Sunday, March 17, 2024

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)





Wednesday, March 6, 2024

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. 


Sunday, March 3, 2024

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.



Thursday, February 29, 2024

The Covenant Path

I got an email from the church a few weeks ago with a new activity you can do on your phone. "What is it?! What has my tithing money been put towards today?!" you may wonder. Well, without further adieu, I shall tell you. It is an "immersive experience" with the Tree of Life in Lehi's dream. Of course I had to try the app for myself and upon entering the technological dream - I went straight to the great and spacious building to see what shenanigans were going on there. Heads up, you needn't waste your time - the party was lame.

I did eventually make it to the Tree of Life - with only two clicks I found myself next to Lehi! No mists of darkness to wade through, only a bit of "loud laughter" from some lady having a good time in the G&SBuilding. . Want to see where some of your tithing dollars went this month? Give it a try and see what you think! (link)

What do I wish? I wish the Church would teach you to ask, like Nephi did, to see what Lehi saw and know for yourself. Instead, we put time and money and effort into an "immersive app experience". And what of "angels and visions and dreams"? Those are things only the scriptures speak of now.

I had an experience with Lehi's dream only once. This was my experience and you may have experienced something differently or feel what I saw is inaccurate. That is okay, I am only sharing my experience.

In the dream I was in a large and spacious field of tall golden grass that went on as far as the eye could see - "as if it had been a world"(1 Nephi 8). The sky was dark and I heard great groanings which caused me to turn to my right. I saw I was standing on the edge of a world where a great cliff dropped off into the galaxy and I saw "the river of filthy water". When I looked closely I saw groaning souls flowing like a dark and dirty river.

Like Lehi, I have experienced in sleep, and in wake, the endless wanderings of "following a man in a white robe" (1 Nephi 8) both spiritually and temporally. I'm guessing you have too. I went to General Conferences, firesides, temple sessions, meetings and gatherings hoping to get some piece of knowledge that would propel me further down the path to the Tree of Life. I was continually in a dark and dreary wasteland following people who had no true care for The Way, The Truth, and The Life (John 14:6). Only when I cried out to the Lord for saving...only then was I pulled from that slow death of the soul and was brought back to life - by Jesus.

Lehi's dream and Nephi's vision describe, "the Covenant Path." The church is pushing hard to get us to focus on "the Covenant Path." It is brought up at every General and Stake Conference. I feel like the Church's push for "the Covenant Path" is like the story of "The Emperors New Clothes." Everyone is "ooooing and awwwing" over the clothes. We keep talking about the awesomeness of the stitching and the fine fabrics involved but I feel like I'm on the sidelines standing there slack-jawed and squinting - "What clothes? What fabric? What stitching?!" Their "Covenant Path" presents the idea of something desirable but once tried on - leaves you as Adam and Eve - clad in scratchy leaves exposing the ignorance of the wearer.

From the church's website - THIS is the Covenant Path:


Is this really all it takes? Can it be so simple? 

Get baptized
Get the Holy Ghost
Get the priesthood (eaaaaasy ladies - back up...back up. Just the men here - they're "less worthy" so they need it, etc. etc.)
Get endowed
Get married (sorry singles, nothing personal except, well, you're doomed)
Keep going back to the Temple and (drumroll please)

THINK CELESTIAL!!! You have arrived.



I do not believe that this is the Covenant Path that is outlined in the scriptures. "The Covenant Path," as marketed by the church, seems to be the philosophy of men (and committees) mingled with scripture.

The true Covenant Path isn't a step by step. It isn't easy and it isn't filled with a bunch of things you need to "do". It is filled with things you promised to become (Abraham 2:23). Ask Adam, ask Abraham, ask Moses, ask Isaiah, ask Paul, ask John the Revelator, and all those who have been noble and great ones (Abraham 3) who suffered and bore their cross to keep their Everlasting Covenant.

Before we go further - let's clarify what the Covenant Path is. In the scriptures it is called: The Everlasting Covenant. So the Covenant Path is: The Everlasting Covenant. You can use both interchangeably. 

When the Church focus' on their version of "The Covenant Path" it is akin to telling a farmer, after having planted his crop (baptism), to spend all his time and energy getting his barn all cleaned out. "Don't worry about weeds, water, nutrients, growth and harvesting - just get the barn ready for the great "someday" when you'll need to store your grain in here. Let the field take care of itself. Let the harvest take care of itself. What you need is order in the barn." The church does this by focusing on the you things you need to do rather than the things you need to become.




This post is to help remind us of the Everlasting Covenant we made before we were born (Abraham 2:23).

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.


 

 

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.

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:

Ezekiel 37:

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 

Isaiah 61:

8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

11 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 And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet has written; for behold, 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; and for this cause the prophet has written these things.

13 Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah.

14 And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; 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—

 

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;




Lehi shows us how the Covenant Path/Everlasting Covenant works (1 Nephi 8). That is to say, Lehi reveals to the reader how this life works:


1. We are all dropped into a dark and dreary wilderness.

2. We will all be bidden to follow someone endlessly, going nowhere, getting exhausted. For all that you follow right now, both spiritually and temporally, do they bring you Life? Do you feel refreshed? Do you feel hopeful? Or are you drained and barely hanging on, hoping the next gathering or next revelation or next article or video will provide the answers you were looking for? Perhaps you are following something that appears good (dressed in white) but is leading you nowhere and leaves you feeling empty. Sometimes we can follow something and we feel excited but that feeling wanes until the next gathering or video. This can be a sign that you are not walking in the covenant.

3. Truth seekers will be willing to give up the "man in white"/flesh and will pray for the Lord to save them. If you don't feel to sing the song of redeeming love - don't stop crying out until He blesses you. Ask the Lord who or what you are following right now that is depleting you - who or what is the "man in white" for you? He will tell you. 



Once you leave the man in white then...

4. You will be taken to a large and spacious field and you will now begin to see what is available to you - the Tree of Life/Salvation/Jesus/The Love of God.

5. You will see the iron rod which runs parallel to the river of filthy water (the fact that the iron rod runs so closely to the river of filthy water demonstrates the perilousness of the journey unless you cling to that rod i.e. revelation).

6. You will be given the opportunity to commence on the path but not yet grasp the iron rod. Many people are searching for the path and even begin down the path that leads back to God but - an exceedingly great mist will arise for you and the intent of the mists is to keep you from staying on the path. However - the Lord has told me, "Those who seek Me with all their hearts WILL find Me." If The Lord truly is your hearts desire - you will find Him. If it's not Him, you will not remain on the path but will instead end up wandering down strange roads. In the end - you will have your hearts desire. 

7. If you want the Lord more than anything else - you will press forward and catch hold of the end of the rod (you will be born again/baptism of fire). Persistent prayer and calling out to the Lord for Salvation leads you to catch hold/be born again. 

8. Once you are born again if you continue to press through the mists of darkness it will lead you to:

9. The Tree of Life. Those that arrive fall down [at the feet of Christ] and partake of the fruit of the tree (1 Nephi 8:30).

Those mists of darkness will turn you around. In your journey you will have promptings and visions that will come from the kingdom of darkness. When you experience a vision, dream, an angel or even an encounter with Jesus - it will not always be obvious that it is from the adversary. Remember, Lucifer was the "son of the morning" and was once a Son of God. Discernment isn't between what is right and what is wrong. It is between what is right and what is almost right. 2 Corinthians 11 tells us that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (v.14). 

I have been deceived by Satan into believing it was Jesus whom I saw. Many years ago I was sitting in a meeting and I don't remember what the speaker was saying but literally out of nowhere I saw, in high definition vision, what I thought was Jesus. His face was in clear and in focus, as was his body. He had light and bid me to feel the wound in his side. I approached and, being unfamiliar with so many things spiritual, I wept silently as I sat in my seat. I had never experienced anything like this. But one thing unsettled me as I felt the wound in his side. It was his face. In all these years I can not forget the expression on his face. I can't describe it other than it was the face expression of someone who was sheepish. The experience left me in awe at the grandeur of power and deeply confused at his visage. It wasn't until many years later that I learned with greater clarity - that Satan can transform into "an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). Knowing this caused me to look at that experience afresh and I realized I had interacted with a powerful demonic entity that day.



Should you choose to commence on the path - expect angels, expect visions, expect dreams. And expect to be deceived by all three. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God...." (1 John 4:4)

Hence the need to continually pray for discernment. 

If you have had spiritual experiences that you weren't 100% sure if they were from the Lord or not, ask Him to interpret what happened. Ask Him what was going on. And then wait and be patient for things to be revealed to you. It took 7 years for me to get the answer about that encounter. Because I was never 100% comfortable with what happened, I held it in reserve until I could understand more. Satan knows the desires of our hearts and he will ever seek to capitalize on them for his gain.

To grasp hold of the iron rod means you desire consecration. That is - you desire to be dedicated to a sacred purpose. Is this the desire of your heart? If so, you must know that consecration comes with a price. The first price is deliverance (born again). The higher price is - spiritual warfare. When you decided to live a consecrated life - hell opens up. Satan and all his demons fear nothing but a holy man or a holy woman. 




Bear with me while I go nuclear with the Old Testament to make a point. 

In Leviticus 16 we see the Day of Atonement and we watch Aaron go through a process of sacrifice and we are introduced to Azazel for whom a goat is offered. Medieval Jewish Commentators have identified the Hebrew text of Azazel as referring to a demon. The commentators do not see Aaron the sending of the goat in the the wilderness as honoring Azazel as a diety but as a symbolic expression of the idea that the people's sins and their evil consequences were to be sent back to the spirit of desolation and ruin, the source of all impurity. 

The very fact that the two goats were presented before God, before the one was sacrificed and the other sent into the wilderness, was proof that Azazel was not ranked alongside God, but regarded simply as the personification of wickedness in contrast with the righteous government of God. (link)


The Book of Enoch brings Azazel into connection with the Biblical story of the fall of the angels, located on Mount Hermon, a gathering-place of the demons of old. Here, Azazel is one of the leaders of the rebellious Watchers in the time preceding the Flood; he taught men the art of warfare, of making swords, knives, shields, and coats of mail, and taught women the art of deception by ornamenting the body, dyeing the hair, and painting the face and the eyebrows, and also revealed to the people the secrets of witchcraft and corrupted their manners, leading them into wickedness and impurity until at last he was, at Yahweh's command, bound hand and foot by the archangel Raphael and chained to the rough and jagged rocks of [Ha] Dudael (= Beth Ḥadudo), where he is to abide in utter darkness until the great Day of Judgment, when he will be cast into the fire to be consumed forever. (link)

The whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin.
— Book of Enoch 10:8



Azazel may have been the entity that has appeared to priests and diverted them. Many people who go in the spirit and ascend into higher realms, without the proper consecration, have encountered Azazel and they thought they had encountered the Angel of the Lord. Many people who sought spiritual power and began getting into the realms of the spirit - they found a spirit. Azazel is the principle spirit of the occult and is Satan himself who carries authority, power, and a bit of glory. Azazel may have been the spirit that appeared to Jesus in the wilderness saying..."All the kingdoms of the earth and their glory - are mine. Just worship me." (Matt. 4:8)

The most important quality you can possess in this life is to seek the Lord’s will and to act upon it. Such faith will carry you through the Covenant Path/Everlasting Covenant and ensure that the temptations of Satan never gain a foothold in your heart. 

The Everlasting Covenant Path is a return to the Lord, whom ye seek...He shall suddenly come to his Temple (i.e. YOU (1 Cor. 3:16))...even the messenger of the covenant (i.e. the Everlasting Covenant) whom ye delight in, behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. He will be like a refiners fire, and like a fullers' soap. He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and purge you as gold and silver that you may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. (Malachi 3:1-4)

The time is now. 


“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” 
- G.K. Chesterton

29 ...have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.

30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.

31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.

32 And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. (Moroni 7)


Don't be afraid that you'll be deceived or look like a fool or that you'll make mistakes. You will do all three. Just worry about loving the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and you WILL be led to Him.

"For he has made with me an everlasting covenant." (2 Sam. 23:5). Here is the sweetness of it to each believer. It is nothing for me that He made peace for the world - I want to know whether he made peace for me! It is a small matter that He has made a covenant - I want to know whether He has made a covenant with me! Staying in the boat offers no such assurance. "The LDS Covenant Path" has not given you God's words of your salvation to you personally. Blessed is the assurance that He has made a covenant with me! If God gives assurance of this, then His salvation is yours, His heart is yours, He Himself is yours. He is your God. How sweet in all the uncertanities of life to know that "God's foundation stands firm" (2 Tim 2:19), and to have God's own promise, "I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips." (Psalm 89:34). Knowing you have an Everlasting Covenant with God will cause you to sing the song of redeeming love. 


A prayer:


Oh Lord...We Love You. We worship You. There are none beside You. You are Holy and Wonderful and Lovely and Kind. Do not turn away Your Face from us. We know we are unworthy and Your Holiness is greater than our feeble minds can yet comprehend. But we choose You. Choose us again. Do not turn away from us in our hour of need but remember us, Oh Lord! Remember Your promises and help us remember You. To choose You. Again and again, day in and day out. Be our North Star. Be the beat of our heart. Be the desire of our soul. Strip away anything in our lives that is not You. Destroy those things that have no Life. For You are Life and You are raiment and meat and refreshment. Help us to hunger and thirst only for You. Even if you take the things we love, bless us to still Love you. Even if you deny us the things we most deeply desire, bless us to still desire You. Bless us with Your raiment. Bless us with Your meat. Bless us with Your river of life to flow over us, in us, around us and through us. Bring us to Your throne that we may sing praises to You forever and ever and ever more. You are Holy. You are Pure. You are Righteousness and we Praise You forever...and ever...and ever. 

Amen 

Amen

and Amen




Don't Stop Praying
by
Matthew West