Who Do You Choose to Emulate?

 Great post on another blog:

https://ldtruths.blogspot.com/2022/01/jan-2022-when-church-of-russell-m.html?m=1

Evil Speaking of the Lord’s Anointed

I wonder if the Jews in John and Jesus’ day had a similar tradition of belief to “not speak evil of the Lord’s anointed?” When John called them vipers and Jesus called them whited sepulchers, I wonder if the Pharisees persuaded the people that true servants of God would never speak ill of church leadership. After all, Moses was called by God and they had a continuous line of authority from Moses to their present day (Matthew 23:2).

All they had to do was trust Caiphas, the high priest! 

I wonder if after hearing Jesus in Matthew 23, they called Him cynical and negative? Did they insist He look at the good and positive in church leadership and quit looking for the bad? Think about it. Every time someone points out another lie, abuse of power or false tradition or belief, instead of seeking the truth and if one should repent, they attack the person giving the criticism. Criticism is what gets us thinking inwardly so we can repent. If no one thinks critically then we all go to hell together on the good ship Zion, even though it has holes in it, to use Renlund’s analogy. 

In one chapter count how many insults and calls to repentance Jesus gives to church leadership:

“1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat [line of authority]:

3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi” (Matthew 23:1-7).

“13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?” (Matthew 23:13-19).

“23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. [they claimed to uphold the words of Moses, the prophet, while condemning the greatest prophet of all, Jesus].

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:23-39).

And this gem:

“2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness” (Luke 3:2).

Wait, the word of God came to John, not the high priests, the prophets? Oh ya, they were false prophets and the true prophets were the ones not popular because they were calling out the church and leadership for their errors. 

Is there anything we can learn and apply to our lives today? 

Wendy Nelson recently used the analogy of the emperor’s new clothes. She implied Pres. Nelson was the boy in the crowd calling out the truth that the emperor had no clothes on. Are you kidding me?!?!? He’s the emperor kicking out all the children pointing out the truth. 

Here is the account she gave to the European Saints recently:

"Today I’d like to talk with you in Europe about truth and prophets. In the literary folk tale the emperor's new clothes by Danish author Hans Christian Anderson, swindlers convinced the emperor that the new attire they made for him is of the most exquisite pattern, material, and colors. They emphasize that anyone who cannot see the extraordinary clothing is unworthy of his office or simply stupid. Everyone is duped by the charlatans even the emperor's most trusted officials. All the town's people join in the chorus telling the emperor how magnificent he looks as he proudly parades in front of them. No one wants to be thought of as stupid. However, one child boldly proclaims the emperor has no clothes on and that was the truth. Today it can be difficult to know who speaks the truth, but my testimony is that prophets of god always speak the truth. While many in the world's great and spacious building convincingly profess that evil is good and good is evil. Prophets speak the truth....

And now how will your life be blessed as you choose to follow President Russell M Nelson the prophet of god on the earth today who for four years has led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the direction of Jesus Christ himself. I’m grateful that my husband is the kind of man who many years before he was called to be an apostle said quote, “I never ask myself when does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not. My interest has been how can I be more like him” end quote. As his wife, may I offer you several examples of president nelson's life that you may want to emulate." Here is the link https://youtu.be/ySiSVjuIsmM

So, do we emulate the life of Pres. Nelson, the Caiaphas of our day, or should we emulate Jesus Christ, the true great high priest? I choose Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. 

The truth about the “safe and effective” sorceries are coming out. Pfizer was just forced to bring out their studies. https://dpbh.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/dpbhnvgov/content/Boards/BOH/Meetings/2021/SENEFF~1.PDF

And one more:https://rumble.com/vt7r0o-registered-nurse-nicole-sirotek-shares-what-she-saw-on-the-front-lines-in-n.html

We need to see clearly through the lens of the Holy Ghost. Draw near unto Him and He will draw near unto you. Let’s not put our trust in the arm of flesh, but in God. 

Love of God vs. Dark & Dreary

 We’ve become accustomed to see and feel what righteousness looks and feels like. Lehi was also accustomed to those things and therefore, followed the man in white until he finally realized he was being led into a dark and dreary waste.

Here’s the account:

“And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.

6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.

7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.

8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.

9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.

10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.

That tree and its fruit represented the love of God (1 Nephi 11). He was enveloped in the love of God after turning away from following the man dressed in white and instead sought the Lord through prayer.

We live in a day when the word of God is dispensed throughout the world. The history of the church has landed in the hands of the people (see Joseph Smith Papers). It’s much like the time in world history when the Latin Bible was translated into German and later English. The people had to listen to the priest because they couldn’t read Latin. While reading the Bible for themselves, the people started to recognize their priest hadn’t always interpreted the word of God correctly. In fact, they had passed down false beliefs and false traditions. These traditions had taken hold of the religious landscape. 

There were many courageous, faithful people who risked their lives to share the word of God with those around them, to get the translated texts to the people in their own language so they could follow God according to the dictates of their conscience. They were called heretics, apostates and many were burned at the stake, exiled or banished from their places of worship. 

When the church of their day started losing control they resorted to extreme measures. Today we see the same reactions. Much is being brought to light. 

The church focuses on following the current leadership over the scriptures (https://youtu.be/ovZz9yn4oBg)  This is much like following the man in white in Lehi’s dream. They continually urge the membership to trust in the prophets (who a prophet is would be a great discussion for a later time), instead of focusing on the Lord. They use the prophet as synonymous with the Lord. The teaching is subtle but a shift of focus from the Lord to any man in white will lead to a dark and dreary waste. 

Let’s consider how Joseph Smith felt about following a prophet, even a true prophet. He said,

"Prest. J. Smith rose, read the 14th Chap. of Ezekiel— said the Lord had declar’d by the prophet that the people should each one stand for himself and depend on no man or men in that state of corruption of the Jewish church— that righteous persons could only deliver their own souls— app[l]ied it to the present state of the church of Latter-Day Saints— said if the people departed from the Lord, they must fall— that they were depending on the prophet hence were darkened in their minds from neglect of themselves—"

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minutes-and-discourse-26-may-1842/2

Now compare this to what the Nelsons and Bednars shared in their recent European conference (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-europe-devotional-january-2022).

Now go to any teaching from the church about receiving revelation. There is a heavy focus on leadership as the final say. 

I believe in Jesus Christ and I know if we follow Him, we will be blessed. We should accept a 30 day challenge to put exclamation points behind His words, not those of leaders of any church or organization. Traditions of thought are hard to break. Faith to follow Jesus Christ at all costs will yield dividends, the love of God, peace and eternal life. Dark and dreary waste doesn’t light a candle to these blessings. 

Darkness or Unfamiliarity?

 I was reading Exodus 20:21, RE Exodus 12:14, and it struck me how the record says, “the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.” Interesting how Joseph had thick darkness gather around him and it seemed for a time as if he were doomed to sudden destruction when he approached the Lord too (see JSH-1:15). When Moses went to the Lord it was darkness to the people. It was terrifying to the people. Moses had to sanctify himself to be able to ascend the mount of the Lord but his people wouldn’t do it. It appeared to be darkness and it was to them. 

When one seeks the Lord all hell breaks loose in an attempt to thwart the sincere seeker from finding God. Joseph is that example of that fact and the perspective of those outside the experience is much like the people watching Moses. It was nerve racking business and they wanted nothing to do with ascending the mount for it was dark to them. I have had friends and associates say it’s dark to them when I share the truth about the error about polygamy, following the prophet etc. I think what they may really be saying is it’s new to them and therefore, feels uncomfortable to them. They equate unfamiliarity with darkness. Scripturally they’d be wise to consider these verses mentioned. 

When we seek the Lord it requires our willingness to look at everything and see if we are trapped in any false beliefs or sinful behavior. As we come to the Light of the world, we will see everything about ourselves (John 3:19-21; RE John 2:3). It’s uncomfortable for some to feel naked before the Lord. We’re tempted to get fig leaves to cover our nakedness when what is really required is repentance. Jesus cleanses as we repent. Then we can fully bask in the light and enter the presence of the Lord. It’s no longer scary, but comfortable, if we’ve put in the work of repentance. Glory to God and His Son, Jesus Christ, whose blood fulfills the demands of justice and makes it possible for us to enter into the presence of the Lord. 

Polygamy Connection to Martyrdom of Smiths

 In light of the videos I posted about the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum, consider these historical documents. Stake President Marks has been mentioned in several historical citations as a witness to Joseph’s disdain for the evil teaching of polygamy. I had never read the entirety of these letters. This fit nicely into the documentaries shared on my last post. I know some struggle knowing what to think of Denver Snuffer so please set your reservations aside and consider these documents he has posted at face value, despite your hesitation to read anything he shares (by the way, I can understand that hesitancy for I had the same prejudice against him for many years):

https://restorationarchives.net/pdf/2019.01.01_Eight-Essays_Appendix_book.pdf

Who Killed Joseph Smith Jr.

Combine these two documentaries with all that’s been brought to light about polygamy starting with Brigham and the pieces all fall together in harmony, bringing to light the hidden things of darkness. 

 https://youtu.be/f-g0cjF9NSg

https://youtu.be/pTuu6Y6C0o4

https://vimeo.com/665462413?fbclid=IwAR2S9t_mpNjhF9jQHWST9pIc0B82pb37Rcjqg5TMGoEf04zlamjFfDff8Gw

Isolation and Quarantine Camps

 What was once viewed as crazy conspiracy theories are starting to come to pass. Check out this job posting by Washington state:

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3233390-0/isolation-quarantine-team-consultants-ps2-non-permanent-doh5814

When are we going to believe Moroni and what he foretold...a secret conspiracy that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands (see Ether 8).

Has It Begun?

 A well written article and thesis that it has begun upon His house among those that profess to know Him:

https://ldtruths.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-bold-claim-opening-verses-of-upon-my.html