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The Lord establishes the rules of prophetic succession, calls the elders to gather for a conference, and gives information about his Second Coming.
D&C 28:2
D&C 3:9
D&C 35:18
D&C 88:21, 34
D&C 100:16
D&C 10:67
D&C 64:23-25
D&C 22
D&C 49:8
D&C 101:17-23
D&C 82:54-58
What would keep people out of Zion? I would suggest a huge chasm along the Mississippi River. I would suggest that this scripture (D&C 45:48 And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.) might also be talking about America’s Zion and not the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem. I’m not 100% sure, but there sure do seem to be a lot of Christians and Christian Prophets who have dreamt about, had visions, and or words from God describing just such an event. Here is a link to just one of them:
https://444prophecynews.com/you-will-be-split-right-down-the-middle-stephen-hanson/
Because we have our own “prophets” or have had, anyway, we tend to dismiss any and all prophetic words from outside the church. Yet, there are hundreds of Christians claiming to have witnessed these things, and other such destructions, over the last few years in increasing frequency. I believe the Lord is still speaking to those who are open to such possibilities. Of course there are frauds out there too. The Spirit helps in discerning truth in all such matters.
What is even more disturbing, is the fact that many of these prophets seem to be saying these destructions will begin any day now. Since I am not one of them, I can only pray and do my best to remain ready at all times, as we are supposed to do anyways. I do feel, however, that the Lord has been pushing me rather rapidly to sanctify myself this past year, almost in urgency. My current belief is that we are very close.
Another excellent podcast, gentlemen. May the Lord bless and keep you. 🙂
D&C 45:1 is one of numerous scriptures that clearly state God is the creator of all things. The LDS have a false belief that other beings besides God created parts of the heavens and the earth. They get some of this belief from the Book of Abraham. However, passage after passage in the scriptures state the same thing:
Hearken, O ye people of my church, to whom the kingdom has been given; hearken ye and give ear to him who laid the foundation of the earth, who made the heavens and all the hosts thereof, and by whom all things were made which live, and move, and have a being.
Our spirits were not out creating the earth during a pre-existence. That belief does not square with the revealed word of God.
Also, D&C 45:51-53, I wonder who exactly the Jews are. I suspect it may be the LDS church – as the gathering of the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah began with the foreign missions in the latter part of the 1830s.
Yep. Also, Judah = Yudah = Utah. That can’t be just a coincidence, Ute Natives or no. Another one I found interesting: The church of Laodicea. Lao = Latter, di = day, cea = saints.
How about Iowa = Yahuah = YHVH.
Languages are so cool. 🙂
You might be interested in the research of Brian Stubbs whose an expert in the Uto-Aztecan languages and also studied various semitic languages: http://bmslr.org/exploring-the-explanatory-power-of-semitic-and-egyptian-in-uto-aztecan/
This is great! Thank you! 🙂
Personally I think people won’t go to Zion not because they can’t but because they won’t want to. As the great John Lennon said (and who has more claim of being a prophet then any of the 15 in SLC):
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today… Aha-ah…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace… You…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world… You…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
But who wants no possessions or sharing the world and the erasing of borders? I want america for americans!!! etc etc and endless war. The sections you cited said we must fight our neighbors if we don’t go to Zion and unfortunately people especially americans like to kill each other and other countries. So will there be protection around Zion sure, but it’s probably not necessary. People love babylon and bloodshed too much.
Can you specify what exactly you meant by the “everlasting covenant” that was referred to in verse 9? I know you spend some time discussing how it is not celestial marriage, but do you mean priesthood authority to baptize? Is it the organized church? That doesn’t seem to fit the description either, considering how poorly the “saints” have done at obeying God’s law. Is it the gospel in its purity? That seems to fit much better, but how could that be a standard in and of itself? That would be like seeking a treasure which has no container.
I got the impression that what was sent was the Book of Mormon in which the pure everlasting covenant was taught in purity. Our discussions last year show how the Book of Mormon is a light in the darkness of confusion of our world. It is also a standard for God’s people, in that we can measure our doctrine and works against what was clearly taught in it. The Book of Mormon is also something tangible for the Gentiles to seek and which can be a messenger to prepare the way before the coming of Christ upon the earth.
I know that a group preaches that the Book of Mormon is this new and everlasting covenant. That isn’t supported by the scriptures:
D&C 1:14-15
the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; for they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;
I’m not sure how someone who will not hear the preaching of the gospel can “break the Book of Mormon”.
D&C 101:39
When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men;
When we are called unto the gospel, we don’t covenant with the Book of Mormon.
Back to D&C 45.
8 I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not; but unto as many as received me gave I power to do many miracles, and to become the sons of God; and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life.
9 And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me.
I interpret this as the simple gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism by water, and gift of the Holy Ghost) — and anyone who obeys those laws and ordinances of the gospel (nothing more, nothing less) have power to become the sons of God. That is the everlasting covenant that has been sent forth. The Book of Mormon teaches about this covenant, but it is not itself the covenant. Baptism itself is just a part of the covenant, not the whole enchilada. D&C 22 addresses people who wanted to join the church without being re-baptized, having been already baptized by another church. Verse 1 states that those previous baptisms were not adequate, and the gospel being offered by the new Church of Christ was the new and everlasting covenant and required a “fresh” baptism. Other scriptures make it clear that the covenant we make is to follow Christ, and baptism is the witness we make of that covenant.
D&C 66:2 [William McLellin is blessed] for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fulness of my gospel.
D&C 133:57 the Lord sent forth the fulness of his gospel, his everlasting covenant
These scriptures declare the fulness of the gospel of Christ to be the everlasting covenant. I think the covenant can be succinctly described as: “Through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
I agree with what you are saying, I guess my question came from the dual meaning of words. I was thinking of “standard for my people” as a rallying point, like the flag carried in battle, rather than a set of standards that we can measure our actions and belief against. Maybe I take for granted that most Christians will also believe the fundamentals of faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. When the fullness of the gospel is gone, does the new and everlasting covenant remain in any condition that is noticeable to those who are on the outside? There are so many people who call themselves Christian but relatively few that live differently enough in the world we live in to provide the example or light that that verse describes.
Maybe the missing piece is the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I believe for those who actually receive this gift, the light of the covenant will be obvious to those who are looking for something other than what the world and regular religion have to offer. If the covenant hasn’t been taken from the earth, where can it be found?
I think you correctly identified the major issue: the lack of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Without that, even a faithful believer doesn’t receive the spiritual rebirth that is a critical component of the everlasting covenant and is left to struggle against our fallen nature. We think the little sparks of spiritual enlightenment that we receive right now are the gift of the Holy Ghost, which then causes us to lower our standards for everything that God has promised. A miracle is no longer the sick jumping out of bed, but slowly recovering after medical treatment. Discernment is no longer knowing the exact thoughts and actions of someone, but asking questions and not having a good fooling about their answers. The ministration of angels has now been replaced by thoughts coming during the night and the decisions of committees. Those aren’t divine operations, those are the actions of natural man we’ve been using for thousands of years.
I think that when the light returns, the contrast will be undeniable. When we see the blind having their sight restored, the lame jumping up, servants demonstrating true discernment, and all the other spiritual promises being fulfilled without being watered down, that’s when the gospel becomes a light to the world and a standard for the people to seek. With the simple gospel of Jesus Christ preached AND practiced in its purity, any and all with a good heart will be attracted to it.