To him that overcometh...

As I've pondered on and prayed for those who have stopped believing in Jesus I had the thought to share a portion of my journal. What I will share was a dream one of my children had 12 years ago.

12 years ago we were just barely waking up. We never taught any of our children about Zion. Our oldest child was five with another child three years old and  another child being one year old. Because of their ages we never had any deep gospel discussions. Please keep that in mind. We were at a "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" level of gospel instruction with our kids.

I share this dream to ask those who don't believe the Bible...don't believe Jesus is the Son of God or don't believe He is coming back to earth or believe Him to be just an 'ascended master' - how can a little five year old who was just two years out of nursery have such a vivid and real dream that corresponds to the prophecies found in the Book of Revelation and elsewhere?

This child was five years old when they had this dream.

2-22-13

(Edit/name of the child removed) said he had a dream and in the dream he saw Jesus, Heavenly Father, and many angels. They told him, "thank you for repenting and keeping the commandments of Jesus". There was a wall. When I asked what was on the other side of the wall, he said "Everything that is bad. On our side was everything that was good."

He said our whole family was there and Jesus was there. I asked if we said anything to Jesus, he said, "We were singing every song there ever was about Jesus and Heavenly Father." He said his heart was warm.

He said on the other side of the wall was black and Satan was there and Satan had a robe like Jesus but it was black. He had no mouth. Satan had hands and blue eyes and everywhere he stepped the grass turned brown. Jesus came and everywhere He stepped the grass turned green. Once Jesus came the black on the other side of the wall became bright and there was no more darkness. He concluded by saying he felt that all of this was real and really happened.

Later I asked him if he was afraid of Satan. He said, "No. I was sad for him." He said there was a table with the sacrament and he said in his dream, "Maybe we are going to take the sacrament." Jesus said, "Yes (Edit). I will show you all things because you kept my commandments." He said that when Jesus came He taught but he said he already knew what Jesus was saying. Ryan asked him if everyone was in a church or a building. He said, "Actually, I don't know all the people that were there. There wasn't a building that could hold how many people there were."

2-26-13

(Edit) came into my room early this morning after he woke up. I told him to come rest by me and chat. He said he had the same dream. This time he said that Satan was angry on the other side of the wall and wanted Jesus to be brought to him. (Edit) had his scriptures and he said Satan tried to hide in one of the words in the Bible. When he opened it, Satan jumped out and went back in. Ryan along with (Edit/an elderly male relative), and (Edit/an elderly male relative) were giving him a black bag and he put Satan in the bag. Everyone was happy because they knew Satan would not get out. He said, "The bag was sealed".

Also - he said the people had clothing like rainbows.

3-3-13

(The same son) came to me and said, "Mom, can we be a God?" I said, "What? Where did you hear that? What do you mean?" He said, "Can we be a God? Can we have power like Jesus?" I asked if he thought that because of his dream. He said, "Yes, in my dream I could move a cow. If I pointed to a tree and asked it to move - it would. If I saw a flower seed, I could ask it to grow and it would become a beautiful flower. I had powers like Jesus and whatever I asked things to do, they did them."

Quotes from the dream with corresponding scriptures:

"Yes (Edit). I will show you all things because you kept my commandments."

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

"We were singing every song there ever was about Jesus and Heavenly Father."

9 And they sung a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5)

3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. (Revelation 15)

3 And they sung as it were a new song of praise before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. (Revelation 14)

Ryan asked him if everyone was in a church or a building. He said, "Actually, I don't know all the people that were there. There wasn't a building that could hold how many people there were."

11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; (Revelation 5)

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; (Revelation 7)

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many spirits, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (Revelation 19)

"When I asked what was on the other side of the wall, he said "Everything that is bad. On our side was everything that was good." He said on the other side of the wall was black and Satan was there...everywhere he stepped the grass turned brown...Satan was angry on the other side of the wall and wanted Jesus to be brought to him.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. (Revelation 19)

7 The first angel started, and there followed hail and fire mingled with death, and it was cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees were burnt up, and all green grass was killed. (Revelation 8)

"Everyone was happy because they knew Satan would not get out. He said, "The bag was sealed"."

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20)

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20)

"...in my dream I could move a cow. If I pointed to a tree and asked it to move - it would. If I saw a flower seed, I could ask it to grow and it would become a beautiful flower. I had powers like Jesus and whatever I asked things to do, they did them.....Once Jesus came the black on the other side of the wall became bright and there was no more darkness."

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that over cometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21)

3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: (Revelation 22)

5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22)

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21)

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests , queens and priestesses: and we shall reign on the earth. 11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; (Revelation 5)

"There was a wall. When I asked what was on the other side of the wall, he said "Everything that is bad. On our side was everything that was good.""

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ...15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. ... 17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. 19 And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. ...23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (Revelation 21)

"He said there was a table with the sacrament and he said in his dream, "Maybe we are going to take the sacrament." Jesus said, "Yes (Edit)."

Matthew 26:

28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 

"...he said the people had clothes like rainbows."

White is the combination of all the colors in the color spectrum. It has all of the colors of the rainbow.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Revelation 19)

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19)

4 Thou hast a few names of servants, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their covenants; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3)

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3)

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,  and that the shame of thy lack of knowledge do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with the Spirit, that thou mayest see clearly. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and come unto me. (Revelation 3)

4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. (Revelation 4) 

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6)

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Revelation 19)

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19)

I titled this after the words from Revelation 3:21: "To him that overcome will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

What does He mean when he says 'overcome'? 

Overcome what? 

Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall 

be opened unto you - SEEK and ye shall find. 

Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls who, upon finding one pearl of great value - sold all that he had and bought it.

Jesus is that Pearl of great value. 

That Ye May Be Healed

I've been pondering on the loved ones in my life who no longer believe in Jesus being the Son of God. Some no longer believe in God at all. Some say there is a 'higher power' out there - but thats about it. To say that when I hear that my heart feels torn to pieces is an understatement. I found myself pleading with the Lord in the middle of the night to please take the ache that comes from watching those I love reject Him. It is too much for a mortal heart to carry unless He greatly increases my ability to abide in sorrow and not be consumed by it.

One thing I have noticed - in every.single.case of those people I love where the person has stopped believing in Jesus or the Lord - they have two solid commonalities (more on that in a minute).

In science we pay attention to commonalities in order to determine if a hypothesis seems to correspond with the real world based on observations and subjective judgment (thanks Google). For me when I see a commonality, I pay attention. If I'm interested in losing weight and the commonality of everyone who has had success in losing weight is that they counted calories and restricted them, I'm going to say that there seems to be a consistent pattern I ought to follow in order to obtain similar results.

And so it is with those who reject the Lord. The commonalities are:

1. They have a strained relationship with one or both of their parents.

2. They never really heard an answer from the Lord on anything. He didn't show up for them. He didn't come through for them. He didn't speak to them.

I can hear the naysayers now - "Oh, so entrez-vous Freud, right?"

Not exactly.

Here's all I can say, and I've said it before more thoroughly here. If you have felt God doesn't speak to you or answer you I have to ask you - how can He? If you have resentment in your heart, how can He reach you? If you've spiritually blockaded your soul but yet you ask Him to come through for you, you've put Him in a bind.

In order to know that God is real and that He hears you - you must forgive.

In order to live a life of Truth - you must forgive.

Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Matthew 18: 21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Psalms 103:10-14 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

The Dilemma of Parenting

by Henry T. Close

"There is no question but that our parents failed us as parents. All parents fail their children, and ours were no exception. No parent is ever adequate enough for the job of being a parent, and there is no way not to fail at it. No parent ever has enough love, or wisdom, or maturity, or patience. No parent ever succeeds completely. As kids we needed more mothering than our mothers could give us - more fathering than our fathers had to offer - more brothering and sistering than we got from our siblings.

"Part of our task in growing up thus becomes finding our own sources of parenting - to add to what our mothers and fathers were not able to give us. We cannot wait for our parents' permission to grow up. We need to decide on our own to give to ourselves what our parents couldn't. To grow up isn't easy, but in order to do that we must forgive our parents. We must forgive them for our sake, not theirs. When we do not forgive them we are still expecting all of our parenting from them. We are clinging to them in the hope that tif we wait long enough - or do enough of the "right things" or make them feel guilty enough - the will finally come through with enough parenting for us. But this is impossible. And in order for us to be really free to find other sources of parenting, we must forgive..." 

If you are struggling to hear the Lord right now or feel like He hasn't come through for you - pause and take an inventory. Is there someone (or multiple people) in your life that you have not forgiven? 

And I can hear some of you say, "I'm not an angry person. I'm not mad at anyone. Not mad at my parents. There is no one I need to forgive."

That is called: Self Deception

There is always someone to forgive. Hello - the government and worldwide corruption for starters! Every day, for the rest of your life , no matter how 'chill' of a person you may believe yourself to be - you will have need to forgive. There will always be little (or big) wounds or inflictions that come almost imperceptibly unless we pause and ask the Lord to help us remember. Some of us are really good at stuffing our feelings. Pray for that to be uncovered too.

Getting Started:

Get a quiet place and time where you can have time alone. Get a notebook and begin with a prayer. Invite Jesus into this experience because this is a big moment for you and if you don't invite Him to sit with you and to interpret things for you, it can be an unholy experience.

Once you pray and specifically invite Him into this, then get your notebook and:

1. In the space below list all the things that I am angry at and have never forgiven myself for. (This should take a while...)

2. List all the people I am angry at, and what they did, that I have never forgiven them for. (This should take a while...)

3. Write and pray aloud if you can: "I forgive or release or accept (write their name) for (what they did).

4. Then write and pray aloud if you can: "I am grateful to (the person) for (what you learned or what came from it)."

Why gratitude?

When you take a hurtful situation and ask the Lord to help us look for gratitude we are persuaded to reevaluate our perspective and potentially change our grievance story. You may discover things you learned and ways in which you grew as a person due to someone else's hurtful behavior. When you do this with Jesus, you can begin to see yourself as more than a victim. You can also begin to see the other person as a "human being" rather than a villain.

I recognize that abuse situations may have happened to you. I am saying this for general forgiveness situations and where abuse has happened, being grateful would be very difficult and should not be attempted unless the Lord is walking you through it specifically.

my prayer:

Lord, Jesus, meet me here. My heart is broken today and I need the ointment of the Angels on High to cover me with Your Righteousness. Please let Your River of Life flow through me, surround me, consume me. Please send more Laborers into the vineyard. Please come to Your children. Visit them with affliction and pestilence and pain until they remember You, their Lord and their God. Let them know who formed them that they may rejoice in You and Your Goodness and Your Mercy. Please Jesus, none of us are lost that the Father gave You - but it feels like we are losing more every day. Help me to trust You. To believe in Your Promises. To rejoice that we are not cast off forever if we will but believe in You. You died for me. For us. You were beaten and tortured beyond recognition. Bruised for our iniquities. Torn to pieces and still you cried out, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Help me, Lord. Help me to do the same. Help us to do the same. To forgive! Please Father, bless us with Eyes to SEE and Ears to HEAR the person for whom we harbor hate, we despise, we reject. Help us to see their hearts, their story, their life. Grant us an understanding heart so that we may rejoice in Your Merciful Plan!! You are Holy. HOLY is Your Name. ENDLESS is Your Name. SALVATION is Your Name. There is none like You. None beside You. None to rescue, to succor, to uplift but YOU. You are Good. You are God. Bless your Children to SEE YOU. Bless us. Bless us Jesus. Bless us God Almighty, King of the Universe. I need you today. I need what only You have to offer and to pour out shaken and filled to the top and pressed down. The abundance of Cana - pour out on me. Pour out on us. The majesty and wonder of the 5,000 - bring forth to us now. There are many seeking You and walking in Truth. Raise them up Lord. Raise up laborers in Your vineyard!! There are many now who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of demons. Cause them a great famine. Let them hunger - to feast - to eat glutinously and cause their belly's to ache for starvation of Truth. Let there arise a famine in the Land for Truth. Cause your children to enter into hunger for You. You are the Way, the Truth and the Life. In Jesus name, Amen, Amen and Amen. 

A must watch movie found here.

A must subscribe to channel found here.

Forgiveness

by

Matthew West

https://youtu.be/h1Lu5udXEZI?si=3PP_LixKm5c925HE

The Sound of Silence

There is a famine in the church. Sitting through a typical sacrament meeting is akin to eating dry shredded wheat, with cotton mouth, as a substitute for a steak. My friend Tim made a comment in one of my posts that struck me: "I went to Church yesterday and was mindful that I left with less of the Spirit than when I entered. I spent the evening pondering why that was."

I never had the feeling put to words. Some of you have been told by the Lord to stay at church. Some of you have been told to leave. Some of you have been told to go back. As you go to church - if you ask Him - He will guide you as to what to share. Sometimes He may guide you to pray for those you sit in the room with. Sometimes He may guide you to stay home. 

This post is simple. I want to extend the idea to consider staying home one Sunday once in a while. Now for some of you, that just isn't possible because of your family situation. This suggestion isn't for everyone. But it's for someone. Consider staying home once in a while and giving your family a well thought out lesson and truly *resting* in the Lord. 

And if you go to church - consider the sound of silence. To speak? Or not to speak? Please click on this video and read the lyrics I posted below. As you listen to the song - imagine yourself sitting in church. 

https://youtu.be/uIBJJ3M76Mg?si=Itk-6RpSGLti1Cwo

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams, I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a street lamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light, I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never shared

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools" said I, "You do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you"

But my words, like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

Then the sign said, "The words on the prophets 

are written on the subway walls

In tenement halls"

And whispered in the sound of silence

Lastly, I liked what this guy had to say. Amen, brother. Amen.

Brandon Tatum

"Went to church today and now I'm sad"

https://youtu.be/aVUgj-XyXVs

I, I am the Lord's

I had a conversation a few weeks ago with a friend (the one that I pretty much broke their heart when they found out we weren't going to church regularly). They talked to me about the LDS church being the ONLY true church on the earth. My heart was so sad about this because, in this journey, I have listened to many Christian speakers and some who specifically brought me into greater intimacy with Jesus to levels that make an LDS sacrament meeting look like a funeral for someone you detested.

I shared with them that I felt that there were many Christians on the earth who were righteous but they were not Mormon. They disagreed. They love good literature so I pointed out C.S. Lewis as one who spoke and wrote things that were beyond the scope of anything we've seen in a hundred years within the leadership of the church. Their answer - was that C.S. Lewis was "good" but he's going to need a real LDS baptism and to accept the gospel before he can be truly saved.

Fine.

"What about Mother Theresa!?," I asked. Answer: she's not going to make it either. She needs an LDS baptism and she needs to accept it - then she'll be saved.

I get so depressed about stuff like this. I was so sad I felt paralyzed. I just sat on my the couch and stared out the window. Stupor. Deep sorrow. Anger. Repeat. I hate false doctrine that has no scriptural foundation. The arrogance of any who believe that "only they" can offer you true salvation. 

Let's explore. Does your church or group say this?

3 ...Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches... (2 Nephi 28)

If so, just a few verses later it says: 

5 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!

Being "thrust down to hell" is strong verbage and I had to ponder on why saying "I, I am the Lord's" induced such strong language. I believe that saying, "I...I am the Lord's" is akin to breaking the third commandment and is taking the name of the Lord, God in vain.

Elder Bednar has said:

"It cracks me up when people say we are not Christians. We are the only ones who by proper authority can lay claim to the title.”

I have listened to different Christian denominations the last 5 years. The amount of wholesome and wonderful Jesus lovers out there was, for me, totally unexpected. Being in the LDS bubble and being told we are "the only true church" always made me feel sorry for the other souls out there that weren't going to be saved - like us! I had no idea how salvation worked.

Because I have expanded my Christian experience outside of the LDS or LDS offshoot circles I have come to know that there will not be "one special group" that I can join that will be "one in heart and mind" (Moses 7:18) and be invited to build Zion.

Zion has been likened to a wedding. We are the bride awaiting her Bridegroom.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21:1-2)

Once He comes for us - there will be a great wedding feast but only certain people will be invited. Many will think they are invited and felt they had a close relationship with the Lord but...

Matthew 7: 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Revelation 19: 6-9

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult

and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to clothe herself

with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me,

"Write this: 

Blessed are those who are invited 

to the marriage supper 

of the Lamb.” 

And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

The setting for this wedding will be a great party, the wedding feast of the Lamb. 

When imagining this wedding feast we've got to get images of LDS receptions entirely out of our minds — members milling around in the church gym, holding Styrofoam cups of punch, wondering what to do with themselves. 

You've got to picture an Italian wedding or, better, a Jewish wedding. 

They roll up the rugs and push back the furniture. There is dancing: "Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well" (Jer. 31:13). There is feasting: "On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples" (Isa. 25:6). (Can you imagine what kind of cook God must be?) 

And there is drinking — the feast God says he is preparing includes "a banquet of aged wine — the best of meats and the finest of wines." (Isaiah 25:6)

In fact, at His Last Supper our Bridegroom said he will not drink of "the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" (Luke 22:18). Then He'll pop a cork.

Want an invite to the feast? You need a covenant. That's the code word for "invite to the feast". 

Here's how to get one:

Hebrews 8:

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Okay, that scripture is kind of vague...we'll need a specific prophet to teach us though - ya? Someone who can speak with God and obtain promises/an invitation from God for you, right?

No. 

Hebrews 1:

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

But we need a specific/special group of people striving to bring about Zion. Right?

No.

2 Nephi 30:

2 For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel. 

 

To summarize: 

The Covenant is: A people that repent. 

What does it mean to repent?

It is to, "...love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matt. 22:37)

That is what it means to be under Covenant with the Lord.

There is no special group or good ship Zion that will lead you to the Lord or save you from destruction. There is only you and the Lord. You work out your salvation with fear and trembling directly - with Him (2 Philipians 2:11-12).

What brings about Zion? A group of people or a church who unite together and work really hard to get along and build temples? 

No.

Zion comes when there are men and women who:

1. Do the Lords will (v. 21 "keep all my commandments")
2. Embrace the truth (v.22)
3. Keep the first commandment & look to God (repentant Matt. 22:37)

Genesis 9 (JST)

21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch, that, *when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch, which I have caught up unto myself.

22 And this is mine everlasting covenant: that when thy posterity shall *embrace the truth and *look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy;

23 And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch.

 

The people will be of One Heart. 

How will this be done? 

By working really hard to agree on things and get along, right?

No.

God will give it to them when He is their sole focus and when His will is all they seek after. 

Jeremiah 32:

38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

But Zion is made up of a group and the group will need a prophet to form them into a group so that Zion can come. Right?

No.

Zion will come when you have a people who personally know the Lord. 

Matthew 7:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

That narrow path only admits one. Salvation is an individual experience. Zion is made up of one righteous saint at a time. No collective group can manufacture Zion. Only the holy and saved individual will make up the body of Christ and then Zion will come. 

Ezekiel 16:

60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant....And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD

 

Then how the heck will Zion happen!? 

God will do His work. All He needs are righteous individuals and then he will make up His jewels (Malachi 3:17).

Isaiah 61: 8-11

...I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them...that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed...For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

2 Nephi 6: 12-14

And blessed are the Gentiles...if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved; for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children;...For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah...wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believe in him...for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee

But I need to meet with fellowships or my church in order to help practice being of one heart and one mind so Zion can come about. Right? I need to make and keep sacred covenants via a one who has authority.

D&C 101

37 Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul.

38 And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.

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

Here's what Jesus did with groups: 

Matthew 22

1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen. (D&C 121: 40)

Now to the point...: How to bring again Zion.

How many people are there who have disorder in their own home (raising my own hand here) yet they go off to another gathering or engage in more callings while their children are neglected, left untaught, or taught the bear minimum (been there, done that)? How many people have you seen with marriages that are devoid of service and adoration but they go to another fellowship meeting and "seek to bring again Zion within that little group" while Zion in their own home goes unachieved? How many have sibling relationships that are strained or a distant relationship with their parents but that is tossed aside to in favor of gathering with strangers. How many in these groups will fast for people they've only known a short while but ignore fasting for their loves ones that, "know not God" (Alma 6:6)

Zion will come and it will be comprised of the pure in heart (Matt. 5:8). As a wise person taught me - Zion will come from families who worship together and look out for one another. Some larger multi-generational and some small families of one or two people. We can look to the Book of Mormon for examples of this type - Lehi and his family being the first example. The prophet and servant of this group was their father. This will most often be the case for those who gather to Zion. Zion will be individuals and families who place the Lord's will ahead of themselves. It will come from some within the church and from some who have no formal religious convictions. It will be comprised of people who love the Lord, seek His will and do His will. The Lord will establish Zion. It will not come via a group that attempts to manufacture it. Remember the wedding feast in the verses above. Servants (aka. Angels) go and gather those invited to the wedding feast. 

This video perfectly demonstrates the family unit. The Hawk is the adversary. The animals are your family, whether single or married. They represent being of one heart and one mind - the Body of Christ!

Moses' brother, Aaron, was the first high priest. In Leviticus 16 we see the record of Aaron performing the Day of Atonement for the ancient Israelites. What is interesting was that, in verse 6, we see that Aaron offered his bullock of the sin offering first - "...for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house."

First we must cleanse and perfect our own house. We need to learn how to be attuned to the spirit in our own home. To learn how to receive personal revelation. To learn to have discernment before we set to manufacture a Zionistic group ascension. To attempt to gather and seek Zion before you achieve it in your own home would be akin to a diet of junk food and then working out three hours every day. Your progress will be minimal, if at all. First perfect your diet and then the effort will not be in vain. 

God will gather His people. For He has said, 

"I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work." (2 Nephi 27:21)

I have set before you life and death...Now choose life. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Kirkland...Or Kirtland?

Speaking of buying in bulk - I'm sure you've already heard tons of times that the Kirtland Temple (I originally typed Kirkland and then thought..."Is it Kirkland or Kirtland?! Gah! Not Kirkland Ruth...you're always thinking of Costco.") was just bought by the Church. "Buy in bulk and save!" I always say. I received excited texts from active members thrilled with the acquisition.

Let's be clear on what we got with our tithing money: (link)

1. A $192,500,000 million dollar VISITORS center of the Kirtland temple.

2. Some historical documents and stuff. (Whoopsies - some of them include 64 changes to the Bible that are not in our Latter-day Saint cannon. Among these are corrections to the story of the polygamist King David condemning some of his actions.) 

What can we learn from this investment:

Oh my heart. 

Here's what I responded to one of the excited texts (to which they responded that I seemed critical...):

Moroni 8: 

32 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.

33 O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled.

34 Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.

35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

36 And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.

37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?

39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?

40 Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?

41 Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer.

2 Nephi 28:

11 Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.

12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.

13 They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.

14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.

 

1 Nephi 22:

23 For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet.

4 Nephi 1:

40 And it came to pass that two hundred and forty and four years had passed away, and thus were the affairs of the people. And the more wicked part of the people did wax strong, and became exceedingly more numerous than were the people of God.

41 And they did still continue to build up churches unto themselves, and adorn them with all manner of precious things. And thus did two hundred and fifty years pass away, and also two hundred and sixty years.

My husband pointed out that the Kirtland temple is a satanic building. That stunned me. But then he pointed out the satanic victory on the edifice:

 

As President Nelson has said, "To remove the Lord’s name from the Lord’s Church is a major victory for Satan." (link) Too bad Joseph mustn've known what President Nelson would know nearly two centuries later. 

And while we're at it. The Provo temple is being torn down. Why? Because she was deemed ugly and in need of "a makeover" (link). 

If you haven't seen this music video, perhaps it will shed light on how a church worth over $150 billion dollars rolls: (link)

Silver lining in all of this gross display of wealth and neglect?

Book of Mormon prophecy fulfilled...yet again. 

Don't Share Secrets From The Lord

Bear with me today. I have deep anger I must express. 

I hate deception. 

I hate when people deceive each other and especially when people look to someone as a "leader" and that leader tells them that God isn't as accessible to them. I don't like doing a post that calls out other people as directly as I will do today but nothing gets me more angry than people who deceive followers and divert them away from Jesus.

I anger when preachers teach that if God does visit them in some way shape or form...keep it quiet. 

LIES.

As I said in a previous post - I had a dream last month. In the dream I was at a gathering of people who had left the church and were seeking for more. This group felt themselves to be a special group set apart to do great things. The gathering was outside and one of my sons came up to me with a group of boys his age and he said, "They want me to come and hear about Joseph Smith and they promised ice cream."

I went to the outdoor theater where people were gathering to hear the desired preacher. He is a preacher who claims to have seen the Lord and continues to teach that he is the Lord's servant, but also claims he is a nobody. He receives revelations and shares them openly and says anyone can receive revelations but if revelations come from the body of followers - those revelations should be kept quiet.

In the dream the preacher started to speak and I found myself in a bed with cozy blankets and I began to fall asleep at his words. It was when he said we no longer needed to seek an intimate relationship with Jesus that my ears awoke. I sat up straight and scowled at him and shook my head "no"! I went to the stand and began to pound the pulpit and bawl in my dream as I shouted that we should not stop seeking Jesus!!! Then I awoke to a tear soaked face.

Yesterday I read a blog post from a person who is part of this group that follows the preacher religiously. This mans post was about their journey and they shared having read this preachers book where the preacher shared that he saw the Lord and it caused them to reach out to this preacher and stay closely connected to him through the years.

The bloggers adoration of this preacher totally, completely, and fully eclipsed any testimony they had of the Lord. If I were to write the title for that man's blog post I would have titled it, "Praise to the Man" - i.e. praise to the preacher. It sickened me to see the adoration they had for this preacher. 

Would to God that Jesus got a post containing that much praise. 

This is the fruit of this preacher - adoration and followers. But the adoration isn't for Jesus - it's for the preacher. And the following isn't for Jesus, it's for the preacher. When I talk with these believers they beg me to read the preachers words and be converted.

Converted to what?!!

Not to Jesus. But to their ways. Their scriptures. Their future building ambitions. Their being the only group who is under covenant for protection from destruction.

Now to the deception from this preacher. This preacher gave a talk and in the talk they encouraged their followers not to reveal the secrets the Lord may share with them. 

1. The Lord doesn't reveal secrets. Ever. Satan operates via secrets (Moses 5: 30-31).  The Lord reveals mysteries.

2. The preacher attributed that concept of not sharing "sacred things"....to Joseph Smith. 

This preachers reference to Joseph Smith was a deception. 

Allow me share what they quoted:

Let me ask you a question:

Does that sound like Joseph Smith to you? Does that sound like something Joseph would teach?

That quote represents exactly what the LDS Church teaches. The LDS Church is a Brighamite church. This is a Brighamite doctrine and I will show you. 

"Too sacred to share." 

LIES. 

Yes - there are things that the Lord gives that are between you and Him. YES. But that isn't the rule. The quote that preacher used is not even what the preacher practices (hypocrisy). The preacher wrote an entire book about seeing the Lord! It wasn't too sacred for him to share but now that he's had that experience, he's telling others to keep their experiences secret. Why would a leader do that? The LDS church does that. Why? I wrote about that here. 

Those quotes in the image above were NOT by Joseph Smith.  

Look up the quote. It was written in the handwriting of Leo Hawkins (link) who was baptized in 1848!!! This was written AFTER Joseph Smith died!!

Here's another quote that aligns with what the preacher was preaching:

Now I want to tell you that which, perhaps, many of you do not know. Should you receive a vision of revelation from the Almighty, one that the Lord gave you concerning yourselves, or this people, but which you are not to reveal on account of your not being the proper person, or because it ought not to be known by the people at present, you should shut it up and seal it as close, and lock it as tight as heaven is to you, and make it as secret as the grave. The Lord has no confidence in those who reveal secrets, for He cannot safely reveal Himself to such persons. It is as much as He can do to get a particle of sense into some of the best and most influential men in the Church, in regard to real confidence in themselves. They cannot keep things within their own bosoms.

Who said that? 

Joseph Smith?

NO. 

Here is the reference (link). It was said by Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 4:288

Can anything be trusted that was written after Joseph Smith's death in June 27, 1844 and was compiled in Utah, under Brigham's management and approval?!!!

Why would someone who claims to have seen the Lord then turn around and tell people following them not share anything spiritual they may receive?? 

Oh my heart is filled with holy rage at preachers that divert believers from following Jesus and sharing what they receive. 

Hypocrite! 

False Spirits!

Vain and lying words!

There is no one beside Jesus. 

There is no one that speaks to Him for and in behalf of you. There is no one who is authorized to obtain a promise for you. 

Read my last post here. The Covenant Path i.e. The Everlasting Covenant i.e. Covenants are for one purpose: a promise to return to the Lord - for yourself.

There is no group you can be a part of that will be saved destruction. NONE. Salvation, either from destruction or otherwise, is a personal promise you obtain from heaven for yourself. This preacher is preaching the same things the church is teaching (that they are the only ones with authority and the covenant path) and is caught up in Brighamite doctrine.

Too sacred to share?!! NO! Read the first chapter in the Book of Mormon!! Lehi takes you straight to the throne of GOD in the very first chapter!!

Familiar spirits are the culprit of such false doctrine.

Please desire Jesus. 

PLEASE seek Him and Him alone. 

You have no protection unless you hear it from Him. 

You have no promise unless you hear the promise from Him. 

Seek your own salvation and your own promise. 

Never stop seeking JESUS directly. From such who would teach to keep things to yourself - flee. This is not scriptural. It is a Brighamite doctrine. Because Brigham was not receiving angels or the Lord - he could do nothing but preach such lies to keep his followers wondering what things he was receiving but not telling them. From such, turn away.