The Doctrine of Devils

This blog post is written for my family. . . may you read it, ponder it, and ask God if these are His words. I love you all . . .

This is the second time the Lord has awakened me in the early morning hours with thoughts about this blog post . The first night (Oct. 3, 2015) he gave me the title of the blog. This morning (Oct. 5, 2015) he gave me a dream.

I was lying down on the couch in the foyer of the church. My husband was on the ground sitting next to me so that we were facing opposite directions. I thought we were alone. We started kissing. Our display of affection was tender and would be appropriate in front of the children. It could be felt that we really were in love not merely living together and putting up with each other.

I then realized we were not alone. We were being watched. I turned and saw that the chapel doors were open. A woman was standing at a distance watching this exchange between John and me. I looked past the woman to see two other women who were also in the chapel. They were on cleaning duty.

The first woman approached us. She scolded us for kissing in the church. The other women seemed to support her opinion. I headed down the hall. As I walked away, I looked back and saw my husband quietly chuckling and shaking his head as he sat alone on the couch. He said nothing to the women.

The woman followed me down the hall. Her silent supporters followed behind. This woman was not content with my response to her scolding. She did not think I had taken her seriously. She threatened to tell the church leaders about our kissing in the foyer.

I could feel my heart beating as I composed myself to respond to this woman's absurd accusations. The dream ended, and I was awake. As I came out of the dream, I was still processing the exchange. I thought about why she lashed out at me the way she did: Maybe she doesn't love her husband the way I love mine. Have her children ever seen her passionately kiss her husband? What gives her the right to condemn an innocent display of affection?

I was awake in my bed thinking about the dream that had just been given me. What does my dream mean? The Lord said, “The exchange you had with your husband represents a loving, close, and intimate relationship a bride has with her bridegroom. You are the bride. I am the bridegroom. I desire a close relationship with you, just as you desire to be close to your husband whom you love. The women cleaning the chapel represent those who serve in the church but do not know me. They haven't experienced and don't understand true, pure, and virtuous intimacy. They think all intimacy is evil and wrong. They haven't experienced love and intimacy in their their relationship with me and think it is their busy-body duty to prevent others from experiencing intimacy with me. They try to keep my sheep from coming to me.”

The Lord then told me that this dream was given me to help me understand the doctrine of devils. I asked, “How does this dream relate to the doctrine of devils?” He told me to get out of bed and write the scriptures and thoughts that came to me.

Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. Luke 11:52

The Lord continued, “It is one thing to choose not to come to unto me; it becomes very grievous when someone tries to prevent others from developing intimacy with me. The doctrine of devils attempts to prevent loving intimacy between me and my people.”

4 And Jesus left them, and went upon the Mount of Olives. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?

5 And Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you;

6 For many shall come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall deceive many; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:4-6 

“Jennifer, who is saying 'I am Christ'? These aren't just some weird lunatics running around claiming to be the reincarnated Jesus Christ. . . This is a group of people who claim to come in my name, and they have enough influence to deceive many. They use my name as a cloak. They use my name to deceive. They claim to be my servants. These false Christ's reasoning goes something like this, 'If you follow me, you're following Jesus. I follow Jesus, you follow me, see how it works? You're following Jesus because you follow me. You can't go straight to Jesus; you might be deceived. To get to Jesus you need to go through me.' ”

The Lord continued to explain, “To understand what I mean when I say, 'For many shall come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall deceive many', you need to understood that Christ is not a person, it is a title.”

What does “Christ” actually mean? What does it mean to speak of Jesus as the “Christ”?

This word is one of the most important, basic words in a Christian’s vocabulary. But it isn’t until you dig into the Bible’s ancient context that you that see its surprising imagery and some of its most important implications.

First of all, the word “Christ” comes from christos, a Greek word meaning “anointed.” It is the equivalent of the word mashiach, or Messiah, in Hebrew. So, to be the Christ, or Messiah, is to be “the anointed one of God.”

But what does that mean?

To be anointed, literally, is to have sacred oil poured on one’s head, because God has chosen the person for a special task. Priests and kings were anointed, and occasionally prophets. Kings were anointed during their coronation rather than receiving a crown.

Even though prophets and priests were anointed, the phrase “anointed one” or “the Lord’s anointed” was most often used to refer to a king. . .

The overriding biblical imagery of the word “Messiah” or “Christ” is that of a king chosen by God. Often in the Old Testament, God would tell a prophet to go anoint someone and proclaim him king. The act of anointing with sacred oil emphasized that it was God himself who had ordained a person and given him authority to act as his representative.”

“Jennifer, who claims to come in name of the Lord? Who claims to be the Lord's anointed? Who claims to be chosen by God? Are they deceiving many? Can you tell the difference between a Christ (the Lord's anointed) and an impostor? Do you know how these false Christs teach and promote the doctrine of devils? Do you even know what I mean when I say 'the doctrine of devils'?”

“Lord, I'm starting to understand, but keep going.”

“Look up a few scriptures. I'll show you what this means.

22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

 23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

 24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell . . .

 27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.

 28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him. Abraham 3:22-24, 27-28

Supplanting Jesus the Christ has been the desire of devils even before the world was.

1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

 2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Moses 4:1-2

In their attempt to self aggrandize themselves, devils rob God of His glory. If men remain shut out of the Lord's presence, all remain damned and there are none saved.

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Moses 1:39

And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.  Ether 3:13

Devils want to be worshiped. They attempt to come between God and his people.

11 But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.

 12 And it came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me.

 13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?

 14 For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?

 15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.

 16 Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.

 17 And he also gave me commandments when he called unto me out of the burning bush, saying: Call upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and worship me.

 18 And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan.

 19 And now, when Moses had said these words, Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me. Moses 1:11-19

The desire to be worshiped can be seen when men engage in priestcrafts. They participate in priestcrafts when they set themselves up for a light unto the world that they may get gain and praise of the world.

He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion. 2 Nephi 26:29

One reason we are warned against participating in priestcrafts is so that there is no idolatry practiced. Mortals are not to be worshiped. All are alike unto God. There should be no part-time or full-time paid clergy. The preacher is no better than the hearer, neither is the teacher any better than the learner.

Let the residue of the elders watch over the churches, and declare the word in the regions round about them; and let them labor with their own hands that there be no idolatry nor wickedness practiced. Doctrine and Covenants 52:39

And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength. Alma 1:26

It was the priestcrafts of the church authorities at the time of Jesus that were responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. He allowed His church in Jerusalem to be led astray by false leaders and authorities. He did not prevent the apostasy of His church but instead submitted and was crucified.

But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified. 2 Nephi 10:5

And my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds. Doctrine and Covenants 33:4

The Lord's vineyard has become corrupted, and even the few who do good have become corrupted because of priestcraft. Priestcraft has corrupted our minds.

Here are a few examples:

President Nelson said he can empathize with those brethren who will be called to the Twelve. “There is no way you can describe it,” he said. “It is the most sacred thing that can happen to a man in this life. It is life-changing, yes. But hopefully, he, in turn, will be able to change the lives of many other people toward the Lord. This is what we do. We are servants of the Lord. We are His agents, and that means salvation and exaltation for the people who come under the sphere of His influence.”

Really? Is the most sacred thing that can happen to a man in this life a position in the top hierarchy of a multi-billion dollar corporation? Where is Jesus the Christ in this equation? If this is the most sacred thing that can happen to a man in this life, what about all those who will never experience such a call? Does salvation and exaltation for the people come through these top paid officials of the LDS church or does it come through Jesus the anointed one? How can they claim to be servants and agents, or in other words, Christ's when they've never been anointed by God?

Here is another example of the doctrine of devils. This man isn't even subtle about where to focus your eyes. He uses God's name in vain to divert attention away from the Lord onto himself.

Recently, I spoke at the new mission presidents’ seminar and counseled these leaders:

“Keep the eyes of the mission on the leaders of the Church. … We will not and … cannot lead [you] astray.

“And as you teach your missionaries to focus their eyes on us, teach them to never follow those who think they know more about how to administer the affairs of the Church than …

Here is another example:

“Sister Willis I urge you to do the ordinary things the Lord has prescribed for his children to do at this time, and leave the timing of other essential things to the Lord. When it is time to take extraordinary measures or to do different things to be “sanctified,” that word will come from the Lord, speaking through his servants.” Dallin Oaks

Here is another example:

“I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray.” [Emphasis added] (“I say to Israel” is omitted in Official Declaration 1, but you can read the original text in Deseret Evening News, October 11, 1890, p. 2)

Have we forgotten the doctrine taught by Nephi?

 41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. [emphasis added]

 42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.

 43 But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints.

 44 O, my beloved brethren, remember my words. Behold, I take off my garments, and I shake them before you; I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his all-searching eye; wherefore, ye shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul, and that I stand with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood.

 45 O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation. 2 Nephi 9

Jesus is calling us to come to him and be close.

Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am; D&C 93:1

We are to the point in church history that seeking the Second Comforter is now derided and mocked by current LDS apostles.

“Another claim is that the church is not teaching what is necessary for exaltation, for example, some say that only those who see the face of Jesus Christ in mortality will receive Celestial Glory.

“Of course, all of the righteous desire to see the face of our Savior, but the suggestions that this must happen in mortality is a familiar tactic of the adversary. To identify a worthy goal, such as to achieve exaltation, and then to use the desirability of that goal and people’s enthusiasm for it to obscure the new means the adversary suggests to achieve it. The means are important, even vital. As the Lord said in another setting, ‘it must needs be done in mine own way.’ ”(Dallin Oaks page 13, audio) 

Since when is enthusiasm to seek the face of our Savior become a tactic of the adversary? It takes a lot of determination and dedication to ask, seek, knock, and find. It is not a quest for the faint of heart.

Here is another example of the kinds of teachings you'll need to sort through and determine if they come from God or a devil. . .

“Another claim that we sometimes hear is that current apostles have no right to run the affairs of the church since they do not meet the New Testament standard of apostles because they do not testify of having seen Christ. (Turley)

“The first answer to this claim is that modern apostles are called to be witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world, Doctrine and Covenants 107:23. This is not to witness of a personal manifestation. To witness of the name is to witness of the plan, the work, or mission such as the atonement and the authority or priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, which an apostle who holds the keys is uniquely responsible to do.

“Of course apostles are also witnesses of Christ just like all members of the Church who have the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Dallin Oaks page 14, audio)

When did the standard for apostles change? Why does this man call himself a special witness if his testimony is just like all members of the Church?

This is what the Prophet Joseph Smith taught:

"Answer to the question, Was the Priesthood of Melchizedek taken away when Moses died? All Priesthood is Melchizedek, but there are different portions or degrees of it. That portion which brought Moses to speak with God face to face was taken away; but that which brought the ministry of angels remained. All the prophets had the Melchizedek Priesthood and were ordained by God himself." p.180 Teachings ofthe Prophet Joseph Smith

“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.” p.160 Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

. . . for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10

Doctrine and Covenants 76:51-70 explains what it means to have a testimony of Jesus.

15 And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet.

 16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.

 17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known. Mosiah 8:15-17

“Wherefore, we again say, search the revelations of God; study the prophecies, and rejoice that God grants unto the world Seers and Prophets. They are they who saw the mysteries of godliness; they saw the flood before it came; they saw angels ascending and descending upon a ladder that reached from earth to heaven; they saw the stone cut out of the mountain, which filled the whole earth; they saw the Son of God come from the regions of bliss and dwell with men on earth; they saw the deliverer come out of Zion, and turn away ungodliness from Jacob; they saw the glory of the Lord when he showed the transfiguration of the earth on the mount; they saw every mountain laid low and every valley exalted when the Lord was taking vengeance upon the wicked; they saw truth spring out of the earth, and righteousness look down from heaven in the last days, before the Lord came the second time to gather his elect; they saw the end of wickedness on earth, and the Sabbath of creation crowned with peace; they saw the end of the glorious thousand years, when Satan was loosed for a little season; they saw the day of judgment when all men received according to their works, and they saw the heaven and the earth flee away to make room for the city of God, when the righteous receive an inheritance in eternity. And, fellow sojourners upon earth, it is your privilege to purify yourselves and come up to the same glory, and see for yourselves, and know for yourselves. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” p. 12 Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

Doctrines of Resurrection and Election

The Doctrines of the Resurrection of the Dead and the Eternal Judgment are necessary to preach among the first principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Doctrine of Election. Peter exhorts us to make our calling and election sure. This is the sealing power spoken of by Paul in other places.

"13. In whom ye also trusted, that after ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,

"14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory, that we may be sealed up unto the day of redemption."--Ephesians, 1st chapter.

This principle ought (in its proper place) to be taught, for God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the day must come when no man need say to his neighbor, Know ye that Lord; for all shall know Him (who remain) from the least to the greatest. How is this to be done? It is to be done by this sealing power, and the other Comforter spoken of, which will be manifest by revelation.

The Two Comforters

There are two Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure intelligence.

The Second Comforter

The other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted.

When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses.

Note the 16, 17, 18, 21, 23 verses:

"16. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;

"17. Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

"18. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.* *

"21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

"23. If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions--Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn. Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith page 149-150

Although false Christs and prophets may deceive, God is still calling you. If you can start by just believing that this great blessing can be yours in this lifetime, you've begun to repent. Continue to believe and follow the voice of God, and you will behold his face.

God has asked me to write these words to you, my family. Please take these things seriously; pray about what has been said; search the scriptures; ponder these things out in your hearts and minds; take advantage of the opportunity being offered you today. He doesn't care where you've been or what you've done, he has absolute power to forgive and heal you. Turn and face him while it is called today. Cry out to him, and he will guide you.

I love you.

Your Daughter, Sister, and Aunt