Virtue Yields to Righteousness

“The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a great whole.  It requires an overall harmony between all its parts to be understood.  Without that overall harmony it is jarring and discordant.

The problem with apostasy is that it forfeits truths which are necessary in order to comprehend the majesty of Christ’s teachings.  Those truths which get retained are not kept in balance with the rest.  Simple virtues are kept while overall righteousness is forfeited.

No one can argue with the virtue of tolerance.  But it is constrained and governed inside a larger context that prevents permissiveness and sloth.

No one can argue with the virtue of obedience.  Indeed, obedience is itself one of the bedrock requirements of the Gospel.  But divorced from the other virtues inside of which it is regulated, obedience can become a terrible weapon used to separate people from God’s Holy Spirit and drive them into submission to “Popes and Priests.”  (Any man believed to be incapable of leading you into error is a “Pope.”)

No one can argue against the virtue of patience.  But when it is urged to prevent necessary action to develop a god-like people, then it has become a tool for deception and error and not a virtue at all.

Take any virtue and remove it from its overall context within the great Gospel whole and you see how apostasy can warp a people.  They retain the conviction that they are still God’s chosen disciples, because the virtues they practice are, in fact, godly.  However, they have become distorted, bloated and swollen.  They are without harmony, capable of great evil or neglect, all the while celebrating their fidelity to the “truth” as they understand it.

You MUST understand doctrine.  You MUST study the scriptures.  But more important than anything else, you MUST seek to gain further light and knowledge by conversing with the Lord directly…” (Philosophies of men)

“Virtue is almost always passive, constraining from abrupt and improper behavior. It contains and limits. It is a strong barrier against misconduct. It has protocols and expects behavior to be mild. It is not the same as righteousness. Righteousness will often require or impose action — sometimes action that exceeds mere virtue. Nephi was constrained to kill Laban. Elijah mocked the false priests. Christ rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees as unclean “whited sepulchers” filled with rot and decay. These kinds of righteous actions are not ungoverned or spontaneous. They are carefully controlled and are undertaken only when the priesthood holder, whose thoughts are virtuous and disciplined, is led by the power of the holy ghost to rebuke sharply. Virtue can be offended by righteousness. Righteousness controls, and virtue surrenders. Whenever it is necessary to do so, virtue yields every time to righteousness.” (Glossary Virtue)

"Conformity to the Divine Law. God measures differently than does man. Being “righteous before God” may not mean the same thing one thinks “righteousness” means. Man wants outward signs, symbols, dress, grooming, and conformity. God looks at the intent of the heart. Righteousness comes by obedience. Obedience requires action. Without conforming conduct to the Lord’s commandments, it is impossible to enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Glossary Righteousness) 

“... And yet, we look sometimes at righteousness, and we say it can never be so because it is not virtuous. Because we overlay virtue atop righteousness—and it does not work and never has worked that way. Righteousness controls, and virtue surrenders. And virtue yields every time to righteousness—else Abraham could never have been commanded to slay his son. Because that was not virtuous. Therefore,

 

Melchizedek was a man of righteousness; …when a child he feared God [not man], …stopped the mouths of lions, …quenched the violence of fire. …thus, having been approved of God [not man]… (JST Genesis 14:26-27) 

In fact, to be approved of God, in many cases, will make you offensive to man. But the opinions, and the vagaries, and the fashions of men, the opinion-polling and the drifts of what is and what is not popular at one point or another are damnable. They ought not even be considered. Righteousness does not give any regard to such things. And yet, it may be virtuous… It may be virtuous to be a limp-wristed, weepy, happy-go-lucky, “have a nice day” kind of chap… But righteousness will kick his ass everyday.

…having been approved of God… (Ibid)

It is God—and God’s approval alone—that matters. It is what God regards of you. It is what is in your heart, because God can detect what is in your heart. God knows why you do what you do. God knows why you say what you say. God knows what is in your thoughts. Therefore, to be approved of God is to be weighed against the standard of righteousness and not the whims of fashion. Fashion will come and go. Ideas will be popular or unpopular. Righteousness will endure forever. This. This. This is the kind of man upon whom the words get spoken, “My Son.”” (Virtue yields to righteousness)

“There is a difference between virtue and righteousness. Virtue is laudable, required and necessary, but righteousness has priority. Virtue surrenders to righteousness, not vice-versa. 

The point can be illustrated from scripture:

It is not virtuous to kill. Nephi was repulsed at the idea, but the Lord required it, and Nephi complied. The doctrinal reasons justifying the killing are set out in The Second Comforter, and there were sufficient reasons both under the Law of Moses and the Lord’s standards of judgment to vindicate the Lord’s decision to kill Laban. The killing was offensive to virtue, but it was righteous.

It is not virtuous to mockingly taunt others. Yet Elijah was pursuing a righteous course against the priests of Baal when he did just that: “And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.” (1 Kings 18: 27.) Mocking is both unvirtuous and uncouth, and in this context would qualify only as righteous.

It is not virtuous to rail against the religious leaders of any faith. Yet John the Baptist rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees as a generation of vipers: “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3: 7.) This term of derision, “generation of vipers” is graphic and in context it is both offensive and uncouth. Yet he was a righteous man, moreso than any other apart from Christ. (Luke 7: 28.)

It was not virtuous for Christ to rebuke His accusers: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! … for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, … ye fools and blind…” (Matt. 23: 14-17.) The language of the Lord here is quite blunt, uncouth and in the context of that language, gutteral. It was righteous, but not an example of virtuous language.

It was worse still for Christ to call Herod “that fox.” This is a term of derision comparable in our own language to calling someone a “son of a bitch.” (Luke 13: 32.) Yet it was righteous, justified and appropriate.

It was blunt and threatening for Joseph to tell his guards in Liberty Jail: “SILENCE, ye fiends of the infernal pit. In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still; I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!” (Taken from The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, emphasis in original.) Calling another a “fiend of the infernal pit” is quite abrasive and offensive; it was intended to be so.

Those who prefer virtue to righteousness will handicap their ability to work for the Lord’s ends. He will always require righteousness to be done. When someone prefers virtue and neglects righteousness, or condemns the righteous for their lack of virtue, their inappropriate standard serves only one purpose. It gets applied against the one proposing to use it. They get to be measured by the standard they apply. (Matt. 7: 22.)

I choose to look at Elijah, John the Baptist, Christ and Joseph Smith, as well as any other person moved to rebuke me or anyone else by the power of the Holy Ghost as fully justified and Christlike. I do not resist the challenge of a righteous rebuke. I welcome them. No one should feel they cannot “damn” me. I’ll consider it important and will respond with my defense, or an apology if I think it is warranted.

It is important for you to know that I do not think Christ is a limp-wristed, lisping chap who dotes on us and has nothing but bouquets of flowers to dispense to us. I think He’s about to return in judgment, dressed in red to burn the wicked. He has said that is who He is and I believe Him. I would like to have as many people take that seriously and consider repenting. We are mistaken in our belief that we are chosen. We are mistaken when we think we are too good to be in need of continual repentance. We are nothing before God. We are about to see His judgments. I know these ideas make me irritating.

As Hugh Nibley put it, “there is nothing so irritating as being awakened from a sound sleep.” But my hope is to awaken some few. Therefore, it is worth offending a great number if the result benefit a few. That is the way things work here and I am quite realistic about it all…”  (Virtue and Righteousness) 

Hugh Nibley had this to say about repentance, “Who is righteous? Anyone who is repenting. No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting he is a righteous man. There is hope for him. And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man. The difference is which way you are facing. The man on the top of the stairs facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom step who is facing up. The direction we are facing, that is repentance; and that is what determines whether we are good or bad.”

“Whoever desires life must travel on the road of righteousness.” 

“Without any of us saying a word, righteousness will come from Jesus Christ.”

“Lies are oxygen to the wicked as truth is to the righteous.”

“Respond only to the righteous criticism from righteous people in a righteous way.”

Zion is Returning Soon!

Zion is much more than a topic and has been the primary focus of every prophet of God from the days of Adam down to today. As recorded in our scriptures, Zion has been established two times (Enoch, Melchizedek) on this earth since the time of Adam and a prophesied third time of Zion being brought forth and experienced during the last days, just prior to and preparatory for Christ's second coming.

God sent Enoch and Melchizedek as His messengers with an authorized message of repentance to the people. The people repented and the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind, dwelt in righteousness; and there were no poor among them. In the latter days, God sent Joseph Smith with an authorized message of repentance and sought Zion. During the early 1800's, the people chose to not embrace and live according to God's message given through Joseph, failed to repent, rejected the restoration, and killed both Joseph and Hyrum on June 27, 1844. Since that day, the restoration has turned into an ever-increasing apostasy and confusion in the LDS church where doctrines such as priesthood, marriage, polygamy, salvation, and redemption has moved to and fro like shifting sand and ordinances such as sacrament, baptism, temple ceremonies, and the doctrine of Christ have been changed and taught differently than Christ instituted and the scriptures teach. 

Joseph Smith taught, “It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with Him as one man converses with another…” (TPJS, 345) The Book of Mormon teaches that an individual enters the Lord's presence to be redeemed from the Fall (Ether 3:13), by the Redeemer Himself. Prophet after prophet in the Book of Mormon testifies of coming into His presence while in the flesh, while in mortality. LDS leaders today claim otherwise. Dallin Oaks said, "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."
(Boise Rescue -  approx 54:15)   Joseph and the Book of Mormon are telling the same story, but Dallin seems to be telling quite another story. Interesting??? 

By April of 2014, the Lord concluded His work through the LDS Church. He has set His hand to begin something new, now underway.  The LDS church has sufficiently gone astray now that Christ has determined it best to order His house differently before His return (second coming).  In the latter days, God is choosing servants that He entrusts with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord?

Today, restoration has begun anew. Some are taking notice of the original restoration offered through Joseph Smith and the condemnation is being removed. Truth is returning again. Repentance is being preached. Authorized baptism is offered to all who desires to turn and face God. Zion is being sought and prayed for and a few sincerely seek to receive Christ's offering as He establishes a City of Holiness and peace upon the mountains and high places.

We are currently living in the last days, signs are being manifested in the heavens and on the earth, and a few are diligently seeking Christ and preparing for the Lord's second coming. Throughout history God has covenanted with, promised, and assured His chosen servants that in the last days God would indeed bring again Zion. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in His glory. This being the case, you may find it wise to take note of what is happening right before our very eyes. A group of individuals have diligently worked together and established a new and informative website that you may find worth checking out. 

Here is the link:  Zion's Return - The Heavens Are Open Again

This website is for all who believe in, seek to know more, or have doubts about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the mission of the prophet Joseph Smith. We humbly strive to preserve, promote, and practice the Gospel of Jesus Christ as originally restored by the Lord and to participate in His work now underway. These resources will assist those who are seeking to know more about how the Lord is working again among His people in preparation for His return.

Changes in doctrine and religious practice following the death of Joseph Smith are attributed to him or are claimed to be of divine origin by his successors. These changes have resulted in widespread confusion, loss of faith, and drift from the "fulness" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, because the Lord is loving and merciful, His hand is being extended again a second time among the inheritors of the Restoration. The word of the Lord Jesus Christ is being declared in our generation through an authorized servant who has stood in the presence of God, as did Enoch and Joseph Smith, in preparation for Zion’s Return and the gathering of God’s family from their scattered condition.

"In that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left" (Isaiah 11:11)

Joseph Smith's Revelations

"There is a passage often quoted from the D&C to support the idea that the president of the LDS church is entitled to have his teachings regarded as if they were God's word. The language is as follows:

"Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; For his word ye shall receive, as if from my own mouth, in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." (D&C 21:4-6)

This revelation is referring to Joseph Smith. Period. Not to anyone who later happens to be elected by the vote of a group to become his successor. Doesn't apply and didn't apply to Brigham Young, John Taylor, Warren Jeffs, Ervil LeBaron, Rulon Allred or any number of other pretenders. It applied solely to Joseph Smith.

The revelation uses the personal pronouns "he" and "his" to refer to Joseph Smith throughout. If you want to put someone else into the passage above, then "he" must likewise heed all the requirements of D&C 21.

"Wherefore it behooveth me that he [Joseph Smith] should be ordained by you, Oliver Cowdery mine apostle; This being an ordinance unto you, that you are an elder under his [Joseph Smith's] hand, he [Joseph Smith] being the first unto you, that you might be an elder unto this church of Christ, bearing my name." (D&C 21:10-11) So "he" will then need to ordain Oliver if "he" is to be mentioned by the revelation.

It was Joseph Smith who "wept for Zion" (D&C 21:8). It was Joseph Smith who was "inspired to move the cause of Zion" forward (D&C 21:7). It was Joseph Smith whose "diligence I [God] know, and his prayers I have heard" (D&C 21:7).

Therefore it was Joseph Smith whose words we are required to "give heed unto" and it is the "commandments which he [Joseph Smith] gave unto us" we are now required to obey. When we do not do this, then the "gates of hell shall prevail" against us, as they most certainly have.

From the beginning, all the various off-shoots uniformly disobey this commandment. Not only do they all refuse to "give heed" to what God revealed and commanded through Joseph Smith, but they have compounded their error by allowing others to interpose their commandments "as if they were from God." The landscape today is exactly as it was when the Lord appeared to Joseph. We see churches who deny the power of God, and who teach for commandments the doctrines of men, having only a form of godliness, which heaven does not respect. The pretenders' lack of power is for our protection. If it were otherwise, we would be damning one another." (DS 7-22-14)

 

Joseph Smith - The Prophet

Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God with a special mission and message to the world. As the dispensation head with authority directly given from God, Joseph Smith started the great restoration and sought for Zion, but as history manifests, not only did the restoration not get finished but apostasy ensued.

From the day Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed as a result of rejection of truth and the influence of his own people, even the believers began to neglect his teachings, forget the truths he restored, and began to lose light and memory of what God had previously revealed and restored through Joseph. Losing light, forgetting fundamentals, ignoring and changing ordinances, corrupting doctrine, and even re-creating and manipulating major parts of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ revealed through Joseph Smith has enlarged in error, accelerated in misunderstanding and confusion, and currently the preservation of the restoration is in serious jeopardy. With courage, we must face the challenges before us today by finding the truth despite deliberate efforts to hide history and alter the record. Once sufficient truth is found and the unfolding restoration is embraced, repentance is obviously required and turning and facing God and following His path is paramount.

Christ on the day of His resurrection said: “O Fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” Our challenge today is exactly that. It is the same situation that believers have faced each time a servant of God has appeared with a message and whenever God speaks through His chosen messengers. I believe it to be wise to give strict heed to the restoration that came through Joseph and the work of the Lord that is currently underway.

Here are a few words attributed to Joseph:

The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask it from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching. (TPJS, 191)

It is the privilege of every Elder to speak of the things of God; and could we all come together with one heart and one mind in perfect faith the veil might as well be rent today as next week, or any other time, and if we will but cleanse ourselves and covenant before God, to serve Him, it is our privilege to have an assurance that God will protect us at all times … Until we have perfect love we are liable to fall and when we have a testimony that our names are sealed in the Lamb's book of life we have perfect love and then it is impossible for false Christs to deceive us. (TPJS, 9)

In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it. When we begin to learn this way, we begin to learn the only true God, and what kind of a being we have got to worship. Having a knowledge of God, we begin to know how to approach him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer. When we understand the character of God, and how to come to him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to him, he is ready to come to us. (TPJS, 350)

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 … 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. (TPJS 150-151)

Whenever men can find out the will of God and find an administrator legally authorized from God, there is the kingdom of God; but where these are not, the kingdom of God is not. All the ordinances, systems, and administrations on the earth are of no use to the children of men, unless they are ordained and authorized of God; for nothing will save a man but a legal administrator; for none others will be acknowledged either by God or angels. (HC, 5:259)

Here is a message by another witness of God:

“Although Joseph Smith revealed many, previously unknown things, his ministry was devoted primarily to bringing others into fellowship with God. The ordinances, scriptures, revelations, and teachings restored through him were not intended to titillate, but to instruct on how to reconnect with God.

From his emphasis on the promise in James 1:5 (“if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God …and it shall be given him”) leading to the First Vision, to the promise of Moroni 10:4 (“I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and … he will manifest the truth of it unto you”), to D&C 93:1 (“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”), and in numerous other places throughout his ministry, Joseph reiterated both the possibility and importance of each soul coming directly to God.

This is the role of a true messenger. It is to bring others into harmony with God. Not to titillate them with new information, leaving them without knowledge of God. When someone delivers a new message that does not include knowledge about how the audience may come to God themselves, then the primary intent is always to make others dependent on the messenger. It is vanity. It is prideful. It is to call attention to themselves in an effort to place themselves above their fellow man, and interject themselves between the person and God. It is priestcraft.

The “welfare of Zion” consists of teaching others how to come to God themselves, and receive the heavenly promises directly from God. (See 2 Nephi 26:29)  Zion will be composed exclusively of those who can endure the presence of God. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to come up to the heavenly mount by their own repentance and remembrance of the Lord.

It is foolishness to separate information about the Lord’s doings from instruction on how to become redeemed. It is vanity to spread new, and personal revelation about the afterlife, God, man, prophecy, visionary encounters, and spiritual experiences if the primary reason does not focus on instructing how the audience can come to God themselves. It is also dangerous to trust teachings which fail to give you guidance on how you can find God for yourself. If all that is delivered is a message about some great experience, the experience was not intended for you. It isn’t important. It is the way to find God that will save you. Not someone else’s new, and exciting spiritual manifestation.

I’ve shared almost nothing of the things I have learned. But I’ve tried to share everything about how you can “come and see” (John 1:46). Still, however, there are very few who can detect the difference. Still there remain those who are tossed to and fro by the sleight of men. (Ephesians 4: 14)

Here’s how things really work:  New revelation for the church comes from the top. It is not binding upon anyone unless it comes through the correct channel, and then is sustained as binding upon the church. Whether you like that system or not, that is the system. HOWEVER, every church member is obligated to teach one another the doctrines of the kingdom.

Expounding, exhorting, teaching, and instructing is a common obligation imposed upon us all. Therefore, everything I have written, all I have taught, and the things I have testified about are confined to elaborating upon the established doctrines of the church, the revelations in the Book of Mormon, the other standard works, and Joseph Smith’s teachings. I’ve said almost nothing about my personal revelations because they were intended for me. They will not help you. They equip me to be able to preach, teach, exhort and expound, but just publishing what I know to the world will not aid any other person in their individual journey. 

Salvation for you is a journey exactly like the journey undertaken by Joseph Smith. Which is also identical to the journey undertaken by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Which was modeled upon the pattern coming down through Noah. Who was a contemporary with Enoch, both of whom undertook the same journey. Which originated with Adam, who came back into God’s presence three years previous to his death, and received “comfort” from the Lord (D&C 107:53-55). The Lord is the promised Comforter who will come to all of us on the same conditions (John 14:23, D&C 130:3). I was asked, and wrote a manual on that process in the first book, The Second Comforter: Conversing With the Lord Through the Veil. The purpose of the book has nothing to do with my own recognition or importance. Throughout the book my many failings are discussed. The book is about the reader, and how the reader can come to know God.

Still people will go to great trouble, and spare no effort to find someone who will only give a titillating peek behind the veil, but who will do nothing to instruct you on how you can meet God here, be redeemed from the fall of man, and come back into God’s presence. This is the purpose of the Gospel, and the definition of redemption. (Ether 3:13) Telling about personal experience cannot help another. Testifying to the process, however, is the burden of all true teaching.

I am a fool, and anyone who thinks otherwise is misled. My only relevance is the common obligation imposed upon us all to preach, teach, exhort and expound. I confine all I do to that obligation. The only thing I can offer anyone is to point them to the One who is filled with truth and light, which is intelligence. (D&C 93:36)  And still there are those who cannot discern between what and how I teach, and how others who are practicing only priestcraft do so. I am saddened, not particularly surprised, but saddened. These are the times we live in. (Isaiah 29:9-10.)

What more could have been done than the Lord has already done?  Is it not us, not He, upon whom the blame must be lain?

The Latter-day famine continues unabated still. Not because there isn’t something worth consuming, but because we crave only the weakest of gruel, which cannot sustain life. Therefore, let us all feast away and still become famished until at last we perish without hope, having wasted the days of our probation. We didn’t care much for Joseph’s message in his day, and we fail to even notice it in ours."  (Joseph The Prophet)

John Wrested Much; More Being Wrested Today ... Few Take Notice!

Today most believe and accept John the Baptist as one sent by God. We have scriptural records and history to back up this view, but it was not until further revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith that we began to more fully understood and take notice of the events and the great significance of it all.

Here is what was revealed through Joseph Smith:

“Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb. For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and 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 84:27-28)

The Greatness and Mission of John the Baptist:

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Pages 275-276, emphasis added)

The question arose from the saying of Jesus--"Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." How is it that John was considered one of the greatest prophets? His miracles could not have constituted his greatness.

First. He was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord. Whoever had such a trust committed to him before or since? No man.

Secondly. He was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man. Whoever had the honor of doing that? Whoever had so great a privilege and glory? Whoever led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign of the dove, in witness of that administration? The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence.

Thirdly. John, at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the keys of power. The Jews had to obey his instructions or be damned, by their own law; and Christ Himself fulfilled all righteousness in becoming obedient to the law which he had given to Moses on the mount, and thereby magnified it and made it honorable, instead of destroying it. The son of Zacharias wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the Jews, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven, and these three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet born of a woman.

At the time John acted among the Jews, the great hidden effort behind the scenes required to bring to pass John the Baptist's mission went almost entirely unnoticed. Certainly, the Jews failed to pay adequate attention to John's mission and didn't even give thought about what he was doing right before their very eyes. As John, the son of Zacharias, wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the Jews, the bonafide religious leaders of the Jews were oblivious and unaware of the momentous events in motion that would cause overwhelming effects to them and their precious kingdom.

God's house is a house of order. He does it according to patterns. It is not God's purpose to abandon the restoration, but it is His purpose to preserve the restoration, which at this moment is in terrible jeopardy. The restoration itself must be rescued and preserved. If you cannot detect the terrible changes it has undergone and is now undergoing, then you are blind indeed. Shall God forget the work he began through Joseph? Shall this now universally downward course be permitted without His hand being bared again? Or shall a kind and merciful God take steps to give us a chance to preserve it with His assistance, if we choose to act?

What if the LDS church has, in fact, gone far enough astray from the restoration through Joseph Smith that God has now determined it best to order His house differently before His return (second coming)? What if God has already called a servant today that He has entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord? What if the servant He has called today is the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom here currently on the earth? What if the servant is holding the keys of power? What if the gentiles today have to obey his instructions or be damned, by their own law? What if God's servant has been ordained and received authority from God unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the gentiles (LDS church specifically), 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? What if the servant of God today has already commenced his important mission? What if he has faithfully heeded the word of God and thereby wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the LDS church, gentile religious leaders, and the entire hierarchy of power, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven? What if the bonafide religious leaders of the gentile LDS church are presently oblivious and unaware of the momentous events in motion here and now that will cause overwhelming effects to them and their precious kingdom?

If this has indeed happened and proceeding forward under the direction of God, would your perspectives change? Would this cause you to reconsider your beliefs, actions, and focus? Would it be apparent to you and even necessary to repent, change and face God, and pay close attention to His word, declarations, and instructions as you hear His voice coming to you, “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same”? Are the gentiles today much different than the Jews were two millennial ago? God ordered His house differently among the Jews preparing them for the coming of the Lord (first coming) and now He is reordering His house among the gentiles preparing for His second coming. Is this particular pattern of God plain and obvious to you now or do you suppose it is just by chance?

If you are interested in reading the words of the servant about this very issue, here is a link, from which this post is based and partially quoted:  

(Lecture #10 – Preserving the Restoration, Pages 6-8 … and more)

Zion ... Offered Today

There have only been two successes of Zion in all of history. One was through Enoch and the other Melchizedek. Both were meek and used persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness and love rather than force, compulsion, and control. Enoch and Melchizedek preached repentance. The people heard the word of God and chose to repent and Zion was established.

Like Enoch and Melchizedek, Joseph Smith preached repentance baptism and the Holy Ghost. Likewise in the future, Zion will be established only through someone preaching repentance followed by people repenting. Today, repentance is currently being preached and baptism and the Holy Ghost is being offered to all. Who will choose to receive?

Zion is for those living in the flesh.

Zion requires people with understanding of Heaven.

Zion requires priesthood from heaven.

To prepare for and enter Zion, one must correctly identify a true Messenger of God and repent. Mankind almost always mistakes a false prophet for a true one or, on the other hand, doesn't even recognize the true one, speaking the word of God. 

“The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves "in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth," and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men.” (TPJS 206)

Zion is prevented quite easily: jarrings, contentions, envyings, strifes, lustful and covetous desires, etc. This will pollute our inheritances. (D&C 101:6)

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 7:18)

Zion does not require a strong man. In fact a strong man model, which our society craves, will hinder and prevent Zion. Zion was never the product of strongman leadership.

We must have the glory of God or intelligence to be comfortable in Zion. God's glory must be in you. People are not just going to walk in and take up residency in Zion without repentance.

Zion requires each individual to know God himself. "Know ye the Lord" for they all would know him. This is the prophecy about Zion in the last days. (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

Zion will require a covenant . It will require authority from God for that covenant because only he can establish it.

The people will need to keep the covenant and live in a Terrestrial society. Any who refuse the greater light will be in peril. Real covenants make each individual directly accountable to God, not to man.

Those, who reside in Zion, will obey Terrestrial law. Failure to obey the law will bring immediate judgment from God. The ground itself will be included within God's covenant. When Zion is built, if the unworthy enter they will encounter conditions they cannot endure. Anyone living a telestial law will be destroyed if they attempt to enter Zion without repentance. Pretenders, using the strongman model, have no idea what it takes to bring Zion.

The only way to bring again Zion is to rise up and live lives filled with greater light. All must come to know the Lord. The only way is to comprehend the gospel of Christ, accept the invitation, prepare your heart, mind, soul, and clean up, leaving behind sins, and come to face the Lord.

Jacob, in the book of Mormon, denounced priestcraft, which is an ill-fit and not acceptable in Zion. Anyone setting themselves up for a light unto the world that they may get gain does not qualify for Zion. Anyone attempting or succeeding to make a profit from being a pseudo-prophet has not, does not, and will not work in Zion.

The problem is we need to rise up individually and having risen up individually then we have the potential for a gathering. Zion cannot come by are doing a "minimum" effort. Zion is to be at the forefront to invite the Lord's return. Until Christ is invited by members of His family, it is not reasonable to expect the Lord to return.

Zion will be where the qualified meet. It will not be where people come to get qualified.

Zion shall not go out with haste nor by flight for the Lord will go before you. Assemble yourselves together unto the land of Zion, not in haste, lest there should be confusion, which bringeth pestilence. (3 Nephi 20:42; D&C 63:24)

Repent and be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost! 

“And in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen” [ 3 Nephi 11:23-25]. When I was baptized into the LDS church, the baptismal prayer was, “Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in name of the Father…” When I was rebaptized, I was rebaptized by one who had authority from Christ. Therefore, in that baptism, the words were, “Having authority of Jesus Christ…”

If all you are going to do is baptize someone again according to the LDS pattern with a commission in a church, don’t bother doing it. But if you follow these principles, and if the Spirit empowers you to baptize, then baptize having authority from Christ. And follow His words. We’ve deviated long enough. It’s time to return. “And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize” [3 Nephi 11:26-28]. I’m telling you in the name of the Lord, that that commandment is renewed again, by Him, today to you. (Baptism Podcast)

Do not expect an institution to bring Zion. Expecting some pseudo-prophet to bring Zion again will surely result in disappointment.

Zion must be in the mountains. It must be among the original natives of the Americas. It must be established under the guidance of someone who hails from both the tribe of Ephraim, and is a descendant of Jesse. It will be set up before the world's kingdoms are destroyed.

Zion will be established at a location in the Rocky Mountains. Whether it comes in our lifetime is entirely dependent on us. (The source of the above material is the Zion Chapter of Preserving the Restoration)

Identifying a Prophet Today

I have been greatly affected by the messages of prophets throughout history, including today. The fruits are manifested as good and causes great growth to occur. Errors, in which I lived and practiced, are exposed and truths have been and are being restored. I have been called to repentance; I have been corrected; I have changed and am changing as more revelations come to me; And I doubt my life will ever be the same, unless I foolishly turn from my righteousness, like the dog to his vomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in the mire! (3 Nephi 7:7-8)

A common thread, among prophets of God, is restoring truths that were lost before. The gospel, which was originally preached to Adam, keeps getting lost among the children of men, who fall into some level of apostasy. Lost truths, which were taught before, were restored through Abraham, a Father through whom we should connect.

In the Book of Mormon it is recorded that Nephi restored truth and taught much to his people, who over time discarded, rejected, and lost truth. The Nephite people fell into an adequate level of apostasy that caused God to judge it necessary to send a message of repentance and warning. Through His servant Abinadi, God preached repentance to the people and restored truth again that Nephi had earlier taught.

King Noah and his priests were the religious leaders of the day and did not approve of the message of repentance nor consider even the remote possibility that they were in ERROR and leading the people astray. So frustrated with this absurd and core-cutting message delivered through this unauthorized man who did not possess bonafide credentials (at least from their point of view), they chose to cast Abinadi out of their presence and have him killed. Nevertheless, Alma and a few others, who received the message, took hold of the restored truth, repented, and lived the gospel.

After the death of Christ and His disciples, the great apostasy occurred and continued for centuries until a restoration in the early 1800's, through the prophet Joseph Smith. A few received the message of God delivered through Joseph, but most did not and fell into apostasy. On June 27, 1844, both Hyrum Smith and Joseph Smith, through whom much had been restored, were rejected and killed by their own people. From there, almost everything went “south”. Revelations, visions, and restoration went “downhill” fast and apostasy was in full motion!

After three and four generations of LDS church apostasy and general apostasy throughout gentile nations, the Lord (through His servant/teacher) again sends forth a call of repentance, a core-cutting message that religious leaders and priests are in ERROR and leading the people astray, and an invitation of correction for everyone everywhere to come unto him TODAY and be baptized (or re-baptized).

This message of God, presently before us and delivered by His messenger, may be frustrating to some and seem absolutely absurd:

Religious leaders and priests are in ERROR and leading the people astray??? … laughable! How could latter-day saints, who “follow the prophet” and brethren, are active members, pass leadership interviews, keep current temple recommends, and view themselves as the most favored and royal generation of God, possibly need to repent? How could anyone ever be so bold or dare suggest such a thing? We are a righteous people. This is crazy! “Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is mad.”(Mosiah 13:1-4)

I have been struck by how this pattern occurs over and over again, generation after generation, even in our very own generation right now! Men keep losing truths and prophets keep bringing them back. So, how can you tell that there is a prophet on earth today? Would it seem reasonable that restorations of truth begin? Visions? Angels? Prophecies? Come from the presence of God with a message? Revelations? Would truths, which have fallen into disuse, disregard, or neglect, come to light and appear again? Would correction and a call to repentance be expected?

Here's a couple other links to help identify a true prophet through all generations of time, even TODAY:

Profile of a Prophet

Joseph the Prophet

 

Joseph Smith ... Modern "Prophets"

We are continuing on from the last post where we discussed the overwhelming divergence, variation, and contradictions that are repeatedly manifested among the latter day “prophets”. This has forced us to face and confront a rather messy situation where confusion, opposition, and contention is present.

How can multiple “prophets”, all claiming to speak for God, contradict one another? Does God change from moment to moment? Or do some or perhaps almost all of the “prophets” deceive or lie?

What is required to become a servant of God who speaks His word, which “shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same?” (D&C 1:38)

Is there a difference between a “holy man”, who is guided by the Holy Spirit and speaks the word of God, and a “natural man”, who simply relies on the “arm of flesh”? If so, what?

Is it necessary for a servant of God to first be redeemed from the fall, become a holy man, be brought back into His presence, literally know Him face to face, become His witness, and deliver a message, for which God vouches?

If this is true, who, among the latter day “prophets”, do you believe and trust? Can the words and teachings of a man, who claims to be a modern or current prophet today, supersede or contradict the words and teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith or any other previous prophet or the scriptures, for which God vouches?

Is there someone today, who has come from the presence of God with an authorized message, calling repentance, seeking to preserve what was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, declaring that the heavens are open for business, revealing a covenant from God, and seeking to prepare some few for Zion. 

Here is a link that may answer some of these questions: Contradicting Joseph

Second Comforter – All Invited to Know Him

Here are a few scriptures to consider: (The words were put in bold by me)

“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.” (D&C 88:67-68)

“Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him; To whom he grants this privilege of seeing and knowing for themselves; That through the power and manifestation of the Spirit, while in the flesh, they may be able to bear his presence in the world of glory. And to God and the Lamb be glory, and honor, and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (D&C 76:116-119)

“Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.” (2 Nephi 32:6)

“And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual. For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God.” (D&C 67:10-11)

“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)

Here's what Joseph Smith taught (TPJS Page 150):

“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.”

Here's what LDS church leaders had to say two and a half years ago when Elder Turley and Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught in the Boise Rescue Fireside on June 13, 2015:

Richard E Turley:

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.

Dallin H. Oaks: {1:00:36 on the recording}

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.

Here's Moroni's point of view:

“And now I, Moroni, bid farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood. And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things; And only a few have I written, because of my weakness in writing. And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.” (Ether 12:38-41)

I wonder who knows what they are talking about? Where is the truth coming from or from whom does the false and vain and foolish doctrines proceed? Scriptures? Nephi? Joseph Smith? Dallin Oaks? Moroni? Jesus Christ? What is your perspective?

In part, here's what Jesus had to say to the religious leaders of His day: “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (Matthew 23:13-15)

I wonder if sometimes Jesus' perspective of things and what He says and does causes some people to squirm and feel rather uncomfortable? Does the word of God challenge the traditions of men, require personal repentance,  and cause us to take a serious second look at our foolish beliefs and actions?

“Things that appear unlikely, impossible, or paradoxical from one point of view often make perfectly good sense from another.” Hugh Nibley

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)