DISPENSATIONS.
The Bible dictionary says about
dispensations:
A dispensation of the gospel is a period
of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who
bears the holy priesthood and the keys, and who has a divine commission to
dispense the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth.
When this occurs, the gospel is revealed
anew so that people of that dispensation do not have to depend
basically on past dispensations for knowledge of the plan of salvation.
There have been many gospel dispensations
since the beginning. The Bible suggests at least one dispensation identified
with Adam, another with Enoch, another with Noah, and so
on with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus with His Apostles in the
meridian of time.
Paul writes of “the dispensation of the
fulness of times” in which the Lord will “gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Eph. 1:10). The
fulness of times is the final dispensation and began with the revelation of
the gospel to Joseph Smith.
It is a dispensation of restoration
and of fulfillment of the Lord’s plans and purposes since the world began.
There are also things reserved for the
fulness of times that have not been revealed previously (D&C121:26–32; 124:41).
It is a glorious time, the time in which we live today (see Acts 3:19–21;
D&C27:13; 110:11–16;
112:14–32;
128:18–21;
136:37–40).
End of quote.
APOSTASIES.
Whenever people choose to disregard, disobey
or distort any of the principles of the gospel or do not listen to the Lord’s
prophets they push themselves away from God and they begin to live in spiritual
darkness. This becomes apostasy and then
God withdraws His prophets and His priesthood authority which is required by
God to teach and administer the ordinances of the gospel.
There have been Six Dispensations given (as
mentioned in Dispensations above). Each
has ended in Apostasy.
GOSPEL IS RESTORED TO THE EARTH FOR THE LAST
TIME.
After a period of time the Lord has revealed
anew His Gospel. Heavenly Father revealed
His gospel through direct communication to prophets.
In this day, the Last Days, God called a prophet
for this, the Dispensation Of The Fullness Of Times, the last dispensation
before the Second Coming of the Lord.
This prophet is the Prophet Joseph Smith and he
has granted him priesthood authority which was not at that time on the earth, which
is recognized only by God and has revealed eternal truths including a new
volume of scripture written by Jews who left Jerusalem in 600 B.C. and came to
the Americas.
The Lord knows the end from the beginning so
He had this record made over a 1,000 year period and preserved it to come forth
in our day for this Final Dispensation.
This volume of scripture is a Second Witness
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that the Bible is true.
This is called The Book of Mormon.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s Plan of
Salvation for us. The Atonement that His
Son, Jesus Christ is the center of that plan.
Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
every one of us will rise from the grave, whether we were good or very evil and
all will be immortal beings.
We will then as an immortal being, be able to
stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Bar and answer for the things done in
the physical body on earth.
No one will escape from that one on one
judgment experience, no one.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ will take away
all of the sins that we confess and repent of.
If we do not repent, we must suffer for them and take the eternal punishment
that comes with the final judgment.
The Atonement is the only thing that will
allow us to move past only having an immortal body, but be able to have Eternal
Life and Exaltation, which is completely different than being Immortal.
He wants us to be successful in this life and
be worthy to return to His presence to live with Him.
Note that I said return. We have been there before. We did not just come into existence when we
were born.
For more information,
go to www.lds.org
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