Remember

"Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come- Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen." (Mosiah 16:14-15)

I just think it is important to write down as a reminder to always turn towards Christ. Often we may teach and think it is correct, but we miss the mark; in that we don't keep in mind that all the Gospel laws and ordinance are to persuade men "to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him (Moroni 10:32)."

Section 76

As past posts in this blog have alluded to: it is clear to me that the Lord directs His living prophets by giving direct revelation through divine inspiration. From the beginning of the Prophet Joseph Smith's miraculous experiences in the sacred grove, to the present; the Lord reveals new doctrine to those who meet a few requirements. First, the Lord must will it to be the appropriate time for a doctrine or details of a doctrine to be revealed. Second, the recipients must be prepared in mind, heart and often body to accept and then teach the new doctrine. Often there is a third requirement that I notice and that is that the recipients must ask for further light and knowledge. From the simple question of Joseph in the sacred grove, to the end of his life; he asked questions of God and received answers. He once stated: "When we understand the character of God, and know how to come to Him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to him, he is ready to come to us. (History of the Church, 6:308.)"

It is no wonder that an incredible revelation such as is Doctrine and Covenants 76 should be reveled to such a Prophet.

The Prophet wrote: “Upon my return from Amherst [Ohio] conference, I resumed the translation of the Scriptures. From sundry revelations which had been received, it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of man, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled. It appeared self-evident from what truths were left, that if God rewarded every one according to the deeds done in the body the term ‘Heaven,’ as intended for the Saints’ eternal home must include more kingdoms than one. Accordingly, on the 16th of February, 1832, while translating St. John’s Gospel, myself and Elder Rigdon saw the following vision (D&C 76).” ( History of the Church, 1:245.)

This(right) is the place that the bulk of section 76 was given. It is called the John Johnson home in Hiram Ohio.

President Wilford Woodruff said of the vision that it “gives more light, more truth, and more principle than any revelation contained in any other book we ever read. It makes plain to our understanding our present condition, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going to. Any man may know through that revelation what his part and condition will be. For all men know what laws they keep, and the laws which men keep here will determine their position hereafter; they will be preserved by those laws and receive the blessings which belong to them.” (In Journal of Discourses, 22:146–47.)

I encourage anyone that has ever seriously wondered where we came from, why we are here, or where we are going after death to look at http://mormon.org/ to further understand the revelation that is briefly discussed here.

I know that the things contained in Doctrine and Covenants section 76 are truly the way things are. I find great enlightenment and happiness in the fact that the Savior died for each one of us and made it possible for us to obtain one of the degrees of Heaven. I am planning on living in the highest degree of Heaven, but I know I must live worthy of that blessing.

Zion, The New Jerusalem

Members of the church are also instructed to “build up Zion” wherever they are in the world. Obviously, this is referring to the building up of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world. It is clear to those who are familiar with the church that one of the fundamental beliefs is that the true Priesthood authority was given to the early church leaders from Heavenly messengers. So, it should not be taken offensively to anyone outside the Church to hear the LDS members referred to as “the pure in heart,” for there are truly pure in heart people throughout the world that love the Lord with all their hearts. The members of the church are counseled to become “a Zion People.” In fact, one of the principle goals of Brigham Young University – Idaho is to help facilitate a Zion like environment. 

In the LDS Bible Dictionary under “Zion” it describes this Zion as being a place in many instances.

“Other usages of Zion have to do with a geographical location. For example, Enoch built a city that was called Zion (Moses 7: 18-19). Solomon built his temple on Mount Zion (1 Kgs. 8: 1; cf. 2 Sam. 5: 6-7); and Jackson County. Missouri, is called Zion in many of the revelations in the D&C, such as D&C 58: 49-50;D&C 62: 4; D&C 63: 48; D&C 72: 13; D&C 84: 76; D&C 104: 47. The city of New Jerusalem, to be built in Jackson County, Missouri, is to be called Zion (D&C 45: 66-67). The revelations also speak of “the cause of Zion” (D&C 6: 6; D&C 11: 6). In a wider sense all of North and South America are Zion”

The other definition of Zion, as mentioned, is a location. It is clear that in the past, the Lord has referred to Zion in this definition of the word. The Guide to the Scriptures found on LDS.org gives a brief explanation of why Jackson County, Missouri is referred to as “Zion.”

“In the latter-days a city named Zion will be built near Jackson County, Missouri (United States of America), to which the tribes of Israel will gather (D&C 103: 11-22; 133: 18).”

One misconception is that Jackson County Missouri is also the same place as Adam-Ondi-Ahmen. The map below shows the location of each of these:

Map from LDS.org: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=00bba41f6cc20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=637e1b08f338c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Again in D&C 116 it says: “Spring Hill is named by the Lord^aAdam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where^bAdam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.”

What impresses me most about all this information is that it is clearly stated for the world to see. I think that by doing this, the Lord is showing clearly to all that He will fulfill all his words. As it states in the tenth Article of Faith, "We believe in the literal ^agathering of Israel and in the restoration of the ^bTenTribes; that ^cZion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will ^dreign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be ^erenewed and receive its^fparadisiacal ^gglory."

The Lord has spoken it clearly, and I know that He will fulfill all those words that have been spoken by His prophets, even in these latter days. 

False Spirits

In the heading of D&C 50 it states: “….The Prophet states that some of the elders did not understand the manifestations of different spirits abroad in the earth, and that this revelation was given in response to his special inquiry on the matter. So-called spiritual phenomena were not uncommon among the members, some of whom claimed to be receiving visions and revelations.”

To understand what exactly this revelation was referring to, I did some further research into what these “So-called spiritual phenomena” were. I discovered a few of the reports from the church history that some of the members were reporting. In the D&C Student Manual on Section 50 it describes:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith observed: Soon after the Gospel was established in Kirtland, and during the absence of the authorities of the Church, many false spirits were introduced, many strange visions were seen, and wild, enthusiastic notions were entertained: men ran out of doors under the influence of this spirit, and some of them got upon the stumps of trees and shouted, and all kinds of extravagances were entered into by them; one man pursued a ball that he said he saw flying in the air, until he came to a precipice, when he jumped into the top of a tree, which saved his life; and many ridiculous things were entered into, calculated to bring disgrace upon the Church of God, to cause the Spirit of God to be withdrawn, and to uproot and destroy those glorious principles which had been developed for the salvation of the human family.” ( History of the Church, 4:580.)
John Whitmer wrote: “Some had visions and could not tell what they saw, some would fancy to themselves that they had the sword of Laban, and would wield it as expert as a light dragoon; some would act like an Indian in the act of scalping; some would slide or scoot on the floor with the rapidity of a serpent, which they termed sailing in the boat to the Lamanites, preaching the gospel. And many other vain and foolish maneuvers that are unseeming and unprofitable to mention. Thus the devil blinded the eyes of some good and honest disciples. I write these things to show how ignorant and undiscerning children are, and how easy mankind is led astray, notwithstanding the things of God that are written concerning his kingdom.” (“Church History,” Journal of History, Jan. 1908, p. 55.)”

I am sure that most people that read this would agree that these are just plain weird things to do! Yet, I have to wonder why these good, sincere people were so confused as to follow these “phenomena.” I think that a part of the answer has to do with the way the church was begun and the way revelation is really given.

This is my opinion: Could it be that human nature has a big role in their believing these things? Consider the fact that the entire Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is founded on miraculous things. From the visions and revelations of the prophets of old; to the more recent (at the time) appearance of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ to the boy Joseph Smith. I would not be surprised, as silly as it sounds, to learn that a large part of the reason they believed these false spirits was because they wanted “fantastic” spiritual experiences of their own. They misunderstood the doctrine of being led by the Holy Ghost and Satan could have used this to confuse the saints.

Let’s look at how this applies to us. The principles that were taught in section 50 clarified “that there are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world. (D&C 50:2)” Although there are a few stories here and there about wild visions and obviously uninspired experiences today; the most common way we are led away is probably through messages in the media and other mediums in the world around us. The lesson the Lord wanted the people to learn then and wants us to learn now is best summed up in verses 23 and 24. It states, “And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness. That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”

The lessons of the Doctrine and Covenants are for us to use today. If we take this lesson into our lives, we will be able to judge wisely and know if something is of God and edifies.

Sidney Rigdon

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Sidney Rigdon was a prominent figure in the Doctrine and Covenants and also in the time of the early Church. So prominent, in fact, that he was involved with 13 revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants as well as being in the actual text of 44 sections. These sections involving Rigdon range from instruction to promises to rebuke. He led a fantastic life and did many wonderful things for the church. Perhaps the biggest lesson to be learned from his life, though, is that even the great can fall from their privelages.

Sidney Rigdon was born in February of 1793, which would have made him the age of 37 when the church was officially organized and he joined it. He was taught the gospel by Parley P. Pratt. He became and accomplished orator, a Baptist Minister, and later one of the founders of the Campbellite movement (a protestant movement shortly before the Restoration). (Doctrine & Covenants: Who’s Who, Ed J. Pinegar, Richard J. Allen, pp. 121-125) As explained by the mentioned book:

“His service to the church included participating in the dedication of Independence, Missouri, as the chosen land of Zion (see D&C 58:57), serving as as a scribe for the Prophet Joseph for the inspired translation of the Bible, participating with Joseph Smith in a number of revelations (including section 76 on the degrees of glory), and generally being a spokesman and defender for the cause of Zion. He became a member of the First Presidency on March 18, 1833. He suffered greatly during the Missouri persecutions.(122)”

It is clear from the actual text of the scriptures that the Lord had great confidence in the abilities of Brother Rigdon:

“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard they prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work. Thou art blessed, for thou shalt do great things.” (D&C 35:3-4)

Conversely, the Lord also gave warnings to Sidney Rigdon about his problem with Pride. It is best shown in this verse:

“I, the Lord, am not pleased with my servant Sidney Rigdon; he exalted himself in his heart, and received not counsel, but grieved the Spirit; Wherefore his writing is not acceptable unto the Lord, and he shall make another; and if the Lord receive it not, behold he standeth no longer in the office to which I have appointed him.” (D&C 63:55-56)

At one point, Rigdon had a dispute with the prophet Joseph Smith and was severed from the church (August 13, 1843). He was later reinstated. Later, in 1844, After the Prophet Jospeh had been killed, Sidney Rigdon claimed to have had a vision that he should become the guardian of the Church. The experience is best explained in the Journal of Discourse (as refreneced in The Presidents of the Church: Teacher’s Manual; Found online on www.LDS.org).

“After the Prophet Joseph Smith was killed, the Twelve Apostles presided over the Church. Many members of the Church did not know how a new President of the Church would be chosen.

Sidney Rigdon had been a counselor to President Joseph Smith for eleven years and had helped Joseph in many ways. Sidney Rigdon thought he should be the next President of the Church. He did not agree that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles should preside over the Church and wanted to be chosen by the people to be the President.

Sidney Rigdon called for a meeting so the people could decide who would preside over the Church. When Brigham Young, the senior Apostle, and other Apostles returned from their missions later in August 1844, six weeks after the Prophet Joseph Smith had been killed, the meeting was held in Nauvoo. Sidney Rigdon and Brigham Young both spoke in the meeting.

Another meeting was called for 10:00 a.m. the next day. A marvelous thing happened in that meeting. When Brigham Young stood up to speak, for a short time he looked and sounded like Joseph Smith.

…The question might be asked, why was the appearance of Joseph Smith given to Brigham Young? Because here was Sidney Rigdon and other men rising up and claiming to be the leaders of the Church, and men stood, as it were, on a pivot, not knowing which way to turn. But just as quick as Brigham Young rose in that assembly, his face was that of Joseph Smith—the mantle of Joseph had fallen upon him, the power of God that was upon Joseph Smith was upon him, he had the voice of Joseph, and it was the voice of the shepherd. There was not a person in that assembly, Rigdon, himself,[bold added] not excepted, but was satisfied in his own mind that Brigham was the proper leader of the people, for he would not have his name presented, by his own consent, after that sermon was delivered. There was a reason for this in the mind of God; it convinced the people. They saw and heard for themselves, and it was by the power of God” (in Journal of Discourses, 15:81).”

Unfortunately, after this experience, Sidney Rigdon was disfellowshipped for attempting to take over leadership outside the framework set up by the Lord. He “fell into a state of disgrace and never recovered. (p. 125)”

As mentioned, the most impotatnt lesson I take from this is that pride is the universal sin. Even in a man who has had some incredible experiences like Sidney Rigdon, pride can still overcome the person in feeling they are due some sort of reward. For me, this is a reminder that the things I have been blessed with in mylife are conditional on my faithfulness until the very end.

I know that we each have divine gifts and opportunities in this life. The most crucial thing we can do is to beware of the creeping sin of pride.

Revelation in the Latter-day Saint Church

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I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, AKA: Mormons. I served a mission for the church for two years and spent my time teaching about the doctrines, blessings, and importance of a “Restored Gospel.” One of the most powerful testimonies of the work that I was involved with is the receipt of Personal revelation.

It is up to each individual person to develop a relationship with God, yet as Mormons, we give heed to the counsel of those we consider modern day Prophets. This pattern of living may seem contrary to the idea that one develops his/her own relationship with God. The truth is, that a person will draw much closer to God by following the counsel of the living prophets than by trying to “find their own way.”

Early in the history of the Mormon Church was a misunderstanding of this doctrine. There was one man who was “receiving revelation” for the church as a whole which was contrary to what the Prophet Joseph Smith was teaching. This matter was clarified in the revelation given to Joseph Smith in section 28. The historical background as explained in the D&C Institute manual is thus:

“After arranging my affairs at home, I again set out for Fayette, to attend our second conference, which had been appointed to be held at Father Whitmer’s where Joseph then resided. On my arrival I found Brother Joseph in great distress of mind on account of Hyrum Page, who had managed to get up some dissension of feeling among the brethren by giving revelations concerning the government of the Church and other matters, which he claimed to have received through the medium of a stone he possessed. He had quite a roll of papers full of these revelations, and many in the Church were led astray by them. Even Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer family had given heed to them, although they were in contradiction to the New Testament and the revelations of these last days. Here was a chance for Satan to work among the little flock, and he sought by this means to accomplish what persecution failed to do. Joseph was perplexed and scarcely knew how to meet this new exigency. That night I occupied the same room that he did and the greater part of the night was spent in prayer and supplication. After much labor with these brethren they were convinced of their error, and confessed the same, renouncing the revelations as not being of God, but acknowledged that Satan had conspired to overthrow their belief in the true plan of salvation. In consequence of these things Joseph enquired of the Lord before conference commenced and received the revelation published on page 140 of the Doctrine and Covenants [section 28], wherein God explicitly states His mind and will concerning the receiving of revelations.”

The Lesson to take from this is that as often as the Lord will use his proper ways of conveying revelation (through his modern day prophets); Satan will try to confuse it with false revelation through similar mediums.

I know that God communicates with his children. I know that I can pray and receive personal answers to my prayers, fitted for my individual circumstance. Yet, these answers usually come through the doctrines taught by the living and modern prophets in the church I love, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is Jesus Christ’s church. The leaders in it have been authorized by Him. I am grateful God speaks in an ordered way to us, his children.

A few thoughts on Oliver and Joseph

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What was the historical context of Doctrine and Covenants section 6?

Section 6 of the Doctrine and Covenants is a revelation that includes a lot of what I will call “motivational gems” such as verses 33-34:

“Fear not to do ^bgood, my sons, for whatsoever ye ^csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow ^dgood ye shall also reap good for your ^ereward. UAdd a Note Therefore, fear not, little ^aflock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are ^bbuilt upon my rock, they cannot prevail. UAdd a Note Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and ^asin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you. UAdd a Note Look unto me in every ^bthought; ^cdoubt not, fear not. UAdd a Note Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the ^bnails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall ^cinherit the ^dkingdom of heaven. Amen.”

There is a lot of the Lord’s counsel in this section initially directed towards The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. and Oliver Cowdery. I did some research and found that this revelation was given shortly after Oliver met Joseph and began recording the translations for what would become The Book of Mormon.

Oliver began as a school teacher for the children of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith (Joseph Smith Jr.’s parents). The custom was to have the school teacher stay in their home. After some time, Oliver heard of the ‘gold plates’ and inquired of the family. He exclaimed that he had been praying for revelation to come and for this type of thing to occur and for him to find it. These are his words to Joseph Smith Sr. the next day after he heard about what Joseph Smith Jr. was doing:

“….The subject upon which we were yesterday conversing seems working in my very bones, and I cannot, for a moment, get it out of my mind; finally, I have resolved on what I will do. Samuel [Smith], I understand, is going down to Pennsylvania to spend the spring with Joseph; I shall make my arrangements to be ready to accompany him thither, . . . for I have made it a subject of prayer, and I firmly believe that it is the will of the Lord that I should go. If there is a work for me to do in this thing, I am determined to attend to it.” ( History of Joseph Smith, p. 139.)

When Oliver arrived with his intended mission, the prophet Joseph was not at all surprised to see him; for he had been praying for an aid in scribing the translations of the gold plates. Knowing this story, I think, clearly helps us see that the two were now in need of encouragement and instruction for the very difficult journey they would each have in the near future. The counsel, as is shown above, is the best summary of the Lord’s attitude towards these two servants of His. They were in need of an encouragement just as any soldier would need it before going into battle. Section 6 is full of wonderful counsel that each of us now have access to. I know in my life I have found comfort in the words of the Savior about doubting not and trusting in the Lord.I know also, that seeing how the Lord brought these two together to perform a work; can be a lesson I take into my life as pertaining to my mission in life. I will trust in the Lord and His directions as I seek His will for me through prayer.

Ingenuity

Dictionary.com tells me it is: "the quality of being cleverly inventive or resourceful; inventiveness." As demonstrated in the following:

The oven buzzer went off at the exact time the kitchen towels (we don't own oven mitts) were in the washer. My "Pigs" were seconds from becoming crisp bacon burn victims. Something had to be done quickly! How would I save them from their burning demise in time?? I looked down in desperation and then, Ingenuity struck...


I know what you are thinking.... And yes, Adidas thought it was brilliant too. They called and said something about a "hand/sock" spokesman position. Thank you, Ingenuity.

P.S. My pigs snugly in their Golden Brown blankets were Delicious.

A Sure Cure

I heard a talk in church today that mentioned one of my favorite scriptures. He said that if you are ever having a bad day, to read this scripture. I have to agree. Its 2 Nephi chapter 4. A long time ago, I heard a song that was put to the music of "Be Still My Soul" and uses the words from this chapter. Here is the reference to the chapter. http://new.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/4?lang=eng

I love the scriptures and all the wisdom, peace and Love from Heavenly Father they include!

A song written with the words of Nephi's Psalm to the tune of Be Still My Soul. Simply Inspiring.

For the Beauty of the Earth

I took a drive up Smokey Canyon today. Smokey Canyon is just passed what my family refers to as Taigee Canyon. I was on my way to snap a picture of the cabin where my Great Grandpa Elno was born when I was just struck with how beautiful a scene I was in. I could look out over the valley and see streams, green rising mountains, and an impending thunder storm.

I realize that pictures will never be able to capture the true majesty of any scenery. So maybe I can explain my feelings better. When I was in Europe last summer, I saw a lot of gorgeous countryside. Some of the most beautiful mountain scenes were when we traveled through the Swiss Alps. Yet, at points in the journey through Italy and other wonderful places; I couldn't help but think of this place near Star Valley, Wyoming. I felt then, as I do now, that I had the privilege of seeing one of the most beautiful places on Earth while my family visited every summer.

So here I was, in the midst of this great place and I just couldn't help but feel so grateful for such a wonderful world. Some time alone out in nature has a way of really stilling your mind and soul.

Religious or not, one has to admit the beauty and majesty of the Earth, wherever you may believe it came from.

No matter how great of things we think we can do - whether its building something beautiful, discovering answers to scientific problems, or anything else that we pat ourselves on the back for - It will always pale in comparison to what has been done long before we got here. I think if everyone could just spend a few moments in a place like this every so often, we mightbetter remember what life is really all about. And it doesn't have a thing to do with power, politics, or money. Its about a personal relationship with a divine creator. In the end, that is all we have.