Two Churches ONLY

“1 Nephi 14: 10: “And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.”

There are and always have been two churches only. One is true. Its members belong to the Lamb of God. The Lamb, and their Father.

Either you belong to the elect family of Christ, the Church of the Firstborn, or you don’t. All other religions and philosophies are false. . . .There are only “two,” and one of them is not the Catholic Church, nor the Presbyterian Church, nor the Lutheran Church, nor The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . .

Therefore, based on what Nephi says above, unless we are part of that body of believers whose Father is Christ, and who possess a covenant from Him that they will be His, we belong to the whore of all the earth, a church of abominations. Those who are believers are they who He has declared to His Father “. . . having been true and faithful in all things.”

The other and all-inclusive great church is comprised of all philosophies, all belief systems, all unbelief systems, all rationalizations, all theories and vanities that distract people from repenting and following Christ. These vary from very good things that are uplifting, and possess even great portions of truth, to the degrading and perverse. This all-inclusive church is a “whore” because she is completely indiscriminate and open for all to have her acceptance and affection. She welcomes you. The only requirement being that you have false beliefs.

She will make you rich, or she will make you covet riches. If she gives them to you it is to corrupt you. If she withholds them from you, it is so you will lust and envy what you do not have.

Look at her list of trade goods, given in the description of her fall by John the Revelator:

“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.” (Rev. 18: 11-13.)

The final two on the list are the reason for the other items. The earlier ones lead inevitably to slavery and loss of the souls of men. The devil, who founded her, is not interested in anything other than slavery and the loss of your soul.

The great illusion of a whore is to imagine she likes you. To imagine she cares for you. To imagine she desires what you desire and is cooperating with you because she finds you attractive, appealing, and that you fulfill her longing. It is a lie, an illusion and a fraud. Her bodily diseases are less virulent than her contamination of the soul. Empty, false, vain and foolish thoughts occupy the imagination of those who have intercourse with the great whore. She prefers the lie, relies on it. You would not be her customer if not for the lies.

What an amazing congruence of sexual images and religious failing have been given to us by Nephi and John the Revelator. How apt! How perfect! Imagining something that is degrading and debilitating to be sacred. It is a work of a god or a devil. And of course it is for us to decide between them.

The whore does have her allures, doesn’t she? How many of us are in her embrace, speaking of love and Jesus and the joy of the Saints, while remaining wretched, poor, foolish and lost? She offers you vanity as a religion. “Vanity” because it is vain, or without any effect to save, i.e., without power. Only a form of godliness, nothing real.

Such powerful deception as is implied in these verses demands our attention. It ought to force us forward to seek and obtain a more sure word of prophecy, so we know our God and covenant directly with Him. It should make us refuse all the imitations, all the deceptions, all those who pretend to speak truth, and instead demand that true messengers be sent from whom we can be taught further light and knowledge.

There’s the rub, isn’t it? How to tell the one from the other? A concealed and veiled resurrected Christ laid aside all glory and walked with two of His disciples for approximately seven miles on the day of His resurrection. After His departure, the one asked the other: “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24: 32.) Undoubtedly the reason they already knew it was Him was because truth has power that vanity does not. Therefore, it appears that before our eyes are opened, we must determine truth first. I’ve written about this in the Appendix to Eighteen Verses.

Interesting cause and effect. Interesting the Lord would open the scriptures to touch their hearts. What a powerful pattern the Lord has given for those who follow Him.” (DS 7-8-10)

Churches - What’s in a Name?

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a temporary institution which will cease to exist after this life. There is no vision, revelation, scripture or statement promising us that the church as an institution will continue to exist after mortality. What the scriptures, visions, and revelations do tell us about the eternal description of the saved is that it is “the Church of the Firstborn” or “the Church of the Lamb.” Membership in that group is separate from membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Nephi uses “Church of the Lamb” (see e.g., 1 Ne. 14: 12) to describe the latter-days group over whom the Lord will watch. Interestingly, although Joseph had this revelation before him when he organized the church, he did not choose the “Church of the Lamb” as the organization’s name.

When modern revelation refers to those who inherit the Celestial Glory, it calls them members of the “Church of the Firstborn” (see, e.g., D&C 76: 67 also 93: 22). Those who are chosen in our day to belong to the Church of the Firstborn are shown only one way in which that takes place. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith while translating the New Testament, Section 77, Joseph gave this explanation of the latter-day 144,000 saved persons in verse11: “they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn.”

At the time Joseph received the explanation recorded in Section 77 (March 1832) the church had existed for over two years. When the official name was given in 1838 (D&C 115: 4) the name chosen for the earthly, temporary organization was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – not the Church of the Firstborn.

The Church of the Firstborn exists on the “other side” so to speak. You qualify to get there by how you live here. But you have to be invited into that church by the “angels to whom is given power” to extend that invitation.” (DS 2-12-10)

Hypocrisy and Deception Among Us

Nearly two millennia ago, Jesus said a very interesting thing about His church. “And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. . . And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it. But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return” 3 Nephi 27:8,10-11.

Jesus set out two fascinating contingencies to meet the criteria to actually be His church. First, be called in Christ’s name. Second, the church must be built upon His gospel, not upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil.

What is His gospel? D&C 39:5-6 What is the doctrine of Christ? 2 Nephi 31:17-21 What did He teach? Do we teach the doctrine that Jesus embodies? Do we live what He exemplified? Do we actually embrace and live the gospel of Jesus Christ? Or do we merely manifest the pretense of righteousness, make it appear all is well, and are proud of it?

Do we consider ourselves a chosen and a holy people while believing others are wrong and corrupt? The poor foolish souls just miss out while we are welcomed into heaven, right? Do we cling to the false notions that we are favored of God, elected, and saved while everyone else is cast down to hell by the wrath of God? Alma 31:16-18   

Do we assert that others are lead away after foolish traditions and wander far from God? It seems like it’s always the other guy that “draws near to [Jesus] with their lips, but their hearts are far from [Him], they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” Joseph Smith—History 1:19

We don’t do any of that stuff, do we? Aren’t we part of the only true church upon the face of the earth? There aren’t any abominations in a church that professes the name of Jesus Christ, right? Or is there? D&C 50:4 If we strictly follow men who claim to be prophets, can we ever be led astray? Hmmm?

What if a leader teaches something that is wrong and contrary to the doctrine of Christ? Am I held accountable for following false doctrines promoted or taught by a respected leader? Am I justified in my corrupt actions since it is endorsed by my authorized leader, and he counsels me to follow him? Walking off a cliff with or without a leader’s approval almost always hurts.

Do religious leaders, who claim to speak the word of God, have the power to save me? D&C 18:23 Do we essentially “have it made” because we are members of a legitimate and bona fide institution? Odds are we’ll be exalted anyway, right?

There are many honored and venerated leaders in the church that bears Christ’s name, but should any man be trusted and followed without question? Should we evaluate each message and receive a confirmation given by the power of the Holy Ghost before accepting any principle? 2 Nephi 28:31 

Nephi put his trust in the Lord 2 Nephi 4:34. He doesn’t entertain these false notions, but glories in plainness and truth 2 Nephi 33:6. “Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!" 2 Nephi 28:26 Do we prefer the precepts and power of men and deny the power of God? Do we honor, praise and prop up men while ignoring the gift of the Holy Ghost? Do we take on a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof? If so, would it be best to repent and turn away from such practices? 2 Timothy 3:5

Alma spoke to his son Corianton, “Suffer not yourself to be led away by any vain or foolish thing; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again after those wicked harlots” Alma 39:11. Are we involved in any way with the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth? Do we hang on to any foolish traditions or proclaim any incorrect beliefs of our fathers?

Does the wicked one come and take away our light and truth? Do we value and trust the philosophies of men and the false traditions of our fathers more than God himself? D&C 93:39 Are we righteous, or do we just put up a pretense? Do we conduct opinion polls so we can blend in with Babylon, practice poplar trends, and work on our image? Do we track the world and mimic it? Or do we connect with heaven, call upon God, ask questions, get answers, and obey Him?

Do we put forth extreme energy and effort to appear perfect and faultless on the outside, but on the inside feel seriously undone, guilty, and unclean? Are we like the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who “are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness?” Matthew 23:27

Do we go through the motions at church and other places where we think others are watching? Are we hypocrites that reek with sin and have a beam in our own eye? Luke 6:42 Do we see that in our present condition we stand naked with shame, uncovered, and unsaved before God? Isaiah 47:3 Does this cause us to feel hesitant, insecure, uncertain and uncomfortable?

The Lord cannot and will not be fooled by a façade, appearance, or an outer shell. I find comfort in believing that “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” 2 Nephi 9:41. Christ, through His atoning blood, is the only One who can redeem and save Helaman 5:9. Men cannot.

The Lord has made it clear that He will not be fooled by appearances, and He has warned us not to be false to Him or to others. He has cautioned us to be wary of those who project a false front and who put on a bright pretense that hides a darker reality. We know that the Lord looketh on the heart and not on the outward appearance 1 Sam. 16:7.

The Savior taught us to judge not according to the appearance John 7:24 and warned us against wolves who come to us in sheep’s clothing. The deception of the wolves can only be discovered by examining their fruits Matt. 7:15–16. Nephi taught that we must walk the path of faith with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God 2 Ne. 31:13.

The angel clearly communicated to Nephi and said, “Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” 1 Nephi 14:10

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways James 1:8. We cannot serve two masters” Matt. 6:24. Still, there are many who try to serve the Lord without offending the devil and perhaps a greater number who try to serve the devil without wounding the Lord. Who do we serve, God or mammon? To which church do we belong, the church of the Lamb of God or the church of the devil? We cannot belong to both.

I’m Just as Good as the Next Damned Soul

Throughout my life, I’ve thought about what it would be like to see God face to face. I miss God and would really like to see him again. This idea has slipped in and out of consciousness throughout the years. As I talk to others, I realize that many people do not believe that a common person like you and me can have an audience with God and talk to Him face to face. John 14:23

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

As husband and wife we talked about this idea and decided to experiment on the word of God to see if he really will come. We naively started praying to God to grant us our request. Before I knew what was happening, my face was sliding through the mud. Whenever I surfaced for air, someone else was there to push my face back into the mud.

For the next three years, I attempted to deal with the feelings this created. I knew I needed to forgive, but I couldn’t get my heart to feel forgiving. I needed help. One day while reading, God sent a message that my spirit understood. I felt a wave of forgiveness and understanding wash over me as my heart was healed. The pain was gone.

I thought I had learned some pretty good lessons and was well on my way. Life was full of joy and happiness. I heard God saying something like, “My child, you’ve put in a big request. Are you ready to go the distance?” Naively, I replied, “Yes, yes!”

God must have chuckled. He probably said something like, “OK, lets look at what’s next on the list. You are way too orthodox. You kind of remind me of the Jews at the time of Christ. We need to do something about this. I am sending you through de-orthodox training.”

I’m still in training, so I don’t know the end of the story, but this is what happened next. God needed to show me where I stood, in order to move forward.

As I was reading, I came upon a scripture: “And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.” 1 Nephi 14:10

My first thought was, “I belong to the church that carries Jesus Christ’s name, I’m in the safe zone.”

The thought came, “Do you know what the church of the Lamb of God is?”

I responded, “The Lamb of God is Christ, so it must be Christ’s church.”

“What do you think it takes to qualify to become a member of that church? Who do you think decides who can become a member of the church of the Lamb of God?”

“I guess Christ gets to decide who can become a member of that church.”

“What do you know about the church of the Lamb of God?”

“Well, there aren’t very many members of this church 1 Nephi 14:12. They are armed with righteousness, power, and great glory 1 Nephi 14:14.”

“Do you know of any church whose members are armed with righteousness, power, and great glory?”

“The church of the Lamb of God sounds like it could be the church of the firstborn. Are they the same church?”

“Let’s look at what the scriptures say about the church of the firstborn:

They are the ones that keep the commandments and receive the Father’s fullness. They are begotten through Christ and partakers of his glory D&C 93:19-22.

They receive a testimony of Jesus, are baptized, keep the commandments, washed and cleansed from all their sins, receive the Holy Spirit, overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise . . . D&C 76:50-70

They receive the second comforter, the promise of eternal life, and the glory of the celestial kingdom. D&C 88:2-5

They receive the mysteries of the kingdom, have the heavens opened unto them, and enjoy the presence of God the Father and Jesus. D&C 107:19

The mission of the one hundred and forty-four thousand is to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn D&C 77:11.”

“Now, that sounds like a church that is armed with righteousness, power, and great glory. I can see why their numbers are few.”

This was a big wakeup call for me. If I want to repent of my abominations, the first step is to recognize them for what they are. Here I had been thinking that I was a member of the church of the Lamb of God, but found that I wasn’t. The Lord makes it pretty clear that if I don’t belong to the church of the Lamb of God, by default, I belong to the church of the devil or the great and abominable church. But I don’t want to belong to the church of the devil. I don’t like the devil. I realized that I was just as good as the next damned soul.

I was led to read a story. This story was written for us. Mormon saw our day and the foolishness of our beliefs and behavior Mormon 8:35. He’s trying to tell us something. We don’t have to make the same mistakes if we will heed the warning. The story has a profound and personal message. Read The Zoramites and the Rameumptom

• The Zoramites believed that they were a chosen people, while everyone else was damned. Alma 31:16-17
• They taught that a belief in Christ would cause their hearts to wander far from God. They didn’t believe Christ would come and personally minister to them. Alma 31:16-17
• They thanked God for choosing them and kept reassuring each other that they were God’s chosen people. Alma 31:17-18
• The words of God destroyed their craft, and so they would not hearken unto his words. Alma 35:3
• When they went up to the stand to give their testimonies and prayers, they all said the same thing. They repeated the same mantras over and over again. Alma 31:20
• They didn’t receive revelation and did not know of things to come. Alma 31:22
• Their weekly worship of God was not reflected in their daily walk with men. Alma 31:23
• They loved their riches and fine goods. Alma 31:24
• They were proud of their supposed position with God. They were arrogant and boastful. Alma 31:25
• They looked down on the poor and did not minister to their wants and needs. Alma 32:5
• They cast out the righteous from among them. Alma 35:6
• They prayed to be heard of men and to be praised for their wisdom. Alma 38:13

Does any of this sound familiar?