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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I received a very good question from someone who has worked on the scripture recovery effort. His question is the following:

“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you.” In 3 NE 7:1, Christ explains, “Behold, ye have heard the things which I have taught before I ascended to my Father.” But when we look at the same teachings in, for example, Matthew 3:47, Christ is quoted as saying the exact opposite: “And then will I say, You never knew me.” And this was a correction Joseph made in the JST.I’m trying to reconcile the conflict/discrepancy. Christ can know you, whether or not you know Him. So Joseph’s change makes a great deal of sense. But I also recognize that Christ’s statement in 3 Nephi can be a way of indicating that those making the claim were not acknowledged servants of His, but simply wannabes.Is it possible, perhaps likely, that Joseph’s understanding was such that he didn’t catch the difference until later in time, working on the JST? We seem to have a few instances of that already

I responded to his question as follows:

I understand that at the time of translating the Book of Mormon Joseph was charged by God with creating a translated text that the gentiles of the day would accept as scripture. If it had not been acceptable to the gentiles as scripture in 1830, they would not have perpetuated it. It needed to be perpetuated. So the wording was to allow gentiles to accept it and then to print and reprint it, preserving it for a later effort to conclude the restoration.

When Joseph did the JST, the charge from God was different. In that work he was restoring the “fullness of the scriptures” to remove errors from the King James Version. It was not to go out to the world, but only to believers inside the restoration. Ultimately, the gentiles of his day were not even allowed to receive the JST, and when it finally did roll out it was from a group who altered and corrupted it to include their changes, and omitted many of Joseph’s.

Our Restoration Edition which the Lord approved in 2017 is the first time the fullness of the scriptures have been provided. In it the change Joseph made to the text is revealed, or preserved. But that does not mean we should do anything to alter the Book of Mormon text because it preserves the record in the form gentiles were willing to accept in 1830. This is why we need the new scriptures to include both accounts.

If the difference is noticed, it will provoke an investigation. That should result in uncovering what Joseph did, under the inspiration from heaven, to give the investigator insight into God’s merciful patience with mankind’s weaknesses.

America was founded in revolutionary fire as men and women yearned to be free from oppressive and arrogant monarchs. They fled from every nation in Europe, and after the founding of a new nation they fled from every nation on earth. America was created from the human impulse to be free.

There is a resilient and deeply imbedded impulse that inclines Americans toward freedom. Although the schools of America have been corrupted and compromised, and leaders of media and commerce are easily manipulated into assuming it is possible to become puppeteers controlling the American public, there remains the problem of making puppets.

If Americans cannot be satisfied that an actual election with accurate vote counts have taken place, it will not take long before the putative puppeteers learn they have no puppets to control. It will not end well.

It is critical for the peace in America that everyone be openly and fully satisfied that the voting has been accurate, and all indications of fraud have been ruled out.

The Electoral College was adopted by the Constitutional fathers to prevent a dictatorship by population centers. But concentration of power in population centers is trending more and more.

Washington DC, Boston, New York, Pittsburg, Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia are utterly dependent upon rural American to exist. They cannot eat without constant re-supply coming from rural America.

If rural America, called “fly-over-country” by the urban centers of political power, were ever to awaken to their ability to decimate, even destroy the urban centers, it would recalibrate political power in the United States.

At some point, it is foreseeable, that rural America will tire of the arrogance of the crowded and vulnerable big cities. When that happens, the Republic itself will undergo a needed realignment and the arrogant will be humbled.

We live in an interesting time. Our day resembles the time when the United States of America was founded: When a great number awakened to tyranny and decided to brook it no longer.

God established an ancient covenant over the land occupied by Americans. That covenant was explained to the Brother of Jared. With all going on at the present, the words seem as timely as today’s headlines. Ether 1:6-7 in the new scriptures is posted below:

[W]hoso 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.
And now we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands. Wherefore, he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off, for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land that they are swept off. And this cometh unto you, O ye gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness be come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land hath hitherto done. Behold, this is a choice land; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who has been manifested by the things which we have written.

I’ve accepted an invitation to speak at a general conference during the week of Passover this coming spring. It’s to be held in the sunny southern Nevada area. I understand the organizers of the conference are also planning for an extended retreat/gathering at or near where the conference will occur.

Frequent online presentations on the conference theme, the Religion of the Fathers as well as other topics will help us review what we have already been given on the topic until the conference. For a calendar of these online presentations visit the conference website, http://religionofthefathers.com

I have been working on a talk for the conference for a few weeks now. The subject is important and I hope to contribute something worthwhile at the event.

The Japan Conference that was scheduled earlier this year but postponed due to the Covid-19 issues will now take place this coming Friday and Saturday, October 2nd and 3rd. There are two ways to watch the live stream event: First, you may go to YouTube channel directly: bit.ly/JapanLiveStream Or you can view the Japan conference web page: bit.ly/JapanRestorationConf

October 2nd sessions will begin at 6 pm Mountain Daylight Time.

October 3rd sessions will begin at 5:30 pm Mountain Daylight Time.

I extend my personal gratitude to Chris VanCampen and his wife Noriko, who have labored for months to make this event possible. They have brought together a very interesting lineup of speakers, all of whom will contribute to the Conference theme: The Search for Truth.

A new video in the restoration series is now available to watch. It is linked here: Part 3: Three Great Things Left Undone

This is the third in a planned 7 part video series. I am grateful the work was completed to allow it to be released on the Equinox.

I am also informed a new spring conference is being organized. The topic being discussed is the religion of the first fathers. I hope to be able to provide some useful information about that topic.

This quote is taken from an article written by Rabbi Dovid Heber titled “MEAT AND DAIRY-A KOSHER CONSUMER’S HANDBOOK”:

“Kosher homes typically have two sets cookeware, dishes, and cutlery – one for meat and one for dairy. This is because it is Biblically prohibited to eat something that contains both milk and meat that were cooked together. Because of this concern, the Rabbis decreed that one who wants to eat a dairy product must wait six hours after eating meat.”

He cites to The Torah, which states three times – “Do not cook a young animal in its mother’s milk.” He explains, from these, the Gemara derives three prohibitions – one may not eat milk and meat together, one may not cook them together, and one may not derive benefit from such cooked mixtures. If they were mixed without heat (e.g. a sandwich containing slices of cold salami and cheese) the mixture is Rabbinically prohibited to eat. See Shulchan Aruch YD87:1. Also, he explains the Gemara Chulin (105a) states that Mar Ukva waited until the “next meal” before eating dairy. The overwhelming majority of Rabbis in the 11th to 15 Centuries were of the opinion that this means one must wait six hours. The Law based on the Torah, as stated in Shulchan Aruch YD 89:1, is that one must wait a full six hours.

However, the angels who visited Abraham did not observe this rule. Of course the Law of Moses was instituted generations later. However, if this rule were of eternal significance it would be expected that the angels would refuse to violate the standard, although mankind would not be asked to do so until centuries later.

Here is how that event transpired: “Abraham ran unto the heard and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he hastened to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set before them. And he stood by them under the tree and they did eat.” Gen. 7:35 in the Restoration Scriptures. Later, having finished eating the non-kosher meal, “the angels rose up from there” and went on. Id. paragraph 37.

As Joseph Smith explained, “It is not to be understood that the law of Moses will be established again with all its rites and variety of ceremonies; this has never been spoken of by the Prophets; but those things which existed prior to Moses’ day, namely sacrifice, will be continued.” This is because the Law of Moses came to an end through the Messiah. See Mosiah 8:1; 3 Ne. 7:2

I see no harm if someone wants to observe the Law of Moses. But if they do so, they should understand the purpose of that Law was to foreshadow and testify of the Messiah. Of His sacrifice that offered Himself for sin. Of His taking upon Himself the chastisement of our peace. That He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and with his stripes we are healed. Isa. 19:2

But there is no need to observe a Law which the angels disregarded when visiting Abraham. There is, on the other hand, every need to recognize and accept the Lord’s anointed, the Messiah, to whom the Law of Moses pointed.

The first records of God’s dealing with mankind were written by Adam and his immediate posterity. It was called “a book of remembrance” (Gen 3:14-all citations are to the Restoration Edition of scripture). That record was written in “a language which was pure and undefiled.” (Id.) We know those records existed when Abraham was alive thousands of years later. “[T]he records of the Fathers, even the Patriarchs, …the Lord, my God, preserved in my own hands.” (Abr. 2:4)

By the time of Moses, however, the original records were lost. Moses had to rewrite the record of the creation based on the revelation he received directly from the Lord. Moses was commanded, “you shall write the things which I shall speak. And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught, and take many of them from the book which you shall write, behold, I will raise up another like unto you, and they shall be had again among the children of men, among even as many as shall believe.” (Gen. 1:7)

Moses was raised by the daughter of Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s daughter named him, and treated him as “her son.” (Exo. 1:5) Accordingly, when Moses was commanded to write the record revealed to him by the Lord, he would have recorded it in the language he understood, the language his adopted mother taught him, or in Egyptian.

The record of the Old Covenants was re-recorded through revelation by Moses in Egyptian. This is why a copy of Moses’ account is described as “the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass” were composed “in the language of the Egyptians.” (Mosiah 1:1)

That Egyptian language had two earliest forms: the first to develop was hieroglyphic. This form was perpetuated to record religious texts and was the more formal or sacred form of their writing. A second developed thereafter, and while still early in Egyptian language development, called hieratic. This second form was cursive and was the more likely form used on the Brass Plates.

Understanding the formal, religious hieroglyphic language was completely lost, and has been only recovered in a small part through the work done after discovering the Rosetta Stone. In July 1799, French soldiers were rebuilding a fort near the town of Rosetta and discovered a stone inscribed with three scripts: hieroglyphs in the top register, Greek at the bottom and a script later identified as “Demotic” in the middle. Demotic was a later form of Egyptian writing and was the common form spoken at the time the Rosetta Stone was originally carved.

Using the Greek from the Rosetta Stone as a guide to decipher the hieroglyphs an attempt has been made to understand hieroglyphic Egyptian. The contents of the carving on the stone is a decree from Ptolemy V, and dates from 196 bc. This is very late in Egyptian history, during the Ptolemaic period, when Greeks controlled Egypt following Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt in 332 bc. General Ptolemy assumed control over Egypt following Alexander’s death. The likelihood that the 196 bc form of the hieroglyphic language is an accurate guide for their language millennia earlier is at best doubtful.

It is both foolish and arrogant to assume that this Ptolemaic era writing is a sound basis for projecting backward over three thousand years to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. In the end, the question must be asked: Do you trust scholar’s attempt to reconstruct antiquity using a partial record from 196 bc when it conflicts with the revelation given to Joseph Smith claiming to be a prophet, seer and translator?

It is interesting that Joseph Smith tied the records of the Brass Plates as well as the record of the Nephites (Mormon 4:11) to Egyptian. Since Joseph translated over 500 pages of Hieratic Egyptian text for the Book of Mormon, he read and understood the language better than any scholar, including all who have lived since the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and all living today.

Since I accept Joseph’s claims of being a prophet, seer and translator at face value, it is easy for me to resolve conflicts over Egyptian texts in favor of Joseph and against the scholarly critics.

Some months ago I did an interview with Rick Bennett whose site is called Gospel Tangents. The first installments of that interview is now available at this link: New Scriptures in Remnant Movement

Apparently it is the practice of Gospel Tangents to edit the interviews and to make them available in installments. The first two installments are now up, and more will follow.

Another recording of the interview was made at the same time, and that audio recording will become available on the Restoration Archives at some point.

This last weekend we attended the Retreat in Challis, Idaho. For many people, myself included, it was Connie Waterman’s song as the sacrament was prepared that will be long remembered. Her song of hope and faith, sung from a wheelchair while the sacrament was being prepared behind her, was profoundly and deeply moving.

The Lord foretold the challenges His followers would face. Challenges would come first from false Christs -meaning those who claimed they were anointed by God to lead others when God had not sent them. Next He warned of violence and wars. Nature would also fight against mankind with earthquakes, famines, and pestilences. Religious persecutions would be inevitable. But through it all the Lord advised patience: “In your patience, possess your souls.” (NC Luke 12:15) This advice to be patient in order to possess your souls was repeated in 1833. (See T&C 101:6)

Zion cannot be forced or demanded. The Lord explained that Zion will be gathered, but “not in haste, lest there should be confusion, which brings pestilence.” (T&C 50:6)

Recent revelations have given us a great advantage in the quest to see Zion. But right now it appears to me that we are all more focused on the results we hope to obtain, while ignoring the process. If I understand the Lord’s Answer to us (T&C 157), He is almost entirely focused on the process and wants us to forget about results. The results will only follow once we have figured out how to treat one another. Results are a by-product of getting the process right. Results are NOT something to be obtained using the wrong process.

Following Christ’s visit the Nephites attained a remarkable era of joy and peace because of how they behaved. “[B]ecause of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people; and there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness. And surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.” (4 Ne. 1:3)

When the idea of Zion was revealed in Joseph Smith’s day, the people wanted it, rushed to occupy it, but utterly failed to prepare to live in peace. Unlike the Nephites of 4th Nephi, those hasty saints failed and were violently chased from that land because “there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore, by these things they polluted their inheritances.” (T&C 101:3) They were the opposite of the Nephites who lived in peace.

The process matters more than the results. If the process is wrong, results are impossible. But if the process is right, the results are inevitable.

A Fall Retreat has been organized by volunteers to be held at Living Waters Ranch beginning Friday, September 4th. The organizers have have asked me to post several important reminders for all attendees. Please read through them below:

Check-in begins at 1:00 PM on Friday, September 4th. If you have not booked or paid for your lodging yet, please do so immediately. Accommodations at the Ranch are almost full, but there are some bunkbeds and dry tent and RV camping sites left. Please go to https://retreat.restorationarchives.com/#lodging to identify your lodging options.
If you are planning to attend the Retreat, the organizers from the Boise Fellowship urge you to contact them before August 20th to let them know if you will be eating meals at the Ranch. The Ranch cooks have to travel many hours away to purchase the groceries necessary to prepare our meals for us, so if you have not made sure your party’s name is on the list, there will likely not be food for you. Please contact Lori Larsen at [email protected] or 801-503-4747 to add your name to the list. Remember that payment for meals must be made IN CASH at the time of the meal. Exact change will be appreciated but not necessary. Meal times, menus, and purchase prices can be found on the Retreat website.
There will be a Retreat Kickoff Meeting and Welcome Party on Friday night beginning at 7:00 PM. Important details about the weekend will be given at the meeting, so please attend if you can. If you are able, please bring an appetizer and/or drinks to the Welcome Party. We will have coolers available for drinks. (Please bring your own small coolers for alcoholic drinks you may wish to bring. There will not be a community cooler for alcohol since there will be many minors attending this event. Please drink responsibly, and share your drinks responsibly.)
No pets are allowed at Living Waters Ranch. Please arrange care for your pets and do not bring them (even dogs) to the Retreat.
Because Idaho law prohibits minors from partaking of alcohol, even for religious reasons, we are asking each family/group to bring their own wine and grape juice and administer it to their family members according to their age. Bread and cups will be provided.
The average weather in Challis, Idaho in September is a high of 74 and a low of 41, so the weather will likely be variable. Plan to bring warm clothing, as it will always get cold as the evening progresses, but also bring t-shirts and shorts. Depending on where you are staying and in what type of accommodation, you will need to make sure you’re aware of what things you need to bring. Please note that if you’re staying in a bunkhouse or tent/RV, you will need to bring your own bedding and towels (shower houses are available). If you’re staying in a Living Waters Mini-Lodge, Chalet, Motel, or School of Ministry room, bedding and towels are provided.
Here are other important items to bring with you:

Cash for Meals (meals MUST be reserved by August 20th with Lori Larsen)
Appetizer and/or drinks for the Friday Night Welcome Party
Wine and/or grape juice for your family/group for Sacrament on Sunday
Camp Chairs
Swimming Suits (hot springs nearby)
Hiking Boots/Tennis Shoes
Warm Clothing
Sunscreen
Sunglasses/Hats
Bug Repellant
Snacks (remember, there are only 2 planned meals per day)
Pillows, Bedding, and Towels (if not provided in your lodging)
Camping Gear (if you’re staying in a tent)
Roasting Sticks
Games
Sports Equipment/Balls (baseballs, kickballs, etc)
Scriptures/Journals/Books
Guitars, Harmonicas, etc.

We look forward to seeing you soon! If you have additional questions, please visit the Retreat website at https://retreat.restorationarchives.com. If you cannot find answers to your questions on the website, please fill out the form on the website, and the organizers will get back to you promptly.