What you see happening in the world are the birth pains of a new kingdom. The heavens are God’s throne and the earth is His footstool. To paraphrase RE Isaiah 25:2:

“Hear the word of the Lord, you that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified. But He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that renders recompense to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth? — says the Lord. Shall I cause to bring forth and shut the womb? — says your God. Rejoice with His covenant people and be glad with her, all you that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you that mourn for her, that you may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that you may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the gentiles like a flowing stream.”

And to paraphrase Revelation 4:1: “And there appeared a great sign in heaven, in the likeness of things on the earth: a woman, clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And the woman, being with child, cried, travailing in birth and pained to be delivered. And she brought forth a male child, a new order of things, who was to rule all nations with the words of God given unto them, even a rod of iron; and her child was in contact with God and his throne.”

And again, “for the Devil has come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time” Id., at 5.

These upheavals in the world are the tantrums of a dying influence from a desperate adversary who knows God has begun to establish His rule and bring again His kingdom. He whose right it is to rule, for He created this world, has and is taking steps to exercise His right. All the foolish, vain and corrupt systems that oppose Him are doomed. As the Lord has put it: “And thus with the sword and by bloodshed, the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn. And with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed has made a full end of all nations[.]” T&C 85:3

These things are necessary. But, as the Lord has promised in a covenant (and God cannot lie when He establishes His word by covenant-LoF 3:16, 22, 38; Titus 1:1; Ether 1:12), “And I, the Lord your God, will be with you and will never forsake you, and I will lead you in the path which will bring peace to you in the troubling season now fast approaching.
“I will raise you up and protect you, abide with you, and gather you in due time, and this shall be a land of promise to you as your inheritance from me.
“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.
I will visit my house, which the remnant of my people shall build, and I will dwell therein, to be among you, and no one will need to say, Know ye the Lord, for you all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
“I will teach you things that have been hidden from the foundation of the world and your understanding will reach unto Heaven.
“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 158:12-18

Our challenge is to keep the covenant we have been given so these promises can be vindicated. We have every reason to be of good cheer. The final words in the Answer to the Prayer for Covenant are: “Be comforted, be of good cheer, rejoice, and look up, for I am with you who remember me, and all those who watch for me, always, even unto the end. Amen.” T&C 157:66 We have a front row seat for the most amazing moments in history.

When Jehovah chose Israel as His peculiar people, it did not immediately elevate them. Israel apparently assumed that being His “chosen people” automatically conferred righteousness upon them, instead of recognizing that He was about to rework them into something much better. Jeremiah was taught how the “chosen people” were regarded by the Lord: “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter, so he made it again, another vessel as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? — says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At what moment I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil, I will withhold the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what moment I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will withhold the good with which I said I would benefit them.” (RE Jer. 8:1)

Unfortunately, throughout the Old Covenants from the death of Jacob (Israel) until the time of Jesus Christ, what distinguished Israel most was their prophets constant call for repentance and misfortune. Instead of allowing Jehovah to remove the occupants of the land, they engaged in continual warfare. Choices brought consequences.

Israel received promises when they were rescued from Egyptian slavery: “And it shall come to pass, if you shall listen diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you on high, above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you shall listen unto the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your cattle and the flocks of your sheep. Blessed shall be your basket and your store. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
“The Lord shall cause your enemies that rise up against you to be smitten before your face. They shall come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto, and he shall bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you. The Lord shall establish you a holy people unto himself, as he has sworn unto you, if you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord shall make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give you. The Lord shall open unto you his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in his season, and to bless all the work of your hand. And you shall lend unto many nations, and you shall not borrow. And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath, if you listen unto the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day, to observe and to do them. And you shall not go aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods, to serve them.” (RE Deu. 8:4-5)

But these were conditional promises, predicated on their faithfulness. And they were warned about the consequences of infidelity to God: “But it shall come to pass if you will not listen unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you this day, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your store. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your land, the increase of your cattle and the flocks of your sheep. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The Lord shall send upon you cursing, vexation, and rebuke in all that you set your hand unto in order to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings whereby you have forsaken me. The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto you until he has consumed you from off the land to which you go to possess it. The Lord shall smite you with a wasting disease, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue you until you perish. And your heaven that is over your head shall be brass, and the earth that is under you shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven shall it come down upon you until you are destroyed.
“The Lord shall cause you to be smitten before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them, and shall be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. And your carcass shall be food unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall frighten them away.” (Id., 6-7)

Ten northern tribes, led by Ephraim, were taken captive and scattered by Assyria. The two southern tribes, led by Judah, were taken captive by Babylon, with only a remnant of them returning to rebuild the temple. The overwhelming majority of the Lord’s “chosen people” chose to be disobedient, and were scattered and lost to history. The animosity of Ephraim and Judah caused the division, and distracted them from worship and obedience to Jehovah.

But Jehovah descended to sacrifice Himself to ransom Israel. He has promised to regather the remnants from everywhere they have been disbursed: “Fear not, for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, Give up — and to the south, Keep not back. Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even everyone that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him.” (RE Isa. 15:11)

Jehovah has planned to remove the animosity between Ephraim and Judah in the end: “And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off. Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.” (Isa. 5:5)

In 2017 Jesus Christ spoke of His current work to fulfill those ancient promises. He has declared to us: “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)

For this to happen the outcasts will need to understand what their forefathers failed to understand. The Lord expects obedience. He calls His “chosen people” to perform work. The Glossary in the RE Scriptures has an explanation of being a “Chosen people” that is copied below:

“If you go through and read the scriptures about the concept of chosenness, almost always you run into words about forging in a fire the product that God regards as His people, which means that God has a fairly realistic assessment of what people are like, and choosing them doesn’t mean He’s found a finished product. Choosing them means He’s found something with which He’s determined to work. High carbon steel requires iron, and it requires a matrix of that carbon to be within the element. Life — all life — is based on carbon. We breathe oxygen. We are carbon based, all of us. In a very real sense, every breath we take, we take and burn it in our furnace. The way that we convey that oxygen throughout the body is by oxidizing iron in our blood. That’s why our blood cells turn red when exposed to oxygen, because the iron element fused with the oxygen oxidizes, or rusts, and so it looks red. And then, when it drops the oxygen off where it’s going to be consumed in the limbs, it loses that element, and it returns, and it’s blue. Forging us in the fire of affliction, breathing into us the breath of life, talking about being chosen, the example of what it takes in order to fashion something that will withstand and hold an edge, all of these things are types and shadows of what it means to be chosen. Chosenness puts you on display in order for the Lord to either prove what foolishness is in the person chosen, or if they succeed, to put them through an ordeal that demonstrates faithfulness and commitment, desire, and earnestness, so that everyone stands back and says: This people represented God, either by the shabby performance and the persecution and the failure and the folly; or it represents God by the diligence and the effort and the faithfulness…. Within every group of chosen people there are always those who are resilient and faithful enough to pass the test, to hold the edge, to survive when the difficulties come. And when the Lord puts us through the furnace of affliction, our burdens are designed to get us to be able to qualify. Our burdens are designed to make us a little more realistic about our own limitations.”

It remains to be seen how a modern remnant of chosen people will conduct themselves before God. Whether called by the name Jehovah or Jesus Christ, it is clear that being His chosen people risks both blessing and cursing. We cannot impress God, for we can accomplish nothing without Him. But we can obey Him and let Him accomplish something with us.

I got a response on the same subject as the earlier email. It asked this: “How about a “Jehovah and Jesus, part 3”? I loved your justification for lex talionis, and I liked the two global and local parallels, but you’ve made some assertions that aren’t accurate, and ignored a whole body of contradictory evidence. E.g., ancient Israel didn’t just “defend and protect itself,” but waged offensive war, as commanded by Jehovah, to exterminate entire ethnic groups in the promised land (Deut. 20:16–20), and enslave other groups at a distance from the promised land (or kill the men, then take the women, children, livestock, and goods as plunder if the group wouldn’t accept the tribute arrangement) (Deut. 20:10–15). Did the Deuteronomists add this crap, or is this really what Jehovah said to do? And there are many more than “four events in scripture where Jehovah/Jesus directly cause the deaths of significant numbers of people.” You’ve got the Egyptian firstborn (Exo. 11:4–5; 12:29–30), the 3,000 Israelite idolaters killed by Levites at the Lord’s command (Exo. 32:25–29), Korah, Dathan, Abiram, their wives and children and “little ones,” and their 250 co-conspirators, plus 14,700 Israelity who complained about that (Num. 16), and multiple plagues sent upon the Israelites for their errors that are described as killing tens of thousands of them. Then there are additional punitive (not retributive) acts at the individual level like Jehovah killing Er for being “wicked” (Gen. 38:7), killing Onan for the use of coitus interruptus to avoid his Levirate marriage duty (Gen. 38:8–10), killing Uzzah for an apparently well-meaning attempt to prevent the Ark of the Covenant from falling off its cart (2 Sam. 6:1–7), and commanding others to kill the son of an Israelite mother and Egyptian father, who blasphemed (Lev. 24:10–16, 23) and kill a man who gathered wood on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32–36). Anyway, it was a depressing day working through this Old Testament material. I haven’t taken the time to review all of these incidents in the Restoration Edition, but I’m guessing they are largely if not completely similar. If they are accurate representations of God’s dealings then, of course, they are righteous acts. But one can’t help but admit that they don’t sound like the Jesus of the New Testament–who did not condemn an adulteress to death (John 8:1–11), even though as Jehovah he had commanded condemning adulterers to death (Lev. 20:10; Deut. 22:22). Final thoughts?“

I hadn’t intended to say anything further, but responded to his email as follows:

I wasn’t trying to be exhaustive. Just illustrative.
Ancient tribes were insular and violent. Affiliation with one led to prolonged violence against another. Consider the Talaban of Afghanistan today, as an example of how animosities were held, and violently acted upon. It was unsafe to harbor a refugee or a conquered foreign combatant.
Originally the Lord intended to have Israel occupy the lands of others gradually and peacefully, and He assumed the responsibility to move the other occupants out. He offered to remove them gradually, and without the need of any warfare by Israel:
“But if you shall indeed obey his voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy unto your enemies and an adversary unto your adversaries. For my angel shall go before you and bring you in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will cut them off. You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works, but you shall utterly overthrow them and quite break down their images. And you shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. There shall nothing cast their young nor be barren in your land. The number of your days I will fulfill. I will send my fear before you, and will destroy all the people to whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs unto you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beast of the field multiply against you. By little and little I will drive them out from before you, until you be increased and inherit the land.” RE Exo 13:23
But that arrangement required Israel to serve the Lord and not bow down to foreign gods. Israel did not accept the offer, and the cycles of violence that resulted were not what Jehovah offered, but what Israel required.
The biggest problem remains the vantage point of the question. We can hardly relate to the circumstances of primitive, violent cultures and what was required for the survival of Israel. Jehovah was playing the “long game” with them, and took them through the existing circumstances in the only manner possible with that population.
We are headed pretty much back into that same scene of continual violence, unless we change tracks. I read this account of events today in Portland a few minutes before seeing your email: “A large group of Antifa carrying shields and melee weapons attacked a group of Evangelical Christians congregating for a prayer and worship event at the waterfront in downtown Portland, Ore. Video recorded at the scene showed children and families running away as black-clad Antifa militants tore apart the sound equipment and assaulted attendees with pepper spray and projectiles.”

Aside from the necessary direction given to ancient Israel to defend and protect itself from violent and perverse adjoining tribes, there are four events in scripture where Jehovah/Jesus directly cause the deaths of significant numbers of people. Two were (or will be) global. Two were local.

The first of the two global events took place at the time of Noah. In that generation a mass killing happened at Jehovah’s hands. People separated themselves. On the one hand, there was a city of peace and righteousness, called Zion. “the Lord called his people Zion because they were of one heart, and of one mind, and dwelled in righteousness, and there was no poor among them.” (RE Gen. 4:14)

On the other hand, “there were wars and bloodsheds among them,” and “God saw that the wickedness of man had become great in the earth. And every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually.” (RE Gen. 4:14; 5:9) Jehovah saved the righteous, and killed the wicked.

The second global event will take place in very similar circumstances and for very similar reasons. That future event will happen at Jesus Christ’s hands. It is described in one section of the T&C as follows: “And with one heart and with one mind gather up your riches that you may purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed you, and it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God. And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it. And it shall be called Zion.
“And it shall come to pass among the wicked that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety, and there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven, and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another. And it shall be said among the wicked, Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible, wherefore we cannot stand. And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion singing with songs of everlasting joy.” (T&C 31:14-15)

Contemporaneous with this separation there will come destruction of the wicked: “For behold, the day comes that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and you shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of Hosts.” (Mal. 1:10)

Of the two local destructions, the first was at the hand of Jehovah. “The Lord said unto us, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will destroy them.” (Gen. 7:37) “the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, for the angels called upon the name of the Lord for brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And thus they overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.” (Gen. 7:43)

The second was at the hand of Jesus Christ: “And the city of Zarahemla did take fire; and the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea and the inhabitants thereof were drowned. And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah, that in the place of the city thereof, there became a great mountain. And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward. But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed because of the tempests, and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the exceeding great quaking of the whole earth.” (3 Ne. 4:2)

Jesus Christ explained why He caused this destruction, “it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen. Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof. And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned. And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up anymore unto me against them. And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof, to be buried up in the depths of the earth; yea, and the city Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof. And waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up anymore unto me against them. And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city Gimgimno — all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up anymore unto me against them.” (3 Ne. 4:6)

Jesus Christ then explained that He never wanted any of this to have happened. Instead, He offered a different outcome: Zion. He would have gladly gathered them under His arms, as He had done with Enoch’s people, but they refused to come embrace Him: “O ye people of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you! And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel who have fallen! Yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem as ye that have fallen, yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not! O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart! But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers.” (3 Ne. 4:9)

Following the destruction, and His explanation for it, Jesus Christ descends to teach the survivors the Sermon at Bountiful (which mirrored the Sermon on the Mount). Destroying the wicked did not make Him any less kind, nor make His teaching any less noble, inspiring and edifying.

As I read the scriptures, and note the choices people make and the response from Jehovah/Jesus, I can see no difference. They both will exalt and welcome the righteous. They both will prevent the despoiling of this creation. They both permit the freedom of choice for mankind. They both enforce the consequences of those free choices. They both put limits on what mankind will be permitted to do when they become depraved and violent. They appear to me to be “one”– or more correctly, to be the same individual, as I read the scriptures.

I got this question in my email: “I have been in Hawaii for three years and I can see too many similarities between Jehovah of our scriptures and Pele the Hawaiian volcano goddess. Pele and Jehovah speak from fiery and smokey and loud volcanoes. But Pele is kinder and less vicious than Jehovah. The Torah Jehovah is like a Netflix horror movie monster killing and burning whole families and sadistically loving to smell their burning flesh. How can Jehovah be Jesus?“

It is an interesting question. But it focuses exclusively on Jehovah/Jesus. It fails to acknowledge the state of the people Jehovah chose to reveal Himself to in His effort to morally advance them.

There was a law of retaliation given by Jehovah. It was the lex talionis. It is the one that imposed “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” RE Leviticus 12:3 states in part, “Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again. And he that kills a beast, he shall restore it. And he that kills a man, he shall be put to death.”

We look at that from our perspective and find that kind of retribution abhorrent. Just because someone was blinded in a fight we would not tolerate blinding the other participant. It seems disproportionate to us. But in the circumstance of the time when this law was given by Jehovah it was intended to limit the retaliation. The culture of the time tolerated killing someone for the loss of an eye, or maiming them for the loss of a tooth. The law of retaliation made it unlawful to exact a greater price than one that equaled the loss suffered by the victim.

Jehovah was dialing back the violence. Limiting the injuries. Setting a tone for civilization that advanced peace from an uncontrolled, violent response to a limited and controlled response.

We do not even think like ancient man. Our language and theirs are so different that the concern raised in the question would be hard to express in a way to make the concern understood by ancient mankind. Their minds viewed everything in concrete, personified ways that were controlled and directed continually by the will of God (or more correctly by gods). They expressed events primarily in verbs describing actions.

We think in abstract and impersonal ideas. We think events everywhere occur according to universal laws, and we look to determine how events take place based on consistencies and rules. We use adjectives to express most of what happens.

Jehovah was dealing with so different a group of people from those Jesus dealt with that there can be no comparison. Civilization changed. Minds and thinking altered over time. You cannot go backward and redefine things in a moral construct that uses later ideas and values to weigh earlier civilizations. When you make that step you reach perverse conclusions because you impose a viewpoint that was never even considered at the time.

When dealing with an infant a parent behaves far differently that that same parent behaves when their child is a teenager. And then again the same parent and same child relate very differently when the child is middle aged and a parent herself. Some of what the child understands when she becomes a parent is beyond the ability of that same person to understand when she was a teen. Civilization has been like a developing child, and Jehovah has dealt with mankind differently in different stages, as the circumstances require.

Today we are losing some of the more important ideas and patterns of thought that were present a generation ago. Society is becoming less tolerant and more violent year by year. Unfortunately, we appear to be headed to a point in which we will need the law of retribution to be imposed again so that ideas do not become the target of punishment and imposing suffering.

Extra leather-bound scripture sets are in-stock and available for purchase right now. Inventory is limited to only what is available on-hand. Once something is sold out, more sets will not be available until another printing run. For orders placed right now, delivery will take about 2 weeks. If you missed the first pre-order window or you’re hoping to pickup additional sets, please visit scriptures.shop to see what is available and to place an order.

The store opened for sales of the extra sets yesterday, and there was a huge flurry of orders. They sold approximately 250 scripture sets that single day. They have approximately 300 sets remaining. There is no scheduled reorder planned, and it may be some time before the opportunity to purchase leather sets returns.

There is more to the Lord than a casual investigation will inform you. The closing words of John’s Gospel states: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 11:13) His ministry was far greater than John’s record could convey.

The Testimony of St. John is to a similar effect: “In addition to this account, many other things were done by Jesus, which, if they were all written, that library would fill the entire cosmos. Amen.” (TSJ 12:22)

Revelation to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon included the testimony of the Father about His Son: “For we saw him, even on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father, that by him, and through him, and of him the worlds are made and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.” (T&C 69:5) His work before this world was infinite, and included many worlds. This testimony from God the Father expands greatly our understanding of Christ, and how far His creative power extends.

Christ’s power and influence sustains all of the creation. He is the power of the distant sun, moon, and stars: “This is the light of Christ, as also he is in the sun and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made; as also he is in the moon and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made; as also the light of the stars and the power thereof by which they were made; and the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand. And the light which now shines, which gives you light, is through him who enlightens your eyes, which is the same light that quickens your understandings, which light proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space: the light which is in all things, which gives life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sits upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” (T&C 86:1)

The way to know more about Christ, and to be more fully reconciled unto Him, is to give heed and diligence to what He asks of us: “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; and then they are taken captive by the Devil and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.” (Alma 9:3)

Moses gave heed to the Lord. He met with Him face-to-face. The Lord showed Moses the creation of this world, which allowed him to write the account we have in Genesis. In the revelation, the Lord explained to Moses, “Wherefore, look, and I will show you the workmanship of my hands — but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease. Wherefore, no man can behold all my works except he behold all my glory, and no man can behold all my glory and afterward remain in the flesh on the earth.” (RE Gen. 1:1)

Moses’ reconciliation with the Lord affirmed that God’s “works are without end” and continue to roll on. Likewise the Lord’s “words [are without end], for they never cease.” He speaks still. To you and to me. He has never stopped. He will never stop speaking.

As part of ordaining His creation, our Lord, “has given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons, and their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets. And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years. All these are one year with God, but not with man. The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun gives his light by day, and the moon gives her light by night, and the stars also give their light as they roll upon their wings, in their glory, in the midst of the power of God.
“Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms that you may understand? Behold all these are kingdoms, and any man who has seen any or the least of these has seen God moving in his majesty and power.” (T&C 86:7-8)

This is one description of Christ: “He comprehends all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him, and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things, and all things are by him, and of him, even God, for ever and ever.” (T&C 86:6) There is nothing that exists that does not have Christ’s imprint upon or within it.

He invites us to be reconciled unto Him. That is not a small thing, but a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, truth, revelation, enlightenment, expanding understanding, ascending to His presence, and growing into a perfect comprehension of Him and His work: “That which is of God is light, and he that receives light and continues in God receives more light, and that light grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” (T&C 36:4)

Reconciliation with Christ begins with baptism. Baptism marks the end of your old life and the beginning of a new one. Leaving the old life includes abandoning the errors, evils and worldliness of a fallen society. In exchange for believing in Him, and being baptized to witness your faith in Him, you receive forgiveness of those past mistakes. As one prophet explained, “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the holy ghost. And then are ye in this straight and narrow path which leads to eternal life. Yea, ye have entered in by the gate, ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son, and ye have received the holy ghost, which witness of the Father and the Son unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way, ye should receive.” (RE 2 Ne. 13:3)

This begins a new life in Christ. “And now my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this straight and narrow path, I would ask if all is done. Behold, I say unto you, nay, for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ, with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” (Id., Paragraph 4)

This prophet anticipated that many people would wonder what the words “feasting upon the word of Christ” means. There are two direct ways in which this is done: The first is by studying the scriptures. The New Testament was written by 8 disciples who knew Christ: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, James (Jacob), Jude (Judas) and Peter. They did not write to explain everything they knew, understood, or taught in person about Christ. And they wrote for an audience of believers living at the time. While we benefit from those records, they do not contain everything these witnesses knew about Christ. In many ways studying the New Testament is like reading someone else’s mail.

We should want to know Christ like those early witnesses knew Him. We should want a direct and intimate connection with Him, so we can share the faith of those first Christians. The prophet explained the second way we can ‘feast on the word of Christ.’ He wrote: “I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts? Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the holy ghost, ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the holy ghost? Angels speak by the power of the holy ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Ne. 14:1)

The holy ghost is the conduit through which Christ will speak to you, now. Today. With the same guidance He provided to those 8 witnesses who wrote the New Testament.

The right to receive that guidance also imposes on us the responsibility to ask. We are not supposed to remain in doubt. As New Testament writer Jacob put it: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and upbraids not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering,” (Jacob 1:2)

The prophet who explained the process emphasized how important it was that we ask and pursue God for guidance: “Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them, it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock. Wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark. For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way and receive the holy ghost, it will shew unto you all things what ye should do.” (2 Ne. 14:1)

Christ established the way for all of us to be reconciled unto Him.

There is a passage about how an earlier body of believers practiced their religion. It states, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” (RE 2 Nr. 11:8)

They talked of Christ. And apparently had enough to say that their worship never ran out of things to say.

They rejoiced in Christ. This is the result of having enough understanding of Hm to be able to talk continually about Him. Understanding Him leads to rejoicing in Him.

They preached of Christ. Again, with plenty to preach.

And they prophesied of Christ. While we do not have all their prophecies, but here is one example taken from what we do have: “he shall go forth suffering pains, and afflictions, and temptations of every kind, and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith, He will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people. And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless, the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh, that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance. And now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.” (Alma 5:3) This prophecy, while related to Isaiah’s promise of the coming “man of sorrows” is still distinct from Isaiah’s “suffering servant” prophecy, and adds unique additional confirmation about Christ’s role and achievement in saving mankind.

He will take the “pains and sicknesses of his people.” Just how fully this took place is clarified in a revelation given in 2007. The Lord suffered waves of torment, described in T&C 161. These came in pairs. Each was greater than the one before, and lasted for many hours. These waves of torment were explained to a witness who reported:

“He pondered and asked, Why were there waves of torment? Why did they increase in difficulty? How were they organized as they seemed to fit a pattern? After long inquiring into the things which he had seen, the Lord, who is patient and merciful and willing to instruct those who call upon Him, again appeared to the man on the 20th of December, 2007. He made known unto him that the waves of torment suffered by the Lord came in pairs which mirrored each other. The first of each wave poured upon the Lord those feelings, regrets, recriminations, and pains felt by those who injured their fellow man. Then followed a second wave, which mirrored the first, but imposed the pains suffered by the victims of the acts committed by those in the first wave. Instead of the pains of those who inflict hurt or harm, it was now the anger, bitterness, and resentments felt by those who suffered these wrongs.
“From each wave of suffering, whether as the one afflicting or as the victim of those wrongs, the Lord would overcome the evil feelings associated with these wrongs, and find His heart again filled with peace. This was why, in the vision of the suffering of the Lord, it was in the second waves that there appeared oftentimes to be injuries to His body.
“The greater difficulty in these paired waves of torment was always overcoming the suffering of the victim. With these waves the Lord learned to overcome the victims’ resentments, to forgive, and to heal both body and spirit. This was more difficult than overcoming the struggles arising from the one who committed the evil. This is because the one doing evil knows he has done wrong and feels a natural regret when he sees himself aright. The victim, however, always feels it is their right to hold resentment, to judge their persecutor, and to withhold peace and love for their fellow men. The Lord was required to overcome both so that he could succor both.
In the pairing of the waves, the first torment was of the mind and spirit, and the second was torment of mind, spirit, and body.
“The Lord experienced all the horror and regret wicked men feel for their crimes when they finally see the truth. He experienced the suffering of their victims whose righteous anger and natural resentment and disappointment must also be shed, and forgiveness given, in order for them to find peace. He overcame them all. He descended below them all. He comprehends it all. And he knows how to bring peace to them all. He knows how to love others whether they are the one who has given offense or the one who is a victim of the offense.
“In the final wave, the most brutal, most evil, most heinous sins men inflict upon one another were felt by Him as a victim of the worst men can do. He knew how it felt to wrongly suffer death. He knew what it was like to be a mother holding a child in her arms as they are both killed by those who delight in their suffering. He knew how it was for ambitious men to rid themselves of a rival by conspiracy and murder. He knew what it was to have virtue robbed from the innocent. He knew betrayal, treachery, and abuse in all its worst degrading horror. There was no cruelty, no offense, no evil that mankind has suffered or will suffer that was not put upon Him.
“He knew what it is like for men to satisfy their ambition by clothing their hypocrisy in religious garb. He also felt what it was like to be the victim of religious oppression by those who pretend to practice virtue while oppressing others. He knew the hearts of those who would kill Him. Before confronting their condemnation of Him in the flesh, he suffered their torment of mind when they recognized he was the Lord, and then found peace for what they would do by rejecting Him. In this extremity there was madness itself as he mirrored the evil which would destroy Him, and learned how to come to peace with the Father after killing the Son of God, and to love all those involved without restraint and without pretense even before they did these terrible deeds. His suffering, therefore, encompassed all that has happened, all that did happen, and all that would happen in the future.
“As a result of what the Lord suffered, there is no condition — physical, spiritual, or mental — that he does not fully understand. He knows how to teach, comfort, succor, and direct any who come to Him seeking forgiveness and peace. This is why the prophet wrote: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. [Isa. 19:2] And again: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [Isa. 19:2] He obtained this knowledge by the things he suffered. He suffered that we might avoid sin by being obedient to His commandments. None of us need harm another, if we will follow Him. He knows fully the consequences of sin. He teaches His followers how to avoid sin.” (T&C 161: 16-24) The entire section 161 explains the final suffering and triumph of Christ.

We have every reason to also talk, preach, rejoice, and prophesy about Christ. His work was the greatest accomplished by any soul in this creation. And His accomplishments are eternal and everlasting. Such a life gives us an infinite source for our study.

To be reconciled unto Christ is to begin to understand how great a benefit He can be for us, if we will allow His commandments to become our guide. It begins by accepting His claims as true. And then next being baptized to demonstrate our acceptance of Him.

Baptism begins a new life. If you follow Christ to that point, then what follows is to keep His commandments. As Christ tells us: “For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fullness and be glorified in me as I am glorified in the Father. Therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.” (T&C 93:7)

Keeping commandments has a deeper meaning and serves a much higher purpose than public acts intended to for notice. We must worship God by keeping the commandments and growing thereby in light and truth and grace. “And no man receives a fullness unless he keeps his commandments. He that keeps his commandments receives truth and light until he is glorified in truth and knows all things.” (T&C 93:9)

Jesus Christ grew up in a society that was governed by the Law of Moses. That law established objective standards of conduct: “Thou shalt not kill,” for example. It is easy to comply by not killing someone. But Christ raised the bar and taught a much higher standard. He contrasted the standard He established for us with the Law of Moses:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God. But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council, and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.
“Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, go thy way unto thy brother and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart and I will receive you.
“Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him, lest at any time he shall get thee and thou shalt be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost [cent]. And while ye are in prison, can ye pay even one [cent]? Verily, verily I say unto you, nay.” (RE 3 Ne. 5:24-26)

Christ also elevated the commandment of the Law of Moses, “thou shalt not commit adultery,” into something much higher. Christ moved the battle ground from outward behavior into internal thoughts and feelings. He said:

“Behold, it is written by them of old time that thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already in his heart. Behold, I give unto you a commandment that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart, for it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye should be cast into hell.” (3 Ne. 5:27)

The Law of Moses was intended to allow an orderly society to function. But it was never intended to produce the kind of society that God could visit. Abinadi prophesied, “I say unto you that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient to keep the law of Moses.” (Mosiah 8:1)

Salvation was never to be obtained through the Law of Moses, but was always through Jesus Christ. The Law pointed to Christ, and was intended to help people believe in Christ generations before He would be born. As one prophet explained about those living the Law of Moses before Christ’s birth, “believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them. Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses, but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ.” (Alma 14:15)

After His resurrection, Christ explained: “Marvel not that I said unto you that old things had passed away and that all things had become new. Behold, I say unto you that the law is fulfilled that was given unto Moses. Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel. Therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfill the law; therefore, it hath an end.” (3 Ne. 7:2)

Christ gave us a new, higher standard. His life demonstrated that standard. He asks us to follow Him. Anyone with the conviction that Christ is who He claimed to be, will choose to follow Him. He explained, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 6:29)

If you believe in Christ, then He has prescribed the steps needed to be taken in order to exhibit or prove your belief in Him. These are His words:

“[N]either shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there hath hitherto been. For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the Devil, who is the father of contention; and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another, but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.
Behold, verily, verily I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me — and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the holy ghost beareth record of the Father and me — and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men everywhere to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved, and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.” (RE 3 Ne. 5:8-9)

He phrases this requirement first in the negative: Do not dispute over His doctrine, and avoid getting angry over religious differences.

Then He phrases it in the positive: If you believe then show it by being baptized. If you are baptized, you will be saved, and if not you will be damned.

Two words need to be understood: “Disputation” is wrong when men’s hearts are provoked to anger. In a modern revelation the Lord explained where this leads, and exactly how religious divisions have caused misery: “Mankind has been controlled by the adversary through anger and jealousy, which has led to bloodshed and the misery of many souls. Even strong disagreements should not provoke anger, nor to invoke my name in vain as if I had part in your every dispute.” (T&C 157:54)

Throughout “Christian” history, religious warfare has happened continually. Even today there continues to be violence over religious differences. The Lord commands that to end.

The word “damned” has been defined in the new scriptures Glossary of Terms: “To cease progressing or to regress. Damnation merely means the end of progress. So when one fails to progress in understanding, he voluntarily damns himself. ‘When God offers a blessing or knowledge to a man, and he refuses to receive it, he will be damned. If mankind is to be saved, it will be through their acquisition of knowledge. Put otherwise, it is stupidity that damns them; it is knowledge which saves man. Damnation means hedging up the way so that one cannot progress.” (T&C Glossary, Damned)

Baptism is required for progress in this and the afterlife. As the New Covenants puts it: “And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water to fulfill all righteousness, Oh, then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water?” (2 Ne. 13:2)

As Christ put it before His own baptism, after John said Christ was more worthy than himself: “Suffer me to be baptized of you, for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt. 2:4) Christ provided the example of the path He expects us to follow. His example included being baptized. If you believe in Him, then you too must be baptized.

If you want to request baptism, you can contact people with authority to administer the ordinance at this website link: Request Baptism (Born of Water)

Given the enormity of Christ’s claims, it is natural to doubt. Even after His resurrection, and meeting with the surviving 11 disciples, some of them continued to doubt: “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in Heaven and on earth. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, unto the end of the world. Amen.” (RE Matt. 13:4)

Those words, “but some doubted” describe more than the 11 who “saw him” and even “worshipped him.” It also describes us, at least from time to time.

What Christ next said was in response to their doubt: “All power is given unto” Him. This authority and power extends both “in Heaven and on earth.” We do not need to doubt. He reiterated His claim, and reassures us of His authority to rescue us.

Good news is sometimes more difficult to accept than bad news. In this world where there is continual insufficiency, ongoing struggles, disappointments from people we relied on to our injury, and conflicts even with those we love, we are used to bad news. We expect illness, even eventual death.

So when the Lord tells us good news our doubts rush in. Some of the disciples saw the resurrected Christ before others. One of the last was Thomas, who refused to accept the testimony of his fellow disciples. He said he could not believe without seeing, even feeling the injuries the Lord received in the crucifixion. Thomas is an important figure for us because of his skepticism. Almost all of us share that with Thomas.

Christ met with Thomas and said to him (about us): “Then says he to Thomas, Reach here your finger and behold my hands, and reach here your hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus says unto him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 11:4)

Thomas was so very human. So very like us all. We are asked to believe, even if we have not seen. We are asked to accept the testimony of others, like Thomas. When we do we are called “blessed” by the Lord for that belief in Him.

Not only Thomas, but also Paul (at the time Saul) testified of Christ: “And it came to pass that as I made my journey, and had come near unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from Heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And I answered, Who are you, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute. And they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told you of all things which are appointed for you to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.” (Acts 12:15)

The Brother of Jared also encountered the Lord: “the Lord shewed himself unto him and said, Because thou knowest these things, ye are redeemed from the Fall. Therefore, ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I shew myself unto you. Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life; and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name. And they shall become my sons and my daughters. And to none of those now living whom I created have I appeared, for none have believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.” (Ether 1:13)

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon assured us: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: that he lives. For we saw him, even on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father, that by him, and through him, and of him the worlds are made and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.” (T&C 69:5)

I too can testify that He lives, for He has ministered to me, and He has (and does) keep His promise: “And behold, I am with you always, unto the end of the world.”

It is good news. But is good news that ought to be accepted, because it is true. Christ is the Son of God who came into the world to rescue us from despair, sin and death. Doubt not, but be believing.

What do you think of Jesus Christ? That question is far more important than any other question for us to answer. Christ forces us to deal with Him because of the claims He made, and the claims made about Him by his followers.

In a single generation multiple written accounts were created, often differing in details, but agreeing on His claim to be the Son of God. That one generation in which He lived also produced witnesses who declare that He rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and that He promised to return again.

The claims by and about Him make His resurrection the gateway through which all of us will also rise from the grave. He undid death, not only for Himself but for all mankind. BUT when we rise from the grave, He and His followers warn us that Christ then act as the judge who determines what to do with us following our resurrection. We are told His judgment will be based upon His teachings, and the more closely we follow what He taught the better our lot will be thereafter.

These are claims as astonishing as they are important. But they force us all to choose for ourselves what to think of Christ, and how to react to His teachings.

It is improbable beyond calculation for a single generation to invent Jesus Christ. Because we have multiple written accounts by those who knew Him, and they are clearly distinct witnesses of His life and doings, we can be assured He was a real historic figure.

His influence on His close associates made them no longer fear their own death. Like Christ, His earliest followers accepted their own executions rather than deny their testimony about Him.

The scriptures tell us that it is through Jesus Christ that we are reconciled to God. (See RE 2 Cor. 1:18-19; Rom. 1:22; Eph. 1:6; Col. 1:5; 2 Ne. 11:8; and Jac. 3:3) But Nephi taught of another needed reconciliation: He said he held out no hope for us unless we reconcile ourselves with Christ: “for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ.” (2 Ne. 15:1) Nephi’s concern is the right first one: We do need to reconcile ourselves to Christ first, before Christ can reconcile us with His Father.

Christ took steps to rescue all mankind from the grave. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 1:63) His accomplishment is universal. It does not matter if you are Baptist, Lutheran, Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim, Christ will draw all mankind back to life from the grave.

Once we are brought back from the grave, “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” (Rom. 1:70) Does it not make sense to prepare for that event? Given the importance of the claims by and about Jesus Christ, it is worth the effort required to investigate His teachings.

He explained that any of us can do it: “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavily loaded, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. And you shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 6:8) That probably does not mean what you think it means, because we think “easy” and “light” mean we will be required to do practically nothing.

Christ’s “yoke” is easy because it spares you from the afflictions, diseases, indignities, disappointments and fears we inevitably encounter when our life is adrift in sin. Christ’s burden is “light” because we are rescued from the corruption, confusion, degradation and slavery imposed on us by a malignant culture urging vanity, selfishness and pride as virtues. Even if the world then hates you, being reconciled with Christ will free you from the control the world’s hate attempts to exercise over you.

A life in Christ is far more meaningful than a life without Him. Far more at peace with Him than without Him. Read the accounts of His life for yourself. Test His teachings by living them. Reconcile yourself to Christ. Find peace.

Alma ordained priests and explained how their religion ought to be practiced. Since the covenant given in 2017 adopts the Book of Mormon as a standard for our faith, Alma’s instructions give us guidance. Here is part of what Alma said:

Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people. And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another. And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God.
And he commanded them that they should observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God. And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for their support. And there was one day in every week that was set apart that they should gather themselves together to teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God, and also as often as it was in their power to assemble themselves together. And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support, but for their labor they were to receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the spirit, having the knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God.
And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, everyone according to that which he had: if he have more abundantly, he should impart more abundantly; and he that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given. And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God, to those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul. And this he said unto them, having been commanded of God. And they did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and spiritually according to their needs and their wants. Mosiah 9: Paragraphs 9-11

The only reward for preaching is to “receive the grace of God.” The restoration has failed to reach its destiny in all the organized restoration congregations because they violate this principle. A compensated clergy cannot “wax strong in the spirit” and therefore cannot “teach with power and authority from God.”

This is because “a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” LoF 6:7

True religion takes your time, resources, energy and effort. Practicing it does not reward you with compensation. Every time there one of our conferences is organized, the organizers donate the resources to rent the facility, and bring the equipment, and arrange for food, to be enjoyed by the participants. When speakers who believe in God’s work today come to participate they travel and contribute at their own expense.

Alma also reminds us there is only “one baptism” and the words for that ordinance have been provided in the Book of Mormon. We should faithfully follow that if we are honoring God’s covenant.

Alma discouraged contention, as would the Lord when He later visited the Nephites. Contention that makes people angry with one another is not just ungodly, it has been addressed in a warning from God to us: “Study to learn how to respect your brothers and sisters and to come together by precept, reason, and persuasion, rather than sharply disputing and wrongly condemning each other, causing anger. Take care how you invoke my name. Mankind has been controlled by the adversary through anger and jealousy, which has led to bloodshed and the misery of many souls. Even strong disagreements should not provoke anger, nor to invoke my name in vain as if I had part in your every dispute.” T&C 157:54

The commandment to impart of our substance to those in need does not mean an able-bodied man should neglect his duty to support his family with the expectation that others will provide the needed substance for him and his family. As Paul wrote: “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

Alma’s counsel is as useful today as it was when originally given.

The seven-part series of the Heavens are Open Again now has the sixth installment released. It can be watched at this link: The Heavens Are Open Again, Part 6: Remembering Remnants

There will be another, final installment released in the future. These are the third series of seven videos each, totaling twenty-one videos when the next (and final) one has been completed. The release of this one was timed to coincide with Father’s Day and with the Solstice.