Whom Shall He Give Instruction?

This is a slide presentation on Isaiah 28, with prophecies concerning Ephraim, both as a nation (America) and a people (specifically the Ephraimite Gentiles--us), prior to the Lord’s Day of Judgment. It concerns Ephraim's political leaders, its religious leaders, and its people. It is the failure of the Lord's people to hear the voice of God and repent, that is the catalyst for these events. Since the Lord's people refuse to receive instruction directly from the Lord, He will speak to them in a foreign tongue.

Whom Shall The Lord Give Instruction? 

Inside the Ossuaire at Duamont, home of an estimated 130,000 soldiers' bones gathered after the Battle of Verdun

The *audio on this presentation "Dancing on Green Grass" is a reminder that at one time during the Battle of Verdun there was not a single blade of green grass growing, and the grass we dance on now will not always be green. As Christ reminded us, "great are the words of Isaiah!"

Repentance: Bondage of Sin

These posts on Repentance are best read in order beginning with Repentance: Introduction. At the bottom of each post is a link to the next post. This is another postscript on repentance.

I have been thinking a lot lately about some departed friends. Their obituaries described them as active church members, kind and loving, having held many callings in the church. They were noted as being loving husbands, fathers and grandfathers or loving wives, mothers, and grandmothers. 

I would describe them as good friends whom I loved and enjoyed. Each was the kind of person we would describe in the church as nice people or good people. And I wonder in what category¹ are they in the spirit world?

Knowing them very well, and having spent many hours with them over the years, I knew they were not very familiar with the words of God, and were not desirous of searching them. Each had been raised in the church and had remained active and involved. They were good neighbors and thought highly of by others. We spent many enjoyable years together, reminiscing, laughing, talking, traveling and sharing. 

But try as best I could, I was not able to teach them much about the word of God, about the Book of Mormon prophecies and about repentance. They just didn't seem to understand or desire to understand the word of God. Like with any language, the tongue of angels requires that both participants know or are learning the language, in order to communicate even a little. And, with the exception of one friend, they did not seem to desire to learn what the Lord had to say. 

I think they believed they knew, and could recite 'church talk' and the traditional gospel, but the word of God seemed to have very little impact in their lives, except perhaps what they believed and gave lip service to. Most figured they were good people, and while they had made mistakes, because the Lord loved them, they would be welcomed into His presence.

What happens to these good and decent friends, and all the others like them, in the spirit world? I wanted to know, and so I asked the Lord. He did answer me by directing me to what He has already revealed (a lot), and based on what He has revealed the answer was quite clear. There are many scriptures, each adding something to what we know about the world of spirits.

Alma inquired of the Lord about the space between death and the resurrection. He describes his answer in Alma Chapter 40. He said that "concerning this space of time, what becometh of the souls of men is the thing which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know; and this is the thing of which I do know" (Alma 40:9). 

He further states "Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the ¹spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life" (Alma 40:11).

This is what we normally hear and hope for, in addition to meeting departed loved ones and reuniting with others. But then Alma says "that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow" (Alma 40:12). He does not define who the righteous are. 

Nor does he define the wicked when he says, "that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil--for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house--and they shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil" (Alma 40:13 emphasis added).

Alma further says that he learned that "the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection" (Alma 40:14).

Except perhaps for those spirits who have a portion of the Spirit of the Lord, there seems to be no middle ground in what was revealed to Alma. It is either the righteous or the wicked. Who are righteous spirits and who are wicked spirits according to the Lord? Does He tell us? Are my deceased friends' spirits righteous, in a state of happiness, or wicked and in outer darkness where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth? In which ¹camp are my friends?

He has revealed elsewhere that we can know the righteous from the wicked. He even defines the righteous and the wicked. This He does in many scriptures, but one in particular is quite clear.

"And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin.

And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me.

For whoso cometh not unto me is under the bondage of sin.

And whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me" (D&C 84:49-52).

And by this you may know the righteous from the wicked, and that the whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now" (D&C 84:49-53 emphasis added).

The righteous He describes as those 

1) who are acquainted with and receive His voice, 

2) who come unto Him, and

3) who are not under the bondage of sin.

The wicked He describes as those

1) who receiveth not His voice, because they are not acquainted with His voice, 

2) who come not unto Him, and

3) who are under the bondage of sin and are in darkness.

Remember Amulek telling us to not procrastinate the day of our repentance (turn to and come unto our Savior), because "that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world" (Alma 34:34).

Those who are righteous in this life (repenting and relying wholly upon Christ's merits, having received the righteousness of Christ) are those who are righteous in the spirit world. 

And those who are wicked in this life (not repenting and relying on their own goodness, having not received the righteousness of Christ) are those who are wicked in the spirit world.

Would this apply to my friends? They have chosen either Good or Evil, and are therefore defined by their choice. Evil in this sense is not choosing good/Christ. They cannot say they didn't know or that they were not taught, because they had all that God had chosen to reveal, and treated it lightly. Or in other words, they did not hear His voice because they were not acquainted with His voice. 

My friends are not those who died without the law, or were not like Joseph's brother Alvin who died without hearing about the truth, but who would have accepted it if he had heard (D&C 137:5-8). They had revealed to God their works according to the "desires of their hearts" for their entire lives (D&C 137:9). The standard for them is higher because they had the Book of Mormon and they treated it lightly. 

But there is more. Joseph F. Smith's vision of spirits kept in prison at the time of Noah, which is recorded as D&C 138, adds more to the picture. In this revelation we learn that there are, like Alma saw, two ¹categories of spirits, the righteous and the wicked, but in this vision President Smith saw that the righteous spirits were teaching Christ's Gospel to the spirits kept in prison, who were willing to be taught, "who died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets."

In this vision, the righteous are the teachers, and the wicked are those who have the opportunity to be taught. I would include here those who may have a portion of the Lord's Spirit. We learn that many of these spirits were taught and repented of their sins, were baptized vicariously and received their reward.

But there is a major difference between those who were repenting (came unto Christ) when they died, and those who were not repenting (came not unto Christ) when they died, but did repent in the world of spirits.

For those who are righteous when they die, Christ paid the demands of justice for them, and they will be found guiltless at the judgment following their resurrection (3 Nephi 27:13-21).

For those who die in their sins, who die under the bondage of sin, but who repent, pay the demands of justice themselves. Read this carefully:

"The dead who repent will be redeemed, 

through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God, 

And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, 

and are washed clean, 

shall receive a reward 

according to their works, 

for they are heirs of salvation" (D&C 138:58-59 emphasis added).

Heirs of salvation are all those except Sons of Perdition. See D&C Sections 76 and 88. We also know that ..."the heathen nations [will] be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them" (D&C 45:54). Keep in mind, however, that all will be redeemed except Sons of Perdition. 

For those who knew the law like my friends, could they repent in the spirit world, and if so would they have to pay "the penalty for their transgressions" while those who were repenting and not under the bondage of sin, when they died, be found guiltless because Christ would pay the penalty for them? From what has been revealed, I would answer yes. 

Amulek was right by admonishing us to not procrastinate the day of our repentance!

Many other scriptures add to the picture, but Alma's description of the chains of hell is worth noting because it adds to what the Lord means by those who hear His voice. He says:

"And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; 

nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, 

according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. 

And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; 

and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, 

until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. 

And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word 

until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and 

then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. 

Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell" (Alma 12:9-11 emphasis added). Note the link in Alma 40:13 to "lead captive" by the will of the devil. Alma again, it seems, describes no middle ground--it is more or nothing.

If they die in this state, they die under the bondage of sin, they die in their sins, and would be described as wicked. These both Alma and Joseph F. Smith saw in the spirit world and described them as wicked.

Concerning those who die without the law and the spirits kept in prison at the time of Noah, the Lord has revealed:

"And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of the church of the Firstborn who have received the fulness of the Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun in the firmament. 

Behold, these are they who died without law; 

And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; 

Who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it"

...These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus (D&C 76:71-74;79 emphasis added).

The phrase 'bondage of sin' coupled with being "saved from our sins" link to help understand what being under the bondage of sins means. Again Alma adds more.

"For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and 

have been redeemed of the Lord; 

behold I am born of the Spirit. 

And the Lord said unto me: 

Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, 

born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, 

being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; 

And thus they become new creatures; and 

unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God" (Mosiah 27:24-26 emphasis added).

These are the "righteous" and they are called righteous because they have been changed by God from their lost and fallen and carnal state to a state of His righteousness. 

'...our awful, sinful and polluted state,' is a state of being under the law and not under grace. Hence the need to be born again and become new creatures, a state where we find ourselves under His righteousness. Not under the law, but under grace.

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:3-4).

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Galations 2:20-21).

Could I say of my friends that because of their unbelief they "remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state" (Mosiah 26:4)?

Everything He teaches leads to this conclusion. His Gospel (3 Nephi 27:13-21); His teachings on Justice and Mercy (Alma 42); His teachings on Death and Hell (2 Nephi 2); and His teachings on repentance. Everything, even in death, is for us, linked to repenting now! 

Remember that for those like my friends who should know better, "he that exercises no faith unto repentance (in this life) is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption" (Alma 34:16 emphasis added).

40 Principles Isaiah

This is so good I had to share it.

Forty principles drawn from the Book of Isaiah and supported by the Standard Works, offer clarity, discernment, and spiritual grounding for individuals navigating stress, uncertainty, and modern life. 

Jessica Coroles and Avraham Gileadi

I have linked each scripture for easy reference.

They represent a spiritual framework for leaving Babylon and walking toward Zion. Treasure them. Share them. 

1. God Loves You and Wants You Back—Isaiah 44:22; 54:8 

2. God Is Worthy of Your Trust—Isaiah 12:2–5; 55:8–11 

3. Seeking God Leads to Him—Isaiah 26:7–9; 30:19–21 

4. God Tests to Refine, Not Destroy—Isaiah 38:16; 48:10 

5. Your Agency Is to Use for Good—Isaiah 1:17–19; 5:20 

6. Obeying God Generates Peace—Isaiah 32:17; 48:17–18 

7. God Hides to Provoke Seeking Him—Isaiah 8:17; 45:15 

8. Afflictions Are to Endure with Faith—Isaiah 26:2–3; 33:6 

9. God Prepares You for Greater Things—Isaiah 4:2–3; 60:21 

10. Arrogance Inevitably Begets Failure—Isaiah 2:12; 13:11

11. With God, Enemies Cannot Prevail—Isaiah 41:11–12; 54:17 

12. God Lifts the Humble, Lowers the Proud—Isaiah 13:11; 57:15 

13. God Fights for Those Who Are His—Isaiah 42:13; 59:17–18 

14. False Teachers Outnumber the True—Isaiah 3:12; 9:15–16 

15. Your Idols Can Never Save You—Isaiah 44:9–10; 46:6–7 

16. God Supports His Holy Remnant—Isaiah 1:9; 37:31–32 

17. God Faithfully Keeps His Promises—Isaiah 25:1; 54:10 

18. God Honors Those Who Wait for Him—Isaiah 33:3; 64:4 

19. God Works Through Your Faith in Him—Isaiah 43:10; 50:10 

20. God Abhors People’s Oppression—Isaiah 1:17; 49:26

21. Light Always Conquers Darkness—Isaiah 9:2; 42:16 

22. You Are Engraved on His Palms—Isaiah 49:16; 53:5 

23. God Warns Us Before He Acts—Isaiah 42:9; 62:6–7 

24. God Sends You Before He Saves You—Isaiah 6:8; 48:15–16 

25. God Replaces Weakness With Strength—Isaiah 40:31; 41:10 

26. God Delivers You His Way, Not Your Own—Isaiah 30:18; 55:9 

27. God Mourns with You Before He Delivers You—Isaiah 63:9; 66:9 

28. God Redeems Even Your Wasted Years—Isaiah 52:2–3; 54:6–8 

29. Those Who Are God’s Fear No Man—Isaiah 8:12–14; 51:12–13 

30. Peace Comes Through Righteousness—Isaiah 32:17; 54:13–14

31. God’s Justice Isn’t Delayed, It Is Precise—Isaiah 5:16; 42:1–4 

32. Repentance Rebuilds What Is Ruined—Isaiah 58:10–12; 61:4 

33. God Reveals All Things to His Elect—Isaiah 33:17, 20; 52:8 

34. God’s Faithful Remnant Builds Zion—Isaiah 14:32; 51:2–3 

35. God Shakes the World to Awaken It—Isaiah 24:18; 54:10 

36. God Gathers His Elect to Zion—Isaiah 11:11–12; 57:1 

37. God Makes All Things New—Isaiah 48:6–7; 65:17 

38. The Word of God Never Fails—Isaiah 40:8; 59:21 

39. God Is a God of Order—Isaiah 26:7–8; 40:3–4 

40. Joy Is God’s Promised Gift—Isaiah 9:3; 25:9

We can say with certainty that Jesus’ commandment to the Nephites to “search diligently” the words of Isaiah (3 Nephi 23:1) is more relevant to Latter-day Saints today than it has ever been to people in the past. Not only are we closer to the time Isaiah predicts (see 2 Nephi 25:8–9), but the “good news” he teaches (Isaiah 40:9; 41:27; 52:7; 61:1)—the gospel of Messiah—enlightens our generation on many key points of doctrine. 

Indeed, by “good news” Isaiah doesn’t mean the “preparatory gospel” that prevailed under the Law of Moses. Rather, the same gospel Jesus taught that came down from the days of Adam, whose knowledge was had by prophets. Jesus’ saying that Isaiah spoke of “all things” concerning God’s people (3 Nephi 23:2) means that Isaiah teaches not only that same higher law Israel rejected at Sinai, but that he does so from ancient Israel’s peculiar perspective. It is that frame of reference we must recapture if we would comprehend Isaiah’s message in all its richness and understand fully the restored gospel itself. 

The words of Isaiah, which Jesus calls “great” (3 Nephi 23:1) reveal the ancient covenantal context in which the gospel of Jesus Christ originated and in which it is grounded. That is why Book of Mormon prophets draw on Isaiah for their frame of reference when teaching God’s plan of salvation or when predicting end-time events. 

But most Latter-day Saints haven’t drunk deeply enough from the well of the Hebrew prophets to comprehend their own roots, falling woefully short in their conception of Isaiah’s words and of many key underpinnings of their religion.

Latter-day Saints fail to realize that the words of Isaiah represent a deliberate spiritual challenge, not a topic of casual interest. When fully met, that challenge rewards a person with a comprehension of the scriptures unequaled through the study of any other book. When not met, it leaves God’s people “in Zion” clinging to “precepts of men” (2 Nephi 28:21, 24, 26), popular ideas lacking a genuine scriptural basis of fact. 

In the end, such distortions will prove at least as divisive as sectarian Christian notions, leaving the many who believe them vulnerable to fighting against God because of the untimeliness of their unfounded assumptions (see 2 Nephi 28:28; 29:14).

The words of Isaiah are life-giving, grounding a person in a divine reality that empowers him for the contest between the powers of light and darkness that precedes the coming of Messiah to reign on the earth.

The words of Isaiah indeed account for every soul God has created, past and future, living and dead, showing their relationship to one another and to their Maker.

Moreover, as every passage of Isaiah is inextricably linked to others in his writings, they—taken together, not separately—paint an entire picture of the time preceding our Lord and Savior’s coming to reign on the earth.

Indeed, the words of Isaiah enlighten us across the entire spectrum of spiritual truths. They divide the doers—those who pay the price of understanding Isaiah by searching his words until they understand them—from the judges, those who fall back on their own preconceived ideas and take issue with people who differ. 

By taking lightly Isaiah’s words, they take lightly the Book of Mormon (compare 1 Nephi 19:7; 2 Nephi 33:2–3, 14; 3 Nephi 26:9–10; D&C 84:54–59), unaware that Isaiah’s words constitute the core fabric around which the Book of Mormon and many scriptures are woven—that the quintessential concepts and imagery other scriptures share originate with Isaiah.

Today, we clearly discern many parts of the picture that Isaiah presents, so near are we to the time. Much of that picture deals with political and spiritual realities existing in our world. Much of it condemns evil practices among God’s people. But amid so much that is condemnatory in tone, we always sense that Isaiah holds out hope for those who repent. His book serves as a call to such repentance.

There must be a good reason why we are told that the prophecies of Isaiah are important for us to know. One reason may be that those who understand Isaiah will be spared the agony of learning too late the need for us all to repent and to obtain God’s Spirit.

Whenever Book of Mormon prophets draw on Isaiah’s prophecies to portray God’s people who come under condemnation in Isaiah’s endtime scenario they are speaking of the Mormon Gentiles, not of someone else.

I make no apology that Isaiah’s prophecies address us. Isaiah has seen our day and describes it perfectly. That, to me, would be all the more cause for us to familiarize ourselves with his words and repent!

See more.

He Can Also Sing Vol I

After the manner of C.S. Lewis' Anthology of George MacDonald, or Of All Things, Quotations of Hugh Nibley, I present my own quotations of Timothy Merrill from his Owl Of The Desert Blog. 

I must confess that these quotations spoke to me. You may have selected others, but these are some of the many that I like. 

I may have only selected a single quote from each blog post, but the one I think best captured Tim's gift of the Spirit. 

Tim is not only a gifted writer of the words of God, an inspired poet, but he can also sing!

This is Volume I.

May 2020

Every flock has its misfits (join the club: chances are, if you are reading this, you are one); but along comes the Savior, who calls us by a new name and cherishes us as only the Good Shepherd can.

How does one buy something if he has no money? Well, isn't that the whole point of the gospel? The good news!

June 2020

It is easy to fool ourselves into thinking we're doing "well" -- like when the smell of something foul has lingered so long we forget it stinks.

“Charity never faileth” because it is grounded in the unchanging character and goodness of God.

Isn't the greatest adventure of our lifetimes learning to love those who are our enemies?

July 2020

Can we see the difference between “I am going to love others with Christ-like love” and “I am going to love others with Christ’s love”? 

You see, in the free world, people prefer the government to stay out of their homes and lives (Brigham Young said, "To mind your own business incorporates the whole duty of man"); but when the people themselves become complicit as little deputies of the Sheriff of Nottingham, you begin to see the genesis of Gadianton.  

Eternal truths are best understood through our own experience. Who better understands where babies come from than mothers who experience childbirth?  

I want to paraphrase what is happening: Satan's great lie -- the one that he uses to "deceive" and to "blind" those who listen to him (and those that listen to him become his "captive") -- is that honor was owed him because of his authority, and that his authority could be used to abrogate the agency of man.

Church lessons on obedience remind me of the game Hot Potato, as we toss around our favorite commandments, trying to get others to catch them (obey them in the way we do).

Most everything we need to know about obedience can be learned from the example of the Pharisees. So they were spiritual snobs? At least they knew how to obey the law with exactness.

I mean, sure, the Pharisees were willing to look down their noses at the Lord, telling Him how to keep the Sabbath, telling Him when he could heal, telling Him what being a child of Abraham meant -- but they deserve credit for paying a full tithe! 

Well, we've marshaled the evidence. I hope you've realized something profound: We are in hell.

The notions of "rank and file" are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ and detrimental to our spiritual well being -- as well as to the cause of Zion, where we will be of "one heart, and one mind."

The dichotomy between "leaders and laity", "clergy and congregation", "priest and parishioner" creates rank in the church and leads to spiritual abuse. 

Cain was sick of working hard for a living, tilling the cursed ground and offering up zucchini, when all he had to do was take advantage of his brother. Then he'd have lots of lamb chops to eat. All's fair in love and war . . . and advancing our career. 

We tell our children they are entitled to food and clothes, but everything else is a privilege. Except the television - that's a member of the family.

August 2020

Because it is his job (his!) to clean us up. We cannot cleanse ourselves. But Christ takes a bowl filled with our tears, and I mean His and ours, and uses them to wash us from head to toe. 

Could the Great and Spacious Building, with all of its levels and penthouses and corner offices, symbolize the foolishness of organizing God's children into worldly ranks? 

In a choir all of the voices are equal even though they are not the same. All voices are kept in unison and harmony. 

Joseph Smith's attempt at creating unity or equality in the organization of the priesthood was unsuccessful. Instead of heirs we've created hierarchy. How did that happen?

The reason this is all so confusing is because there are members of His church who also belong to our church. And there are people who are not members of our church who are members of His church. And there are members of our church who are not members of His church.  

Is it just me, or does it seem like the gospel of Jesus Christ gets smothered and buried underneath a thousand mattresses - all the paperwork and duties and obligations and meetings and politics and marketing of religion - where the "pure" gospel is no more than a small pea at the bottom of all those mattresses? 

How often in our lived experience do we do what God actually says? Versus what we think he said, or wanted him to say, or what we were told by others he said? 

On the other hand, in our churches we love effort! We praise those who contribute their time and talents and treasure to the bake sale, the Christmas party, the putting up and the taking down of chairs. We celebrate those who are visible, busy and effortful, don't we? Ah, but there's the rub. Taking pride in our "efforts" is like thinking we are playing on the Lord's team, when we are actually scoring for the devil.

We all know what hypocrisy is, but what is "guile"? How is guile an issue for churches? "Guile" means "astuteness, often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception; deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty."

Okay, I think we get the message. Melchizedek did not "ordain" Abram; he blessed him. That's the whole point: the high priesthood is meant to impart blessings.  

September 2020

Since when did "presiding" mean "being in charge"? Because isn't the Lord already in charge? Earthly fathers and priests are merely in loco parentis. (Usually more "loco" than "parentis".)

What I want to point out is that Christ does not want us to "clean ourselves up" before we come unto Him. He wants us now, this minute, as we are, warts and all. 

Because it is his job (his!) to clean us up. We cannot cleanse ourselves. But Christ takes a bowl filled with our tears, and I mean His and ours, and uses them to wash us from head to toe. (Can't say this enough!)

Lehi wasn't able to pluck the fruit and share it with his family: they had to come and partake themselves. He couldn't throw a couple of figs towards Laman and Lemuel: like the virgins' oil, the fruit cannot be shared. Or sold.  

Maybe there is not a choir in heaven so much as heaven itself is the choir. Everybody enrolls; everybody wants to sing God's praises. Hallelujah!

If experience has shown us anything, it is the most dangerous thing we can preach in Church is repentance; and the greatest threat to our testimonies steeped in carnal security is unadorned truth.

I wonder if the faith crisis people have is partly the result of believing things that they feel secure in, only to learn some of those things were actually false.

The Pharisees were totally legalistic about it. They treated Tithing like a spiritual tax that reflected their righteousness, making a big show of how generous they were, blaring trumpets--

Joseph F. Smith, April 1907:

"Furthermore, I want to say to you, we may not be able to reach it right away, but we expect to see the day when we will not have to ask you for one dollar of donation for any purpose, except that which you volunteer to give of your own accord, because we will have tithes sufficient in the storehouse of the Lord to pay everything that is needful for the advancement of the kingdom of God. I want to live to see that day."

Does the Church Have "Sufficient in the Storehouse" to End Tithing? 

The backbone of the law of Moses was its spirit of compassion and mercy (really). And if a lesser law could show such generosity of heart, imagine what a higher law requires of us!

Is it "extortion" to tell someone, "I know you can't buy food for your children, but if you don't pay tithing, you can't receive the ordinances necessary for exaltation, and thus you'll go to a lesser kingdom. Sorry." 

One of the simplest tricks of the devil is to take telestial practices, doctrines and programs and make us think they are all we need, when in fact they are impotent to save us, to transform us, to produce a mighty change of heart or a real relationship with God.

October 2020

Religion is expert at sleight of hand: skillfully diverting our eyes (and trust) away from God by manipulating our faith through the prestidigitation of priestcraft.

As we grow in truth and knowledge, our expanding awareness reveals how much more we have yet to learn. In other words, the more we know, the more we realize we don't know.

What's interesting is that the greater our ignorance, the less aware we are of our ignorance. 

What exactly is the Prosperity Gospel? It's largely a belief that, in exchange for us giving money to our churches, God will bless us with more money , and better health, and lots of other stuff . . . but mainly more money. 

​Here's the point: When an organization makes a public declaration of a rule or creates a policy, the members can't help judging each other by it. Irresistibly we form ranks as if we had been conscripted as "hall monitors" to make sure others follow the rule. 

We see the same message again. Jesus must have really wanted to emphasize the foolishness of "laying up treasures" here on earth.  

Me: So you are saying if I lend my neighbor $100.00, I should not expect them to repay me at all?!

J.S. No, that is not what I am saying; that is what the Lord is saying.

We see signs of Seriousitis everywhere. It shows itself when we draw attention to leaders rather than to Christ; when we garnish with praise the men and women who serve in leadership roles over that of our Savior; when we make the mantle to be greater than the Master; when we refer to "faithfulness to the Church" as synonymous with "faithfulness to the Lord" . . . in other words, when we set ourselves up for a light and standard to others.

December 2020

Explain that to me. How is it we can believe that "an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God" (i.e., Lucifer) could be wrong, but not a mortal octogenarian? 

As others have pointed out, the Church structure dictates our doctrine, which boils down in the end to a single principle: We follow a man whom we call Prophet.

So why do we take such pride in our "keys" when they belong to Him? Why do we boast of our priesthood "authority" when we are but temporary custodians of what belongs to Christ? 

Why are we so obsessed with priesthood keys? Well, I guess it is because we want to establish a pecking order. We want show whose got the biggest authority.

But isn't the whole purpose of priesthood keys to bring us into the presence of God? 

"And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God." (D&C 84:19).