Alma's Teachings on Mercy and Justice

Justice or Mercy

Why We Are To Say Nothing But Repentance Unto This Generation

Book of Mormon prophet-writers often exclaim of the greatness and of the goodness of God!  In the scriptures this praise of God is almost exclusively associated with God's plan of redemption, with such words as "the great plan of mercy" or "the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!" Jacob exclaims: "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster" (2 Nephi 9:10). He also says: "O how great is the plan of our God!" and "O the greatness and the justice of our God!" and "O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel!"  While I had read these exclamations, they did not give rise in me to the same praise and joy. At least not until I personally experienced His justice, His mercy and His goodness through His plan of redemption.

By searching out His plan in the Book of Mormon, His words made me aware of His justice in my own life, and I was afraid to stand before Him and be judged of all my works, regardless of whether they had been good or bad. As I searched through 2 Nephi 2, 9 & 31; Mosiah 2-4; Alma 5, 7, 12 & 42; Helaman 7 & 12; and 3 Nephi 27, among others, I was awakened to a sense of my own guilt, and my sins began to trouble me, no, more like horrified me! The more I read of my reality, I realized that there were so many sins that I could not number them, I realized that my words would condemn me, my works would condemn me, and even my thoughts would condemn me. From James I learned that even one sin, no matter how small, would subject me to the Justice of God (James 2:10). I realized that the fiery darts were my own sins, and that in order to avoid them I must look to Christ and live! 

There is no question in my mind but that His words purposefully drive us away from His Justice (His Anger, His Wrath) and into the arms of His Mercy. At least that is how it worked for me. For others perhaps just His invitation may be enough, but I don't think so because even an invitation is associated with a revelation as to our condition on this earth, i.e. lost, fallen, carnal, sensual, devilish and shut out from the presence of God. Because of His justice, there was no other outcome for Adam and Eve, or for us, if we do not take advantage of His mercy which was introduced as a result of His atonement, and as a result of our condition--of which we are constantly reminded by our loving Father.

Alma's explanation to His son Corianton in Alma 42 is one of the clearest teachings of the Plan of Redemption, the Justice of God, the Mercy of God and how we avoid the former by taking advantage of the latter through repentance.

Alma perceived that his son thought that it was unjust that a sinner should be consigned to a state of misery. Perhaps he thought, as many of us do, that a loving Father would maybe beat us with a few stripes, but in the end would commute our punishment. Alma knew that Corianton did not understand the justice of God so he explained it to him by recounting the story of Adam and Eve having been sent from the garden of Eden, and having become like God, knowing good and evil. They were prohibited from partaking of the fruit of the tree of life at that time. Alma explains that this became a "time granted unto man to repent, yea a probationary time,..." He further explains that it was "appointed unto man to die...and...man became lost forever,..."

By this Adam and Eve were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of God and they could follow their own will. He explained that all would die, but that it was "expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from spiritual death." Mankind therefore had become carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature, and if they remained in this state their souls would be miserable forever, being cut off from the presence of the Lord.

Alma then tells Corianton that there was no means to reclaim men from this fallen state, which man had brought upon himself because of his own disobedience, and that they were in the "grasp of justice, yea the justice of God" and there was no way that the work of justice could be destroyed or God would cease to be God. In other words, God told Adam and Eve what would happen, and being God, he could not go back on his word. He could not commute the punishment. Justice must be paid because He said it must! (Note how Alma uses the word 'man' to describe not only Adam and Eve, but all mankind, even us.)

Now Alma introduces the subject of God's mercy. He told Corianton "the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also." He could not commute the punishment, but he could send His son to take upon Himself the punishment.

Alma then lays the groundwork necessary for there to be an opportunity to repent. He explains that there must be a law and a punishment for breaking the law, and that the breaking of the law would be sin, and without sin men could not repent. And, therefore, like Adam and Eve, if we sinned, we would be punished because of the justice of God. It is interesting to note that the law is the means by which sin is measured because without law, if men sinned neither justice or mercy could do anything.  Because no one can live the law, the law becomes a schoolmaster that brings us to Christ. He knew that we would sin, all of us, as sinning was part of the plan!

"But there was a law given, 

and a punishment affixed, 

and a repentance granted; 

which repentance, 

mercy claimeth; 

otherwise, justice claimeth 

the creature 

and executeth the law, 

and the law inflicteth the punishment; 

if not so the works of justice 

would be destroyed, 

and God would cease to be God."  Read this paragraph again and then again.

Note the formulas, and since all of us sin, one or the other applies to each of us: 

Break the law (sin) w/o repentance = justice

        or 

Break the law (sin) with repentance = mercy

Mercy claims the penitent and mercy comes because of the atonement. The atonement also brings to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection brings men back into the presence of God to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice (cf. 3 Nephi 27:13-21).

Alma then, in order to make sure Corianton understands, emphasizes that "Justice exerciseth his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved." If Corianton was thinking that it was an injustice to punish the sinner, he could not think that any longer. He now knew (as we must come to know) that to punish the unrepentant sinner is just.

Alma continues by reminding Corianton that there are only two ways, and from one way comes about the salvation and redemption of men, and from the other their destruction and misery.

Then, as all the Book of Mormon prophet-writers do, Alma reiterates that 'whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him (those who do not partake of the waters of life freely) according to his deeds--justice!

Of course Alma's discourse was not meant for Corianton only, but for all of us who have the law given, transgress it, and choose (and it is a choice) either mercy or justice. To paraphrase, if we have desired to do evil, and have not repented in our lifetime, evil shall be done unto us, according to the restoration of God. So let our sins trouble us with a trouble that will bring us down unto repentance.  Do not desire God's justice, even if He is fair with you. Do not endeavor to excuse yourselves in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God. Perhaps this is what Corianton was doing, and what we do, to excuse our sins. Instead let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart!

And finally Alma reminds Corianton that he (Corianton) has been called of God to preach these same words unto the people. 

"And now my son, go thy way, 

declare this word with truth 

and soberness, 

(why?) 

that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, 

(why?) 

that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them."

"O how great is the plan of our God!" 

"O the greatness and the justice of our God!" 

"O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel!"

Since repentance is the key, we must come to know what the Lord has revealed concerning repentance--what repentance is and what repentance is not, and why we have been commanded to teach our children to understand the doctrine of repentance. Something we cannot do if we do not understand it ourselves. See series on Repentance.

That Which We Work For We Worship

I don't remember how many church classroom and pulpit lessons I have had in my life about work and the virtues of being a hard worker. The lessons were always the same--teaching that hard work was a virtue. I remember many class members sharing how they had taught their children to be hard workers and as a result they were all successful. Successful at what I wondered? Not once in these lessons did the teacher/speaker ask or talk about what work we as members of His church should be doing. (I can tell you right now that it is not ecclesiastical.) The lessons never took into account what work we should be doing, but only that we be hard workers. I remember Hugh Nibley saying once that even successful criminals work hard. Is hard work in that case a virtue? I often quoted Nephi during these lessons (2 Nephi 26:30-31) where he records that "the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish," only to be met with silence.

I always wondered during these lessons what we were doing to each other in the church, where we were reinforcing in one another the assumption that tangible and visible rewards and success are promised to those who work the hardest. This assumption is certainly not taught by the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel promises rewards, but "not as the world giveth, give I unto you" (John 14:27 emphasis added). Rather "He who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his rewards, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come" (D&C 59:23). By contrast, those whose vision is influenced by the world measure their success by being "seen of men." Of such the Savior said, "They have their reward" (Matthew 6:5).

Despite the scripture narrative of not laboring for money, only doing His works or the works of righteousnes, and not laboring for that which gives no life, the assumptions of contemporary America's success ethic are deeply rooted and powerfully ingrained among the membership of the church. But during the first sixty or seventy years after the organization of the church, there were profound distinctions between the culture of the Latter-day Saints and the culture of America. The Saints had their own ideas, not only of theology but about the total cultural environment, including economic, social and political systems. During the nineteenth-century heyday of Yankee individualism, "survival of the fittest" was in all its brutality a cherished way of American life. But in the mountains of the west, the Great Basin Kingdom of that era was as isolated culturally as it was geographically. Indeed, the church and its people had been rejected by the melting pot called America in large measure because they would not melt into the pattern of Yankee values. 

Economically, the Saints sought a deliberate isolation, stressing cooperation among themselves while rejecting the nation's every-man-for-himself brand of free enterprise. At least their leaders did. Both the City of Joseph (Nauvoo) and the Great Basin of Brigham Young sought a harmony between religious and political life that was never understood by outsiders, and is still not understood by the members of the church. Joseph and Brigham spent their entire lives trying to ward off the inevitable. It was not until just before the turn of the century (after Brigham's death) that church leadership gave in to the saints desire to participate in America's  capitalism. 

FIve years after the death of Brigham Young, in 1882, President Taylor hesitantly permitted "some of our brethren to branch out into business on their own." That the idea was not his own, and that he had serious reservations, is clear from the official letter issued by the church at that time, which said among other things that "a feeling had been manifested by some of our brethren [it was their idea] to branch out into the mercantile business on their own account."

The saints ultimately rejected the Lord's way, which Joseph and Brigham taught persistently until their deaths, and embraced their fellow Americans and worked very hard to dispel former impressions of their excessive peculiarity. During the twentiweth century, the church and its members became increasingly accepted as a legitimate part of "Main Street U.S.A." In fact today, American members of the church are often considered among the most ardent defenders of success-oriented, entrepreneurial values. 

In a very real sense, the assimilation of many church members into the materialistic society of twentieth-century America parallels the assimilation of ancient Israel following its captivity into Babylonian culture. At first the Jewish captives longed to return home to the land and ways of their fathers. But after a time, they had become sufficiently integrated into the Babylonian culture that when the opportunity finally came to return home, most preferred to stay. As observed by the Jewish historian, Ernest Renan:

"Many of the Israelites...found themselves very comfortable in Babylonia. Thanks to their practical dexterity, they were able to find a thousand ways of amassing a fortune (sound familiar?) in a city devoted to luxury and pleasure.... They were not at all tempted...to return to a narrow strip of land condemned...to remain eternally poor."

Leave it to the Jews, however, to really zero in on the idea that what we work for reflects our true values and our God.

Avodah is the transliteration of the Hebrew word for worship and work. 

 

The root word means to work or to serve. The cluster of words derived from the root give us insight into the nature and sameness of both worship and work.

 

An oved is a worker. An evid is a slave.

 

Avdut is slavery. Work involves the idea of serving someone or something.

 

Avodat Elohim is the service or worship of the true God.

 

Avodah zara is literally strange worship (it is also the title of one of the tractates of the Talmud, which discusses the subject of idolatry and corrupt and false worship).

 

Avodat Elillim is idolatry, the worship of false gods. Indeed, false worship or idolatry is in essence serving the devil and leads to avdut-bondage, slavery to Satan.

 

Worship of the true God through faith, the Spirit and in truth, is hard work. It demands the expenditure of energy. Worship is not mere campfire singing. It requires focus and concentration of all our faculties. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm  46:10*).

 

Worship of the true God requires an inner humbling, a surrender of self-will, repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ, which Joseph Smith says is the hardest of work, pure mental exertion. "What are we to understand by a man’s working by faith? We answer–we understand that when a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of physical force. It is by words, instead of exerting his physical powers, with which every being works when he works by faith."

"The greatest temporal and spiritual blessings which always come from faithfulness and concerted effort," said the Prophet Joseph, "never attended individual exertion or enterprise." This statement is powerful in that it totally negates working for money.

It ascribes to Him the supreme value of who He is and acknowledges His worthiness (worth-ship) in words, deeds, and faith.  

 

Worship is hard work. What or who we worship, however, is the question.

 

Work (labor, enterprise, exertion) is always serving. For the worshiper of God, the believer in Jesus, it is serving God. "And  whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians  3:17). 

 

One of the results of the Protestant  Reformation was an affirmation of the dignity of all honest occupations and manual labor as vocations (literally, callings), i.e., the Protestant Work Ethic.  

 

Historically, the Jewish father was considered derelict if he didn’t teach his son a trade. Most rabbis also plied a trade (for example, Rabbi Moshe, the shoemaker or Rabbi Shaul, the tent-maker).

 

While work is an essential part and expression of our humanness, it is not, as some mistakenly assume, a result of the Fall. Work was part of Adam and Eve’s activity in the Garden of Eden before they partook of the fruit. They were to "work" the Garden "and take care of it" (Genesis  2:15). Work is an expression of the creativity inherent in human nature made in the "image of God." After all, God is continually working, as Jesus pointed out: "My Father worketh hitherto and I work" (John  5:17).

 

Could it be that only work that is drudgery is a consequence of the Fall? In Christ we can experience a substantial redemption from drudgery to meaningful, enjoyable work and achievement by doing His works, growing in light and truth, using our faculties for what they were intended, those faculties which have been washed and annointed, the most important of which is the brain (the intellect).

 

In modern Hebrew, av-dah means fact. A fact works in or with reality because it is true to reality. Likewise, in modern Hebrew, u-vad means adapted—something worked over to fit reality--making our way God's way.

So the question remains--what kind of work?

 

One more point is necessary: "Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind  [worship].’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your  neighbor as yourself’" (Matthew  22:37–39). These commands are always in that order. If you get them turned around, it will destroy you. That’s a fact. It won’t work; it is not true to reality. If you give yourself first to neighbor-love, you will find out it cannot be sustained. You will burnout. Only neighbor-love growing out of primary love for God has staying power. Neighbor-love works when it flows out of a life of worship.

 

Worship has priority over work, yet true worship is hard work. Work can be a form of worship, and the work of worship has priority over all other work.

 

"Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1  Corinthians  15:58). Let’s remember, "Night is coming, when no one can work" (John  9:4).

Hugh Nibley wrote that "we get the idea that the only virtues are business virtues. Consider the qualities you need to be a successful businessman. You should have persistence, reliability, a measure of courage, hard work, and all the rest of it, but those qualities are the same required in any other profession; to be an athlete or musician, a scientist, or an international jewel thief, you need those same qualities in far higher degrees than you do to succeed in business. Does it take a genius to become rich? How many first-class artists are there? You can count them. How many Nobel Laureates and so forth? You can count them on the fingers of your hand. Yet the country swarms with millionaires. The virtue is the virtue of getting ahead. Of course that's the virtue in any field. We make it seem as if that fact obliges a person to go into business—because this is where it counts, because then you possess these qualities. Anyone knows that cheating pays off very well in this country. But the solid businessman will of course protest that the law of consecration is impractical. After all, men are not really created equal. But why did God give some superior advantages? Answer: to put their time, talents, and so on at the disposal of their less fortunate brethren, as God himself does when he makes it his work and his glory to exalt us lowly creatures (Moses 1:38-39)."

For a brief history of the Saints leaving the fulness of the gospel for the things of Babylon see We Still Weep for Zion by Hugh Nibley.

If we ask what improvement has been made up to the present, there is no better standard to judge by than that given by President Spencer W. Kimball in a solemn and inspired message to the church on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the nation, titled The False Gods We Worship. The address gives us a picture of the church, the nation, and indeed the world that is a miracle of clarity and condemnation, placing the physician's finger with unerring accuracy on the really important issues. 

First, by way of introduction, a general observation: "When I review the performance of this people in comparison with what is expected, I am appalled and frightened." Not a particularly cheerful or even optimistic message. What is it that so frightens and appalls the prophet? Three things in particular: 

1. The abuse of the environment: "When I . . . fly over the vast and beautiful expanses of our globe, . . . I have the feeling that the good earth can hardly bear our presence upon it. . . . The Brethren constantly cry out against . . . pollution of mind, body, and our surroundings. . . . That such a cry should be necessary among a people so blessed is amazing to me." 

2. The pursuit of personal affluence: "Carnal man has tended to transfer his trust in God to material things. . . . When men have fallen under the power of Satan and lost the faith, they have put in its place a hope in the 'arm of flesh' and in 'gods of silver, and gold, of brass,' . . . that is, in idols. . . . Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishing, automobiles and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life." 

3. Trust in military security: "We commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become anti-enemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan's counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior's teaching. . . . What are we to fear when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith in him? . . . We must leave off the worship of modern-day idols and a reliance on the 'arm of flesh,' for the Lord has said to all the world in our day, 'I will not spare any that remain in Babylon' [D&C 64:24]." 

And how did the Saints, who never tire of saying, "The Prophet! The Prophet! We have a Prophet!" receive his words? As might be expected, reaction has ranged from careful indifference to embarrassed silence, instant deep freeze to total ignorance. As to the three things against which they were warned, it can be shown with cruel documentation that the majority of the American Saints support and vote for representatives that demonstrate outspoken contempt for the environment, unabashed reverence for wealth, and ardent advocacy of military expansion, and who believe that capitalism is ordained of God and that Socialism is evil.

He Flatterth Away

2 Nephi 28:21-32

In 2 Nephi 27, Nephi gives the time setting for what he is to say thereafter, quoting from Isaiah 29 and then his words which are recorded in 2 Nephi 28. It is the "last days, or the day of the Gentiles" (2 Nephi 27:1), meaning that we are in the day of the Gentiles. Nephi had many negative things to say about the Gentiles, and if we think of them as bad guys and us as good guys we will miss the mark. As long as we continually think of ourselves as the good guys we will not get very much out of the scriptures, and we can test ourselves with what Nephi had to say about the Gentiles, with whom we are identified (D&C 109:60). Using Nephi's description of us, Mormon Gentiles, or more accurately, Ephraimite Gentiles, is a good name for us. 

As you read Nephi's words in 2 Nephi 28:21-32 do not make the mistake of thinking they are not speaking to you and of you. Nephi is saying that in the day of the Gentiles Satan will rage in the hearts of the children of men and cause some to be stirred up in anger against that which is good. 

21. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well--and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

Note the words and phrases, pacify, lull them away, carnal security, cheateth, leadeth them away, and carefully down to hell. The idea of being pacified and put to sleep so as not to be aware of being led away is the work of the master magician. He uses illusions and vain imagination to keep the people from awakening to their awful state. In fact, he makes them think they are in the right way. He causes the people to put their trust in their prosperity and the desires of their hearts to the point that they actually think that Zion prospereth because of their industry and their goodness. Why does Nephi refer to Zion in this verse and again in verse 24? He is showing us just how effective Satan can be in making us think that we are in Zion when we are actually in Babylon, which is the antithesis of Zion. Zion cannot be mixed with Babylon. They cannot and do not exist together.

22. And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none--and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.

Flattery is one of the 'shalt nots' in the Book of Mormon and a tool of Satan to lead the people away from Christ. Sherem "preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ" (Jacob 7:2;4). The people subject to King Noah "...were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them" (Mosiah 11:7). Unbelievers in the days after King Benjamin "did deceive many with their flattering words" (Mosiah 26:6). Even Ammon, in order to get the king's men to follow him and gather the king's flocks "flattered them by his words" (Alma 17:31). Korihor attempted to bring many "souls down to destruction, by...lying and by...flattering words" (Alma 30:47). Many in the church "believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah" (Alma 46:7;10). The people of Morianton were so stubborn and proud "being inspired by his wickedness and his flattering words" (Alma 50:35). See also Helaman 13:28; 3 Nephi 1:29; and Ether 8:2.

In other words, Satan can be so subtle that we don't even know we are "grasped with his awful chains" until it is too late. In fact life can go on as it always has for us with little or no discernible change from our perspective, and that is because Satan has deflected and caused you to see what he wants you to see and hear what he wants you to hear. He limits your perception and your awareness. He can distort the truth just enough to make it so we do not see that it is distorted. An example is the focus on the family whereby he can lead us away from Christ if our focus does not include teaching them as commanded in D&C 68:25; Moses 6:58-59; and D&C 93:40.

His words can even be pleasing to you, focusing you on what you want or what you are doing, and are intended to keep you from the one thing that is necessary for you to be released from the grasps of his awful chains. Alma tells us what that is. Satan has influenced you to harden your heart against the word of God, and those that do harden their hearts against the word of God "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). Don't let the word 'harden' cause you to say, "but my heart is not hard." To harden one's heart is to set your heart on other things. Just as cement hardens, so does your heart as it becomes set upon the your worldly family activities, your worldly possessions, your idols, your values, yourself, and/or those things which give no life.

Alma called the Zoramites the most wicked people, after Alma and others went to the Zoramites to "preach unto them the word" (Alma 31:7; cf. Alma 31:5). He described them as industrious and hard-working, and described their manner of worship, for they were also religious people. But this is what Alma described as their wickedness: "they cry unto thee (O God), and yet their hearts are swallowed up in their pride. ...they cry unto thee with their mouths, while they are puffed up, even to greatness; with the vain things of the world. ...their costly apparel, and their ringlets, and their bracelets, and their ornaments of gold, and all their precious things which they are ornamented with; and behold, their hearts are set upon them, and yet they cry unto thee and say--We thank thee, O God, for we are a chosen people unto thee, while others shall perish" (Alma 31:27-28 emphasis added).

23. Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

Hardening our hearts against the word of God will cause that His words will not be found in us, and then will our state "be awful, for then we shall be condemned" (Alma 12:13). It is either the whisperings of Satan that we hear or the word of God. The Lord told Joseph Smith that the "mainspring of all corruption" is everything but the word of God (why?) because Satan's creeds have been "so strongly riveted...upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and ha(ve) been growing stronger and stronger, and (are) now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band: they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell" (D&C 123:7-8 emphasis added)

Satan wants us to be at ease and feel secure that all is well. He blinds us to the reality of our true condition causing us to put our trust in things that are more immediately at hand. He presents His world as the "real world" and most of our preparations are to live in his world, while God's world is what we should want--where all are equal, all are pure in heart, and where there are no poor among us. We have lost sight of Zion because we are so comfortable in Babylon. As President Spencer W. Kimball said, "Few men have ever knowingly and deliberately chosen to reject God and his blessings. Rather, we learn from the scriptures that because the exercise of faith has always appeared to be more difficult than relying on things more immediately at hand, carnal man has tended to transfer his trust in God to material things. Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life" (The False Gods We Worship, Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, June 1976).

24. Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!

President Kimball was right on! Our purpose in this life is not to have a more comfortable life, but Satan makes it so inviting and enticing that all of us fall in his trap. And this is exactly the trap that Nephi is warning us about, and make note that when a prophet uses the word 'wo' we should know that he is speaking unto those who have entered into the covenant because the word 'wo' is associated with a covenant curse, meaning we better repent or suffer the curse and God's justice. Satan knows that it does not take much to get us to put our energy into activities and things which deflect us away from Him. He is content to see us working and industrious as long as we are working for the wrong things. Nephi, said, afterall, that "the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish" (2 Nephi 26:31). Being at ease in Zion was the sin of Sodom. "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness" (Ezekiel 16:49 emphasis add).

25. Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!

And Ezekiel says that Israel was "corrupted more than they (Sodom and Samaria) in all their ways" (Ezekiel 16:47 emphasis added). The cry that "all is well" is a confirmation that being at ease is what constitutes being well. This is an indication of "the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men. We may see that at the very time he doth prosper his people...then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One--yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity" (Helaman 12:2 emphasis added).

26. 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!

Nephi then adds another 'wo' unto those that hearken unto the precepts of men, because by doing so they deny the power of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is not just Satan that can lead the hearts of the people astray. Men can also do the same, and can even do so while meaning well. The necessity of hearkening only to the words of God is so crucial in getting us in the right way and keeping us there, that the Lord has told us to not hearken unto the precepts of men, no matter if those precepts are mingled with scriptures or quotes from other men. The idea of precepts of men mingled with scripture is another example of opposition in all things. In other words we cannot hearken unto the precepts of men and/or the whisperings of Satan, and at the same time hearken unto the voice of God. It is one or the other, and we are enticed by one or the other. Nephi makes this clear when he says that even the humble followers of Christ "are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men" (2 Nephi 28:14). He decries those "who preach false doctrines...and pervert the right way of the Lord" (2 Nephi 28:15). To "transfigure the holy word of God" is to bring damnation upon our souls. (Mormon 8:33).

Moroni's last words before his death were exhortations, exhorting us to deny not the gifts and power of God. He warns "that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. And wo (links to Nephi's wo) be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God" (Moroni 10:24-25 emphasis added). 

27. Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!

Our attitude toward the word of God can be measured by our reaction to what words we have and whether we desire more of the word of God. To those who say we have enough, Nephi says wo unto them. Isaiah asks the question: "Whom shall he (God) teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts" (Isaiah 28:9)? He asks this question after describing the method of learning among God's people. He says that our tablets are full of vomit, or in other words we simply regurgitate what we have heard. To these God cannot teach knowledge. They are satisfied with "precept upon precept; line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10; See verse 30 below). "Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, but have removed their hearts from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men" (2 Nephi 27:25 emphasis added).

Samuel the Lamanite emphasized that he had been commanded to say: "Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my Spirit from them" (Hel 13:8)

28. And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it (the truth) with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.

Nephi then adds another dimension by describing how some people respond to the word of God, and shows again the polarization between those who are built upon the Savior and receive the truth with gladness and those built upon a sandy foundation. The precepts of men and the whisperings of Satan contribute to the sandy foundation because they remove the hearts of the people from the Lord.

29. Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!

Many Latter-day Saints use this scripture to separate them from their Christian brothers and sisters who say all we need is the Bible. Those who say that fail the test, because Nephi is speaking to us (notice the 'wo' again) who say we have enough and don't need more. We are under condemnation for having "treated lightly" the words we have received (D&C 84:54). But we have only been given a 100th part of all the words the Savior taught to "try our faith" and see if we will desire more. "And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it so be that they shall believe these things (these words) then shall greater things (greater words) be made manifest unto them. And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation" (3 Nephi 26:11-10 emphasis added).

30. I will give...line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear to my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say: We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

Nephi explains that line upon line, precept upon precept, is not the end, but only the means to receiving more. Many of the Lord's people are content with what they have and believe that the idea of precept upon precept is all there is. But the Lord says "unto him that receiveth I will give more" and to those who desire more they shall receive more. Those who don't will not just receive less, but will have that which they have "taken away" from them. The fact that this applies to us is even more compelling when we realize it was the same thing that Christ prophesied would happen to those who failed the test of faith mentioned in 3 Nephi 26:10-11.

31. Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost. 

Nephi uses the phrase "cursed is he" in place of "wo be unto" which he used in verse 26 to describe what happens to those who put their trust in man. Nephi expounds upon verse 26 by adding the descriptive phrases "putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm as curses associated with hearkening unto the precepts of men.  Nephi describes us as we are today.

Nephi does add a qualifier to not hearkening unto the precepts of men when he says "save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost." And who decides that? We do, of course, or at least those who can discern the difference between the words of men and the words of God. This puts the burden directly on us to treasure up in our minds continually the words of life so that we will know whether what is said is given by the power of the Holy Ghost. (D&C 84:85) 

See also D&C 42:15-16, where the Lord says: "And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach. And as ye shall lift up your voices by the Comforter, ye shall speak and prophesy as seemeth me good." To love the Lord with all our mind is to look to Christ as the sole source of truth and light in our lives. We do listen to what others have to say, but measure everything against the sole source of truth and light. This is not an option, but a choice with consequences: either hearken unto the precepts of men or hearken unto the voice of God! 

32. Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.

Joseph Smith told us that we are identified with the Gentiles (D&C 109:60) and therefore Nephi again makes it clear that he is talking to the Lord's people in the last days, as well as the Gentiles (nations) of the earth. The 'wo' is used to speak only of those under the covenant, and is a reminder to us that if we do not repent we face the justice of God. He is constantly extending His arms to us, wanting us to choose Him and His mercy. As long as we can repent it is never too late. 

What is it with which the Lord has blessed the Gentiles? He has poured out the Holy Ghost upon the Gentiles, and if we do not repent after the blessing which we have received, we reject the blessing of the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 20:15;27), and therefore our ability to distinguish between the precepts of men and the word of God. Nephi is telling us there are two choices. Which one are you choosing?

The only bad guys in the Book of Mormon are those who are not repenting, and the only good guys are those who are repenting. Put another way, if you are wicked you are not repenting, but if you are repenting you are righteous. And this because you have turned to His righteousness. Alma, after teaching his son Corianton, said to him: "And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people. And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness, (why?) that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, (why?) that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them" (Alma 42:31 emphasis added). Not only has our Father in Heaven commanded that we hearken unto His voice through His words, but He has also called us to preach His words, because it is only through His words that others will be brought unto repentance and lay claim to the great plan of redemption. This is another measure of whether we have received His words--do we desire that others taste as we have tasted?

Why Are There So Many Religions in the World?

An ancient record purportedly written by Moses which surfaced in 1830 contains some records written by Moses and also by Enoch. There are three other Enoch fragments which contain some of these same writings.  The records, if true, settle the question once and for all as to when the Gospel of Jesus Christ was first upon the earth, and why there are so many religions in the world. Moses is quoting records written by Enoch, and Enoch refers to a "book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language" (vs. 46). Enoch is referring to this book of remembrance "which was recorded in the language of Adam" (vs. 5) and he explains that because Adam fell, "...we are; and by his fall came death...and (we) are shut out from the presence of God." 

Enoch then says that 

God called "upon our father Adam 

by his own voice, 

saying I am God...

and he also said unto him: 

if thou wilt turn unto me, and 

hearken unto my voice, and 

believe, and 

repent of all thy transgressions, 

and be baptized, even in water, 

in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, 

who is full of grace and truth, 

which is Jesus Christ...

ye shall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost..." (vs. 51-52 emphasis added). 

It is recorded that Enoch is speaking the words of God as spoken by God to Adam, which Adam recorded in this Book of Remembrance (vs. 47).

Here is Adam (and make note that there are no written records before Adam*), being told of Jesus Christ, long before the mortal Jesus was born in the flesh, long before any of the world religions--Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or Muslims--even existed! And not only is Adam told of Jesus Christ, but he is given the gospel of Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism (of water and of fire), being born of the Spirit. The record also tells us that Adam was "caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water and was brought forth out of the water" (vs. 64). After being baptized with water, Adam then "heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost" (vs. 66).

*All of us belong to the family of Adam. It has been said that all the world is no further removed from Adam than 40th cousins. All of our genealogy can eventually be traced back to Adam. There are no written records of anyone living before Adam.

According to this record, Adam taught these things, and many believed, but many did not believe, and perished in their sins. Hundreds of years later when the "children of men were numerous upon all the face of the land...Satan had great dominion among men, and raged in their hearts;..." (Vs 15). The result was that the majority of the generation of Adam did not repent and would not hearken unto the voice of God and rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ which had been given to Adam and Eve. 

Many years later, Enoch, who was "taught in all the ways of God" (vs 21), heard a voice from heaven saying "Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people and say unto them--Repent, for thus saith the Lord; I am angry with this people...for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off" (vs. 28). This voice from heaven also said to Enoch, "And for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and...(they) have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam" (vs 28), which commandments are repentance, baptism by water and by the Holy Ghost, and enduring in repentance to the end in faith in Jesus Christ.

If this remarkable account is true, then it is easy for us to understand why there have been and are so many churches, religious systems and philosophies on the earth. Everyone on earth is descended from ancestors who fully accepted the way of Jesus Christ to happiness through His Gospel. But, as with the case of the children of Adam and Eve, the majority of the people rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ, would not repent, and therefore the true Gospel was not passed on to their children. As a result, the Lord raised up righteous men like Enoch to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who would listen. Enoch, who had been taught by his father "in all the ways of God" (vs 41) called upon men to repent and many did, but again the majority rejected his message and did not repent, and as a result the floods came and they were destroyed, except Noah and his family, after Noah called upon all men to repent.

The generations of those who refused to repent (which means to turn to Christ) and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ were left with many other religions, churches and philosophies to choose from, but 

every religion, 

church 

and philosophy on earth 

has descended from, 

is a reaction to, 

or was created for want of 

the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

But notwithstanding, every religion, church and philosophy which has something good in them, received that goodness from Jesus Christ and the heritage He has left on the earth from the beginning when the true Gospel of Jesus Christ was introduced to Adam.

So the only question for anyone desiring to know is this: Is this record an accurate and true account? And remember that just because you may not initially believe it, your unbelief does not make it not true. The question is not whether you believe it, but whether or not it is true. And you can also ask if there is a way for you to know if the words spoken by Enoch are, as Enoch says, the words of God? 

Fortunately, there is an experiment that is as scientific as any experiment can be. And this experiment is best conducted without asking the source of Moses' record because the source is irrelevant to this experiment. By utilizing this experiment you can know if these words which Enoch spoke, and which have been recorded, are as Enoch said, the words of God. 

You begin by awakening and arousing your faculties and by exercising a particle of faith. A particle of faith is no more than just a desire to believe in a manner that you can give place in your heart for the words of God spoken by Enoch, which I will call the Word.

Now compare the Word to a seed. Allow the seed or Word to be planted in your heart. If the seed is a good seed, and if you do not cast it out by your unbelief, it will begin to swell within your heart and you will recognize that the seed is a good seed because it is beginning to grow. Your understanding will begin to be enlightened, and you will know that the seed is good. It is the Word that will have swelled within your heart and enlightened your understanding, and therefore you will know that the Word is true, i.e., the seed is good.

For more detail on this experiment see: Is It a Good Seed?

You can then do the same with all the words of God spoken by Enoch which are found in Moses 6 (see attached), and know for a surety that Enoch did speak the words of God, and that the events spoken of actually happened. The Word is light, is good and is discernible and you can taste the light. This is direct communication from God to you through His recorded words. You are no longer dependent on knowledge from others, but receive your knowledge directly from God, through His words. In this same way one can know that the Restored Gospel given through Joseph Smith is the same Gospel given to Adam and Eve after they left the Garden of Eden.

We can then look at each dispensation (a time when the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the authority to perform the ordinances was on the earth), and know that Adam's dispensation was the first, and Enoch's was the second. Additional searching will tell you that Noah's was the third dispensation, Abraham's was the fourth, and Moses' was the fifth. We then come to the sixth dispensation which began when Christ came to earth as the mortal Jesus. 

The seventh and last dispensation is the restoration of the same Gospel of Jesus Christ given to Adam, through the prophet Joseph Smith. In each of these dispensations the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was on the earth, but in each case the majority of the people rejected it, thereby leading to generations of millions of people without the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All other religions, churches and philosophies are the result of either rejecting, not having, or perverting the true and only Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was on the earth in the beginning, and is now on the earth for the last and final time before the second coming of Jesus Christ.

"And Christ hath said (from the beginning, through all of his prophets and throughout each dispensation) Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved" (Moroni 7:34). "And now, my beloved brethren... these things (these words) are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true..." (Moroni 7:35 emphasis added).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Chapter 6: Selections from the Book of Moses as found in the Pearl of Great Price

1 AND Adam hearkened unto the voice of God, and called upon his sons to repent.

2 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and he called his name Seth. And Adam glorified the name of God; for he said: God hath appointed me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

3 And God revealed himself unto Seth, and he rebelled not, but offered an acceptable sacrifice, like unto his brother Abel. And to him also was born a son, and he called his name Enos.

4 And then began these men to call upon the name of the Lord, and the Lord blessed them;

5 And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration;

6 And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled.

7 Now this same Priesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also.

8 Now this prophecy Adam spake, as he was moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and a genealogy was kept of the children of God. And this was the book of the generations of Adam, saying: In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

9 In the image of his own body, male and female, created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created and became living souls in the land upon the footstool of God.

10 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his own image, and called his name Seth.

11 And the days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were eight hundred years, and he begat many sons and daughters;

(verses 12-20 trace the genealogy from Seth to Enoch over several hundred years)

21 And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begat Enoch. And Jared taught Enoch in all the ways of God.

22 And this is the genealogy of the sons of Adam, who was the son of God, with whom God, himself, conversed.

23 And they were preachers of righteousness, and spake and prophesied, and called upon all men, everywhere, to repent; and faith was taught unto the children of men.

(Verses 24 &25 are more genealogy.)

26 And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him.

27 And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them--Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off;

28 And for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam.

29 Wherefore, they have forsworn themselves, and, by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and a hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not;

30 And this is a decree, which I have sent forth in the beginning of the world, from my own mouth, from the foundation thereof, and by the mouths of my servants, thy fathers, have I decreed it, even as it shall be sent forth in the world, unto the ends thereof.

31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.

33 Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.

34 Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.

35 And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so.

36 And he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.

37 And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him.

38 And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.

39 And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God.

40 And there came a man unto him, whose name was Mahijah, and said unto him: Tell us plainly who thou art, and from whence thou comest?

41 And he said unto them: I came out from the land of Cainan, the land of my fathers, a land of righteousness unto this day. And my father taught me in all the ways of God.

42 And it came to pass, as I journeyed from the land of Cainan, by the sea east, I beheld a vision; and lo, the heavens I saw, and the Lord spake with me, and gave me commandment; wherefore, for this cause, to keep the commandment, I speak forth these words.

43 And Enoch continued his speech, saying: The Lord which spake with me, the same is the God of heaven, and he is my God, and your God, and ye are my brethren, and why counsel ye yourselves, and deny the God of heaven?

44 The heavens he made; the earth is his footstool; and the foundation thereof is his. Behold, he laid it, an host of men hath he brought in upon the face thereof.

45 And death hath come upon our fathers; nevertheless we know them, and cannot deny, and even the first of all we know, even Adam.

46 For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language.

47 And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence.

48 And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe.

49 Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God.

50 But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent.

51 And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh.

52 And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.

53 And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have forgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.

54 Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

55 And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good.

56 And it is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment.

57 Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.

58 Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:

59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;

60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;

61 Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.

62 And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.

63 And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

64 And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.

65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.

66 And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever;

67 And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity.

68 Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen.

I Am Obliged Too

A Not so Glorious July 4 Prophecy

Hugh Nibly once wrote that "anything I discuss with anybody from this time on must be within the framework of the scriptures. Why? Isn't it rather narrow? Arbitrary? Confining? Authoritarian? No, the scriptures have immense breadth.... Within the framework of the scriptures we are free to ponder, speculate, discuss, criticize, check and control from other sources--it is all legitimate. Above all, we are not only justified in falling back on the scriptures, we are obliged to--because there is no other framework available to appeal to."

As one who has spent considerable time studying, hearing, searching, feasting upon, and writing about the words of God, I can concur. I have come to realize that I have no choice but to frame everything I learn and observe within the framework of the scriptures--I am obliged!  It is the framework with which I compare everything.  

In addition to being instructed to "teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom...that (we) may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for (us) to understand..." (D&C 88:77-78), He wants us to learn "of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth (science); things which have been (history), things which are (current events), things which must shortly come to pass (prophecy); things which are at home (for us America), things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land (as have been revealed by the Lord); and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms..." (D&C 88:79). In other words, He wants us to learn all we can about everything! Why? "That (we) may be prepared in all things" and be able to "warn our neighbors" (D&C 88:80-81).  By doing so and comparing what we learn with His words, we cannot be deceived.

I can no longer read, watch, observe, discuss, think, hear or experience anything without comparing it to what the Lord has, through His words, revealed to me. The word of the Lord is my sole source of light and truth, and is the light and truth by which I compare everything. The word of God is much more than just the framework, it is the standard by which everything must be compared. I cannot help myself. I must compare everything against the standard which is the word of God that has been revealed to us and more importantly, to me personally.  

As I read His words and prophecies and compare them with the present state of our country, I am alarmed.  I read a substantial amount of news from many sources. I feel a need to be informed as counseled by D&C 88:79, and not just be acted upon by all the rhetoric and disinformation. I see and observe so much from politics, crime, inhumanity, power, wealth, greed, poverty, America, the world and its future; the environment, and the judgments upon this country as prophesied in the Book of Mormon. Image plays such a major role in present-day America as well as the need and desire to become a celebrity or to identify with one. Putting our trust in men, we adopt a political party or an ideology based on our values, ignoring the Lord's definition of good and evil.  Are you a conservative or a liberal? And all the while we let what the Lord has said fall by the wayside.  

The Book of Mormon defines the Nephites' democratic process:  "It is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make your law--to do your business by the voice of the people. And if the time comes that the voice of the people (more specifically His people) doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land" (Mosiah 29:26-27). "Hitherto visited this land" refers to the Jaradites and later refers to both the Jaradites and the Nephites. Also Isaiah and Jesus have said that Noah's day, when the majority chose wickedness and refused to repent, foreshadowed the end of the world (Isaiah 54:9-10; Matthew 24:37-39). When describing the rulers of God's people in that endtime generation, Isaiah writes, "My people are taken over without price; those who govern them act presumptously,' says Jehovah, 'and my name is constantly abused all the day long" (Isaiah 52:5). 

Being "taken over without price" in Isaiah's context occurs when a nation given to idolatry and growing lax in its morals, opens an opportunity for predatory elements to gain power and implement their self-serving agenda. The people's collective wickedness creates the conditions in which bondage to sin leads to physical bondage as lawlessness succeeds in institutionalizing itself. Gone are the days of equity and right as the liberties which were--for which honorable citizens paid the ultimate price--are now trampled underfoot as the few which have been given the opportunity, attempt to usurp power and undermine the liberties given to us under the Constitution. The spirit of the people withers as the powers of an oppressive leadership consolidate to still every impulse heaven sends, plunging the people into captivity, just when they were living it up and thought they never had it so good.

This is the reason the Lord has told us that "honest and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil" (D&C 98:10). The Lord justifies us in His church only if we are "befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land" to protect the liberties provided, and when we elect those who do not honor their oath to uphold the constitution which has made us free, then we begin to see Isaiah's and the Book of Mormon prophecy beginning to be fulfilled. Overriding this is the reality that we have the Constitution only because we (the Lord's people) refused to live His law! And because we never learn, we will soon, as prophesied, no longer have a constitutional democracy.

Even though a corrupt people might not wittingly choose evil leaders to govern them, they might do so unwittingly when society reaches a point that men "suppose what is evil to be good and what is good, evil" and decide to "abolish (their) traditional ways" (Isaiah 3:12; 5:20).  

Two ancient civilizations in the Americas perished when their people (the Lord's people) chose evil.  Evil in this context is the refusal to repent.  In the Book of Mormon those who are described as evil are those who are not repenting. To ancestors of the Jaredites, who migrated from the Tower of Babel, God had said, "Whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation should possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity" (Ether 2:8-9).  

The Jaradite nation self-destructed when rival rulers pitted the people against the other in a series of horrendous battles, leaving the prophet Ether, a lone survivor, to tell the story (Ether 1:1-2). Although Ether had given the Jaredites ample warning, they "esteemed him as naught, and cast him out" (Ether 13:13).

The Nephite civilization in the Americas perished for similar reasons. To their ancestors, who migrated from Jerusalem, God said, "This land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sake, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.... Inasamuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations.... But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessing from the hand of the Lord, ... he will take way from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten" (2 Nephi 1:7, 9-11).

Nephite prophets had regularly cautioned their people that "if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity; that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction" (Alma 10:19). As it happened, a lone survivor of that civilization, too--who saw to the end of time--warns those who inhabit the Americas in our day of their impending peril: "This [record] cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God--that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done. Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall posses it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written" (Ether 2:11-12 emphasis added).

When a corrupt few come to power who are upheld by the many--who themselves are on the high road to corruption--they cannot expect the few not to exercise controls over the many contrary to the latter's expectations when their own lawlessness demands it. Nor can the many expect the few not to far exceed lawful limits in expanding their authority as they savor their newfound powers and devise unlawful pretexts to increase their hold on the many. Thus do the few lead the many captive--all because "the time came that the voice of the people chose iniquity" (cf. Mosiah 29:26-27). Meanwhile, the upright minority of the people who did not choose evil now doubly falls victim to evil (1) because they were not the ones who elected the few who deprived them of the freedoms they once enjoyed; and (2) because they have now become convenient scapegoats for the majority who entangled them in the collective guilt of the nation.

Book of Mormon prophets predicted the endtime restoration of all twelve tribes of Israel--whom God would gather to Zion in America and Jerusalem in the Land of Israel--and they were most concerned with events in America, which land God had promised their ancestors. They knew that God would bring Gentiles from the old world to possess the Americas after the Nephite civilization had been destroyed. They also saw that ultimately the Gentiles' civilization would be destroyed, and these prophets left behind records to warn the endtime Gentiles of their impending destruction. Jesus warned of the reversal that would take place when the Gentiles rejected the fulness of His gospel. Lehi's descendants who had been scattered and trodden under by the Gentiles, would do the same to the unrepentant Gentiles, who would then become like salt that has lost its savor. (3 Nephi 16:13-15)

These include the Gentiles' attempts to set up a king in the land sometime after they had established a democracy. The Lord said to Nephi that "this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles. And I will fortify this land against all other nations. And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish saith God. For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words" (2 Nephi 10:11-14). Note the parallel ideas between (1) of people "perishing" who fight against Zion; and (2) of people "perishing" who raise up a king (2 Nephi 10:13-14).

These Book of Mormon prophets saw these events and forewarned us who are identified with the endtime Gentiles. (D&C 109:60) Just before Jesus appeared to the Nephites, for example, wicked men "did combine against the people of the Lord, and entered into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the law. And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land, that the land should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings" (3 Nephi 6:29-30 emphasis added).

A Nephite name Amalickiah--a man of "cunning device" and "many flattering words" (Alma 46:10)--"was desirous to be a king; and those people who were wroth [with the people of God] were also desirous that he should be their king; and they were the greater part of them the lower judges of the land, and they were seeking for power. And they had been led by the flatteries of Amalickiah that if they would support him and establish him to be their king that he would make them rulers over the people" (Alma 46:4-5 emphasis added).

Because Amalickiah wanted (1) "to destroy the church of God;" and (2) "to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them" (Alma 46:10), the people who resisted were those who kept the law of God as well as the law of the land.

Let's examine the Lord's counsel in D&C 98:5-10 that honest and wise men should be sought for who will uphold the constitution as to preserve the people's liberty. This revelation in D&C 98 came in consequence of the persecution upon the Saints in Missouri. But we must also keep in mind the reason for the persecution as given in Section 103. "And those who call themselves after my name might be chastened for a little season with a sore and grievous chastisement, because they did not hearken unto the precepts and commandments which I gave unto them. ...But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them. For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men. And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of men" (D&C 103:5; 8-10). In other words they were the cause of the persecution in Jackson County, as we will be the cause of the judgments that will come upon us in the endtime.  

When we choose to uphold dishonest and corrupt political leaders, we will receive the evil that is associated with it. And that evil is spelled out in D&C 98:5-10 as a loss of our liberties or those freedoms which the Lord provided, and for which Captain Moroni fought for against the Kingmen in the Book of Mormon. For this reason the Lord counseled us to support "the law of the land which is constitutional (why?), supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges [which] belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. ..."as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, made you free, therefore you are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil" (D&C 98:5-10). And when we do not seek honest and wise men, but instead seek to support those who are not wise and honest, even if they are members of our political party, then we suffer the consequences.

This was echoed by James Madison who asked "Is there no virtue among us?" If there be not, we are in a wretched situation … No form of government can render us secure."

We put our politics and our self interests before God's counsel. No man or woman, or group of men and women is going to solve the problems that are in this country or the world. Mankind will not solve the crime, the poverty, the abuses of power, climate change, greed, drugs, human trafficking, abortion, healthcare, the economy, the inequality, or any of the other issues facing mankind. In fact it is because of mankind that we have all these problems.

This is not a political issue. It is about putting our trust in men, a political party, a Supreme Court, congress and ourselves. One thing I have learned, however, is that there are a lot of people who care and provide invaluable services to others, but it is not enough to save us from ourselves.

But, you may ask: Should I not support a Republican instead of a Democrat?  I am not sure where the idea came from that to be a good Mormon you had to be a Republican, but at one time there were no Republicans in the church. In 1887 the Republican Congress passed the Edmonds-Tucker Act which disincorporated the Church, took most of its properties, disenfranchised all polygamists and all Utah women, abolished the Perpetual Emigrating Fund that subsidized immigration from Europe and took over the Mormon-dominated public school system. Because of these and other abuses by the Republicans, the Church members became Democrats. It was not until the Church saw this imbalance as dangerous and sent out people to recruit members to the Republican party that there started to be a better balance. But, again, that is not the issue. The issue is putting our trust in people instead of God, a practice we have been warned about repeatedly. 

Again this, I believe, is the result of not understanding the Gospel and the Lord's Law. Do you think He supports the idea of inequality where the rich enhance themselves at the expense of the poor? Where big business turn people and property into money, and grind upon the face of the poor? Where the environment is destroyed to appease wealthy business owners? Do you think Joseph Smith or Brigham Young did? The Lord certainly does not and has made it clear that "it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the world lieth in sin" (D&C 49:20).  

Because of the great inequality that existed both in and outside of the Church, Alma gave up the seat of Chief Judge to "preach the word of God unto [the people] to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness...seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them" (Alma 4:19). Perhaps we need the word of God in our lives to remember our duty to God and His children and to seek with all our heart, mind and will to establish the cause of Zion before His second coming instead of putting our faith and trust in men. 

Unfortunately the prophets do not see that happening because of our aligning ourselves with Babylon and knowingly sinning against His gospel. "At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders [like Alma 'murdering' or leading astray many to their destruction], and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. And I will remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them" (3 Nephi 16:10-11 emphasis added).

Those people who rallied to Moroni's "Title of Liberty" covenanted to keep the commandments of God so that he might empower them against the enemies of freedom. The people cast their rent garments at Moroni's feet and covenanted with God. Inspiring this courageous "Band of Christians" in their rightful cause, Moroni pointed them to the foundations of their freedom, affirming that God could be relied upon to preserve them alive and to thwart their enemies' designs so long as they remained faithful and true even if a majority of the people should betray them. Armed with knowledge of these scriptural precedents or types, America's Gentiles (including Mormon Gentiles) in our day can turn hindsight into foresight when the endtime "Kingmen" make an appearance in the land.

And finally, this note. Among the Nephites, Gadianton's band finally contrived to "obtain the sole management of the government, insomuch that they did trample under their feet and smite and rend and turn their backs upon the poor and the meek, and the humble followers of God" (Helaman 6:39). Their "filing the judgment seats, having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men; condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills," reduced the people to "an awful state," readying them "for an everlasting destruction" (Helaman 6:40; 7:4-5).  

The Book of Momon tells the backstory to these upcoming events within the Nephite nation: "The Lord had blessed them so long with the riches of the world that they had not been stirred up to anger, to wars, nor to bloodshed; therefore they began to set their hearts upon their riches; yea, they began to seek gain that they might be lifted up one above another" (Helaman 6:17). America's Gentiles (which includes us) have indeed long been blessed with this world's riches, more than all other peoples before them. As the most consumer-driven society of all time, have they not indeed set their heart on their riches and put their trust in men? If there remains in their minds any doubt about the wicked usurping power to destroy our liberties in our day, isn't it because "their eyes are glazed so they cannot see; their minds incapable of discernment" (Isaiah 44:18; cf. 56:10)?