A recording of the talk to the youth titled Understanding Your Soul is available at this link: UNDERSTANDING YOUR SOUL

On Saturday February 6 at 10am MST I will be talking to the youth. I plan to discuss the topic of “Understanding Your Soul.” The discussion will be available through Zoom at the following link: UNDERSTANDING YOUR SOUL

All the youth are invited to listen in, and those who can attend in person are invited to do so. It will originate at the upstairs meeting room of the Athena Event Center located at 111 West 9000 South in Sandy, Utah.

Lehi had several visions, including an extended visit from the Lord where he was given a heavenly record to read. After the brass plates were recovered, Nephi recorded that, “my father Lehi took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass and he did search them from the beginning. And he beheld that they did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents, and also a record of the Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, and also the prophecies of the holy prophets from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.” 1 Ne. 1:22 RE

The result of his study was more prophecy: “And now when my father saw all these things, he was filled with the spirit and began to prophesy concerning his seed — that these plates of brass should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, and tongues, and people, who were of his seed. Wherefore, he said that these plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed anymore by time. And he prophesied many things concerning his seed.” Id.

Later Lehi prophesied about the Messiah, John the Baptist, and the future destiny of Israel, including his descendants. 1 Ne. 3:2-4 In his prophecy, Lehi compares the scattering and gathering of Israel to grafting an olive tree: “Yea, even my father spake much concerning the gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive tree whose branches should be broken off and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. Wherefore, he said it must needs be that we should be led with one accord into the land of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord that we should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. And after the house of Israel should be scattered, they should be gathered together again, or in fine, after the gentiles had received the fullness of the gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree — or the remnants of the house of Israel — should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer.” Id., 4

Lehi’s prophecy was original. But the brass plates included the allegory of the olive tree which Lehi’s son, Jacob, would later copy into the small plates of Nephi. That allegory (Jacob 3:7-28) was the apparent inspiration for Lehi’s prophecy. Jacob also prophesied about Israel, using the allegory of Zenos. Jacob’s prophecy consisted of reading Zenos’ words after which he declared this: “as I said unto you that I would prophesy, behold, this is my prophecy, that the things which this prophet Zenos spake concerning the house of Israel, in the which he likened them unto a tame olive tree, must surely come to pass. And in the day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power to nourish and prune his vineyard. And after that, the end soon cometh.” Jacob 4:1

Compare the words of Micah 1:9: “But in the last days, it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For the law shall go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

With the words of Isaiah 1:5: “it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

Divine, original prophecy can be inspired by the words of earlier prophets. Just like the message of angels can be quotes from scripture. Nephi appeared to Joseph Smith to inform him of the Nephite record, and, “After telling me these things he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi [Mal. 1:6 – 8RE], and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy [Mal. 1:9 – 11]” continuing on to quote Isaiah 5:3-5, Acts 2:3, and Joel 1:12.

The words of prophets and angels are taken from scripture. Therefore, studying scripture is central to understanding God’s will. What He has done, is now doing, and will soon accomplish are all set out in scripture. Lehi’s example sets out the pattern of prophets and angels.

Moses foretold of Christ as the one, indispensible prophet who must be heard. Moses prophecy is in Deu. 6:4RE: “I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto you, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whoever will not listen unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”

The prophecy concerns the Lord’s forthcoming “words.” Our obligation is to “listen unto” them. There have been many voices since that prophecy pretending to be God’s. But just like “there are save two churches only: the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Devil. Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth.” 1 Ne. 3:27 –It is the same for voices: the Lord offers His voice, and the adversary shouts from every direction to distract and confuse.

Nephi understood this prophecy and taught that it would be fulfilled by Christ: “And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me. Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people. And now I, Nephi, declare unto you that this prophet of whom Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute judgment in righteousness.” 1 Ne. 7:5

After the resurrection of Christ, Peter declared to the people of Jerusalem that this prophecy by Moses was about the Prince of Life whom they had slain: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.” Acts 2:3

Following His resurrection, Christ declared He was the one Moses foretold, and that hearing His voice was required or you will be cut off: “Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.” 3 Ne. 9:8

When the angel Nephi visited Joseph Smith, he also referred to the prophecy of Moses, and that it referred to Christ. However, he clarified that the time of destroying or cutting off those who would not hear His voice was future: “He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses [Acts 2:3RE], precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ, but the day had not yet come when they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people, but soon would come.” JS-H 3:3 While it has always been necessary to hear “that prophet,” this particular explanation of the prophecy makes the final critical time to hear His voice sometime after 1823.

Accordingly, sometime after 1823 there will be a generation when those who fail to “hear his voice” will be “cut off” (Christ and Nephi) or “destroyed” (Peter).

Implicit in Moses’ prophecy is that if we will hear His voice then we will not be cut off or destroyed. The Lord is deliberate. He knows how to separate people and identify those who will hear His voice.

Because this prophecy is in the Old Covenants, New Testament, Book of Mormon and Teachings & Commandments, I have pondered what this means. Today the clearest place to find the Lord’s voice is in the Book of Mormon. It testifies on almost every page of Christ and has His words throughout the book.

Although I did not recognize it at the time, the Covenant offered by the Lord in 2017 includes as part of the Covenant itself, language that identifies those who accept it as they who “hear His voice.” That is the first question posed by Him in the Covenant: “First: Do you believe all the words of the Lord which have been read to you this day, and know them to be true and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who has condescended to provide them to you, and do you covenant with Him to cease to do evil and to seek to continually do good?” T&C 158:2

This question is asked first in the Covenant. Its placement suggests its importance. It appears the Lord asks the question to protect those who answer, “yes” against the very thing Moses said God “will require it of [us].”

The second question then directs attention to the Book of Mormon as a covenant: “Second: Do you have faith in these things and receive the scriptures approved by the Lord as a standard to govern you in your daily walk in life, to accept the obligations established by the Book of Mormon as a covenant, and to use the scriptures to correct yourselves and to guide your words, thoughts, and deeds?” Id. Paragraph 3

The Lord’s voice has been raised. It is our obligation to listen. As the final steps are taken by both heaven and hell, and people are hearing or rejecting His voice, it becomes increasingly important to study the scriptures. In them we think we have eternal life, and they all testify of Him. See, John 5:7

Father Lehi prophesied after a pillar of fire opened before him, a visionary encounter with the Lord, and reading a book of God’s plans for the future. His message was met with intolerance. He was ridiculed and mocked for claiming the Jews were about to be destroyed. His message of a coming Messiah made them want to kill him: “when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him, yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out and stoned and slain; and they also sought his life that they might take it away.” 1 Ne. 1:5RE

The Lord commended Lehi for delivering the message, but then “the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness.” Id., paragraph 6 By fleeing he and his family would be spared from both the immediate threat of murder and the looming destruction of Jerusalem.

When Lehi departed the text clarifies for us what is valuable and what is not valuable. The contrast is a profound revelation for us to consider about our own circumstances. Here is what was left behind: “And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things,” Here is what he took with him: “and took nothing with him save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and he departed into the wilderness.” Id., paragraph 7

Our family and the provisions to care for them are our only true valuables. Wealth is not.

The lessons from the Book of Mormon are becoming increasingly relevant to our circumstances. It is more prophecy than history. Hugh Nibley said, “The Book of Mormon is an inexhaustible encyclopedia of knowledge.” That supply of knowledge only requires study to yield its wisdom for us.

Lehi and others warned their contemporaries that they “must repent or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.” 1 Ne. 1:2RE Although he made the warning, he prayed for the people he had been warning, “even with all his heart in behalf of his people.” Id., paragraph 3. This should make us ask, who exactly were “his people?”

While praying on behalf of “his people” a pillar of fire descended “and he saw and heard much.” Id. This overcame him, and he went home and collapsed. As he laid on his bed, he was “carried away in a vision.” Id. In the vision he was shown “concerning Jerusalem: that it should be destroyed and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword and many should be carried away captive into Babylon.” Id.

Terrible destruction was just around the corner. His city and many of its residents would die, and the rest would go into captivity. But Lehi’s response seems oddly out of place. Instead of being sorrowful at what he saw instead, “he did exclaim many things unto the Lord, such as, Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the Heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!” Id. Why this reaction?

Destruction was coming, but that had nothing to do with those who “come unto” the Lord. People were to be destroyed and enslaved, but Lehi’s prayer on behalf of “his people” gave him assurance that “they shall not perish” because they had come unto the Lord.

When wickedness overcomes people who have been taught to be better, it is a natural progression for them to be destroyed. The Book of Mormon has been available for nearly two centuries. It warns us and our ancestors of the following: “we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands. Wherefore, he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off, for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land that they are swept off. And this cometh unto you, O ye gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness be come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land hath hitherto done. Behold, this is a choice land; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who has been manifested by the things which we have written.” Ether 1:7RE

But destruction does not await those whom the Lord has promised by covenant that: “And you shall be called the children of the Most High God, and I will preserve you against the harvest. And the angels sent to harvest the world will gather the wicked into bundles to be burned, but will pass over you as my peculiar treasure.” T&C 158:17-18

So there is reason to fear coming judgments upon the wicked, but also reason to exclaim, like Lehi: Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God Almighty! Your throne is high in the Heavens, and your power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because you are merciful, you will not suffer those who come unto you that they shall perish!

Politics makes a poor religion.

“You shall not be idle, for he that is idle shall not eat the bread, nor wear the garment of the laborer.” T&C 26:10

“But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Tim. 1:13

It is apparent that Zion will require endless labor to reverse the fall and allow the covenant promise to be realized: “The earth will yield its increase, and you will flourish upon the mountains and upon the hills, and the wicked will not come against you because the fear of the Lord will be with you.” T&C 158:14

For the earth to “yield” will require her to give way to persistent effort to reclaim the paradise that is possible here, if she is tended to by a husbandman willing to work by the sweat of his brow. Gen. 2:8-18

There will be no magic, only great effort. And the wicked (including the idler who is unwilling to labor for their bread and weave for their garment) will not come up to Zion, because they fear the great effort required there.

Learn a trade. Become competent at providing service, cultivating the earth, tending flocks, forging metal, harvesting lumber, performing carpentry, weaving, sewing, and a thousand other needed tasks for surviving and prospering.

The fellowships are a laboratory in which daily interaction allows believers to learn about one another. Idlers are proving themselves. Laborers are also proving themselves. God is also watching. This is a valuable, but temporary, time of proving. It will be followed by an even greater time of labor, sacrifice, and proving.

Today we commemorate the birth of Christ. The names and titles He held reflect His eternal importance. Here is a list of only a few:

Firstborn Son

Only Begotten

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Prince of Peace

Lion of Judah

Lamb of God

Immanuel

Messiah, Christ, Anointed

Everlasting Father

Holy One of Israel

Redeemer

Savior

Shepherd

Resurrection and the Life

Rock of Heaven

Bread of Life

Chief Cornerstone

King of kings

Lord of lords

The Word of God

Man of Sorrows

Bridegroom

Author and Finisher of our Faith

Shiloh

Master

Rabbi

Judge

True Vine

Husbandman

Great Angel

Dayspring

Alpha and Omega

The Branch

Beloved

The Root of David

The Way, the Truth and the Life

Bright and Morning Star

Son of the Morning

Light of the World

Image of the Father

Anchor of our Faith

Mediator

Son of Man

Son of God

Captain of Salvation

Hope of Nations

Advocate

Horn of Salvation

King of the Jews

Son of David

Endless

Eternal

Amen

On the night before Christ’s birth, believers faced death in the Americas because a sign foretold by Samuel had not happened. A prophet named Nephi prayed that night for deliverance on behalf of others. “And behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, Lift up your head and be of good cheer. For behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to shew unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. Behold, I come unto my own to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will both of the Father and of the Son — of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand and this night shall the sign be given.” 3 Ne. 1:3.

We celebrate Christ’s birth tomorrow, although there is little reason to think His birth happened near the winter solstice. He came as the Lamb of God, to be slain. Few people recognized the season, and fewer recognized the signs when He came. Prophetic words were ignored or misunderstood, and religious leaders thought it was impossible for Him to be the fulfillment.

God calls His plan a “strange act.” It is “strange” because of the difficulty mankind has in recognizing God’s accomplishments. Christ seemed too ordinary, too obscure, living at the wrong place, with the wrong qualifications for contemporaries to recognize.

“The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished, and imprisoned the true prophets, and they had to hide themselves in deserts, and dens, and caves of the earth, and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, while they cherished, honored, and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men.” T&C 146:6.

Perhaps the only way heaven can get things done is through God’s “strange act”–unrecognized, unaccepted, and with stealth. God came before much like a “thief in the night.” He will come again. “And again, verily I say unto you, the coming of the Lord draws nigh and it overtakes the world as a thief in the night. Therefore, gird up your loins that you may be the children of the light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief.” T&C 108:2.

Light increases and darkness decreases beginning a day ago. Today is Joseph Smith’s birthdate. The date is no accident. It symbolizes the reason for his life.

Many people who once held Joseph in high regard now believe he was a pretender and a fraud. His life history has been smothered by lies. In September 1823 an angel explained to him, as Joseph recorded: “He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me and that his name was Nephi, that God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.” Even the critics spreading lies about his life fulfill the prophecy.

Joseph did not lie to conceal his sins. He did not betray his wife. He respected her, and the correspondence between Emma and Joseph show their devotion to each other. Both of them denied Joseph had other wives. But after his murder many adulterous witnesses who practiced polygamy claimed otherwise. Someone is lying. Either the adulterers lied or Joseph and Emma did. Jeremiah suggests some sins are related: ” they commit adultery, and walk in lies.” Jer. 8:18. Lying and adultery go together.

The life he lived and sacrificed ought to be regarded with a little more sympathy and trust. He earned it. You can download the paper I wrote and listen to the talk I gave on Plural Marriage from this website. And the paper on problems with Mormon History is also available to read. I have considered carefully the subject, and researched it for decades. Joseph Smith was not an adulterer, despite all the poorly supported claims by open adulterers to the contrary.

The inspired prayer offered to repent and return to the Lord included these words about the unrepentant Nauvoo gentiles who never knew Joseph:

The wickedness of the gentile saints dismayed the people of Illinois who had welcomed them, and provoked the anger of their indignant neighbors, who then implemented your judgments against the rebellious saints. The former gentile saints were driven into the wilderness, and relocated into a desolate land, where they suffered hunger, cold, and sickness. In that isolation the gentile leaders were emboldened to openly practice abominations and wrongly teach the people to call them sacraments, as they reigned with blood and horror over the people. Secret murders, open defiance, and the slaughter of over 200 men, women, and children fixed the anger and opposition of the entire United States, who were moved by your will to curtail the barbarism of the gentile saints. Even today the gentile saints justify lying to others as part of their religion, believing you will vindicate them in their dishonesty. They seek deep to hide their counsel from others, and now deny your judgments against their ancestors, claiming you have never rejected them. They have, as you foretold, spoken both good and evil of your prophet Joseph. They ascribe many of their wicked practices to Joseph, who correctly told their ancestors that they never knew him — for indeed, the gentile saints have grown distant from you because of their willful rebellion, pride, foolishness, and blindness. We acknowledge that we must distinguish ourselves from them, admit the errors of the past, and in the depths of humility, seek to be reclaimed as yours. T&C 156:6-7.

As I think on Joseph Smith’s birthdate I think of honor, virtue, sacrifice, humility, fidelity to God, struggles, and martyrdom. It leaves me grateful for his life. I want to speak only good of him, just as the angel Nephi said would happen.

In the vernacular of the Book of Mormon, to “destroy” did not mean annihilation. It meant to end the organized existence of people or to terminate their independent government, deprive them of a land, and end their cultural dominance. In the Book of Mormon, people were destroyed when they lost control over their government and land. Their ability to preserve their own values and choose the way they were governed was imposed on them by others. Often, but not always, it was from a different ethnic group. Once people were destroyed, they were oppressed and suffered. Often they were oppressed with grievous taxes and had religious liberties removed.

Destroyed people faced a choice: either repent, in which case they came through the period of oppression with another chance; or if they were angry and rebellious, they would then be “swept away.” Being destroyed is not at all the same as being “swept away.” It is possible for people to have been destroyed and not even realize it. But when they are “swept away,” they face extinction and cannot help but notice it.

Book of Mormon themes about destroying people are not history, but prophecy. They are intended to awaken people to things as they happen, so they will understand and repent before it is too late.

God has decreed there will be “a full end of all nations.” T&C 85:3. Despite this, His people have also been told, “Fear not, O Jacob my servant, says the Lord, for I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you. But I will not make a full end of you[.]” Jeremiah 17:4.

A new video about the continuing restoration is now live on YouTube. It is linked here: Abandonment and Renewal

This is the fourth installment in the 7 part series dealing with the continuation of the restoration that began with Joseph Smith, and ended with his death.

My friend Doug Mendenhall passed away this evening. He died of complications related to COVID. I want to thank the doctors and nurses at the Provo Regional Hospital for their heroic efforts over the last 10 days to care for Doug.

Doug was a faithful friend who was true to his word. He volunteered to attend and record all 10 lectures that began in Boise, Idaho and ended in Phoenix, Arizona. He brought his equipment to record those talks, and are available today because of him. He made it possible for us to hear them again now.

I grieve the passing of my good friend. He was energetic, committed and upbeat.

The US Supreme Court dismissed the Texas election challenge on procedural grounds, and did not reach the merits. As much as the Supreme Court may not want to choose the President, there is a far greater likelihood of national violence and splintering without a Supreme Court decision on the merits of these election challenges.

It does not matter which way the Supreme Court decides the issue. It is only important that they do so. Without a resolution there are going to be ongoing conflicts from the serious charges raised about irregularities in voting that will only grow over time. But a Supreme Court decision will operate to stabilize the unrest. We may not like a referee’s call during a game, but both sides accept the outcome, even if it is a bad call.

The Supreme Court may not want to or like deciding the challenge on the merits. But shirking that responsibility will prove to be destructive in the long run.