The
previous post addressed multiple examples of people living in states
of apostasy and being corrected and called to repentance by God and
His servants. Some repented, exercised faith by facing God and
obeying His Word, and participated in the ordinance of baptism /
re-baptism. This ordinance was the required sign God asked as a sign
of repentance. Further, the post ended by posing questions
with regard to your true state and standing with God. Is your baptism
current? As of today, from God's perspective, is your baptism
sufficiently valid to qualify you to be spared for the Lord's 2nd
coming?
This is where it gets
somewhat interesting. Who was it that was spared when Christ came to
the Nephites in America? Who is it that will be spared in our day,
just prior to His return? Could it be possible that the
qualifications Christ required of those to be spared for His 1st
coming are the same qualifications He requires of us today to be
spared for His 2nd coming? What kind of individuals were able to
remain until Jesus came to minister unto them? What type of
individuals must we be in order to remain until Jesus comes to
minister unto us? What characteristics, beliefs, faith, actions, or
ordinances were common among those who were spared? How about us,
here and now? What did/does it take for an individual to be prepared
to receive the Lord?
Surprising, startling,
astonishing, amazing … Can you believe it? The ones spared were
they who identified, recognized, and received true messengers and
obeyed the Word of God. “... it was they who received the prophets
and stoned them not; and it was they who had not shed the blood of
the saints, who were spared.” (3 Nephi 10:12-13)
Do you suppose the ones
spared for His 2nd coming will be those who have received
(or will soon receive) prophets and stone them not; and it will be
they who do not shed the blood of the saints? If this is in fact the
case, wouldn't it be helpful to know who the prophets are and what
they say? For goodness sake, wouldn't it be wise to identify the Word
of God and His messengers? Does it seem reasonable to search and find
the genuine, authentic, and reliable witnesses of Christ, who have
received the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy?
(Revelation 19:10)
Would you be interested in
knowing priests of the Most High God, after the order of Melchizedek,
which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the
Only Begotten Son? Does it seem important for you to find such a
servant of God, who seeks the welfare of zion and points in the right
direction without expecting a “red seat”, money $$, stipends,
benefits, or the praise of men? Would you consider proceeding further
ahead to find a servant, who teaches the Word of God, warns, calls
repentance, prophesies, knows what he is talking about, and clearly
declares the message exactly as God directs, without freelancing and
sending you an invoice or “expected donations”? Do you have a
desire to know God and to embrace His undiluted truth?
Do you find the answers to
these questions to be important, needed, and necessary, or is it just
a waste of time to seek such redundant and foolish things? From your
point of view, is it necessary to find God and His message to you? Is
it required? Critical? Crucial? Essential? Pivotal? Indispensable?
If there is a true prophet with a distinct message directly from God,
would it be wise to have an ear to hear? Would it seem logical to
give heed to the message? If in fact it is the same, whether it is
delivered by His own voice or by the voice of His servants, would it,
therefore, seem beneficial to believe and obey God's instructions and
give heed to His Word delivered through His servants?
Or
does it, perhaps, appear
to be a strange thing in the land, a wild man, who has come among
us?! (Moses 6:37-39) Is this state of affairs “out of order”?
Dangerous? Unsafe? Speculative? Risky? Has apostasy encroached upon
us? Does this message seem almost insane, beyond irritation, and
something you had never previously considered nor participated in? Is
this coming from God or a crazy lunatic? Is it worth considering and
asking God about it or would you be better off to get rid of this
“deceived unbalanced mad man”, reject the message, and stone him?
(defame, denigrate, cast out, excommunicate, reject, and curse him?)
What
about doing similar actions to the saints who receive the prophet,
believe the Word of God, and act upon the message delivered? Will our
individual choices made in these matters determine our situation and
outcome in the impending forthcoming destruction? Would it be worth
it to hear His Word and act upon it? If you fail to give heed to and
act upon His Word, will your soul be in jeopardy? Would you
potentially be forfeiting your salvation and be facing the risk of
destruction?
At
the time of Christ, the Jews were in apostasy. The Scribes and the
Pharisees, who sat in Moses’ seat (Matthew 23:2), were the General
Authorities of the church, controlled the temple, corrupted the
kingdom of the Jews, led the people astray, and later condemned,
sentenced, and crucified Christ.
In
that day, John the Baptist “was ordained by the angel of God at the
time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom
of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face
of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose
hand is given all power.” (D&C 84:28)
Apostasy occurred among the Jews, the Jaredites, the
Nephites, the people under the reign of king Noah and a number of
others throughout history. Could apostasy happen among us today? Is
it possible for destruction to fall upon us, the United States, all
Gentile nations and religions, and every unrepentant soul, who
rejects the Word of God? (3 Nephi 21:20-21; 29:1-9)
Similarly, could it be
possible for our society and churches to be in deep apostasy, and
therefore, God deems it necessary to send a messenger with a message
that invokes a call of repentance to the leaders, the kingdom, and
the people? What could be expected if a gentile nation, while living
in the promised land today, denounced and rejected the God of this
land? What if modern churches apostatized from God, falsely claimed
His authority, modified church laws and protocols, preached
alternative commandments, changed the ordinances, used His name in
vain, and led the people astray and away from God?
In his youth, Joseph Smith
was unsure about religions, asked God questions, and received answers
to his prayer in 1820. In part, here it is: 'I was answered that I
must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage
who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in
his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw
near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they
teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of
godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” ' (Joseph Smith
History 1:19) Could this verse, pronounced nearly 200 years ago,
perfectly be describing and reflecting today's condition and state of
affairs.
If that is actually the
case in our day, would you find it reasonable to be expecting to
encounter another messenger sent from the presence God and ordained
with power to overthrow the apostate kingdom of the Gentiles, and to
make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to
prepare them for the coming of the Lord? In our day, could we
sensibly and intelligently expect His servant to be much like John
the Baptist, who “wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the
glory from the Jews, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven"?
(Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:260-261)
Presently, in our day, if
God has ordained a servant with power to overthrow the kingdom of the
Gentiles, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of
his people, would that mean that ALL churches, even though each
possesses some truth, are corrupt and abominable in His sight, and
therefore, God will choose to make straight His way, correct the
errors of men, prepare those who hear His voice, and call repentance
to all earthly religions, churches, institutions, and groups,
including Catholics, Mormons, Protestants, Methodists, Islams and the
rest, not to exclude those with titles such as Presidents, Governors,
Popes, Priests, Kings, Leaders, Officers, Representatives, Prophets,
Apostles, Bishops, Guides, Guardians, Escorts, Protectors, Lawyers,
Judges, Advocates, Advisers, Trustees, Professionals, Ministers,
Clergymen, Reverends, Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists and so forth.
All are guilty; All are being called to repentance today.
Now,
I am not highly familiar with most religions of the world, their
claims, teachings, or codes of conduct. Nevertheless, I believe they
are among those that are wrong, possess creeds that are an
abomination in God's sight, and “they draw near to me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the
commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the
power thereof.”
However,
being a current member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, being very familiar with their tenets, beliefs, and rules,
and being an eyewitness of significant changes in LDS church
curriculum, beliefs, dogmas, and ordinances over the last 40 + years
since I was first baptized, I am going to pose some questions to you
that I have asked myself while I have been learning more.
Would
you consider it as a possibility that the Church of Christ in 1831,
under the direction of Christ Himself through the prophet Joseph
Smith, who communed with Jehovah, was indeed “the only true and
living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the
Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not
individually”? (D&C 1:30) As time passed and significant
changes occurred, does the status of the church remain the same with
God? By coming under condemnation in 1832 (D&C 84:54-57),
loosing the fullness of the priesthood (D&C 124:28), rejecting
God's offer (D&C 124:28-48) (to come personally and restore that
which was lost and protect the saints from being moved out of their
place), and witnessing the death of both Joseph and Hyrum Smith on
June 27, 1844, I submit that the church is no longer considered by
the Lord to be “the only true and living church upon the face of
the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased”. Has this
result come about because the church's connection to God was
essentially cut off at Joseph's death? Has this actually occurred?
Is it accurate to say that much was lost, and therefore, the LDS
church possesses less light & truth, decreased revelations, and
lower priesthood power than beforehand. Is it reasonable to seriously
consider this possibility?
On
the other hand, the Catholics claim receiving power and authority
from Peter and the LDS church claims receiving the fullness of the
priesthood from Joseph. Did that really happen? Is it sensible to
consider this possibility? Catholics claim power from Peter and
Mormons claim priesthood from Joseph, but the succeeding popes and
prophets of these two churches do not claim coming into the presence
of God and being ordained by God himself. Joseph taught, “All
prophets [after Moses] had the Melchizedek Priesthood and were
ordained by God himself”. (TPJS, p. 181) Joseph communed with
Jehovah and testified of personally conversing with the Lord through
the veil (D&C 76:14) and being ordained by God himself. (D&C
132:45-50) If, from God's point of view, the state and condition of
the LDS church has in fact changed, what does that mean to you today?
Are
you aware of anyone, during the God-given “window of opportunity”
(Opening January 1841 and closing in June 1844), who rose up and
claimed possession of God's offer? Is there any record or definitive
declaration whatsoever of such a claim or restoration of the lost
priesthood? During the 3 ½ year “sufficient time”, is there any
evidence that God's offer was fulfilled or priesthood restored by
God, Himself? If no one took God up on His offer or received it and
there is, in fact, absolutely no record or testimony of anyone
regarding the fullness of the priesthood being restored, what does
that suggest to you?
If
God no longer claims the LDS church to be “the only true and living
church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am
well pleased”, is the LDS church true and living today? Partly
true? Partly living? Or mostly false and dead? What does that mean?
Are LDS creeds an abomination in His sight? Are Mormon professors,
authorities, and organizations corrupt? Do “they draw near to me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for
doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but
they deny the power thereof”? Is the church still under
condemnation today? How could the church and it's members be redeemed
from this on-going and perhaps increasing condemnation? (D&C
84:54-57) (President Benson Conference talk)
Could
you, perhaps, accept the fact that the LDS Church in 2015 and the
restoration through Joseph Smith are almost complete polar opposites
and are progressively becoming less in harmony with decreasing
congruence? Would you be willing to consider the possibility that you
have gone astray, have been led by dishonest institutions and corrupt
deceiving religious leaders, and have wrongly followed men who claim
to be His prophets, seers, and revelators, but have seen nothing!?
Have these false seers seduced the people, saying, Peace; and there
was no peace? Have they spoken a vision of their own heart, and not
out of the mouth of the Lord? “. . . in the latter days ye shall
consider it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran:
I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:20-21)
Are
you able to recognize and acknowledge that the rich, attractive,
charismatic men and the bonafide, convincing, business-like quorum of
the twelve, and even Thomas Monson, president and principle head
chief top-dog leading sole all-inclusive “keyholder” of the LDS
church, do not possess the keys to your salvation, but instead, they
attempt to position themselves between you and Christ (the keeper of
the gate - 2 Nephi 9:41), sell their purported “keys” for money,
and practice priestcrafts in the church and among the people?
What
is God's perspective of the church hierarchy and LDS authorities
practicing priestcraft by preaching and setting themselves up for a
light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world;
but they seek not the welfare of Zion? (2 Nephi 26:29) Would it
surprise you to witness upcoming changes in the LDS church in an
effort to appear as another mainstream religion? Would you be
startled or disturbed by uncovering persuasive new information and
discovering undeniable facts that point directly to the progressive
acceleration of LDS Church apostasy? What consequences will likely
follow? Is this something to seriously consider?
… to be continued
