All people and religious institutions would do well to ask themselves the question, "are we instituting policies and practices to hold up evil as good and call good evil? Are we fighting against good (God)? In an effort to be politically correct and never offend are we offending God?
Friday, December 30, 2022
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Thoughts on Helaman 4
Chapter 4
"And now it came to pass in the seventy and second year of the reign of the judges that the contentions did increase, insomuch that there were wars throughout all the land, among all the people of Nephi. And it was this secret band of robbers who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness. And this war did last all that year. And in the seventy and third year it did also last.
[The secret combination is what carried on the work of destruction and wickedness. As you study wars and follow the money, you’ll discover the Rothschilds benefited from both sides of many of the wars. They are truly a band of robbers profiting from contentions. These secret combinations still seek the overthrow of freedom in all lands and stir up contentions that they might profit thereby and control governments, money and people.]
And it came to pass that in this year Nephi did cry unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword, but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee.
[We learn here that the Lord uses natural disasters to help his children remember him and the purpose of their existence here. Too much prosperity generally entices the masses to forget God and carry on in the pride of their hearts, not repent. We also learn that even though Nephi had the sealing power given to him from God, he communicated with Father and asked the Lord to do things the Lord had already given him power to do. This shows Nephi’s humility and why he was given this power. God trusted him.]
And so it was done according to the words of Nephi, and there was a great famine upon the land, among all the people of Nephi. And thus in the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue, and the work of destruction did cease by the sword, but became sore by famine. And this work of destruction did also continue in the seventy and fifth year. For the earth was smitten, that it was dry and did not yield forth grain in the season of grain; and the whole earth was smitten, even among the Lamanites as well as among the Nephites, so that they were smitten that they did perish by thousands in the more wicked parts of the land.
[Destruction and death has proven through history to help many humble themselves. Unfortunately that is what it will take in the last days. We are as prideful as any past group of people.]
And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember the Lord their God, and they began to remember the words of Nephi. And the people began to plead with their chief judges and their leaders, that they would say unto Nephi, Behold, we know that thou art a man of God, and therefore cry unto the Lord our God that he turn away from us this famine, lest all the words which thou hast spoken concerning our destruction be fulfilled.
[It worked. The hard times did help the people turn to God after many had perished.]
And it came to pass that the judges did say unto Nephi according to the words which had been desired. And it came to pass that when Nephi saw that the people had repented and did humble themselves in sackcloth, he cried again unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, behold, this people repenteth, and they have swept away the band of Gaddianton from amongst them, insomuch that they have become extinct and they have concealed their secret plans in the earth.
[Nephi considered eliminating the gadiantons from among them as a big step in their repentance process. I have noticed that those fighting the gadiantons in our day are generally labeled as fear mongering, contentious and too focused on the negative. It appears to me that the Lord would say those fighting the secret combinations are repenting by eliminating these combinations from their lands. The eat, drink and be merry crowd are exposed again by the Book of Mormon.]
Now, O Lord, because of this their humility, wilt thou turn away thine anger and let thine anger be appeased in the destruction of those wicked men whom thou has already destroyed?
[The Lord calls those who seek to tear down the gadiantons, humble.]
O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land? O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth rain upon the face of the earth that she may bring forth her fruit and her grain in the season of grain? O Lord, thou didst hearken unto my words when I said, Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the sword might cease. And I know that thou wilt even at this time hearken unto my words, for thou saidst that if this people repent, I will spare them. Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented because of the famine, and the pestilence, and destruction which has come unto them. And now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger and try again if they will serve thee? And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy word which thou hast said.
[Again, we see how a righteous man exercises the sealing power. We also see the purpose of suffering. God doesn’t like to see his children suffer. But, personal growth and development is more important than prosperity, comfort and ease. Increasing in light takes as many hard knocks as we decide we need. It is interesting that the prototype of the saved man, Jesus Christ, suffered more than all other men and women. This allowed him to ascend after condescending below all things. Great suffering brought Jesus to conquer sin and death, in all its forms.]
And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year, the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit. And it came to pass that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain. And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing. And they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a great prophet and a man of God, having great power and authority given unto him from God. And behold, Lehi, his brother, was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness. And thus it did come to pass that the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to build up their waste places, and began to multiply and spread, even until they did cover the whole face of the land, both on the northward and on the southward, from the sea west to the sea east. And it came to pass that the seventy and sixth year did end in peace. And the seventy and seventh year began in peace, and the church did spread throughout the face of all the land, and the more part of the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and they did have exceeding great peace in the land. And thus ended the seventy and seventh year. And also, they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets; and in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pass that Nephi, and Lehi, and many of their brethren, who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year.
[Those who know the Lord are able to receive revelations daily and correct false beliefs by sharing the truth. Their preaching is what helped people self correct. They did not force, manipulate or coerce. God’s pattern is persuasion and long suffering. Our free will and our hearts is what the Lord desires. It is how we become as he is. Forced obedience is not a change of heart and feigned loyalty doesn’t help the individual develop godly character, perfections or attributes.]
And it came to pass that in the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were a certain number of the dissenters from the people of Nephi, who had some years before gone over unto the Lamanites and took upon themselves the name of Lamanites, and also a certain number who were real descendants of the Lamanites being stirred up to anger by them, or by those dissenters, therefore they commenced a war with their brethren. And they did commit murder and plunder, and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers, inasmuch as there were dissenters that went forth unto them. And thus in time, yea, even in the space of not many years, they became an exceeding great band of robbers; and they did search out all the secret plans of Gaddianton, and thus they became robbers of Gaddianton.
[The gaddiantons in our day are in their secret places amongst us. They are the white and blue collared workers. They murder and plunder and get away with it because of their societies’ money and power. We see it all the time. Those that are caught are given a slap on the wrist and released back into society. More and more of their secret acts are revealed but the darkness is so dark that the majority don’t want to admit it is even happening. For example, in Russell Nelson’s own autobiography he states how he was a member of a secret society, Skull and Bones and then advanced into Owl and Key https://youtu.be/pKGnM2a9Sj4 Yet, the people rationalize it away without even a thought. The church pushes the homosexual agenda and the one world order as carried out by the UN and Agenda 2030 https://rumble.com/vvt2zm-global-lds-church.html https://youtu.be/jTI2LQ_zAVU
and the people look the other way at first, then tolerate it and now embrace the agenda. Those that do not learn the lesson of the past are doomed to repeat it. Evil does not look dark and loathsome from the outside, they go about in secret, saying the right things and putting on a dog and pony show, hardly noticed by the masses for their real fruits.]
Now behold, these robbers did make great havoc, yea, even great destruction among the people of Nephi, and also among the people of the Lamanites. And it came to pass that it was expedient that there should be a stop put to this work of destruction, therefore they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and upon the mountains to search out this band of robbers and to destroy them. But behold, it came to pass that in that same year they were driven back, even into their own lands. And thus ended the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
[When a group decides to eliminate the gaddiantons from their society, it is very difficult to do so. They are too entrenched in our society. All the UN entanglements and the break down of constitutional laws. Ecclesiastically it is almost impossible to eliminate the gaddiantons from within the institution. Satan is clever to have his people infiltrate religious organizations. https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/07/24/lawsuit-accusing/]
And it came to pass in the commencement of the eighty and first year, they did go forth again against this band of robbers and did destroy many; and they were also visited with much destruction. And they were again obliged to return out of the wilderness and out of the mountains unto their own lands, because of the exceeding greatness of the numbers of those robbers who infested the mountains and the wilderness. And it came to pass that thus ended this year.
And the robbers did still increase and wax strong, insomuch that they did defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites; and they did cause great fear to come unto the people upon all the face of the land. Yea, for they did visit many parts of the land and did do great destruction unto them, yea, did kill many and did carry away others captive into the wilderness, yea, and more especially their women and their children.
[A study of child trafficking and satanic ritual abuse reveals that taking women and children captive and doing all manner of evil against them, is still alive on the earth. It is disgusting, heart wrenching and disturbing, but the followers of satan still use these methods, probably because it’s the same author of wickedness in any age.]
Now this great evil, which came unto the people because of their iniquity, did stir them up again in remembrance of the Lord their God. And thus ended the eighty and first year of the reign of the judges. And in the eighty and second year they began again to forget the Lord their God. And in the eighty and third year they began to wax strong in iniquity. And in the eighty and fourth year they did not mend their ways. And it came to pass in the eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction. And thus ended the eighty and fifth year.
[I’m reminded of September 11. When the towers collapsed it felt like our nation turned to God for a moment. But, soon we turned back to our wickedness like a dog to his vomit.]
And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men. Yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people — yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks, and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind, and art sparing their lives and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies, softening the hearts of their enemies, that they should not declare wars against them, yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people — yea, 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 exceeding great prosperity. And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death, and with terror, and with famine, and with all manner of pestilences, they will not remember him. Oh how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the Evil One and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world, yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride, yea, how quick to boast and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths! Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God who hath created them should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
[Beautiful passage of scripture!!!]
Oh how great is the nothingness of the children of men, yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth! For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God. Yea, behold, at his voice doth the hills and the mountains tremble and quake, and by the power of his voice they are broken up and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley. Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake, yea, by the power of his voice doth the foundations rock, even to the very center. Yea, and if he saith unto the earth, Move — and it is moved. Yea, if he say unto the earth, Thou shalt go back, that it lengthen out the day for many hours — and it is done. And thus according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still. Yea, and behold, this is so, for sure it is the earth that moveth and not the sun. And behold also, if he saith unto the waters of the great deep, Be thou dried up — and it is done. Behold, if he saith unto this mountain, Be thou raised up, and come over and fall upon that city, that it be buried up — and behold, it is done. And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say, Let it be accursed because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up — behold, it shall be accursed. And if the Lord shall say, Be thou accursed that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and for ever — and behold, no man getteth it henceforth and for ever. And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man, Because of thine iniquities, thou shall be accursed for ever — it shall be done. And if the Lord shall say, Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be cut off from my presence — and he will cause that it shall be so. And woe unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared.
[The earth is a beautiful example of hearkening to the will of the Lord. We also learn that the sun is the center of our galaxy and not the earth. Such a beautiful example. We live in a world that would push self above god. The Sun/Son is the center and we revolve around him, not he around us. We must conform our will to his and trust him. He is the creator. He is our creator. We must come to know him by complying with his laws and ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our ways. We must learn to trust him and follow him and do all things according to his holy will. His whole purpose is to bring us back into his presence. Iniquities will keep us from his presence. Therefore, has repentance been declared to us, that we might enter the presence of the Lord.]
Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God, for these are they that shall be saved. And may God grant, in his great fullness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace according to their works. And I would that all men might be saved. But we read that in that great and last day, there are some who shall be cast out, yea, who shall be cast off from the presence of the Lord, yea, who shall be consigned to a state of Endless misery, fulfilling the words which say: They that have done good shall have Everlasting life, and they that have done evil shall have Everlasting damnation. And thus it is. Amen" (RE Helaman 4; Hel 11, 12).
[Grace by grace, following the example of our Lord. Through repentance, good works and the blood of the Lamb, we can be redeemed from the fall and receive everlasting life.]
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Faithful Questions from an LDS Friend
Faithful Questions and Answers:
I had an LDS friend reach out to me recently with some questions. This happens often but sometimes I’m more willing to respond because I can sense they really are searching for answers to their questions.
I believe Joseph Smith was a good example of what it means to really be looking for an answer. He said, “My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join” (RE JSH 1:5; JSH 1:3). When he went to the Lord, he asked which church was right that he might know which to join. This implies his willingness to act on the answer. He wasn’t content to just get an answer without any intent to act on the answer.
I’ve asked for his permission to share this and he was happy for me to do so. After every question from him, I’ll paste my response. This was just a quick response. I could follow this blog post up with further resources but this is enough to get one started:
The polygamy issue is rather fascinating. Given the church has long said that JS practiced polygamy, I hadn't ever heard that he didn't. I do see the statements you have posted stating that he did not. I found that rather interesting. Given his statements against it, he would have had to have said somewhere else that he had changed his mind or given a reason for doing one thing and saying another. Given that, have you or someone else disproven the claims that he did? There are obviously quite a few claims of him doing it from the church and those outside of it. Has someone gone through each individual person and disproven that he was ever married to them? I would be curious if that has been done, or if it's just based on statements of him condemning it. Did Emma ever acknowledge that he did or did not?
Here are some resources and sources but I’d add that an in depth study of the Temple Lot case, where the judge was determining which church should have property rights to the Independence, MO temple lot, is very helpful. The judge was determining if the Brigham group (LDS), Hedrikites (or something like that) or RLDS should have rights to the property. The judge's thought was the Book of Mormon would establish the teachings of Joseph Smith and then he could evaluate the church's claiming to be from Joseph. Whichever was teaching and practicing according to the book would be the church most in line with the church Joseph left behind and he could award them the temple lot in Independence, MO. The judge determined that the LDS group was NOT teaching according to the Book of Mormon. One reason was because the Book of Mormon preaches against polygamy (3x). The LDS group was led by Brigham at the time and so Brigham gathered many affidavits from women claiming to have been Joseph's wives. These were gathered decades after Joseph's death for the purpose of proving the LDS church in Utah, led by Brigham, was the church Joseph started. The RLDS were ultimately given the property, as the judge determined their church teachings were closest to what Joseph had taught.
Here are some references as answers to your question regarding polygamy:
These first two resources are phenomenal. I didn’t know about them when I first started out on my journey reevaluating polygamy:
https://bilbaochristian.blogspot.com/2020/02/polygamy-plural-marriage-and-spiritual.html?m=1
If the LDS church was astray from the time of his death, do you believe the FLDS was initially the right church afterward or was there never any proper succession?
I believe the fullness was already taken when Joseph was on the earth as discussed in D&C 124. Here is a video and link to a blog that may help. I know the title is abrasive but hear it out:
https://seekingfurther.blogspot.com/2017/04/did-lord-lie-to-saints-in-nauvoo.html
A study of the gentiles and their prophesied falling away is important too. Here are a couple blog posts of some scriptures to get you started on that:
https://bilbaochristian.blogspot.com/2020/12/gentile-apostasy.html
https://bilbaochristian.blogspot.com/search?q=fulness+of+the+gospel
What is supposed to happen now for the restoration? If Joseph was prophesied to bring about the restoration, what is supposed to happen if the church has gone astray? Is there supposed to be a new prophet or will things be restored when Christ returns?
An Elias will come, much like Joseph Smith, to dispense greater light and truth. That’s what a dispensation is, a time when the Lord reveals his true gospel to a servant commanded to share with the people. Every time a dispensation begins with a prophet hearing from the Lord to share the original gospel, that group has fallen into apostasy and then another servant/prophet is called upon to “dispense” light and truth again. Ie: Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus, Joseph Smith, and now. Right now my thinking is John the Beloved may be working closely with a servant. We can discuss who that servant may be later. After I had posted the blogs about the Restoration of All Things, I came across these 10 talks. The author has been slammed by the LDS church and so I was very hesitant to listen to what he had to say. Because of what I was taken through during my disfellowshipment, I realized the LDS church leadership doesn’t hesitate to lie about individuals to keep others from listening to them. So, I decided to listen and see what he had to say, from the horses mouth, so to speak. I think he does a great job in explaining what the gospel was Joseph was called upon by God to share and where the LDS church is today. I’d love to discuss your reaction to these talks: https://www.thetentalks.com
http://bilbaochristian.blogspot.com/2016/12/elias-forerunner-end-time-servant.html
Let’s discuss this more over the phone.
Is everything that has been done in the temples been for naught? Would it all have to be redone?
Still studying temples and exactly what the Lord feels about them. I think the Old Testament temple and how Jesus reacted there is important to consider. Jesus’ tabernacle was his body. We are to prepare our tabernacles to receive the presence of the Lord in the flesh, in our tabernacles.
How do you deal with baptizing and such when it comes to authority? Did you and your family members all get re-baptized when you were out of the church? Sorry if that is too personal, just curious. : )
Not too personal. I’m totally open. Much like Alma and Helam in the waters of Mormon, is how we received authority. Yes, a couple sons and myself have been rebaptized. Many early saints were baptized over and over even for healing. Lots in church history had multiple baptisms for themselves. Today the church frowns upon the practice.
Here is a great talk on authority. I’ll tell you who the author is at the end. See what you think. I’d love to discuss:
What do you do now as a primary mission of spreading the gospel? Do you focus on current members or just learning.
I do focus on learning and sharing. That is why I have my videos and blog. I feel the LDS community needs to know the LDS church has strayed from Joseph’s original intent and message, even God’s original intent trough Joseph. They are even fighting against the teachings of the Book of Mormon. John the Baptist and Jesus told the Pharisees they had strayed from the gospel Moses restored. I’m not them but I feel the need to share that there is a sickness so others will look for a cure. I also want to share the Lord’s perspective on being redeemed from the fall and entering his presence or rest. I have several things about that. Here is one:
Here is a video I did on the apostasy. A little blunt but I think it’s important to get it out there and let people decide for themselves:
I too am very disturbed (he shared some concerns he had with the stance of the church on some recent issues), well actually it is validating, to see the church’s stance on:
the poke, our associations with the UN and other globalist groups, the 2A decision…here are a couple things that shed light on fruits of LDS church. By their fruits ye shall know them:
This:
Thank you,
Greg Hymas
Jesus Christ, the True Light of the World
I'm grateful for Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer. I don't have words to describe adequately my feelings for him. I love him. I know he loves you and me. Praise be to God and the Lamb.
We have had beautiful snowfalls here this winter. The deep white snow reminds me of the gift of covering our sins from the Lord. No matter how ugly our past may be, his gift is a covering and a renewal through repentance and forgiveness.
We just passed winter solstice a few days ago. Jesus brings the increasing light into our lives as we conform to his will. As we become one with him we live according to his teachings and life. We grow in light and brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Jesus is wonderful to me!
Thoughts on Helaman 3:9-21
In the last post I shared some scriptures and thoughts about the holy order and how the Lord chooses his servants. I won’t spend time on that here, but remember how important that holy order is and tie it in to the portion we are discussing here.
“…And now I would that ye should know that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos did testify boldly, for the which he was slain, and behold, also Zenoch, and also Ezaias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem — and now, we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah — oh then why not the Son of God come according to his prophecy?
[Prophets have been and will continue to be persecuted for what they share. It’s not likely they will be throwing out first pitches at Major League Baseball games or having churchwide birthday parties for them. Most don’t want to receive the message of a true prophet to repent and return to the Lord. In our world they call you contentious or negative when you suggest our lives need reforming into the image of God. It’s not a popular message. It’s much more popular to say the same things other churches are saying, acceptable suggestions like: be kind and loving, be tolerant. Give grace to one another. Those can be difficult things to do but Helaman and the prophets above were calling out the whole corruptness of the society and the twisting of laws etc. Those sayings are easy to shut down because the masses either don’t care, are naive, or have partaken of the spoils of Babylon and are content with bread on the table and football on the big screen]. ]
And now will ye dispute that Jerusalem was not destroyed? Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were Muloch? Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us and they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem? But behold, this is not all. Our father Lehi was driven out of Jerusalem because he testified of these things. Nephi also testified of these things, and also almost all of our fathers [the fathers of the holy order], even down to this time; yea, they have testified of the coming of Christ, and have looked forward and have rejoiced in his day which is to come. And behold, he is God, and he is with them, and he did manifest [the verb manifestar in spanish is to show] himself unto them, that they were redeemed by him [follows the pattern laid out by Moroni in the Book of Ether, ‘...the Lord shewed himself unto him and said, Because thou knowest these things, ye are redeemed from the Fall. Therefore, ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I shew myself unto you’ (RE Ether 1:13; Ether 3:13-16).]; and they gave unto him glory because of that which is to come.
And now, seeing ye know these things and cannot deny them, except ye shall lie, therefore in this ye have sinned, for ye have rejected all these things, notwithstanding so many evidences which ye have received. [so many evidences have been brought to light but the majority of people will not hear, feel or see what is happening to them individually and as a society.] Yea, even ye have received all things, both things in heaven and all things which are in earth, as a witness that they are true. But behold, ye have rejected the truth and rebelled against your holy God [Rejecting truth is the same as rejecting god for he is the truth]. And even at this time, instead of laying up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where nothing doth corrupt and where nothing can come which is unclean, ye are heaping up for yourselves wrath against the day of judgment. Yea, even at this time ye are ripening because of your murders, and your fornication, and wickedness, for everlasting destruction [we have shared the secret societies and gadiantons in our day and how they are murdering children, others and fornicating and participating in all manner of wickedness]. Yea, and except ye repent, it will come unto you soon; yea, behold, it is now even at your doors. Yea, go ye in unto the judgment seat and search; and behold, your judge is murdered, and he lieth in his blood, and he hath been murdered by his brother who seeketh to sit in the judgment seat. And behold, they both belong to your secret band whose author is Gaddianton and the Evil One who seeketh to destroy the souls of men” (RE Helaman 3:9-10; Hel. 8:12-28). [Bush and Kerry both belonging to Skull and Bones Secret Society is an example of these gadiantons lusting for power but appearing to oppose one another. All sorts of mischief going on behind the facade of the media https://youtu.be/xSGYJlR2qgc ].
Behold, now it came to pass that when Nephi had spoken these words, certain men who were among them ran to the judgment seat, yea, even there were five who went. And they said among themselves as they went, Behold, now we will know of a surety whether this man be a prophet, and God hath commanded him to prophesy such marvelous things unto us. Behold, we do not believe that he hath, yea, we do not believe that he is a prophet; nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has spoken are true. And it came to pass that they ran in their might and came in unto the judgment seat; and behold, the chief judge had fallen to the earth and did lie in his blood. And now behold, when they saw this, they were astonished exceedingly, insomuch that they fell to the earth, for they had not believed the words which Nephi had spoken concerning the chief judge. But now when they saw, they believed, and fear came upon them lest all the judgments which Nephi had spoken should come upon the people. Therefore, they did quake and had fallen to the earth.
Now immediately when the judge had been murdered, he being stabbed by his brother, by a garb of secrecy, and he fled, and the servants ran and told the people, raising the cry of murder among them. And behold, the people did gather themselves together unto the place of the judgment seat, and behold, to their astonishment they saw those five men who had fallen to the earth. And now behold, the people knew nothing concerning the multitude which had gathered together at the garden of Nephi, therefore they said among themselves, These men are they who have murdered the judge, and God has smitten them that they could not flee from us.
And it came to pass that they laid hold on them, and bound them, and cast them into prison. And there was a proclamation sent abroad that the judge was slain, and that the murderers had been taken and was cast into prison. And it came to pass that on the morrow the people did assemble themselves together to mourn and to fast at the burial of the great and chief judge who had been slain. And thus were also those judges, who were at the garden of Nephi and heard his words, were also gathered together at the burial.
And it came to pass that they inquired among the people, saying, Where are the five who were sent to inquire concerning the chief judge, whether he was dead? And they answered and said, Concerning the five whom ye say ye have sent, we know not, but there are five who are the murderers whom we have cast into prison. And it came to pass that the judges desired that they should be brought, and they were brought; and behold, they were the five who were sent. And behold, the judges inquired of them to know concerning the matter. And they told them all that they had done, saying, We ran and came to the place of the judgment seat; and when we saw all things even as Nephi had testified, we were astonished, insomuch that we fell to the earth. And when we were recovered from our astonishment, behold, they cast us into prison. Now as for the murder of this man, we know not who has done it; and only this much we know, we ran and came according as ye desired, and behold, he was dead according to the words of Nephi.
And now it came to pass that the judges did expound the matter unto the people, and did cry out against Nephi, saying, Behold, we know that this Nephi must have agreed with someone to slay the judge, and then he might declare it unto us, that he might convert us unto his faith, that he might raise himself to be a great man, chosen of God and a prophet. [the wicked will never receive witnesses of a true messenger or servant. They always find a way to explain it away.] And now behold, we will detect this man, and he shall confess his fault and make known unto us the true murderer of this judge. [the wicked tried to catch Abinadi in a snare while questioning him and they did the same thing to Jesus. By their craft and deceit they seek to catch the righteous in a snare]. And it came to pass that the five were liberated on the day of the burial. Nevertheless, they did rebuke the judges in the words which they had spoken against Nephi, and did contend with them one by one, insomuch that they did confound them.
Nevertheless, they caused that Nephi should be taken, and bound, and brought before the multitude; and they began to question him in divers ways, that they might cross him, [just as they did with Jesus] that they might accuse him to death, saying unto him, Thou art confederate. Who is this man that hath done this murder? Now tell us and acknowledge thy fault; saying, Behold, here is money; and also, we will grant unto thee thy life if thou wilt tell us and acknowledge the agreement which thou hast made with him. But Nephi said unto them, O ye fools, ye uncircumcised of heart, ye blind and ye stiffnecked people, do ye know how long the Lord your God will suffer you that ye shall go on in this your ways of sin? O ye had ought to begin to howl and mourn because of the great destruction at this time which doth await you except ye shall repent. Behold, ye say that I have agreed with a man that he should murder Seezoram, our chief judge. But behold, I say unto you that this is because I have testified unto you, that ye might know concerning this thing, yea, even for a witness unto you that I did know of the wickedness and abominations which are among you. And because I have done this, ye say that I have agreed with a man that he should do this thing. Yea, because I shewed unto you this sign, ye are angry with me and seek to destroy my life.
And now behold, I will shew unto you another sign, and see if ye will in this thing seek to destroy me. [Sometimes the Lord allows his servants to show unto the people a sign that they might believe. Jesus performed miracles in the sight of the people but the wicked never recognized the signs. They prefer darkness rather than light. It’s much more comfortable to stay in the path one is on then to change and be the odd one out.] Behold, I say unto you, go to the house of Seantum, who is the brother of Seezoram, and say unto him, Has Nephi, the pretended prophet who doth prophesy so much evil concerning this people, agreed with thee, in the which ye have murdered Seezoram, who is your brother? And behold, he shall say unto you, Nay. And ye shall say unto him, Have ye murdered your brother? And he shall stand with fear and wist not what to say. And behold, he shall deny unto you, and he shall make as if he were astonished; nevertheless, he shall declare unto you that he is innocent. But behold, ye shall examine him, and ye shall find blood upon the skirts of his cloak. And when ye have seen this, ye shall say, From whence cometh this blood? Do we not know that it is the blood of your brother? And then shall he tremble and shall look pale, even as if death had come upon him. And then shall ye say, Because of this fear and this paleness which has come upon your face, behold, we know that thou art guilty. And then shall greater fear come upon him; and then shall he confess unto you, and deny no more that he has done this murder. And then shall he say unto you that I, Nephi, knew nothing concerning the matter, save it were given unto me by the power of God. And then shall ye know that I am an honest man and that I am sent unto you from God. [How can you refute this when the murderer himself says he has not colluded with Nephi and he must be of god? It’s not that they don’t understand he is honest, but it is what that means, that they must repent as Nephi has commanded them.]
And it came to pass that they went and did even according as Nephi had said unto them. And behold, the words which he had said were true; for according to the words, he did deny, and also according to the words, he did confess. And he was brought to prove that he himself was the very murderer, insomuch that the five were set at liberty, and also was Nephi. And there were some of the Nephites who believed on the words of Nephi; and there were some also who believed because of the testimony of the five, for they had been converted while they were in prison. And now there were some among the people who said that Nephi was a prophet; and there were others who said, Behold, he is a god, for except he was a god, he could not know of all things. For behold, he has told us the thoughts of our hearts, and also has told us things, and even he has brought unto our knowledge the true murderer of our chief judge.
And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone as he was standing in the midst of them. [the righteous walk a lonely road. In the end they associate with the righteous but the test seems to include opportunities to stand alone on the side of the Lord, doing his will at the cost of family and friends. Thus the Lord taught, ‘And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life’ (Matthew 19:29).] And it came to pass that Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shewn unto him. And it came to pass as he was thus pondering, being much cast down because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities — and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, [pondering brings revelation. Taking time to think is a valuable skill. In our world there is a lot of noise some call music, on gadgets and in ears. Easy to be distracted. Even good things can be constantly drowning out time to just think and ponder.] behold, a voice came unto him, saying, Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done. For I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hath sought my will and to keep my commandments. And now because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee for ever. And I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works, yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will. Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels that ye shall have power over this people and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people. Behold, I give unto you power that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in Heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. And thus shall ye have power among this people. And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple, It shall be rent in twain — and it shall be done. And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth — and it shall be done. And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass. And now behold, I command you that ye shall go and declare unto this people that thus saith the Lord God, who is the Almighty: Except ye repent, ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction [God trusts Nephi. Nephi is given the sealing power. God does this by his own voice with the angels as witnesses. It seems that anything at a melchizedek priesthood level is done by god himself with his holy angels as witness].
And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken these words unto Nephi, he did stop and did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land, and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him concerning their destruction if they did not repent. [he stops immediately and declares exactly as the Lord commanded him. Even though he has the sealing power from the mouth of god, he doesn’t go beyond what the Lord has told him to do. God trust him because he trusts god and acts in complete obedience to his will]. Now behold, notwithstanding that great miracle which Nephi had done in telling them concerning the death of the chief judge, they did harden their hearts and did not hearken unto the words of the Lord; therefore, Nephi did declare unto them the word of the Lord, saying, Except ye repent, thus saith the Lord, ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction. And it came to pass that when Nephi had declared unto them the word, behold, they did still harden their hearts, and would not hearken unto his words. Therefore they did revile against him and did seek to lay their hands upon him, that they might cast him into prison. But behold, the power of God was with him and they could not take him to cast him into prison, for he was taken by the spirit and conveyed away out of the midst of them [the same thing happened to Jesus].
And it came to pass that thus he did go forth in the spirit from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God, even until he had declared it unto them all, or sent it forth among all the people. And it came to pass that they would not hearken unto his words. And there began to be contentions, insomuch that they were divided against themselves, and began to slay one another with the sword [the natural path of wickedness leads to contention and blood shed]. And thus ended the seventy and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi” (RE Helaman 3:9-21; Helaman 8:12-28, Hel. 9, Hel. 10).
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