In those days girls were usually betrothed at 12 years old, and married by the time they were 14, so Mary was probably 13 or 14 when the angel appeared to her.
The angel who appeared was the Angel Gabriel but when he was on the earth, his name was Noah - the same from the flood.
Mary's Hebrew name was Miriam. The name Mary was from Arabic. There were many, many girl babies who were named Miriam/Mary because of the scriptures that said that the mother of the Messiah would be named Miriam/Mary. So when a woman found that she was with child, if she had a girl, she would name her Miriam/Mary in hopes that she would be the chosen one.
Mary had been taught the scriptures. She was familiar with the prophesies and so accepted Gabriel's message to her with love and humility. We need to be ready when we are called to something extraordinary or unexpected and respond as she did.
As soon as it became apparent that she was pregnant, the small town gossip began. It continued throughout the pregnancy and throughout Jesus' life. During His ministry, people would say to him, "We be not born of fornication!"
When the scriptures refer to Joseph of "Joseph, son of David", it means Joseph of royal birth. Mary and Joseph were both direct descendants of the royal line and if they had not been living in captivity, would have been heirs to the throne, as well as their firstborn son.
It was Joseph's job, as the betrothed man, to build a home for them to live in before they got married. He was busy with that.
When Mary was beginning to show too much, she went to see her older cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth immediately knew that Mary's pregnancy was divine, so they were able to be together and support each other through a difficult time for Mary.
Finally Joseph found out about Mary being pregnant and was greatly troubled by it util the angel appeared to him. It is a credit to his character that he believed and accepted Mary (he could have had her stoned to death) and married her.
It is interesting that the best account of Jesus' birth is from Luke. That is the account most quoted and with the most details, however, Luke wasn't one of the original apostles of Jesus. He wasn't an apostle until after Jesus died. Laurel believes that he probably went to visit Mary after Joseph had died and she was a widow, living with the apostle John, who Jesus had asked to watch over her like she was his own mother. In those days the first born son was the one in charge of caring for the mother if their father died. That's why Jesus had to assign someone to care for Mary after His death.
Anyway, Luke probably visited Mary to get the full account. How else would he know that Mary "pondered all these things in her heart" and other details that sound like they come from Mary.
When the wise men found Jesus, they were, by then, living in a house; it was several years later.
We know that Jesus had brothers and sisters. We have the names of his brothers, but regarding the sisters, the scriptures only say, "all of his sisters", so we know there were three or more.
None of His brothers believed in Him during His lifetime, but after His resurrection, he appeared to James first and then they believed and were faithful followers and apostles.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Saturday, December 15, 2018
A little History of Joseph Smith
Church History
President Hinckley said we should review the history of
Joseph Smith every year to increase our testimony and strengthen missionary
work.
Joseph Smith was born 1805, 16 years after the Constitution
was ratified so that religious freedom would be the law.
He was born December 23, the day after the winter solstice.
Symbolic of his coming after the longest dark day of the year.
He died on June 27, the week of summer solstice, which is
the end of the longest day of light for the year.
He was from a poor, hardworking family. They were
God-fearing, very prayerful, farming family. Vermont had poor weather conditions
for farming. Joseph was one of 9 surviving children (2 had died). He was the 3rd
son but named after his father from a prophesy in Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 3.
Smith was the most common surname.
The children were Alvin, Hyrum, Sophronia, Joseph (who was
born 3/13, Sam (who was born 3/13, William, Don Carlos, and Lucyh. Ephriam was born
after Jonah on march 13, 2 years later. Three of the kids were born on March
13.
Joseph’s leg illness taught him patience. He had Typhus
fever that spread to the bone.
He was not strong enough for crutches so his Mom carried him
everywhere, then Hyrum would sit with him and massage the leg. He was on
crutches from 7years old to 10 years old.
When he was 10 they moved to New York. He was on crutches at
the time, with a lot of pain. Joseph Smith sr. had gone ahead to find work and
a place for them to live. Lucy traveled with all the children. She contracted a
guy to drive a team and Joseph and the small children rode in the wagon. But
the man drank away the money they had paid them, and then got others to ride in
the wagon and told Lucy Mack she and the kids would have to walk. Even Joseph on crutches. Lucy told the guy
off! So anyway, it was a lot, painful trip.
Lucy got TB and prayed to live. She heard a voice that said,
“seek and ye shall find.” She searched the Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists because
she wanted to find the right church but didn’t find it. But she wanted to be baptized
so she joined the Presbyterians. Joseph Smith like the Methodists. Joseph Smith
Sr. was not interested. He said, “I don’t feel the Spirit there.”
James 3:5 (upbraideth means scold) – God will not scold us. James
was the brother of Jesus and the oldest of Mary and Joseph. He was the first
Jesus appeared to after the resurrection.
Joseph heard James 3:5 at a church and was intrigued. He went
home and found the verse.
There are 3 accounts of the first vision. Paul gives 3
accounts of his vision on the road to Damascus. The accounts differ a little
because they are adapted to the people they are speaking to.
He had the vision early in the morning, in early spring; it
was probably a Sunday when he didn’t have to work. He had chosen ahead the place
not far from his farm. He had been chopping wood and left the ax.
This was his first vocally uttered prayer; his first
personal out loud prayer. At first his tongue swelled, he heard footsteps –
there was an unseen power that made it so he couldn’t talk; he felt darkness
and couldn’t see the sun! Light is the symbol of our Church. That’s why the
temples are lit at night.
Then he saw a pillar of light and Satan left. Light dispels
the darkness. Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.
The first thing God said was, “Joseph”. The same with Saul
and Samuel. He knows us and knows our names. Then he introduced His Son.
The only time God directly interacts with man is to
introduce His Son – Jesus baptis, 3 Nephi., etc. The Father presides, the Son
conducts. The way Joseph Smith tells it is consistent with scriptures, which is
proof of its truth.
The Savior began, “Joseph, thy sins are forgiven.” This is
the most important thing we can know. This gave Joseph confidence to ask which
church to join. Joseph received his answer and saw concourses of angels among
the trees and were so bright he expected the trees to burn. It had to hae been
like the burning bush – on fire but never consumed.
In 1860 a boyhood friend purchased the Smith family farm and
never cut the trees where the sacred grove was so now we can see the very same
trees.
Joseph was transfigured to see a the Father and Son. . he
received a transfusion of light from God or he would wither and die from too
much heat.
It says “when he came to himself” he was on his back and
completely drained of energy. At home he leaned on the fireplace. His mom asked
what was wrong. He said, “all is well. I have learned for myself that the Presbyterian
church is not true.”
He shared with the minister, maybe the same one who taught James
3:5 that inspired him. The minister said it was of the devil and then told
others about Joseph Smith and his vision.
The next 3 years he worked on the family farm. All the
neighbors kept hiring him and his brothers, they, Joseph, Hyrum and others
helped pay off the farm.
He was described as fun loving, good natured young man,
naturally cheery disposition. He said that his nature might not hae been
appropriate for one who had had a vision.
He kept reading the Bible and didn’t join a church. At 17
years old he asked for forgiveness for his foolish behavior. He was in his
bedroom. He shared a room with 5 siblings and probably shared a bed. The others
were probably in a deep sleep Gideon and the Lamanites with Alma and his brethren left. So
the light didn’t wake up the siblings. He had to have been transfigured again.
People who lived before Jesus resurrected right after He
did. James and John were resurrected out of order because they had important
missions to perform. This is when he was told his mission and his future and
about the golden plates which were a record of ancient people who used to live
in America, and the rest is a great definition of what the Book of Mormon is.
He was told that he would translate, about the seer stone,
and was warned of temptattions.
The next morning he was exhausted again so his dad sent him
home for working in the field. He fainted and saw Moroni again with the same
vision and also promised his dad would believe every word. When he told his
Father, he wept. Joseph sr., was a noble spirit to be the father of a prophet
of the restoration. He was one of the 8 witnesses and was the first patriarch.
Todd Christofferson when he was mission president, told his
missionaries to tell the Joseph Smith history as often as they could and
promised it would give them the Spirit.
Joseph Smith is not resurrected yet. We can meet him in the
Spirit World.
Joseph was tutored by experience.
Martin Harris was a respected landowner. He was very
respected and honored man int eh community. He was wealthy with a farm of 320
acres. A good business man, frugal. Joseph confided him regarding the plates and
how he needed to translate but had constant problems. He showed Martin Harris
the lock box and Martin held it. It weighed about 60 lbs.
Martin told Joseph that if it was the devil’s work, “I want
nothing to do with it, but if it is God’s work…” he went home and prayed and
got a feeling of peace to go ahead.
D&C 9 talks aobut how to get/recognize answers to
prayers. When Emma was pregnant, her parents invited her back home.. there
Joseph could translate. Joseph went to pay his debts in the general store and
martin harris gave him $50 (which would be $1300 now)! Then he packed and went
to her parents’ house. He hid the plates n a barrel of beans.
The Hale home was much bigger. He had to figure out how to
translate using the Urim and Thummim; it took practice. They were written in
reformed Egyptian. Emma, pregnant, was the first scribe. Martin felt inspired
to go visit and took a sample of the reformed Egyptian characters to
professors. Joseph agreed and wrote some of the characters and their
translation. Charles Anton said they were correct, but when he found out they
received them from an angel, he tore up the certificate.
In Joseph’s last imprisonment he testified to the guards
that he still believed in the ministering of angels.
Martin harris was very expert in the Bible Isaiah 29, 2
Nephi 27
Joseph got better and better at using the Urim and Thummim. Martin
Harris worked as scribe during the spring planting season, so he missed a whole
year of crops on his own farm ad missed his daughter’s wedding! His marriage
was also suffering because of his time and dedication to Joseph.
Joseph translated form the large plates and then added the
small plates (1 Ne, 2 ne, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, and Omni) then translated the Words
of Mormon. Joseph Smith Sr had the gift of prophesy and said that someday the
lost pages would be found.
In 1830 Joseph Smith Sr was interviewed by a newspaper. Part
of the interview is in LDS Living: Don Bradley. He said
Joseph translated 8 to 13 pages/day. Mary Whitmer was the 2nd
person to see the plates because of her amazing hospitality and kindness.
When Joseph was done with the translation, he invited his
parents to Fayette, to the Whitmer’s house. It was 30 miles. They brought
Martin Harris who was VERY interested. David Whitmer, Martin Harris, Oliver W
was there for the translation. The three of them wondered if they could be the
three witnesses so they asked Joseph to pray. Martin Harris still has to huble
and repent of pride (because he lost the transcripts.)
They knelt and prayed but nothing happened. Finally Martin
left and they prayed without him. Then an angel appeared and showed them the
plates on a table with other artifacts, the Urim and Thummim, the Liahone, the
breastplates. They heard the voice of God and were commanded to bear record and
testify. Later Martin saw the plates, too.
The 8 witnesses were all young:
Christian Whitmer -31
Jacob Whitmer – 29
Peter Whitmer, Jr-19
John Whitmer – 26
Hyrum Page – 29 was Brother in law to the Whitmers
Joseph Smith Sr -57
Hyrum Smith -29
Samuel Smith-21
Then they returned to the Whitmer home. They said, “Father,
mother, you don’t know how happy I am.
According to the law of witnesses, there must be 2-3 as at
baptisms, marriages, and in the Godhead.
There is also a Law of heaven – the greater the vision, the
greater the power of the adversary. All were tempted with pride. None were lost
or denied their testimony even when they were excommunicated.
It cost $3000 to print 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. Martin
mortgaged his house. He was told “Do not covet your own property; give freely
for printing of the Book of Mormon.
After the Book of Mormon was published, Joseph returned to
Palmyra to Emma.
He asked Oliver to copy by hand the whole Book of Mormon so
they would have a another copy for safety. It made him love the Book of Mormon
more. This copy was called the “Printer’s copy” the original was sacred.
Solomon Chamberlain wanted to go preach in Canada. While staying
in Palmyra with family they told him about the “gold Bible”, read it and was
converted. Then we went to Canada to preach Mormonism.
Signs of the 2nd Coming
D&C 130 Joseph Smith asked when the 2nd
coming would be; he got no answer.
It will be like the sun rising – all will know.
Parable of the 10 virgins
members of the Church waiting for the groom.
The lamps = testimony;
Bridegroom = Jesus
Bridegroom = Jesus
Wedding = 2nd coming
Bride = Church
5 virgins were ready; 5 virgins were not ready. Many members
won’t be ready – half of the Church!
We need our 72 hour physical emergency pack and also an
emergency pack of Spiritual preparation.
Those not ready will be cast into fire.
Non-tithing payers are not worthy
Parable of the Fig tree – the fig tree is called a late
leafer and the last to produce in the season. Matt 24:37
Signs: D&C 45, 88 29, 133, JST Matt 24 = P of GP
1.
Coming of the Book of Mormon
2.
Restoration
3.
Earthquakes all over the world and desolation
(natural disasters)
4.
Tempests and hurricanes
5.
Iniquity will abound
6.
Men’s hearts will fail – lose heart, fear,
depression, heart disease
7.
Famine, pestilence, disease always follows
famine
8.
Saints will gather to Zion. They will be called
to Independence
9.
Love of men will wax cold
10.
Jews will gather to Israel – 1948 Nation of
Israel was established. 40@ of Jewish
population is in Israel.
11.
Gospel will be preached to the world – D&C
84:62; Internet missionaries
12.
Great hailstorms
D&C 29:16; size of volleyballs
13.
Battle of Armageddon – siege of Jerusalem
14.
Temple in Old Jerusalem when there are enough
faithful LDS members; the blueprint is in Ezekiel. Holland is over that and the
middle east.
15.
False prophets – apostates
16.
Wars and rumors of ward – threats, fears, 44
armed conflicts, war on drugs
17.
No rainbow - because of drought. Laurel taught
her kids the signs and whenever they say a rainbow, they would be happy and
say, well, the 2nd coming isn’t this year because there’s a rainbow!
18.
Establish the New Zion and build a temple
D&C 45. We will be the only people on earth not at war.
The
gang motto is kill, rape, destroy
1
week after the youth were asked to pray for the missionary work, Trump met with
Harold B Lee.
China
youth learn English and then join the Church and go home and teach their
families.
Israel
will be the last to get the Gospel
There
is an increase in suicide and depression. Provo has the highest depression
mediation rate.
Missionaries
are called home when it is no longer safe for them. In Nicaragua the
missionaries were sent home. D&C 88:88 is to missionaries. It says that
when missionaries have to go home because a country is no longer safe, God will
preach His own sermon to the people with natural disasters.
The
last great war before the 2nd coming, all armies in the world will
be against Israel. It will be under siege 3 ½ years and will break down the
walls. They will be saved by 2 priesthood holders to fight through the power of
the Priesthood. They will be killed and lie in the street for 3 days; Jesus
will coe and finish the battle and appear to them in the temple and they will
know He is Jesus.
There
will be signs in the heavens. The last sign – leaf – no more time to prepare.
The sun will go dark, the moon will turn to blood, the stars will fall from the
heavens because the earth will be moved to its original neighborhood. The stars
will appear to fall because the earth will be hurling through the skies to
return to Kolob. The earth was not always in this solar system. This is a
Telestial neighborhood. The Garden of Eden was terrestrial. The earth will go
back to the Celestial neighborhood.
The
scriptures say that the earth will move like a chased deer.
Men
will fall on the ground and not be able to stand, but the disciples will stand
in holy places and not e moved. The righteous will not fear.
The
Rapture, Matt 24, we need to be ready to be taken up.
Those
left behind will be burned by the brightness of His coming.
There
is an experience a man had who was in an airplane crash. He ws the only
survivor and watched others die. He would see a light go up from the body. He
saw that children had more light.
We
need to have enough light to qualify. Those living a terrestrial law – the honest,
morally clean good to others, will be in the terrestrial world in the millennium.
After
the earth burns, it will be renewed and be paradise. The land masses will be
gathered; it will now have a perfect climate – the hymn Now Let Us Rejoice
Celestial
spirits will be lifted up, the already dead and the living.
When
the scriptures say we will shout, it means CHEER. We’ll sing and we’ll shout,
then the millennium will begin.
Read
Neal Anderson’s talk, Thy Kingdom Come
The Sacrament
God loves us so much that when we leave His presence, he
gives us a gift - a “starter light”. It is also called the conscience, or the
light of Christ. As we progress spiritually we gain more light.
When we are baptized we receive the greatest gift, the
companionship of the Holy Ghost. It gives us more light and truth.
A non-member is like walking home in the dark using a small
flashlight. After baptism, we receive a flood of light and a personal guide to
go home quickly and safely.
D&C 50:24 talks about receiving more light.
1.
We need to have the Holy Ghost as a constant
companion. President Nelson, April 2018 pled with members to have the Holy
Ghost guide our actions. This is how to have the Holy Ghost
Be more obedient
Be more obedient
2.
Be pure
3.
Be diligent in scripture study
4.
Serve mankind
5.
Attend the temple often
6.
Come to Church and participate in the ordinance
of the Sacrament to remember the Savior.
7.
Obey the commandments.
If we do all this we can have His Spirit with us.
How to always remember – Focus on His name. God hears our
random thoughts during the Sacrament. It would be interesting if we could hear
everyone’s thoughts.
George Q Cannon said that a great many members take the
Sacrament and are thinking, “how many teams can I get to haul stone.” Or “can I
get a prettier bonnet?”
While they (Laurel Lawrence and Elder Lawrence) were in
Russia, they were always impressed with how seriously the people always partook
of the Sacrament. All members were converts. They considered the Sacrament to
be very important. The person conducting always said, “We now come to the most
important part of the meeting. Let us remember all the Savior did for us. Let us
put aside all our distractions and with sincerity of heart focus on the Savior.”
We can stay focused on the Savior if we think of scenes in His life – His birth, His crucifixion and resurrection,
the visits after the resurrections, we can read scriptures, read from the life
of the Savior. We can read the Sacrament hymns that remind us that the
atonement was for us; pray during – prayers of gratitude; prayers for needs;
prayers for forgiveness of sins as we repent. We can ask ourselves, “How am I
doing?’ Am I backsliding? Or am I moving forward? What is my greatest
challenge?
Paul said, “let a man examine himself. Ask, “What lack I
yet?” Be honest with yourself; set goals
for the week. Apologize to someone or forgive someone. Think about Christ makes
us want to put things right with others, especially family.
Laurel was in Sacrament meeting with her family. Her 9 year
old daughter wrote a note during the Sacrament and passed it down the line to
Laurel. It said, “I’m sorry I got mad at you this morning.” She drew 3 squares
and it said, “Check one” One said yes, one said no, and one said maybe later. Laurel
checked “Yes” and wrote, “I love you.”
Spencer W Kimball said that unless we forgive others’
transgressions, we aren’t fit to partake of the Sacrament! All over the world,
LDS chaplains are given sacrament cloth and sacrament trays so servicemen can
renew their covenants and feel the Spirit while they are in battle.
The apostles now feel great need to partake of the Sacrament
the first Thursday of each month they get together in the temple and partake of
the Sacrament and share their testimonies. They access the Spirit necessary to
fight their own daily battles, administer the Church and take the Gospel to the
world.
A missionary visited President Hinckley’s ward. He watched
him during the Sacrament. He had never seen an prophet up close. When the
deacon took hi the bread, he took a piece, gazed at it a long time, pondering
the symbolism. It was a huge impact on the missionary.
Remembering Jesus is a life long challenge that will aid us
in our lives.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is NOT:
-letting the other person off the hook
-allowing it to happen repeatedly! We do not have to continue to be the victim.
-not the same as reconciling.
Forgiveness IS:
-a process, not an event. we have to decide immediately, but the process may take time.
We have to forgive every day, every time
- not based on other's actions, but with our own attitude. Don't focus on what others do, but on our relationship with God.
We have to forgive even if they don't repent.
-doesn't mean forget. In the future we can thank God for learning forgiveness.
-forgiveness is returning to God the right to be in charge of judgement.
Personal forgiveness means washing our sins CLEAN through the blood of the Lamb.
-letting the other person off the hook
-allowing it to happen repeatedly! We do not have to continue to be the victim.
-not the same as reconciling.
Forgiveness IS:
-a process, not an event. we have to decide immediately, but the process may take time.
We have to forgive every day, every time
- not based on other's actions, but with our own attitude. Don't focus on what others do, but on our relationship with God.
We have to forgive even if they don't repent.
-doesn't mean forget. In the future we can thank God for learning forgiveness.
-forgiveness is returning to God the right to be in charge of judgement.
Personal forgiveness means washing our sins CLEAN through the blood of the Lamb.
Remembering Christ
God loves us so much that when we leave His presence, he
gives us a gift - a “starter light”. It is also called the conscience, or the
light of Christ. As we progress spiritually we gain more light.
When we are baptized we receive the greatest gift, the
companionship of the Holy Ghost. It gives us more light and truth.
A non-member is like walking home in the dark using a small
flashlight. After baptism, we receive a flood of light and a personal guide to
go home quickly and safely.
D&C 50:24 talks about receiving more light.
1.
We need to have the Holy Ghost as a constant
companion. President Nelson, April 2018 pled with members to have the Holy
Ghost guide our actions. This is how to have the Holy Ghost
Be more obedient
Be more obedient
2.
Be pure
3.
Be diligent in scripture study
4.
Serve mankind
5.
Attend the temple often
6.
Come to Church and participate in the ordinance
of the Sacrament to remember the Savior.
7.
Obey the commandments.
If we do all this we can have His Spirit with us.
How to always remember – Focus on His name. God hears our
random thoughts during the Sacrament. It would be interesting if we could hear
everyone’s thoughts.
George Q Cannon said that a great many members take the
Sacrament and are thinking, “how many teams can I get to haul stone.” Or “can I
get a prettier bonnet?”
While they (Laurel Lawrence and Elder Lawrence) were in
Russia, they were always impressed with how seriously the people always partook
of the Sacrament. All members were converts. They considered the Sacrament to
be very important. The person conducting always said, “We now come to the most
important part of the meeting. Let us remember all the Savior did for us. Let us
put aside all our distractions and with sincerity of heart focus on the Savior.”
We can stay focused on the Savior if we think of scenes in His life – His birth, His crucifixion and resurrection,
the visits after the resurrections, we can read scriptures, read from the life
of the Savior. We can read the Sacrament hymns that remind us that the
atonement was for us; pray during – prayers of gratitude; prayers for needs;
prayers for forgiveness of sins as we repent. We can ask ourselves, “How am I
doing?’ Am I backsliding? Or am I moving forward? What is my greatest
challenge?
Paul said, “let a man examine himself. Ask, “What lack I
yet?” Be honest with yourself; set goals
for the week. Apologize to someone or forgive someone. Think about Christ makes
us want to put things right with others, especially family.
Laurel was in Sacrament meeting with her family. Her 9 year
old daughter wrote a note during the Sacrament and passed it down the line to
Laurel. It said, “I’m sorry I got mad at you this morning.” She drew 3 squares
and it said, “Check one” One said yes, one said no, and one said maybe later. Laurel
checked “Yes” and wrote, “I love you.”
Spencer W Kimball said that unless we forgive others’
transgressions, we aren’t fit to partake of the Sacrament! All over the world,
LDS chaplains are given sacrament cloth and sacrament trays so servicemen can
renew their covenants and feel the Spirit while they are in battle.
The apostles now feel great need to partake of the Sacrament
the first Thursday of each month they get together in the temple and partake of
the Sacrament and share their testimonies. They access the Spirit necessary to
fight their own daily battles, administer the Church and take the Gospel to the
world.
A missionary visited President Hinckley’s ward. He watched
him during the Sacrament. He had never seen an prophet up close. When the
deacon took hi the bread, he took a piece, gazed at it a long time, pondering
the symbolism. It was a huge impact on the missionary.
Remembering Jesus is a life long challenge that will aid us
in our lives.
A Dream about Missionary Work
One night I had a very vivid and
memorable dream. I dreamed I was walking down a sidewalk; there were a lot of
other people walking on the sidewalk,
too, all ignoring everyone and everything else around. I looked at a single-wide,
old trailer that was parked on the street and I realized that the roof was on
fire. I realized there might be people inside, so I went in and frantically started
looking for people who might be there.
I did find people in the bedrooms, so
I went from room to room, trying to wake them up, and with great difficulty
convincing them that they were in danger and needed to get out. I had such a
feeling of urgency, but the people were in a deep sleep and it was hard to
convince them to get out. I would practically pull them out of bed and guide
them to the front door, gathering blankets to put on them on the way.
I realized that a chemical in the
smoke had dulled their brains and they weren’t able to sense the danger or
urgency until they were outside long enough for their heads to clear.
I woke up from the dream with a
feeling of urgency to save souls. In the dream it was close friends and family
in the house. I realized later that this dream is what missionary work is all
about. We have close friends and family who are as if asleep in a world that is
ending and dangerous and they are spiritually asleep. The circumstances around
them have dulled their ability to see the dangerous situation they are in. It
is our duty – and there is urgency in this – to wake them up and lead them
towards the light and truth. If we don’t we will be guilty of letting them
burn.
Enoch
Enoch lived before the flood. He was
born in a righteous faily but in a wicked world.
Cain became the first son of
perdition.
Enoch was a child prodigy who “walked
with God” He went about preaching to the people and their reaction was, “A wild
man has come upon us”. Some believed but others tried to hurt him. Enoch had
the sealing power; he made the earth tremble, mountains flee, etc. Moses 6 and
7. He was commanded to build a city to
protect and be safe. It took 365 years to get the city to the point that they
were taken up.
Neal Maxwell wrote a book called Enoch’s
Letters. They lived the law of consecration. All deeded all their property and
belongings to the bishop and were given back just what they needed. Compare to
a pot luck dinner. There were other times in history when people lived the
consecrated order, like Acts 2:24 and 4th Nephi.
Enochwanted others to be happy – no cheating,
lying no cutting line. His city was moved to a terrestrial neighborhood and all
were translated. Then they were resurrected with Christ in the twinkling of an
eye. In the mean time they are ministering angels to other planets. When the
earth is renewed, the whole city will return to the Gulf of Mexico (per Joseph
Smith) where it came from.
The City of Enoch is a type and shadow
of things to come – the New Jerusalem will be in Independence, MO. This is
where the Garden of Eden was; it was a temple because God walked and talked
there and taught the Plan of Salvation.
(Joseph Smith’s code name was Enoch;
he is like the next Enoch)
The Arc was built in North Carolina
and landed in the Middle East..
Thanks to Satan, Independence became
the bloodiest place; that’s where there was an extermination order against the
Mormons.
In 1831 they tried to build the New
Jerusalem but they were not ready; there was too much contention. D&C 58:44
says the time has not come and won’t come for many years for the New Jerusalem to
be built there. They hadn’t yet been endowed and didn’t have the protection of
garments against Satan.
The Army of Israel has to be strong
enough to build the city of Zion. Now we have endowments in 150 temples. We
have to be tithing payers; we have to be ready to live the Law of consecration.
We are being tested by being sent to serve. There are 70,000 missionaries –
they are the army of Israel. We are more generous as a Church.
The Church changed the 3-fold mission
of the Church to 4-fold, adding care for the poor and changed “Missionary work”
to “Gather Israel”.
10 times in the Doctrine and Covenants
we are told 10 ties to purchase land. Ow the Church has been buying land for
farms, cattle ranches, orchards, vineyards and to grow food for our people.
Isaiah says “Enlarge the place of thy
tent”. This refers to our Stakes/the Church. They are a place of shelter and
safety. We are trying to set up stake centers everywhere. The stakes of a tent
hold up the tent and give it stability.
Moses 7 says God will prepare a new
city before the 2nd coming. It is a myth that we will walk to
Missouri. People will be called to build the New Jerusalem. We have lots of
land there. The center will have a 24 complex temple (Journal of Discourses)
D&C 24 talks about the New
Jerusalem. It will be the only place where people won’t be at war with each
other. There will be so much light and glory that the wicked won’t be
comfortable there. It will be protected by a cloud of smoke by day and fire of
flame by night.
The New Jerusalem will be prepared as
a bride for her bridegroom. In the New Testament it says Zion will again rise when
the City of Enoch which will be taken up to meet Christ in 2nd
coming. Hymn #41.
Temples now are built to stand through
the millennium.
The purpose and goal of the Church is
to build up Zion. We do that by serving, praying for Zion to come, be a Zion
people, help neighbors. We can pray as a family, “How can we help the ???
family.” “Help us not to have contention” We need to become Zion families to be
ready to live in Zion.
Godly Characteristics
In typing this I hope 2 things:
1.
I haven't already typed the whole thing
2.
I can remember and interpret my notes from Laurel lawrence's class because I
don't even know how long ago the class was so I probably won't remember what
some of the cryptic notes I took.
so
here goes:
One
of our purposes in this life is to become more like God. We need to gain light
to be able to be in His presence in the next life. Some people's lights burn
brighter than others, and children's lights are brightest of all, hence the
scripture, "Except ye become as a little child..."
People
lose their light through sin. Ecclesiastes 8:1 As man's wisdom maketh shine...
In
other words, the more you grow, the more you glow.
President
Benson - 1986, "godly Characteristic of God".
1
Peter 1 has the sanctification ladder - how to become like God.
The
ruler was Nero - 64AD. Easy to remember Nero because he had ZERO tolerance for
Christians. Peter tried to strengthen the saints from persecution by giving the
Sanctification Ladder. It helped the saints and many died with smiles while
singing praises to God.
Ladder
of Sactification - do in all diligence:
1.
Faith
2.
Virtue
3.
Knowledge
4.
Temperance
5.
Patience
6.
Godliness
7.
Kindness
8.
Charity
Larry
Lawrence spoke in General Conference, "what Lack I Yet". We can
use the Sanctification ladder to see what we lack.
Elder
Christopherson said that is a dangerous question because Satan wants you to
think you can’t change. He says to you, “That’s just the way you are; you can’t
change.”
1.
Faith – in the Old Testament means TRUST
2.
Virtue = MORAL CLEANLINESS, honesty, a code of living.
The temple recommend interview is a test of virtue.
3.
Knowledge – this is where people get stuck. This is
the key – to keep learning and progressing. Reading scriptures, teachings of
the prophets, Sunday School and Relief Society lessons, etc. Attend the temple,
feast on the Word daily until you are “full”. Full is when you have learned a
new thing to ponder the rest of the day.
D&C 88 – learn in every form; be prepared.
4.
Temperance = self control. Temper – James, the brother
of Jesus – said to become perfect you need to learn to control your tongue,
anger, language, don’t raise your voice, no reviling, control appetites, Word
of Wisdom, retiring early, caring for your body, control shopping and use of
media.
5.
Patience = bearing trials without complaint. Trials
teach us patience. Don’t bite back. D&C 101:5 is an Abrahamic test –
seek the Lord, not blame the Lord. When it’s something that doesn’t seem fair or
sees undeserved, go to the Lord; stay faithful; go to the temple to learn
patience. Study the lives of the prophets to see what they’ve been through.
6.
Godliness – organization and orderliness; consistent,
unchangeable. Examples are the creation, the Priesthood, which is called “The
Holy Order”, the Plan of Salvation. Godly people plan ahead. Harold B Lee said
we become most like God when we plan something. It is making order out of
chaos. King Benjamin said all things must be done in order. John Wesley was the
one who said Cleanliness is next to Godliness. George Q Cannon said Everything
should be done in an orderly manner. The world is more and more chaotic.
7.
Kindness – this is the next step before gaining
charity. If we can learn to just be kind to ALL others, we can pray for Charity
to come next. We just need to be kind.
8.
Charity is at the top because it is what makes us most
like God. If we can have the pure love of Christ for all, we will be on the right
path. KIndness is the way we treat others through service, seeking out friendless, not being critical, not judging, being a good listener, living the golden rule. Charity is how you FEEL about others. Try to be kind and pray for charity. It includes all 1 Corinthians 13 and Moroni 7:45
Miracles of Kirtland Temple
The temple at Kirtland hadn't been finished yet when Joseph Smith began using the downstairs chapel for meetings. He was there with his father and other Church leaders when he prayed and a vision of the future Celestial Kingdom was opened up to them.
(It's the future Celestial Kingdom because the Celestial Kingdom hasn't been set up yet. It will be on this earth after it is renewed. So Joseph Smith and others saw the future. They saw God and Jesus Christ sitting on their thrones and also saw all the Old Testament prophets. He saw his parents, which wasn't surprising, but he also saw Alvin, who he knew hadn't been baptized. He knew that Alvin was there because we are not just judged in this life by what we do, but by the desires of our hearts.
(At one time Joseph Smith described Alvin as handsome, the most handsome man he had ever seen except for Adam and Seth.)
The last thing Joseph Smith and the others saw was that children under 8 would e saved. Since Joseph and Emma had lost some children, so they were very, very happy to know that!
In 1826 when the temple was dedicated about 1,000 people attended; they were packed in as tight as they could, and those who couldn't fit were in a nearby chapel. The service was held again a few days later so that everyone could hear the prayer.
Joseph Smith had received the prayer by revelation and that prayer is the model that is used still for temple dedicatory prayers.
After sustaining the leaders and a few speakers, he read the prayer. It's in D&C 109. WW Phelps had written a hymn for the occasion - The Spirit of God, which speaks of the sound of the rushing winds - which they heard later. He also wrote Now Let us Rejoice and Adam Ondi Ahman.
Then the whole congregation participated in the Hosanna Shout and it was said by some that even babies and toddlers participated in it.
During the meeting a stranger walked in - it was an angel who withheld his glory to blend in. Someone asked Joseph Smith who it was and he said it was Peter who had been sent there to represent the Lord.
The meeting was 7 hours long. Later that night Joseph Smith held a priesthood meeting in the temple. George Albert Smith, cousin to Joseph Smith spoke and while he spoke everyone heard a loud sound like a rushing wind, which was an answer to the dedicatory prayer and the whole congregation rose at the same time as if lifted out of their seats.
Neighboring people saw a bright light from within and heard the loud wind. They also saw angels over the building.
There were no temple ordinances done in the Kirtland temple except for initiatories for those leaving on missions.
One week later was April 3, Easter Sunday, and Passover all on the same day. To have those all on the same day is extremely rare. 1,000 saints, one week after such a spiritual meeting of the dedication, attended. During the meeting Joseph Smith and Hyrum went behind a curtain and prayed together. There they received D&C 110. They said the veil was taken and their eyes were opened. This means they were transfigured, which means they were transfused with light to be able to withstand the Lord's presence. They saw the Savior and said His eyes were like a flame of fire and his hair white like snow, and his voice was as the rushing of many waters. He gave them the message that the He accepted the House built in poverty. He said the fame of the temple would spread to foreign lands.
Then they had a new vision of resurrected Moses.
Then they saw Elias (Noah) who gave them the keys of the Gospel of Abraham, which is the New and Everlasting Covenant of marriage. it is through this that we an become like God.
Salvation is one by one
Exaltation is 2 by 2
next Elijah came and gave them the sealing powers - parents to children and children to parents.
At Passover the Jews set a seat for Elijah and this was the day he actually came.
Whenever there is an outpouring of spiritual experiences, next comes an outpouring of Satan's temptations. All the saints who were living in Kirtland were extremely poor, and more saints arrived every day, with nothing. They needed food, shelter, clothing, etc. Joseph Smith tried to establish a bank, but the state wouldn't allow it, so he sat up a type of cooperative, Kirtland Safety Society, which was a less formal bank, but it was a way to give loans to people and help them out. It was also when banks failed, and their bank went bankrupt also. People blamed all their problems on Joseph Smith. 10% of the people turned against him, even many of his closest friends.
Neal Maxwell said that spiritual exhilaration will always be followed by Satan's vexation. This time in the Church is called the apostasy of Kirtland bceause so many turned against Joseph Smith.
it was a very low time, and Joseph prayed about what to do about it. The answer was D&C 110? God's answer to all their conflicts and problems - to overcome the spirit of Apostasy was to send a bunch of men to serve missions in England. It seemed so illogical to Joseph and everyone else because they were so poor and couldn't afford to have men leave their wives and children with nothing to travel to another country, and because they needed all their good leaders there to help keep the Church from falling apart. He was told to send Heber C Kimball and 5 faithful men who had family in England.
But they obeyed and many of the most faithful and strong men left for missions. One man who really wanted to go was Parley P Pratt. But he had no money and was in serious debt, and his wife, Thankful, was very ill. Heber C Kimball, who was known for his powerful Priesthood blessings happened to be passing Parley's house, and offered to give Thankful a blessing. In the blessing, he was told that the Lord would provide for his mission and to pay his debt. He also said that his wife would be healed immediately and would bear a son. She was 40, so that blessing was amazing and a little hard to believe.
But he made preparations immediately to leave and as soon as he left, his debts got paid, his wife was immediately healed and found herself pregnant. He converted many who became powerful leaders of the church. Still in the Church, many of the most faithful members are descendants of those converted in England.
Parley's blessings are called the Law of Compensation - blessings for service.
Grace is what the Lord can do that we can't do.
Parley wrote 9 hymns.
By the 1850s most families in Salt Lake City were descendants of the converts of that mission.
Isaiah 55:9, God has surprising answers to what we think the problem is.
(It's the future Celestial Kingdom because the Celestial Kingdom hasn't been set up yet. It will be on this earth after it is renewed. So Joseph Smith and others saw the future. They saw God and Jesus Christ sitting on their thrones and also saw all the Old Testament prophets. He saw his parents, which wasn't surprising, but he also saw Alvin, who he knew hadn't been baptized. He knew that Alvin was there because we are not just judged in this life by what we do, but by the desires of our hearts.
(At one time Joseph Smith described Alvin as handsome, the most handsome man he had ever seen except for Adam and Seth.)
The last thing Joseph Smith and the others saw was that children under 8 would e saved. Since Joseph and Emma had lost some children, so they were very, very happy to know that!
In 1826 when the temple was dedicated about 1,000 people attended; they were packed in as tight as they could, and those who couldn't fit were in a nearby chapel. The service was held again a few days later so that everyone could hear the prayer.
Joseph Smith had received the prayer by revelation and that prayer is the model that is used still for temple dedicatory prayers.
After sustaining the leaders and a few speakers, he read the prayer. It's in D&C 109. WW Phelps had written a hymn for the occasion - The Spirit of God, which speaks of the sound of the rushing winds - which they heard later. He also wrote Now Let us Rejoice and Adam Ondi Ahman.
Then the whole congregation participated in the Hosanna Shout and it was said by some that even babies and toddlers participated in it.
During the meeting a stranger walked in - it was an angel who withheld his glory to blend in. Someone asked Joseph Smith who it was and he said it was Peter who had been sent there to represent the Lord.
The meeting was 7 hours long. Later that night Joseph Smith held a priesthood meeting in the temple. George Albert Smith, cousin to Joseph Smith spoke and while he spoke everyone heard a loud sound like a rushing wind, which was an answer to the dedicatory prayer and the whole congregation rose at the same time as if lifted out of their seats.
Neighboring people saw a bright light from within and heard the loud wind. They also saw angels over the building.
There were no temple ordinances done in the Kirtland temple except for initiatories for those leaving on missions.
One week later was April 3, Easter Sunday, and Passover all on the same day. To have those all on the same day is extremely rare. 1,000 saints, one week after such a spiritual meeting of the dedication, attended. During the meeting Joseph Smith and Hyrum went behind a curtain and prayed together. There they received D&C 110. They said the veil was taken and their eyes were opened. This means they were transfigured, which means they were transfused with light to be able to withstand the Lord's presence. They saw the Savior and said His eyes were like a flame of fire and his hair white like snow, and his voice was as the rushing of many waters. He gave them the message that the He accepted the House built in poverty. He said the fame of the temple would spread to foreign lands.
Then they had a new vision of resurrected Moses.
Then they saw Elias (Noah) who gave them the keys of the Gospel of Abraham, which is the New and Everlasting Covenant of marriage. it is through this that we an become like God.
Salvation is one by one
Exaltation is 2 by 2
next Elijah came and gave them the sealing powers - parents to children and children to parents.
At Passover the Jews set a seat for Elijah and this was the day he actually came.
Whenever there is an outpouring of spiritual experiences, next comes an outpouring of Satan's temptations. All the saints who were living in Kirtland were extremely poor, and more saints arrived every day, with nothing. They needed food, shelter, clothing, etc. Joseph Smith tried to establish a bank, but the state wouldn't allow it, so he sat up a type of cooperative, Kirtland Safety Society, which was a less formal bank, but it was a way to give loans to people and help them out. It was also when banks failed, and their bank went bankrupt also. People blamed all their problems on Joseph Smith. 10% of the people turned against him, even many of his closest friends.
Neal Maxwell said that spiritual exhilaration will always be followed by Satan's vexation. This time in the Church is called the apostasy of Kirtland bceause so many turned against Joseph Smith.
it was a very low time, and Joseph prayed about what to do about it. The answer was D&C 110? God's answer to all their conflicts and problems - to overcome the spirit of Apostasy was to send a bunch of men to serve missions in England. It seemed so illogical to Joseph and everyone else because they were so poor and couldn't afford to have men leave their wives and children with nothing to travel to another country, and because they needed all their good leaders there to help keep the Church from falling apart. He was told to send Heber C Kimball and 5 faithful men who had family in England.
But they obeyed and many of the most faithful and strong men left for missions. One man who really wanted to go was Parley P Pratt. But he had no money and was in serious debt, and his wife, Thankful, was very ill. Heber C Kimball, who was known for his powerful Priesthood blessings happened to be passing Parley's house, and offered to give Thankful a blessing. In the blessing, he was told that the Lord would provide for his mission and to pay his debt. He also said that his wife would be healed immediately and would bear a son. She was 40, so that blessing was amazing and a little hard to believe.
But he made preparations immediately to leave and as soon as he left, his debts got paid, his wife was immediately healed and found herself pregnant. He converted many who became powerful leaders of the church. Still in the Church, many of the most faithful members are descendants of those converted in England.
Parley's blessings are called the Law of Compensation - blessings for service.
Grace is what the Lord can do that we can't do.
Parley wrote 9 hymns.
By the 1850s most families in Salt Lake City were descendants of the converts of that mission.
Isaiah 55:9, God has surprising answers to what we think the problem is.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Explanations of ISAIAH from 2nd Nephi
Elder Holland said:
"It may just be that my salvation (and yours also) does in fact depend on
our ability to understand the writings of Isaiah..."
Explanations of ISAIAH
from 2nd Nephi
Isaiah’s main themes are:
1. Messianic prophesies – the 1st and 2nd
comings of Jesus Christ
2. Scattering and gathering of Israel.
Jesus commanded us to
study Isaiah and told us why in 3 Nephi 23;1-3:
1 And now, behold, I say
unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give
unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words
of Isaiah.
2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people
which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he
must speak also to the Gentiles.
3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be,
even according to the words which he spake.
(Side gem of info: the
name Ephriam means fruitful.)
Isaiah prophesied the name of Cyrus 100 years before he was
born. Cyrus was a great conquerer who would liberate the Jews and make possible
that the lineage of Christ be in the Holy Land for Christ to be born there.
Mostly those who returned there were those of the line of King David – the Holy
Seed.
Zerubbabel was in biblical account a governor of
the Persian Province of Yehud Medinata and the grandson of Jehoiachin,
penultimate king of Judah.
He took charge of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem and
was of the lineage of David. The younger generation didn’t want to leave when
Cyrus liberated them.
Isaiah began his ministry in 740 BC so he lived to see
his prophesy of the Assyrians fulfilled.
30% of the writings of Isaiah are in the Book of Mormon,
so we still need to study the Bible to know all of what he taught.
A clearer account of Isaiah from the Bible is in the NIV –
New International Version of the Bible. It has many things that are in
agreement with the Book of Mormon and things Joseph Smith taught. It is
recommended by Ann Madsen for studying Isaiah.
2nd Nephi 6 was given at general conference
time. Nephi asked Jacob to speak on Isaiah.
Where it talks of Kings and Queens of gentile nations
being Israel’s nursing mothers, it is talking about the nations that helped the
Jewish people return and resettle in the Holy Land. It also refers to Senior
Couples who serve missions – think of kings and queens in the temple context.
Also, there are now many people called expatriates, who go to other countries
for work and help support new converts.
This is the poem that Laurel wrote for chapter 6:
Chapter 7: In the time of Isaiah, the groom paid the fiancee's family to be able to marry her. If he had no money, he could work it off, as in the case of Jacob who worked for Rachel 7 years, then another 7 years. This is representative of Christ - the bridegroom - who paid the ultimate price - His life and then was rejected by the bride (Israel).
Of all the tribes of Israel, the Jews are the ones who know who they are best. There are 16 million people in the world who identify themselves as Jews.There are also 16 million people in the world who identify themselves as Mormons. 40% of LDS live in the US and Canada. 40% of Jews lie in Israel.
The Battle of Armageddon - chapter 8:
All nations will gather in Magedo - they will surround Israel. There will be about 200 million (which is the approximate # of armed forces of all the world) gathered against Israel. Daniel said they would be led by a king of the north - Gog and Agog might/could be a king of Russia. Even President Reagan said that prophesy could refer to Russia. He said, "Who else could it be?"
They will trample and eat everything in their path, like locusts. After much destruction, they will lay siege to Israel. They will surround them and cut them off from any supplies and help until they are starving and weak. This has already happened to Israel on some scale in the past. Isaiah said that history repeats itself.
Israel will be the last nation to receive missionaries, as in the scripture that the first will be last and the last will be first. When Israel is near destruction, 2 "prophets" - probably apostles with power (the Priesthood) - and sealing power will use the powers of heaven to fight the enemy for the Jews. They will keep the armies in check. In the scriptures, these apostles are sometimes called 2 olive trees, 2 witnesses, 2 candlesticks, and 2 sons. (In Revelations, candlesticks represent prophets.)
Then the 2 prophets will be killed and the enemies will rejoice and cause much sin, thinking they have won. Then will come earthquakes, hailstorms the weight of a talent, or bowling ball, and only 1/6th of the army will survive.
The Mount of Olives will split in half and the Jews will to into the valley of it for safety. Christ will appear and show the marks and then the Jews will accept Him.
2 Nephi 12
The Utah settlers had planned to name Utah Deseret, not Utah, but the government said they wanted a name that honored the Indians who were there - the Utes. In changing the name, the government fulfilled prophesy from Isaiah. Utah in Ute means "top of the mountains". The prophesy says that all nations shall flow unto it.
The National Geographic had an article that showed the similarities between the Great Salt Lake and the Dead Sea, called twin geographics, miles apart.
This chapter deals with the 2nd coming and 2 capitols, the New Jerusalem, which is the political center, and Jerusalem - the Jew's home, the center of the Word of the Lord. In chapter 12 the events are out of order.
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