July 4, 2022

The United States of America is an experiment in limited government. It was founded through the inspiration of God, who took credit for the Constitution. As explained in revelation, the Lord stated plainly about the “constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles, that every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity according to the moral agency which I have given unto them, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment. Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another, and for this purpose have I established the constitution of this land by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.” T&C 101:17

We have elected unwise men (and women) to office who do not uphold the Constitution. Therefore we are presently in a post-Constitutional era. But the system allows a return to limited government by electing people to office who will respect the limits of the offices they occupy. As explained in another revelation: “concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatever I command them, and that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting the principles of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges belonging to all mankind, is justifiable before me; therefore, I, the Lord, justify you and your brethren of my church in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land. And as pertaining to law of man, whatever is more or less than this comes of evil. I, the Lord your God, make you free; therefore, you are free indeed, and the law also makes you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule, the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men you should observe to uphold; otherwise, whatever is less than these comes of evil.” T&C 98:2

The United States is a country that can avoid violent uprisings and repeated civil wars by changing elected officials at the ballot box. This is an election year. When you decide whether or not to vote, remember that the right to vote is the right to choose how you will be governed.

If you want your rights respected, then vote for those who will maintain the rights and privileges belonging to all mankind. Those in office today are not only disrespectful of individual freedoms, but they are also unwise in their decision-making. That is true of both political parties.

Aspiring men crave control over others. We have trusted aspiring men all too often with elected offices, and they have abused our trust. When you vote, choose wisely.

Comment on T&C 154

Section 154 of the Teachings and Commandments was included in the Scriptures project to preserve some important material that would otherwise be missing. Its content deserves some careful attention.

The material begins with this explanation: ” When God delivers a dispensation of the gospel to the earth, the head of that dispensation is granted the right and privilege of organizing the dispensation. As the head organizes their dispensation according to righteous principles and receives God’s approval of the pattern, the dispensation is established and remains in effect until apostasy necessitates another restoration. Adam was given the first dispensation, and he patterned it after the order of Heaven. Abraham was also given a dispensation, which he patterned after Adam’s dispensation.”

This confirms that from the time of Adam until the time of Abraham dispensations were organized in the same way: After “the order of Heaven”–which means after a family. The generations between them had one designated “father” figure who was the family representative presiding and receiving from God the Father the word of counsel and direction for the family. Their names were Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, and then some generations later Abraham was adopted into that line to receive “the blessings of the Fathers, and the right whereunto [he] should be ordained to administer the same.” Which held the promise “to be a Father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions and to keep the commandments of God [he] became a rightful heir, a high priest, holding the right belonging to the Fathers.” (T&C 145-BoA 1:1)

But later following apostasy Moses received a new dispensation, but did not reestablish the original Order. Instead, Moses found the hardness of heart of Abraham’s descendants prevented the Order from being established, and so reorganized his dispensation to reflect the challenge of that hardness. “Moses was given a dispensation, but established a different pattern for the children of Israel according to the hardness of their hearts, which dispensation John the Baptist brought to a lawful close.” (T&C 145:4) When Moses was taken, the opportunity for the original Order ended: “Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also. And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holds the key of the ministering of angels, and the preparatory gospel, which gospel is the gospel of repentance, and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron, among the children of Israel, until John[.]” (T&C 82:14)

Jesus Christ organized His dispensation after Abraham’s. (T&C 145:5) Joseph Smith organized an imitation of Christ’s dispensation. (T&C 145:6)

It has always been the obligation and right of Adam, who was given dominion over this creation at the beginning, under the guidance of Jesus Christ to establish each dispensation. “And again, God purposed in himself that there should not be an Eternal fullness until every dispensation should be fulfilled and gathered together in one, and that all things whatever that should be gathered together in one, in those dispensations, unto the same fullness and Eternal glory, should be in Christ Jesus. Therefore, he set the ordinances to be the same for ever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from Heaven to man or to send angels to reveal them.” (T&C 140: 5-6)

You can know from this that each of these dispensations, however organized by the head, was approved and permitted by Father Adam. Although the original fit a specific pattern, later dispensations were ordered according to the faithfulness, heed and diligence of the respective generations. We have not seen the original Order for millennia. In Adam’s day, “The Order of this Priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed to whom the promises were made. This Order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage[.]” (T&C 154:9)

In the present dispensation we have not yet been organized, and there is a reason for that. If we are not going to accomplish all that needs to be done to vindicate the Lord’s covenants, then having another incomplete organization linger as a dead relic is something I refuse to accept. I will not leave behind an institution to be corrupted by the cares of this world, accumulate wealth, power, influence and popularity, as has been done with each of the prior dispensations as they lapse into apostasy. If all we accomplish is an incomplete gesture, as has always been the case before, then I do not want to usher in such a tool for the adversary to use.

Adam kept a book in which he recorded teachings, testimony and sacred events: ” And a book of remembrance was kept, in which was recorded in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration. And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled. Now this same Priesthood which was in the beginning shall be in the end of the world also (now this prophecy Adam spoke as he was moved upon by the holy ghost).” (Gen. 3:14) Interestingly, Adam did not record his own baptism in the record he kept. Enoch later recorded that event. But what Adam did record testifies about the “same Priesthood which was in the beginning [that] shall be in the end of the world also.” He wrote that God the Father commanded him (Adam) to, “believe on his Only Begotten Son, even him who he declared should come in the meridian of time, who was prepared from before the foundation of the world. And thus the gospel began to be preached from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the holy ghost. And thus all things were confirmed unto Adam by a holy ordinance, and the gospel preached, and a decree sent forth that it should be in the world until the end thereof. And thus it was. Amen.” (Gen. 3:13)

It was through a “holy ordinance” that the mission of God’s Only Begotten Son that should come in the meridian of time was declared to Adam. The ordinance taught Adam that this Son of God was prepared before the foundation of the world. It instructed Adam in things before the world, and in the creation of the world, and in the redemption of the world, all through “a holy ordinance.”

And, Adam wrote, “this same Priesthood which was in the beginning shall be in the end of the world also (now this prophecy Adam spoke as he was moved upon by the holy ghost).” But whether we see that in our generation or not is completely dependent upon the heed and diligence we give to the Lord.

There is a specific obligation we know is coming, and until that obligation is fulfilled I will not do anything to organize any institution, church, or pattern. The Lord has explained to us: “Whenever I have people who are mine, I command them to build a house, a holy habitation, a sacred place where my presence can dwell or where the Holy Spirit of Promise can minister, because it is in such a place that it has been ordained to recover you, establish by my word and my oath your marriages, and endow my people with knowledge from on high that will unfold to you the mysteries of godliness, instruct you in my ways, that you may walk in my path. And all the outcasts of Israel will I gather to my house, and the jealousy of Ephraim and Judah will end; Ephraim will not envy Judah and Judah will not provoke Ephraim.” (T&C 157:41) We do not yet have a command to build a house for the Lord. There are reasons for that.

If, and when, such a command is given, then the “holy ordinance” with which Adam was endowed will be restored to the state Adam determines should be conferred upon us. It is then, and only then, that an Order can be set up in this dispensation. It will be patterned after the Order of Heaven, which is after the pattern of a family, and it will belong to Adam, and Jesus Christ who presides over Adam, and God the Father, and the Hosts of Heaven. But if we fail in this effort, then I would want all of this to fall to the earth, and dwindle into dust, with no power, influence, dominion, popularity, control, and gathering of wealth to be continued from our failed effort. We already have countless institutions founded by the Lord and then hijacked by the adversary claiming to be God’s church and kingdom. WE should recognize the prophetic counsel of Nephi about the present condition of the world’s various church denominations. WE should abhor doing nothing better than what Nephi foretold would be the sad state of religions today. I set his warning out at some length below:

“For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other, Behold, I, I am the Lord’s — and the other shall say, I, I am the Lord’s — and thus shall everyone say that hath built up churches and not unto the Lord. And they shall contend one with another, and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the holy ghost which giveth utterance. And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel. And they say unto the people, Hearken unto us and hear ye our precept, for behold, there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men. Behold, hearken ye unto my precept. If they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work. Yea, and there shall be many which shall say, Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say, Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin. Yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor, there is no harm in this. And do all these things, for tomorrow we die. And if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner false, and vain, and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord. And their works shall be in the dark, and the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.

Yea, they have all gone out of the way, they have become corrupted; 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. 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. 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.
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, Woe, woe, woe be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell.
“Woe unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught, and revile against that which is good and say that it is of no worth, for the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth. And in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity, they shall perish. But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations, they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts. But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof. For the kingdom of the Devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the Devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains and they be stirred up to anger and perish. For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say, All is well in Zion, yea, Zion prospereth, all is well. And thus the Devil cheateth their souls and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. And behold, others he flattereth away and telleth them there is no hell. And he saith unto them, I am no devil, for there is none. And thus he whispereth in their ears until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. Yea, they are grasped with death and hell; and death, and hell, and the Devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is Endless torment. Therefore, woe be unto him that is at ease in Zion.
“Woe be unto him that crieth, All is well. Yea, woe be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God and the gift of the holy ghost. Yea, woe be unto him that saith, We have received and we need no more. And in fine, woe unto all those who tremble and are angry because of the truth of God. For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness, and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth, lest he shall fall
.
Woe be unto him that shall say, We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough. For behold, thus saith the Lord God, I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. And blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom. For unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough — shall be taken away even that which they have. Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the holy ghost.
“Woe be unto the gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts, for notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me. Nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me, for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts
.” (RE 2 Ne. 12:1-7)

It is foolish to want to have such vanity follow from our opportunity. If we can not avoid imitating the ruined landscape of religious failure surrounding us, all contending to corrupt and waylay the souls of men, then we should humbly let it end with us. But if we press on, and gain the Lord’s gathering as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, then we should give strict heed and diligence to Him. “Yea, blessed are they whose feet stand upon the land of Zion, who have obeyed my gospel, for they shall receive for their reward the good things of the earth, and it shall bring forth in her strength. And they also shall be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time, they that are faithful and diligent before me.” (T&C 46:1)

Leave behind your ambitions. Depart from your anger, contention, jealousies, and your uncontrolled worldliness. Be sober minded. Control your appetites. Flee from sin. Subdue the flesh. Become meek as a child, and harmless as a dove. Flee from Babylon and shake its dust from off your feet. Awake and arise.

We can fail. WE can succeed. But we will only succeed by our heed and diligence to the Lord’s commands.

Voting

There are numerous voting irregularities in the United States that seem to be increasing. The State of Utah is particularly troubled by these issues. The next time you vote in an election, I would recommend that you bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you to the polling station and vote in person. If they tell you that you have already voted, get your mail-in ballot out and show them that you did not vote and ask that the Sheriff be called to investigate voter fraud.

If all you do is mail in your ballot, there is no guarantee that it will actually be counted in the way in which you voted. Two women in Utah are challenging the voting system adopted in Utah, which appears to be particularly corrupted by the Utah authorities. One of them is a friend of mine who I discussed this with earlier this week. They have a website worth looking at which explains some of what they have discovered, and encountered. Their website is linked here: TwoRedPills.org

None of us want to think our voting system has been compromised, but there is a growing body of information that suggests that is exactly the case. One recent article refers to an investigation that found 350,000 dead people on voting rolls in 42 states.

Suppressing votes is no different from allowing false votes to cancel out the will of the voters. The goal of those who manipulate voting to gain power is to overthrow freedom. The Book of Mormon is rather candid about the threat of gentiles losing freedom, followed by their destruction: “And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints which shall be shed by them shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avengeth them not. Wherefore, O ye gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shewn unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you — which are built up to get power and gain — and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the eternal God shall fall upon you to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be. Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you, that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or woe be unto it because of the blood of them who have been slain, for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who build it up.” NC Ether 3:18

The first step is to recognize the threat. The next is to expose and oppose it. We need to correct it before we lose our right to choose who holds office. If fraud determines who heads the government, then abuses and evil will surely follow.

Growing Light

We are approaching the summer solstice in a few days. This cycle of growing and receding light is embedded in nature to testify of truth. When we accept truth we accept light. When we seek for more truth we grow in light. When we reject truth we limit the light, and eventually turn from it and welcome darkness.

Alma explained: “It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless, they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart — only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word. And he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God, until they know them in full. And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries;” RE Alma 9:3

Alma would later explain, “we can plainly discern that after a people have been once enlightened by the spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened; and thus their state becomes worse than if they had never known these things.” Alma 14:12

There are many churches who claim they were founded by Joseph Smith. They all claim to preserve the restoration begun by God in 1820 when Joseph Smith’s First Vision opened the heavens again. Because of the incompetence of those who lead restoration churches, however, there are more people departing from belief than there are retaining faith in the restoration. Those who lose their way become hardened against the continuing work of God now underway.

In the Answer to the Prayer for Covenant, the Lord noted this hardening hearts and posed the question: “In the world, tares are ripening. And so I ask you, What of the wheat?” T&C 157:64

The criticisms aimed at Joseph Smith have been caused, in large part, by the ineptitude of the institutional churches. Chief among the foolish institutions is the LDS Church, which rejects truths and advances falsehoods to support their claim of authority. They have no authority. They were rejected by the Lord on April 5, 2014, when “the Lord ended all claims of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to claim it is led by the priesthood. They have not practiced what he requires. The Lord has brought about His purposes. This has been in His heart all along. He has chosen to use small means to accomplish it, but he always uses the smallest of means to fulfill His purposes.” T&C 166:3

From then on their mission seems to be calculated to alienate believers from the restoration and to multiply apostasy and hardness of heart. In the events since April 2014 we can plainly discern that after a people have been once enlightened by the spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened; and thus their state becomes worse than if they had never known these things.

But, as Christ explained to His disciples and revealed again to us: “And when the times of the gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fullness of my gospel, but they receive it not, for they perceive not the light and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. And in that generation shall the times of the gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be men standing in that generation that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge, for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. But my disciples shall stand in holy places and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices, and curse God, and die. And there shall be earthquakes also in diverse places and many desolations. Yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword one against another and they will kill one another.
And now, when I, the Lord, had spoken these words unto my disciples they were troubled, and I said unto them, Be not troubled, for when all these things shall come to pass you may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled. And when the light shall begin to break forth, it shall be with them like unto a parable which I will show you: You look and behold the fig trees, and you see them with your eyes, and you say, when they begin to shoot forth and their leaves are yet tender, you say that summer is now nigh at hand. Even so, it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh.
And it shall come to pass that he that fears me shall be looking for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, and they shall behold blood, and fires, and vapors of smoke.” T&C 31:6-9

It is happening right before your eyes. But you have to receive the light to be able to comprehend it.

Gen. 4:9 Restoration Edition

One question has been asked about a change to the Restoration Edition of the scriptures more often than any other. It involves Genesis 4:9, which reads in relevant part as follows: “Therefore, it is given to abide in you: the Record of Heaven, the Comforter, the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, the truth of all things, that which quickens all things — which makes alive all things, that which knows all things, and has all power according to Wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.” This language deletes a phrase (“peaceable things of immortal glory”) and adds in its place “keys of the kingdom of Heaven.” Many ask why this change was made.

There were two working manuscript copies of the Old Testament for the JST. These are referred to as “OT1” and “OT2.” OT1 was presumably the original dictation which went from Gen. 1-24. Then John Whitmer made a copy of OT1 onto OT2 which then became the working copy. OT2 bears marks of later editorial changes by Joseph’s scribes.

Here is how OT1 reads: “comfrorter the peacable things of immortal grory”

There was an editorial change on OT2, which was at the time the working document, and it reads: “the peaceable things of immortal glory” is crossed out and replaced with “keys of the kingdom of heaven”.

The book Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible by Scott Faulring, Kent Jackson, and Robert Matthews states that for this portion of the manuscript that “Sidney was the scribe for almost all of these changes.” They state their belief that “These changes were dictated by Joseph Smith, and they involve revising both word choices and the meaning of the text, rather than merely repairing writing errors.” The Scripture Committee representative compared the handwriting of this change with examples from Sidney’s handwriting and it seemed to match his.

This very change was brought to the attention of the Scripture Committee, and was referred to me for consideration and a decision. The many statements of Joseph Smith, and revelations received by him, make the “keys of the kingdom” a term with specific meaning. Here are some examples:

“in one sense of the word the keys of the Kingdom, which consists in the key of knowledge.” T&C 151:12

“for I have given unto you the kingdom, and the keys of the mysteries of the kingdom shall not be taken from my servant Joseph Smith Jr. while he lives, inasmuch as he obeys my ordinances.” T&C 51:2

“And this greater Priesthood administers the gospel and holds the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.” T&C 82:12

Speaking of his brother, Hyrum, the Lord said: “And from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph, that he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph, and that he shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessings.” T&C 141:32

As explained in the RE Glossary, “Keys of the Kingdom” means: “To be able to ask and have God answer (see T&C 141:32; compare T&C 26:20; 82:12; 90:1; 131:5; and 151:12). Joseph Smith used the term keys of the kingdom to mean when a person can ask and receive an answer each time he asks. Those directed by God hold the keys of the kingdom because the kingdom belongs to God, and God must direct its affairs for it to be His.”

The change made to OT2 is consistent with the purpose of the Holy Ghost. It opens a line of communication in which a person can ask God and receive an answer; which is necessary to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. For without communication from the Heavenly King, there is no established people who are His.

This is the sense in which Joseph intended the word change meaning in Genesis 4:9. The Restoration Edition respects that change made by Joseph and included the wording as he edited it to read.

Changing God’s Mind

We don’t think about God changing His mind, but it happens. An incident involving Isaiah and King Hezekiah illustrates it:

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came unto him and said unto him, Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord, and said, Remember now, O Lord, I implore you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept severely. Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add unto your days fifteen years. And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city. OC Isa. 13:13

God’s word to Isaiah was that the king would “die and not live.” True to the Lord’s word, Isaiah delivered the message to Hezekiah and left. In the account of this incident in 2 Kings, as Isaiah was leaving, “before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Return, and tell Hezekiah…” 2 Kings 6:13

It was immediately following Hezekiah learning of his impending death that the Lord spoke again to Isaiah and decreed another outcome. So Isaiah returned, and delivered a new message, contradicting and rescending the first decree.

A message from God can be changed. The outcome of His decree can be altered. Although Hezekiah wept, he did not ask for the Lord to alter the outcome, he accepted it. Bitter as it was for him to realize his life was ending, all he asked was for the Lord to remember his life’s faithfulness and that he had done good in God’s sight.

Accepting God’s decree and submitting to His will is more likely to result in the decree changing than by refusing to do so. God can and does take far more into account than can we.

I have seen the illnesses and deaths of friends and fellow believers and been troubled by the losses. I’ve tried to change God’s mind and prayed for a different outcome for many of those who have suffered recently. In response to continuing prayers to understand God’s will, I learned on February 25th that “some people are taken and not healed because in the Wisdom of God the person is ready and if left will recede rather than advance, and some are taken because, if left, would interfere with and delay or hinder God’s purposes for others, and some are given to suffer because it gives them the opportunity to develop in Godly attributes they would not otherwise attain. God’s Wisdom is greater than man’s and sees more than can man. But in all matters there is reason and wisdom in how matters of health, life and death unfold.”

Abusing Children

Sexual abuse of children leaves mental distress that can last a lifetime. A mental health counselor told me that the overwhelming majority of those he helped who were institutionalized with serious mental disorders had been abused as children.

Normal sexual development does not involve introducing the idea of choosing sexuality before puberty, and then behaving in ways that disconnect you from your biology.

One of the gravest of abuses underway at present is called “gender affirming surgery” which consists of mutilating the body of the victim.

Far from ‘preventing suicide’ these radical and unwise abuses do nothing to relieve the underlying contradictions suffered by those who reject their own biology. The more this mental disorder is accepted and encouraged, the more people will find themselves unable to find peace living a lie.

There are two sexes, and we all belong to one or the other. That is true all the way from the surface formation of the body to the individual cells of every organ in the body. No matter how you think, what you believe, or how many lies are shouted and celebrated, every one of us are either male or female.

If you choose to live a lie, you will struggle to accommodate that lie. Suicides have not decreased because of the celebration of sexual confusion and dysphoria, but have increased. That is because there is an evil force afoot in the world that seeks the death and misery of all mankind. One of the most successful great evils of our day is the propagation of sexual confusion, and indoctrinating little children into that confusion at an early age.

It is impossible to make a lie the truth. And it is impossible to live a lie and be at peace.

Popular acceptance of a lie cannot make it true.

Advocating and repeating a lie cannot make it true.

Living a lie does not make it true.

We can find joy in this life, but doing so requires us to conform to a pattern ordained by God. That means to be joyful and at peace we must necessarily find the truth and live it.

French Translation

If you are a native francophone (and hopefully read English as well) and are willing to review and help edit translations of several of books, with the goal of moving them from an American sounding translations to sounding French, please contact dssnuffer@gmail.com and you will be put in touch with the American translator. The books are:
Lectures on Faith / Discours sur la foi
A Man Without Doubt / Un Homme sans doute
The Testimony of Jesus: Past, Present and Promise / Le Témoignage de Jésus : Passé, Présent et Promesse
Preserving the Restoration / Préserver la Restauration
The Second Comforter / Le Second Consolateur
Rescuing the Restoration / Secourir la Restauration

Si vous êtes francophone de naissance (et si possible que vous lisez aussi l’anglais) et que vous êtes prêt à revoir et à aider à éditer les traductions de plusieurs livres, avec le but de les faire passer d’une traduction à consonance américaine à une traduction à consonance française, veuillez contacter dssnuffer@gmail.com serez mis en contact avec le traducteur americain.

Voici les livres:
Lectures on Faith / Discours sur la foi
A Man Without Doubt / Un Homme sans doute
The Testimony of Jesus: Past, Present and Promise / Le Témoignage de Jésus : Passé, Présent et Promesse
Preserving the Restoration / Préserver la Restauration
The Second Comforter / Le Second Consolateur
Rescuing the Restoration / Secourir la Restauration

Son of the Morning

Early, while it was still dark, on this Easter morning the Lord returned to life. He whose life was unjustly taken from Him as a willing sacrifice, reclaimed this day His life as a matter of eternal justice. The grave could not hold Him, because it had no just claim upon Him.

He brought about mercy, because of the price He paid that was not His to pay. He merited eternal life, and it was taken, in violation of the law of justice, from Him.

When He arose early that morning He became the True Son of the Morning. One who opened a new day for all who ever lived, and would die. He is the author of the resurrection, and our Great Benefactor. He has given us hope.

In Him is Life and Light.

Recent Talks and Update

I spoke at a conference in Kentucky, and the talk is linked here: Hear and Trust the Lord

My wife and I also spoke at an Easter Fireside for the Stand Independent Committee and that talk is linked here: Easter Fireside

I will be speaking in a Conference scheduled for September 23 to 25, and the website for that Conference is linked here: Stand Independent Conference

It would be wise to take steps to purchase food in advance of coming inflationary price increases and shortages. We will also be going through another government caused “stagflation” cycle. If you aren’t familiar with that term then you should look up how the era of President Jimmy Carter unfolded to explain how both a stagnant recessionary economy and inflation led to that term being adopted.

The bold, shameless advance of sexual abuse of children in the public schools, and unrelenting killing of the unborn are making this and many other countries ripen in iniquity. It will not go unnoticed by God, but will invoke the promised penalty: This is “the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and for ever should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fullness of his wrath should come upon them.” RE Edition Ether 1:6

Instead of instilling honor, integrity, honesty, and courage in children, schools are sexualizing and confusing children with corrupt ideas that result in mental damage. It is perilous and wicked to engage in this foolishness. It mirrors the words of Isaiah: “The show of their countenance does witness against them, and does declare their sin to be even as Sodom; they cannot hide it. Woe unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.” RE Isa 1:8

Vaccine Thoughts

Upon close inspection, the statistics about the number of vaccinated deaths from the United Kingdom I linked a few days ago are not particularly meaningful. To make a real comparison would require something other than total deaths in a population that is overwhelmingly vaccinated. Scotland is 93% vaccinated (at the highest) and Northern Ireland is 89% vaccinated (at the lowest) in the United Kingdom. Therefore, it is obvious that the overall death rate from Covid will likely be the largest among the vaccinated. But the question is what the death rate is internally among the unvaccinated, considered alone, in comparison with the death rate is for the vaccinated, considered alone.

I have known five people who have died of Covid. I know the majority of them were not vaccinated, and I believe all five were not vaccinated. I also know a number of people in various health conditions who have been vaccinated, and none of them have died. But my sample size is far too small to reach any scientific conclusion.

The decision to vaccinate or not is something no-one ought decide for another.

My family has been fortunate. A daughter and son-in-law brought it home to Sunday dinner very early on. We all experienced mild symptoms, and minor annoyances, including loss of smell and taste for a while. But no one required any medical attention. It was like an ordinary cold or the flu.

Despite the family having natural immunity, some of our family have chosen to nevertheless be vaccinated and some have not. It is an individual decision, and everyone accepts the choice made.

Bill Gates remarked that the milder Omicron variant is a “natural vaccine.” Viruses generally get far more infectious and far less deadly as mutated strains develop. That is apparently what this Covid virus has been doing. Maybe the continuing variants will follow that normal pattern and we will soon pay no attention to this viral scare.

The political reaction has been decidedly poor and as much damage has been done by the various governments as by the virus itself.

COVID Deaths

A new report from The United Kingdom shows that 90% of the Covid deaths from January 24th to February 20th were of people who had been vaccinated, while only 10% were of those who were unvaccinated. The results of the report can be viewed here: Whilst you’ve been distracted by Russia’s Invasion, the UK Gov. released a Report confirming the Fully Vaccinated now account for 9 in every 10 Covid-19 Deaths in England

I’ve been asked about my last post and what it meant to get out of company with the LDS Church. I explained that I would recommend two things: First, it is ill-advised to give tithing and offering money to that organization. Second, there is no reason to hide a light under a bushel–so speaking up to declare truths when the opportunity presents itself to do so, in a kindly way trying to reclaim them from error, should be the primary motivation to associate. That is much better done in answering questions than in imposing, but declaring truth when it can be done in a kindly way should be the only motivation for attending their meetings any longer.

Conference Talks

Last Saturday in Boise there was a conference addressing issues particularly relevant to Latter-day Saints. The recordings are now available and can be viewed at this site: Rescuing the Restoration

Although many people think the Restoration is entirely preserved and accessible exclusively through an organization, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that is not at all the case. In many ways the institutions of the Restoration are so far separated from what Joseph Smith began that the first generation of believers would not recognize the modern church-daughters of that beginning.

These talks provide some valuable insights into the religion begun by Joseph Smith, and how to continue to believe in the Restoration. We can all own our faith. Indeed, we will all be judged by how we practice our religion, and cannot push responsibility onto the leaders of the various churches. Whether leaders say they cannot lead you astray, or that they are the “only true church” neither of those claims are true. Their churches have been led astray, and none of them are anything different than what the Lord condemned in the First Vision speaking to Joseph. When it comes to the Restoration churches, they are all wrong, and all their creeds are an abomination in the Lord’s sight. The proponents of them are all corrupt. They draw near to God with their lips, but their hearts are far from the Lord; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof. They cannot be reformed back into God’s favor at this point, for He has begun something new to rescue the Restoration. You would be well advised to get out of their company.

Updates

There is a new book that does a side-by-side comparison of the KJV Gospel of John with the newly revealed Testimony of St. John. The book is available on Amazon and linked here: The Testimony of St. John: A newly revealed account of John the Beloved’s Testimony of Jesus the Messiah. Includes a side-by-side comparison with the King James Version for enhanced study.

I got an email asking this:

What is the temple for that you’re raising money for? Like the biblical temple was an assembly place and a place of liturgical repentance. The Kirtland temple seems to be an assembly hall mainly. The Nauvoo and latter temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints were, as you know, places of liturgical worship. Mainly ordinances for the dead and some living. Community of Christ’s temple seems to be similar to a cathedral. Daily worship. Contemplation. But they didn’t really know what to do with it. What would be the purpose of the temple and uses?

I gave this answer:

The Temple facility will be for the following:
Festivals and Conferences.
Ordinances and rites some for the living and some for the worthy dead (certainly not any deceased person whose name is learned).
Instructions and classes, and a library for collecting sacred works from all over the world.
A place for study and contemplation.
And singing/worship services.
Part of the facility will be limited in who will be allowed to enter or participate, and part will be open to the public.
The overall purpose will be to complete the restoration process and return sacred knowledge to the living so they can understand the original endowment of knowledge possessed by Adam and Enoch in the beginning, later restored through Abraham–but which has been lost to mankind because of apostasy. That restoration includes endowing those who are prepared to have knowledge that stretches into the heavens, and into the darkest abyss, from eternity to eternity, so that the purposes of the Almighty in this creation can be understood. This results in the exclamation that no one will need to say “know ye the Lord” because those who have learned God’s great purposes and plans will understand the Almighty. And the final accomplishment of it all is to redeem mankind from the Fall so that they can enter into His presence as a Member of the Household of God.
It will also conform to certain alignments which God intended for men to understand, but which have fallen into disuse and neglect.
It will require men to forsake foolish traditions and superstitions, and to replace them with knowledge of Heaven and earth, and the Creator who ordained it all.
In short, it will be a “University” in the sense that word actually conveys, and not in the sense that institutions in this world make use of it.

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There is an upcoming Conference in Kentucky on March 25-27 titled: Hear and Trust the Lord in the Storm. The Lexington Kentucky Conference Organizing Committee asked me to put this notice up:

There are only a few rooms available on site. The deadline to book a room or sign up for meals is March 4th. The website for the Kentucky Conference is www.trustthelordinthestorm.info.

Matt Lohmeier, Vern and Whitney Horning and Denver Snuffer speak Saturday. Denver’s Saturday talk title is Christianity is Alive and Well: Christ is Actively Preparing To Return. He and others will be speaking Sunday as well.

For more Conference details, please visit the Conference website linked above.

We hope to see many of you there.

Lexington Kentucky Conference committee

Youth Fast Follow-up

The youth have asked that this announcement be put up and I’m pleased to accommodate their request:

To those that fasted with the youth.

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the holy ghost.” 3 Nephi 5:15″

As the fast that everyone was invited to join comes to end, we, as the youth of the remnant, would like to thank those who joined, for their sacrifice. We hope that this was a good experience and helped you draw closer to the Lord and the people striving to be His. Doing this fast together as a people was a great way to start off 2022. To keep the Lord with us throughout the rest of the year we invite you to continue fasting, praying and studying on your own. There are many challenges that we will still face ahead, but with all of us joining together we can overcome them as one. We are excited for more opportunities for us to band together and see the fulfillment of the Lord’s work.

With Love from the youth of the movement.