldom had he been much of a father until the day the missionaries knocked at their door. After weeks of questions, some patience on the part of the missionaries, and many prayers by David’s mother (who herself had immediately accepted the gospel taught by the missionaries), David’s father had joined the Church. The rest of the family joined within weeks after their father led the way.

David hadn’t noticed it at first, but gradually his father had changed. There had been nothing spectacular—no visions, no outward manifestations—but just gradual change. First they had begun to attend church. Later David’s father had announced at the dinner table that they would never eat another meal in their home without having a blessing on the food. That had been twelve years ago. Then they had commenced holding a regular home evening. David still remembered the family journey to the Los Angeles Temple, where they had been sealed together as a family for time and eternity. Later, when David and his brothers had spoken harshly about one of the leaders of their ward, he remembered his father’s justified anger and instant rebuke, for although David’s father had controlled his temper, he made it very clear to his sons that they must never say such things about any of the Church officers again. While his father’s change had occurred quietly and gradually, it was nevertheless a powerful change. David had often wondered to himself what possibly could have taken a hard-headed man like his father and literally turned him around. And now that he was on the proper course, it seemed that his dedication and zeal in the cause of the Master increased every day.

David’s father had been called to serve in the ward MIA and later in the stake. Then just two years later he had been called as a counselor in the stake presidency. David noticed that his father was gone from home a great deal, but the time he did manage to spend at home with his wife and four sons was quality time. As a contrast to twelve years ago, their home was now truly a house of love, prayer, and order. David had listened to his father’s testimony in conferences and as he had shared it with his sons and with others who had been in their home. During one home evening, he had told his sons: “I am not the father you used to have; I have been changed. And I want you to know that for whatever else I may say or do, I know that Jesus lives and is my Redeemer, because I have tasted of his goodness and I know of his love for me.” David knew his father well enough to know that he testified of the reality of Jesus and of the truth of the gospel from the depths of his soul. And now his father was president of the stake.

As David sat there waiting, he suddenly realized that he lived in the very shadow of a man who had been born again! Hastily he scribbled a note to his father and then left. The note read: “Dad, I won’t need to talk to you after all. I have the answers to my question. See you at dinner. David.”

Why do you think David’s father was one who had been born again?

Was his father’s spiritual rebirth a sudden thing? Were sensational manifestations involved?

Elder Harold B. Lee said, “Knowing how this birth takes place is as impossible to explain as to explain where the wind comes from or where it goes.” (“Born of the Spirit,” Address to Seminary and Institute Faculty, BYU, 26 June 1962; compare John 3:7, 8 .)

Sometimes people get the idea that to be born of the Spirit, they have to experience something sudden and spectacular. From your reading about David’s father, do you think this is always necessary?

Consider the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith about the manifestations of the Spirit:

“We believe that the Holy Ghost is imparted by the laying on of hands of those in authority, and that the gift of the tongues, and also the gift of prophecy, are gifts of the spirit, and are obtained through that medium; but then to say that men always prophesied and spoke in tongues when they had the imposition of hands, would be to state that which is untrue, contrary to the practice of the apostles, and at variance with holy writ; for Paul says, ‘to one is given the gift of tongues, to another the gift of prophecy, and to another the gift of healing’—and again, ‘do all prophecy [sic]? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?’ evidently shewing that all did not possess these several gifts; but that one received one gift and another received another gift—all did not prophecy [sic]; all did not speak in tongues; all did not work miracles; but all did receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; sometimes they spake in tongues and prophesied in the Apostles’ days, and sometimes they did not. —The same in the case with us also in our administrations, while more frequently there is no manifestation at all that is visible to the surrounding multitude.” ( Times and Seasons 3:823–24 [15 June 1842]. Emphasis added.)

The Second Temptation of Jesus

2011-01-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

The tempations of Jesus are basically broken down into three human weaknesses.

1. Appetite (Matt. 4:3-4; Luke 4:3-4)

2. Pride (Matt. 4:5-7; Luke 4:9-12)

3. Gratifying of passions for the things of the world (Matt. 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8)

In this post I want to take a closer look at the second temptation. Let us look at it as Matthew presents it:

Matt 4:5-7

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Notice that this is the only temptation that Satan used a scripture. It is important to note that the quotion of any part of a scripture the Psalm applies to the situation. Satan was quoting from the 91st Psalm verses 11-12. The Savior would be very familiar with this Psalm as it is a Messianic Psalm and it applies mainly to him and he would have known that. Look several verses later and you will see these this promise,

Ps 91:15-16

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I [will be] with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

In this Psalm the Savior is promised deliverance by merely asking for it. He is also promised a long life. Satan is actually tempting the Savior to not go through with the atonement but to ask out of it and to live a long life.

In the Garden of Eden Satan made a tactical error by not having Adam and Eve continue to eat of the Tree of Life which would have frustrated the plan of God by having man live forever in the Garden and never having children. Adam and Eve had two trees to choose from, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As it turned out they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which brought death and the plan moved forward by Adam and Eve having children and populating the earth. In other words the first man Adam chose death so that man could live.
This time as Satan tempts the second or last man Adam (Christ see 1 Cor. 15:45-47) he is not going to make the same mistake twice. This time he tempts Christ to choose the Psalm that allows him to ask for deliverance and to live a long life.

As we watch the Savior move closer and closer in time towards Gethsemane and Calvary we can see the stress of the atonement weighing on him. Notice his personal admission that allows us a sacred look into his innermost working in Luke 12:49-50,

Luke 12:49-50

49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

There is a footnote to the word straitened in the LDS edtion of the scriptures that explains that the word means distressed or hard pressed. The baptism that he is talking about according to Elder James Talmage is the atonement that he must work out. Can you imagine knowing the horrible torment of the atonement is coming closer and closer and the stress that must have been felt on a daily basis until it was accomplished. This scripture is a rare view into his sacred innermost feelings.

Notice how sensitive he was when Peter suggested that he not go through with the atonement and also notice how the Savior labeled Peter,

Matt 16:21-23

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

We can see here that Peter is parroting the same thing that Satan tempted him with on the Mount of Tempations, so the Savior labels him "Satan."

During the last week of his life, as the pressure of the coming atonement grows, we see him utter these words which refers to the promise made to him in the Psalm 91,

John 12:27

27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Here we can see him struggling with the promise made in Psalm 91 as opposed to the purpose for which he came to the earth to work out the atonement.

When the Savior gets into the Garden of Gethsemane the struggle continues. When he falls to the earth and begins to pray notice that the promise made in the 91st Psalm starts to be his first request,

Mark 14:34-36

34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.

35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things [are] possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Here we see the powerful inner struggling of our tender, holy, and brave Savior. He had the strength to utter the words that he was willing to do the will of the Father.

In these scriptures we can see more deeply into the second temptation and the powerful conflict that was going on in our Savior. Working out the atonement was something that appears to have been on his mind every day causing stress and great emotion.

As we stand back and look at the bigger picture we see that the first Adam was a type and a prophecy of the second or last Adam (Christ). The first adam had two trees to chose from. One that allowed him to live forever and the other that brought death. He chose death so that man could live. This then became a type and a prophecy of the last Adam (Christ) who would also go into a Garden and choose death so that man could live. Christ had two Psalms that played a large roll in this drama. The first Psalm as already pointed out was the 91st Psalm. The other Psalm reads diametically opposite the 91st Psalm and is the 22 Psalm. It is also a Messianic Psalm. However, it says that the Savior can cry day and night and not be heard. Note that this is the Psalm quoted by the Savior on the cross when he cried out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Adam had two trees that stood opposite of each other and the Savior had two Psalms that read opposite of each other but both were Messianic Psalms.

Powerful Experience for a Muslim/Christian

2011-01-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

Dating The Birth of Jesus and Dating His Death and Resurrection

2010-12-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

Recent scholarship which helped to produce the recently published Joseph Smith Papers shows that D&C 20:1 was part of the initial heading for the revelation now known as Section 20 and not part of the revelation proper. It appears to be the product of John Whitmer (the Prophet Joseph Smith's scribe) and was not intended to reveal the birthdate of our Lord, but merely a manner of recording the date of the organization of the Church. This is all covered in an article in the newest BYU Studies vol. 49, no. 4 (2010) pp. 4-38. The article was written by Jeffrey R. Chadwick and entitled, Dating the Birth of Jesus Christ. Because of this discovery, we as Latter'day Saints are back to the possibility of the birth of the Savior being in December.

The following article was printed in the Deseret News:

The real date of Jesus' birth

By Michael De Groote

Deseret News

Published: Friday, Dec. 24, 2010 4:39 p.m. MST

Since the early 20th century, many Mormons have thought they knew the exact date of the first Christmas. Elder James E. Talmage, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, published a book in 1915 titled "Jesus the Christ," in which he wrote, "We believe that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, April 6, B.C. 1."

Elder Talmage didn't just randomly make up this date. He took it from Section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants — a collection of revelations mostly through the Mormon founding prophet, Joseph Smith Jr. Since his book, Mormons — from church leaders to children — have accepted April 6 as the real date of Jesus' birth. But not every member of the LDS Church agreed with Elder Talmage's interpretation of Doctrine and Covenants 20.

Jeffrey R. Chadwick, an associate professor of church history and doctrine at BYU, published an article in the latest issue of BYU Studies on "Dating the Birth of Jesus Christ" that challenges the popular, but not universal, Mormon dating of Jesus' birth to April 6.

And he is in good company.

In 1954, President J. Reuben Clark Jr., a counselor in the First Presidency of the LDS Church, wrote that Christ's birth was in December of 5 B.C. or early 4 B.C.

In 1979, Elder Bruce R. McConkie, also an apostle, favored December 5 B.C. as well as alternative dates in 4 B.C.

The date of April 6 comes from the date that the LDS Church was originally organized on April 6, 1830. D&C 20 begins with this introductory verse: "The rise of The Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it (the church) being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April."

Steven C. Harper, a BYU assistant professor of church history and a volume editor of the Joseph Smith Papers, said in a phone interview that some people, including Elder Talmage, have read this verse as if it is the Lord speaking and revealing precisely that Christ was born 1,830 years before that day and that the revelation was given on April 6, 1830.

The recent discovery of the Book of Commandments and Revelations manuscript of D&C 20, however, showed that the verse was actually an introductory head note written by early church historian and scribe John Whitmer — something he did for many of the revelations, Harper said. "So those are separate from the texts that Joseph produces by revelation."

The manuscript, published as part of the Joseph Smith Papers, also shows that the revelation was given on April 10 — not April 6. So although it references the organization of the church a few days earlier, the revelation — which topically has nothing to do with the birth date of Christ — and its introductory verses "shouldn't be read as if it is a revelation of the birth date of Jesus Christ," Harper said. "The interpretation that has been most popular over time is very much subject to question, that's all I'm saying."

And this wasn't the only time that John Whitmer would identify a date with similar language. Another time he wrote, "It is now June the twelfth, one thousand eight hundred and thirty one years, since the coming of our Lord and Savior in the flesh."

In other words, this type of language was merely a fancy 19th-century way of saying the date.

If a person accepts Chadwick, Harper, Elder McConkie and President Clark's interpretation of the verse in D&C 20, when was Jesus born?

Chadwick's article goes into great detail on the various clues the Bible and the Book of Mormon give for the date of Jesus' birth.

The biggest clue, by far, appears to be the death of King Herod the Great. The Bible has Jesus born before Herod's death. Chadwick wrote that the historical record places Herod's death at the end of March or beginning of April in 4 B.C. This date is confirmed by both the mention of a lunar eclipse before Herod's death and the date his son was deposed by Caesar Augustus. Both those fixed events fit together to confirm Herod's death.

Needless to say, if Herod was dead in 4 B.C., a 1 B.C. birthday of Christ is impossible.

So if Jesus had to be born before April 4 B.C., can the time be narrowed further?

Chadwick's article in BYU Studies goes on for pages using fixed dates to extrapolate other dates. He looked closely at the time of Jesus' death, for example, tied it to the length of Jesus' life given in the Book of Mormon, added such things as time for Jesus' circumcision eight days after his birth, Mary's 40 days of ritual purification, the visit of wise men from the east and a two-week journey to Egypt. All those events show that "at a minimum, Jesus would have to have been born eight weeks prior to Herod's death at the beginning of April (4 B.C.)."

Chadwick then looks at the Annunciation to Mary that she would have a son named Jesus. Luke 1:26 placed this event in the sixth month — which at the time was from mid-to-late February to mid-to-late March. March of 5 B.C.

Add nine months.

"When all is said and done," Chadwick wrote, "the facts from the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the history of Josephus, combined with input from archaeological and astronomical research, all point to a day in December of 5 B.C. (late in the Jewish month of Kislev) for the date of Jesus' birth."

This means that the real date of Christmas may have, indeed, been on Dec. 25.

"It is just as possible that Jesus was born on the calendar date we call Dec. 25 as on any other date in the few weeks preceding it or following it," Chadwick wrote. "(H)is birth occurred within those December weeks that we now commonly refer to as the Christmas season."

e-mail: mdegroote@desnews.com

As a matter of review I felt it proper to link to two articles written by John P. Pratt and printed in the Ensign dating the first Easter.

Click here for the first article.

Click here for the second article.

Merry Christmas. Christ Lives.

2010-12-20T14:09:00.001-08:00

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 4

2010-11-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

The quote below is taken from Teaching Of The Prophet Joseph Smith. I added the bold underline print so that you would know these were all references to Adam and Adam-ondi-ahman. These are notes taken from Wilford Woodruff's Pocket Companion, therefore some of the information is sketchy.
The Prophet on Priesthood

The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed, as in Genesis 1:26, 27, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in this day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven.

Priesthood Everlasting

The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven, it is by Adam's authority.

Adam the Oldest Man

Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael, he will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. This may take place before some of us leave this stage of action. The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family.

The Spirit of Man

The spirit of man is not a created being; it existed from eternity, and will exist to eternity. Anything created cannot be eternal; and earth, water, etc., had their existence in an elementary state, from eternity. Our Savior speaks of children and says, Their angels always stand before my Father. The Father called all spirits before Him at the creation of man, and organized them. He (Adam) is the head, and was told to multiply. The keys were first given to him, and by him to others. He will have to give an account of his stewardship, and they to him.

Keys Given to Peter, James and John

The Priesthood is everlasting. The Savior, Moses, and Elias, gave the keys to Peter, James and John, on the mount, when they were transfigured before him. The Priesthood is everlasting-without beginning of days or end of years; without father, mother, etc. 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.

Descent of Priesthood

How have we come at the Priesthood in the last days? It came down, down, in regular succession. Peter, James, and John had it given to them and they gave it to others. Christ is the Great High Priest; Adam next. Paul speaks of the Church coming to an innumerable company of angels-to God the Judge of all-the spirits of just men made perfect; to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant. (Hebrews 12:22-24.)

I saw Adam in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. He called together his children and blessed them with a patriarchal blessing. The Lord appeared in their midst, and he (Adam) blessed them all, and foretold what should befall them to the latest generation.

This is why Adam blessed his posterity; he wanted to bring them into the presence of God. They looked for a city, etc., "whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:10.) Moses sought to bring the children of Israel into the presence of God, through the power of the Priesthood, but he could not. In the first ages of the world they tried to establish the same thing; and there were Eliases raised up who tried to restore these very glories, but did not obtain them; but they prophesied of a day when this glory would be revealed. Paul spoke of the dispensation of the fullness of times, when God would gather together all things in one, etc.; and those men to whom these keys have been given, will have to be there; and they without us cannot be made perfect.

These men are in heaven, but their children are on the earth. Their bowels yearn over us. God sends down men for this reason. "And the Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that give offense and them that do iniquity." (Matthew 13:41.) All these authoritative characters will come down and join hand in hand in bringing about this work.

We Cannot be Perfect Without Our Dead

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed. The mustard seed is small, but brings forth a large tree, and the fowls lodge in the branches. The fowls are the angels. Thus angels come down, combine together to gather their children, and gather them. We cannot be made perfect without them, nor they without us; when these things are done, the Son of Man will descend, the Ancient of Days sit; we may come to an innumerable company of angels, have communion with and receive instruction from them. Paul told about Moses' proceedings; spoke of the children of Israel being baptized. (1 Cor. 10:1-4.) He knew this, and that all the ordinances and blessings were in the Church. Paul had these things, and we may have the fowls of heaven lodge in the branches, etc.

The "Horn" made war with the Saints and overcame them, until the Ancient of Days came; judgment was given to the Saints of the Most High from the Ancient of Days; the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom. This not only makes us ministers here, but in eternity.

No Salvation Without Revelation

Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is in vain for anyone to minister without it. No man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being a Prophet. No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the testimony of Jesus; and this is the spirit of prophecy. Whenever salvation has been administered, it has been by testimony. Men of the present time testify of heaven and hell, and have never seen either; and I will say that no man knows these things without this.

Signs of Second Coming Have Commenced

Men profess to prophesy. I will prophesy that the signs of the coming of the Son of Man are already commenced. One pestilence will desolate after another. We shall soon have war and bloodshed. The moon will be turned into blood. I testify of these things, and that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even at your doors. If our souls and our bodies are not looking forth for the coming of the Son of Man; and after we are dead, if we are not looking forth, we shall be among those who are calling for the rocks to fall upon them.

Hearts of Children Turn to Fathers

The hearts of the children of men will have to be turned to the fathers, and the fathers to the children, living or dead, to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. If Elijah did not come, the whole earth would be smitten.

There will be here and there a Stake [of Zion] for the gathering of the Saints. Some may have cried peace, but the Saints and the world will have little peace from henceforth. Let this not hinder us from going to the Stakes; for God has told us to flee, not dallying, or we shall be scattered, one here, and another there. There your children shall be blessed, and you in the midst of friends where you may be blessed. The Gospel net gathers of every kind.

I prophesy, that that man who tarries after he has an opportunity of going, will be afflicted by the devil. Wars are at hand; we must not delay; but are not required to sacrifice. We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. When wars come, we shall have to flee to Zion. The cry is to make haste. The last revelation says, Ye shall not have time to have gone over the earth, until these things come. It will come as did the cholera, war, fires, and earthquakes; one pestilence after another, until the Ancient of Days comes, then judgment will be given to the Saints.

(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.157- 160)

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 3

2010-11-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

THE ANCIENT OF DAYS. Daniel speaks of Adam as the Ancient of Days. In this dispensation the Ancient of Days will sit in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman; and the judgment will be set; Christ will come; and the kingdom will be turned over to Christ; and he will be sustained in his calling as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie, 1:, p.106)

COMING OF CHRIST AT ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN. Daniel speaks of the coming of Christ, and that day is near at hand. There will be a great gathering in the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman; there will be a great council held. The Ancient of Days, who is Adam, will sit. The judgment-not the final judgment-will be held, where the righteous who have held keys will make their reports and deliver up their keys and ministry. Christ will come, and Adam will make his report. At this council Christ will be received and acknowledged as the rightful ruler of the earth. Satan will be replaced. Following this event every government in the world, including the United States, will have to become part of the government of God. Then righteous rule will be established. The earth will be cleansed; the wicked will be destroyed; and the reign of peace will be ushered in.

(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie, 3:, p.13)

There will be another great gathering of saints at Adam-ondi-Ahman. Once again the Lord will be there, this time to receive from Adam, the Ancient of days, an accounting of his stewardship. This gathering, at which the Lord will be given "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him," will usher in the millennial reign. Those in attendance will be the righteous of all ages, each of whom in turn will give an accounting of his own stewardship. We suppose it will be those of all ages who shall partake of the sacrament with their risen Lord. (D&C 27:4-14.) As to their number, Daniel's account speaks of ten thousand times ten thousand and of thousands of thousands, which is to say an innumerable host. All these, being present, shall see and worship the Lord. (Dan. 7:9-14.)

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ, p.610)

With reference to the use of sacramental wine in our day, the Lord said to Joseph Smith: "You shall partake of none except it is made new among you; yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth." In so stating, he is picking up the language he used in the upper room. Then he says: "The hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth." Jesus is going to partake of the sacrament again with his mortal disciples on earth. But it will not be with mortals only. He names others who will be present and who will participate in the sacred ordinance. These include Moroni, Elias, John the Baptist, Elijah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph (who was sold into Egypt), Peter, James, and John, "and also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days." Each of these is named simply by way of illustration. The grand summation of the whole matter comes in these words: "And also with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world." (D&C 27:4-14.) The sacrament is to be administered in a future day, on this earth, when the Lord Jesus is present, and when all the righteous of all ages are present. This, of course, will be a part of the grand council at Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Adam-ondi-Ahman-meaning the place or land of God where Adam dwelt-is at a place called Spring Hill, Daviess County, Missouri. This site is named by the Lord "Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet." (D&C 116.) There is a great valley there in which the righteous will assemble; and where there are valleys, the surrounding elevations are called mountains. Thus our revelations speak of "the mountains of Adam-ondi-Ahman" and of "the plains of Olaha Shinehah, or the land where Adam dwelt." (D&C 117:8.) Sacred indeed is the whole region for what has taken place and what will take place in its environs.

Adam-ondi-Ahman, the land of God, the dwelling place of Adam-surely it is a blessed and holy place! There Adam our Prince will give an accounting to Christ our King. The Prince serves the King! The King always is supreme, though he honors the Prince by giving him power and dominion over his realms for an appointed season. But when the King returns, the Prince steps aside, and the Supreme Lord of all rules and reigns on earth. And thus, as the Lord lives, has it been and will it be.

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, p.587-588)

But Daniel has yet more to say about the great events soon to transpire at Adam-ondi-Ahman. And we need not suppose that all these things shall happen in one single meeting or at one single hour in time. It is proper to hold numerous meetings at a general conference, some for the instruction of leaders, others for edification of all the saints. In some, business is transacted; others are for worship and spiritual refreshment. And so Daniel says: "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." Christ comes to Adam, who is sitting in glory. He comes to conform to his own priestal order. He comes to hear the report of Adam for his stewardship. He comes to take back the keys of the earthly kingdom. He comes to be invested with glory and dominion so that he can reign personally upon the earth. As President Joseph Fielding Smith expresses it: "Our Lord will then assume the reigns of government; directions will be given to the Priesthood; and He, whose right it is to rule will be installed officially by the voice of the Priesthood there assembled." (The Way to Perfection, p. 291.) Thus Daniel says: "And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Daniel also tells us of the conflict between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God. In spite of the opposition of the world, he says, "the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." And also: "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." In this present world Lucifer reigns. This is the great day of his power. The kingdoms of men prevail in many ways over the Church and kingdom of God. Evil forces "devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." But Lucifer's day is limited; he shall soon be bound. "The judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy" the Lord's work and his kingdom. "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." (Dan. 7:13-27.)

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, p.585-586)

Ezekiel's Vision Of The Temple (Ezekiel 47) Artist - Liz Matthews

2010-11-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 2

2010-11-18T13:16:00.000-08:00

(Elder Joseph Fielding Smith)
This council in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman is to be of the greatest importance to this world. At that time there will be a transfer of authority from the usurper and imposter, Lucifer, to the rightful King, Jesus Christ. Judgment will be set and all who have held keys will make their reports and deliver their stewardships, as they shall be required. Adam will direct this judgment, and then he will make his report, as the one holding the keys for this earth, to his Superior Officer, Jesus Christ. Our Lord will then assume the reigns of government; directions will be given to the Priesthood; and He, whose right it is to rule, will be installed officially by the voice of the Priesthood there assembled. This grand council of Priesthood will be composed, not only of those who are faithful who now dwell on this earth, but also of the prophets and apostles of old, who have had directing authority. Others may also be there, but if so they will be there by appointment, for this is to be an official council called to attend to the most momentous matters concerning the destiny of this earth.

(Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, p.291)

(Elder Orson Pratt)
You may ask, Why the necessity of this vast multitude from the heavens to assemble here on the earth? It is to fulfill many prophecies besides that of Daniel; it is to fulfill prophecies that have been predicted by all holy men that understood the great events of the latter days, that the Saints who are in heaven are to come down here on the earth, and are to be organized here on the earth, and are to be united with the Saints on the earth, as one grand company, each one understanding his place. I do not think there will be any contentions or jealousies, as for instance, whether the high Priests are greater than the Seventies, but all will understand their proper place and position, because their positions will be pointed out to them by the Ancient of Days, the father and prince of all, even down to those last ordained to the Priesthood. Perhaps these records will recall the positions we are all to occupy; for I believe, to the Lord was known the end from the beginning.

But why all this? Why should it be given to all to know their proper places? Why should the books be opened, and why should the fourth beast be destroyed and the body given to the burning flame? It is explained in the same connection-"I saw in the night visions, and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven."

To whom does this glorious personage come? He comes to the Ancient of Days. What, that personage coming in glory, majesty and dominion, with the clouds of heaven, to the Ancient of Days! What for? In order that he might receive from him the kingdom, in its order, every person standing in his proper position, everything organized after the most perfect order. The Ancient of Days delivers up the kingdom, thus completed, to the Son of Man, whose dominion becomes so great that all peoples, nations and languages serve him; and his dominion is everlasting and shall have no end.

I do not know how there could be anything more perfect for the coming of Christ than what is here recorded. It is certainly a great and grand work; and without such a work everything would be in confusion at his coming. How great and glorious will be that period when Jesus will come in the clouds of heaven! He makes this preparation beforehand, so that there may be a people ready to receive him. People of mortality, as well as immortal beings, all knowing their positions, will form the grand Council, and they will be organized ready to receive Jesus when he comes to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords upon the earth.

(Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, 26 vols., 18:, p.344-345)

(Elder John Taylor)
ESTABLISHING THE KINGDOM: THE GREAT COUNCIL AT ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN.-A great council will then be held to adjust the affairs of the world, from the commencement, over which Father Adam will preside as head and representative of the human family.. . . .

Then they will assemble to regulate all these affairs, and all that held keys of authority to administer will then represent their earthly course. And, as this authority has been handed down from one to another in different ages, and in different dispensations, a full reckoning will have to be made by all. All who have held the keys of priesthood will then have to give an account to those from whom they received them. Those that were in the heavens have been assisting those that were upon the earth; but then, they will unite together in a general council to give an account of their stewardships, and as in the various ages men have received their power to administer from those who had previously held the keys thereof, there will be a general account.

Those under the authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have to give an account of their transactions to those who direct them in the priesthood; hence the elders give an account to presidents of conferences; and presidents of conferences to presidents of nations. Those presidents and the seventies give an account to the twelve apostles; the twelve to the First Presidency; and they to Joseph, from whom they, and the twelve, received their priesthood. This will include the arrangements of the last dispensation. Joseph delivers his authority to Peter, who held the keys before him, and delivered them to him; and Peter to Moses and Elias, who endowed him with this authority on the Mount; and they to those from whom they received them. And thus the world's affairs will be regulated and put right, the restitution of all things be accomplished, and the kingdom of God be ushered in. The earth will be delivered from under the curse, resume its paradisiacal glory, and all things pertaining to its restoration be fulfilled.

Not only will the earth be restored, but also man; and those promises which, long ago, were the hope of the Saints, will be realized. The faithful servants of God who have lived in every age will then come forth and experience the full fruition of that joy for which they lived, and hoped, and suffered, and died. The tombs will deliver up their captives, and reunited with the spirits which once animated, vivified, cheered, and sustained them while in this vale of tears, these bodies will be like unto Christ's glorious body. They will then rejoice in that resurrection for which they lived, while they sojourned below.

Adam, Seth, Enoch, and the faithful who lived before the flood, will possess their proper inheritance. Noah and Melchizedek will stand in their proper places. Abraham, with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise, will come forward at the head of innumerable multitudes, and possess that land which God gave unto them for an everlasting inheritance. The faithful on the continent of America will also stand in their proper place; but, as this will be the time of the restitution of all things, and all things will not be fully restored at once, there will be a distinction between the resurrected bodies, and those that have not been resurrected; and, as the scriptures say that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption; and although the world will enjoy just laws-an equitable administration, and universal peace and happiness prevail as the result of this righteousness; yet, there will be a peculiar habitation for the resurrected bodies. This habitation may be compared to paradise, whence man, in the beginning, was driven.

THE KINGDOM A CHURCH AND STATE.-Was the kingdom that the prophets talked about, that should be set up in the latter times, going to be a church? Yes. And a state? Yes, it was going to be both church and state, to rule both temporally and spiritually. It may be asked, How can we live under the dominion and laws of the United States and be subjects of another kingdom? Because the kingdom of God is higher, and its laws are so much more exalted than those of any other nation, that it is the easiest thing in life for a servant of God to keep any of their laws; and, as I have said before, this we have uniformly done.-JD, 6: 23-24, November 1, 1857.

(John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom: Selections from the Writings and Discourses of John Taylor, selected, arranged, and edited, with an introduction by G. Homer Durham, p.216-218)

Armageddon Scriptures by LDS Seminaries and Institutes

2010-11-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 1

2010-11-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

He Cometh to Adam-Ondi-Ahman

We now come to the least known and least understood thing connected with the Second Coming. It might well be termed the best-kept secret set forth in the revealed word. It is something about which the world knows nothing; it is a doctrine that has scarcely dawned on most of the Latter-day Saints themselves; and yet it is set forth in holy writ and in the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith with substantially the same clarity as any of the doctrines of the kingdom. It behooves us to make a needed brief commentary about it.

Before the Lord Jesus descends openly and publicly in the clouds of glory, attended by all the hosts of heaven; before the great and dreadful day of the Lord sends terror and destruction from one end of the earth to the other; before he stands on Mount Zion, or sets his feet on Olivet, or utters his voice from an American Zion or a Jewish Jerusalem; before all flesh shall see him together; before any of his appearances, which taken together comprise the second coming of the Son of God-before all these, there is to be a secret appearance to selected members of his Church. He will come in private to his prophet and to the apostles then living. Those who have held keys and powers and authorities in all ages from Adam to the present will also be present. And further, all the faithful members of the Church then living and all the faithful saints of all the ages past will be present. It will be the greatest congregation of faithful saints ever assembled on planet earth. It will be a sacrament meeting. It will be a day of judgment for the faithful of all the ages. And it will take place in Daviess County, Missouri, at a place called Adam-ondi-Ahman.

Adam-ondi-Ahman, of eternal fame, first comes to our attention because of a great conference held there by Father Adam in his day. "Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing." Nearly a thousand years had then passed since the first man and the first woman had stepped from Eden's garden into the lone and dreary world, there to begin the procreative processes that peopled a planet. We do not know how many million mortals made this earth their home in that day, or how many of them were true and faithful to that Lord whom Adam served. Disease and plagues were not then as common and horrendous as they are now. The physical bodies of earth's inhabitants had not yet degenerated to the disease-ridden, germ-governed shells of their former glory that is now the norm. We can suppose the population of the earth far exceeded that of later ages when the ills of the flesh and a rising infant mortality set a sin-inflicted limit on the numbers of men. And it is not unreasonable to suppose that many righteous spirits were born in that blessed day and that the numbers of the righteous were exceedingly great. We may not be amiss in supposing that many millions responded to the call to come to a general conference in Adam-ondi-Ahman.

This we do know, however: "The Lord appeared unto them"-Jesus Christ their King stood in their midst-"and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel." How great and glorious is the eternal stature of the first man! "And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation." Such is an abbreviated account of what happened at Adam-ondi-Ahman in that pristine day. Our revelation that recites these words closes with the statement: "These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time." (D&C 107:53-57.)

When the full account comes to us, we suppose we shall read of the offering of sacrifices in similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten; of the testimonies borne by both men and women; of great doctrinal sermons delivered by the preachers of righteousness who then ministered among them; and of the outpouring of spiritual gifts upon the faithful then assembled. What visions they must have seen; what revelations they must have received; what feelings of rapture must have filled their bosoms as they feasted upon the things of eternity! Did Adam speak of the great latter-day gathering at Adam-ondi-Ahman, and did the faithful see with their spirit eyes what was then to be? These and a thousand other things "are to be testified of in due time." But this we do know: All that happened at Adam-ondi-Ahman in those early days was but a type and a shadow-a similitude, if you will-of what shall happen at the same blessed place in the last days when Adam and Christ and the residue of men who are righteous assemble again in solemn worship.

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, p.578-580)

Before the Son of Man comes to reign personally upon the earth; before he descends in flaming fire with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon the ungodly; before he comes in the clouds of heaven, in all the glory of his Father's kingdom; before he sets his feet once again upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem; before he stands with 144,000 high priests on Mount Zion in Missouri; before he suddenly comes to his temple; before he utters his voice from the land of Zion and from Old Jerusalem; before all flesh shall see him together; before all of the appearances that, taken together, comprise the Second Coming-before all these, he will come in private to Adam-ondi-Ahman. Why and for what reason? To receive back from his servants of all ages the keys they have used to govern his earthly kingdom. Then and then only will he deign to reign personally. Now the voice of his servants is his voice, and they act pursuant to the divine commission he has given them. Then the keys will vest again in their rightful owner, and his voice and his power will be manifest to all men.

(Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.640)

Funeral For Bob Field

2010-11-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Bob Field is the husband of our Claire Field who is our registrar for our BYU Adult Education class at the Granite Stake Tabernacle. The details are as follows:

Sundberg Olpin Mortuary - 495 South State Street - Orem, Utah
A one hour funeral will be held Tuesday Nov 9th at 11 a.m.
Family will receive guests starting at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday prior to the funeral.
Monday night, Nov 8th from 6-8 p.m. family and friends will gather at the Mortuary.

Bob Field's Obituary:

Bob Field

1936 - 2010

Robert Daniel Seegmiller Field, age 74, passed away in his Provo home on 4 Nov 2010, six months after being diagnosed with gastro-esophageal stomach cancer. Sincere appreciation to Vista Care Hospice Nurse Nancy Trapnell, Dr. Gary Garner, Holly, Sue, and Rosemary for their help in his final hours.

Bob was born 29 May 1936 in The Bronx, New York, to William Daniel and Leonore Sprie Seegmiller. His father died when Bob was 8 months old. Bob was raised by his mother and stepfather Samuel Berkman Field in Flushing, New York. He served LDS mission in Eastern Canada. Graduated 1961 from BYU Provo, Utah. Married Claire Crowley 17 Aug 1961 in Los Angeles Temple. His business career included VP Olson Farms, North Hollywood; president of Egg City, Moorpark, CA.

Bob is survived by his wife and their six children: Scott (Noriko) of Osaka, Japan; Brady of Bountiful, UT; Julie (Kevin) Poore, Frazee, MN; Stacey (Craig) Loe, Draper, UT; Kelly Carlson Farmington, UT; Craig (Natalie) of Alexandria, VA; 15 grandchildren; brother Gene (Jayne) Field, Florida; sisters Susan (Jim) Walles, Utah; Kathy Field, Arizona.

Funeral service will be held Tuesday Nov 9, at 11 at Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary, 495 South State Street, Orem, Utah. The family will receive family and friends for a closed casket viewing from 6-8 Monday night Nov 8, and from 9:45-10:45 prior to the service. Interment at Orem City Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent to sundbergolpinmortuary.com.

Ezekiel The Prophet

2010-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah

2010-10-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah by Rembrandt

The meaning of his name is uncertain. It may mean, The Lord exalts or the Lord throws down. The essence of his name may be found in Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull-down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
His ministry began 626 B.C. and ended 586 B.C.
He was preceded by the Prophet Zephaniah and concurrent with Lehi, Habakkuk, Ezekiel, Daniel, Urijah, and possibly Obediah, and Hulda (Prophetess).
He was told that he was called and ordained in pre-earth life (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
His best friend was his scribe Baruch who would also publicly deliver/read Jeremiah's prophecies.
Commanded not to marry in this place (Jeremiah 16:1-4)
Known as the weeping Prophet (Jeremiah 4:19, 9:1, 10:19-20, 23:9, and Lamentations).
Put in stocks (Jeremiah 20:2-3; imprisoned and thrown in a miry pit (Jeremiah 37-38). He may have spent the entire time of Zedekiah's reign in prison which was eleven years.
He was a Priest from the town of Anathoth and of the household of Hilkiah.
He struggled with his calling and role in life. He seemed to be timid. He wrote six confessions of how he felt: Jeremiah 11:18-23, 12:1-4, 15:10-21, 17:12-18, 18:18-23, 20:7-18.
The following are dramatizations that typified his message:

The ruined sash Jeremiah 13:1-12
Smashed clay jar Jeremiah 19:1-12
Yoke and crossbar Jeremiah 27
Large stones in brick pavement before Pharaoh's home
He was not allowed to participate in funeral meals or feasting Jeremiah 16:5-9
The potters clay Jeremiah 18:1-10
The two baskets of figs Jeremiah 24
Told not to marry in this place Jeremiah 16:1-4

Six discourses were given in Jeremiah chapters 2-20:

Jeremiah 2:1-3:5
Jeremiah 3:6-6:30
Jeremiah chapters 7-10
Jeremiah chapters 11-13
Jeremiah chapters 14-17
Jeremiah chapter 18-20

Moroni quoted several verses from Jeremiah to the Prophet Joseph Smith:

Jeremiah 30:18-21; 31:6, 8, 9, 27-28, 31-33

Important covenant imagery is found in Jeremiah 34:8-22 which finds a latter-day reference in D&C 6:2; 11:2; 12:2; and 14:2.

We Have Moved Too Far To Mainstream.

2010-10-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Let us love the Lord, yes, with all our strength and power. And let us also love our neighbors. Let us banish from our lives any elements of self-righteousness. Many regard us with suspicion, as having only one interest and that is to convert them. Conversion is more likely to come as a consequence of love. Let us be friendly. Let us be helpful. Let us live the Golden Rule. Let us be neighbors of whom it might be said, “He or she was the best neighbor I ever had.”
And as we move forward into a wonderful future, there are what some may regard as the lesser commandments but which are also of such tremendous importance.
I mention the Sabbath day. The Sabbath of the Lord is becoming the play day of the people. It is a day of golf and football on television, of buying and selling in our stores and markets. Are we moving to mainstream America as some observers believe? In this I fear we are. What a telling thing it is to see the parking lots of the markets filled on Sunday in communities that are predominately LDS.
Our strength for the future, our resolution to grow the Church across the world, will be weakened if we violate the will of the Lord in this important matter. He has so very clearly spoken anciently and again in modern revelation. We cannot disregard with impunity that which He has said.
We must observe the Word of Wisdom. As we read our newspapers, as we watch the television news, these remarkable words first spoken in 1833 come to life before our very eyes: “In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you” (D&C 89:4). People are becoming increasingly health conscious. We have a running start on the world, a code so simple and easily understood. Not long ago I met Dr. James E. Enstrom of the University of California at Los Angeles. He is not a member of the Church. He speaks with complete objectivity. His studies indicate that actuarially speaking, Latter-day Saints live about 10 years longer than their peers.
Who can set a price on 10 years of life? What a remarkable and wonderful blessing is this Word of Wisdom.
Reporters whom I have met simply cannot believe that we pay 10 percent of our income as tithing. I explain that this is a spiritual phenomenon. We pay because we are obedient to the commandment of the Lord. We pay because we have faith in His munificent promises. Let us teach our children while they are yet young of the great opportunity and responsibility of paying tithing. If we do so, there will be another generation, and yet another, who will walk in the ways of the Lord and merit His promised blessing.
Perhaps our greatest concern is with families. The family is falling apart all over the world. The old ties that bound together father and mother and children are breaking everywhere. We must face this in our own midst. There are too many broken homes among our own. The love that led to marriage somehow evaporates, and hatred fills its place. Hearts are broken, children weep. Can we not do better? Of course, we can. It is selfishness that brings about most of these tragedies. If there is forbearance, if there is forgiveness, if there is an anxious looking after the happiness of one’s companion, then love will flourish and blossom.
As I look to the future, I see little to feel enthusiastic about concerning the family in America and across the world. Drugs and alcohol are taking a terrible toll, which is not likely to decrease. Harsh language, one to another, indifference to the needs of one another—all seem to be increasing. There is so much of child abuse. There is so much of spouse abuse. There is growing abuse of the elderly. All of this will happen and get worse unless there is an underlying acknowledgment, yes, a strong and fervent conviction, concerning the fact that the family is an instrument of the Almighty. It is His creation. It is also the basic unit of society.
I lift a warning voice to our people. We have moved too far toward the mainstream of society in this matter. Now, of course there are good families. There are good families everywhere. But there are too many who are in trouble. This is a malady with a cure. The prescription is simple and wonderfully effective. It is love. It is plain, simple, everyday love and respect. It is a tender plant that needs nurturing. But it is worth all of the effort we can put into it.
Ensign, November 1997, p 69

I Am A Child Of God

2010-09-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

The Power Of The Holy Ghost And Truth

2010-09-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

SPIRIT SPEAKING TO SPIRIT. The Spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten. So positive and powerful are the teachings of the Spirit that when a man receives this knowledge and partakes of this power of God, which can only come after receiving the covenants and obligations belonging to the new and everlasting covenant, and he then turns away from this knowledge and these covenants, he sins knowingly.
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols., edited by Bruce R. McConkie, 1:, p.47)

Isaiah (click on image to enlarge)

2010-09-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

The Light of Christ and The Holy Ghost and The Power of Positive Thought

2010-09-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Earth To Testify

2010-09-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

The Lord Desires Hesed - Hosea 6:6

2010-09-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Conference On Chiasmus

2010-09-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Temporary Building Change For Thursday Old Testament Class That Meets In South Jordan at 11:00 am

2010-08-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, September 2, there will be a funeral at the South Jordan Stake Center on 10400 South. Our Old Testament Class will be held in the chapel on 9800 South 2556 West in South Jordan. This change is for this coming Thursday only.

Keys To Understanding The Scriptures

2010-08-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

For those who were in the Old Testament classes on the 25th and 26th please check the links on the right side of the blog directly under "Search This Blog" for helps.

BYU Campus Education Week Broadcast Talk by Robert J. Norman given August 17, 2010

2010-08-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Title: The Millennial Reign of Christ on the Earth

By: Robert J. Norman

INTRODUCTION

Latter-day scriptures teach us that the earth was designed to become our Celestial Kingdom and the ultimate place of our land of inheritance as promised in the Abrahamic Covenant. (D&C 88:17-20)

We are also taught that we, as children of God, have the potential of becoming like Him. (D&C 132:20) In order for this to happen both the earth and mankind need to be cleansed and made pure and holy. The Millennial reign of Christ is an important step to this end. Significant changes need to take place on the earth and in man so that they both may reach their divine potential.

In order for the Abrahamic covenant to be fulfilled the earth must fill the measure of its creation and be sanctified and be prepared for its Celestial glory. God’s children also need to be sanctified and be made holy to fill the measure of their creation to be exalted and enthroned in the Celestial Kingdom.

The Millennial reign of Christ on the earth is an important part of this preparation for the earth and man.

MILLENNIUM CANNOT BE COMPREHENDED AT THIS TIME

Isaiah declares that we cannot fully comprehend the glory of the Millennial reign of Christ.

Isaiah states,

Isa 64:4

4 For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

However, both ancient and latter day prophets have blest us by giving descriptions of this holy and very essential period of the earth’s history. We are then better able to understand how the Lord will bring to pass his purposes for both the earth and his children.

ALL TO BE MEMBERS

Just as the Books of Helaman and Third Nephi in the Book of Mormon are a pattern for the second coming of Christ, so does 4 Nephi point us to some of the great blessings that await the faithful in the millennium. We will look at these changes a little later in this presentation. It is important to note that when the Lord visited the Nephites and Lamanites there were both covenant members of his kingdom and those who had not yet entered into the covenant. However, in a very short time all were converted to the Lord. There appears to be a transitional period of missionary work until all are converted.

4 Ne 1:2

2 And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.

When the Lord comes again there will be both members and non-members on the earth. They will all be worthy of being on the earth at his coming. There appears to be a transitional period of missionary work in which the inhabitants of the earth will decide whether or not to follow Christ. However, eventually all will enter into the covenant and become members. Here is what the Prophet Joseph Smith had to say about the matter:

While in conversation at Judge Adams' during the evening, I said, Christ and the resurrected Saints will reign over the earth during the thousand years. They will not probably dwell upon the earth, but will visit it when they please, or when it is necessary to govern it. There will be wicked men on the earth during the thousand years. The heathen nations who will not come up to worship will be visited with the judgments of God, and must eventually be destroyed from the earth. (Dec. 30, 1842.)

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.268)

We know that the wicked will be destroyed at the coming of Christ so in what context must the term “wicked” be understood? While an apostle Elder Joseph Fielding Smith had this to say about the wicked during the millennium,

The Prophet's statement that there will be wicked men on the earth during the millennium has caused considerable confusion in the minds of many who have read in the Scripture in many places that when Christ comes the earth shall be cleansed from its wickedness, and that the wicked shall not stand, but shall be consumed. See D&C 5:18-19, 29:8-10, 101:23-25; Isaiah 24:1-3; Malachi 4:1. The evil-minded inhabitants, those "who love and make a lie" and are guilty of all manner of corruption, will be consumed and pass away when Christ comes. In using the term "wicked men" in this instruction at the home of Judge Adams, the Prophet did so in the same sense in which the Lord uses it in the eighty-fourth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, 49-53. The Lord in this scripture speaks of those who have not received the Gospel as being under the bondage of sin, and hence "wicked." However, many of these people are honorable, clean living men, but they have not embraced the Gospel. The inhabitants of the terrestrial order will remain on the earth during the millennium, and this class are without the Gospel ordinances. See D&C 76:73-76.

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.269)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie discusses this concept further,

. . . wickedness is a matter of degree, and even those who are upright and decent by worldly standards but who reject the gospel and do not worship the true God are considered to be wicked by gospel standards. They are "under the bondage of sin." They do not accept the message of the restoration and gain a remission of their sins in the waters of baptism. "And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now." (D&C 84:49-53.) Thus the divine word, as given by Zechariah, says that "it shall come to pass"-in the millennial day-"that every one that is left [after Armageddon] of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles." (Zech. 14:16-19.) Thus there will be many churches on earth when the millennium begins. False worship will continue among those whose desires are good, "who are honorable men of the earth," but who have been "blinded by the craftiness of men." (D&C 76:75.) Plagues will rest upon them until they repent and believe the gospel or are destroyed, as the Prophet said. It follows that missionary work will continue into the Millennium until all who remain are converted. Then "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (Isaiah 11:9.) Then every living soul on earth will belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

(The Millennial Messiah, p.651)

Jeremiah further teaches us that in the millennium all will know the Lord and no longer need to be taught about him,

Jer 31:34

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

MISSIONARY WORK AND TEMPLE/FAMILY HISTORY WORK IN THE MILLENNIUM

Both missionary work and temple and family history work will be a critical part of the millennium. As already pointed out, the time will come in the millennium when all will be members. Temple and family history work will continue until we present in the Lord’s holy temple a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation. (D&C 121:24)

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught,

The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead. The Apostle (Paul) says, "They without us cannot be made perfect;" (Hebrews 11:40) for it is necessary that the sealing power should be in our hands to seal our children and our dead for the fulness of the dispensation of times-a dispensation to meet the promises made by Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world for the salvation of man.

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.356)

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith explained,

President Brigham Young has said that during the millennium those on the other side will work hand in hand with those in mortality and will furnish the names of the dead which we are unable to obtain through our research, and thus every soul that is entitled to these blessings shall be ferreted out and his work done for him.

(Doctrines of Salvation, 2:, p.120)

THE IMPACT OF THE LORD’S VISIT TO THE NEPHITES AND LAMANITES

The Lord’s visit to the Nephites and Lamanites had a powerful affect on their civilization for almost two hundred years. There were many changes in their civilization because of the Savior’s influence and teachings to them. These changes give us an insight into some of the conditions of millennial life. Some of the changes recorded in 4 Nephi were as follows:

· There were no contentions or disputations – v. 2

· They had all things in common and there were no rich or poor – v. 3

· They were all partakers of the heavenly gift – v. 3

· Many miracles were wrought by the disciples of Jesus – v. 5

· They did prosper exceedingly – v. 7

· The birthrate significantly increased – v. 10

· They were blessed in their marriages – v. 11

· There were never a happier people among God’s children – v. 16

· There were no robbers, no murderers, no discrimination or class distinction – v. 17

· They were blessed and prospered by God in all that they did – v. 18

TWO CAPTALS DURING THE MILLENNIUM

When the Savior returns in glory to reign over the whole earth, he will have two capitals. His political capital shall be the New Jerusalem which is now located in Missouri. This was the location of the fall of Adam. His ecclesiastical capital will be in Old Jerusalem where he worked out the atonement. (see A New Witness For The Articles Of Faith, p. 641)

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE EARTH DURING THE MILLENNIUM

There are to be many significant changes to the earth during Christ’s Millennial reign.

In the D&C 101:23-36 the Lord tells us to prepare ourselves for the revelation that is to take place at his coming. The scripture then proceeds to list many of the changes to expect. Let us first look at this descriptive scripture:

D&C 101:23-36

23 And prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the veil of the covering of my temple, in my tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see me together.

24 And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beasts of the field, or of the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon all the face of the earth, shall be consumed;

25 And also that of element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new, that my knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth.

26 And in that day the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face.

27 And in that day whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given unto him.

28 And in that day Satan shall not have power to tempt any man.

29 And there shall be no sorrow because there is no death.

30 In that day an infant shall not die until he is old; and his life shall be as the age of a tree;

31 And when he dies he shall not sleep, that is to say in the earth, but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and shall be caught up, and his rest shall be glorious.

32 Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things--

33 Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof--

34 Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.

35 And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory.

36 Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.

VEIL COVERING THE EARTH SHALL BE TAKEN OFF

In verse 23 we discover that the earth is covered by a veil that will be lifted at the Lord’s coming, which will allow all flesh to see the Lord together. We also learn that the Lord considers the earth which is covered by this veil as his temple.

The Prophet Joseph Smith was very descriptive of the day when the Lord comes and the veil is lifted,

When I contemplate the rapidity with which the great and glorious day of the coming of the Son of Man advances, when He shall come to receive His Saints unto Himself, where they shall dwell in His presence, and be crowned with glory and immortality: when I consider that soon the heavens are to be shaken, and the earth tremble and reel to and fro; and that the heavens are to be unfolded as a scroll when it is rolled up; and that every mountain and island are to flee away, I cry out in my heart, What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness!

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.29)

The Prophet also taught that we must be able to endure persecution in order to stand in the day when the Lord shall come,

Those who cannot endure persecution, and stand in the day of affliction, cannot stand in the day when the Son of God shall burst the veil, and appear in all the glory of His Father, with all the holy angels.

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.42)

EVERY CORRUPTIBLE THING BOTH OF MAN AND BEAST CONSUMED AND EARTH IS TRANSFIGURED

Verse 24 declares that every corruptible thing both of man, beast, and fowl will be consumed.

From D&C 5:18 and JS-H 1:37 we learn that this cleansing destruction comes from the brightness and glory of the Savior and those heavenly hosts who are with him. This is the time that has been spoken of by the prophets when the earth will be baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost.

This is also the time of the transfiguration of the earth as shown to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration.

It is impossible for this mortal earth to endure the presence of the Savior and the righteous ones that he brings with him without the earth and all things on it being transfigured. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “God Almighty Himself dwells in eternal fire; flesh and blood cannot go there, for all corruption is devoured by the fire.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p. 367)

In D&C 63:20-21 we read:

D&C 63:20-21

20 Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come;

21 When the earth shall be transfigured, even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles upon the mount; of which account the fulness ye have not yet received.

This baptism and transfiguration will have a powerful affect on the earth and all that inhabits it.

Elder Orson Pratt taught:

. . . the earth will be baptized with fire, and wickedness swept away from its face, so that the glory of God shall cover it. As the waters cover the great deep, so will the earth be overwhelmed and immersed in the glory of God, and His Spirit be poured out upon all flesh, before the earth dies. After this purifying ordinance, there will be a thousand years of rest, during which righteousness shall abound upon the face of the earth; . . .

(Journal of Discourses, 1:, p.292)

At another time Elder Orson Pratt elaborated,

So must this earth be baptized by fire, it must be cleansed from all sin and impurity. Will it be filled with the Holy Ghost? Yes. These elements that melt like wax before the presence of the Lord will again be filled with his Spirit and will be renewed, and the earth itself will be full of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the channels of the great deep.

(Journal of Discourses,16:, p.319)

Nephi tells us that he, on occasion, felt the powerful spirit of the Lord and his love, “even unto the consuming of my flesh” he said. (2 Nephi 4:21) Can we imagine being transfigured so that we could endure even greater portions of this spirit. Our spiritual growth and development would be exponential compared to the progress that we make at this Telestial level. Under these circumstances we are told in D&C 45:58 that children will grow up without sin unto salvation. It is readily apparent how essential this Millennial period is to help us in our quest to become like our God. Under these circumstances, I believe, we will better understand this promise made in,

D&C 11:30

30 But verily, verily, I say unto you, that as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on my name.

Under these Millennial conditions we will become more familiar with the great power that the Lord has to save and exalt his children.

As just pointed out in D&C 101:23, all things become new, that the Lord’s knowledge and glory may dwell upon the earth. As we view these marvelous changes we gain a greater understanding of what the new heavens and the new earth are like. (Isaiah 65:17).

This is the world that Peter referenced when he wrote,

2 Pet 3:13

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

INCREASE OF KNOWLEDGE TO COVER THE EARTH

Let us take a moment to look at the increase of knowledge that is associated with the glory of the new earth. In another prophecy, Isaiah spoke of the earth being full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9) That is an interesting metaphor especially if you have flown across the great deep. You become quickly aware of how much water covers our globe, it goes on for miles in each direction.

In 2 Nephi 30:16-18 we learn:

2 Ne 30:16-18

16 Wherefore, the things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men.

17 There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed.

18 Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; . . .

The sealed portion of the Book of Mormon will be made available in which Moroni declares,

“… there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared.” (Ether 4:4)

Again, from D&C 121:26-32 we learn:

D&C 121:26-32

26 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;

27 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;

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

29 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.

30 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--

31 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--

32 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.

And finally it is declared in D&C 101:32 “that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things.”

The Millennial reign of Christ on the earth is truly designed to help us to know what he knows and to become like he is.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE SPIRIT

The next thing that we learn from the revelation in section 101 is the powerful affect that the pouring out of the Spirit will have upon all flesh that is allowed to stay on the earth. In verse 26 we learn that all enmity will cease both of man and the beasts. The earth becomes a true safe haven for all. There will be nothing to threaten the peace and security of all creatures.

Our level of spirituality appears to increase significantly so that whatever we ask in prayer it will be given to us as mentioned in verse 27.

Isaiah says that the Lord will answer even before we call upon him and while we are yet speaking he will hear. (Isaiah 65:24)

In verse 28 we are told that “Satan shall not have power to tempt any man.” Nephi teaches us this in 1 Nephi 22:26,

1 Ne 22:26

26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.

DEATH AND RESURRECTION TO TAKE PLACE IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE

The sorrow from death will be eliminated as death and the resurrection take place in the twinkling of an eye. (D&C 101:31)

THE LAND MASSES TO BECOME ONE

There are structural changes to the earth when the Lord comes.

As previously mentioned, the veil will be lifted from the earth, we get new heavens and a new earth, and the earth will be transfigured.

The Lord challenges us to be one and if we are not one we will not belong to him. (D&C 38:26) One of the events that will happen and contribute to our ability to become one as a people, all of the land masses will be united. In D&C 133:23-25, we learn,

D&C 133:23-25

23 He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;

24 And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.

25 And the Lord, even the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people, and shall reign over all flesh.

A PURE LANGUAGE TO BE RESTORED

The scriptures tell us that we will have a pure language during the millennium,

Zeph 3:9

9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.

The Prophet Brigham Young taught,

In my reflections I foresee a time, when we shall be able to communicate with each other easier and with much more pleasure and satisfaction than we now do; but we will then use a different language. Although the language that we now speak is as good as any language that has yet come to our knowledge, still it is very meager, and limited in its range and power, and though it is a good medium at ordinary times, yet it comes very far short of being such a medium, as man needs to convey thoughts, when he is inspired by the power of God, through the gift of the Holy Ghost, and is full of the revelations of Jesus. It is written "Therefore, wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent." When a man rises up to speak in the name of the Lord, and is filled with the light, and the intelligence and power which cometh from God, his countenance alone will convey more, to those who are inspired by the same spirit, than can possibly be conveyed, by the words of any language now used by mankind.

(Journal of Discourses,10:, p.354)

Elder Matthew F. Cowley commented on the pure language that was lost anciently and will yet be restored,
Paul says, "When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." (I Cor. xiii.) Prophecy and tongues and the gifts of the Gospel imperfectly enjoyed by man in his weakness were never designed to be done away until we come to enjoy a more perfect fullness, "when we see as we are seen and know as we are known." Zephaniah says: "For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent." (Zeph. iii: 9.) The pure language was confounded at the tower of Babel, because men sought to thwart the purposes of Jehovah. When the time comes that the wicked who will not obey are swept from the earth, the Lord will restore to His children the language which they learned from their mother tongue and which was spoken from Adam to the time of the tower of Babel. He will also unite the great bodies of water into a mighty ocean and roll it back to its place in the North, while the lands of the earth will be reunited and become one vast continent.

(Cowley's Talks on Doctrine , p.194)

THE LAW OF CONSECRATION TO BE LIVED

When the Lord asks the saints to be one and if they are not one they are not his, it was in context of introducing them to the law of consecration. The question is, “will the saints live the law of consecration during the millennium?”

President Marion G. Romney answered this question in the New Era, May 1979, pp. 38-39

I have been asked to respond to the question, “Will the righteous members of the Church be asked to live the law of consecration?”

I shall make my response in light of the following three premises that I accept as ultimate truth.

1. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the divine program for bringing mortals back into the presence of God where they can enjoy eternal life.

2. The Church is the organization through which its members put into practice the principles and teachings of the gospel.

3. Foremost among gospel teachings is unity. “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.” (D&C 38:27.)

. . .

The scriptures speak of several occasions on which the law of consecration in some form has been implemented.

The first was in the days of Enoch when “the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.

“And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” (Moses 7:16, 18.)

Another occasion occurred among the Nephites immediately following the ministry among them of the resurrected Christ, concerning whom the record says:

“And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.

“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.

“And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.” (4 Ne. 1:2–3, 15.)

The Saints who went to Missouri in the early 1830s were commissioned to live the law of consecration, but they failed to do so.

. . .

In the 1930s our present welfare program, which embodies some phases of the law of consecration, was inaugurated.

As to the question, “Will the righteous members of the Church be asked to live the law of consecration?”—my answer is yes. I believe that the righteous members of the Church will, in time, become “united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom” and that the law of consecration will be lived by them during the millennium.

Part of the requirement to live the law of consecration is to “esteem his brother as himself, and to practice virtue and holiness before (the Lord). (D&C 38:24-25) As previously pointed out the Lord will have done several things to help us to be one and to esteem our neighbor as ourselves.

· He pours out his Spirit on the earth and baptizes it by the Holy Ghost and all enmity disappears.

· All the land masses become one.

· He restores to us a pure language so that we can serve him with one consent.

The Lord prayed for our oneness in his great intercessory prayer in John 17:21-23,

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

During the millennium this oneness becomes a reality. We will esteem our neighbor as ourselves and practice virtue and holiness. We will unite with each other in the law of consecration and move closer to the Celestial realms which is our ultimate destiny.

CITY OF ENOCH TO RETURN

The City of Enoch will return to the earth for the Millennial reign of Christ. Anciently Enoch was given the following scenario by the Lord concerning the city of Enoch coming to dwell on the earth,

Moses 7:63-65

63 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;

64 And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.

65 And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years;

THE LORD WILL BE OUR LIGHT

Our Savior who is brighter than noonday sun will come to govern the earth. The effect of his presence will be a resplendent light,

Isa 60:20-21

20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

21 Thy people also [shall be] all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

Elder Alvin R. Dyer comments,

The countenance of the glorified Christ at his majestic second coming, will shine beyond the light and brilliance of the sun, so that: "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory."

(Who Am I?, p.474)

THE EARTH WILL BE FRUITFUL AND PRODUCTIVE

Isaiah tells us that there will be no crop failures during the millennium,

Isa 65:23

23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

President John Taylor had this to say about the glorious state of the millennium and it productivity,

"Having restored the earth to the same glorious state in which it first existed; leveling the mountains, exalting the valleys, smoothing the rough places, making the deserts fruitful, and bringing all the continents and islands together, causing the curse to be taken off, that it shall no longer produce noxious weeds, and thorns, and thistles; the next thing is to regulate and restore the brute creation to their former state of peace and glory, causing all enmity to cease from off the earth. . . .

"Thus, having cleansed the earth, and glorified it with the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea, and having poured out his Spirit upon all flesh, both man and beast becoming perfectly harmless, as they were in the beginning, and feeding on vegetable food only, while nothing is left to hurt or destroy in all the vast creation, the prophets then proceed to give us many glorious descriptions of the enjoyments of its inhabitants. 'They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine of them; they shall plant gardens and eat the fruit of them; they shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth in trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them; and it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear.'

(The Government of God, pp.114-115)

As we think of the earth as it now stands with millions of acres that are desert, dry, and unproductive as well as uninhabitable, can we imagine the productive and habitable space that will be created when all becomes watered? The Sahara Deseret in Africa, the world’s largest hot desert, covers 1,791,500 square miles. Just imagine all of that region being fruitful and productive. President Taylor mentioned the deserts becoming fruitful. Isaiah also gives us this same picture,

Isa 35:1-2

1 THE wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing . . .

What our pioneer forefathers accomplished here in what was once called “The Great American Desert” is just a type and a shadow of that which is to come to all of the deserts of the earth.

BODIES NOT SUBJECT TO SICKNESS AND DISEASE

Our bodies during the millennium will be living in a paradisiacal, transfigured state. They appear to be akin to the bodies of the three Nephites. We are told that they would not taste of death until they were changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality. They were also told that they would have no pain except for sorrow for the sins of the world. (3 Nephi 28:37-39) Sickness and disease will also be done away with in the millennium. Elder Bruce R. McConkie points out,

During the millennium however, disease will be utterly banned from the earth; man's body will then be changed so that no germ or plague can affect it; and there will be no death as we now know it. (D. & C. 101:23-31.)

(Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., p.198; see also, The Millennial Messiah pp. 644-647)

THE MILLENNIUM IS A TIME OF REGENERATION

The Savior taught his twelve apostles that his coming was a time of regeneration,

Matt 19:28

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Also, in the sermon at the temple in the Americas, the Savior challenged the saints to be perfect even as he and our Father in heaven are perfect. (3 Nephi 12:48)

Elder James E. Talmage addresses this regeneration and perfection,

The millennium, with all its splendor, is but a more advanced stage of preparation, by which the earth and its inhabitants will approach foreordained perfection.

The term regeneration translated from the Greek palingenesia, and signifying a new birth, or, more literally, one who is born again, occurs twice in the New Testament; while other expressions of equivalent meaning are found. However, the terms are usually applied to the renewal of the soul of man through spiritual birth, by which salvation is made obtainable; though our Lord's use of the term, in the promise of future glory which He confirmed upon the apostles, has probable reference to the rejuvenation of the earth, its inhabitants and their institutions, in connection with the millennial era: "I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." . . .

That the change to a state more nearly approaching perfection is to affect both nature and man is evident from the teachings of Paul, as recorded in his letter to the Romans: "Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." (Romans 8:21-23)

Throughout the Millennium, the process of regeneration will continue. Society shall be purified; nations shall exist in peace; wars shall cease; the ferocity of beasts shall be subdued; the earth, relieved in great measure from the curse of the fall, shall yield bounteously to the husbandman; and the planet shall be redeemed.

(Articles of Faith, p.339-340)

FULL DISCLOSURE

One of the great events associated with the Second Coming and the Millennial reign of Christ is found in D&C 88:108-110,

D&C 88:108-110

108 And then shall the first angel again sound his trump in the ears of all living, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the mighty works of God in the first thousand years.

109 And then shall the second angel sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and the mighty works of God in the second thousand years--

110 And so on, until the seventh angel shall sound his trump; and he shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea, and swear in the name of him who sitteth upon the throne, that there shall be time no longer; and Satan shall be bound, that old serpent, who is called the devil, and shall not be loosed for the space of a thousand years.

For the want of a better term, I refer to this as the event of full disclosure. The Lord will reveal the whole history of the earth as seen from both sides of the veil. He will reveal his great work with all of its righteousness and also how men reacted to his great plan including their secret acts and thoughts.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks in his book, Pure In heart, pp. 11-12, made comment on this event,

As we learn in modern scripture, during the events connected with the Second Coming, God will "reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts" (D&C 88:109).

Brigham Young taught: "We shall be judged according to the deeds done in the body and according to the thoughts and intents of the heart" (John A. Widtsoe, ed., Discourses of Brigham Young [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941], p. 382).

Karl G. Maeser, the great leader of Brigham Young Academy, told his students: "Not only will you be held accountable for the things you do, but you will be held responsible for the very thoughts you think." For a time that teaching troubled his young student George Albert Smith. Then he understood. As he said later :

Why, of course you will be held accountable for your thoughts, because when your life is completed in mortality, it will be the sum of your thoughts. That one suggestion has been a great blessing to me all my life, and it has enabled me upon many occasions to avoid thinking improperly, because I realize that I will be, when my life's labor is complete, the product of my thoughts. End quote

All men will be evaluated in relationship to the backdrop of the work of God. Whatever kingdom each person is assigned they will know perfectly well why they are there. Everyone will have a perfect perspective of the plan of God and their relationship to it.

This may be what contributes to all men declaring that the judgments of God are just, Alma pointed this out by viewing it from the eyes of the wicked,

Alma 12:14-15

14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

15 But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.

In the end both the righteous and the wicked declare that the judgments of God are just. When one contemplates the vast history of the earth and the myriads of conditions under which God’s children were tested, this is a great miracle.

MILLENNIAL SONG

There is a song that the Lord has revealed to us that will be sung in the millennium. It heralds a description of the new earth and the changes effected by the coming of our Savior. It is found in D&C 84:95-102,

D&C 84:95-102

95 Wo, I say again, unto that house, or that village or city that rejecteth you, or your words, or your testimony of me;

96 For I, the Almighty, have laid my hands upon the nations, to scourge them for their wickedness.

97 And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be taken from the earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in righteousness--

98 Until all shall know me, who remain, even from the least unto the greatest, and shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, and shall see eye to eye, and shall lift up their voice, and with the voice together sing this new song, saying:

99 The Lord hath brought again Zion;

The Lord hath redeemed his people, Israel,

According to the election of grace,

Which was brought to pass by the faith

And covenant of their fathers.

100 The Lord hath redeemed his people;

And Satan is bound and time is no longer.

The Lord hath gathered all things in one.

The Lord hath brought down Zion from above.

The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.

101 The earth hath travailed and brought forth her strength;

And truth is established in her bowels;

And the heavens have smiled upon her;

And she is clothed with the glory of her God;

For he stands in the midst of his people.

102 Glory, and honor, and power, and might,

Be ascribed to our God; for he is full of mercy,

Justice, grace and truth, and peace,

Forever and ever, Amen.

MILLENNIAL WORSHIP

I will conclude with a quote from Elder Bruce R. McConkie describing Millennial worship,

How and in what manner will men worship their God during the Millennium? In answer, we can only call attention to the pure and perfect worship ordained to be in that blessed age. We cannot find language-nor does such exist-that will define and describe the spiritual feelings or make known the holy peace that will then fill the hearts of worshipping saints. This we know: the Millennium is designed to save souls; Satan will be bound, and sin as we know it will cease; all false religions and every rite and practice that is not of God will go the way of all the earth; and true worship, untainted, unalloyed, unabridged, will fill the hearts of all men. The gospel in its fulness and perfection will fill every heart; all people will be baptized; all shall glory in the gift of the Holy Ghost; all men will hold the priesthood and magnify their callings; and there will be no marriage but eternal marriage. It will be a day of personal revelation, a day when the knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, a day when no man need say to his neighbor, "Know the Lord," for all shall know him from the greatest to the least. In that day the blessings of the Second Comforter will be poured out upon the saints, and every man will be his own king and his own priest, and the will of God shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. What more need we say?

(A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.643)

BYU Continuing Education Adult Religion Classes taught by Robert J. Norman

2010-08-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Starting August 25 (Wednesdays) at 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Monument Park North Stake
Crestview Chapel - 2795 E. Crestview Dr., Salt Lake City 84108

Starting August 25 (Wednesdays) at 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Parley's Stake
Parley's Third/Fifth Ward Chapel
2615 Stringham Ave., Salt Lake City 84109

Starting August 26 (Thursdays) at 11:00 am to 12:30 am
South Jordan Stake
South Jordan Stake Center
2450 West 10400 South (South Jordan Parkway)

Starting August 26 (Thursdays) at 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Granite Stake
Granite Stake Center (Tabernacle)
2005 South 900 East, Sugar House Area of Salt Lake City
(This class is also broadcast to the Lindon chapel at 700 East Center Street in Lindon, you can register there on the first night of class [Aug. 26].

For questions you can call Brother Norman at 801-280-3907
or email at rjnorman@yahoo.com

Reading Assignment for the course:

OLD TESTAMENT (302)
1 Kings - Malachi
Adult Education Class Fall 2010

Registration: In person at the class or you can register by phone at: (801) 422-8925 or
You can register online at: ce.byu.edu/ed, Then go to Adult Religion Classes then to:
For a current list of classes by Stake (in red), then to: Salt Lake County, then to: Salt Lake Granite Stake Robert J. Norman $22.50 register online now.

If you pay at the class please have the exact amount of $22.50 or $2.50 if you pay for one class only

Teacher: Robert J. Norman Ed. D.

Text: Scriptures and the Old Testament 302 student manual 1 Kings - Malachi

The reading and discussion assignments with the dates of the class are as follows:

Date	Enrichment	Old Testament/(Student Manual)
8/25-26	A	Joel, Amos, Jonah (Chapters 7-9)
9/1-2	B	Hosea, Micah (Chapters 10-11)
9/8-9	C & D & E	The Fall of the Northern Kingdom/Isaiah (Chapters 11-12)
9/15-16		Isaiah (Chapters 13-18)
9/22-23	E & F	Isaiah Continued
9/29-30		Isaiah Continued
10/6-7		Isaiah Continued
10/13-14		Isaiah Continued
10/20-21	G	Judah (Chapter 19); Jeremiah (Chapters 23-25)
10/27-28	H	Jeremiah Continued
11/3-4	I	Ezekiel (Chapters 26-27)
11/10-11		Ezekiel Continued
11/17-18	J	Daniel (Chapter 28)
12/1-2		Zechariah (Chapter 33)
12/8-9	K	Malachi (Chapter 34)

BYU Campus Education Week - Robert J. Norman Schedule (August 17-20)

2010-08-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

9:50 - 10:45 a.m.
Main Floor, Marriott Center (MC)

Tuesday
The Millennial Reign of Christ on the Earth (This lecture will also be taped for broadcast)

Wednesday
Old Testament Prophets Teach of Christ's Second Coming

Thursday
Book of Mormon Prophets Teach of Christ's Second Coming

Friday
Latter-day Prophets Teach of Christ's Second Coming

12: 30 - 1:25 p.m.
2258-2260 Conference Center (Conf)

Tuesday
Isaiah's Portrayal of the Temple as a Gathering Place

Wednesday
Isaiah's Understanding of the Days of Christ's Coming

Thursday
Isaiah Speaks of the Glory of Latter-day Israel

Friday
The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon as Prophesied by Isaiah

Great Article About The Historic Building Where I Teach My Night Class

2010-07-07T17:53:00.001-07:00

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/15572/An-enduring-tabernacle-Granite-Stake-building-has-been-a-big-part-of-life-in-the-Salt-Lake-area?s_cid=queue_title&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ldsInTheNews+%28Around+the+Church%29

The Prophet Joseph Smith's Letter To His Uncle Silas And The Results Of That Letter

2010-06-13T12:33:00.000-07:00

Joseph’s Letter to His Uncle Silas

After Brother John moved to Kirtland, Joseph wrote a letter to his uncle Silas, which I think would be interesting to my readers, and shall therefore give it insertion in this place:

"Kirtland Mills, Ohio, September 26, 1833.

"RESPECTED UNCLE SILAS:—It is with feelings of deep interest for the welfare of mankind, which fill my mind on the reflection that all were formed by the hand of Him who will call the same to give an impartial account of all their works on that great day to which you and myself, in common with them, are bound, that I take up my pen and seat myself in an attitude to address a few, though imperfect, lines to you for your perusal.

"I have no doubt but that you will agree with me, that men will be held accountable for the things they have done, and not for the things they have not done. Or that all the light and intelligence communicated to them from their beneficent Creator, whether it is much or little, by the same they, in justice, will be judged. And that they are required to yield obedience, and improve upon that, and that only, which is given, for man is not to live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

"Seeing that the Lord has never given the world to understand, by anything heretofore revealed, that he had ceased forever to speak to his creatures, when sought unto in a proper manner, why should it be thought a thing incredible that he should be pleased to speak again in these last days for their salvation? Perhaps you may be surprised at this assertion, that I should say for the salvation of his creatures in these last days, since we have already in our possession a vast volume of his word, which he has previously given. But you will admit that the word spoken to Noah was not sufficient for Abraham, or it was not required of Abraham to leave the land of his nativity, and seek an inheritance in a strange country upon the word spoken to Noah, but for himself he obtained promises at the hand of the Lord, and walked in that perfection, that he was called the friend of God. Isaac, the promised seed, was not required to rest his hope alone upon the promises made to his father Abraham, but was privileged with the assurance of his approbation, in the sight of Heaven, by the direct voice of the Lord to him. If one man can live upon the revelations given to another, might I not with propriety ask, why the necessity, then, of the Lord's speaking to Isaac as he did, as is recorded in the twenty-sixth chapter of Genesis? For the Lord there repeats, or rather, promises again to perform the oath which he had previously sworn to Abraham; and why this repetition to Isaac? Why was not the first promise as sure for Isaac as it was for Abraham? Was not Isaac Abraham's son? and could he not place implicit confidence in the veracity of his father as being a man of God? Perhaps you may say that he was a very peculiar man, and different from men in these last days, consequently, the Lord favored him with blessings, peculiar and different, as he was different from men of this age. I admit that he was a peculiar man, and not only peculiarly blessed, but greatly blessed. But all the peculiarity that I can discover in the man, or all the difference between him and men in this age, is, that he was more holy and more perfect before God, and came to him with a purer heart, and more faith than men in this day.

"The same might be said on the subject of Jacob's history. Why was it that the Lord spake to him concerning the same promise, after he had made it once to Abraham, and renewed it to Isaac? Why could not Jacob rest contented upon the word spoken to his fathers? When the time of the promise drew nigh for the deliverance of the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, why was it necessary that the Lord should begin to speak to them? The promise or word to Abraham, was, that his seed should serve in bondage, and be afflicted, four hundred years, and after that they should come out with great substance. Why did they not rely upon this promise, and when they had remained in Egypt, in bondage, four hundred years, come out, without waiting for further revelations, but act entirely upon the promise given to Abraham, that they should come out?

"Paul said to his Hebrew brethren, that God being more abundantly willing to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, he confirmed it by an oath. He also exhorts them, who, through faith and patience inherit the promises.

"Notwithstanding, we (said Paul) have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast and which entereth into that within the vail, yet he was careful to press upon them the necessity of continuing on until they, as well as those who then inherited the promises, might have the assurance of their salvation confirmed to them by an oath from the mouth of him who could not lie; for that seemed to be the example anciently, and Paul holds it out to his Hebrew brethren as an object attainable in his day. And why not? I admit that by reading the Scriptures of truth, the saints, in the days of Paul, could learn, beyond the power of contradiction, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had the promise of eternal life confirmed to them by an oath of the Lord, but that promise or oath was no assurance to them of their salvation; but they could, by waling in the footsteps, continuing in the faith of their fathers, obtain, for themselves, an oath for confirmation that they were meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light.

"If the saints, in the days of the apostles, were privileged to take the saints for example, and lay hold of the same promises, and attain to the same exalted privileges of knowing that their names were written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that they were sealed there as a perpetual memorial before the face of the Most High, will not the same faithfulness, the same purity of heart, and the faith, bring the same assurance of eternal life, and that in the same manner to the children of men now, in this age of the world? I have no doubt, but that the holy prophets, and apostles, and saints in ancient days were saved in the kingdom of God; neither do I doubt but that they held converse and communion with him while they were in the flesh, as Paul said to his Corinthian brethren, that the Lord Jesus showed himself to above five hundred saints at one time after his resurrection. Job said that he knew that his Redeemer lived, and that he should see him in the flesh in the latter days. I may believe that Enoch walked with God, and by faith was translated. I may believe that Noah was a perfect man in his generation, and also walked with God. I may believe that Abraham communed with God, and conversed with angels. I may believe that Isaac obtained a renewal of the covenant made to Abraham by the direct voice of the Lord. I may believe that Jacob conversed with holy angels, and heard the word of his Maker, that he wrestled with the angel until he prevailed, and obtained a blessing. I may believe that Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire with fiery horses. I may believe that the saints saw the Lord, and conversed with him face to face after his resurrection. I may believe that the Hebrew church came to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. I may believe that they looked into eternity, and saw the Judge of all, and Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant. But will all this purchase an assurance for me, and waft me to the regions of eternal day, with my garments spotless, pure and white? Or, must I not rather obtain for myself, by my own faith and diligence in keeping the commandments of the Lord, an assurance of salvation for myself? And have I not an equal privilege with the ancient saints? And will not the Lord hear my prayers, and listen to my cries as soon as he ever did theirs, if I come to him in the manner they did? Or, is he a respecter of persons?

"I must now close this subject for the want of time; and, I may say, with propriety, at the beginning. We would be pleased to see you in Kirtland; and more pleased to have you embrace the New Covenant.

"I remain, yours affectionately,

JOSEPH SMITH, JUN."

(Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother [Salt Lake City: Stevens & Wallis, Inc., 1945], 232.)

10. Lucy recorded in her Early Notebook that sometime in 1836 (after this letter from Joseph to Silas) "the Lord gave Hyrum Smith a revelation commanding him to visit his Uncle Silas, for he was ready to be baptized. . . . When he found him he said, 'Uncle Silas . . . the Lord has sent me to baptize you, for the Lord has seen the integrity of your heart but knows your fears with regard to your family, but you need not suffer any anxiety about them, for if you embrace the gospel it will be the means of saving them.' He answered that he had no doubt of the truth of the work and the only thing that hindered him from embracing it was that he was afraid that his family would be so much opposed to it that it would ruin his peace. However, upon receiving this message he was baptized, but through much tribulation, being much opposed by his neighbors as well as his own family." (Early Notebook, pp. 41-42.)

(Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced, edited by Scot Facer Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996], .)

We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet

2010-06-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Below is an article that I wrote for Meridian Magazine a few years ago:

“We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet”

Written by: Robert J. Norman

As a young missionary for the Church I came to love the message of Amos 3:7: “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” It has always given me a since of comfort and confidence knowing that I belonged to the Lord’s restored Church lead by a living prophet. Having a living prophet being led by the Gift of the Holy Ghost creates a true and living Church (D&C 1:30).

DISPENSATIONS AND DISPENSATION HEADS

As latter day saints we know that the word of God is revealed in the context of gospel dispensations. The dispensation head receives the word of God for his dispensation. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the role dispensations and dispensation heads. He shows the role of apostles and prophets with the head of the dispensation within which they live:

Some background is essential to our understanding of what is involved. We all know that salvation is in Christ. He is the Firstborn of the Father. He was like unto God in the premortal life, and he became, under the Father, the Creator of all things. We look to him; our faith centers in him, and in the Father, through him.

Second to Christ stands that great spirit person Michael, who led the armies and hosts of heaven when there was war and rebellion in heaven, and who, being foreordained so to do, came here as the first man of all men and became the presiding high priest over the earth. The next person in this hierarchy is Gabriel, who came into this life as Noah. After that, we do not know the order of priority, except that singled out from among the hosts of heaven were certain who were foreordained to be the heads of dispensations.

Dispensations are those periods of time when the plan of salvation, the Word—the Eternal Word—is dispensed to men on earth. How many there have been we do not know. I suppose there have been ten; maybe there have been twenty; there could have been more. I am speaking now not of what sometimes are called dispensations in the sense that John the Baptist and Paul and some of the other prophets had special appointments. I am speaking of those great eras or periods, of those designated portions of the earth’s history, when the Lord, through one man, gives his word to the whole world and makes all the prophets, and all the seers, and all the administrators, and all the apostles of that period subject to, and exponents of, what came through that individual (emphasis added). What this means is that the head of a gospel dispensation stands as one of the ten or twenty greatest spirits who have so far been born on earth.^{^[i]}

PRIESTHOOD AND PROPHETS

All true prophets of Jesus Christ testify of him and his divinity. In order to represent him with authority they must hold the Lord’s priesthood. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained the role of priesthood in the Lord’s giving his revelations to the earth:

Although there are two Priesthoods, yet the Melchizedek Priesthood comprehends the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood, and is the grand head, and holds the highest authority which pertains to the priesthood, and the keys of the Kingdom of God in all ages of the world to the latest posterity on the earth; and is the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation and every important matter is revealed from heaven.

Its institution was prior to "the foundation of this earth, or the morning stars sang together, or the Sons of God shouted for joy," and is the highest and holiest Priesthood, and is after the order of the Son of God, and all other Priesthoods are only parts, ramifications, powers and blessings belonging to the same, and are held, controlled, and directed by it. It is the channel through which the Almighty commenced revealing His glory at the beginning of the creation of this earth, and through which He has continued to reveal Himself to the children of men to the present time, and through which He will make known His purposes to the end of time.^{^[ii]}

THE MANTLE PASSES ON

President Nathan Eldon Tanner left on record for church members the process that takes place as one prophet passes on and is succeeded by another. This account is given after the death of President Harold B. Lee who was replaced by President Spencer W. Kimball:

When Wilford Woodruff was the president of the Church, he said that it was the will of the Lord that no amount of time be allowed to pass between the death of the president of the Church and the time that the First Presidency was reorganized. Therefore, on December 30, 1973, just four days after President Lee’s death, President Kimball, the president of the Twelve, called the members of the Twelve together in the upper room of the temple for the purpose of discussing the reorganization of the First Presidency and to take whatever action was decided upon. Those who had been counselors to the President—that is, President Romney and myself—took their respective places in the Quorum of the Twelve.

President Kimball, upon expressing his great sorrow at the passing of President Lee and his feeling of inadequacy, called upon the members of the Twelve in order of seniority to express themselves individually as to how they felt about reorganizing the presidency of the Church.

As each member of the Twelve spoke, he expressed himself as feeling that now was the time to reorganize the First Presidency and that President Spencer W. Kimball was the one whom the Lord wanted to preside at this time. The sweet Spirit of the Lord was present in rich abundance and there was complete unity and harmony in the minds and spoken words of the Brethren. The only purpose and desire was to do the will of the Lord, and there was no question in anyone’s mind but what the will of the Lord had been expressed.

Elder Ezra Taft Benson then made the formal motion that the First Presidency of the Church be reorganized and that Spencer W. Kimball be sustained, ordained, and set apart as the president, prophet, seer, revelator, and as trustee‑in‑trust of the Church. This motion was seconded and unanimously approved.

In all humility, President Kimball stepped forward and made his speech of acceptance, praying that the Spirit and blessings of the Lord would attend him that he might be made able to carry out the will of the Lord. He said he had always prayed for President Lee’s health and strength and vigor and for the blessings of the Lord to attend him as he carried on as the president of the Church. He emphasized the fact that he had prayed sincerely with his lovely wife, Camilla, that this position would never come to him and that he felt sure that President Lee would certainly outlive him.

On this occasion I thought of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane as he prayed: “¼ O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt. 26:39.) And he so accepted.

He then chose and nominated as his first counselor N. Eldon Tanner and as his second counselor Marion G. Romney, each of whom expressed himself in all humility and pledged himself to support and sustain President Kimball as the president of the Church and to fill his office to the best of his ability, and prayed for the blessings of the Lord to attend him.

Following this, President Benson was sustained as president of the Council of the Twelve. President Kimball then took his seat in the middle of the room, and as all those present placed their hands upon his head, we felt the Spirit of the Lord was truly with us, and this sweet Spirit filled our hearts. Then, with President Benson being mouth, in a beautiful prayer and blessing, Spencer Woolley Kimball was ordained and set apart as prophet, seer, and revelator and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints.

It is my testimony to you and to the world that the plan and order of the Church has been followed, that the will of the Lord has been done, and that Spencer W. Kimball is his prophet and president of his church and kingdom here upon the earth. In the stake conferences since his appointment and in the solemn assembly today, the people have enthusiastically sustained him. It is the great privilege, honor, and responsibility of each and every one of us to accept and support President Kimball as a prophet of God and under his direction do all in our power to help build the kingdom, to further the cause of righteousness, and prepare the world for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.^{^[iii]}

President Kimball gave this account at the passing of President David O. McKay:

It is Sunday morning, January 18, 1970. A great heart stops beating and an aged body relaxes and slumbers. Like an earthquake sends a tidal wave around the earth, communications now cover the earth and millions of serious-minded people in even faraway places stop to pay saddened tribute to a mighty man of God who has passed from mortality.

For days, long lines of loving followers inch their way along the street, even in the rain, to see once more the visage of their departed leader.

The Tabernacle is crowded with those who loved him, and sweet tributes are paid.

The earthly body of the prophet, David O. McKay, is laid to rest in dignified reverence.

In our feeling of emptiness, it hardly seems that we could go on without him; but as one star sinks behind the horizon, another rises in the sky, and death spawns life.

The work of the Lord is endless. Even when a powerful leader dies, not for a single instant is the Church without leadership, thanks to the kind Providence who gave his kingdom continuity and perpetuity. As it already had happened eight times before in this dispensation, a people reverently close a grave, dry their tears, and turn their faces to the future.

The moment life passes from a President of the Church, a body of men become the composite leader—these men already seasoned with experience and training. The appointments have long been made, the authority given, the keys delivered. For five days, the kingdom moves forward under this already authorized council. No "running" for position, no electioneering, no stump speeches. What a divine plan! How wise our Lord, to organize so perfectly beyond the weakness of frail, grasping humans!

Then dawns a notable day (January 23, 1970), and fourteen serious men walk reverently into the temple of God—this, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several of whom have experienced this solemn change before.

When these fourteen men emerge from the holy edifice later in the morning, a transcendently vital event has occurred—a short interregnum ends, and the government of the kingdom shifts back again from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to a new prophet, an individual leader, the Lord's earthly representative, who has unostentatiously been moving toward this lofty calling for sixty years. The man is Joseph Fielding Smith.

Not because of his name, however, did he ascend to this high place, but because when he was a very young man he was called of the Lord, through the then-living prophet, to be an apostle—a member of the Quorum—and was given the precious, vital keys to hold in suspension pending a time when he might become the senior apostle and the President.

In that eventful temple meeting, when he has been "ordained and set apart" as the President of the Church by his brethren, the Twelve, he chooses his counselors—two mighty men of valor: Elder Harold B. Lee and Elder Nathan Eldon Tanner, with their rich background as teachers, businessmen, public officials, and especially Church leaders.

And a presidency of three and a newly constituted Council of Twelve walk humbly to their offices without fanfare or ostentation, and a new administration moves into a new period with promise of great development and unprecedented growth.^{^[iv]}

FOURTEEN FUNDAMENTALS IN FOLLOWING THE PROPHET

Elder Ezra Taft Benson when President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles gave fourteen fundamentals for us to remember as we follow the prophet, “for our salvation depends on them”^{^[v]}:

1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.

3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.

5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

6. The prophet does not have to [page 8] say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.

7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.

9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.

10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.

11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.

14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.^{^[vi]}

[i].Bruce R. McConkie, “This Generation Shall Have My Word through You,” Ensign, June 1980, 54–55

[ii]. (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 167.)

[iii].N. Eldon Tanner, “Chosen of the Lord,” Ensign, May 1974, 84-84

[iv].Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972], 313.

[v].Ezra Taft Benson, “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet,” Liahona, June 1981, 1-8

[vi].Ibid

Samuel Becomes The Last Great Judge of Israel

2010-05-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

(24-8) 1 Samuel 1:20–28 . Samuel Is Presented at the Tabernacle

“Weaning took place very late among the Israelites. According to [2 Maccabees 7:27], the Hebrew mothers were in the habit of suckling their children for three years. When the weaning had taken place, Hannah would bring her son up to the sanctuary, to appear before the face of the Lord, and remain there forever, i.e. his whole life long. The Levites generally were only required to perform service at the sanctuary from their twenty-fifth to their fiftieth year [see Numbers 8:24–25 ]; but Samuel was to be presented to the Lord immediately after his weaning had taken place, and to remain at the sanctuary forever, i.e. to belong entirely to the Lord. To this end he was to receive his training at the sanctuary, that at the very earliest waking up of his spiritual susceptibilities he might receive the impressions of the sacred presence of God.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 2:2:26.)

(24-9) 1 Samuel 2:1–11

Hannah’s prayer shows her to have been a woman with great faith and love for God. The horn (see v. 1 ) symbolized power and strength. God had given her the power to bear a child. The rock (see v. 2 ) was a representation of protection. Jesus Christ is the rock or stone of Israel, the protector from evil (see Matthew 21:42–44 ). In 1 Samuel 2:10 both allusions are combined into one: the Messiah is “the anointed one” who will break all adversaries of the Lord in pieces (the Greek word for Messiah, Christos, also means “the anointed one”). He it was, Hannah said, who would be given strength in that his horn (power) would be exalted before men. This passage is a choice Old Testament reference to the future Messiah and shows that Hannah was blessed with the gift of prophecy.

(24-10) 1 Samuel 2:8

The people of Hannah’s day did not think the world was flat and sitting on pillars, as some suppose. That superstition was the invention of the Middle Ages. Hannah was using poetic language to show the power of Jehovah.

(24-11) 1 Samuel 2:13–36 . If the Priests Were Entitled to a Portion of Certain Sacrifices, Why Were the Sons of Eli Punished?

“Of these offerings, the portion which legally fell to the priest as his share was the heave-leg and wave-breast. And this he was to receive after the fat portions of the sacrifice had been burned upon the altar [see Leviticus 7:30–34 ]. To take the flesh of the sacrificial animal and roast it before this offering had been made, was a crime which was equivalent to a robbery of God. . . . Moreover, the priests could not claim any of the flesh which the offerer of the sacrifice boiled for the sacrificial meal, after burning the fat portions upon the altar and giving up the portions which belonged to them, to say nothing of their taking it forcibly out of the pots while it was being boiled [see 1 Samuel 2:12–17 ]. Such conduct as this on the part of the young men (the priests’ servants), was a great sin in the sight of the Lord, as they thereby brought the sacrifice of the Lord into contempt.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 2:2:35–36.)
The poor example of the priests caused others in Israel to abhor “the offering of the Lord” ( v. 17 ). But these actions were not all, for the sons of Eli seduced women and engaged in adulterous acts at the very door of the tabernacle, evidently by misusing their office of priest to entice the women (see v. 22 ). Under the law of Moses, willful disobedience to parents was punishable by death, and the parents were obliged to see that the punishment was carried out (see Reading 20-9 ). Hophni and Phinehas compounded their already serous sins by disobeying their father, and Eli failed in his parental responsibility as well as in his office as the presiding priest. Although he rebuked his sons, he took no action to see that the abomination in his family and at the tabernacle was corrected. Therefore, “a man of God” (some unnamed prophet) came to Eli and pronounced the Lord’s curse upon Eli’s house because “[thou] honourest thy sons above me” ( vv. 27, 29 ). That is, Eli’s relationship with his sons was of more value to him than his relationship with God.

(24-12) 1 Samuel 3:1 . “The Word of the Lord Was Precious in Those Days”

The word precious as used here means “scarce.” The word of God was seldom heard in all the land. Elder Harold B. Lee explained why as follows: “The story commences with a significant statement.
“‘And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.’ ( I Samuel 3:1 ) . . . That means that there was no prophet upon the earth through whom the Lord could reveal his will, either by personal experience, or by revelation. And it came to pass that Eli was laid down in his place and his eyes were dim, and Samuel the boy also lay down to his sleep, and you remember through that night there came a call, ‘Samuel,’ and thinking that Eli had called him he went to Eli’s room to be told that Eli had not called him. And he lay down the second time again to be called, and yet the third time. And by this time Eli, sensing the fact that he was being spoken to by an unseen speaker, said, ‘The next time that you hear, then you shall answer, “Here I am Lord, speak to me.”’ And so the next time when the call came, Samuel answered as he had been directed. Now it says, ‘Samuel (up to this time) did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord revealed unto him.’ And after he had recognized the Lord and said, ‘Thy servant heareth,’ then he was told that the Lord was to proceed to ‘do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it, shall tingle.’ And then he explained the reason why Eli could not receive further messages from the Lord. ‘His sons make themselves vile, and he restrained them not,’ or in other words he allowed his sons to curse God and therefore were leading the people of Israel astray.” ( “But Arise and Stand upon Thy Feet”—and I Will Speak with Thee, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, Provo, 7 Feb. 1956, p. 2.)

Institute Old Testament Student Manual (Genesis - 2 Samuel) pp. 268-269

Jericho As A Type

2010-05-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

In the post of March 11, 2009, it was shown how the pattern for the plan of salvation was built into the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt. Crossing the Jordan River (a type of going through the veil) into the promised land/Celestial Kingdom brought them into their land of inheritance. The first city that they are to take on the west side of the Jordan River can be seen as a type of a wicked and fallen world being replaced by those who have followed God's laws and commandments until they are allowed to inherit their land of promise.

Nephi tells us that the people of Canaan had been forewarned and had "rejected every word of God."

1 Ne 17:35-40
35 Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.
37 And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked.
38 And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes.
39 He ruleth high in the heavens, for it is his throne, and this earth is his footstool.
40 And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt.

The process by which Jericho was taken can be seen as a type for the righteous inheriting the earth as it becomes the Celestial Kingdom. Israel followed the Ark of the Covenant around the city one circuit each day for seven days. They were to be absolutely quiet and not utter one word as they made each round. Then, on the seventh day they made seven rounds and on the seventh they were to yell and holler. The wall came down and they were able to take the city and to destroy all that inhabited the city by fire. This may be seen as a type for what happens at the end of the Millennium (seven days or seven thousand years) when the earth is cleansed once again by fire and then dies and becomes a Celestial Kingdom to be inhabited by those who have followed God's laws (D&C 88:25-26).

Achan used terrible judgment when he took, contrary to God's instructions, gold, silver, and a garment for himself and hid them thinking no one would know. Here a hard lesson was learn about oneness as taught by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants "be one, and if ye are not one ye are not mine" (D&C 38:27). As a result of Achan's deed, Israel lost their next battle as they attempted to take the small town of Ai. Therefore, Achan had to be sought out and destroyed. His bad example of theft implied that one can be personally enriched by a wicked and fallen world and then take it with you into the Celestial Kingdom. He also destroyed the oneness needed for Israel to be blessed in following the directions of their God. The Lord could not allow him to do that.

Building On Christ - The Rock

2010-05-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

The first time we see Christ symbolized as a rock in the Old Testament is the incident of Jacob's ladder. In Genesis 28:11 Jacob takes one of the stones where he camped and used it for a pillow. He then has the dream which is referred to as Jacob's ladder. This became Jacob's temple experience where he became familiar with the three degrees of glory:

Paul ascended into the third heavens, and he could understand the three principal rounds of Jacob's ladder-the telestial, the terrestrial, and the celestial glories or kingdoms, where Paul saw and heard things which were not lawful for him to utter.
(Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts, 5:, p.402)

In the morning he anointed the stone making it the anointed one or the Messiah/Christ. He also renamed the place Bethel or House of God because of the experience that he had there with God, who was in his Celestial realm at the top of the ladder.

Isaiah also refers to Christ as the cornerstone and foundation stone of Zion when he is giving a double meaning to the building of Zion and the temple in the same reference.

Isa 28:16-17
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
All of the other stones of the temple and Zion will be aligned with this cornerstone according to divine judgment (the line) and righteousness (the plummet). In the end, all that is not aligned with the temple and Zion will be swept away as was Jericho which was a type of the earth becoming the Celestial Kingdom.

In Deuteronomy 32:1-4, 15-18, 30-40, 45-47, Moses teaches Isreal that they must be mindful of the Rock of their salvation who is Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament the Savior makes a direct reference to himself as being the rock/stone of Jacob's ladder:

John 1:51
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Peter uses the imagery of Psalms 118:22 and Isaiah 28:16 to help his people to understand their role with the priesthood and as the people of God in the building of Zion.

1 Pet 2:3-10
3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious.
4 To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, [and] precious,
5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe [he is] precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Paul the apostle also uses the imagery of Isaiah 28:16 to help give a vision to this people as to how they and the whole Church is built upon Christ; the whole Church becoming a holy temple to God.

Eph 2:19-22
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone];
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

The ultimate lesson from these types and this imagery is that we build Zion, and we build on Christ, through the making and keeping of temple covenants. Thus, as I Isaiah taught, the whole earth will become the holy mountain filled with the knowledge of the Lord.

Isa 11:9
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

"Beware Lest Thou Forget"

2010-04-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

So that the children of Israel would not forget the Lord their God, he asked them to bind the words on their hand and for frontlets between their eyes and to write them on their doorposts. He asked them to say them in the morning when they rise up and at night when they went to bed.

To fill this commandment the children of Israel made Phylacteries which they wore on their foreheads and bound to their right arm and wrapped them down to their hand. The verses from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 were written on parchment and placed within the box.

These verses were called the Shema, which means HEAR named after the first word of verse 4 which was HEAR.

The box that contained these scriptures and nailed to their doorpost was called a Mezuzah. On entering the home one would touch the Mezuzah as shown in the picture below.

Deut 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God [is] one LORD:
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Deut 11:13-21
13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
14 That I will give [you] the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
16 Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
17 And [then] the LORD'S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and [lest] ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

Also, in Numbers 15:38-41 the Lord commanded them to wear the prayer shawl.

Num 15:38-41
38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.
41 I [am] the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I [am] the LORD your God.

Pictured below are Phylacteries, Prayers Shawl, and a Mezuzah:

Why Forty Years In The Wilderness

2010-04-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

We learn from Numbers 13-14 that Moses sent 12 spies (one from each tribe) into the land of Canaan to see what things looked like there. We know that the land was fruitful and productive but ten of the spies thought they were not sufficiently strong to overpower the people of the Land. Only Joshua and Caleb felt that they could accomplish the task. The people wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb. The Lord pronounced that the people would now spend one year in the wilderness for each day that the spies spent in the land of Canaan. That would add up to forty years until all the rebellious had died off.

There is a powerful type here in understanding the purpose of the Millennium which was represented by the forty years in the wilderness. Like a paradisiacal state, food and clothing were supplied to the children of Israel. They ate manna and their clothing and shoes did not wear out. By having all the rebellious die before they could enter the promised land they became a new creature in Christ having rid themselves of their rebellious nature. It must be remembered that they left Egypt as if they were one person and that person was Christ (see Exodus 4:22-23, Hosea 11:1, and Matthew 2:15 below) so this forty years gave them the time to conform to the image of the Son. One of the major purposes of the Millennium is for us to rid ourselves of all Telestial traits and to conform to the image of the Son while the earth is transfigured and baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost.

Ex 4:22-23
22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, [even] my firstborn:
23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, [even] thy firstborn.

Appearances to the Prophet Joseph Smith

2010-04-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

Personages Who Appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith or Who Were Seen by Him in Vision
List Compiled by H. Donl Peterson (Used by Permission)

#          Personage     References

1.     God the Father      JS-H 1:17; HC 1:5; D&C 76:20

2.   Jesus Christ           JS-H 1:17; HC 1:5-6; D&C 76:20-24; D&C 110:2-10

3.   Moroni    JS-H 1:30-49; JD 17:374

4. Elijah       D&C 110:13-16; JD 23:48

5. John the Baptist         D&C 13; HC 1:39-40

6-8.    Peter, James, John        D&C 27:12; D&C 128:20; HC 1:40-42;
                                             JD 18:326
9. Adam (Michael)          HC 3:388; D&C 128:21; HC 2:380; JD 18:326

10.    Noah (Gabriel)          D&C 128:21; JD 21:94

11. Raphael              D&C 128:21

12.    Moses               D&C 110:11; JD 21:65

13.   Elias               D&C 110:12; D&C 27:6; JD 23:48

14. Joseph, son of Jacob       D&C 27:10

15.    Abraham              D&C 27:10; JD 21:94

16.    Isaac               D&C 27:10; JD 21:94

17. Jacob               D&C 27:10; JD 21:94

18.     Enoch               JD 21:65

19-27. Twelve Jewish Apostles   JD 21:94
(Peter, James, and John already counted above.) (Names are in Matt 10:1-4 & Luke 6:13-16)

28-39. Twelve Nephite Apostles JD 21:94
(Including Three Nephites; names are recorded in 3 Nephi 19:4)

40.   Nephi               JD 21:161; Orson Pratt Letter Box 3/11/1876 (CHO)

41.   Seth               JD 21:94; HC 3:388; D&C 107:53-57

42.   Methuselah            JD 21:94; HC 3:388; D&C 107:53-57

43. Enos               JD 21:94; HC 3:388; D&C 107:53-57

44. Mahalaleel            JD 21:94; HC 3:388; D&C 107:53-57

45.   Jared (Bible)           HC 3:388; D&C 107:53-57

46.   Lamech              JD 18:325

47.    Abel               JD 18:325; HC 3:388

48.   Cainan              HC 3:388; D&C 107:53-57

49.   Zelph the Lamanite        T&S 6:788

50.   Alvin Smith      HC 2:380

51. Mormon              JD 17:374

52.    Paul               TPJS 180

53.    Eve                Oliver B. Huntington Diary, Part 2, 214, BYU Library

54.    Alma               JD 13:47

55.   Unnamed Angel           D&C 27 (Concerning wine in Sacrament) HC 1:106
56.    Unnamed Angel           Sent to accept dedication of Temple. Life of Heber C.
                                           Kimball, 106; Temples of the Most High, 159
57.   Unnamed angel           Visited Joseph Smith three different times
                                         and commanded him to practice polygamy-
                                        Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Records of Lorenzo
                                         Snow 69-70
58. "I saw many angels"        Warren Cowdery's Account of the First Vision.
                             Joseph Smith's First Vision, 159
59. Satan, as an angel of Light (and his associates) D&C 128:20; JD 3:229-30

            (Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, p.184-186)

Interesting Research On The First Vision

2010-04-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

Meridian Magazine has and article concerning the first vision with some interesting material contained therein. Click here for the article.

Also, here is a great article for your files on the First Vision by Richard L. Anderson found in the April 1996 Ensign. Click her for the article.

Delegate for Precinct 3510

2010-04-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am the elected state delegate for Precinct 3510. I have a blog to keep precinct members updated on the political races. Click here for the blog.

March 11, 2009 Post (EXODUS AND EXALTATION)

2010-04-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you teaching the gospel doctrine class I am giving the link to my post on March 11, 2009 on Exodus and Exaltation. Click here for the link.

A Restoraion of All Things

2010-04-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

John Taylor, Mediation and Atonement, p.122 - 123
The remarks of President Joseph Smith are very plain and explicit, and are a strong confirmation of the passage he himself refers to, pertaining to the times of the restitution of all things; which will embrace all systems, doctrines, ordinances, dispensations, and Priesthoods connected with the Church and Kingdom of God. That there will be a full manifestation of all these things, relating to the various times and dispensations, is assured; yet, as Joseph Smith has very properly said, the details of those rituals and observances cannot now be fully defined. But as ancient Israel preserved in the Ark of the Covenant memorials of God's power, goodness and mercy, manifested during the exodus from Egypt, in the two tables of stone and the pot of manna; and of the recognition of the Aaronic Priesthood in Aaron's rod that budded; and as the sword of Laban, the sacred plates already revealed, as well as numerous others yet to be made manifest, and a Urim and Thummim were preserved on this continent; so will there be an exhibition an evidence, a memorial, and an actual manifestation of matters pertaining to laws, ordinances, ceremonies and dispensations, from the commencement of the world to the present time, preserved and manifested in the dispensation that the Lord in His loving kindness has now inaugurated. This will be in accordance with the eternal plans and purposes of God, and with the rights, ceremonies and ordinances belonging to the Priesthoods of God in the different ages, pertaining to the organization of this world, the proposed mediation and atonement of the Son of God, the manifestations and developments of the Melchizedek Priesthood, as the Prophet Joseph has referred to, as well relating to sacrifices in early days as in other matters, the introduction of the Aaronic Priesthood, together with the Ark and the Tabernacle, which we are told were made after the patterns shown unto Moses in the mount-patterns which existed in the heavens; the eternal existence, authority and power of both Priesthoods as connected with God and administering in time and eternity; the attempts of Satan to overthrow the dynasty, power and authority of Jehovah and his complete failure and discomfiture; exhibiting in a panorama all the leading, prominent details of the creation, atonement, redemption, salvation and exaltation of the world and man, the organization of a new heaven and a new earth, and all the purposes of God, His plans and ordinances, manifested through the Priesthood from the first inception of the organization of the world to the final consummation, purification and exaltation of the world and its inhabitants, according to the foreknowledge and determinate counsel of the Almighty.

Some Items On Resurrection

2010-03-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

There was conversation among the Brethren in Nauvoo about whether or not a person received his same bodily elements in the resurrection. Elder Orson Pratt observed that a man's body is constantly changing, losing old cells and producing new ones, and in the course of seven years a complete change has taken place. This would seem to complicate the idea of a literal bodily resurrection and of one getting his own bodily elements in the resurrection.
In a conference session on Friday, 7 April 1843, the Prophet responded to this concept. The report reads as follows:
"In response to a comment by Elder Orson Pratt that a man's body changes every seven years, the Prophet replied:
"There is no fundamental principle belonging to a human system that ever goes into another in this world or in the world to come; I care not what the theories of men are. We have the testimony that God will raise us up, and he has the power to do it. If any one supposes that any part of our bodies, that is, the fundamental parts thereof, ever goes into another body, he is mistaken."10
(Robert J. Matthews, Selected Writings of Robert J. Matthews: Gospel Scholars Series , p.517-)

The spirits of our children are immortal before they come to us, and their spirits, after bodily death, are like they were before they came. They are as they would have appeared if they had lived in the flesh, to grow to maturity, or to develop their physical bodies to the full stature of their spirits. If you see one of your children that has passed away it may appear to you in the form in which you would recognize it, the form of childhood; but if it came to you as a messenger bearing some important truth, it would perhaps come as the spirit of Bishop Edward Hunter's son (who died when a little child) came to him, in the stature of full-grown manhood, and revealed himself to his father, and said: "I am your son."
Bishop Hunter did not understand it. He went to my father and said: "Hyrum, what does that mean? I buried my son when he was only a little boy, but he has come to me as a full-grown man-a noble, glorious, young man, and declared himself my son. What does it mean?"
Father (Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch) told him that the Spirit of Jesus Christ was full-grown before he was born into the world; and so our children were full-grown and possessed their full stature in the spirit, before they entered mortality, the same stature that they will possess after they have passed away from mortality, and as they will also appear after the resurrection, when they shall have completed their mission.
Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: "You will have the joy, the pleasure, and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit." There is restitution, there is growth, there is development, after the resurrection from death. I love this truth. It speaks volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. Thank the Lord he has revealed these principles to us.
In 1854, I met with my aunt, the wife of my uncle, Don Carlos Smith, who was the mother of that little girl that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was speaking about when he told the mother that she should have the joy, the pleasure, and the satisfaction of rearing that child, after the resurrection, until it reached the full stature of its spirit; and that it would be a far greater joy than she could possibly have in mortality, because she would be free from the sorrow and fear and disabilities of mortal life, and she would know more than she could know in this life. I met that widow, the mother of that child, and she told me this circumstance and bore testimony to me that this was what the Prophet Joseph Smith said when he was speaking at the funeral of her little daughter.
One day I was conversing with a brother-in-law of mine, Lorin Walker, who married my oldest sister. In the course of the conversation he happened to mention that he was present at the funeral of my cousin Sophronia, and that be heard the Prophet Joseph Smith declare the very words that Aunt Agnes had told me.
I said to him, "Lorin, what did the Prophet say?" and be repeated, as nearly as be could remember, what the Prophet Joseph said in relation to little children. The body remains undeveloped in the grave, but the spirit returns to God who gave it. Afterwards, in the resurrection, the spirit and body will be reunited; the body will develop and grow to the full stature of the spirit; and the resurrected soul will go on to perfection. So I had the statement of two witnesses who heard this doctrine announced by the Prophet Joseph Smith, the source of intelligence.
           (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Joseph F. Smith, compiled by John A. Widtsoe, p.445-,456-)

Star Parker's Personal Experience With Socialism and Capitalism

2010-03-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

Star Parker is an syndicated columnist that shares her experience as a poor black woman on welfare in America and her transition out of poverty.

(Click here to read her article)

Signs of Christ's Coming

2010-03-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Abraham Chapter Three Is From A Specific Point Of View

2010-03-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hugh Nibley points out that Abraham chapter three is only a view from where Abraham stands.

Notice in the third chapter verses three, four, five, six, seven, and nine, he repeats that you must always understand what you are seeing in terms of the earth on which thou standest, from where you view it. You don't see things from above or with the eye of God that embraces all things at once. You have a limited point of view, and that's going to restrict you. So throughout that third chapter, he says things like: "And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God [there's a multitude of beings, verse 2 ]." Then he says here, "I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest [verse 3 ]." So Abraham lives on a particular order that belongs to a particular star. We know that the sun is a particular kind of star of a particular order. This is the order to which Abraham belongs, where he stands at present. This is where he is now, and he says everything has to be seen from that point of view. In the next verse you notice, after his manner of reckoning, a thousand years, according to the time of your order, "unto that [order] whereon thou standest [verse 4 ]." In the next verse he says, "The planet which is the lesser light, lesser than that which is to rule the day, even the night, is above or greater than that upon which thou[standest[here is a planet greater than that upon which thou standest, verse 5]." Again this formula, "the earth upon which thou standest," is used twice here. So it used seven times in this one chapter. It always specifies that all your reckonings and all your views and pictures of the universe are only what can be seen from the place where you are standing. And this, of course, is a very important principle today. It's the anthropic principle. It has become absolutely basic in astronomy in the last ten years or so. It's new and it's extremely important. Seventh verse, "reckoning of the time of the earth upon which thou standest." Again, the ninth verse, "Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest." Notice, Kolob doesn't govern all the planets in the universe, only those of the same order that concern Abraham. So he is shown Kolob for that purpose, because it concerns him. Then in eleven and twelve, "Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord face to faceand he told me of the works which his hands had made, And he said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many [the same hand that had made all these things] and they multipled before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof." We can make it very plain here what the situation is. Then in verse 13 it talks about Abraham's local system: This is Shinehah, which means in Egyptian, one eternal round. Shenha means to go around forever. This is the sun, and that is what the Egyptians call it. "And he said unto me: Kokob" That's the Hebrew word for a star. It's a very interesting word, the same as the Babylonian word and the Arabic word also, Kakkabum and Kawakibu "And he said unto me: Kokaubeam, [that which is the plural of Hebrew], which signifies stars, or all the great lights, which were in the firmament of heaven." So here we are getting local systems and all the rest of it. Then we are told about the council in verses 21-28 of this same chapter where they get together and start making things. We are talking about plurality now, not about the creation.
(Hugh Nibley, Ancient Documents and the Pearl of Great Price, edited by Robert Smith and Robert Smythe, p.5)

Facsimile One

2010-03-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

(click on images to enlarge)

The Egyptian Papyri

2010-03-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

The Church purchased four mummies from Michael Chandler. The papyri that the Prophet Joseph Smith translated were with the mummies. (click on the images below to enlarge them)

The Church acquired 11 fragments from the papyri in 1967

These fragments fit into larger scrolls.

As a boy President Joseph F. Smith saw one of the scrolls in the Mansion House where the Prophet and his wife lived.

Joseph As A Type For Christ

2010-03-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

(picture taken from the Institute Old Testament Student Manual Genesis - 2 Samuel p. 96)

Joseph served as a type for Christ in the following ways: I) Both were granted a new name: Joseph was denominated Zaphnath-paaneah by Pharaoh (Gen. 41:45) Jesus' divine name was Christ. 2) Both were good shepherds. 3) Both were known as the most loved of their father. 4) Both were clothed in authority and power of their father. Joseph, for instance, was given the "coat of many colours" (Gen. 37:3), a symbol of priesthood authority. 5) Both were revelators, and revealed things pertaining to the future (JST, Gen. 50:24-38; Matt. 24). 6) Both were fully obedient to the will and wishes of their fathers and responded to their calls to serve, saying, "Here am I" (Gen. 37:13; Abr. 3:27). 7) Both were promised a future sovereignty, speaking equally of a temporal and an eternal role. 8) Both were betrayed by their brothers, at which time they were stripped of their garments. 9) Both were cast into a pit-Christ to the world of spirits, Joseph into an empty cistern. 10) Both were betrayed with the utmost hypocrisy (Gen. 37:27; John 18:31). 11) Both were sold. It was Judah that sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver (Gen. 37:26-28), as it was Judas (Greek for Judah) who sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:15). 12) The blood-sprinkled coat of each was presented to his father. Joseph's coat of many colors was dipped in the blood of the goat (Gen. 37:31-32) the blood of Jesus Christ as the blood of the scapegoat, a sin offering, was symbolically presented to the Father. 13) Both blessed those with whom they labored in prison (Gen. 39:21-23; D&C 138). 14) Both were servants, and as such all that they touched were blessed. 15) Both were tempted with great sin and both refused its enticements (Gen. 39; Matt. 4:1-11). 16) Both were falsely accused: Joseph by Potiphar's wife, Christ by false witnesses. 17) Both stood as the source of divine knowledge to their day and generation. 18) Both were triumphant, overcoming all. 19) Both were granted rule over all (Gen. 41:40; 1 Pet. 3:22). 20) Both were thirty years old when they began their life's work (Gen. 41:46; Luke 3:23). 21) Both were saviors to their people, giving them the bread of life. Joseph saved his family with a temporal salvation; Christ as the Bread of Life saves the family of mankind with a spiritual salvation. 22) The rejection of both brought bondage upon the people. 23) Both were unrecognized by their people (Gen. 45:3-5; D&C 45:51-53). 24) Both would be recognized and accepted by their brothers only at the "second time" (Acts 7:13; D&C 45:51-53). 25) As Joseph's brothers bowed to him in fulfillment of prophecy, so all will yet bow the knee to Christ (Gen. 43:26-28; D&C 76:110). 26) Through both, mercy is granted to a repentant people. As Joseph's brothers sought forgiveness of him, so Christ's brothers will eventually seek forgiveness of him. 27) After the reconciliation, Israel is gathered. Having manifest himself to his brothers, Joseph charged them to return and bring their father and families to Egypt. So it shall be in the last days. After Israel have returned to their God, they, like Joseph's brothers, shall be sent to bring all the family of Israel into the kingdom ruled by Christ. (Adapted from Joseph Fielding McConkie, Gospel Symbolism, pp. 30-36.)
(Joseph Fielding McConkie and Donald W. Parry, A Guide to Scriptural Symbols , p.72)

The City of Enoch and The New Jerusalem

2010-03-02T17:17:00.001-08:00

In the great day of restoration-a day that has commenced, but in which many things yet remain to be restored-there will finally be two world capitals, both called Zion, both called Jerusalem. One shall be the seat of government, the other the spiritual capital of the world, for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Isa. 2:1-5.) That is to say, Jerusalem of old shall be restored, built up anew in glory and beauty, according to the promises, and also, another Jerusalem, a New Jerusalem, shall be established. Moroni tells us "of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven," and of "the holy sanctuary of the Lord." He says that Ether wrote both of this New Jerusalem, which should be upon the American continent, and of the restoration of the Jerusalem in the Old World, the one whence Lehi came. "And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth," the account says; "and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb. . . . And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham." (Ether 13:1-12; 3 Ne. 20:22; 21:23-24.)
That the New Jerusalem, the latter-day Zion, the Zion to which Enoch and his city shall return, shall be in Jackson County, Missouri, has been set forth plainly in latter-day revelation. (D&C 84:1-4.) Of this millennial Zion, the New Testament apostle says: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Rev. 21:1-4.)
To complete our vision of the concept of holy cities, as the New Testament account records, there will also be a day a celestial day, when this earth becomes a heaven in the full, complete and eternal sense, when the celestial New Jerusalem shall be with men. It was John, also, who saw this "holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God." This is the city having twelve gates and twelve foundations, "and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." This is the city with streets of pure gold, "as it were transparent glass." Of it John says: "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev. 21:10-27.)
            (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols., 1:, p.95-96)

Isaac and Jacob Continue the Covenant Line

2010-02-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

Genesis 24–36
The Covenant Line Continues with Isaac and Jacob

(7-1) Introduction

Why did the Lord choose Isaac and Jacob? How were they chosen to perpetuate the covenant the Lord had made with Abraham? The purpose of this chapter is to assist you in picking out the significant events as the God of Abraham became the God of Isaac and Jacob. You will learn that of the eight sons of Abraham recorded in scripture the Lord singled out Isaac to become the heir to the covenant. Later, God chose Jacob over Esau, even though Esau was the firstborn and seemed to be his father’s favorite.

Isaac and Jacob were foreordained to their responsibilities. Through their personal worthiness, however, they justified their callings in the covenant line. Since the time of these mighty patriarchs, all of the chosen people of the Lord have come through their lineage or have been adopted into their lineage. In the Old Testament, Jehovah is repeatedly called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thus, it is significant that you understand not only who Abraham is but also why the Lord chose Isaac and Jacob to be the first of the house of Israel.

As you begin to study the expansion of the covenant line, remember one thing. Sometimes we tend to oversimplify the concept of a covenant people and the heritage of certain groups of people. For example, we tend to think of the Arabs as descendants of Ishmael or Esau, the Jews as descendants of Judah, the American Indians and South Pacific Islanders as descendants of Laman, and so forth. In broad terms all of these statements are true, of course, but through centuries of intermarriage and conversion, the “pure blood lines” (an impossible term in reality) of the various ancestors have been vastly intermingled. Surely down through nearly four thousand years the descendants of Isaac have intermarried with the descendants of Ishmael and the other sons of Abraham. We know that after the ten tribes were taken into captivity the term Jew was used in a nationalistic sense (to mean a member of the kingdom of Judah) and not just in a tribal sense (to mean a descendant of Judah, son of Jacob). Thus, Lehi, who was of Manasseh (see Alma 10:3 ), and Ishmael, who was of Ephraim (see Erastus Snow, in Journal of Discourses, 23:184–85), were Jews, that is, were living in Judah.

In the Book of Mormon, Lamanite was used in a spiritual sense (to mean one who had apostatized from the truth), as well as in the sense of lineage from Laman (see 4 Nephi 1:38 ). A later example of how blood lines mix is found in the conversion of a whole nation to Judaism in the eighth century A.D. The majority of the people in the kingdom of the Khazars, in what is present-day Russia, became Jews by religion (see Encyclopaedia Judaica, s.v. “Khazars,” 10:944–47). Many modern Jews from Europe can trace their lineage to the Khazars who, before 740 A.D. , were Gentiles.

The black Africans of Ethiopia claim to be descendants of King David through the marriage of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (see 1 Kings 10:1–13 ; Encyclopaedia Judaica, s.v. “Ethiopia,” 6:943). So it is possible that the blood of Israel spread through Africa as well.

Even though there are groups today that could be thought of as predominantly Israel or predominantly Gentile, almost certainly blood of both lines can be found in most peoples of the earth. The important thing is that being Israel, or a covenant person, involves faithfulness as well as blood lineage. Thus, as Nephi said, repentance and faith in the Holy One of Israel is what determines whether one is of the covenant (see 2 Nephi 30:2 ), a concept also taught by Paul (see Romans 2:28–29 ). In other words, while the blood lineage is significant, it can be overridden by one’s own faithfulness or lack of faithfulness. You will see this concept taught from the beginning as you read the early history of the covenant people.

(Old Testament Institute Student Manual Genesis - 2 Samuel, p. 83)

Enoch

2010-02-26T07:27:00.000-08:00

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Patrick Henry Caucus Video

2010-02-22T17:52:00.001-08:00

The Sacrifice of Isaac by Hugh W. Nibley

2010-02-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

The following is taken from the book, Abraham In Egypt, chapter 7, as posted on the Neal A. Maxwell Institute website: Click here to read the post.

Truth Woven Into Our Bodies

2010-02-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

I have always loved this quote. I have come to know that it is true and the we become what we love and what we study and put into practice.

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The Trials Of Living In Abraham's World

2010-02-15T15:20:00.000-08:00

Abraham’s World

I've been frantically looking over all sorts of old traditions on the life of Abraham. They have been collected. He is the best documented of all ancient persons. Some say he didn't live. Don't fool yourself; he was a real person. But what a sad story. It was one prolonged horror of great darkness, as Gen. 15 tells us. His life was a continual trial-the ten trials of Abraham. He lived in a world that was a hell. This has been caught up with recently. In recent years Abraham has had great attention because of new documents, etc.

(Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon--Semester 1: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University, 1988--1990 [Provo: Foundation for Ancient Re 83.)

." It's a world famine. It's everywhere; you can't escape. It was bad in Egypt as a matter of fact. Of the ten great famines which afflict the world, according to Jewish tradition, the greatest was that which hit in Abraham's time, the first world famine. This was one of the ten trials of Abraham, the hunger he had to face. Everywhere he goes, he is hungry. The flocks have trouble grazing. They are driven out, etc.

(Hugh Nibley, Ancient Documents and the Pearl of Great Price, edited by Robert Smith and Robert Smythe [n.p., n.d.], 3 .)

So here he starts out by saying that he has to leave home. All his life he has to keep going (the ten trials of Abraham). He was never able to settle at all. Remember, he has to rent ground to bury his wife and a tomb at Hebron where Abraham is supposed to be buried. He had to buy the land from the Hittite, Ephron. The Hittites owned that territory at the time. Everywhere he has to keep moving.

(Hugh Nibley, Ancient Documents and the Pearl of Great Price, edited by Robert Smith and Robert Smythe [n.p., n.d.], 7.)

The leader of the dispensation was Enoch, whose city of Zion was a tremendous breakthrough and also a "breaking out," the mass evacuation of a polluted planet, due for a thorough purging. "From Noah to Abraham, ten generations" goes the saying, and the world was in darkness again, for Noah's posterity had also gone astray; it was time for God to speak with Abraham face to face, restore the covenants, and organize the church, beginning with his 318 servants.

(Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, edited by Don E. Norton [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1989], 382.)

Always Remember These Things When Studying Scripture

2010-02-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Adam's and Your Book of Remembrance

2010-02-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

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President Spencer W. Kimball on Journal Keeping:

Keep journals and family records. Let us then continue on in this important work of recording the things we do, the things we say, the things we think, to be in accordance with the instructions of the Lord. For those of you who may not have already started your books of remembrance and your records, we would suggest that this very day you begin to write your records quite fully and completely. We hope that you will do this, our brothers and sisters, for this is what the Lord has commanded. (79-20)

Family home evenings are a most appropriate time and place to engage in such activities [as compiling family histories] and especially to train young children in the art of writing about their lives. (78-27)

Keeping journals reminds us of blessings. Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity. (78-08)

Personal history is a teaching tool. We renew our appeal for the keeping of individual histories and accounts of sacred experiences in our lives-answered prayers, inspiration from the Lord, administrations in our behalf, a record of the special times and events of our lives. From these records you can also appropriately draw as you relay faith-promoting stories in your family circles and discussions. Stories of inspiration from our own lives and those of our forebears as well as stories from our scriptures and our history are powerful teaching tools. I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to you, each other, your children, your grandchildren, and others throughout the generations. (82-01)

Keep an honest, interesting journal. Again, how happy we are as we find our grandparents' journals and follow them through their trials and joys and gain for our own lives much from the experiences and faith and courage of our ancestors.
Accordingly, we urge our young people to begin today to write and keep records of all the important things in their own lives and also the lives of their antecedents in the event that their parents should fail to record all the important incidents in their own lives. Your own private journal should record the way you face up to challenges that beset you. Do not suppose life changes so much that your experiences will not be interesting to your posterity. Experiences of work, relations with people, and an awareness of the rightness and wrongness of actions will always be relevant. ...

No one is commonplace, and I doubt if you can ever read a biography from which you cannot learn something from the difficulties overcome and the struggles made to succeed. These are the measuring rods for the progress of humanity.

As we read the stories of great men, we discover that they did not become famous overnight nor were they born professionals or skilled craftsmen. The story of how they became what they are may be helpful to us all.
Your own journal, like most others, will tell of problems as old as the world and how you dealt with them.

Your journal should contain your true self rather than a picture of you when you are "made up" for a public performance. There is a temptation to paint one's virtues in rich color and whitewash the vices, but there is also the opposite pitfall of accentuating the negative. Personally I have little respect for anyone who delves into the ugly phases of the life he is portraying, whether it be his own or another's. The truth should be told, but we should not emphasize the negative. Even a long life full of inspiring experiences can be brought to the dust by one ugly story. Why dwell on that one ugly truth about someone whose life has been largely circumspect?

The good biographer will not depend on passion but on good sense. He will weed out the irrelevant and seek the strong, novel, and interesting. Perhaps we might gain some help from reading Plutarch's Lives where he grouped forty-six lives in pairs, a Greek and a Roman in each pair. He tried to epitomize the most celebrated parts of their stories rather than to insist upon every slightest detail of them.

Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully. You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in any other life. There may be a flash of illumination here and a story of faithfulness there; you should truthfully record your real self and not what other people may see in you.

Your story should be written now while it is fresh and while the true details are available.
A journal is the literature of superiority. Each individual can become superior in his own humble life.

What could you do better for your children and your children's children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved?
Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity.

Get a notebook, my young folks, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events. (75-52)

(Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball, p.349-351)

Hand and Body of Man

2010-02-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a quote that some asked me to put on the blog:

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The Abrahamic Covenant

2010-02-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

Below is a talk that I gave at BYU Women's Converence (April 2003)

Here is a link to the talk if you want the video or audio MP3 click here.

SESSION TITLE: Those Who Are Heirs to the Covenant
PRESENTER: Robert J. Norman (April 2003)

I. Covenants are revealed by God to man in order to exalt man and to bless man with the glory of God. These covenants have been given various names throughout history.
From the Abrahamic covenant to the temple endowment the Lord has instituted covenants for the benefit of His Children. Making, understanding, and keeping these covenants "endows" us with power from on high and sanctifies our souls.

The most exemplary of all covenants is the Abrahamic covenant. Speaking of covenants the Encyclopedia of Mormonism says,

The divine archetypal covenant, of which Abraham's covenant is an example, is the everlasting covenant of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By accepting the gospel, humankind can be redeemed from the doom of death and the blight of sin to enjoy eternal life with God.

Abraham's mission was not new; it was like the mission of Adam, Enoch, and Noah. The same divine power-or priesthood-that gave them authority to promulgate the covenant of divine redemption for God's children in their time was renewed with Abraham and his seed; it was explicitly to be perpetuated by him and his literal and spiritual heirs for all time (Gen. 12:1-3; Abr. 1:18-19; 2:6, 9-11).[i]

In short, the Abrahamic covenant contains all the elements needed for the exaltation of God’s faithful children.

Two major objectives the Lord is seeking to accomplish by giving promises to his children and by having them enter into the Abrahamic covenant are, (1) to establish the earth as a Celestial Kingdom and (2) to cause His children to emulate Himself so that they may enjoy His glory and inherit what He has. In order for man to become like his God he must become sanctified from all sin. Therefore, sanctification from sin must be part of the design of the promises and covenants which God makes with His children.

II. The Abrahamic Covenant incorporates these two objectives.
At first glance the wording of the Abrahamic covenant seems to have nothing to do with turning the earth into a Celestial Glory nor making man like his maker. The two principal promises of the Abrahamic covenant are as follows:

A. The Lord promises Abraham a land of inheritance for ever (Gen. 12:7; 13:15)

B. God also promises Abraham and Sarah posterity as numerous as the dust of the earth

(Gen. 13:16) From (Abraham 2:11) we learn that the priesthood is part of the
promise of this seed.

It isn’t until we get to latter day revelation that we find out the true meaning of these two promises of the Abrahamic covenant.

III. The land as an everlasting inheritance
From latter day revelation we find that the promise of a land of inheritance forever was an inference that the earth was to become the eternal inheritance of the righteous as the Celestial Kingdom. Shortly after the organization of the Church the Lord made the promise to give a promised land forever to the Prophet Joseph Smith and the latter-day saints.

Doctrine and Covenants 38:18-21 reads as follows:

18 And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh;
19 And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts.
20 And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.
21 But, verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you.

This promise contains two elements: (1) This promise land functions as a mortal inheritance for the heirs of the covenant while the earth stands in a mortal probationary state. (2) Then, they again posses the promised land again in eternity, no more to pass away. Thus, the earth has become their land of inheritance forever over which the Lord himself personally reigns as their king.

Therefore, the land of promise was to extend beyond this mortal existence into the world to come and will be the eternal inheritance of the saints. Again, the Lord explains this promise that the earth is to become the Celestial Kingdom in Doctrine and Covenants 88:17-20:

17 And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.
[I will read the antecedent for “it” - “the earth” in the next three verses]
18 Therefore, it (the earth) must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it (the earth) may be prepared for the celestial glory;
19 For after it (the earth) hath filled the measure of its (the earth’s) creation, it (the earth) shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;
20 That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it (the earth) forever and ever; for, for this intent was it (the earth) made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.

Thus we can see that this part of the covenant reveals the doctrine that earth will be sanctified and will become the eternal inheritance of the heirs according to the covenant.

IV. Posterity as numerous as the dust of the earth
The second promise, the promise of posterity as numerous as the dust of the earth, at first glance does not appear to be a promise to make man like his God with Godlike power. Again, latter day revelation explains the mystery behind this very import part of the Abrahamic covenant. Doctrine and Covenants 132:29-31 explains:

29 Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne.
30 Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins‑‑from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph‑‑which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.
31 This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself.

First and most important, the Lord explains that the Abrahamic covenant exalted Abraham and he now sits enthroned in glory. This part of the covenant gives Abraham and Sarah power to give life throughout the eternities and is indeed the power that makes man like his God. As here explained, it is the power by which our own God is glorified. The God of life shares his power and glory with his faithful children who make and keep their covenants. No wonder Satan attacks parenthood, demeans procreation and motherhood, for it is the very power which most makes us like our God. What a wonderful privilege it is for us to go to the temple to help those who have passed on receive these powerful covenants of godliness. Satan is the avowed enemy of this whole process, as it builds the kingdom of his arch-rival, Jesus Christ.

These promises and covenants are governed and administered by the priesthood of God. He has allowed us to participate in the power of the priesthood for the purposes of our receiving an eternal inheritance and glorification. As our Lord has explained to us in Doctrine and Covenants 84:19-22:

19 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.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
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.

The Lord makes it clear that the power of godliness is manifested in the ordinances of the priesthood. Later in this same revelation He says, “. . . wo unto all those who come not unto this priesthood . . .” (D&C 84:42). Therefore, the Lord has made his sons and daughters equal in receiving the ordinances of the priesthood by having both receive them from someone else that has the power to perform these ordinances. Even though a man holds the priesthood, he is not allowed to perform any ordinances or blessing upon himself. All receive the blessings of the priesthood and the power of godliness equally, by obtaining them from a worthy priesthood holder.

V. The sanctification of man
In order for us to enjoy the blessings that come from the covenants we make with God, we must, like the earth, be sanctified from all unrighteousness. From Alma 40:26 we learn that no unclean thing can inherit the Kingdom of God. Therefore we must be sanctified and be made pure before we can be exalted.

From the scriptures we learn that sanctification is a process that takes the gift of Christ’s atonement and our own efforts. From Moses 6:60 we learn that it is by the blood of Christ that we are sanctified. The Savior’s gift to us in leading to our sanctification is the shedding of His own blood and paying the price for our sins. We are also told in Doctrine and Covenants 43:16 to, “Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power . . .” Our role is to sanctify ourselves so that the atonement may make us clean. What must we do to sanctify ourselves? One of the first commandments that the Lord gave to Adam for his sanctification was the law of sacrifice. Let us read the instructions for this law as given by an angel to Adam:

(Moses 5:6-8.)
6 And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.
8 Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.

Here we see that Adam is asked to give up his will to do all things in the name of his savior, Jesus Christ. As just explained, this will also require continued repentance and prayer. This law established, for us, the name of Christ as the only name whereby we may be saved. All day, every day, we are to be evaluating our deeds to see if they are acceptable to our God as if done by His son, Jesus Christ. Using Christ as the model for our lives, we begin to conform to His spiritual image, thus becoming sanctified and purified from all sin. The Apostle Paul understood this principle when counseling servants in the Roman Empire. His counsel to them was as follows:

(Colossians 3:22-24.)
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; (an idiom meaning, “not just while they are watching you”) but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Paul clearly teaches these servants to live their life as if they are serving Christ and not their masters. For doing this, they will receive a reward of inheritance in God’s Kingdom, because they served Christ as if he were their master. Here we can see the sanctifying power of this law, because we are doing all that we do as if we are the Savior to please Him and to glorify His name. Therefore, there is no task complex or menial that cannot be accepted for reward in the God’s Kingdom. Everything from serving in the community or the Relief Society to the changing of diapers, or vacuuming the carpet, can be accepted by God as an offering in righteousness. Through this law we come to understand the full meaning of Omni 1:26, which commands:

. . . I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Again, we are reminded by the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 132:9, “Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?” Through this law our whole lives can be acceptable to our God when done with the right spirit and attitude and in the name of Christ.

The Lord instructed the ancient Israelites that gathered latter day Israel would be sanctified through their temple worship. He explained that in their temple worship they would be accepted by Him and that their offerings would sanctify his name before the heathens:

(Ezekiel 20:40-41.)
40 For in mine holy mountain (metaphor for the temple), in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
41 I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

The Lord suggests that by Israel living up to their temple covenants they will represent him in purity before the heathen and be sanctified before them. Similarly, he instructed the Nephites in the sermon He gave them at the temple, “(3 Nephi 12:16.) Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

By living the law of sacrifice the way that it was intended, each day can be meaningful, fulfilling and satisfying. We become sanctified by the blood of Christ and by our offering up our wills to do God’s will in the name of His Son. By so doing we earn the reward of eternal inheritance and joy in the Celestial Kingdom. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.”[ii]

VI. Power comes from keeping covenants

We have already been made aware in this presentation that the power of Godliness is revealed in the ordinances of the priesthood even the key of the knowledge of God. The Lord teaches us that as we continue in the keeping of covenants in obedience to His laws we will grow in grace and in the knowledge of truth (D&C 50:40).

President Thomas Monson taught, “The expression ‘Knowledge is power’ is attributed to Francis Bacon, but it had its origin long before his time, in the saying of Solomon that ‘a wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.’ (Proverbs 24:5.)[iii]

The Prophet Joseph Smith also taught, “. . . that knowledge is power; and the man who has the most knowledge has the greatest power.”[iv]

In another talk the Prophet taught this about knowledge:

We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same.[v]

Also, the prophet explained the blessings of this endowment of knowledge and power:

. . . He (God) will endow you with power, wisdom, might and intelligence, and every qualification necessary; while your minds will expand wider and wider, until you can circumscribe the earth and the heavens, reach forth into eternity, and contemplate the mighty acts of Jehovah in all their variety and glory.[vi]

VII. Conclusion

Understanding the deep meaning behind the Abrahamic Covenant unlocks the purposes of the endowment with which we have been blessed. We come to know the processes by which we are sanctified and made pure. The knowledge that comes with understanding the blessings of the endowment and the covenants associated with it, expands our minds and has power to move us in the direction of exaltation. This understanding gives us the perspective of our eternal potential and the powers that we can enjoy here in mortality and in the world to come. To those who are heirs according to the covenant and have been endowed the power of godliness has been manifest.

[i].(Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), Vol. 1, p9.)

[ii].(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Five 1842–43, p.255)

[iii].(Thomas S. Monson, Be Your Best Self [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 195.)

[iv].(Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 5: 392.)

[v].(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Two 1834–37, p.51)

[vi].(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839–42, p.163)

The Two Trees

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(click on image to enlarge)

Like all broad highways of life which beckon to that prison, there are allurements that we are ofttimes encouraged to follow. As Father Lehi explained to his son Jacob:

. . . 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. (2 Nephi 2:15.)

In other words, he set the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in opposition to the tree of life. The fruit of the one which was "bitter" was the tree of life, and the forbidden fruit was the one which was "sweet to the taste." (emphasis added)

(Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places, p.364)

Three Month Without Shopping And Feeding A Family Of Twelve?

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We may all learn a lesson from Crystal J. Young from Omaha, Nebraska. She is a mother of ten children and home schools six of them. She has taken on a challenge to go three months without going to the grocery store. She is going to try to make it on her food storage. She is giving a day by day account on her blog. By following her blog we may all learn something about our own food storage. Click here to follow her blog.

These I Will Make My Rulers.

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Below is a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball. It is from a filmstrip that he made to introduce Regional Conferences in 1978 that was entitled "These I Will Make My Rulers."
Craig R. Frogley made the Power Point image. (click on image to enlarge)

Contemplations

Things To Ponder

The Proper Role Of Government

President Monson Speaks About The Constitution

Eye Opening Video 3 minutes and 40 seconds

Jerusalem

Last Minute Change of Time and Place For Education Week Presentations

Robert J. Norman Education Week Schedule

I am thrilled for this announcement - a plus for America

Foreordination

Pioneers in Africa

Fight For The Family

Blog Restored

Helpful Websites

Inspiring Painting of Resurrection

Dozens of Metal Plates Found in Jordan

Congressman Paul's thoughts on the Libya no fly zone

Tracting Miracle

Carl Bloch Exibition

Something to Contemplate on the Contempations Blog

The Prophet Joseph Smith on Baptism and Being Born Again

The Second Temptation of Jesus

Powerful Experience for a Muslim/Christian

Dating The Birth of Jesus and Dating His Death and Resurrection

Merry Christmas. Christ Lives.

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 4

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 3

Ezekiel's Vision Of The Temple (Ezekiel 47) Artist - Liz Matthews

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 2

Armageddon Scriptures by LDS Seminaries and Institutes

Adam-ondi-Ahman part 1

Funeral For Bob Field

Ezekiel The Prophet

Jeremiah

We Have Moved Too Far To Mainstream.

I Am A Child Of God

The Power Of The Holy Ghost And Truth

Isaiah (click on image to enlarge)

The Light of Christ and The Holy Ghost and The Power of Positive Thought

The Earth To Testify

The Lord Desires Hesed - Hosea 6:6

Conference On Chiasmus

Temporary Building Change For Thursday Old Testament Class That Meets In South Jordan at 11:00 am

Keys To Understanding The Scriptures

BYU Campus Education Week Broadcast Talk by Robert J. Norman given August 17, 2010

BYU Continuing Education Adult Religion Classes taught by Robert J. Norman

BYU Campus Education Week - Robert J. Norman Schedule (August 17-20)

Great Article About The Historic Building Where I Teach My Night Class

The Prophet Joseph Smith's Letter To His Uncle Silas And The Results Of That Letter

Joseph’s Letter to His Uncle Silas

We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet

Samuel Becomes The Last Great Judge of Israel

(24-8) 1 Samuel 1:20–28 . Samuel Is Presented at the Tabernacle

(24-9) 1 Samuel 2:1–11

(24-10) 1 Samuel 2:8

(24-11) 1 Samuel 2:13–36 . If the Priests Were Entitled to a Portion of Certain Sacrifices, Why Were the Sons of Eli Punished?

(24-12) 1 Samuel 3:1 . “The Word of the Lord Was Precious in Those Days”

Jericho As A Type

Building On Christ - The Rock

"Beware Lest Thou Forget"

Why Forty Years In The Wilderness

Appearances to the Prophet Joseph Smith

Interesting Research On The First Vision

Delegate for Precinct 3510

March 11, 2009 Post (EXODUS AND EXALTATION)

A Restoraion of All Things

Some Items On Resurrection

Star Parker's Personal Experience With Socialism and Capitalism

Signs of Christ's Coming

Abraham Chapter Three Is From A Specific Point Of View

Facsimile One

The Egyptian Papyri

Joseph As A Type For Christ

The City of Enoch and The New Jerusalem

Isaac and Jacob Continue the Covenant Line

Genesis 24–36 The Covenant Line Continues with Isaac and Jacob

(7-1) Introduction

Enoch

Patrick Henry Caucus Video

The Sacrifice of Isaac by Hugh W. Nibley

Genesis 24–36
The Covenant Line Continues with Isaac and Jacob