All Things For Our Benefit

I read this morning the words of Nephi. “...the Lord God worketh not in darkness. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation” (2 Nephi 26:23-24).

First thing I felt confirmed again is He doesn’t work in darkness. He doesn’t lie. He is open and honest. He doesn’t cover things up. As we go to Him, He reveals truth to us. As we come unto Him we reveal the truth of our sins to Him and allow Him to take our burden of sin as we repent. Humility leads to honesty which leads to repentance. 

Secondly, all the things that He allows to happen to us and this world are for our benefit. We have started to see the fruits of allowing secret combinations to get above us, which Moroni prophesied of in Ether 8. It will get much worse before it gets better. It is important to remember that these natural consequences are consequences we chose for preaching and living as if “all is well in Zion.” But, there is redemption. These terrible things that will happen will help many turn to God. It will help many wake from their slumber and have the option to choose to continue to love Babylon or choose to leave her filthiness and come unto Zion. All things will turn for the good of those that love Him and keep His commandments. Loving Him and keeping His commandments require us to study the life and teachings of the Lord and do them. We have worshipped a passive Christ for too long. He is a mighty God, a speaker and doer of truth. He was bold in the face of false traditions and false doctrine. He was also kind and loving and surrounded Himself with children. It’s interesting to study the lives of the prophets in scripture to remind us of who the true servants of God are. 

The last reminder in these verses is He wants all to come unto Him and partake of salvation. Not all will come, but He has laid down His life and suffered the demands of justice for any that repent and allow His mercy to take full effect in their life. We have this day of grace to come unto Him. I hope I have the strength, courage and faith to fully come unto Him and be perfected in Him.

So, we can be of good cheer! These things that are happening have been prophesied of since the beginning of this world. We have the patterns of scripture to help us know how to proceed forward. We have specific teachings in scripture where other societies have allowed secret combinations to get above them and fully infiltrate every segment of their society. God shows us several options that He has led His people to do. 

I know Jesus lives. He is truth. He is light. He is the way. His ways and timing are best, always. 

Liberty and other Thoughts on our Current Situation

Freedom and liberty is a precious thing to give away because of fear. Yes, viruses are real, but so is providing for your family, common sense and faith in God. I think many trust experts or news media more than God. The ironic thing is there are other experts out there, not on main stream media, that give other advice and other methods of prevention and healing that make way more sense and keep life going. It is clear there are way more agendas at work than keeping us healthy. If we can’t see that than I don’t know what to tell you. If we think the government hasn’t grown larger in scope and power than is necessary, than I don’t know what to tell you either. Actually, I would share the word of God with you. Then let’s talk.

The bill of rights was created to protect us from government overreach. The promise of safety and security at the loss of freedom has always been at the heart of satanic philosophy. We stepped off the ledge of safety and security when we chose to come to this earth. We risk making mistakes and sinning. We risk death and we may even die earlier than we expected. The beautiful news is that we have a Savior, even Jesus Christ, who conquers sin and death. What a beautiful time of year to remember the gifts Jesus gives us!

I may take some grief for writing this, even social shaming. It seems to be the way of the world, mocking from the great and spacious building, which lacks foundation. Jesus Christ is the foundation and faith in Him eliminates all fear. Jesus said, “whoso treasurereth up my word shall not be deceived.” There is a lot of deception going on and it will only get more and more layered and dark.

So, I’d suggest prayer and studying in the word of God as you decide what to do. I’d also suggest washing our hands, being kind and respectful of others and staying at home if it’s wise. Then I’d suggest finding other experts on the issues so you can have two sides or two viewpoints that you might be more informed. 

Remember that once liberty is lost, only blood will bring it back. I feel like quoting Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson here but I’ll give you the pleasure of looking up their quotes yourself. 

As always, God is the answer and has the answers.  

Oaths, Secret Oaths and Secret Blood Oaths

Jesus said, “Again, it hath been written by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths. ​But I say unto you, swear not at all​; neither by heaven, for it is God's home; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be Yea, yea; and Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (JST Matthew 5:37-39).

James, a true apostle of the Lord quoted Jesus saying....”But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation” (James 5:12).

President Russell M. Nelson said the following. Is it in agreement or in contrast to what the Savior taught? “Our sustaining of prophets is a personal commitment that we will do our utmost to uphold their prophetic priorities. Our sustaining is an oath-like indication that we recognize their calling as a prophet to be legitimate and binding upon us” (“Sustaining the Prophets,” Russell M. Nelson, General Conference October 2014).

In the book of Pearl of Great Price, which came from the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, we learn of an evil counterfeit City of Enoch. They practiced secret oaths between Satan and men. They swore their very lives in these oaths. They bound themselves to secrecy. They swore by the living God. The Book of Moses states,

“...They loved Satan more than God. And Satan said unto Cain, ​Swear unto me by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die; ​and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by the living God, that they tell it not; for if they tell it they shall surely die….

15 And Satan swear unto Cain, that he would do according to his commands. And all these things were done in secret” (Genesis 5:13-15; see also Moses 5:28-31). 

I’ve always wondered why a person who loves Satan more than God would swear by the living God. Is swearing by the living God part of the way Satan masks the evil he is doing amongst the children of men because men think they are swearing righteously to God? We also see in these verses how Satan’s way is force, manipulation, intimidation, fear and coercion. If you break the oath, then you will die physically. 

In this wicked city of Enoch where these oaths were administered, plural wives were taken and homosexuality practiced. We read, 

“And Lamech took unto himself two wives; the name of one being Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah….

For Lamech having entered into a covenant with Satan, after the manner of Cain, wherein he became Master Mahan, master of that great secret which was administered unto Cain by Satan; and Irad, the son of Enoch, having known their secret, began to reveal it unto the sons of Adam;
Wherefore Lamech, being angry, slew him, not like unto Cain, his brother Abel, for the sake of getting gain, but he slew him for the oath’s sake.
For, from the days of Cain, there was a secret combination, and their works were in the dark, and they knew every man his brother.
Wherefore the Lord cursed Lamech, and his house, and all them that had covenanted with Satan; for they kept not the commandments of God, and it displeased God, and he ministered not unto them, and their works were abominations, and began to spread among all the sons of men. And it was among the sons of men” (Moses 5:44, 47-52).

We have another witness in the Book of Mormon, testifying of the wickedness and abominations of these secret oaths. These were entered into the same way. Here is the account that Moroni gives us in the Book of Ether, “And it came to pass that they all sware unto him, by the God of heaven, and also by the heavens, and also by the earth, and by their heads, that whoso should vary from the assistance which Akish desired should lose his head; and whoso should divulge whatsoever thing Akish made known unto them, the same should lose his life” (Ether 8:14). 

Moroni gives us additional light as to why these secret oaths arise, how God feels about them and what we are to do about them when we discover them amongst us in our day. 

“And it came to pass that thus they did agree with Akish. And Akish did administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning.

16 And they were kept up by the power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms.

17 And it was the daughter of Jared who put it into his heart to search up these things of old; and Jared put it into the heart of Akish; wherefore, Akish administered it unto his kindred and friends, leading them away by fair promises to do whatsoever thing he desired.

18 And it came to pass that they formed a secret combination, even as they of old; which combination is most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God;

19 For the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man.

20 And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.

21 And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. [Major red lights should be going off in your mind and heart when Moroni, the one who added the destruction of the Jaredite nation to the destruction of the Nephite nation, tells us why both nations were destroyed. Then he makes sure that we, the gentiles, are listening].

22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.

23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved” (Ether 8:15-26).

We have an additional witness in the Book of Mormon how these oaths were part of the Zion breakdown after the Savior came amongst the Nephites, “And it came to pass that the wicked part of the people began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton” (4 Nephi 1:42).

We remember Jesus’ powerful reminder for us in the last days, “Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you; For many shall come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall deceive many; ...many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many...whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived...” (JS—Matthew 1:5-6, 9, 37; see also JST Matthew 24:5-6, 9, 39). 

In God’s word it is clear that God doesn’t work with oaths between men, especially secret oaths or secret blood oaths. We are simply exhorted to “perform unto the Lord [our] oaths” (JST Matthew 5:37) . May we be true to God’s word and truth is my prayer.